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Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Reflecting Balance
- Thread starter DarkerShining
- Start date
DarkerShining
Well-Known Member
Thanks for your replies! ^_^
Chapter 22 is coming along nicely, and although there's only a few scenes left, I'm not entirely sure when it'll be done. Hopefully it won't be too long, so just wait a bit longer and I'll try my best to have it done as soon as possible. Hope you'll all look forward to it!
Chapter 22 is coming along nicely, and although there's only a few scenes left, I'm not entirely sure when it'll be done. Hopefully it won't be too long, so just wait a bit longer and I'll try my best to have it done as soon as possible. Hope you'll all look forward to it!
DarkerShining
Well-Known Member
Hey guys! So, school started up for me on Tuesday, which likely means I'll have less time to work on this and other things, as my schoolwork needs to take priority. However, I'm still going to do my best to keep this story moving.
And on that note, I think it is time for Chapter 22! I've really been looking forward to putting this one up, and I hope you'll all enjoy it. So, let's get right into it, shall we?
Also, as you may notice, there are two forms of narration in this chapter. The parts in italics are Hercules' narration (with Sera and Chiaki occasionally asking a few questions), while the normal text is normal narration of the events that occured in the past.
I probably didn't need to explain it, but I decided to do so anyways, just to avoid any confusion. (also, italics are also used in the way I'd normally use them, to put emphasis on certian words and to show a character's thoughts.)
This probably won't be the only chapter where I'll be using this narration style, so yeah. Anyways, with that out of the way, here's chapter 22.
----
Chapter 22: I’m really not all that special; I’m just a Shinx like the rest of you!
----
“Lightning Plateau is very different from Fenix Town in many ways. Here, we are used to seeing many different types and species of Pokémon every day, but at Lightning Plateau, there aren’t really any other Pokémon around other than the Luxray pride, as it is their territory, and they would rather not share it with anyone.
There also aren’t really any buildings there, as the Luxray pride prefers to stick to the lifestyle they have always led, and so they prefer to sleep out in the open or live in caves. The only real thing you’ll see that was built at some point is a shrine carved out of stone, dedicated to the legendary Pokémon Raikou, whom is said to have been spotted running through the area during stormy nights, and is worshipped by the Luxray tribe.
Blitz, Lita and their parents lived in a cave. They were a happy family of four, and were all respected within the Luxray pride.”
----
On a nice and quiet morning, Blitz and his father were heading out to do some training, as the two of them often did when they could. Other members of the pride greeted them as they walked past, and some of them reminded Blitz’s father of a meeting regarding an upcoming hunting trip.
“You sure have a lot of responsibilities, don’t you?” Blitz asked, looking up at his father.
“Well, yeah,” the Luxray responded, smiling at his son. “But right now, we have some time to ourselves, and can continue where our last training session left off!”
“And this time there won’t be any interruptions, right?” Blitz asked, smiling back at his father.
“Don’t worry, we have a few hours at least before I am needed somewhere,” Blitz’s father replied. “So, remind me where we left off last time?”
“You were telling me about the Fire and Ice Fang attacks!” Blitz responded, grinning. “Will I get to try them out today?”
“Now, there’s no need to rush, is there?” Blitz’s father replied. “And besides, these attacks can be dangerous if you don’t get the technique just right.”
“What do you mean?” Blitz asked.
“Well, our fangs alone be pretty dangerous just because of their sharpness,” Blitz’s father explained. “Add ice or fire to it, and well, that should speak for itself.”
“Oh, right,” Blitz responded, nodding his head. “I get it.”
“Good,” Blitz’s father replied, smiling at his son. “Unlike Thunder Fang, the Ice and Fire Fang moves are not learned naturally by our species, and thus a Shinx will only be capable of performing the move if their father knows how to use them.”
“And since you know those attacks, that must mean you learned them from your father, didn’t you?” Blitz asked. “And since you know those attacks, that means both Lita and I are capable of using them?”
“You got it spot on,” Blitz’s father responded, nodding his head.
“Does that mean you’ll teach Lita those attacks too someday?” Blitz asked.
“Maybe,” Blitz’s father replied. “Of course, with my responsibilities as leader of the pride, I’m not entirely sure if I’ll have the time to train you both.”
“Being leader of the pride doesn’t sound like much fun,” Blitz commented, tilting his head slightly.
“It is a lot of work, but someone has to do it,” Blitz’s father responded, smiling at Blitz. “But for now, let’s focus on these lessons.”
“Okay!” Blitz replied, nodding his head. “So, how do I do this?”
“It’s kind of complicated, but once you know it, it’s not that hard,” Blitz’s father responded, picking up a branch that fallen from one of the trees during a lightning storm and putting it down in front of Blitz. “I think we’ll start with Fire Fang, so listen closely.”
Blitz nodded his head, listening closely to his father’s instructions on how to perform the attack, and using the branch to practice on.
----
“So, Blitz’s father was the leader of the Luxray pride? Wait, so does that make Blitz… a prince, or something?”
“Well, you’re certainly not that far off, Sera. Blitz was expected to take over his father’s position as leader once he was old enough. And so, there were many things Blitz was expected to learn. Luckily, he was a fast learner, and seemed to be well in touch with his instincts. He had sharp senses, and seemed to possess many qualities that would seem to give him good leader potential.
Yet, Blitz preferred to think of himself as just any other Shinx in the pride.”
----
After their training session, Blitz’s father had work to attend to. Blitz decided to go see what some of the other Shinx around his age were up to. He eventually came across a group of Shinx that were doing some training of their own, taking turns fighting each other.
“Hey guys!” Blitz said, walking up to the other Shinx.
“Oh, hi Blitz!” one of the Shinx responded, walking up to him. “What’s up?”
“Dad taught me some new moves,” Blitz replied.
“Cool!” one of the other Shinx responded. “Could you show us?”
“Sure, I guess,” Blitz replied, looking around. “Just need to find a branch or piece of bark, since dad says it might be dangerous to use on other Pokémon if you don’t get the technique just right.”
“Oh! I’ll go look for something you can use!” one of the female Shinx said, running off.
“I’ll help!” one of the other female Shinx said, joining the first one.
“I’ll go too, in case the girls need any help carrying the stuff back,” one of the males commented, before following the two female Shinx.
“Oh, uh… Thanks, I guess,” Blitz responded, tilting his head slightly. “I probably could’ve done it myself, though.”
“Yeah, he has a point, you know,” said a voice from behind them, and they turned to see what looked to be a bigger Shinx with two yellow rings on his forelegs and a black mane, albeit his mane weren’t as impressive as that of a Luxray. The young Luxio had a smug look on his face as he approached the Shinx.
“Oh, hello,” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together.
“What do you want, Charge?” one of the Shinx asked, glaring at the Luxio.
“Nothing at all,” Charge responded, smirking. “Just wondering what the big deal about Blitz is all about. I mean, sure, his father might be the leader of this pride, but Blitz himself… he hasn’t really ever done anything all that impressive or noteworthy.”
“And just what have you done?” one of the female Shinx asked.
“Yeah, you’re just jealous!” one of the male Shinx said, pointing a paw accusingly at Charge.
“Guys, calm down!” Blitz said, moving in-between Charge and the Shinx group. “I’m really not all that special; I’m just a Shinx like the rest of you!”
“Exactly,” Charge responded, nodding his head. “I know that, and you know that, but they don’t seem to have caught on.”
“Blitz, you don’t have to listen to what Charge says!” one of the Shinx said. “You know he’s just after attention!”
“I know he’s not the nicest member of the pride, but really, there’s no need to fight,” Blitz responded, trying to keep things calm.
“Hey, I’m not looking for a fight,” Charge said, turning away. “Or at least, I’m not looking for a fight against any of you. I’m way too tough for you kids.”
“Blitz could take you on!” one of the Shinx commented, smirking. “He’s been training with his dad!”
“Oh, is that so?” Charge asked, looking back over at Blitz. “You think you could take me on?”
“Now, I never said that…” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together and glancing around nervously at the other Shinx. “You guys aren’t really helping here…”
“Well, maybe I’ll test you later, see if those fans of yours are right or not,” Charge replied, smirking. “For now, I’ll be off. See you all later.”
And with that, the Luxio left, and Blitz sighed as the other Shinx gather around him.
“Hey, Blitz?” one of the Shinx said. “Sorry if we put you in a bit of a difficult spot there.”
“Yeah, we didn’t mean to,” one of the other Shinx added. “But you know, since Charge is always bothering us and telling us all about how everything we can do, he can do better…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Blitz responded, managing a small smile. “You meant well, so… just try not to let Charge’s mere presence get the better of you next time, okay?”
“Okay!” the other Shinx replied, nodding their heads.
“All right, so… I guess I’ll show you those moves my dad taught me, then,” Blitz said, looking at some pieces of bark some of the other Shinx had found for him. “These will do just fine.”
----
“Sounds like Blitz had a lot of friends, didn’t he?”
“It may seem that way, Chiaki, but… Well, while Blitz got along well with the other Shinx, they weren’t necessarily particularly close. Blitz liked to play together with them, but they weren’t really his close friends.
However, there was one Shinx whom he could always talk to, that understood him better than any other Shinx in the pride. It was none other than his little sister Lita.”
----
As Blitz returned home to the cave later in the evening, he noticed that Lita was watching their mother sorting some things around the cave.
“You sure you don’t want any help, mommy?” Lita asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Nice of you to offer, but I’ve got it covered,” their mother replied, smiling. “So, don’t worry about it, my little princess!”
“If you say so…” Lita responded, before her mood considerably brightened as she noticed Blitz walking over. “Big brother, you’re back!”
“Hey, Lita,” Blitz said, smiling at the younger Shinx. “How have you been?”
“Fine, I guess,” Lita responded, shrugging slightly. “How was your day?”
“Well, dad finally taught me how to use the Ice and Fire Fang moves,” Blitz said.
“Ooh, really?” Lita responded. “Can you show me?”
“Sure,” Blitz replied, nodding his head. “Maybe I’ll even teach you how to use them yourself someday!”
“You’d really do that?” Lita asked, smiling at her brother.
“Of course, once I’ve fully mastered the attack myself, that is,” Blitz responded, smiling back.
“Yay!” Lita replied, hugging her brother. “You’re the best big brother ever!”
----
“Um, sorry to interrupt, but you said Blitz had been through a difficult time before coming to our town, didn’t you?”
“Well, I’m getting to that part, Sera. You see, Blitz’s father had to go and lead the hunting trip the Luxray had planned. He and the other Luxray were only supposed to be away for a few weeks, but they all seemed to be away for longer than the rest of the pride expected. They considered sending out a search party, but the Luxray did return before it got to that point… or most of them did, anyways.”
----
Blitz and Lita’s mother had gone to figure out exactly what had happened when she heard the hunting party had returned. As she came across the Luxray that had gone on the hunting trip she noticed that several of them looked to be recovering from some sort of injury, and she felt concerned as she realized her mate was nowhere in sight.
“Ah, Leandra,” one of the Luxray said, walking up to Blitz and Lita’s mother. “Looking for the leader, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, where is he?” Leandra asked, looking around. “Is he okay?”
“Well, last time I saw him he was okay, but…” the Luxray responded, and then explained how something during the hunting trip had gone wrong, resulting in an accident that injured many of the Luxray. Their leader, Tirell, was not among the Luxray that were injured, but he hadn’t taken what happened well, and he blamed himself for what had happened.
He had helped the other Luxray treat the wounds of the injured Luxray, but once they were in good enough shape to head home, he had run off, apparently too ashamed to face the rest of the pride.
“What do you mean!?” Leandra shouted.
“I-It’s like I said,” the Luxray responded, shivering slightly under Leandra’s intimidating gaze. “He ran away, and we don’t know where he went off to…”
“But… He can’t just run away, he’s the leader of our pride!” Leandra replied, growling angrily.
“We were shocked too,” the Luxray responded, shaking his head. “We never thought Tirell could abandon us like this...”
“Of all the irresponsible…” Leandra growled, the Luxray she was talking to seeming rather unnerved as she was scary enough when she wasn’t angry. “I swear, whenever he gets back here, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!”
“A-Anyways…” the Luxray responded, clearing his throat. “We must figure out what to do while Tirell is missing…”
“Well, Blitz is supposed to be the next leader of the pride,” Leandra replied, shaking her head slightly. “But he’s too young to take up his father’s position.”
“I guess we will need to choose a temporary leader until either Blitz is old enough to take up the position or Tirell returns,” the other Luxray responded. “We will also need to do what we can to prepare Blitz to take on the role as our leader.”
“I will do what I can,” Leandra replied, nodding her head. “For now, I should probably go home and tell the kids what has happened…”
“We’ll discuss this further at a later time, then,” the Luxray said.
----
“So… Blitz’s father left… just like that?”
“Yes… I understand that it is very difficult to understand; even Blitz couldn’t understand why his father would do such a thing. And as if that wasn’t enough, some of the Luxray decided that they needed to begin preparing him for what they all expected of him once he was old enough, to become their new leader.”
----
Blitz carefully crept through the grass, listening for anything that might be waiting to ambush him. He glanced around, trying his best not to rustle any of the grass too much or step on anything that might give away his position. A Luxray was observing him, nodding his head as Blitz met his gaze.
“Good, you’re in tune with your instincts,” the Luxray said. “But you’re breathing a little too hard.”
“Oh…” Blitz responded, his voice barely a whisper.
“You just need to find a way to relax more, otherwise you did really well,” the Luxray said.
“Thanks…” Blitz replied, rubbing his forelegs together.
“You really do have great potential,” the Luxray said, smiling at Blitz. “We all believe you’ll make a great leader someday!”
“Leader… right…” Blitz muttered, lying down in the tall grass as if he didn’t want to be noticed. “As if I hadn’t already heard that four times already today…”
“Well, I think that’s all the training for today,” the Luxray said, glancing at the sun setting in the distance. “You can go home now.”
“Okay, thanks…” Blitz said, nodding his head slightly.
The Luxray walked away, but Blitz stayed right there in the tall grass for a little longer. He seemed to relax a little as he realized he was now by himself, the tall grass helping to hide him from sight just a little.
“Pathetic, aren’t I?” Blitz muttered to himself. “I have no choice, so I might as well just accept it…” Blitz glanced up at the evening sky, even if he couldn’t see the sunset clearly from his position. “I have to become the leader of this pride someday… I must… I guess… This must be what they call… destiny?” Blitz nodded his head slightly, resting his head on his paws. “Yeah… Becoming the leader of the pride… is my destiny… Whether I want it to be or not…”
----
Blitz opened his eyes, noticing that it had turned dark. He quickly got up to his feet, realizing that he had to have dozed off in the tall grass and that he had to hurry home. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been out, but he hoped it wasn’t too far past the time he was supposed to have been home. He hurried back to the cave, where he found Lita waiting for him.
“There you are!” Lita said, cheerfully greeting her big brother.
“What took you so long?” Leandra asked, looking over at Blitz.
“Sorry I’m late…” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together.
“Oh, it’s okay,” Leandra replied. “I saved you some dinner.”
Blitz nodded, and walked up the flat rock serving as their dinner table. He looked down at the piece of meat in front of him, poking at it with his paw. This red, soft piece of meat had probably been part of a wild Pokémon until recently, but it was difficult to determine species or what part of the body the meat came from by how it looked and felt to the touch alone.
“Blitz? Aren’t you going to eat?” Leandra asked.
“Huh? Oh, sorry…” Blitz responded, sniffing the meat. “It smells really nice, but… I guess I’m not all that hungry…”
“But you’ve barely eaten today!” Leandra replied. “Surely you must be hungry?”
“Well… I suppose I shouldn’t let this go to waste…” Blitz responded, taking a bite out of the meat.
“That’s better,” Leandra replied, smiling.
Leandra went into her part of the cave while Blitz ate his dinner, however, Lita just watched Blitz with a concerned look.
“You okay, big brother?” Lita asked.
“Not really…” Blitz responded, shaking his head.
“Want to talk about it?” Lita asked, giving a small supportive smile.
----
After Blitz had finished his dinner, he and Lita went to their room to talk in private. Blitz sometimes wondered if it was really okay for him to tell Lita these things, but he knew his little sister was mature for her age, and besides, he knew she would just worry about him if he didn’t talk to her about whatever was on his mind.
“So, what’s wrong?” Lita asked, tilting her head slightly. “Is it that Luxio that’s bothering everyone again?”
“You mean Charge?” Blitz responded, before shaking his head. “No, I haven’t even really seen him around lately…”
“Oh,” Lita replied. “What is it, then?”
“It’s just… ever since dad left, everyone’s been going on about how I’m someday going to be their next leader,” Blitz explained, looking down at the floor. “But, I…”
“You don’t want to be the leader?” Lita asked.
“Huh… You’re the only one to ask that,” Blitz responded, giving his sister a small smile, before sighing and shaking his head. “No… I don’t, but… it doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice…”
“Maybe dad can do something about it?” Lita suggested. “You know, when he gets back from… wherever he went.”
“… You really think he’s coming back?” Blitz asked.
“Of course I do!” Lita responded, nodding her head. “Don’t adults sometimes need time to themselves to think about things?”
“… I’m not really sure if that’s what’s going on,” Blitz replied, sighing again. “I just don’t know what to do about everyone having decided my future without even asking me what I want, or giving me a choice in the matter…”
“Hmm… They want you to be the leader because our dad is the leader, right?” Lita asked.
“I guess so,” Blitz responded, glancing around at the cave walls.
“Then, maybe… I could become the leader?” Lita suggested, smiling at her brother.
“You, become the leader of the pride?” Blitz inquired, tilting his head slightly.
“Well, why not?” Lita asked, rubbing her head against Blitz. “That way, you wouldn’t have to!”
“Lita… That’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever offered to do for me,” Blitz responded, smiling at his sister. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome!” Lita replied, grinning. “All right, I’ll work hard and become the leader of this pride!”
“I doubt it’s as easy as that,” Blitz responded. “I mean, everyone wants me to do it, and… well, I don’t think we’ve ever had a female Luxray as the leader before.”
“That doesn’t mean a female can’t be leader, though?” Lita asked, smirking. “Well, either way, I’m going to try my best for your sake, big brother!”
“… You’re the best little sister ever,” Blitz responded, rubbing his head against Lita.
----
“Even with Lita around for support, things didn’t get any better for Blitz. When he had time, he would go play with the other Shinx as he had always done. However, he couldn’t help but feel jealousy and resentment towards the other Shinx, since none of them had to deal with the burden of being the chosen one. They didn’t understand how much stress he had to suffer, or how much he just wanted to be just another Shinx like them.”
----
Blitz was having trouble keeping up with the other Shinx as they ran around, playing their games as usual. Tired from his training earlier in the day, Blitz had to stop and take a moment to catch his breath.
“You okay, Blitz?” one of the female Shinx asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “Just a little tired from today’s lessons…”
“Oh, right!” one of the other Shinx said. “You’ve got to know a lot of things in order to become our leader, don’t you?”
“Yes, there certainly is,” Blitz responded, forcing a smile while thinking to himself. “You have no idea how lucky you all are…”
“Being the leader seems like a lot of hard work,” one of the other Shinx commented, smiling at Blitz. “But if anyone can handle it, it has to be you!”
“I’ve been getting that a lot,” Blitz replied, still hiding his true thoughts behind a fake smile that none of the other Shinx seemed to see through. “Why does it have to be me? I never asked for any of this!”
“You seriously think he has what it takes?” a certain Luxio’s voice asked, and they all turned to see Charge walking over. “If he’s anything like his father, he’ll probably just run away the moment things get rough!”
“Charge, why are you here?” one of the Shinx commented, giving the Luxio an annoyed look.
“I hadn’t seen Blitz in a while, wanted to see how he were doing,” Charge responded, turning to Blitz with a smug look on his face. “So, how have you been?”
“That’s… really none of your business, Charge,” Blitz replied, trying to remain calm. “Oh, for the love of Raikou… As if these oblivious Shinx weren’t enough, now I have to deal with him too!?”
“Oh, what’s the matter, Blitz?” Charge asked, leaning his face closer with a smug smile. “I bet you must feel kind of embarrassed that your dad just ditched his responsibilities like that.”
Blitz glanced down at the ground, hoping Charge would just go away.
“I do wonder why he just left like that,” Charge said, walking back and forth in front of Blitz as he thought to himself. “Are the meetings with the other Luxray or whatever just that boring and he just needed an excuse to get away?”
Blitz just continued staring into the ground, hoping Charge would just leave. He was aware that the other Shinx were probably glaring at the Luxio, but he just hoped they wouldn’t say or do anything that would get him into trouble or make Charge stay longer.
“Or maybe it didn’t even have anything to do with him being the leader,” Charge said, smirking at Blitz. “Maybe you and your sister were being so annoying he decided to leave?”
Blitz narrowed his eyes, and glared at Charge. How dared he bring Lita into this?
“Oh, I know! He’s probably hiding from your mother!” Charge said, snickering. “I mean, seriously. You’ve seen those teeth of hers, right? I’d run away too if I had to wake up to that every day!”
“SHUT UP!” Blitz shouted, startling all the other Shinx present.
“Oh, dear,” Charge responded, seeming a bit startled himself momentarily before regaining his composure. “Maybe I went a little too far?”
“Charge, you can say whatever you want about me, but leave my family out of this!” Blitz replied, giving Charge a nasty glare.
“Huh, this suddenly got interesting,” Charge commented, smirking. “And here I thought you were just a coward who’d rather avoid a fight.”
“Well, he isn’t!” one of the other Shinx said. “Now, get lost and leave Blitz alone!”
“Now, hold on…” Charge responded. “I’m not done here yet.”
Blitz looked down at the ground, growling and hoping that Charge would just go away already. However, the Luxio suddenly leaned down to try to meet Blitz’s gaze.
“Hey, do you remember the time I suggested we have a battle to see which one of is stronger?” Charge asked, and smirked as Blitz’s eyes widened in fear. “What do you say?”
“I… I…” Blitz stuttered, rubbing his forelegs together. “I don’t know if…”
“Come on, I’m just asking for one battle,” Charge responded. “How about… we meet up near the shrine tomorrow night, before moving over to a suitable spot for our battle?”
“Charge, I really don’t think that’s a good idea…” Blitz muttered, glancing around at the other Shinx who were now just watching their conversation.
“Okay, how about this? If you win, I promise I’ll take back everything I've said and leave you alone,” Charge said, with a smug smile. “Does that sound good?”
Blitz tried to respond, but the words weren’t coming to him. He had no idea what to do now. Charge just smirked, turned around and started to walk away.
“Well, I guess I’ll go take a look around and find the best spot for our battle,” Charge said, glancing over his shoulder at Blitz. “Remember, tomorrow night, meet me at the shrine!”
And with that, the Luxio left.
“Wait, I don’t…” Blitz said, but Charge was already out of earshot. “… This can’t end well…”
“Don’t worry about it, Blitz,” one of the other Shinx said.
“Yeah, we’re sure you can beat him!” another Shinx commented, grinning.
Blitz just sighed and lied down in the grass, covering his ears with his paws and shutting his eyes while thinking to himself: “Why me?”
----
When Blitz got home later in the evening, he told both Lita and his mother about Charge’s challenge, and asked them for advice on how to deal with the situation.
“Hmm… Tough one,” Leandra commented. “You don’t want to fight him, but you’re worried he’s going to keep bothering you if don’t show up, right?”
“Yeah…” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “Not to mention that the other Shinx seem to want me to defeat him…”
“Maybe I should have a talk with him?” Leandra suggested, smiling so that all of her sharp teeth were showing. “And if that Luxio won’t listen to reason, maybe I can frighten him a bit with my Scary Face attack?”
“You mean that isn’t your scary face?” Lita asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at her mother’s grin.
“What do you mean, dear?” Leandra responded, looking over at Lita.
“Oh, never mind,” Lita replied, looking down sheepishly.
“Mom, I don’t think it’ll help if you try to talk to him,” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together.
“Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know,” Leandra responded.
Blitz sighed and decided to go to his room, Lita following closely behind.
“You’re not really going to fight Charge, are you?” Lita asked.
“I don’t know, Lita…” Blitz responded, shaking his head slightly.
“We don’t actually know how strong Charge is, do we?” Lita asked, giving her older brother a concerned look. “I don’t want you to get hurt…”
“Lita, don’t worry about me,” Blitz responded, looking away. “I’ll think of something…”
“Are you sure?” Lita replied, tilting her head slightly.
“No, but since it’s my problem, I guess I’ll have to sort it out myself,” Blitz responded.
----
“That night, Blitz lay in bed trying to think of a solution, but none came to him and he eventually fell asleep. Blitz went through the next day as usual, and when the evening came, Blitz began heading for the stone shrine. He wasn’t sure what he hoped to accomplish, nor did he know what he would do once he got there. However, it was as if something inside him was guiding him, as if there was no other way and it was too late to turn back…”
----
Blitz crept through the grass, occasionally glancing around. Dark clouds were starting to fill up the night sky, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it started raining at any moment. Blitz just kept on moving through the tall grass, staying low as if he didn’t want to be spotted. He could see the stone shrine in the distance, getting closer and closer. Blitz took a deep breath, and continued moving forward, towards the shrine dedicated to Raikou, a legendary Pokémon of thunder and lightning.
As he reached the shrine, he sat down next to it, looking around. Blitz hadn’t seen any signs of Charge yet, but he figured it wouldn’t be long before the Luxio showed up.
“Sure is dark tonight…” Blitz muttered to himself, glancing up at the cloudy night sky.
“Ah, there you are,” a familiar voice called out. “I was worried you wouldn’t show up.”
Blitz flinched slightly, before nervously looking over at the Luxio walking over with a smug smile on his face.
“Are you ready?” Charge asked, glancing over in a direction. “I think I’ve found just the perfect spot for our battle.”
Blitz reluctantly followed Charge as he led the way towards the location he had chosen for their battle. They eventually arrived at a fairly open area, with only a few trees surrounding them.
“What do you think? Good spot for a battle, isn’t it?” Charge asked, smirking.
“I-I guess…” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together.
Charge took a few steps forward, then turned around and tried to pounce on Blitz. Blitz made his fur glow, momentarily startling the Luxio, and giving Blitz time to move out of the way. Blitz ducked into some of the tall grass, hoping he would stay hidden from Charge’s sight for at least long enough to come up with a plan.
“Oh, Blitz? Where did you go?” Charge said, snickering a little. “You do know that this is a battle and not a game of hide-and-seek, right?”
Blitz remained quiet, trying to make as little noise as he could. However, Charge still seemed to be headed in his direction.
“Come on, don’t be a coward,” Charge said, smirking as he moved closer and closer to Blitz’s hiding spot. “Surely you don’t want to let those Shinx down like your dad did with the entire pride, do you?”
Blitz growled, and leaped out to attack Charge, only for the Luxio to easily sidestep the attack.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Charge commented, snickering.
The two rings on Charge’s forelegs began to glow, and he proceeded to swipe at Blitz with an electrified paw, only for Blitz to dodge it. Yellow sparks of electricity were rippling through Charge’s fur, mainly around the yellow rings on his forelegs. He smirked and attempted to strike Blitz with his electrified paw once more, only for Blitz to block it with his own electrified paws.
The two kept going back and forth trying to hit each other with their electrified paws, yellow sparks of electricity streaming off of the yellow rings on Charge’s legs, while blue sparks flew out from each strike of Blitz’s paws. The two kept this going for a while, until Charge managed to knock Blitz onto his back.
“Are you even trying?” Charge asked, trying to step on Blitz only for Blitz to stop him by pressing paw back with his own paws. “Everyone keeps treating you like you’re something special, but I think we both know that you’re not!”
Blitz noticed that Charge seemed to be holding back, and realized that the Luxio had just been toying with him so far. Then again, considering how Charge normally was, it shouldn’t really have come as such a surprise.
“You know, they say you’ve got a lot of potential to be a great leader, but I’m just not seeing any of that,” Charge commented, with a smug smile. “Maybe I should’ve challenged your sister instead? I bet she’d be able to pose a real challenge!”
Blitz made his fur light up, momentarily blinding Charge so he could slip out of his grip.
“That trick again?” Charge asked, shaking his head. “Didn’t you train with your dad, you know, before he ran off like a coward?”
Blitz tried to keep his rising anger under control as Charge looked around for him in the tall grass.
“You can’t beat anyone by just doing that shiny thing and running, you know,” Charge said, circling Blitz’s hiding spot. “I thought you had like, some special moves or something. Was I wrong?”
Blitz took a deep breath, trying to think of a way to win the battle while carefully observing Charge’s movements.
“Come on, don’t you have anything to say?” Charge asked, rolling his eyes. “I mean, shouldn’t you like, come up with something to say about why I’m wrong and why you are qualified for the leader position?”
Blitz waited until Charge was in front of him, before leaping out and trying to tackle him, only to be knocked aside from another strike of Charge’s electrified paw.
“Nice try, but nothing leader-worthy,” Charge commented, approaching Blitz. “If you want to live up to what everyone expects of you, then I suggest you train some more!”
Blitz got back onto his feet, staring down at the yellow rings on his forelegs for a moment, before looking over at Charge’s forelegs. He was having trouble thinking clearly with all the bottled up negative emotions threatening to burst forth. Each comment about what everyone expected just made his anger rise, making it difficult to remain calm.
“Hey, is it okay if I watch when you admit to your friends that you’re not as great as they think you are?” Charge asked, snickering. “I’ll look forward to seeing the look on their faces… Oh, and what will your adorable little sister think when she finds out just how weak her brother is? Poor little Lita is going to be so disappointed!”
With that, Blitz could no longer contain his feelings, and lunged at Charge, seeming to be aiming for the Luxio’s throat.
“Whoa!” Charge said, managing to dodge the attack. “So, you do have some fight in you? Well, bring it on!”
Blitz seemed to fighting much more aggressively and recklessly now, growling as he rapidly attempted to strike Charge with his electrified paws. Charge was actually the one who had to react quickly in order to block Blitz’s vicious assault, and the Luxio actually seemed a bit unsettled by the sudden change in his opponent’s behavior. It was like all the frustration, resentment and anger that the young Shinx had kept bottled up for the past few days was now being released in every attack.
However, even in his state of rage, Blitz seemed to have just enough awareness to notice an opening, and made his fur glow brightly to momentarily blind his opponent. As Charge flinched, and covered his eyes with one of his paws, Blitz promptly leaped forward and with red glowing fangs bit down on the Luxio’s other foreleg.
“AH! Hey, what are you-!?” Charge shouted, screaming in pain as a pair of sharp fangs hot as fire dug deep into his leg.
Despite Charge’s screams of pain, Blitz wasn’t letting go. He didn’t even seem to hear the Luxio’s wails, nor did he seem to react when Charge tried to shake him off other than bite down even harder.
“P-Please stop!” Charge shouted, desperately trying to push Blitz off of him with his other foreleg. “O-Okay, you win! Please, stop this… Ah!”
Blitz’s fangs cooled down slightly as he seemed to run out of energy for his Fire Fang attack, and Charge managed to muster up enough strength to make Blitz lose his grip and throw him aside before collapsing.
Lightning flashed in the distance, and Blitz seemed to come to his senses as the sound of thunder caught up. He got up onto his feet, seeming a bit dazed and looked over at his opponent. Charge was lying in the grass, panting and wincing in pain as he tried to move the damaged leg. The area around the yellow rings on Charge’s left foreleg looked burned, and there was blood coming from the wounds Blitz had left right on the yellow rings.
Blitz gasped as he felt something wet and warm land on his leg, and looked down to see that drops of Charge’s blood were dripping from his fangs onto the grass.
“W-What have I done…?” Blitz muttered under his breath, trembling as he fully realized what had just happened. “N-No, this wasn’t supposed to… I didn’t mean to-!”
Blitz fell to the ground as drops of rain began falling from above, and a group of Luxray ran over to see what was going on.
----
“With the events of that night, Leandra realized just how bad the situation had gotten, but wasn’t sure what to do for Blitz. Charge did recover, but his leg never healed completely. Apparently, he limps a little when he walks, and seems to have difficulty charging electricity with that leg, leaving him with only half electric power.
The other Shinx talked about what had happened, some of them shocked at what had happened to Charge during the duel, never having imagined Blitz was capable of that. Some said it was Charge’s own fault for pushing Blitz too far, while others pointed out that while Charge was a bit of a jerk, he probably didn’t deserve having that happen to him.
And Blitz, well… As you can probably already guess, the accident was what left him with such an aversion towards using his fangs in battle. He spent most of the day after the battle with Charge crying in his room, and for the few days after that refused to go out.
Leandra thought hard about what to do, and eventually reached the conclusion that it would probably be best for Blitz to train somewhere other than Lightning Plateau. And so, she sent me a letter, explaining the situation and asking if I would be interested in helping Blitz train. Feeling sorry for the kid, I decided to do more than just that.”
----
It was early in the morning as Leandra and Lita were following Blitz over to the border of Lightning Plateau. Blitz didn’t want to run into any of the other Shinx, and so they had decided to do this while most of the pride was most likely still asleep.
“Okay, Blitz, this is it,” Leandra said, pointing a paw straight forward. “Just keep going in that direction and you should reach a dirt road. The one called Hercules said he would come meet you, so just keep heading down the road until you meet with a Heracross.”
“Mm-hm,” Blitz replied, nodding his head slightly.
“You know what a Heracross is, right?” Leandra asked.
“Yes,” Blitz responded, nodding his head.
“Good!” Leandra replied, grinning. “Well, then, I wish you luck, my little prince. I don’t know too much about this Fenix Town, but from what I’ve heard, it should be a good place for you to continue your training.”
“Okay,” Blitz responded, nodding his head.
“Big brother…” Lita said, sadly looking up at Blitz. “I don’t want you to leave…”
“Lita…” Blitz responded, hugging his sister. “I’m going to miss you too, but… while I don’t know if this is the right thing to do, I do think mom is right about one thing; I need to get away from Lightning Plateau…”
“O-Okay…” Lita replied, wiping away some tears. “You’ll write to me, right?”
“Of course,” Blitz responded, smiling at his sister, who smiled back at him. “Well, I guess I should get going then… Good-bye, for now.”
“Bye-bye!” Lita replied, waving good-bye as her brother began walking away in the direction Leandra had pointed to.
“Take care!” Leandra said, also waving good-bye.
Blitz continued walking, relaxing a bit once he noticed that Lightning Plateau was out of sight. He reached the dirt road, and continued walking down it by himself, until he finally spotted a blue beetle Pokémon ahead.
“Ah, you must be Blitz,” the Heracross said, walking over and extending his hand for a handshake. “I am Hercules; I run the dojo in Fenix Town where rescue teams train.”
“N-Nice to meet you,” Blitz responded, reaching out his paw.
“So, are you nervous?” Hercules asked while shaking Blitz’s paw.
“A little…?” Blitz responded. He probably would’ve rubbed the rings on his forelegs together if Hercules wasn’t still holding one of them.
“Well, there’s nothing to worry about,” Hercules replied, giving Blitz a friendly smile. “The Pokémon of Fenix Town are quite friendly for the most part, and I’m sure you will fit right in once you get used to living there! I’ve already arranged so you have a place to stay.”
“Oh?” Blitz asked, tilting his head slightly.
“Yep,” Hercules responded. “A nice cozy stone hut, which I thought would be perfect for you.”
“Wow… You really did that for me?” Blitz asked. “We don’t even know each other yet…”
“Well, I guess it is a bit more than what most mentors do,” Hercules replied, smiling. “But I figured it’d help you get comfortable.”
“Oh, um… Thanks,” Blitz responded, unsure what to say.
“Now, when it comes to training, we will do things at your pace,” Hercules explained, as the two began walking down the dirt road together. “We’ll only train whenever you feel like it, and there’s no pressure. Take as much time as you need.”
“Okay,” Blitz replied, nodding his head.
“Also, if you have any other problems, you can come to me anytime,” Hercules said.
“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” Blitz responded, smiling.
For the first time in a while, Blitz felt as if things were looking up for him. Once he got to Fenix Town, he would be surrounded by Pokémon who didn’t know him or his father, and that weren’t expecting anything of him. While he probably wouldn’t be able to escape his destiny, at least here he could be just an ordinary Shinx for a while, and he wanted to enjoy that for long as it lasted.
----
End of chapter 22.
And on that note, I think it is time for Chapter 22! I've really been looking forward to putting this one up, and I hope you'll all enjoy it. So, let's get right into it, shall we?
Also, as you may notice, there are two forms of narration in this chapter. The parts in italics are Hercules' narration (with Sera and Chiaki occasionally asking a few questions), while the normal text is normal narration of the events that occured in the past.
I probably didn't need to explain it, but I decided to do so anyways, just to avoid any confusion. (also, italics are also used in the way I'd normally use them, to put emphasis on certian words and to show a character's thoughts.)
This probably won't be the only chapter where I'll be using this narration style, so yeah. Anyways, with that out of the way, here's chapter 22.
----
Chapter 22: I’m really not all that special; I’m just a Shinx like the rest of you!
----
“Lightning Plateau is very different from Fenix Town in many ways. Here, we are used to seeing many different types and species of Pokémon every day, but at Lightning Plateau, there aren’t really any other Pokémon around other than the Luxray pride, as it is their territory, and they would rather not share it with anyone.
There also aren’t really any buildings there, as the Luxray pride prefers to stick to the lifestyle they have always led, and so they prefer to sleep out in the open or live in caves. The only real thing you’ll see that was built at some point is a shrine carved out of stone, dedicated to the legendary Pokémon Raikou, whom is said to have been spotted running through the area during stormy nights, and is worshipped by the Luxray tribe.
Blitz, Lita and their parents lived in a cave. They were a happy family of four, and were all respected within the Luxray pride.”
----
On a nice and quiet morning, Blitz and his father were heading out to do some training, as the two of them often did when they could. Other members of the pride greeted them as they walked past, and some of them reminded Blitz’s father of a meeting regarding an upcoming hunting trip.
“You sure have a lot of responsibilities, don’t you?” Blitz asked, looking up at his father.
“Well, yeah,” the Luxray responded, smiling at his son. “But right now, we have some time to ourselves, and can continue where our last training session left off!”
“And this time there won’t be any interruptions, right?” Blitz asked, smiling back at his father.
“Don’t worry, we have a few hours at least before I am needed somewhere,” Blitz’s father replied. “So, remind me where we left off last time?”
“You were telling me about the Fire and Ice Fang attacks!” Blitz responded, grinning. “Will I get to try them out today?”
“Now, there’s no need to rush, is there?” Blitz’s father replied. “And besides, these attacks can be dangerous if you don’t get the technique just right.”
“What do you mean?” Blitz asked.
“Well, our fangs alone be pretty dangerous just because of their sharpness,” Blitz’s father explained. “Add ice or fire to it, and well, that should speak for itself.”
“Oh, right,” Blitz responded, nodding his head. “I get it.”
“Good,” Blitz’s father replied, smiling at his son. “Unlike Thunder Fang, the Ice and Fire Fang moves are not learned naturally by our species, and thus a Shinx will only be capable of performing the move if their father knows how to use them.”
“And since you know those attacks, that must mean you learned them from your father, didn’t you?” Blitz asked. “And since you know those attacks, that means both Lita and I are capable of using them?”
“You got it spot on,” Blitz’s father responded, nodding his head.
“Does that mean you’ll teach Lita those attacks too someday?” Blitz asked.
“Maybe,” Blitz’s father replied. “Of course, with my responsibilities as leader of the pride, I’m not entirely sure if I’ll have the time to train you both.”
“Being leader of the pride doesn’t sound like much fun,” Blitz commented, tilting his head slightly.
“It is a lot of work, but someone has to do it,” Blitz’s father responded, smiling at Blitz. “But for now, let’s focus on these lessons.”
“Okay!” Blitz replied, nodding his head. “So, how do I do this?”
“It’s kind of complicated, but once you know it, it’s not that hard,” Blitz’s father responded, picking up a branch that fallen from one of the trees during a lightning storm and putting it down in front of Blitz. “I think we’ll start with Fire Fang, so listen closely.”
Blitz nodded his head, listening closely to his father’s instructions on how to perform the attack, and using the branch to practice on.
----
“So, Blitz’s father was the leader of the Luxray pride? Wait, so does that make Blitz… a prince, or something?”
“Well, you’re certainly not that far off, Sera. Blitz was expected to take over his father’s position as leader once he was old enough. And so, there were many things Blitz was expected to learn. Luckily, he was a fast learner, and seemed to be well in touch with his instincts. He had sharp senses, and seemed to possess many qualities that would seem to give him good leader potential.
Yet, Blitz preferred to think of himself as just any other Shinx in the pride.”
----
After their training session, Blitz’s father had work to attend to. Blitz decided to go see what some of the other Shinx around his age were up to. He eventually came across a group of Shinx that were doing some training of their own, taking turns fighting each other.
“Hey guys!” Blitz said, walking up to the other Shinx.
“Oh, hi Blitz!” one of the Shinx responded, walking up to him. “What’s up?”
“Dad taught me some new moves,” Blitz replied.
“Cool!” one of the other Shinx responded. “Could you show us?”
“Sure, I guess,” Blitz replied, looking around. “Just need to find a branch or piece of bark, since dad says it might be dangerous to use on other Pokémon if you don’t get the technique just right.”
“Oh! I’ll go look for something you can use!” one of the female Shinx said, running off.
“I’ll help!” one of the other female Shinx said, joining the first one.
“I’ll go too, in case the girls need any help carrying the stuff back,” one of the males commented, before following the two female Shinx.
“Oh, uh… Thanks, I guess,” Blitz responded, tilting his head slightly. “I probably could’ve done it myself, though.”
“Yeah, he has a point, you know,” said a voice from behind them, and they turned to see what looked to be a bigger Shinx with two yellow rings on his forelegs and a black mane, albeit his mane weren’t as impressive as that of a Luxray. The young Luxio had a smug look on his face as he approached the Shinx.
“Oh, hello,” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together.
“What do you want, Charge?” one of the Shinx asked, glaring at the Luxio.
“Nothing at all,” Charge responded, smirking. “Just wondering what the big deal about Blitz is all about. I mean, sure, his father might be the leader of this pride, but Blitz himself… he hasn’t really ever done anything all that impressive or noteworthy.”
“And just what have you done?” one of the female Shinx asked.
“Yeah, you’re just jealous!” one of the male Shinx said, pointing a paw accusingly at Charge.
“Guys, calm down!” Blitz said, moving in-between Charge and the Shinx group. “I’m really not all that special; I’m just a Shinx like the rest of you!”
“Exactly,” Charge responded, nodding his head. “I know that, and you know that, but they don’t seem to have caught on.”
“Blitz, you don’t have to listen to what Charge says!” one of the Shinx said. “You know he’s just after attention!”
“I know he’s not the nicest member of the pride, but really, there’s no need to fight,” Blitz responded, trying to keep things calm.
“Hey, I’m not looking for a fight,” Charge said, turning away. “Or at least, I’m not looking for a fight against any of you. I’m way too tough for you kids.”
“Blitz could take you on!” one of the Shinx commented, smirking. “He’s been training with his dad!”
“Oh, is that so?” Charge asked, looking back over at Blitz. “You think you could take me on?”
“Now, I never said that…” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together and glancing around nervously at the other Shinx. “You guys aren’t really helping here…”
“Well, maybe I’ll test you later, see if those fans of yours are right or not,” Charge replied, smirking. “For now, I’ll be off. See you all later.”
And with that, the Luxio left, and Blitz sighed as the other Shinx gather around him.
“Hey, Blitz?” one of the Shinx said. “Sorry if we put you in a bit of a difficult spot there.”
“Yeah, we didn’t mean to,” one of the other Shinx added. “But you know, since Charge is always bothering us and telling us all about how everything we can do, he can do better…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Blitz responded, managing a small smile. “You meant well, so… just try not to let Charge’s mere presence get the better of you next time, okay?”
“Okay!” the other Shinx replied, nodding their heads.
“All right, so… I guess I’ll show you those moves my dad taught me, then,” Blitz said, looking at some pieces of bark some of the other Shinx had found for him. “These will do just fine.”
----
“Sounds like Blitz had a lot of friends, didn’t he?”
“It may seem that way, Chiaki, but… Well, while Blitz got along well with the other Shinx, they weren’t necessarily particularly close. Blitz liked to play together with them, but they weren’t really his close friends.
However, there was one Shinx whom he could always talk to, that understood him better than any other Shinx in the pride. It was none other than his little sister Lita.”
----
As Blitz returned home to the cave later in the evening, he noticed that Lita was watching their mother sorting some things around the cave.
“You sure you don’t want any help, mommy?” Lita asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Nice of you to offer, but I’ve got it covered,” their mother replied, smiling. “So, don’t worry about it, my little princess!”
“If you say so…” Lita responded, before her mood considerably brightened as she noticed Blitz walking over. “Big brother, you’re back!”
“Hey, Lita,” Blitz said, smiling at the younger Shinx. “How have you been?”
“Fine, I guess,” Lita responded, shrugging slightly. “How was your day?”
“Well, dad finally taught me how to use the Ice and Fire Fang moves,” Blitz said.
“Ooh, really?” Lita responded. “Can you show me?”
“Sure,” Blitz replied, nodding his head. “Maybe I’ll even teach you how to use them yourself someday!”
“You’d really do that?” Lita asked, smiling at her brother.
“Of course, once I’ve fully mastered the attack myself, that is,” Blitz responded, smiling back.
“Yay!” Lita replied, hugging her brother. “You’re the best big brother ever!”
----
“Um, sorry to interrupt, but you said Blitz had been through a difficult time before coming to our town, didn’t you?”
“Well, I’m getting to that part, Sera. You see, Blitz’s father had to go and lead the hunting trip the Luxray had planned. He and the other Luxray were only supposed to be away for a few weeks, but they all seemed to be away for longer than the rest of the pride expected. They considered sending out a search party, but the Luxray did return before it got to that point… or most of them did, anyways.”
----
Blitz and Lita’s mother had gone to figure out exactly what had happened when she heard the hunting party had returned. As she came across the Luxray that had gone on the hunting trip she noticed that several of them looked to be recovering from some sort of injury, and she felt concerned as she realized her mate was nowhere in sight.
“Ah, Leandra,” one of the Luxray said, walking up to Blitz and Lita’s mother. “Looking for the leader, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, where is he?” Leandra asked, looking around. “Is he okay?”
“Well, last time I saw him he was okay, but…” the Luxray responded, and then explained how something during the hunting trip had gone wrong, resulting in an accident that injured many of the Luxray. Their leader, Tirell, was not among the Luxray that were injured, but he hadn’t taken what happened well, and he blamed himself for what had happened.
He had helped the other Luxray treat the wounds of the injured Luxray, but once they were in good enough shape to head home, he had run off, apparently too ashamed to face the rest of the pride.
“What do you mean!?” Leandra shouted.
“I-It’s like I said,” the Luxray responded, shivering slightly under Leandra’s intimidating gaze. “He ran away, and we don’t know where he went off to…”
“But… He can’t just run away, he’s the leader of our pride!” Leandra replied, growling angrily.
“We were shocked too,” the Luxray responded, shaking his head. “We never thought Tirell could abandon us like this...”
“Of all the irresponsible…” Leandra growled, the Luxray she was talking to seeming rather unnerved as she was scary enough when she wasn’t angry. “I swear, whenever he gets back here, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!”
“A-Anyways…” the Luxray responded, clearing his throat. “We must figure out what to do while Tirell is missing…”
“Well, Blitz is supposed to be the next leader of the pride,” Leandra replied, shaking her head slightly. “But he’s too young to take up his father’s position.”
“I guess we will need to choose a temporary leader until either Blitz is old enough to take up the position or Tirell returns,” the other Luxray responded. “We will also need to do what we can to prepare Blitz to take on the role as our leader.”
“I will do what I can,” Leandra replied, nodding her head. “For now, I should probably go home and tell the kids what has happened…”
“We’ll discuss this further at a later time, then,” the Luxray said.
----
“So… Blitz’s father left… just like that?”
“Yes… I understand that it is very difficult to understand; even Blitz couldn’t understand why his father would do such a thing. And as if that wasn’t enough, some of the Luxray decided that they needed to begin preparing him for what they all expected of him once he was old enough, to become their new leader.”
----
Blitz carefully crept through the grass, listening for anything that might be waiting to ambush him. He glanced around, trying his best not to rustle any of the grass too much or step on anything that might give away his position. A Luxray was observing him, nodding his head as Blitz met his gaze.
“Good, you’re in tune with your instincts,” the Luxray said. “But you’re breathing a little too hard.”
“Oh…” Blitz responded, his voice barely a whisper.
“You just need to find a way to relax more, otherwise you did really well,” the Luxray said.
“Thanks…” Blitz replied, rubbing his forelegs together.
“You really do have great potential,” the Luxray said, smiling at Blitz. “We all believe you’ll make a great leader someday!”
“Leader… right…” Blitz muttered, lying down in the tall grass as if he didn’t want to be noticed. “As if I hadn’t already heard that four times already today…”
“Well, I think that’s all the training for today,” the Luxray said, glancing at the sun setting in the distance. “You can go home now.”
“Okay, thanks…” Blitz said, nodding his head slightly.
The Luxray walked away, but Blitz stayed right there in the tall grass for a little longer. He seemed to relax a little as he realized he was now by himself, the tall grass helping to hide him from sight just a little.
“Pathetic, aren’t I?” Blitz muttered to himself. “I have no choice, so I might as well just accept it…” Blitz glanced up at the evening sky, even if he couldn’t see the sunset clearly from his position. “I have to become the leader of this pride someday… I must… I guess… This must be what they call… destiny?” Blitz nodded his head slightly, resting his head on his paws. “Yeah… Becoming the leader of the pride… is my destiny… Whether I want it to be or not…”
----
Blitz opened his eyes, noticing that it had turned dark. He quickly got up to his feet, realizing that he had to have dozed off in the tall grass and that he had to hurry home. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been out, but he hoped it wasn’t too far past the time he was supposed to have been home. He hurried back to the cave, where he found Lita waiting for him.
“There you are!” Lita said, cheerfully greeting her big brother.
“What took you so long?” Leandra asked, looking over at Blitz.
“Sorry I’m late…” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together.
“Oh, it’s okay,” Leandra replied. “I saved you some dinner.”
Blitz nodded, and walked up the flat rock serving as their dinner table. He looked down at the piece of meat in front of him, poking at it with his paw. This red, soft piece of meat had probably been part of a wild Pokémon until recently, but it was difficult to determine species or what part of the body the meat came from by how it looked and felt to the touch alone.
“Blitz? Aren’t you going to eat?” Leandra asked.
“Huh? Oh, sorry…” Blitz responded, sniffing the meat. “It smells really nice, but… I guess I’m not all that hungry…”
“But you’ve barely eaten today!” Leandra replied. “Surely you must be hungry?”
“Well… I suppose I shouldn’t let this go to waste…” Blitz responded, taking a bite out of the meat.
“That’s better,” Leandra replied, smiling.
Leandra went into her part of the cave while Blitz ate his dinner, however, Lita just watched Blitz with a concerned look.
“You okay, big brother?” Lita asked.
“Not really…” Blitz responded, shaking his head.
“Want to talk about it?” Lita asked, giving a small supportive smile.
----
After Blitz had finished his dinner, he and Lita went to their room to talk in private. Blitz sometimes wondered if it was really okay for him to tell Lita these things, but he knew his little sister was mature for her age, and besides, he knew she would just worry about him if he didn’t talk to her about whatever was on his mind.
“So, what’s wrong?” Lita asked, tilting her head slightly. “Is it that Luxio that’s bothering everyone again?”
“You mean Charge?” Blitz responded, before shaking his head. “No, I haven’t even really seen him around lately…”
“Oh,” Lita replied. “What is it, then?”
“It’s just… ever since dad left, everyone’s been going on about how I’m someday going to be their next leader,” Blitz explained, looking down at the floor. “But, I…”
“You don’t want to be the leader?” Lita asked.
“Huh… You’re the only one to ask that,” Blitz responded, giving his sister a small smile, before sighing and shaking his head. “No… I don’t, but… it doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice…”
“Maybe dad can do something about it?” Lita suggested. “You know, when he gets back from… wherever he went.”
“… You really think he’s coming back?” Blitz asked.
“Of course I do!” Lita responded, nodding her head. “Don’t adults sometimes need time to themselves to think about things?”
“… I’m not really sure if that’s what’s going on,” Blitz replied, sighing again. “I just don’t know what to do about everyone having decided my future without even asking me what I want, or giving me a choice in the matter…”
“Hmm… They want you to be the leader because our dad is the leader, right?” Lita asked.
“I guess so,” Blitz responded, glancing around at the cave walls.
“Then, maybe… I could become the leader?” Lita suggested, smiling at her brother.
“You, become the leader of the pride?” Blitz inquired, tilting his head slightly.
“Well, why not?” Lita asked, rubbing her head against Blitz. “That way, you wouldn’t have to!”
“Lita… That’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever offered to do for me,” Blitz responded, smiling at his sister. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome!” Lita replied, grinning. “All right, I’ll work hard and become the leader of this pride!”
“I doubt it’s as easy as that,” Blitz responded. “I mean, everyone wants me to do it, and… well, I don’t think we’ve ever had a female Luxray as the leader before.”
“That doesn’t mean a female can’t be leader, though?” Lita asked, smirking. “Well, either way, I’m going to try my best for your sake, big brother!”
“… You’re the best little sister ever,” Blitz responded, rubbing his head against Lita.
----
“Even with Lita around for support, things didn’t get any better for Blitz. When he had time, he would go play with the other Shinx as he had always done. However, he couldn’t help but feel jealousy and resentment towards the other Shinx, since none of them had to deal with the burden of being the chosen one. They didn’t understand how much stress he had to suffer, or how much he just wanted to be just another Shinx like them.”
----
Blitz was having trouble keeping up with the other Shinx as they ran around, playing their games as usual. Tired from his training earlier in the day, Blitz had to stop and take a moment to catch his breath.
“You okay, Blitz?” one of the female Shinx asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “Just a little tired from today’s lessons…”
“Oh, right!” one of the other Shinx said. “You’ve got to know a lot of things in order to become our leader, don’t you?”
“Yes, there certainly is,” Blitz responded, forcing a smile while thinking to himself. “You have no idea how lucky you all are…”
“Being the leader seems like a lot of hard work,” one of the other Shinx commented, smiling at Blitz. “But if anyone can handle it, it has to be you!”
“I’ve been getting that a lot,” Blitz replied, still hiding his true thoughts behind a fake smile that none of the other Shinx seemed to see through. “Why does it have to be me? I never asked for any of this!”
“You seriously think he has what it takes?” a certain Luxio’s voice asked, and they all turned to see Charge walking over. “If he’s anything like his father, he’ll probably just run away the moment things get rough!”
“Charge, why are you here?” one of the Shinx commented, giving the Luxio an annoyed look.
“I hadn’t seen Blitz in a while, wanted to see how he were doing,” Charge responded, turning to Blitz with a smug look on his face. “So, how have you been?”
“That’s… really none of your business, Charge,” Blitz replied, trying to remain calm. “Oh, for the love of Raikou… As if these oblivious Shinx weren’t enough, now I have to deal with him too!?”
“Oh, what’s the matter, Blitz?” Charge asked, leaning his face closer with a smug smile. “I bet you must feel kind of embarrassed that your dad just ditched his responsibilities like that.”
Blitz glanced down at the ground, hoping Charge would just go away.
“I do wonder why he just left like that,” Charge said, walking back and forth in front of Blitz as he thought to himself. “Are the meetings with the other Luxray or whatever just that boring and he just needed an excuse to get away?”
Blitz just continued staring into the ground, hoping Charge would just leave. He was aware that the other Shinx were probably glaring at the Luxio, but he just hoped they wouldn’t say or do anything that would get him into trouble or make Charge stay longer.
“Or maybe it didn’t even have anything to do with him being the leader,” Charge said, smirking at Blitz. “Maybe you and your sister were being so annoying he decided to leave?”
Blitz narrowed his eyes, and glared at Charge. How dared he bring Lita into this?
“Oh, I know! He’s probably hiding from your mother!” Charge said, snickering. “I mean, seriously. You’ve seen those teeth of hers, right? I’d run away too if I had to wake up to that every day!”
“SHUT UP!” Blitz shouted, startling all the other Shinx present.
“Oh, dear,” Charge responded, seeming a bit startled himself momentarily before regaining his composure. “Maybe I went a little too far?”
“Charge, you can say whatever you want about me, but leave my family out of this!” Blitz replied, giving Charge a nasty glare.
“Huh, this suddenly got interesting,” Charge commented, smirking. “And here I thought you were just a coward who’d rather avoid a fight.”
“Well, he isn’t!” one of the other Shinx said. “Now, get lost and leave Blitz alone!”
“Now, hold on…” Charge responded. “I’m not done here yet.”
Blitz looked down at the ground, growling and hoping that Charge would just go away already. However, the Luxio suddenly leaned down to try to meet Blitz’s gaze.
“Hey, do you remember the time I suggested we have a battle to see which one of is stronger?” Charge asked, and smirked as Blitz’s eyes widened in fear. “What do you say?”
“I… I…” Blitz stuttered, rubbing his forelegs together. “I don’t know if…”
“Come on, I’m just asking for one battle,” Charge responded. “How about… we meet up near the shrine tomorrow night, before moving over to a suitable spot for our battle?”
“Charge, I really don’t think that’s a good idea…” Blitz muttered, glancing around at the other Shinx who were now just watching their conversation.
“Okay, how about this? If you win, I promise I’ll take back everything I've said and leave you alone,” Charge said, with a smug smile. “Does that sound good?”
Blitz tried to respond, but the words weren’t coming to him. He had no idea what to do now. Charge just smirked, turned around and started to walk away.
“Well, I guess I’ll go take a look around and find the best spot for our battle,” Charge said, glancing over his shoulder at Blitz. “Remember, tomorrow night, meet me at the shrine!”
And with that, the Luxio left.
“Wait, I don’t…” Blitz said, but Charge was already out of earshot. “… This can’t end well…”
“Don’t worry about it, Blitz,” one of the other Shinx said.
“Yeah, we’re sure you can beat him!” another Shinx commented, grinning.
Blitz just sighed and lied down in the grass, covering his ears with his paws and shutting his eyes while thinking to himself: “Why me?”
----
When Blitz got home later in the evening, he told both Lita and his mother about Charge’s challenge, and asked them for advice on how to deal with the situation.
“Hmm… Tough one,” Leandra commented. “You don’t want to fight him, but you’re worried he’s going to keep bothering you if don’t show up, right?”
“Yeah…” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “Not to mention that the other Shinx seem to want me to defeat him…”
“Maybe I should have a talk with him?” Leandra suggested, smiling so that all of her sharp teeth were showing. “And if that Luxio won’t listen to reason, maybe I can frighten him a bit with my Scary Face attack?”
“You mean that isn’t your scary face?” Lita asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at her mother’s grin.
“What do you mean, dear?” Leandra responded, looking over at Lita.
“Oh, never mind,” Lita replied, looking down sheepishly.
“Mom, I don’t think it’ll help if you try to talk to him,” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together.
“Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know,” Leandra responded.
Blitz sighed and decided to go to his room, Lita following closely behind.
“You’re not really going to fight Charge, are you?” Lita asked.
“I don’t know, Lita…” Blitz responded, shaking his head slightly.
“We don’t actually know how strong Charge is, do we?” Lita asked, giving her older brother a concerned look. “I don’t want you to get hurt…”
“Lita, don’t worry about me,” Blitz responded, looking away. “I’ll think of something…”
“Are you sure?” Lita replied, tilting her head slightly.
“No, but since it’s my problem, I guess I’ll have to sort it out myself,” Blitz responded.
----
“That night, Blitz lay in bed trying to think of a solution, but none came to him and he eventually fell asleep. Blitz went through the next day as usual, and when the evening came, Blitz began heading for the stone shrine. He wasn’t sure what he hoped to accomplish, nor did he know what he would do once he got there. However, it was as if something inside him was guiding him, as if there was no other way and it was too late to turn back…”
----
Blitz crept through the grass, occasionally glancing around. Dark clouds were starting to fill up the night sky, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it started raining at any moment. Blitz just kept on moving through the tall grass, staying low as if he didn’t want to be spotted. He could see the stone shrine in the distance, getting closer and closer. Blitz took a deep breath, and continued moving forward, towards the shrine dedicated to Raikou, a legendary Pokémon of thunder and lightning.
As he reached the shrine, he sat down next to it, looking around. Blitz hadn’t seen any signs of Charge yet, but he figured it wouldn’t be long before the Luxio showed up.
“Sure is dark tonight…” Blitz muttered to himself, glancing up at the cloudy night sky.
“Ah, there you are,” a familiar voice called out. “I was worried you wouldn’t show up.”
Blitz flinched slightly, before nervously looking over at the Luxio walking over with a smug smile on his face.
“Are you ready?” Charge asked, glancing over in a direction. “I think I’ve found just the perfect spot for our battle.”
Blitz reluctantly followed Charge as he led the way towards the location he had chosen for their battle. They eventually arrived at a fairly open area, with only a few trees surrounding them.
“What do you think? Good spot for a battle, isn’t it?” Charge asked, smirking.
“I-I guess…” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together.
Charge took a few steps forward, then turned around and tried to pounce on Blitz. Blitz made his fur glow, momentarily startling the Luxio, and giving Blitz time to move out of the way. Blitz ducked into some of the tall grass, hoping he would stay hidden from Charge’s sight for at least long enough to come up with a plan.
“Oh, Blitz? Where did you go?” Charge said, snickering a little. “You do know that this is a battle and not a game of hide-and-seek, right?”
Blitz remained quiet, trying to make as little noise as he could. However, Charge still seemed to be headed in his direction.
“Come on, don’t be a coward,” Charge said, smirking as he moved closer and closer to Blitz’s hiding spot. “Surely you don’t want to let those Shinx down like your dad did with the entire pride, do you?”
Blitz growled, and leaped out to attack Charge, only for the Luxio to easily sidestep the attack.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Charge commented, snickering.
The two rings on Charge’s forelegs began to glow, and he proceeded to swipe at Blitz with an electrified paw, only for Blitz to dodge it. Yellow sparks of electricity were rippling through Charge’s fur, mainly around the yellow rings on his forelegs. He smirked and attempted to strike Blitz with his electrified paw once more, only for Blitz to block it with his own electrified paws.
The two kept going back and forth trying to hit each other with their electrified paws, yellow sparks of electricity streaming off of the yellow rings on Charge’s legs, while blue sparks flew out from each strike of Blitz’s paws. The two kept this going for a while, until Charge managed to knock Blitz onto his back.
“Are you even trying?” Charge asked, trying to step on Blitz only for Blitz to stop him by pressing paw back with his own paws. “Everyone keeps treating you like you’re something special, but I think we both know that you’re not!”
Blitz noticed that Charge seemed to be holding back, and realized that the Luxio had just been toying with him so far. Then again, considering how Charge normally was, it shouldn’t really have come as such a surprise.
“You know, they say you’ve got a lot of potential to be a great leader, but I’m just not seeing any of that,” Charge commented, with a smug smile. “Maybe I should’ve challenged your sister instead? I bet she’d be able to pose a real challenge!”
Blitz made his fur light up, momentarily blinding Charge so he could slip out of his grip.
“That trick again?” Charge asked, shaking his head. “Didn’t you train with your dad, you know, before he ran off like a coward?”
Blitz tried to keep his rising anger under control as Charge looked around for him in the tall grass.
“You can’t beat anyone by just doing that shiny thing and running, you know,” Charge said, circling Blitz’s hiding spot. “I thought you had like, some special moves or something. Was I wrong?”
Blitz took a deep breath, trying to think of a way to win the battle while carefully observing Charge’s movements.
“Come on, don’t you have anything to say?” Charge asked, rolling his eyes. “I mean, shouldn’t you like, come up with something to say about why I’m wrong and why you are qualified for the leader position?”
Blitz waited until Charge was in front of him, before leaping out and trying to tackle him, only to be knocked aside from another strike of Charge’s electrified paw.
“Nice try, but nothing leader-worthy,” Charge commented, approaching Blitz. “If you want to live up to what everyone expects of you, then I suggest you train some more!”
Blitz got back onto his feet, staring down at the yellow rings on his forelegs for a moment, before looking over at Charge’s forelegs. He was having trouble thinking clearly with all the bottled up negative emotions threatening to burst forth. Each comment about what everyone expected just made his anger rise, making it difficult to remain calm.
“Hey, is it okay if I watch when you admit to your friends that you’re not as great as they think you are?” Charge asked, snickering. “I’ll look forward to seeing the look on their faces… Oh, and what will your adorable little sister think when she finds out just how weak her brother is? Poor little Lita is going to be so disappointed!”
With that, Blitz could no longer contain his feelings, and lunged at Charge, seeming to be aiming for the Luxio’s throat.
“Whoa!” Charge said, managing to dodge the attack. “So, you do have some fight in you? Well, bring it on!”
Blitz seemed to fighting much more aggressively and recklessly now, growling as he rapidly attempted to strike Charge with his electrified paws. Charge was actually the one who had to react quickly in order to block Blitz’s vicious assault, and the Luxio actually seemed a bit unsettled by the sudden change in his opponent’s behavior. It was like all the frustration, resentment and anger that the young Shinx had kept bottled up for the past few days was now being released in every attack.
However, even in his state of rage, Blitz seemed to have just enough awareness to notice an opening, and made his fur glow brightly to momentarily blind his opponent. As Charge flinched, and covered his eyes with one of his paws, Blitz promptly leaped forward and with red glowing fangs bit down on the Luxio’s other foreleg.
“AH! Hey, what are you-!?” Charge shouted, screaming in pain as a pair of sharp fangs hot as fire dug deep into his leg.
Despite Charge’s screams of pain, Blitz wasn’t letting go. He didn’t even seem to hear the Luxio’s wails, nor did he seem to react when Charge tried to shake him off other than bite down even harder.
“P-Please stop!” Charge shouted, desperately trying to push Blitz off of him with his other foreleg. “O-Okay, you win! Please, stop this… Ah!”
Blitz’s fangs cooled down slightly as he seemed to run out of energy for his Fire Fang attack, and Charge managed to muster up enough strength to make Blitz lose his grip and throw him aside before collapsing.
Lightning flashed in the distance, and Blitz seemed to come to his senses as the sound of thunder caught up. He got up onto his feet, seeming a bit dazed and looked over at his opponent. Charge was lying in the grass, panting and wincing in pain as he tried to move the damaged leg. The area around the yellow rings on Charge’s left foreleg looked burned, and there was blood coming from the wounds Blitz had left right on the yellow rings.
Blitz gasped as he felt something wet and warm land on his leg, and looked down to see that drops of Charge’s blood were dripping from his fangs onto the grass.
“W-What have I done…?” Blitz muttered under his breath, trembling as he fully realized what had just happened. “N-No, this wasn’t supposed to… I didn’t mean to-!”
Blitz fell to the ground as drops of rain began falling from above, and a group of Luxray ran over to see what was going on.
----
“With the events of that night, Leandra realized just how bad the situation had gotten, but wasn’t sure what to do for Blitz. Charge did recover, but his leg never healed completely. Apparently, he limps a little when he walks, and seems to have difficulty charging electricity with that leg, leaving him with only half electric power.
The other Shinx talked about what had happened, some of them shocked at what had happened to Charge during the duel, never having imagined Blitz was capable of that. Some said it was Charge’s own fault for pushing Blitz too far, while others pointed out that while Charge was a bit of a jerk, he probably didn’t deserve having that happen to him.
And Blitz, well… As you can probably already guess, the accident was what left him with such an aversion towards using his fangs in battle. He spent most of the day after the battle with Charge crying in his room, and for the few days after that refused to go out.
Leandra thought hard about what to do, and eventually reached the conclusion that it would probably be best for Blitz to train somewhere other than Lightning Plateau. And so, she sent me a letter, explaining the situation and asking if I would be interested in helping Blitz train. Feeling sorry for the kid, I decided to do more than just that.”
----
It was early in the morning as Leandra and Lita were following Blitz over to the border of Lightning Plateau. Blitz didn’t want to run into any of the other Shinx, and so they had decided to do this while most of the pride was most likely still asleep.
“Okay, Blitz, this is it,” Leandra said, pointing a paw straight forward. “Just keep going in that direction and you should reach a dirt road. The one called Hercules said he would come meet you, so just keep heading down the road until you meet with a Heracross.”
“Mm-hm,” Blitz replied, nodding his head slightly.
“You know what a Heracross is, right?” Leandra asked.
“Yes,” Blitz responded, nodding his head.
“Good!” Leandra replied, grinning. “Well, then, I wish you luck, my little prince. I don’t know too much about this Fenix Town, but from what I’ve heard, it should be a good place for you to continue your training.”
“Okay,” Blitz responded, nodding his head.
“Big brother…” Lita said, sadly looking up at Blitz. “I don’t want you to leave…”
“Lita…” Blitz responded, hugging his sister. “I’m going to miss you too, but… while I don’t know if this is the right thing to do, I do think mom is right about one thing; I need to get away from Lightning Plateau…”
“O-Okay…” Lita replied, wiping away some tears. “You’ll write to me, right?”
“Of course,” Blitz responded, smiling at his sister, who smiled back at him. “Well, I guess I should get going then… Good-bye, for now.”
“Bye-bye!” Lita replied, waving good-bye as her brother began walking away in the direction Leandra had pointed to.
“Take care!” Leandra said, also waving good-bye.
Blitz continued walking, relaxing a bit once he noticed that Lightning Plateau was out of sight. He reached the dirt road, and continued walking down it by himself, until he finally spotted a blue beetle Pokémon ahead.
“Ah, you must be Blitz,” the Heracross said, walking over and extending his hand for a handshake. “I am Hercules; I run the dojo in Fenix Town where rescue teams train.”
“N-Nice to meet you,” Blitz responded, reaching out his paw.
“So, are you nervous?” Hercules asked while shaking Blitz’s paw.
“A little…?” Blitz responded. He probably would’ve rubbed the rings on his forelegs together if Hercules wasn’t still holding one of them.
“Well, there’s nothing to worry about,” Hercules replied, giving Blitz a friendly smile. “The Pokémon of Fenix Town are quite friendly for the most part, and I’m sure you will fit right in once you get used to living there! I’ve already arranged so you have a place to stay.”
“Oh?” Blitz asked, tilting his head slightly.
“Yep,” Hercules responded. “A nice cozy stone hut, which I thought would be perfect for you.”
“Wow… You really did that for me?” Blitz asked. “We don’t even know each other yet…”
“Well, I guess it is a bit more than what most mentors do,” Hercules replied, smiling. “But I figured it’d help you get comfortable.”
“Oh, um… Thanks,” Blitz responded, unsure what to say.
“Now, when it comes to training, we will do things at your pace,” Hercules explained, as the two began walking down the dirt road together. “We’ll only train whenever you feel like it, and there’s no pressure. Take as much time as you need.”
“Okay,” Blitz replied, nodding his head.
“Also, if you have any other problems, you can come to me anytime,” Hercules said.
“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” Blitz responded, smiling.
For the first time in a while, Blitz felt as if things were looking up for him. Once he got to Fenix Town, he would be surrounded by Pokémon who didn’t know him or his father, and that weren’t expecting anything of him. While he probably wouldn’t be able to escape his destiny, at least here he could be just an ordinary Shinx for a while, and he wanted to enjoy that for long as it lasted.
----
End of chapter 22.
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SeekerofLight
He's everywhere...
Good day, DarkerShining!
I've been away from Serebii for quite a while, and my, have I missed this!
As always, your attention to detail in your actions, dialogue, story and characters is impeccable. With the recent chapters, even the minor characters have defining personalities, which is something I love about your style of writing.
Also worth mentioning is the central character development of the story itself. I've said this before, but the Team really feels like a Team, in a way that they are just young Pokémon on an Exploration Team who struggle with obstacles rather than using Super Powers to get over them, yet in recent chapters, they have shown themselves to be stronger.
And also I love the general flow of the story, how it feels like an actual PMD game with a gradual unfolding of the plot and a slow pace which reflects the life of the Team. I know how most stories in general merely throw out the action fast and churn out the story line in a couple of chapters. With 22 chapters down, and no signs of the end drawing too near, I forsee great things for this fic.
As always, best of luck on future chapters
All the best
SeekerofLight
I've been away from Serebii for quite a while, and my, have I missed this!
As always, your attention to detail in your actions, dialogue, story and characters is impeccable. With the recent chapters, even the minor characters have defining personalities, which is something I love about your style of writing.
Also worth mentioning is the central character development of the story itself. I've said this before, but the Team really feels like a Team, in a way that they are just young Pokémon on an Exploration Team who struggle with obstacles rather than using Super Powers to get over them, yet in recent chapters, they have shown themselves to be stronger.
And also I love the general flow of the story, how it feels like an actual PMD game with a gradual unfolding of the plot and a slow pace which reflects the life of the Team. I know how most stories in general merely throw out the action fast and churn out the story line in a couple of chapters. With 22 chapters down, and no signs of the end drawing too near, I forsee great things for this fic.
As always, best of luck on future chapters
All the best
SeekerofLight
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DarkerShining
Well-Known Member
Thanks for your reviews! I am really glad to see you guys are enjoying my story so far! 
I wasn't sure if I was going to put up chapter 23 today, or wait until next week and focus on my homework, but I figured I might as well put it up now since it wouldn't take too long to do so.
Hope you all enjoy it!
----
Chapter 23: Aren’t true friends supposed to be able to be honest about their feelings?
----
Chiaki had just quietly sat there while Hercules told him and Sera about the events that had transpired at Lightning Plateau, which had led to Blitz coming to Fenix Town. Chiaki had been observing Sera while listening to the story, as Sera’s ears had kept drooping down a bit, only to perk back up as she tried to pay attention. When Hercules got to the part where Blitz used his Fire Fang on Charge and accidentally damaged the Luxio’s leg, Sera’s ears had been pointing straight up in shock and had stayed that way until he was done telling them about the battle.
While a lot of things about Blitz now made much more sense, Chiaki had been surprised to hear just how bad things had been for Blitz in his old home after his father had abandoned the pride.
“… And, that’s about it,” Hercules said, having finished the story.
“No way…” Sera said, her ears drooping down. “Blitz… never told me any of that…”
“Like I said earlier, Blitz didn’t want anyone to know,” Hercules responded, sighing. “He was afraid that the situation from Lightning Plateau would repeat itself if anyone other than me found out…”
“But, the Pokémon of Fenix Town aren’t like that!” Chiaki replied.
“I think he knows that, but he was still afraid it would change the way the Pokémon here saw him,” Hercules explained. “He doesn’t think anyone would understand his feelings…”
“Understand his feelings…?” Chiaki responded, thinking about it for a moment. “I guess I don’t really understand it, but I’m sure there are other Pokémon that would! Right, Sera?”
Sera didn’t respond.
“… Sera? Are you okay?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly.
“… I’m going home now,” Sera said, getting up and walking away.
“Huh?” Chiaki said, briefly turning and waving good-bye to Hercules before chasing after Sera. “Sera, wait for me!”
Hercules sighed, and returned to his work, hoping that things would turn out okay.
----
As Chiaki followed Sera outside, he expected her to be heading towards the café. However, it didn’t seem like she was headed in that direction.
“Sera, where are you going?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Sera responded, not looking at him. “I’m going home now.”
“But… Blitz and the others are waiting for us at the café, remember?” Chiaki asked, grabbing onto Sera’s tail in an attempt to keep her from leaving.
“Chiaki, let go of me,” Sera said, her voice carrying almost no emotion.
Chiaki reluctantly let go of Sera, and watched her walk away.
“… See you tomorrow, then,” Chiaki said, before deciding to head over to the café.
----
As Chiaki reached the café, he wondered just how he was going to explain what had taken so long and why Sera wasn’t with him. He stepped inside, noticing Blitz, Lita, Azure and even Frederick sitting at a table, talking. As he walked over to join them, he realized that Azure seemed to be telling the other three a story.
“… And to this day, whatever reasons he had for jumping into that barrel of tree sap remain a total mystery,” Azure said, shrugging slightly.
“Sounds like that must’ve been a crazy day, huh?” Blitz asked.
“Yeah…” Azure responded, nodding. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever get all the details on whatever it was that happened that day.”
“Did you at least find out whether they found that missing slingshot that apparently started that whole mess?” Lita asked.
“Apparently it turned up a few days later in a mystery dungeon on the other side of the continent,” Azure responded. “As for how it ended up there, I’m guessing there’s an even longer story behind that one…”
“Weird,” Blitz commented, before noticing Chiaki. “Oh, there you are!”
“Hey, guys,” Chiaki said, joining them at their table.
“What took you so long, buddy?” Azure asked, taking a sip of her berry juice.
“Oh, um… Just… got held up by… some stuff,” Chiaki responded, having trouble thinking of an explanation. “Yeah… stuff…”
“Where’s Sera?” Blitz asked, looking around.
“Oh, she went home,” Chiaki responded.
“Why?” Blitz asked, looking concerned. “Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no… I don’t think so,” Chiaki responded, not wanting his friends to worry. “I think she was just tired.”
“Oh,” Blitz replied, nodding his head slightly.
“Azure, are you going to tell that story you told us again now that Chiaki is here?” Frederick asked.
“But I’ve just told it,” Azure responded, shrugging slightly.
“Yeah, I know,” Frederick replied, smiling sheepishly. “But I wanted to hear it again!”
“Maybe some other time,” Azure responded.
“Oh, okay,” Frederick replied, nodding his head. “Maybe you could tell another story, then?”
“Hmm…” Azure thought about it for a moment. “Oh, right! I’ve got another good one!”
“Yay,” Frederick responded, smiling.
“All right, so it all began on a Tuesday morning,” Azure explained, motioning for the other four Pokémon to pay attention. “It was raining outside, and we’d just discovered that our Oran berry delivery was late. Then all of a sudden, this Vigoroth comes charging into the café, slams his paws on the counter and shouts: “Have any of you seen the guy who stole my ukulele!?””
Chiaki sat there as Azure told her story, thinking about how everyone probably had their stories. Things like where they were from, things that happened to them, things they had been witness to… But Chiaki didn’t really have any of that, at least nothing from before he was found by Sera and Blitz that day in Meridian Forest. Aside from Elina, he still hadn’t regained any memories.
With no memory of where he was from, any family he might have, any experiences he’d made prior to meeting Blitz and Sera… Chiaki felt bad for his friends, and wanted to help them, but with no such memories, how could he truly help them with their problems since he didn’t have any experience with the things they’d experienced?
Chiaki thought about it for a moment, not really paying attention to Azure’s story, and then remembered what he had said to Hercules earlier.
“I guess I don’t really understand it, but I’m sure there are other Pokémon that would!”
Of course! If he couldn’t truly understand what his friends were going through, then all he had to do was find someone who did! Surely there had to be someone in Fenix Town who had similar concerns and experienced something similar. All he had to do was ask someone with that kind of experience for advice, or ask if they could talk to his friends so they’d understand they weren’t alone!
However, who would he ask about such a thing? And since Blitz hadn’t wanted anyone to find out about his problems, then perhaps Chiaki would run into a similar problem with other Pokémon? He figured that most Pokémon probably wouldn’t want to open up about their personal thoughts to someone they barely knew.
“So much for that idea…” Chiaki thought, sighing. “Maybe I should ask Elina for advice…”
He wondered what Elina had been up these past few days, as he hadn’t really seen the Elgyem around lately. Perhaps she had been busy with something? He looked over at Azure, and since he hadn’t really been paying much attention to her story, he wasn’t really sure what was going on. From what he could tell from the context, it apparently involved Azure having secretly tagged along with a rescue team on a mission, and watched them fight an outlaw over the Vigoroth’s stolen ukulele.
He wasn’t entirely sure why there also seemed to be a Qwilfish that spoke backwards involved in the events of Azure’s story, though.
----
At the rescue team HQ, Kala was currently massaging Elina’s shoulders in an attempt to get her to relax, but it didn’t seem to be helping. They hadn’t exactly made much progress with the telepathy lessons, but neither of them planned on giving up despite the lack of results.
“Maybe we should call it day…?” Kala asked, yawning. “I don’t think we’re getting anywhere…”
Elina looked up at Kala, feeling a bit embarrassed about her lack of progress.
“Hey, don’t feel bad…” Kala said, giving Elina a supportive pat on her shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll pick up on things quickly once we get past this stage…”
Elina nodded her head slightly, but before she could do anything else, Kala had fallen asleep on top of her.
“Mm… Might need another spoonful of sugar before we can reach the moon…” Kala muttered in her sleep, snoring lightly.
Elina just shook her head, and tried her best to move the sleeping Abra over onto the somewhat worn out looking dark green pillow she always rested on.
----
Blitz, Chiaki and Lita eventually headed back for the night, and Blitz and Chiaki began dividing up parts of the straw that made up their beds to make a bed for Lita.
“I hope it’s comfortable enough for you,” Blitz said, doing his best to make the small pile of straw into a bed. “Since Chiaki’s bed was already made up of half of mine, it might be a little small…”
“It’s okay, big brother,” Lita responded. “I’m sure it’s all right.”
“Oh, okay then,” Blitz replied, smiling to his sister. “We can probably look for something to make it more comfortable tomorrow if it’s not enough.”
Chiaki quietly watched the way Blitz and Lita talked to one another, while once again finding himself wondering if he too had a family somewhere.
Blitz had Lita and his mother, Sera had her parents and older siblings, Azure had her mother… His teammates all had families, but Chiaki couldn’t even remember if he had ever had one. Perhaps he could ask Elina about it, even if her ability to communicate was limited. Still, she was the only one he knew of who could tell him anything about his life prior to his memory loss.
It occurred to Chiaki that he had never really asked if Elina knew how he had lost his memories. Perhaps she knew that too.
“Chiaki, you okay?” Blitz asked, looking over at the Mienfoo. “You’ve been sort of quiet for a while there.”
“Oh, sorry,” Chiaki responded. “There was just something on my mind. Nothing serious, though!”
“If you say so…” Blitz replied, nodding his head slightly.
----
Sera was sitting in the bedroom she and her older siblings shared, staring out of a window. Flare the Flareon noticed that his younger sister had been acting strangely since she got home, and had decided to go check on her. He walked up and sat down next to her, taking a look through the window to see if she was looking at anything in particular, but there didn’t seem to be anything out there at this moment.
“Sera? Is something wrong?” Flare asked. “You barely had any dinner.”
“I’m not hungry…” Sera muttered, continuing to stare out the window.
“Sera, I can tell something must’ve happened today,” Flare responded. “Come on, tell me. I won’t tell anyone else if you don’t want me to.”
“It’s nothing, really…” Sera replied, shaking her head. “Just found out that I didn’t know Blitz as well as I thought I did, that’s all…”
“Oh?” Flare responded, tilting his head slightly.
“He kept all this stuff about his old home and stuff hidden from everyone…” Sera explained, her ears drooping down slightly. “He didn’t even tell me…”
“Hmm… But doesn’t everyone have their secrets?” Flare asked. “Some things that they prefer to keep to themselves?”
“You don’t understand!” Sera responded, shaking her head slightly. “I always tell Blitz about things that happen, about my feelings and stuff, but apparently Blitz didn’t even trust me enough to tell me he has a younger sister!”
“Oh…” Flare replied, realizing what was going on. “So, you’re worried about what this means for your friendship with Blitz, aren’t you?”
“Aren’t true friends supposed to be able to be honest about their feelings?” Sera asked, a few tears falling from her eyes. “Does this mean… that Blitz and I aren’t true friends?”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad…” Flare responded, comfortingly wrapping his tail around Sera.
“Did I do anything wrong?” Sera asked, looking up at her brother. “Is it because I didn’t show enough interest in Blitz’s feelings outside of our rescue team work?”
“I’m sure it’s not your fault,” Flare responded, hugging his sister. “It’s nobody’s fault, okay?”
“But… maybe if I had been a better friend, Blitz would’ve been able to trust me…” Sera said, sighing. “All I ever cared about was my own problems…”
“Sera, I think we both know that’s not true,” Flare responded.
“Huh?” Sera asked, looking up at Flare.
“While you may be a bit self-centered at times, your feelings for Blitz are real, right?” Flare responded, smiling at Sera. “Your friendship with him clearly means a lot to you.”
“I guess…” Sera responded. “Still… How do I know if it means as much to him as it does for me?”
“I’m sure the friendship between the two of you is important to him too,” Flare replied. “So, don’t worry, sis. I’m sure you and Blitz will work things out.”
“I hope you’re right…” Sera responded, looking out the window.
“I’m sure things will look a little brighter tomorrow,” Flare commented, patting Sera’s back reassuringly. “If you have trouble sleeping, you can use my tail as a blanket, if you want to.”
“Thanks, Flare,” Sera responded, managing a small smile.
Sera continued to look out through the window, hoping that Flare was right and that things would be better tomorrow.
----
Elina was sitting on the roof of the café, looking up at the night sky. She was glad that Kala was willing to keep trying despite the lack of progress they were making. Elina still hadn’t figured out how she could make herself relax enough to get into the right state of mind for the telepathy to work. There had to be something she could do, but what?
She then thought about Chiaki, realizing she hadn’t really seen him around much in the past few days, even if she had heard about how he and his teammates had helped retrieve two of the crystals from Clarion Desert and the Sapphire Seas. Elina hoped all eight crystals would be brought back together soon, and returned to their rightful place.
Although, thinking about it, she found it a bit strange that the crystal thief hadn’t tried to interfere directly with the rescue teams’ work yet… Thinking about that Sigilyph made Elina shudder, and she decided to go find a secluded spot to sleep.
----
Deep inside a forest full of plant life with a shimmering silvery color was a cottage where a purple witch-like ghost Pokémon and her younger apprentice lived. The apprentice, a smaller dark blue ghost Pokémon resembling a floating head with red beads around her neck and hair with pink tips, was watching the older ghost Pokémon chant an incantation while focusing her energies on a small black box made of stone with purple gem stones adorning the sides.
A shadowy purple aura was surrounding the box as the Mismagius chanted her spell, but it watched in anticipation as the Mismagius began chanting the last part of the spell.
The Mismagius focused all her energy into the spell as she finished the last part of the incantation, only to be knocked back from the purple aura exploding.
“Oh, not again!” the Mismagius said, floating down to the stone box to make sure that the explosion hadn’t broken it.
“Wow, that was a really great explosion!” the Misdreavus commented, giggling a little.
“Malefica, this is not a laughing matter!” the Mismagius responded, sighing. “I just don’t understand… We’ve gathered all the necessary materials and built the box after the instructions on the scroll, and I am pretty sure I pronounced every part of the incantation right…”
“What do we need the box thing-y for?” Malefica asked, cheerfully floating around. “It has something to do with something your pen-pal told you, right?”
“… Malefica, haven’t you been paying attention?” the Mismagius responded.
“Um… Paid attention to what?” Malefica asked, smiling sheepishly.
The Mismagius just sighed, and decided to just call it night. It would be easier to look over that old scroll again during the day when the sun was out. If she kept trying, she would hopefully be able to successfully cast the spell.
“Maybe I should ask Stella if she can help me figure out why this isn’t working…” the Mismagius muttered, telekinetically picking up the stone box and putting it on a shelf.
She then closed her eyes, and went to sleep so she could regain her magical energy.
It had been a long day, and even if some things hadn’t gone as well as some would’ve hoped, at least there would be new chances to get it right tomorrow.
----
End of chapter 23.
I wasn't sure if I was going to put up chapter 23 today, or wait until next week and focus on my homework, but I figured I might as well put it up now since it wouldn't take too long to do so.
Hope you all enjoy it!
----
Chapter 23: Aren’t true friends supposed to be able to be honest about their feelings?
----
Chiaki had just quietly sat there while Hercules told him and Sera about the events that had transpired at Lightning Plateau, which had led to Blitz coming to Fenix Town. Chiaki had been observing Sera while listening to the story, as Sera’s ears had kept drooping down a bit, only to perk back up as she tried to pay attention. When Hercules got to the part where Blitz used his Fire Fang on Charge and accidentally damaged the Luxio’s leg, Sera’s ears had been pointing straight up in shock and had stayed that way until he was done telling them about the battle.
While a lot of things about Blitz now made much more sense, Chiaki had been surprised to hear just how bad things had been for Blitz in his old home after his father had abandoned the pride.
“… And, that’s about it,” Hercules said, having finished the story.
“No way…” Sera said, her ears drooping down. “Blitz… never told me any of that…”
“Like I said earlier, Blitz didn’t want anyone to know,” Hercules responded, sighing. “He was afraid that the situation from Lightning Plateau would repeat itself if anyone other than me found out…”
“But, the Pokémon of Fenix Town aren’t like that!” Chiaki replied.
“I think he knows that, but he was still afraid it would change the way the Pokémon here saw him,” Hercules explained. “He doesn’t think anyone would understand his feelings…”
“Understand his feelings…?” Chiaki responded, thinking about it for a moment. “I guess I don’t really understand it, but I’m sure there are other Pokémon that would! Right, Sera?”
Sera didn’t respond.
“… Sera? Are you okay?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly.
“… I’m going home now,” Sera said, getting up and walking away.
“Huh?” Chiaki said, briefly turning and waving good-bye to Hercules before chasing after Sera. “Sera, wait for me!”
Hercules sighed, and returned to his work, hoping that things would turn out okay.
----
As Chiaki followed Sera outside, he expected her to be heading towards the café. However, it didn’t seem like she was headed in that direction.
“Sera, where are you going?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Sera responded, not looking at him. “I’m going home now.”
“But… Blitz and the others are waiting for us at the café, remember?” Chiaki asked, grabbing onto Sera’s tail in an attempt to keep her from leaving.
“Chiaki, let go of me,” Sera said, her voice carrying almost no emotion.
Chiaki reluctantly let go of Sera, and watched her walk away.
“… See you tomorrow, then,” Chiaki said, before deciding to head over to the café.
----
As Chiaki reached the café, he wondered just how he was going to explain what had taken so long and why Sera wasn’t with him. He stepped inside, noticing Blitz, Lita, Azure and even Frederick sitting at a table, talking. As he walked over to join them, he realized that Azure seemed to be telling the other three a story.
“… And to this day, whatever reasons he had for jumping into that barrel of tree sap remain a total mystery,” Azure said, shrugging slightly.
“Sounds like that must’ve been a crazy day, huh?” Blitz asked.
“Yeah…” Azure responded, nodding. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever get all the details on whatever it was that happened that day.”
“Did you at least find out whether they found that missing slingshot that apparently started that whole mess?” Lita asked.
“Apparently it turned up a few days later in a mystery dungeon on the other side of the continent,” Azure responded. “As for how it ended up there, I’m guessing there’s an even longer story behind that one…”
“Weird,” Blitz commented, before noticing Chiaki. “Oh, there you are!”
“Hey, guys,” Chiaki said, joining them at their table.
“What took you so long, buddy?” Azure asked, taking a sip of her berry juice.
“Oh, um… Just… got held up by… some stuff,” Chiaki responded, having trouble thinking of an explanation. “Yeah… stuff…”
“Where’s Sera?” Blitz asked, looking around.
“Oh, she went home,” Chiaki responded.
“Why?” Blitz asked, looking concerned. “Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no… I don’t think so,” Chiaki responded, not wanting his friends to worry. “I think she was just tired.”
“Oh,” Blitz replied, nodding his head slightly.
“Azure, are you going to tell that story you told us again now that Chiaki is here?” Frederick asked.
“But I’ve just told it,” Azure responded, shrugging slightly.
“Yeah, I know,” Frederick replied, smiling sheepishly. “But I wanted to hear it again!”
“Maybe some other time,” Azure responded.
“Oh, okay,” Frederick replied, nodding his head. “Maybe you could tell another story, then?”
“Hmm…” Azure thought about it for a moment. “Oh, right! I’ve got another good one!”
“Yay,” Frederick responded, smiling.
“All right, so it all began on a Tuesday morning,” Azure explained, motioning for the other four Pokémon to pay attention. “It was raining outside, and we’d just discovered that our Oran berry delivery was late. Then all of a sudden, this Vigoroth comes charging into the café, slams his paws on the counter and shouts: “Have any of you seen the guy who stole my ukulele!?””
Chiaki sat there as Azure told her story, thinking about how everyone probably had their stories. Things like where they were from, things that happened to them, things they had been witness to… But Chiaki didn’t really have any of that, at least nothing from before he was found by Sera and Blitz that day in Meridian Forest. Aside from Elina, he still hadn’t regained any memories.
With no memory of where he was from, any family he might have, any experiences he’d made prior to meeting Blitz and Sera… Chiaki felt bad for his friends, and wanted to help them, but with no such memories, how could he truly help them with their problems since he didn’t have any experience with the things they’d experienced?
Chiaki thought about it for a moment, not really paying attention to Azure’s story, and then remembered what he had said to Hercules earlier.
“I guess I don’t really understand it, but I’m sure there are other Pokémon that would!”
Of course! If he couldn’t truly understand what his friends were going through, then all he had to do was find someone who did! Surely there had to be someone in Fenix Town who had similar concerns and experienced something similar. All he had to do was ask someone with that kind of experience for advice, or ask if they could talk to his friends so they’d understand they weren’t alone!
However, who would he ask about such a thing? And since Blitz hadn’t wanted anyone to find out about his problems, then perhaps Chiaki would run into a similar problem with other Pokémon? He figured that most Pokémon probably wouldn’t want to open up about their personal thoughts to someone they barely knew.
“So much for that idea…” Chiaki thought, sighing. “Maybe I should ask Elina for advice…”
He wondered what Elina had been up these past few days, as he hadn’t really seen the Elgyem around lately. Perhaps she had been busy with something? He looked over at Azure, and since he hadn’t really been paying much attention to her story, he wasn’t really sure what was going on. From what he could tell from the context, it apparently involved Azure having secretly tagged along with a rescue team on a mission, and watched them fight an outlaw over the Vigoroth’s stolen ukulele.
He wasn’t entirely sure why there also seemed to be a Qwilfish that spoke backwards involved in the events of Azure’s story, though.
----
At the rescue team HQ, Kala was currently massaging Elina’s shoulders in an attempt to get her to relax, but it didn’t seem to be helping. They hadn’t exactly made much progress with the telepathy lessons, but neither of them planned on giving up despite the lack of results.
“Maybe we should call it day…?” Kala asked, yawning. “I don’t think we’re getting anywhere…”
Elina looked up at Kala, feeling a bit embarrassed about her lack of progress.
“Hey, don’t feel bad…” Kala said, giving Elina a supportive pat on her shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll pick up on things quickly once we get past this stage…”
Elina nodded her head slightly, but before she could do anything else, Kala had fallen asleep on top of her.
“Mm… Might need another spoonful of sugar before we can reach the moon…” Kala muttered in her sleep, snoring lightly.
Elina just shook her head, and tried her best to move the sleeping Abra over onto the somewhat worn out looking dark green pillow she always rested on.
----
Blitz, Chiaki and Lita eventually headed back for the night, and Blitz and Chiaki began dividing up parts of the straw that made up their beds to make a bed for Lita.
“I hope it’s comfortable enough for you,” Blitz said, doing his best to make the small pile of straw into a bed. “Since Chiaki’s bed was already made up of half of mine, it might be a little small…”
“It’s okay, big brother,” Lita responded. “I’m sure it’s all right.”
“Oh, okay then,” Blitz replied, smiling to his sister. “We can probably look for something to make it more comfortable tomorrow if it’s not enough.”
Chiaki quietly watched the way Blitz and Lita talked to one another, while once again finding himself wondering if he too had a family somewhere.
Blitz had Lita and his mother, Sera had her parents and older siblings, Azure had her mother… His teammates all had families, but Chiaki couldn’t even remember if he had ever had one. Perhaps he could ask Elina about it, even if her ability to communicate was limited. Still, she was the only one he knew of who could tell him anything about his life prior to his memory loss.
It occurred to Chiaki that he had never really asked if Elina knew how he had lost his memories. Perhaps she knew that too.
“Chiaki, you okay?” Blitz asked, looking over at the Mienfoo. “You’ve been sort of quiet for a while there.”
“Oh, sorry,” Chiaki responded. “There was just something on my mind. Nothing serious, though!”
“If you say so…” Blitz replied, nodding his head slightly.
----
Sera was sitting in the bedroom she and her older siblings shared, staring out of a window. Flare the Flareon noticed that his younger sister had been acting strangely since she got home, and had decided to go check on her. He walked up and sat down next to her, taking a look through the window to see if she was looking at anything in particular, but there didn’t seem to be anything out there at this moment.
“Sera? Is something wrong?” Flare asked. “You barely had any dinner.”
“I’m not hungry…” Sera muttered, continuing to stare out the window.
“Sera, I can tell something must’ve happened today,” Flare responded. “Come on, tell me. I won’t tell anyone else if you don’t want me to.”
“It’s nothing, really…” Sera replied, shaking her head. “Just found out that I didn’t know Blitz as well as I thought I did, that’s all…”
“Oh?” Flare responded, tilting his head slightly.
“He kept all this stuff about his old home and stuff hidden from everyone…” Sera explained, her ears drooping down slightly. “He didn’t even tell me…”
“Hmm… But doesn’t everyone have their secrets?” Flare asked. “Some things that they prefer to keep to themselves?”
“You don’t understand!” Sera responded, shaking her head slightly. “I always tell Blitz about things that happen, about my feelings and stuff, but apparently Blitz didn’t even trust me enough to tell me he has a younger sister!”
“Oh…” Flare replied, realizing what was going on. “So, you’re worried about what this means for your friendship with Blitz, aren’t you?”
“Aren’t true friends supposed to be able to be honest about their feelings?” Sera asked, a few tears falling from her eyes. “Does this mean… that Blitz and I aren’t true friends?”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad…” Flare responded, comfortingly wrapping his tail around Sera.
“Did I do anything wrong?” Sera asked, looking up at her brother. “Is it because I didn’t show enough interest in Blitz’s feelings outside of our rescue team work?”
“I’m sure it’s not your fault,” Flare responded, hugging his sister. “It’s nobody’s fault, okay?”
“But… maybe if I had been a better friend, Blitz would’ve been able to trust me…” Sera said, sighing. “All I ever cared about was my own problems…”
“Sera, I think we both know that’s not true,” Flare responded.
“Huh?” Sera asked, looking up at Flare.
“While you may be a bit self-centered at times, your feelings for Blitz are real, right?” Flare responded, smiling at Sera. “Your friendship with him clearly means a lot to you.”
“I guess…” Sera responded. “Still… How do I know if it means as much to him as it does for me?”
“I’m sure the friendship between the two of you is important to him too,” Flare replied. “So, don’t worry, sis. I’m sure you and Blitz will work things out.”
“I hope you’re right…” Sera responded, looking out the window.
“I’m sure things will look a little brighter tomorrow,” Flare commented, patting Sera’s back reassuringly. “If you have trouble sleeping, you can use my tail as a blanket, if you want to.”
“Thanks, Flare,” Sera responded, managing a small smile.
Sera continued to look out through the window, hoping that Flare was right and that things would be better tomorrow.
----
Elina was sitting on the roof of the café, looking up at the night sky. She was glad that Kala was willing to keep trying despite the lack of progress they were making. Elina still hadn’t figured out how she could make herself relax enough to get into the right state of mind for the telepathy to work. There had to be something she could do, but what?
She then thought about Chiaki, realizing she hadn’t really seen him around much in the past few days, even if she had heard about how he and his teammates had helped retrieve two of the crystals from Clarion Desert and the Sapphire Seas. Elina hoped all eight crystals would be brought back together soon, and returned to their rightful place.
Although, thinking about it, she found it a bit strange that the crystal thief hadn’t tried to interfere directly with the rescue teams’ work yet… Thinking about that Sigilyph made Elina shudder, and she decided to go find a secluded spot to sleep.
----
Deep inside a forest full of plant life with a shimmering silvery color was a cottage where a purple witch-like ghost Pokémon and her younger apprentice lived. The apprentice, a smaller dark blue ghost Pokémon resembling a floating head with red beads around her neck and hair with pink tips, was watching the older ghost Pokémon chant an incantation while focusing her energies on a small black box made of stone with purple gem stones adorning the sides.
A shadowy purple aura was surrounding the box as the Mismagius chanted her spell, but it watched in anticipation as the Mismagius began chanting the last part of the spell.
The Mismagius focused all her energy into the spell as she finished the last part of the incantation, only to be knocked back from the purple aura exploding.
“Oh, not again!” the Mismagius said, floating down to the stone box to make sure that the explosion hadn’t broken it.
“Wow, that was a really great explosion!” the Misdreavus commented, giggling a little.
“Malefica, this is not a laughing matter!” the Mismagius responded, sighing. “I just don’t understand… We’ve gathered all the necessary materials and built the box after the instructions on the scroll, and I am pretty sure I pronounced every part of the incantation right…”
“What do we need the box thing-y for?” Malefica asked, cheerfully floating around. “It has something to do with something your pen-pal told you, right?”
“… Malefica, haven’t you been paying attention?” the Mismagius responded.
“Um… Paid attention to what?” Malefica asked, smiling sheepishly.
The Mismagius just sighed, and decided to just call it night. It would be easier to look over that old scroll again during the day when the sun was out. If she kept trying, she would hopefully be able to successfully cast the spell.
“Maybe I should ask Stella if she can help me figure out why this isn’t working…” the Mismagius muttered, telekinetically picking up the stone box and putting it on a shelf.
She then closed her eyes, and went to sleep so she could regain her magical energy.
It had been a long day, and even if some things hadn’t gone as well as some would’ve hoped, at least there would be new chances to get it right tomorrow.
----
End of chapter 23.
Last edited:
SeekerofLight
He's everywhere...
Hooray! New Chapter!
As always, excellent work. You never cease to use your talents in description and most importantly development.
What i find outstanding about this chapter is that there is little actual Story Development, no Dungeons, no Battles. However, the attention to detail as regarding the Character Development is outstanding. The entire chapter (until the very end) was devoted to the thoughts and feelings of the Main Characters. As I always say, the attention to detail really works well toward the general laid-back flow and progression of the Story.
Compared to most fics, which cannot wait to throw plot twists and Battles at the reader, the way 'Reflecting Balance' is progressing is a sign of true writing prowess!... I can keep complimenting people for long periods of time you know?
Anywho, best of luck, and I await Chapter 24 with bated breath
Happy Writing
SeekerofLight
As always, excellent work. You never cease to use your talents in description and most importantly development.
What i find outstanding about this chapter is that there is little actual Story Development, no Dungeons, no Battles. However, the attention to detail as regarding the Character Development is outstanding. The entire chapter (until the very end) was devoted to the thoughts and feelings of the Main Characters. As I always say, the attention to detail really works well toward the general laid-back flow and progression of the Story.
Compared to most fics, which cannot wait to throw plot twists and Battles at the reader, the way 'Reflecting Balance' is progressing is a sign of true writing prowess!... I can keep complimenting people for long periods of time you know?
Anywho, best of luck, and I await Chapter 24 with bated breath
Happy Writing
SeekerofLight
DarkerShining
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the review! It's always nice to hear that I'm doing things right so that my readers will enjoy the story!
Anyways, it's time for chapter 24. I'm really surprised at how fast I was able to finish both this and chapter 23, but hey, I'm not complaining. Some chapters just seem easier to write than others, after all.
So, here's chapter 24, and as usual, I hope you all enjoy it!
----
Chapter 24: Trust you? What do you mean?
----
The sun was slowly rising in the sky to signal the start of a new day, and the Pokémon working at the various shops in Fenix Town were in the process of getting everything ready before the various rescue teams were up. Marietta the Ledian was nearly done setting things up, as she seemed to usually be one of the first Pokémon to arrive at the town plaza early in the morning.
As she was looking over things to make sure she had gotten everything ready, she noticed a certain dark blue beetle Pokémon walking by.
“Good morning, Hercules!” Marietta called out, waving one of her four hands.
“Oh, good morning to you too, Marietta,” Hercules responded, waving back.
“So, what are you doing out here?” Marietta asked. “Shouldn’t you be at the dojo by now?”
“Well yeah, but I think Lotus and the others have it under control,” Hercules responded, shrugging slightly. “I just kind of needed some fresh air, and felt like going for a little morning walk…”
“I see,” Marietta replied, nodding her head slightly. “Is there anything on your mind?”
“Sort of,” Hercules responded, sighing. “I got talked into revealing something to someone that someone else would’ve preferred to keep a secret…”
“Oh?” Marietta inquired, tilting her head slightly.
“Yeah…” Hercules replied. “Part of me felt it would be best if they knew, but I wanted the one who told me to keep the secret to tell them themselves…”
“I see…” Marietta responded, nodding her head slightly. “Well, I’m sure you’ll be able to sort things out.”
“You’re probably right,” Hercules replied, giving a small smile. “I’m just not sure how, yet.”
“Words can bring you a long way, you know,” Marietta responded, winking. “They may not listen at first, but just try a few more times and I’m sure you’ll get through to them.”
“… Thanks, Marietta,” Hercules replied, smiling at the Ledian.
“No problem,” Marietta responded, grinning. “Glad to help out another bug type.”
“Well, I guess I should head over to the dojo, then,” Hercules said, waving good-bye to Marietta. “Nice talking to you!”
“Have a nice day!” Marietta responded, smiling as she watched the Heracross fly away in the direction of the dojo. “I’m sure he’ll have those problems of his sorted out quickly. He’s such a nice guy.” Marietta giggled a little. “And he’s quite handsome too! Of course, this isn’t the time for that. Right now, I’ve got some work to do!”
And so, Marietta took one more quick look to make sure that everything was in its place, and that the bank was ready to open. The Ledian had a good feeling about this day.
----
Lita had woken up as the sun’s bright and warm rays shone in through the windows, and had decided to wake up her older brother as well. She carefully grabbed onto one of Blitz’s ears with her teeth, making sure not to accidentally hurt him in the process by biting him too hard as she started playfully pulling at his ear. Blitz eventually opened his golden eyes and looked over at his sister.
“Okay, okay… I’m awake,” Blitz said, getting up.
“Good morning, big brother!” Lita said, smiling at her brother. “Slept well?”
“I suppose,” Blitz responded, yawning and stretching. “And you?”
“I slept pretty well,” Lita replied, nodding her head slightly.
“That’s good,” Blitz said, smiling at Lita.
Lita then ran up to Chiaki, and started shaking his shoulder with her paws.
“You should get up too now!” Lita said, giggling a little.
“All right…” Chiaki responded, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “So, what are we going to do today?”
“Well, I guess the first thing we should do is head over to the town plaza and see if Sera has gotten there yet,” Blitz said.
“Oh, right,” Chiaki responded, nodding his head.
Chiaki hoped that Sera was feeling better today. She’d seemed pretty upset when she went home the day before after learning of the things from Blitz’s past that he had never told her about. He wasn’t really sure what to say to her, or if there was a way he could help her and Blitz.
As the three of them headed into the town plaza, they began looking around for Sera, while other rescue teams were going about their preparations as usual. Sting and his teammates were buying some items at the item shop, Frosty and Melody seeming to be in a bit of a disagreement on which items would be more important on their next mission.
Mirage and her teammates were over at the bank, Marietta waiting for Mirage to decide on how much money she would deposit into their team account, how much she would send to her family and how much they would use to buy items today.
Lionel the Linoone was looking through the items Regina the Servine had stored away, as she and her teammates had received a request from a Pokémon wanting a particular item. Zap the Rotom was currently talking to Arbolith, asking if the Suduwoodo was interested in linking a few moves. Based on the impatient look of Calder the Wartortle, leader of the rescue team Arbolith was on, it seemed the Sudowoodo was taking a long time to decide.
Bijou the Sableye seemed to have a small pebble stuck between her teeth, and was currently attempting to use the lock-picking tool she used to open treasure boxes as a tooth pick while waiting for customers to show up, and Celio the Togetic was looking after a Pokémon egg one of the other rescue teams had asked him to look after.
“Anyone see Sera yet?” Chiaki asked, looking around.
“I don’t see her,” Lita responded, shrugging slightly.
“Maybe she’s at the HQ or the café?” Blitz suggested, thinking for a moment. “Let’s check the café first. That way we can also bring Azure along if she’s not already at the HQ with Sera.”
----
As Blitz, Lita and Chiaki arrived at the café; they tried looking around for Azure and Sera, but couldn’t see either Pokémon. Frederick didn’t seem to be there either. While they assumed they were at the rescue team HQ, they decided to ask River first to make sure, once River was done talking to a vulture-like Pokémon with a bone-like skirt that was currently standing at the counter.
The Mandibuzz looked a bit disappointed as River finished saying something, and left the café while River waved good-bye. Once the Mandibuzz had left, River shuddered slightly and looked somewhat disturbed.
“Ugh, dealing with customers of mainly carnivorous species is always such an awkward experience…” River muttered. “Although this was probably the strangest yet…”
“You okay, River?” Chiaki asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine…” the Azumarill responded, nodding slightly. “So, I’m guessing you guys are looking for Azure?”
“That’s right and we’re looking for Sera too,” Blitz replied, nodding his head. “I’m guessing they’re already at the rescue team HQ?”
“Yes, Azure headed over there just a little while ago,” River responded. “I think Frederick decided to tag along as well.”
“Okay, thanks,” Blitz said, turning to Chiaki and Lita. “Let’s head to the HQ, then.”
----
Nothing seemed different than usual at the rescue team HQ, with rescue teams looking at the various boards and choosing their missions for the day. Blitz finally spotted Sera, Azure and Frederick near the regular mission board, waiting for the rescue team that was currently selecting some missions off the board to finish. Blitz, Chiaki and Lita quickly went over to their friends.
“There you guys are!” Chiaki said, smiling. “We’ve been looking for you guys!”
“Well, we’ve just been waiting for you guys to show up, and waiting for these other rescue teams to finish choosing their jobs for the day,” Azure responded.
“I just came along because I felt like it,” Frederick commented.
Chiaki looked over at Sera, noticing that she seemed to be unusually quiet at the moment. He wondered if she was still upset.
“So, see any good missions on there?” Blitz asked, looking up at the mission board. “One more mission should be enough to earn us that Silver Rank.”
“That’s great,” Sera responded, not sounding particularly excited.
“… You okay, Sera?” Blitz asked, feeling concerned by the lack of enthusiasm in Sera’s reply.
“I’m fine,” Sera replied in the same tone.
“Are you sure?” Blitz asked, still concerned for his friend.
“So… How about we try that mission up there in the top right corner?” Chiaki said, trying to distract Blitz.
“Oh? Let’s see…” Blitz responded, taking a few moments to read through the request. “Hmm… It’s an escort mission, and which means one of us would have to stay behind to make room for the Pokémon needing to be escorted.”
“Oh, I didn’t think about that,” Chiaki replied, stopping to think for a moment. “I guess whoever stays behind can look after Lita, then, so maybe-“
“All right, then,” Sera said, nodding her head slightly. “Azure will stay and look after Lita, while the three of us do this mission.”
“Uh, okay…” Chiaki responded, glancing around.
“Wait, why do I have to stay behind?” Azure asked, looking rather surprised. “I mean, Lita is a cute kid, and all, but I didn’t join this team so I could be a babysitter, you know!”
“Don’t worry, Azure,” Frederick said, smiling. “I’ll help you look after her!”
As Azure reluctantly agreed to stay behind with Lita, Chiaki felt a bit uncomfortable as he, Sera and Blitz headed out to meet with the client. He was going to suggest that Blitz stay behind so he and his sister could spend some time together, while Azure came with him and Sera, but Sera had interrupted him before he could get that far. Chiaki had hoped to discuss the situation with Sera, but that would be difficult if Blitz was with them.
He could tell that Blitz was already suspecting something was wrong by Sera’s behavior, and Chiaki was worried that he would find out that they had talked Hercules into revealing his secret and get mad at them. Maybe he could just keep Blitz distracted by changing the subject whenever it came up, and continue doing so until he and Sera had discussed how to deal with the situation.
It didn’t seem like the most reliable plan, though. Still, it was the only thing he could think of, and it would have to do until he could come up with a better plan.
----
The trio eventually came across the entrance to the mystery dungeon, where a small blue penguin Pokémon was waiting for them.
“Ah, you must be the rescue team that took on my job?” the Piplup asked.
“That’s right!” Chiaki said, smiling. “So, you need our help to find a certain item?”
“Yeah,” the Piplup replied. “So, I made this bet with some Pokémon, and unless I can get that Joy Ribbon from the ninth floor of this dungeon, I’ll have to only use my left wing to write for a month. Now, the punishment itself isn’t that bad, since I’m actually left-winged and so that’s the one I use to write with anyways, but my species is known for having quite a sense of self-pride, and so, I’d be really mad if I lost the bet.”
“Understood,” Blitz said, nodding his head. “So, you need our help to retrieve it because the wild Pokémon are too much for you?”
“Pretty much,” the Piplup responded, nodding. “But don’t tell anyone, okay? If anyone asks, I did this without any help.”
“Isn’t that kind of cheating?” Chiaki asked.
“Hey, they never said anything about not being allowed to bring help,” the Piplup responded, winking. “But again, if anyone says anything, I’ll deny it. So, let’s get going, shall we?”
----
It didn’t take long before the four Pokémon were exploring the first few floors of the mystery dungeon, although Sera didn’t seem to be particularly interested in what was going on even as she led the group. Chiaki could tell that Blitz could tell that something was wrong, and even the Piplup seemed to be making a note of Sera’s behavior.
“So, the Eevee is your leader, right?” the Piplup asked. “Is she always this quiet?”
“Not really…” Blitz responded, shaking his head.
“She’s probably just a little tired today,” Chiaki commented, trying to distract the two Pokémon. “Or maybe she’s just concentrating really hard on guiding us through this dungeon? Better not disturb her, then!”
“… Chiaki, is something wrong?” Blitz asked, glancing over his shoulder at the Mienfoo.
“Uh… Where would you get an idea like that?” Chiaki responded, chuckling nervously. “So, um… Let’s all be quiet so Sera can focus!”
Chiaki’s attempts to convince Blitz that there was nothing wrong only made the Shinx even more suspicious. He could tell that Chiaki was hiding something, and it had something to do with why Sera seemed so out of it today. Had something happened the previous night while the two of them had gone off somewhere else while he, Lita and Azure went to the café?
This wasn’t the right time to confront them about it, though. It’d have to wait for after their current mission was finished.
----
Azure, Frederick and Lita were taking a walk, telling Lita more about themselves since they hadn’t been able to come up with much else to do.
“Wow, you only joined their team two days ago?” Lita asked.
“That’s right!” Azure responded, grinning. “But I’d been on a few missions with your brother and his friends a few times before, so I already had some experience with how they do things.”
“I’d like to join too,” Frederick said. “Except I don’t know if I’d be any good at it… I also haven’t been on any adventures with them like Azure has…”
“Don’t worry, buddy,” Azure responded, patting the Deino on the back. “I’m sure you’d do just fine!”
“You’re all really good friends, aren’t you?” Lita asked, giggling a little.
“Well, yeah,” Azure responded, shrugging slightly. “What about you? Do you have any friends back home?”
“Aside from my big brother, I don’t really have all that many friends back home,” Lita admitted. “I may not seem like it, but I’m actually kind of shy towards the other Shinx in the pride. I never know how to approach them, or what to say.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Azure said, patting Lita on the head. “Everyone has a few such moments throughout their lives where they just don’t know how to break the ice.”
“For breaking ice, I recommend fire or fighting moves,” Frederick commented.
“Not that kind of ice, silly!” Azure responded, giggling a little.
“I have been spending some time with a Luxio in the pride lately, though,” Lita explained. “A few days after my brother left, I ran into the Luxio by accident, and he took me to this mystery dungeon in an attempt to help me overcome my shyness.”
“Oh, is that so?” Azure asked.
“Yeah,” Lita responded, nodding her head. “At first, it felt a bit strange, but once we’d spent some time together in that dungeon, we realized that we were getting along pretty well.”
“Good for you,” Azure said, smiling at the young Shinx. “I assume he’s a bit older than you, seeing as he is evolved?”
“Yes, he is,” Lita replied. “His age isn’t what was strange about him and me becoming friends, though.”
“Oh?” Azure inquired. “What was it, then?”
“I can’t tell you,” Lita responded, shaking her head.
“Oh, okay,” Azure replied, shrugging slightly. “If it’s a bit too personal, I’ll stay out of it.”
“I’m getting kind of hungry…” Frederick said. “Can we head back to the café?”
“Sure, why not?” Azure responded, grinning. “Are you feeling hungry too, Lita?”
“Not really,” Lita replied. “I am a bit thirsty, though!”
“Well, let’s go, then!” Azure said, grinning as she started running ahead. “I’m going to get there first!”
“Oh, we’ll see about that!” Lita responded, giggling as she started running after Azure.
“Huh? Hey, wait up!” Frederick said, trying his best to keep up with the two girls.
----
On the ninth floor of the mystery dungeon, the Piplup snickered to himself as he ran up and picked up the Joy Ribbon. Holding the ribbon in his two small blue wings, the Piplup ran up to the rescue team.
“Thanks for helping me out!” the Piplup said, grinning. “And if anyone of those guys I made the bet with sees me giving you your rewards at the rescue team HQ later, just tell them that they must’ve gotten me confused with another Piplup, okay?”
And with that, the rescue team badge shone with a golden light and teleported the Piplup back to the HQ.
“Okay, let’s go back…” Sera said, preparing to use the rescue team badge to return to town.
“Hold on, Sera,” Blitz responded, stopping her before she could use the badge. “I need to talk to you.”
“Uh, Blitz? Maybe we should wait until we’re back in town?” Chiaki suggested.
“I need to talk to both of you!” Blitz said, looking at his teammates. “What is going on?”
“W-What are you talking about?” Chiaki asked.
“Don’t lie to me!” Blitz responded, glaring at Chiaki. “You two are hiding something from me, and I’d like you to tell me what’s going on!”
“Uh…” Chiaki wasn’t sure how to respond. He didn’t want to lie to Blitz, but he didn’t want to hurt his feeling either by telling him the truth. So, what could he possibly say?
“… Blitz,” Sera said, looking up at Blitz. “… Do you trust me?”
“Huh?” Blitz responded, tilting his head slightly. “Trust you? What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ve been sharing details about my family, and my feelings with you,” Sera said, making eye-contact with Blitz. “However, apparently you didn’t trust me enough to do the same.”
“Wait… What?” Blitz responded, blinking a few times. “Where… is this all coming from…?”
“I talked to Hercules,” Sera explained, glancing down at the ground. “He… told me and Chiaki everything…”
Blitz went silent, and stared wide-eyed at his two teammates in disbelief. He started breathing heavily as he processed this information, shaking his head and taking a few steps backwards as he looked back and forth between his two teammates.
“Blitz, I’m sorry,” Sera said, looking away. “I just… had to know, and… if you don’t trust me enough to even tell me-“
“And why would I trust someone who doesn’t even respect me enough to keep their noses out of where they don’t belong!?” Blitz growled, glaring at Sera.
“B-Blitz…” Sera stuttered, visibly frightened at his sudden anger. “I didn’t mean to-“
“Shut up!” Blitz snarled back at Sera, before turning away from his friends. “Both of you… Just… leave me alone!”
Blitz ran off, running deeper into the dungeon. Sera and Chiaki stood there in a stunned silence for a few moments, before giving chase. However, they couldn’t see Blitz anywhere, and it seemed the Shinx had already gotten far away from them.
“Did he already make it to the end of the dungeon?” Chiaki wondered, stopping for a few moments to think. “So, if we get to the end of the dungeon, we can…”
Chiaki’s train of thought was interrupted as Sera fell to the ground, curling up and burying her face in her forepaws.
“Hey… Don’t give up!” Chiaki said, petting Sera. “I’m sure we can still catch up to him!”
“There’s no point…” Sera muttered, shaking a little. “Let’s just… head back to town…”
“Huh? But we can’t just leave without Blitz!” Chiaki exclaimed. “He’s our friend, after all!”
“I don’t think he wants to be friends with us anymore…” Sera said, looking up at Chiaki with tears in her eyes. “… And it’s all because of me.”
Chiaki was unsure what to do, as Sera began sobbing. The Mienfoo realized that right now, Sera needed him more, and sat down next to her, gently petting the Eevee, unsure of what else he could really do for her.
“I should’ve been a better friend…” Sera sobbed, wiping away some tears with a paw. “If I had been acted like a true friend to Blitz, then this wouldn’t have happened! It’s my fault… all my fault!”
“Sera… That’s not… You’re haven’t…” Chiaki wasn’t really sure what to say to comfort his teammate, although it didn’t seem like Sera was listening anyways. Still, he had to try to say something. “Sera, don’t give up… I… I’m sure Blitz will forgive us!”
“No, he won’t…” Sera responded, shaking her head slightly. “Because… I was such a bad friend… and I’ve ruined everything…”
“Hey, things may seem bad now, but… I’m sure he’ll forgive us,” Chiaki said, even if he wasn’t sure if he was right or not. “We’re still friends; we’re still a team… It’ll be all right…”
----
Blitz was running as fast as he could, not particularly paying attention to or caring about where he was going. Teardrops were falling from his eyes as he ran, further and further away from everyone else.
“How could Hercules betray me like that…?” Blitz muttered. “And Sera… and Chiaki… How could they…?”
Even as he bumped into or tripped over things, Blitz just continued running without paying much attention to his surroundings.
“Still… I shouldn’t have said those things to Sera…!” Blitz wheezed, more tears streaming down his face as he continued running.
----
After returning to town and picking up their rewards, Sera and Chiaki had a bit of a difficult time explaining to Azure, Frederick and Lita why Blitz hadn’t come back with them. They eventually decided that if Blitz hadn’t returned by the morning, they would all head out to look for him. And so, Sera returned home, while Chiaki followed Lita back to Blitz’s stone hut.
“I hope big brother will be okay…” Lita said, sadly lying down on her bed.
“Me too,” Chiaki replied, sighing. “It doesn’t feel right to leave him out there like this…”
“Yeah…” Lita responded, nodding her head slightly.
The two Pokémon were quiet for a moment, before Lita spoke up again.
“Don’t worry, big brother is never angry for long,” Lita said, giving Chiaki a small smile. “If you and Sera just tell him how you feel, then I’m sure he will understand.”
“Thanks, Lita,” Chiaki responded, smiling back. “I just hope that we all work things out quickly, for Sera’s sake…”
----
Sera was sitting in the bedroom, staring at the rescue team badge. The top half of the badge was now silver colored, and they had received a bigger treasure bag that would allow them to bring more items.
“So… We did get that Silver Rank…” Sera muttered, sighing. “But… it doesn’t really matter… if Blitz and I are no longer friends…”
Unbeknownst to Sera, Flare was quietly watching her with a concerned look on his face. The Flareon felt sad to see his younger sister in such a state, but figured she’d probably prefer to be alone right now. However, Flare definitely intended to do whatever he could to help his little sister.
----
End of chapter 24.
Anyways, it's time for chapter 24. I'm really surprised at how fast I was able to finish both this and chapter 23, but hey, I'm not complaining. Some chapters just seem easier to write than others, after all.
So, here's chapter 24, and as usual, I hope you all enjoy it!
----
Chapter 24: Trust you? What do you mean?
----
The sun was slowly rising in the sky to signal the start of a new day, and the Pokémon working at the various shops in Fenix Town were in the process of getting everything ready before the various rescue teams were up. Marietta the Ledian was nearly done setting things up, as she seemed to usually be one of the first Pokémon to arrive at the town plaza early in the morning.
As she was looking over things to make sure she had gotten everything ready, she noticed a certain dark blue beetle Pokémon walking by.
“Good morning, Hercules!” Marietta called out, waving one of her four hands.
“Oh, good morning to you too, Marietta,” Hercules responded, waving back.
“So, what are you doing out here?” Marietta asked. “Shouldn’t you be at the dojo by now?”
“Well yeah, but I think Lotus and the others have it under control,” Hercules responded, shrugging slightly. “I just kind of needed some fresh air, and felt like going for a little morning walk…”
“I see,” Marietta replied, nodding her head slightly. “Is there anything on your mind?”
“Sort of,” Hercules responded, sighing. “I got talked into revealing something to someone that someone else would’ve preferred to keep a secret…”
“Oh?” Marietta inquired, tilting her head slightly.
“Yeah…” Hercules replied. “Part of me felt it would be best if they knew, but I wanted the one who told me to keep the secret to tell them themselves…”
“I see…” Marietta responded, nodding her head slightly. “Well, I’m sure you’ll be able to sort things out.”
“You’re probably right,” Hercules replied, giving a small smile. “I’m just not sure how, yet.”
“Words can bring you a long way, you know,” Marietta responded, winking. “They may not listen at first, but just try a few more times and I’m sure you’ll get through to them.”
“… Thanks, Marietta,” Hercules replied, smiling at the Ledian.
“No problem,” Marietta responded, grinning. “Glad to help out another bug type.”
“Well, I guess I should head over to the dojo, then,” Hercules said, waving good-bye to Marietta. “Nice talking to you!”
“Have a nice day!” Marietta responded, smiling as she watched the Heracross fly away in the direction of the dojo. “I’m sure he’ll have those problems of his sorted out quickly. He’s such a nice guy.” Marietta giggled a little. “And he’s quite handsome too! Of course, this isn’t the time for that. Right now, I’ve got some work to do!”
And so, Marietta took one more quick look to make sure that everything was in its place, and that the bank was ready to open. The Ledian had a good feeling about this day.
----
Lita had woken up as the sun’s bright and warm rays shone in through the windows, and had decided to wake up her older brother as well. She carefully grabbed onto one of Blitz’s ears with her teeth, making sure not to accidentally hurt him in the process by biting him too hard as she started playfully pulling at his ear. Blitz eventually opened his golden eyes and looked over at his sister.
“Okay, okay… I’m awake,” Blitz said, getting up.
“Good morning, big brother!” Lita said, smiling at her brother. “Slept well?”
“I suppose,” Blitz responded, yawning and stretching. “And you?”
“I slept pretty well,” Lita replied, nodding her head slightly.
“That’s good,” Blitz said, smiling at Lita.
Lita then ran up to Chiaki, and started shaking his shoulder with her paws.
“You should get up too now!” Lita said, giggling a little.
“All right…” Chiaki responded, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “So, what are we going to do today?”
“Well, I guess the first thing we should do is head over to the town plaza and see if Sera has gotten there yet,” Blitz said.
“Oh, right,” Chiaki responded, nodding his head.
Chiaki hoped that Sera was feeling better today. She’d seemed pretty upset when she went home the day before after learning of the things from Blitz’s past that he had never told her about. He wasn’t really sure what to say to her, or if there was a way he could help her and Blitz.
As the three of them headed into the town plaza, they began looking around for Sera, while other rescue teams were going about their preparations as usual. Sting and his teammates were buying some items at the item shop, Frosty and Melody seeming to be in a bit of a disagreement on which items would be more important on their next mission.
Mirage and her teammates were over at the bank, Marietta waiting for Mirage to decide on how much money she would deposit into their team account, how much she would send to her family and how much they would use to buy items today.
Lionel the Linoone was looking through the items Regina the Servine had stored away, as she and her teammates had received a request from a Pokémon wanting a particular item. Zap the Rotom was currently talking to Arbolith, asking if the Suduwoodo was interested in linking a few moves. Based on the impatient look of Calder the Wartortle, leader of the rescue team Arbolith was on, it seemed the Sudowoodo was taking a long time to decide.
Bijou the Sableye seemed to have a small pebble stuck between her teeth, and was currently attempting to use the lock-picking tool she used to open treasure boxes as a tooth pick while waiting for customers to show up, and Celio the Togetic was looking after a Pokémon egg one of the other rescue teams had asked him to look after.
“Anyone see Sera yet?” Chiaki asked, looking around.
“I don’t see her,” Lita responded, shrugging slightly.
“Maybe she’s at the HQ or the café?” Blitz suggested, thinking for a moment. “Let’s check the café first. That way we can also bring Azure along if she’s not already at the HQ with Sera.”
----
As Blitz, Lita and Chiaki arrived at the café; they tried looking around for Azure and Sera, but couldn’t see either Pokémon. Frederick didn’t seem to be there either. While they assumed they were at the rescue team HQ, they decided to ask River first to make sure, once River was done talking to a vulture-like Pokémon with a bone-like skirt that was currently standing at the counter.
The Mandibuzz looked a bit disappointed as River finished saying something, and left the café while River waved good-bye. Once the Mandibuzz had left, River shuddered slightly and looked somewhat disturbed.
“Ugh, dealing with customers of mainly carnivorous species is always such an awkward experience…” River muttered. “Although this was probably the strangest yet…”
“You okay, River?” Chiaki asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine…” the Azumarill responded, nodding slightly. “So, I’m guessing you guys are looking for Azure?”
“That’s right and we’re looking for Sera too,” Blitz replied, nodding his head. “I’m guessing they’re already at the rescue team HQ?”
“Yes, Azure headed over there just a little while ago,” River responded. “I think Frederick decided to tag along as well.”
“Okay, thanks,” Blitz said, turning to Chiaki and Lita. “Let’s head to the HQ, then.”
----
Nothing seemed different than usual at the rescue team HQ, with rescue teams looking at the various boards and choosing their missions for the day. Blitz finally spotted Sera, Azure and Frederick near the regular mission board, waiting for the rescue team that was currently selecting some missions off the board to finish. Blitz, Chiaki and Lita quickly went over to their friends.
“There you guys are!” Chiaki said, smiling. “We’ve been looking for you guys!”
“Well, we’ve just been waiting for you guys to show up, and waiting for these other rescue teams to finish choosing their jobs for the day,” Azure responded.
“I just came along because I felt like it,” Frederick commented.
Chiaki looked over at Sera, noticing that she seemed to be unusually quiet at the moment. He wondered if she was still upset.
“So, see any good missions on there?” Blitz asked, looking up at the mission board. “One more mission should be enough to earn us that Silver Rank.”
“That’s great,” Sera responded, not sounding particularly excited.
“… You okay, Sera?” Blitz asked, feeling concerned by the lack of enthusiasm in Sera’s reply.
“I’m fine,” Sera replied in the same tone.
“Are you sure?” Blitz asked, still concerned for his friend.
“So… How about we try that mission up there in the top right corner?” Chiaki said, trying to distract Blitz.
“Oh? Let’s see…” Blitz responded, taking a few moments to read through the request. “Hmm… It’s an escort mission, and which means one of us would have to stay behind to make room for the Pokémon needing to be escorted.”
“Oh, I didn’t think about that,” Chiaki replied, stopping to think for a moment. “I guess whoever stays behind can look after Lita, then, so maybe-“
“All right, then,” Sera said, nodding her head slightly. “Azure will stay and look after Lita, while the three of us do this mission.”
“Uh, okay…” Chiaki responded, glancing around.
“Wait, why do I have to stay behind?” Azure asked, looking rather surprised. “I mean, Lita is a cute kid, and all, but I didn’t join this team so I could be a babysitter, you know!”
“Don’t worry, Azure,” Frederick said, smiling. “I’ll help you look after her!”
As Azure reluctantly agreed to stay behind with Lita, Chiaki felt a bit uncomfortable as he, Sera and Blitz headed out to meet with the client. He was going to suggest that Blitz stay behind so he and his sister could spend some time together, while Azure came with him and Sera, but Sera had interrupted him before he could get that far. Chiaki had hoped to discuss the situation with Sera, but that would be difficult if Blitz was with them.
He could tell that Blitz was already suspecting something was wrong by Sera’s behavior, and Chiaki was worried that he would find out that they had talked Hercules into revealing his secret and get mad at them. Maybe he could just keep Blitz distracted by changing the subject whenever it came up, and continue doing so until he and Sera had discussed how to deal with the situation.
It didn’t seem like the most reliable plan, though. Still, it was the only thing he could think of, and it would have to do until he could come up with a better plan.
----
The trio eventually came across the entrance to the mystery dungeon, where a small blue penguin Pokémon was waiting for them.
“Ah, you must be the rescue team that took on my job?” the Piplup asked.
“That’s right!” Chiaki said, smiling. “So, you need our help to find a certain item?”
“Yeah,” the Piplup replied. “So, I made this bet with some Pokémon, and unless I can get that Joy Ribbon from the ninth floor of this dungeon, I’ll have to only use my left wing to write for a month. Now, the punishment itself isn’t that bad, since I’m actually left-winged and so that’s the one I use to write with anyways, but my species is known for having quite a sense of self-pride, and so, I’d be really mad if I lost the bet.”
“Understood,” Blitz said, nodding his head. “So, you need our help to retrieve it because the wild Pokémon are too much for you?”
“Pretty much,” the Piplup responded, nodding. “But don’t tell anyone, okay? If anyone asks, I did this without any help.”
“Isn’t that kind of cheating?” Chiaki asked.
“Hey, they never said anything about not being allowed to bring help,” the Piplup responded, winking. “But again, if anyone says anything, I’ll deny it. So, let’s get going, shall we?”
----
It didn’t take long before the four Pokémon were exploring the first few floors of the mystery dungeon, although Sera didn’t seem to be particularly interested in what was going on even as she led the group. Chiaki could tell that Blitz could tell that something was wrong, and even the Piplup seemed to be making a note of Sera’s behavior.
“So, the Eevee is your leader, right?” the Piplup asked. “Is she always this quiet?”
“Not really…” Blitz responded, shaking his head.
“She’s probably just a little tired today,” Chiaki commented, trying to distract the two Pokémon. “Or maybe she’s just concentrating really hard on guiding us through this dungeon? Better not disturb her, then!”
“… Chiaki, is something wrong?” Blitz asked, glancing over his shoulder at the Mienfoo.
“Uh… Where would you get an idea like that?” Chiaki responded, chuckling nervously. “So, um… Let’s all be quiet so Sera can focus!”
Chiaki’s attempts to convince Blitz that there was nothing wrong only made the Shinx even more suspicious. He could tell that Chiaki was hiding something, and it had something to do with why Sera seemed so out of it today. Had something happened the previous night while the two of them had gone off somewhere else while he, Lita and Azure went to the café?
This wasn’t the right time to confront them about it, though. It’d have to wait for after their current mission was finished.
----
Azure, Frederick and Lita were taking a walk, telling Lita more about themselves since they hadn’t been able to come up with much else to do.
“Wow, you only joined their team two days ago?” Lita asked.
“That’s right!” Azure responded, grinning. “But I’d been on a few missions with your brother and his friends a few times before, so I already had some experience with how they do things.”
“I’d like to join too,” Frederick said. “Except I don’t know if I’d be any good at it… I also haven’t been on any adventures with them like Azure has…”
“Don’t worry, buddy,” Azure responded, patting the Deino on the back. “I’m sure you’d do just fine!”
“You’re all really good friends, aren’t you?” Lita asked, giggling a little.
“Well, yeah,” Azure responded, shrugging slightly. “What about you? Do you have any friends back home?”
“Aside from my big brother, I don’t really have all that many friends back home,” Lita admitted. “I may not seem like it, but I’m actually kind of shy towards the other Shinx in the pride. I never know how to approach them, or what to say.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Azure said, patting Lita on the head. “Everyone has a few such moments throughout their lives where they just don’t know how to break the ice.”
“For breaking ice, I recommend fire or fighting moves,” Frederick commented.
“Not that kind of ice, silly!” Azure responded, giggling a little.
“I have been spending some time with a Luxio in the pride lately, though,” Lita explained. “A few days after my brother left, I ran into the Luxio by accident, and he took me to this mystery dungeon in an attempt to help me overcome my shyness.”
“Oh, is that so?” Azure asked.
“Yeah,” Lita responded, nodding her head. “At first, it felt a bit strange, but once we’d spent some time together in that dungeon, we realized that we were getting along pretty well.”
“Good for you,” Azure said, smiling at the young Shinx. “I assume he’s a bit older than you, seeing as he is evolved?”
“Yes, he is,” Lita replied. “His age isn’t what was strange about him and me becoming friends, though.”
“Oh?” Azure inquired. “What was it, then?”
“I can’t tell you,” Lita responded, shaking her head.
“Oh, okay,” Azure replied, shrugging slightly. “If it’s a bit too personal, I’ll stay out of it.”
“I’m getting kind of hungry…” Frederick said. “Can we head back to the café?”
“Sure, why not?” Azure responded, grinning. “Are you feeling hungry too, Lita?”
“Not really,” Lita replied. “I am a bit thirsty, though!”
“Well, let’s go, then!” Azure said, grinning as she started running ahead. “I’m going to get there first!”
“Oh, we’ll see about that!” Lita responded, giggling as she started running after Azure.
“Huh? Hey, wait up!” Frederick said, trying his best to keep up with the two girls.
----
On the ninth floor of the mystery dungeon, the Piplup snickered to himself as he ran up and picked up the Joy Ribbon. Holding the ribbon in his two small blue wings, the Piplup ran up to the rescue team.
“Thanks for helping me out!” the Piplup said, grinning. “And if anyone of those guys I made the bet with sees me giving you your rewards at the rescue team HQ later, just tell them that they must’ve gotten me confused with another Piplup, okay?”
And with that, the rescue team badge shone with a golden light and teleported the Piplup back to the HQ.
“Okay, let’s go back…” Sera said, preparing to use the rescue team badge to return to town.
“Hold on, Sera,” Blitz responded, stopping her before she could use the badge. “I need to talk to you.”
“Uh, Blitz? Maybe we should wait until we’re back in town?” Chiaki suggested.
“I need to talk to both of you!” Blitz said, looking at his teammates. “What is going on?”
“W-What are you talking about?” Chiaki asked.
“Don’t lie to me!” Blitz responded, glaring at Chiaki. “You two are hiding something from me, and I’d like you to tell me what’s going on!”
“Uh…” Chiaki wasn’t sure how to respond. He didn’t want to lie to Blitz, but he didn’t want to hurt his feeling either by telling him the truth. So, what could he possibly say?
“… Blitz,” Sera said, looking up at Blitz. “… Do you trust me?”
“Huh?” Blitz responded, tilting his head slightly. “Trust you? What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ve been sharing details about my family, and my feelings with you,” Sera said, making eye-contact with Blitz. “However, apparently you didn’t trust me enough to do the same.”
“Wait… What?” Blitz responded, blinking a few times. “Where… is this all coming from…?”
“I talked to Hercules,” Sera explained, glancing down at the ground. “He… told me and Chiaki everything…”
Blitz went silent, and stared wide-eyed at his two teammates in disbelief. He started breathing heavily as he processed this information, shaking his head and taking a few steps backwards as he looked back and forth between his two teammates.
“Blitz, I’m sorry,” Sera said, looking away. “I just… had to know, and… if you don’t trust me enough to even tell me-“
“And why would I trust someone who doesn’t even respect me enough to keep their noses out of where they don’t belong!?” Blitz growled, glaring at Sera.
“B-Blitz…” Sera stuttered, visibly frightened at his sudden anger. “I didn’t mean to-“
“Shut up!” Blitz snarled back at Sera, before turning away from his friends. “Both of you… Just… leave me alone!”
Blitz ran off, running deeper into the dungeon. Sera and Chiaki stood there in a stunned silence for a few moments, before giving chase. However, they couldn’t see Blitz anywhere, and it seemed the Shinx had already gotten far away from them.
“Did he already make it to the end of the dungeon?” Chiaki wondered, stopping for a few moments to think. “So, if we get to the end of the dungeon, we can…”
Chiaki’s train of thought was interrupted as Sera fell to the ground, curling up and burying her face in her forepaws.
“Hey… Don’t give up!” Chiaki said, petting Sera. “I’m sure we can still catch up to him!”
“There’s no point…” Sera muttered, shaking a little. “Let’s just… head back to town…”
“Huh? But we can’t just leave without Blitz!” Chiaki exclaimed. “He’s our friend, after all!”
“I don’t think he wants to be friends with us anymore…” Sera said, looking up at Chiaki with tears in her eyes. “… And it’s all because of me.”
Chiaki was unsure what to do, as Sera began sobbing. The Mienfoo realized that right now, Sera needed him more, and sat down next to her, gently petting the Eevee, unsure of what else he could really do for her.
“I should’ve been a better friend…” Sera sobbed, wiping away some tears with a paw. “If I had been acted like a true friend to Blitz, then this wouldn’t have happened! It’s my fault… all my fault!”
“Sera… That’s not… You’re haven’t…” Chiaki wasn’t really sure what to say to comfort his teammate, although it didn’t seem like Sera was listening anyways. Still, he had to try to say something. “Sera, don’t give up… I… I’m sure Blitz will forgive us!”
“No, he won’t…” Sera responded, shaking her head slightly. “Because… I was such a bad friend… and I’ve ruined everything…”
“Hey, things may seem bad now, but… I’m sure he’ll forgive us,” Chiaki said, even if he wasn’t sure if he was right or not. “We’re still friends; we’re still a team… It’ll be all right…”
----
Blitz was running as fast as he could, not particularly paying attention to or caring about where he was going. Teardrops were falling from his eyes as he ran, further and further away from everyone else.
“How could Hercules betray me like that…?” Blitz muttered. “And Sera… and Chiaki… How could they…?”
Even as he bumped into or tripped over things, Blitz just continued running without paying much attention to his surroundings.
“Still… I shouldn’t have said those things to Sera…!” Blitz wheezed, more tears streaming down his face as he continued running.
----
After returning to town and picking up their rewards, Sera and Chiaki had a bit of a difficult time explaining to Azure, Frederick and Lita why Blitz hadn’t come back with them. They eventually decided that if Blitz hadn’t returned by the morning, they would all head out to look for him. And so, Sera returned home, while Chiaki followed Lita back to Blitz’s stone hut.
“I hope big brother will be okay…” Lita said, sadly lying down on her bed.
“Me too,” Chiaki replied, sighing. “It doesn’t feel right to leave him out there like this…”
“Yeah…” Lita responded, nodding her head slightly.
The two Pokémon were quiet for a moment, before Lita spoke up again.
“Don’t worry, big brother is never angry for long,” Lita said, giving Chiaki a small smile. “If you and Sera just tell him how you feel, then I’m sure he will understand.”
“Thanks, Lita,” Chiaki responded, smiling back. “I just hope that we all work things out quickly, for Sera’s sake…”
----
Sera was sitting in the bedroom, staring at the rescue team badge. The top half of the badge was now silver colored, and they had received a bigger treasure bag that would allow them to bring more items.
“So… We did get that Silver Rank…” Sera muttered, sighing. “But… it doesn’t really matter… if Blitz and I are no longer friends…”
Unbeknownst to Sera, Flare was quietly watching her with a concerned look on his face. The Flareon felt sad to see his younger sister in such a state, but figured she’d probably prefer to be alone right now. However, Flare definitely intended to do whatever he could to help his little sister.
----
End of chapter 24.
Last edited:
SeekerofLight
He's everywhere...
Hello yet again, DarkerShining. I am here to distribute even more compliments!
I know I've said this SO MANY TIMES already, but you've shown yourself time and time again to be talented in your character development. While I usually make this comment with chapters that hold brand new characters with fun personalities (by the way, i noticed the return of Arbolith), but this chapter has been just superb. You've really demonstrated how much the personalities of the three protagonists differ. Whereas Chiaki (who I think is a fantastic character in general) is a very friendly individual, Blitz is slightly hotheaded yet can be understanding, and Sera is curious about things while being truly devoted to her friends and their feelings.
I won't spend too long on the fact that the flow of the story is excellent (little to no 'storyline' progress in this chapter, unless I'm missing something underlying), i can tell that a lot of effort has been put into this chapter to help develop the characters even more. Demonstrated by how the falling out occured on a normal mission, not in a stormy battle of the fates as I know some stories have done.
As always, keep up the good work. By looking at the number of chapters and the total Word count (I've got down just shy of 120,000 words), compared to the position in the storyline, I forsee this fic going on for a LONG time. And I look forward to every new chapter.
Best of Luck
SeekerofLight
I know I've said this SO MANY TIMES already, but you've shown yourself time and time again to be talented in your character development. While I usually make this comment with chapters that hold brand new characters with fun personalities (by the way, i noticed the return of Arbolith), but this chapter has been just superb. You've really demonstrated how much the personalities of the three protagonists differ. Whereas Chiaki (who I think is a fantastic character in general) is a very friendly individual, Blitz is slightly hotheaded yet can be understanding, and Sera is curious about things while being truly devoted to her friends and their feelings.
I won't spend too long on the fact that the flow of the story is excellent (little to no 'storyline' progress in this chapter, unless I'm missing something underlying), i can tell that a lot of effort has been put into this chapter to help develop the characters even more. Demonstrated by how the falling out occured on a normal mission, not in a stormy battle of the fates as I know some stories have done.
As always, keep up the good work. By looking at the number of chapters and the total Word count (I've got down just shy of 120,000 words), compared to the position in the storyline, I forsee this fic going on for a LONG time. And I look forward to every new chapter.
Best of Luck
SeekerofLight
DarkerShining
Well-Known Member
Thanks again for your review! I really appreciate the feedback, and I'm glad to see that you're enjoying my story!
Well, I managed to finish chapter 25 earlier this week, so I guess it's time for that. Hope you all enjoy it!
----
Chapter 25: That is the future that has been decided for me.
----
Sera had gotten up early the next morning, and didn’t even bother waiting for breakfast to be ready before heading for the town plaza. She impatiently paced back and forth while waiting for the others to show up, until she finally spotted Azure and Frederick, and Chiaki and Lita walking over.
“So… Since Blitz isn’t with you guys, I assume he didn’t come back at any point during the night?” Sera said, looking over at Chiaki and Lita.
“I’m afraid not,” Chiaki responded, shaking his head.
“Guess we need to head out and start looking for him, then,” Azure said. “So, where do we begin?”
“I’m not sure…” Sera responded, her ears drooping down slightly.
“I don’t think the five of us will be enough, even if we do split into teams,” Chiaki said. “So, we should probably get more Pokémon to help us search before we do anything else.”
“That’s a really good idea, Chiaki,” Azure responded, smiling at the Mienfoo. “I’m sure the other rescue teams will gladly help out!”
“Someone should tell Hercules too!” Lita added.
“All right… So, the first thing we need to do, is go around town and ask for help,” Sera said, nodding her head. “We’ll get it done faster if we split up, so I’ll head up to the rescue team HQ!”
“I’ll try at the café!” Azure said, smirking.
“I can go to the dojo and tell Hercules!” Lita suggested.
“Need anyone to follow you there?” Chiaki asked.
“No, I think I can find the way on my own,” Lita responded, shaking her head.
“All right, then,” Chiaki replied, looking over at Frederick. “Then I guess maybe the two of us should just ask around town?”
“Sounds good to me,” Frederick responded, nodding his head.
“Okay, now that everyone knows what to do, let’s go!” Sera said.
And with that, the five Pokémon went off to let other Pokémon know what was going on and ask them for help in finding their missing teammate.
----
Blitz groggily opened his eyes, raising his head slightly and looking around at his surroundings. Judging from the appearance of the place he was in, he had somehow ended up inside a mystery dungeon. He slowly got onto his feet, trying to remember how he had gotten there in the first place.
“Which dungeon is this…?” Blitz wondered, looking around for a moment before remembering the events of yesterday. “Oh… right… Sera and I… we... we got into a fight…”
Blitz began walking around, unsure of what he was supposed to do now. Lita was probably worried about him, so he had to at least get out of this dungeon, and find a way back to Fenix Town. But what was he going to say to Sera and Chiaki? And he didn’t know what to say to Hercules either.
However, before he could really give the matter any further thought, a sudden breeze caught the Shinx off-guard. Watching several leaves and pebbles being carried away by the wind, Blitz began to panic as he realized what was happening around him and that he had to find the stairs to the next floor as soon as possible.
As the wind calmed down, he began running through the dungeon, looking for the stairs. Complicating things were the wild Pokémon, who would walk into his path.
Blitz tried to quickly fight his way past them, and continued running. The wind was starting to pick up again, and it seemed to be getting stronger. The stairs were still nowhere in sight, and Blitz was starting to feel a bit disoriented. Was he getting anywhere closer to the stairs, or had he just been moving further away from them? Was he even going anywhere, or was he just going in a big circle?
He kept running, until the wind got so intense he couldn’t stay on his feet… and everything went dark.
----
Sera had returned to the town plaza, looking around to see if any of the other four Pokémon had finished their rounds around Fenix Town. Chiaki and Frederick, accompanied by a certain Elgyem, soon showed up, with Azure closely behind.
“Okay, I talked to the rescue teams,” Sera said. “While most of them had missions to do, they did at least say they’d keep an eye out for Blitz.”
“That’s good,” Azure responded. “I didn’t have as much luck on my end, though.”
“Neither did me or Frederick,” Chiaki said, shrugging slightly. “Although I did run into Elina, and it seems she wants to help out.”
“Is Lita here?” Frederick asked, sniffing the air.
“Here I am!” Lita shouted, as she ran up to the others, along with a certain Heracross.
“I asked Lotus and the others to keep an eye on the dojo,” Hercules said. “I’ll help you guys look for Blitz.”
“We’re willing to help out too!” another voice called out, and Sera turned around to see all five or her older siblings walking up, to her surprise.
“Huh?” Sera said, tilting her head slightly. “What are you guys doing here?”
“It was Flare’s idea,” Amethyst explained. “He suggested that all of us help search for your friend.”
“Flare… You did that for me?” Sera asked, smiling as she looked at her siblings. “And… all of you decided to come along?”
“Well, I didn’t have anything better to do today,” Volt responded, smiling.
“And I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing when my little sister needs help,” Sirena said.
“I was just planning on taking a nap or something, but this was more important,” Yoru added, shrugging slightly.
“And I decided the chores I was going to do could wait,” Amethyst said, smiling at Sera. “I’m sure mom and dad will understand.”
“Isn’t this great, Sera?” Flare asked, grinning. “It’s been a while since we all did something as a family, hasn’t it?”
“Flare… Everyone… Thank you!” Sera responded, wagging her tail happily.
With Sera’s older siblings joining the other gathered Pokémon, Sera felt more confident that their search would be successful. She cleared her throat, and was about to say something, when a certain Gothorita suddenly came running.
“Everyone, I have something important to say!” Bow shouted, before tripping and falling on her face.
“What is it, Bow?” Chiaki asked, while he and Elina helped her back onto her feet.
“I had a vision!” Bow responded. “I saw Blitz… he was lost in a mystery dungeon, and this powerful blast of wind sent him flying!”
“Wait, you saw Blitz?” Sera asked, running up to Bow. “Where was he? What was the mystery dungeon like?”
“Hmm…” Bow thought about it for a few moments, before sighing and shaking her head. “I can’t remember… Sorry everyone…”
Sera sighed, but didn’t say anything about Bow’s forgetfulness. It was irrelevant at the moment, and for now, they had to just keep the focus on finding Blitz.
“Okay… So, what do we do now?” Sera asked, looking at the gathered Pokémon.
“Split up into groups?” Azure suggested.
“Oh, good idea,” Sera responded. “Let’s see… We’ve got Chiaki, Azure, Frederick, Lita, Hercules, Elina, my older siblings and Bow… So, that means there are twelve of us!”
“Uh, Sera?” Lita said. “You forgot to count yourself.”
“Oh! Uh, right…” Sera responded, giggling a little. “So, um… That means there are thirteen of us!”
“Good to see I’m not the only one who forgets stuff once in a while,” Bow commented, feeling a little better about herself.
“All right, let’s decide who will go together!” Sera said, grinning.
----
After a few minutes of discussion, they decided on what the groups would be. Lita had decided to team up with Sera, insisting they be a team until Sera eventually agreed. Chiaki and Elina were also going to be searching together, which would also be an opportunity for the two to spend some time together as they hadn’t seen each other in the past few days.
Azure had decided to go with Frederick, as the two simply just got along pretty well. To Sirena’s surprise, Amethyst had chosen her as her partner for the search. Flare and Volt had also decided to search together. That just left Yoru, Hercules and Bow, the three of them forming the last group.
“All right, that’s six groups,” Sera said, nodding her head and looking satisfied, before rolling out the map. “So, I guess the next course of action is figuring out where we’ll search…”
“I think we last saw Blitz here,” Chiaki commented, pointing to the point on the map representing the mystery dungeon they had escorted a Pokémon through the day before. “So, I guess that’s a good place to start…”
“Let me take a look…” Amethyst said, examining the area on the map for a moment.
“So, what do you think, sis?” Volt asked, scratching behind his ear.
“Well, from the looks of things… Blitz may have ended up either here,” Amethyst explained, pointing to a place on the map, before moving her paw to a different spot. “Or here, depending on where he went from this fork in the path, here.”
“All right, then,” Hercules said, nodding his head. “I suggest we send three of the teams to search one area, while the other three search the other area.”
Everyone agreed this was the best course of action, and headed up to the rescue team HQ, so they could ask Kala to teleport them to the fork in the path that Amethyst had pointed out, which would be the starting point for both sets of groups.
----
Blitz groaned and rubbed his head, slowly coming to his senses. Looking around at his surroundings, he was no longer in that mystery dungeon, but he wasn’t entirely sure where that mysterious force had dropped him off. He got onto his feet, and began looking around. He figured that if he explored the area, he might come across something that’d give him an idea of where he was.
----
After arriving at the fork in the road, the six groups had decided on which three would take one path, and which three would take the other. Sera wasn’t sure exactly why Lita had insisted on going with her, since it would’ve seemed more likely that Lita would choose to go with Hercules, since he was both older and the mentor of her older brother. Although, if Lita’s senses were anywhere as good as her brother’s, then hopefully they would be able to track him down soon.
Sera was sure Blitz would be able to take care of himself until they could find him, but she still worried about him. And when they did find him, what was she going to say to him? She knew she had to apologize, but what was the best way to do that?
“Hey, Sera?” Lita said, looking up at the Eevee.
“What is it?” Sera asked.
“You seem worried,” Lita responded.
“Oh, well… You know, Blitz is missing, and I just want to find him,” Sera said.
“I see,” Lita replied, smiling. “I’m glad Blitz has a good friend like you.”
“I’m not so sure if I’ve been that great of a friend, really…” Sera responded.
“What do you mean?” Lita asked. “From what I can tell, my big brother is someone important to you, and I think he feels the same way about you.”
“Why do you think that?” Sera replied, looking at Lita curiously.
“Well, it’s just a feeling I’m getting,” Lita responded, smiling.
“Uh… Thanks, I guess,” Sera replied, looking around. “Although, right now I’m not even sure what I’m going to say to him when we find him…”
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Lita said. “Right now, we have to find him, and then you can think of what to say!”
“Oh, right,” Sera responded, nodding her head slightly. “So, um… Let’s try looking over here.”
Lita really was mature for a Shinx her age, or at least she seemed to understand and pick up on things quickly. It made Sera feel a bit more at ease in some ways, and it meant that having to look after Lita while they looked for Blitz wouldn’t be too difficult for her. Sera and Lita were both younger siblings in their families, but for once Sera could get a feel of what being an older sibling was like.
Maybe that was part of the reason why Lita had chosen Sera as her partner for this search?
“I wonder if the other groups have found anything yet…” Sera muttered.
----
Chiaki and Elina were exploring another area, but they hadn’t seen any signs of Blitz yet either. Chiaki was glad to have Elina along and hoped to get a chance to talk to her about some of the things that were on his mind. However, he hadn’t yet figured out where to begin, and Elina seemed to be deep in thought about something as well.
“So, um… I’m really glad you came along to help us look for Blitz,” Chiaki said, smiling at Elina. “Haven’t seen you in a while, so I kind of wanted to talk with you…”
Elina turned her head and looked at Chiaki, curiously tilting her head.
“While I’m not in a hurry to get my memories back, I find it a bit difficult to help my friends with their problems…” Chiaki explained, sighing.
Elina would’ve liked to talk about her own problems as well, but there wasn’t really any way for her to do so as she was now. At least she could still listen to Chiaki, even if she felt a bit nervous when he brought up his lack of memories.
“Since I don’t remember anything from before Blitz and Sera found me, I don’t really have any previous experiences of my own that would help me relate to the experiences they’ve gone through…” Chiaki said, looking at Elina. “Do you understand what I mean?”
Elina nodded her head slightly.
“So… Is there anything you can tell me about myself?” Chiaki asked. “Like, where I’m from, or something about what my family is like?”
Elina’s three fingers flashed erratically for a brief moment, before the Elgyem shook her head.
“… Really, is there nothing you can tell me?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly. “Then again, I guess it is a bit difficult to explain via body language, huh…”
Elina just nodded her head, relieved that he didn't try asking for any further explanation.
“Oh, okay…” Chiaki responded, sighing. “I was just sort of hoping to remember something that would let me help my friends…”
Elina patted Chiaki on the back to comfort him, feeling a bit bad about not being able to answer his questions. Then again, she wasn’t really sure how she would’ve answered his questions if she could.
“Thanks, Elina,” Chiaki said, smiling at Elina. “Guess I’ll just have to think of another way to help my teammates out, huh?”
Elina shrugged her shoulders slightly, not really sure how to respond.
“So, how have you been, anyways?” Chiaki asked. “You look like you also have things on your mind.”
Elina looked down at the ground, tapping her hands together.
“Ah, so something’s been bothering you too, huh?” Chiaki asked, patting Elina on the shoulder. “Do you have any way of expressing it, that is, if you want to tell me?”
Elina shrugged her shoulders slightly.
“Maybe later, then,” Chiaki said, looking around. “Let’s focus on the search.”
Elina nodded, and the two of them continued looking for Blitz.
----
Hercules hoped that they would find Blitz soon, feeling partially responsible for his running away. He hoped Blitz wasn’t too mad at him for breaking his promise. As he and Yoru were looking over the area, the Heracross realized that someone was missing from their group.
“Uh… Where did Bow go?” Hercules asked.
“I don’t know,” Yoru replied, shrugging slightly. “I could’ve sworn she was right behind us.”
“… Well, guess there are now two Pokémon we need to find,” Hercules commented, sighing.
“Where do you think she wandered off to?” Yoru asked, glancing around.
“I’m not sure…” Hercules responded. “Depends on when we lost track of her…”
“She’s probably not that far away,” Yoru said. “So, let’s just look around for a bit until we find her, and then we can continue searching for that other guy.”
Hercules nodded, and the two began looking around for Bow. He hoped that Yoru was right, and that Bow wasn’t too far away.
----
Bow was wandering around on her own, as she had gotten separated from the rest of the group at some point. She had been walking around, looking at the scenery, until she had remembered why she was there. Bow was now looking around for the others, but couldn’t see any signs of any of them.
“Oh, where did everybody go?” Bow muttered, sighing. “I can’t believe I got myself lost like this… Why must I be such a scatterbrain at times?”
Bow continued looking around, and was about to call out for her friends when she suddenly noticed a shadow flying overhead. She glanced upwards, but couldn’t see anyone.
“Who’s there?” Bow asked, looking around nervously. “Is that you, H-Hercules?”
Bow jumped as an ominous laughter suddenly echoed around her, and shivered as she looked around for the source of the sound, but still couldn’t see anyone else there.
“N-No! Leave me alone!” Bow shouted, and ran off.
The ominous laughter continued echoing as Bow ran, making it difficult for her to tell whether she was actually getting further away from whatever Pokémon it belonged to.
“Are you scared, Bow?” a voice said, and Bow’s eyes widened as a shadow flew past overhead just as she heard the voice.
“W-Who are you!?” Bow screamed, closing her eyes. “And how do you know my name!?”
As she only heard more laughter, Bow covered her closed eyes with her hands and continued running blindly in the same direction, until she tripped over something and fell over.
“Ah, n-no…” Bow muttered, shivering as she lay there in the grass, still covering her eyes.
“... Bow, is that you?” a different voice asked, and Bow realized she could no longer hear the ominous laughter. She opened her eyes to see a familiar Shinx looking at her with a confused look on his face.
“Oh, Blitz! Thank goodness I found you…” Bow said, hugging the Shinx tightly. “There was this shadow, and this creepy voice, and it kept following me and it was really, really scary!”
“Whoa, calm down!” Blitz responded, comfortingly patting Bow’s back while glancing around to see if there was anything unusual in the area. “I can’t see any creepy shadows, so I guess whatever frightened you must’ve left.”
“That’s a relief…” Bow replied, sighing. “That was really strange, though… It knew my name… Have I heard that voice somewhere before…?”
“I wouldn’t know that,” Blitz responded, shrugging slightly. “But what were you doing all the way out here anyways?”
“Huh? Why am I here?” Bow replied, thinking for a few moments before remembering the reason why she had come. “Oh, that’s right! We were looking for you!”
“Who’s “we”?” Blitz asked, tilting his head slightly.
“Well, you see, Sera and your other teammates were worried about you since you didn’t come home last night, so they gathered up a bunch of us to help them look for you!” Bow explained, smiling at Blitz.
“… They did?” Blitz responded, blinking a few times.
“They sure did!” Bow replied, nodding her head. “They’re all looking for you as we speak!”
“… They were really worried about me, huh…” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together.
“Didn’t I just say they were?” Bow responded, tilting her head slightly. “Hey, why’d you run away, anyways?”
“You wouldn’t understand…” Blitz replied, looking away.
“Well, I know I won’t understand if you don’t tell me,” Bow responded.
“... All right, I guess since the secret is already out, I might as well tell you,” Blitz replied, and then explained everything about the current situation.
“… Wow, you’ve had it pretty tough, huh?” Bow asked, as Blitz finished his explanation.
“Yeah…” Blitz responded, nodding his head. “You probably don’t understand my feelings on the matter, though…”
“Hmm… Maybe not on everything,” Bow said, before moving a bit closer to Blitz. “But I can sort of relate to the whole “destiny” thing, though.”
“Huh?” Blitz responded, looking up at Bow with a surprised look.
“Well, there’s the whole town oracle position that has been passed down for generations, and being the only child of my mother, I’ll have to become the next town oracle someday,” Bow explained. “That is the future that has been decided for me.”
“Ah…” Blitz replied, blinking a few times. “So, like me, your future has also been decided by someone else…?”
“Pretty much,” Bow responded, shrugging slightly. “I guess we’re kind of similar in that aspect, huh?”
“I… guess…” Blitz replied, nodding his head.
“Of course, our situations aren’t exactly the same,” Bow said, sighing. “Unlike you, I’m okay with my destiny to become the next town oracle, but… I just don’t think I’ll be any good at it.”
“What do you mean?” Blitz asked.
“Well, the oracle is supposed to be all wise and help guide others,” Bow responded. “I don’t really think someone as forgetful as me would fit the role…”
“Ah, I see…” Blitz replied, nodding his head slightly.
“Still, even with my doubts about whether I’ll be a good oracle or not, I kind of just have to accept it as my destiny,” Bow said, looking up at the sky.
“Yeah, I guess…” Blitz responded, also glancing up at the sky above them.
The Shinx and the Gothorita just sat there for a while, neither of them saying a word. They just kept looking up at the blue sky, watching as it slowly began gaining a hint of orange as evening approached. While they were both aware that several Pokémon were still looking for them, it didn’t seem to bother them much. At this moment they were both feeling a sense of ease being in each other’s company, watching the sky together.
“Hey, Blitz?” Bow said, still gazing at the sky.
“What is it?” Blitz asked, also continuing to look up at the sky.
“Why do you think some Pokémon have the ability to see into the future?” Bow responded. “I mean, if the future is already decided, why warn us?”
“That’s a good question…” Blitz commented.
“Some Pokémon say to listen to your heart when you don't know what to choose... but can one really trust in ones own heart?” Bow asked, lying down in the grass as she continued to look at the sky. “Or are all of us, even you and I, just part of one big plan?”
“Who knows,” Blitz responded, lying down next to Bow. “Some probably say that the only one that can truly decide ones destiny is oneself, but I don’t think it works that way…”
“… Blitz, what do you want to do?” Bow asked, glancing over at Blitz.
“What do you mean?” Blitz responded, looking over at Bow curiously.
“If you could change your destiny and do anything you wanted…” Bow said, smiling at the young Shinx. “What would you do?”
“What I want the most…?” Blitz responded, thinking for a moment. “I think… I want the freedom to try many things, until I find something I like and want to do.”
“Ooh, I like the sound of that!” Bow replied, giggling a little.
“Bow… Thank you,” Blitz said, smiling back at her.
“Huh? What did I do?” Bow asked, looking a bit confused.
“I just… feel a little better, knowing I’m not the only one who has felt this way,” Blitz explained.
“Felt about what?” Bow asked, before hitting her hand against her head and giggling a little as she realized. “Oh, duh! You mean that destiny thing!”
“Yes, the destiny thing,” Blitz responded, chuckling a little.
“Well, I’m glad I could help!” Bow replied, smiling.
As the two sat there smiling at each other, they suddenly heard a familiar voice calling out to them.
“Blitz, there you are!” it was Azure, who walked up along with Frederick. She grinned at Bow as she noticed she was with him. “Bow, you found Blitz? Well done!”
“Uh, thanks!” Bow replied, giggling a little.
“Hey guys,” Blitz said, smiling sheepishly at the Marill and Deino.
“Hi!” Frederick replied, grinning. “We were looking for you!”
“And now that we’ve found you, we should let the others know,” Azure said.
“How should we do that?” Bow asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Hmm… Maybe we can signal them with an attack?” Blitz suggested. “That’s how Megara let us know that her rescue team had found the entrance to the Sand-Veiled Sanctuary back when we were looking for the crystal in Clarion Desert.”
“Ooh, that might work!” Azure responded, grinning and turning to Frederick. “How far up can you make that Dragon Rage of yours go when firing straight up?”
“Um… I don’t know,” Frederick replied, shaking his head.
“Well, let’s try it anyways,” Azure said, patting the Deino on the head. “Just lift your head up, aim upwards and give it your best shot!”
“Okay!” Frederick replied, nodding his head.
The young dragon Pokémon raised his head, and fired a purple fire ball into the air in an attempt to signal the other groups. They then decided to wait for a while, and if they thought the other groups hadn’t seen the signal, they would have Frederick fire another Dragon Rage.
----
After a while, the groups were eventually gathered again, and Blitz could reunite with his friends and sister. While Sera could’ve used her rescue team badge to teleport everyone home, they instead decided to walk.
“Sorry to worry you all,” Blitz said.
“Well, at least you’re okay!” Lita responded, smiling at her older brother. “And that’s the most important part, right?”
“Right,” Blitz replied, nodding and smiling back at his younger sister.
Sera still wasn’t entirely sure what to say to Blitz, but listened to her older siblings talk about what they had seen and talked about during their search.
“Flare?” Sera said.
“Yes?” the Flareon replied, looking over at Sera.
“I… I just wanted to thank all of you for coming along for my sake,” Sera said, looking up at her older siblings.
“Didn’t you already thank us once?” Flare asked, smiling at Sera.
“Well, now you can’t say I’ve never done anything for you,” Volt said, winking. “But seriously, it’s no problem.”
“It was important to you, so as your older sister, how could I refuse?” Sirena said.
“Like I said before, I had nothing better to do today,” Yoru commented.
"No, I said that," Volt responded, giving Yoru an annoyed look. "You said something different."
“I can’t really think of anything to say that the others haven’t already covered,” Amethyst said, giggling a little.
Chiaki was happy to see that his teammates seemed to be feeling better, although it still worried him that still seemed to be a bit of an awkward tension between them. He hoped things would get better again soon. He glanced at Elina, still wondering if he’d be able to help his friends more if he had his memories. Then again, even if he did, would he have any memories even remotely similar to what his friends had experienced before?
Perhaps it was best not to dwell on these questions now, and instead try to support his friends to the best of his ability.
Much like Sera, Hercules wasn’t entirely sure what to say to Blitz, but was relieved that the Shinx was okay. He looked over at Bow, making sure she was keeping up with the group.
“Hey, Bow?” Hercules said. “From what I understand, you really helped Blitz out today?”
“Oh, I didn’t really do all that much,” Bow responded, shrugging slightly. “We just talked about some things we had in common.”
“Well, it may not have seemed like that much to you, but to me it seems like what happened between you two was something Blitz needed,” Hercules said, smiling at Bow. “So, thank you for talking to him.”
“Oh, um… You’re welcome!” Bow replied, smiling back.
It was starting to get dark as they finally saw Fenix Town in the distance. Blitz had been found, but that didn’t mean that everything was fine. There were still several things needing to be sorted out, and they knew that very well, even if they didn’t know how they would do it.
“We better hurry home,” Amethyst said, looking up at the sky. “I did leave a note for our parents before we left, but they might still be concerned about us.”
Amethyst and her younger siblings began walking home, although Sera briefly stopped and ran back over to Blitz.
“Blitz, about yesterday… I…” Sera said, but couldn’t quite figure out how to phrase things.
“I-It’s okay… We can talk about it later,” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together.
“Sera, are you coming?” Amethyst called out.
“O-Okay,” Sera said, nodding her head. “Guess I’d better get going… See you later!”
Sera quickly caught up to her older siblings, and they walked home together.
“Wait, did I remember to tell my mother where I was going…?” Bow wondered, suddenly looking a bit worried after hearing Amethyst talk about having left a note for her parents. “I’d better hurry home too! Bye!”
And with that, the Gothorita ran as fast as she could to get home.
“I’ll go with her and make sure she doesn’t get sidetracked on the way home,” Hercules said, flying after the Gothorita.
“Come on, Frederick, let’s head back to the café,” Azure said.
“Okay,” Frederick responded, nodding his head.
As Frederick and Azure headed off, there was only Blitz, Lita, Chiaki and Elina left.
“Guess it’s time for us to head home too,” Chiaki said, looking over at Elina. “Bye for now, Elina.”
Elina nodded her head slightly, and began turning around to leave, only for Chiaki to suddenly wrap his arms around her and pull her in for a hug.
“I really hope we see each other again soon,” Chiaki said, smiling cheerfully. “I enjoy spending time with you, and I think we should do so more often!”
Elina blinked in surprise, but then her expression softened and she returned the hug.
“Yeah… That would be nice.”
“Huh?” Chiaki said, looking around while Elina gave him a puzzled look. “… Did you also hear a voice just now?”
Elina gave him a confused look.
“You didn’t hear anything?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly. “… Maybe it was just my imagination?”
“Chiaki, we should go now,” Blitz said. “Lita is getting tired.”
“No, I’m not…” Lita replied, before yawning.
“Oh, okay,” Chiaki responded, before turning back to Elina. “Well, let’s meet again soon!”
And so, Blitz, Lita and Chiaki headed home, as Elina suddenly realized that the voice Chiaki might’ve been hers! Elina wasn’t entirely sure how that had happened though, since she until now had failed at projecting her mental voice during her lessons with Kala. As she floated through town looking for a spot to sleep, she continued thinking about it and trying to make sense of how it had suddenly worked.
----
Lita had cuddled up to her brother, and seemed quite content. Blitz hadn’t fallen asleep yet, and was looking out the window trying to see the stars in the sky. Quietly, he wondered to himself if Bow was watching the stars as well? The stars were what gave both her and Stella their visions of the future, so it wouldn’t surprise him.
“Maybe she’ll be able to see how things will turn out between Sera, Chiaki and I…?” Blitz wondered, before closing his eyes so he could try to get some sleep.
While it certainly would’ve been nice to know ahead of time what to say to his friends in order to make things better, it would probably be something he had to figure out himself.
----
End of Chapter 25.
Well, I managed to finish chapter 25 earlier this week, so I guess it's time for that. Hope you all enjoy it!
----
Chapter 25: That is the future that has been decided for me.
----
Sera had gotten up early the next morning, and didn’t even bother waiting for breakfast to be ready before heading for the town plaza. She impatiently paced back and forth while waiting for the others to show up, until she finally spotted Azure and Frederick, and Chiaki and Lita walking over.
“So… Since Blitz isn’t with you guys, I assume he didn’t come back at any point during the night?” Sera said, looking over at Chiaki and Lita.
“I’m afraid not,” Chiaki responded, shaking his head.
“Guess we need to head out and start looking for him, then,” Azure said. “So, where do we begin?”
“I’m not sure…” Sera responded, her ears drooping down slightly.
“I don’t think the five of us will be enough, even if we do split into teams,” Chiaki said. “So, we should probably get more Pokémon to help us search before we do anything else.”
“That’s a really good idea, Chiaki,” Azure responded, smiling at the Mienfoo. “I’m sure the other rescue teams will gladly help out!”
“Someone should tell Hercules too!” Lita added.
“All right… So, the first thing we need to do, is go around town and ask for help,” Sera said, nodding her head. “We’ll get it done faster if we split up, so I’ll head up to the rescue team HQ!”
“I’ll try at the café!” Azure said, smirking.
“I can go to the dojo and tell Hercules!” Lita suggested.
“Need anyone to follow you there?” Chiaki asked.
“No, I think I can find the way on my own,” Lita responded, shaking her head.
“All right, then,” Chiaki replied, looking over at Frederick. “Then I guess maybe the two of us should just ask around town?”
“Sounds good to me,” Frederick responded, nodding his head.
“Okay, now that everyone knows what to do, let’s go!” Sera said.
And with that, the five Pokémon went off to let other Pokémon know what was going on and ask them for help in finding their missing teammate.
----
Blitz groggily opened his eyes, raising his head slightly and looking around at his surroundings. Judging from the appearance of the place he was in, he had somehow ended up inside a mystery dungeon. He slowly got onto his feet, trying to remember how he had gotten there in the first place.
“Which dungeon is this…?” Blitz wondered, looking around for a moment before remembering the events of yesterday. “Oh… right… Sera and I… we... we got into a fight…”
Blitz began walking around, unsure of what he was supposed to do now. Lita was probably worried about him, so he had to at least get out of this dungeon, and find a way back to Fenix Town. But what was he going to say to Sera and Chiaki? And he didn’t know what to say to Hercules either.
However, before he could really give the matter any further thought, a sudden breeze caught the Shinx off-guard. Watching several leaves and pebbles being carried away by the wind, Blitz began to panic as he realized what was happening around him and that he had to find the stairs to the next floor as soon as possible.
As the wind calmed down, he began running through the dungeon, looking for the stairs. Complicating things were the wild Pokémon, who would walk into his path.
Blitz tried to quickly fight his way past them, and continued running. The wind was starting to pick up again, and it seemed to be getting stronger. The stairs were still nowhere in sight, and Blitz was starting to feel a bit disoriented. Was he getting anywhere closer to the stairs, or had he just been moving further away from them? Was he even going anywhere, or was he just going in a big circle?
He kept running, until the wind got so intense he couldn’t stay on his feet… and everything went dark.
----
Sera had returned to the town plaza, looking around to see if any of the other four Pokémon had finished their rounds around Fenix Town. Chiaki and Frederick, accompanied by a certain Elgyem, soon showed up, with Azure closely behind.
“Okay, I talked to the rescue teams,” Sera said. “While most of them had missions to do, they did at least say they’d keep an eye out for Blitz.”
“That’s good,” Azure responded. “I didn’t have as much luck on my end, though.”
“Neither did me or Frederick,” Chiaki said, shrugging slightly. “Although I did run into Elina, and it seems she wants to help out.”
“Is Lita here?” Frederick asked, sniffing the air.
“Here I am!” Lita shouted, as she ran up to the others, along with a certain Heracross.
“I asked Lotus and the others to keep an eye on the dojo,” Hercules said. “I’ll help you guys look for Blitz.”
“We’re willing to help out too!” another voice called out, and Sera turned around to see all five or her older siblings walking up, to her surprise.
“Huh?” Sera said, tilting her head slightly. “What are you guys doing here?”
“It was Flare’s idea,” Amethyst explained. “He suggested that all of us help search for your friend.”
“Flare… You did that for me?” Sera asked, smiling as she looked at her siblings. “And… all of you decided to come along?”
“Well, I didn’t have anything better to do today,” Volt responded, smiling.
“And I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing when my little sister needs help,” Sirena said.
“I was just planning on taking a nap or something, but this was more important,” Yoru added, shrugging slightly.
“And I decided the chores I was going to do could wait,” Amethyst said, smiling at Sera. “I’m sure mom and dad will understand.”
“Isn’t this great, Sera?” Flare asked, grinning. “It’s been a while since we all did something as a family, hasn’t it?”
“Flare… Everyone… Thank you!” Sera responded, wagging her tail happily.
With Sera’s older siblings joining the other gathered Pokémon, Sera felt more confident that their search would be successful. She cleared her throat, and was about to say something, when a certain Gothorita suddenly came running.
“Everyone, I have something important to say!” Bow shouted, before tripping and falling on her face.
“What is it, Bow?” Chiaki asked, while he and Elina helped her back onto her feet.
“I had a vision!” Bow responded. “I saw Blitz… he was lost in a mystery dungeon, and this powerful blast of wind sent him flying!”
“Wait, you saw Blitz?” Sera asked, running up to Bow. “Where was he? What was the mystery dungeon like?”
“Hmm…” Bow thought about it for a few moments, before sighing and shaking her head. “I can’t remember… Sorry everyone…”
Sera sighed, but didn’t say anything about Bow’s forgetfulness. It was irrelevant at the moment, and for now, they had to just keep the focus on finding Blitz.
“Okay… So, what do we do now?” Sera asked, looking at the gathered Pokémon.
“Split up into groups?” Azure suggested.
“Oh, good idea,” Sera responded. “Let’s see… We’ve got Chiaki, Azure, Frederick, Lita, Hercules, Elina, my older siblings and Bow… So, that means there are twelve of us!”
“Uh, Sera?” Lita said. “You forgot to count yourself.”
“Oh! Uh, right…” Sera responded, giggling a little. “So, um… That means there are thirteen of us!”
“Good to see I’m not the only one who forgets stuff once in a while,” Bow commented, feeling a little better about herself.
“All right, let’s decide who will go together!” Sera said, grinning.
----
After a few minutes of discussion, they decided on what the groups would be. Lita had decided to team up with Sera, insisting they be a team until Sera eventually agreed. Chiaki and Elina were also going to be searching together, which would also be an opportunity for the two to spend some time together as they hadn’t seen each other in the past few days.
Azure had decided to go with Frederick, as the two simply just got along pretty well. To Sirena’s surprise, Amethyst had chosen her as her partner for the search. Flare and Volt had also decided to search together. That just left Yoru, Hercules and Bow, the three of them forming the last group.
“All right, that’s six groups,” Sera said, nodding her head and looking satisfied, before rolling out the map. “So, I guess the next course of action is figuring out where we’ll search…”
“I think we last saw Blitz here,” Chiaki commented, pointing to the point on the map representing the mystery dungeon they had escorted a Pokémon through the day before. “So, I guess that’s a good place to start…”
“Let me take a look…” Amethyst said, examining the area on the map for a moment.
“So, what do you think, sis?” Volt asked, scratching behind his ear.
“Well, from the looks of things… Blitz may have ended up either here,” Amethyst explained, pointing to a place on the map, before moving her paw to a different spot. “Or here, depending on where he went from this fork in the path, here.”
“All right, then,” Hercules said, nodding his head. “I suggest we send three of the teams to search one area, while the other three search the other area.”
Everyone agreed this was the best course of action, and headed up to the rescue team HQ, so they could ask Kala to teleport them to the fork in the path that Amethyst had pointed out, which would be the starting point for both sets of groups.
----
Blitz groaned and rubbed his head, slowly coming to his senses. Looking around at his surroundings, he was no longer in that mystery dungeon, but he wasn’t entirely sure where that mysterious force had dropped him off. He got onto his feet, and began looking around. He figured that if he explored the area, he might come across something that’d give him an idea of where he was.
----
After arriving at the fork in the road, the six groups had decided on which three would take one path, and which three would take the other. Sera wasn’t sure exactly why Lita had insisted on going with her, since it would’ve seemed more likely that Lita would choose to go with Hercules, since he was both older and the mentor of her older brother. Although, if Lita’s senses were anywhere as good as her brother’s, then hopefully they would be able to track him down soon.
Sera was sure Blitz would be able to take care of himself until they could find him, but she still worried about him. And when they did find him, what was she going to say to him? She knew she had to apologize, but what was the best way to do that?
“Hey, Sera?” Lita said, looking up at the Eevee.
“What is it?” Sera asked.
“You seem worried,” Lita responded.
“Oh, well… You know, Blitz is missing, and I just want to find him,” Sera said.
“I see,” Lita replied, smiling. “I’m glad Blitz has a good friend like you.”
“I’m not so sure if I’ve been that great of a friend, really…” Sera responded.
“What do you mean?” Lita asked. “From what I can tell, my big brother is someone important to you, and I think he feels the same way about you.”
“Why do you think that?” Sera replied, looking at Lita curiously.
“Well, it’s just a feeling I’m getting,” Lita responded, smiling.
“Uh… Thanks, I guess,” Sera replied, looking around. “Although, right now I’m not even sure what I’m going to say to him when we find him…”
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Lita said. “Right now, we have to find him, and then you can think of what to say!”
“Oh, right,” Sera responded, nodding her head slightly. “So, um… Let’s try looking over here.”
Lita really was mature for a Shinx her age, or at least she seemed to understand and pick up on things quickly. It made Sera feel a bit more at ease in some ways, and it meant that having to look after Lita while they looked for Blitz wouldn’t be too difficult for her. Sera and Lita were both younger siblings in their families, but for once Sera could get a feel of what being an older sibling was like.
Maybe that was part of the reason why Lita had chosen Sera as her partner for this search?
“I wonder if the other groups have found anything yet…” Sera muttered.
----
Chiaki and Elina were exploring another area, but they hadn’t seen any signs of Blitz yet either. Chiaki was glad to have Elina along and hoped to get a chance to talk to her about some of the things that were on his mind. However, he hadn’t yet figured out where to begin, and Elina seemed to be deep in thought about something as well.
“So, um… I’m really glad you came along to help us look for Blitz,” Chiaki said, smiling at Elina. “Haven’t seen you in a while, so I kind of wanted to talk with you…”
Elina turned her head and looked at Chiaki, curiously tilting her head.
“While I’m not in a hurry to get my memories back, I find it a bit difficult to help my friends with their problems…” Chiaki explained, sighing.
Elina would’ve liked to talk about her own problems as well, but there wasn’t really any way for her to do so as she was now. At least she could still listen to Chiaki, even if she felt a bit nervous when he brought up his lack of memories.
“Since I don’t remember anything from before Blitz and Sera found me, I don’t really have any previous experiences of my own that would help me relate to the experiences they’ve gone through…” Chiaki said, looking at Elina. “Do you understand what I mean?”
Elina nodded her head slightly.
“So… Is there anything you can tell me about myself?” Chiaki asked. “Like, where I’m from, or something about what my family is like?”
Elina’s three fingers flashed erratically for a brief moment, before the Elgyem shook her head.
“… Really, is there nothing you can tell me?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly. “Then again, I guess it is a bit difficult to explain via body language, huh…”
Elina just nodded her head, relieved that he didn't try asking for any further explanation.
“Oh, okay…” Chiaki responded, sighing. “I was just sort of hoping to remember something that would let me help my friends…”
Elina patted Chiaki on the back to comfort him, feeling a bit bad about not being able to answer his questions. Then again, she wasn’t really sure how she would’ve answered his questions if she could.
“Thanks, Elina,” Chiaki said, smiling at Elina. “Guess I’ll just have to think of another way to help my teammates out, huh?”
Elina shrugged her shoulders slightly, not really sure how to respond.
“So, how have you been, anyways?” Chiaki asked. “You look like you also have things on your mind.”
Elina looked down at the ground, tapping her hands together.
“Ah, so something’s been bothering you too, huh?” Chiaki asked, patting Elina on the shoulder. “Do you have any way of expressing it, that is, if you want to tell me?”
Elina shrugged her shoulders slightly.
“Maybe later, then,” Chiaki said, looking around. “Let’s focus on the search.”
Elina nodded, and the two of them continued looking for Blitz.
----
Hercules hoped that they would find Blitz soon, feeling partially responsible for his running away. He hoped Blitz wasn’t too mad at him for breaking his promise. As he and Yoru were looking over the area, the Heracross realized that someone was missing from their group.
“Uh… Where did Bow go?” Hercules asked.
“I don’t know,” Yoru replied, shrugging slightly. “I could’ve sworn she was right behind us.”
“… Well, guess there are now two Pokémon we need to find,” Hercules commented, sighing.
“Where do you think she wandered off to?” Yoru asked, glancing around.
“I’m not sure…” Hercules responded. “Depends on when we lost track of her…”
“She’s probably not that far away,” Yoru said. “So, let’s just look around for a bit until we find her, and then we can continue searching for that other guy.”
Hercules nodded, and the two began looking around for Bow. He hoped that Yoru was right, and that Bow wasn’t too far away.
----
Bow was wandering around on her own, as she had gotten separated from the rest of the group at some point. She had been walking around, looking at the scenery, until she had remembered why she was there. Bow was now looking around for the others, but couldn’t see any signs of any of them.
“Oh, where did everybody go?” Bow muttered, sighing. “I can’t believe I got myself lost like this… Why must I be such a scatterbrain at times?”
Bow continued looking around, and was about to call out for her friends when she suddenly noticed a shadow flying overhead. She glanced upwards, but couldn’t see anyone.
“Who’s there?” Bow asked, looking around nervously. “Is that you, H-Hercules?”
Bow jumped as an ominous laughter suddenly echoed around her, and shivered as she looked around for the source of the sound, but still couldn’t see anyone else there.
“N-No! Leave me alone!” Bow shouted, and ran off.
The ominous laughter continued echoing as Bow ran, making it difficult for her to tell whether she was actually getting further away from whatever Pokémon it belonged to.
“Are you scared, Bow?” a voice said, and Bow’s eyes widened as a shadow flew past overhead just as she heard the voice.
“W-Who are you!?” Bow screamed, closing her eyes. “And how do you know my name!?”
As she only heard more laughter, Bow covered her closed eyes with her hands and continued running blindly in the same direction, until she tripped over something and fell over.
“Ah, n-no…” Bow muttered, shivering as she lay there in the grass, still covering her eyes.
“... Bow, is that you?” a different voice asked, and Bow realized she could no longer hear the ominous laughter. She opened her eyes to see a familiar Shinx looking at her with a confused look on his face.
“Oh, Blitz! Thank goodness I found you…” Bow said, hugging the Shinx tightly. “There was this shadow, and this creepy voice, and it kept following me and it was really, really scary!”
“Whoa, calm down!” Blitz responded, comfortingly patting Bow’s back while glancing around to see if there was anything unusual in the area. “I can’t see any creepy shadows, so I guess whatever frightened you must’ve left.”
“That’s a relief…” Bow replied, sighing. “That was really strange, though… It knew my name… Have I heard that voice somewhere before…?”
“I wouldn’t know that,” Blitz responded, shrugging slightly. “But what were you doing all the way out here anyways?”
“Huh? Why am I here?” Bow replied, thinking for a few moments before remembering the reason why she had come. “Oh, that’s right! We were looking for you!”
“Who’s “we”?” Blitz asked, tilting his head slightly.
“Well, you see, Sera and your other teammates were worried about you since you didn’t come home last night, so they gathered up a bunch of us to help them look for you!” Bow explained, smiling at Blitz.
“… They did?” Blitz responded, blinking a few times.
“They sure did!” Bow replied, nodding her head. “They’re all looking for you as we speak!”
“… They were really worried about me, huh…” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together.
“Didn’t I just say they were?” Bow responded, tilting her head slightly. “Hey, why’d you run away, anyways?”
“You wouldn’t understand…” Blitz replied, looking away.
“Well, I know I won’t understand if you don’t tell me,” Bow responded.
“... All right, I guess since the secret is already out, I might as well tell you,” Blitz replied, and then explained everything about the current situation.
“… Wow, you’ve had it pretty tough, huh?” Bow asked, as Blitz finished his explanation.
“Yeah…” Blitz responded, nodding his head. “You probably don’t understand my feelings on the matter, though…”
“Hmm… Maybe not on everything,” Bow said, before moving a bit closer to Blitz. “But I can sort of relate to the whole “destiny” thing, though.”
“Huh?” Blitz responded, looking up at Bow with a surprised look.
“Well, there’s the whole town oracle position that has been passed down for generations, and being the only child of my mother, I’ll have to become the next town oracle someday,” Bow explained. “That is the future that has been decided for me.”
“Ah…” Blitz replied, blinking a few times. “So, like me, your future has also been decided by someone else…?”
“Pretty much,” Bow responded, shrugging slightly. “I guess we’re kind of similar in that aspect, huh?”
“I… guess…” Blitz replied, nodding his head.
“Of course, our situations aren’t exactly the same,” Bow said, sighing. “Unlike you, I’m okay with my destiny to become the next town oracle, but… I just don’t think I’ll be any good at it.”
“What do you mean?” Blitz asked.
“Well, the oracle is supposed to be all wise and help guide others,” Bow responded. “I don’t really think someone as forgetful as me would fit the role…”
“Ah, I see…” Blitz replied, nodding his head slightly.
“Still, even with my doubts about whether I’ll be a good oracle or not, I kind of just have to accept it as my destiny,” Bow said, looking up at the sky.
“Yeah, I guess…” Blitz responded, also glancing up at the sky above them.
The Shinx and the Gothorita just sat there for a while, neither of them saying a word. They just kept looking up at the blue sky, watching as it slowly began gaining a hint of orange as evening approached. While they were both aware that several Pokémon were still looking for them, it didn’t seem to bother them much. At this moment they were both feeling a sense of ease being in each other’s company, watching the sky together.
“Hey, Blitz?” Bow said, still gazing at the sky.
“What is it?” Blitz asked, also continuing to look up at the sky.
“Why do you think some Pokémon have the ability to see into the future?” Bow responded. “I mean, if the future is already decided, why warn us?”
“That’s a good question…” Blitz commented.
“Some Pokémon say to listen to your heart when you don't know what to choose... but can one really trust in ones own heart?” Bow asked, lying down in the grass as she continued to look at the sky. “Or are all of us, even you and I, just part of one big plan?”
“Who knows,” Blitz responded, lying down next to Bow. “Some probably say that the only one that can truly decide ones destiny is oneself, but I don’t think it works that way…”
“… Blitz, what do you want to do?” Bow asked, glancing over at Blitz.
“What do you mean?” Blitz responded, looking over at Bow curiously.
“If you could change your destiny and do anything you wanted…” Bow said, smiling at the young Shinx. “What would you do?”
“What I want the most…?” Blitz responded, thinking for a moment. “I think… I want the freedom to try many things, until I find something I like and want to do.”
“Ooh, I like the sound of that!” Bow replied, giggling a little.
“Bow… Thank you,” Blitz said, smiling back at her.
“Huh? What did I do?” Bow asked, looking a bit confused.
“I just… feel a little better, knowing I’m not the only one who has felt this way,” Blitz explained.
“Felt about what?” Bow asked, before hitting her hand against her head and giggling a little as she realized. “Oh, duh! You mean that destiny thing!”
“Yes, the destiny thing,” Blitz responded, chuckling a little.
“Well, I’m glad I could help!” Bow replied, smiling.
As the two sat there smiling at each other, they suddenly heard a familiar voice calling out to them.
“Blitz, there you are!” it was Azure, who walked up along with Frederick. She grinned at Bow as she noticed she was with him. “Bow, you found Blitz? Well done!”
“Uh, thanks!” Bow replied, giggling a little.
“Hey guys,” Blitz said, smiling sheepishly at the Marill and Deino.
“Hi!” Frederick replied, grinning. “We were looking for you!”
“And now that we’ve found you, we should let the others know,” Azure said.
“How should we do that?” Bow asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Hmm… Maybe we can signal them with an attack?” Blitz suggested. “That’s how Megara let us know that her rescue team had found the entrance to the Sand-Veiled Sanctuary back when we were looking for the crystal in Clarion Desert.”
“Ooh, that might work!” Azure responded, grinning and turning to Frederick. “How far up can you make that Dragon Rage of yours go when firing straight up?”
“Um… I don’t know,” Frederick replied, shaking his head.
“Well, let’s try it anyways,” Azure said, patting the Deino on the head. “Just lift your head up, aim upwards and give it your best shot!”
“Okay!” Frederick replied, nodding his head.
The young dragon Pokémon raised his head, and fired a purple fire ball into the air in an attempt to signal the other groups. They then decided to wait for a while, and if they thought the other groups hadn’t seen the signal, they would have Frederick fire another Dragon Rage.
----
After a while, the groups were eventually gathered again, and Blitz could reunite with his friends and sister. While Sera could’ve used her rescue team badge to teleport everyone home, they instead decided to walk.
“Sorry to worry you all,” Blitz said.
“Well, at least you’re okay!” Lita responded, smiling at her older brother. “And that’s the most important part, right?”
“Right,” Blitz replied, nodding and smiling back at his younger sister.
Sera still wasn’t entirely sure what to say to Blitz, but listened to her older siblings talk about what they had seen and talked about during their search.
“Flare?” Sera said.
“Yes?” the Flareon replied, looking over at Sera.
“I… I just wanted to thank all of you for coming along for my sake,” Sera said, looking up at her older siblings.
“Didn’t you already thank us once?” Flare asked, smiling at Sera.
“Well, now you can’t say I’ve never done anything for you,” Volt said, winking. “But seriously, it’s no problem.”
“It was important to you, so as your older sister, how could I refuse?” Sirena said.
“Like I said before, I had nothing better to do today,” Yoru commented.
"No, I said that," Volt responded, giving Yoru an annoyed look. "You said something different."
“I can’t really think of anything to say that the others haven’t already covered,” Amethyst said, giggling a little.
Chiaki was happy to see that his teammates seemed to be feeling better, although it still worried him that still seemed to be a bit of an awkward tension between them. He hoped things would get better again soon. He glanced at Elina, still wondering if he’d be able to help his friends more if he had his memories. Then again, even if he did, would he have any memories even remotely similar to what his friends had experienced before?
Perhaps it was best not to dwell on these questions now, and instead try to support his friends to the best of his ability.
Much like Sera, Hercules wasn’t entirely sure what to say to Blitz, but was relieved that the Shinx was okay. He looked over at Bow, making sure she was keeping up with the group.
“Hey, Bow?” Hercules said. “From what I understand, you really helped Blitz out today?”
“Oh, I didn’t really do all that much,” Bow responded, shrugging slightly. “We just talked about some things we had in common.”
“Well, it may not have seemed like that much to you, but to me it seems like what happened between you two was something Blitz needed,” Hercules said, smiling at Bow. “So, thank you for talking to him.”
“Oh, um… You’re welcome!” Bow replied, smiling back.
It was starting to get dark as they finally saw Fenix Town in the distance. Blitz had been found, but that didn’t mean that everything was fine. There were still several things needing to be sorted out, and they knew that very well, even if they didn’t know how they would do it.
“We better hurry home,” Amethyst said, looking up at the sky. “I did leave a note for our parents before we left, but they might still be concerned about us.”
Amethyst and her younger siblings began walking home, although Sera briefly stopped and ran back over to Blitz.
“Blitz, about yesterday… I…” Sera said, but couldn’t quite figure out how to phrase things.
“I-It’s okay… We can talk about it later,” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together.
“Sera, are you coming?” Amethyst called out.
“O-Okay,” Sera said, nodding her head. “Guess I’d better get going… See you later!”
Sera quickly caught up to her older siblings, and they walked home together.
“Wait, did I remember to tell my mother where I was going…?” Bow wondered, suddenly looking a bit worried after hearing Amethyst talk about having left a note for her parents. “I’d better hurry home too! Bye!”
And with that, the Gothorita ran as fast as she could to get home.
“I’ll go with her and make sure she doesn’t get sidetracked on the way home,” Hercules said, flying after the Gothorita.
“Come on, Frederick, let’s head back to the café,” Azure said.
“Okay,” Frederick responded, nodding his head.
As Frederick and Azure headed off, there was only Blitz, Lita, Chiaki and Elina left.
“Guess it’s time for us to head home too,” Chiaki said, looking over at Elina. “Bye for now, Elina.”
Elina nodded her head slightly, and began turning around to leave, only for Chiaki to suddenly wrap his arms around her and pull her in for a hug.
“I really hope we see each other again soon,” Chiaki said, smiling cheerfully. “I enjoy spending time with you, and I think we should do so more often!”
Elina blinked in surprise, but then her expression softened and she returned the hug.
“Yeah… That would be nice.”
“Huh?” Chiaki said, looking around while Elina gave him a puzzled look. “… Did you also hear a voice just now?”
Elina gave him a confused look.
“You didn’t hear anything?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly. “… Maybe it was just my imagination?”
“Chiaki, we should go now,” Blitz said. “Lita is getting tired.”
“No, I’m not…” Lita replied, before yawning.
“Oh, okay,” Chiaki responded, before turning back to Elina. “Well, let’s meet again soon!”
And so, Blitz, Lita and Chiaki headed home, as Elina suddenly realized that the voice Chiaki might’ve been hers! Elina wasn’t entirely sure how that had happened though, since she until now had failed at projecting her mental voice during her lessons with Kala. As she floated through town looking for a spot to sleep, she continued thinking about it and trying to make sense of how it had suddenly worked.
----
Lita had cuddled up to her brother, and seemed quite content. Blitz hadn’t fallen asleep yet, and was looking out the window trying to see the stars in the sky. Quietly, he wondered to himself if Bow was watching the stars as well? The stars were what gave both her and Stella their visions of the future, so it wouldn’t surprise him.
“Maybe she’ll be able to see how things will turn out between Sera, Chiaki and I…?” Blitz wondered, before closing his eyes so he could try to get some sleep.
While it certainly would’ve been nice to know ahead of time what to say to his friends in order to make things better, it would probably be something he had to figure out himself.
----
End of Chapter 25.
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Umbramatic
The Ghost Lord
Poor Blitz. In so many ways. ;_;
And that voice is creepy.
Wonder what's up with that Mismagius/Misdreavus pair.
In terms of actual reviewing all I can say is I agree with SeekerOfLight: Your characterization is excellent and keeps getting better.
Looking forward to the next chapters.
And that voice is creepy.
Wonder what's up with that Mismagius/Misdreavus pair.
In terms of actual reviewing all I can say is I agree with SeekerOfLight: Your characterization is excellent and keeps getting better.
Looking forward to the next chapters.
DarkerShining
Well-Known Member
Hey everyone! Been busy with school for a while, and the fact that certain circumstances made things a bit more complicated than they should've been didn't help. But, things seem to be sorting themselves out now.
But, enough about that! Today is my 22nd birthday, and I thought, why not celebrate with a new chapter of Reflecting Balance? Yes, that's right! Chapter 26 is finally done! Hope you all enjoy it!
----
Chapter 26: I think he’s really sorry about what happened back then.
----
Another day had begun in Fenix Town, and things were busy as usual. It was looking to be a somewhat cloudy day, with a chance of rain. Understandably, Megara the Magmar wanted Mirage to hurry up and finish preparations so their rescue team could head out before it could start raining.
“Calm down, we don’t even know for sure if it’s going to rain today,” Mirage said. “For all we know, it might not rain until tomorrow.”
“The mushroom wouldn’t mind some rain,” Cordyceps commented.
“All right, but I still want to get going soon,” Megara said, looking around and noticing two Shinx and a Mienfoo walking by. “Oh, hey guys!”
“Hi!” Chiaki replied, waving to the other rescue team.
“Blitz, good to see you,” Mirage commented, smiling. “I heard from your teammates that you’d gone missing the day before.”
“Yeah,” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together.
“Well, good to see you made it back okay,” Mirage said, before turning back to her teammates. “All right, let’s get going!”
“Finally,” Megara muttered as the three of them left.
Blitz, Lita and Chiaki also kept walking towards the café, where they were pretty sure that Sera and Azure would be waiting for them. And as they stepped through the door, they spotted the two girls, plus Frederick, sitting and talking at one of the tables.
“Ah, there you are!” Azure said, grinning. “Good morning, guys!”
“Good morning!” Chiaki responded, smiling back.
“Hi Blitz,” Sera said, seeming a bit unsure of what to say. “So, um… Did you… sleep well?”
“Uh, yes… Very well,” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly and rubbing his forelegs together. “And you?”
“Sort of, I guess,” Sera replied, nodding her head with a bit of a nervous smile.
“That’s… good,” Blitz said, clearing his throat. “So… What’s the plan for today?”
“Oh, well… I was sort of thinking that maybe… maybe you should take today off, and spend some time with Lita?” Sera suggested. “You know, since she’s only really staying for a few days, I figured it might be nice for the two of you.”
“That sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it, big brother?” Lita asked, smiling up at her brother.
“Hmm… Well, I certainly would like to spend some quality time with Lita,” Blitz said, looking somewhat doubtful. “But Sera, will you be okay without me?”
“I’m sure I can handle it!” Sera replied, nodding her head.
“Are you… sure?” Blitz asked.
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Sera responded, doing her best to reassure her teammate. “I’ve got Chiaki and Azure with me, and Frederick offered to come along as well!”
“Is that so?” Blitz asked, looking over at Frederick.
“Uh-huh,” Frederick responded, nodding his head. “Azure convinced me to give it a try!”
“Hmm… Okay, then,” Blitz said, giving Sera a small smile. “Just… um… when looking over missions, don’t pick anything that looks too difficult…”
“Sure, if that makes it easier for you to relax,” Sera responded.
“All right,” Blitz replied, before turning to Lita. “So, what do you want to do today?”
“Ooh, there’s a lot we could do, but I don’t know what I want to do the most,” Lita said, smiling at her brother. “Of course, as long as I get to spend time with you, it’s not that important what game we play.”
“So, how about we go for a little walk then while you think about what you want to do?” Blitz suggested.
“Okay!” Lita responded, nodding her head before following Blitz out of the café.
“Have fun, you two!” Sera said, waiting until they were out of earshot before sighing. “I just hope I really can do one mission without Blitz…”
“Don’t worry, you’ve got me, Chiaki and Frederick with you,” Azure commented. “I’m sure that we can handle this one together.”
“All right…” Sera responded, taking a deep breath. “Well… Let’s head up to the HQ and find ourselves a mission.”
Sera, Chiaki, Azure and Frederick began heading for the rescue team HQ. Azure noticed that Sera seemed a bit lost in thought, walking slowly and somewhat unsteady.
“Hey, Sera?” Azure said. “Did you give Blitz the day off so you wouldn’t have to talk to him about what happened just yet?”
“Huh?” Sera responded, looking over at Azure. “Oh, um… Not really, although I do need some more time to think about what to say to him…”
“All right, just checking,” Azure replied, nodding slightly.
“I know I should talk to him soon, but it’s not easy figuring out what to say,” Sera said.
“Well, he probably hasn’t figured out what to say to you either,” Azure responded. “Don’t worry about it too much.”
“I’ll try,” Sera replied, nodding. “It’s kind of difficult not to think about it, though…”
----
For once, Amethyst was not doing the various chores to be done alone, as Sirena had offered to help her. Amethyst was surprised Sirena had offered, but was grateful for the extra help as it would likely allow for things to be finished sooner. Still, despite being a psychic type, Amethyst wasn’t entirely sure about what had compelled Sirena to help out all of a sudden.
“Hey, why do you keep giving me that confused look?” Sirena asked, having noticed how Amethyst kept glancing over her shoulder at her.
“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry,” Amethyst responded. “I was just wondering why you suddenly decided you wanted to help me with the chores today… I figured you’d have better things to do.”
“Well, don’t you remember what you said to me when we were out looking for Sera’s friend yesterday?” Sirena asked.
Amethyst blinked a few times, trying to remember what the two of them had talked about yesterday…
----
Despite her psychic powers, Amethyst wasn’t having any better luck than the other groups at tracking down Blitz. Sirena kept enviously looking up at her older sister, Amethyst eventually glancing at Sirena as she noticed the stares her sister was giving her.
“… Is there a problem?” Amethyst asked.
“No,” Sirena replied, looking away. “I just wish I had your life, you know? I mean, you’re like, the favorite of the family because you’re good at like, everything!”
“Well, I suppose my life seems pretty nice,” Amethyst responded, sighing. “Of course, being the favorite can be difficult at times… Always having the most responsibility, always having to look good… It can be a burden.”
“Is it?” Sirena asked, tilting her head slightly. “You don’t look like you have any problem with it.”
“I hide it pretty well,” Amethyst responded, before suddenly stopping. “Oh, I’ve said too much…”
“Um… Hey, don’t worry about that now,” Sirena said, somewhat unsure of what to make of this.
“You’re right… We need to focus on finding Sera’s friend,” Amethyst responded, nodding her head slightly. “Let’s keep looking around for any traces of him.”
“All right,” Sirena replied, nodding and helping Amethyst look for anything that might lead to the missing Shinx.
----
“… Ah, that’s right…” Amethyst said, blinking a few times as she remembered what she and Sirena had talked about yesterday.
“Well, don’t you worry about it, big sis!” Sirena exclaimed, grinning. “You don’t have to carry that burden all by yourself!”
“Sirena… I appreciate the thought, but you really don’t need to do this,” Amethyst said. “I’ve been able to handle it myself all this time, after all…”
“Hey, it’s no problem,” Sirena responded, smirking. “I take half the burden from you, and in return I get to take half the credit for the work!”
“But… I…” Amethyst stuttered, unsure of how to handle the situation.
“Well, I intend to help you out whether you want it or not!” Sirena said, grinning. “So, you might as well just accept it!”
Amethyst sighed as Sirena cheerfully continued cleaning up around the living room, feeling rather upset that she had admitted to her weakness after trying to hide it away from her family for so long in order to keep the image they had of her intact. However, Sirena’s reaction wasn’t quite what Amethyst had expected. In fact, her current behavior was almost the exact opposite of Amethyst’s expectations.
With how much Sirena seemed to resent her for being “perfect”, Amethyst would’ve thought this revelation would make things between her and her sister worse, but that wasn’t what was happening. In fact, it seemed as if Sirena liked her better now. Amethyst didn’t really understand it, but at the same time, it was somewhat of a relief.
“Sirena… Thank you,” Amethyst said, smiling to her sister.
“It’s no problem,” Sirena responded, grinning.
“This is… just between the two of us, right?” Amethyst asked. “There are some things that I need to think about… Until then, don’t tell anyone else what we talked about yesterday?”
“If that means you’ll let me help so that you don’t get all the credit, sure,” Sirena responded.
“Okay, I guess that works for me,” Amethyst replied, nodding her head slightly.
The two sisters continued doing the work together, not noticing that a certain Flareon had been listening to their conversation, with a small smile on his face.
----
Chiaki and Azure were looking over the bulletin board, and were eagerly discussing amongst themselves trying to decide on what mission they would do. Frederick just listened to the two of them, trying to hear if there were any of the missions that sounded good to him.
“Gee, I wish I could read those missions too,” Frederick thought to himself, while occasionally nodding his head to Chiaki or Azure when they suggested another mission.
Sera wasn’t really paying attention, seeming rather lost in thought. It was difficult for her to focus on anything else as the current situation between her and Blitz kept consuming her thoughts. She just had to think of something she could say, some way she could prove to Blitz just how much their friendship meant to her.
“Sera? Hey, Sera!” Azure shouted, shaking Sera. “Snap out of it, will you?”
“Huh? What?” Sera responded, looking over at her teammates. “Oh, I’m sorry. What is it?”
“We can’t make up our mind on what mission to take,” Azure said, pointing to the board.
“Sera, what do you think?” Chiaki asked, looking at Sera expectantly.
“Oh, um… Let me take a look,” Sera said, looking up at the various missions on the board.
There were plenty of missions at their current skill level to choose between, but the letters on the different missions just seemed to blur together as Sera began losing focus again.
“I wish Blitz was here,” Sera thought to herself, before shaking her head and trying to clear up her clouded mind. “No! I can do this… I’ve picked out missions without Blitz’s help before, so it’s not like I don’t know what I’m doing…”
Sera sighed, and looked closely at the various missions. She could tell just how used she was to Blitz’s presence that she caught herself almost wanting to ask him for advice. Instead, she took a deep breath and mentally told herself that she couldn’t rely on Blitz all the time.
“So, anything look good to you?” Azure asked.
“Well, um… There are two up there in the corner that are in the same dungeon,” Sera said.
“Ah, yes,” Azure responded, nodding slightly. “Chiaki, can you reach those?”
“Yep!” Chiaki replied, cheerfully jumping up and grabbing the two missions off the board. He then looked over them. “Let’s see… The first one is a request from a Shieldon, asking to find a missing Cranidos, and the other is from a Skitty who apparently got lost after escaping some wild Pokémon.”
“So, we’ve got two rescue missions,” Azure said, glancing over at the outlaw board as another rescue team walked away from it. “Should we check the other board too?”
“Huh?” Sera responded, before shaking her head. “No, I think these two rescue missions will be enough for today.”
“Okay, then,” Azure said, grinning. “Well, if everyone’s ready, let’s head out!”
The four Pokémon headed over to the room behind the purple curtain, where a certain Abra seemed content with dreaming the day away as usual. Of course, she also had work to do, so she simply had to accept that rescue teams would shake her by the shoulders until she woke up for them.
“All right, tell me where you want to go so I can get back to my dream…” Kala muttered, rubbing her eyes. “I was just about to knock the moon out of the sky with a giant spoon…”
“Let us know how that turns out,” Azure responded, before showing Kala the missions and pointing out the location to the sleepy Abra.
“Okay, no problem… Good luck, be careful and all that…” Kala mumbled, before teleporting the four Pokémon out of the room and going back to her nap. “… Yes, I know… I’ve only got one shot, so if the moon misses its target…”
Kala snickered a little in her sleep as she turned over on her side, mumbling something in a satisfied tone.
----
Blitz and Lita were taking a walk, neither of them really saying much. Blitz wasn’t really sure what to say, and from the looks of things, Lita wasn’t sure what to say either. It looked she wanted to say something, though. Perhaps she was just trying to think of how to say what she wanted to say? Blitz noticed that they were walking right past the dojo, but just looked away from it.
He knew that just like he and Sera would have to properly talk about what had happened, he would also eventually have to talk to Hercules about it. Hercules had broken his promise and revealed Blitz’s secret, but had done so out of concern for him… Blitz wasn’t really sure what to really make of that. So far, he didn’t see how anything good was going to come out of it.
“Hey, Blitz?” Lita said, looking up at her older brother.
“What is it?” Blitz asked, meeting his sister’s gaze.
“I, um… Back home, Charge has been asking about you,” Lita responded, looking away.
“Huh?” Blitz replied tilting his head slightly.
“He wondered how you’ve been doing since… that incident,” Lita explained. “I think he’s really sorry about what happened back then.”
“Wait, how would you know that?” Blitz asked, looking rather confused.
“Well… You see, it’d been a while since you left, and I was having trouble finding the courage to approach the other Shinx,” Lita said, blushing slightly. “I was just too shy…”
“Um… I see,” Blitz responded, still rather confused. “But what does Charge have to do with any of this?”
“I kind of ran into him, and when I told him about my problem, he said the best solution was to find a certain item in a mystery dungeon,” Lita explained. “He said it’d build my confidence, and offered to go with me to help me get that item.”
“He did?” Blitz asked, surprised at this sudden turn of events. “Why would he do that?”
“I wondered why he’d do that too,” Lita responded. “I thought it might be a trick, but he really did help me get that item, and then I thought that maybe he felt sorry for what he did to you, and was trying to make up for it by helping me be more brave?”
“Huh… I thought that Charge would’ve hated me for what happened back then,” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together.
“While I don’t know if I’ve really gotten any less shy around the other Shinx, I become friends with Charge, surprisingly enough,” Lita replied, smiling at her brother.
“That… certainly is surprising,” Blitz responded, blinking a few times.
“So, when he heard I was going to be visiting you, he asked me to let him know what you’d been up to and how you were doing over here,” Lita explained. “I think the other Shinx miss having you around as well, from what I’ve heard.”
“Oh, um…” Blitz glanced around, before looking down at the ground and rubbing the rings on his forelegs together again. “I guess when you go home, you can tell them that I’m doing okay, and that my training has been going well?”
“Sure, I can do that!” Lita responded, grinning. “Of course, I want to make sure that you really are okay before I leave, though!”
“What do you mean by that?” Blitz asked.
“Since I’m your sister, don’t I have to make sure my brother is okay?” Lita responded, tilting her head slightly. “
“Oh, um… You really don’t have to worry too much about me,” Blitz replied, rubbing his forelegs together.
“You think I should leave all the worrying to you just because you’re the older sibling?” Lita asked, shaking her head. “I don’t think so.”
“I’m sorry…” Blitz responded, looking away. “A lot has happened lately, and I’m still trying to figure out how to deal with it all…”
“Well… How about you forget about that just for a moment?” Lita asked, smiling up at her brother. “Come on, let’s play together like we used to! How does hide-and-seek sound?”
“Uh… Sure, sounds like fun,” Blitz replied, giving a small smile.
“All right, then!” Lita said, smiling. “Close your eyes and count to twenty-two, while I find a good hiding spot!”
“Okay, sis,” Blitz responded, nodding his head and closing his eyes as Lita ran ahead and began looking for a hiding spot. “One, two, three…”
----
Sera, Chiaki, Azure and Frederick were slowly making their way through the mystery dungeon, and were getting close to the floor where the Pokémon of the first mission needing rescuing was. While things were going well, Sera couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Everything that had happened over the course of the past few days had been rather stressful for her.
She had to push the thought of how to solve things between her and Blitz out of her mind so she could focus on the mission. At least Azure’s good sense of hearing and Frederick’s good sense of smell allowed them to help alert her to possible dangers.
“I see the stairs!” Chiaki exclaimed, cheerfully pointing to the stairs leading to the next floor.
“Oh, okay,” Sera replied, nodding her head slightly. “Let’s go, guys.”
The four Pokémon moved onto the next floor, and began looking around for the first of the two lost Pokémon in the dungeon. Azure listened closely, while Frederick tried to pick up the missing Pokémon’s scent. It didn’t take long before they had a lead, and were able to track down and send the lost Pokémon back to Fenix Town.
“All right, just one more to go,” Sera said, taking a deep breath. “We can do this…”
Sera felt somewhat reassured by the fact that one Pokémon was now saved, and they just had to find one more. Of course, she still had to stay alert, and focus on the mission. After all, she had experienced before that even if the mission was close to being completed, things could still go wrong on the way there.
It didn’t take them too long to reach the floor where the Skitty they had to rescue was, however, they soon noticed something rather odd about this particular floor.
“Hey, Sera? Don’t those walls look kind of strange?” Azure asked, glancing around.
“They look… distorted…” Chiaki said, noticing that a few of the walls looked much like water rippling.
“Huh, I guess this floor must’ve been affected by the distortions,” Sera commented, looking around. “Hope the Skitty we must rescue is okay.”
“Yeah…” Azure responded, nodding and looking a bit nervous as her ears picked up on something in the distance. “Um… How do you think this might be affecting the wild Pokémon on this floor…?”
Before Sera had the chance to respond, she noticed several shadows flying above them, and glanced up to see several black crow-like Pokémon with features on their head in a top hat-like shape. It didn’t take long before eight Murkrow landed in front of the rescue team, staring at Sera and her teammates.
“Those Murkrow… don’t look so well…” Chiaki said, feeling rather unnerved by the almost empty look in the wild Murkrow’s eyes.
“Maybe we can walk right past them…?” Azure suggested, glancing around. “I mean, even though they’re looking right at us, I’m not entirely sure if they actually know we’re here?”
“I don’t get it, what’s going on?” Frederick asked, not really understanding what the others were talking about since he couldn’t actually see that there was anything wrong with these Murkrow.
“Um… Let’s go, guys…” Sera said, slowly starting to make her way towards one of the other paths. “We need to find that Skitty.”
Before Sera could reach the path, one of the Murkrow flew over and blocked it. Sera nervously stared into the Murkrow’s eyes for a few moments, before the crow Pokémon suddenly cried out and attempted to peck her. Sera gave a startled yelp as she barely dodged the Murkrow’s attack, and as she glanced around she noticed that the other Murkrow were headed for her teammates.
“Sera, we could use some help here!” Azure said, using her tail to swat one of two Murkrow currently trying to nip at her ears aside.
“Oh, right!” Sera responded, nodding her head before using her Helping Hand move to power up her three friends.
“Thanks!” Azure replied, smirking as she knocked the other Murkrow out of the way.
“I could use a little more help here…” Chiaki said, trying his best to use Detect to dodge the attempts of three of the Murkrow to Peck or hit him with a Wing Attack.
“I’ll be there in just a second!” Frederick responded, while attempting to hit a Murkrow he was fighting with Dragon Rage, but it continued to dodge his attacks. “Hmm… Or maybe two seconds?”
“Hey, Sera? Don’t you have an item or something that can take care of these guys?” Azure asked, trying to fight off the two Murkrow that had gotten back up and were trying to grab her ears again. “Like, an orb, maybe?”
“Oh, right… Good idea,” Sera responded, trying to get enough distance between herself and the Murkrow that kept trying to hit her so she could check what items she had. Luckily for Sera, one of Frederick’s stray Dragon Rage attacks hit the Murkrow, knocking it down. “Oh, thanks, Frederick!”
“Uh… You’re welcome!” Frederick replied, nodding his head. “I… totally meant to do… whatever it was I did!”
Sera quickly looked through her bag, hoping to find something she could use to stop the Murkrow.
“Hmm… Petrify Orb? Nah, I should save that one for a bigger emergency…” Sera muttered to herself while examining an orb before putting it back into the bag. “I know one of these other orbs should work, though… Ah, maybe this will do!”
Sera smirked as she pulled out an orb, and tossed it on the ground. Upon activating, the orb sent out a wave of sound that made the Murkrow stumble around dizzily, while Sera and her teammates were unaffected.
“All right, it worked!” Sera said, happily wagging her tail.
“Well done, Sera!” Azure responded, nodding her head slightly. “Now let’s get moving before the effects of the Totter Orb wears off!”
And so, the four Pokémon quickly exited the room, and kept moving, only to run into even more wild Pokémon in the next room they entered.
“Oh, no…” Sera muttered, as she glanced at the wild Pokémon.
“Hey, I think I can smell the Skitty…” Frederick said, sniffing the ground. “Yeah, I think he or she is in here somewhere…”
“Well, in that case… I guess you should go find them while the rest of us deal with the wilds?” Sera suggested, sounding uncertain about whether she thought it was the best course of action or not.
Frederick began moving forward, sniffing the ground to find out where the scent trail would lead, with Azure walking next to him on one side, and Chiaki on the other, with Sera following shortly behind them. As wild Pokémon began moving closer, Sera used her Helping Hand to power up her teammates, while Azure used her Bubble Beam attack to hit opponents from afar to keep them from getting closer and Chiaki did the same using his Swift attack.
“Just a little further…” Sera muttered, only to feel something snag onto her tail. “Ah, let go!”
A Pokémon appearing to be a spherical mass of blue vines had grabbed onto Sera’s tail by extending two of its vines, and was attempting to pull her back. There was a pink Pokémon with flower-shaped spots on its body floating next to the Tangela, its small oval eyes having a multicolored glow as it charged up a psychic attack.
“We’re coming, Sera!” Azure shouted, glancing over at Frederick. “You find the Skitty while Chiaki and I help Sera!”
“You’re talking to me, right?” Frederick asked, tilting his head slightly. “Wait, of course she’s talking to me. I mean, she mentioned herself and the other two guys, so by process of elimination, I’m the only one she could be…”
“H-Hello?” a soft female voice called out. “I-I’m over here…”
“Oh, right!” Frederick said, making his way over to the source of the sound, a tree with a small opening in it that the pink kitten Pokémon had crawled inside.
“You came to rescue me, didn’t you?” the Skitty asked, peeking out from her hiding spot.
“Yeah, sort of,” Frederick replied, nodding his head. “My friends will be here in just a moment to do the teleport thing with the badge!”
Chiaki moved to dodge multicolored beams of psychic energy fired from the Munna’s eyes, before Azure eventually managed to hit the floating psychic type with a Bubble beam attack. While the Munna took a moment to recover from the attack, Chiaki took the opportunity to run up to the Tangela, and managed to successfully catch it off-guard with a Fake Out attack while the grass type was distracted trying to drain Sera’s energy.
The Tangela flinched from Chiaki’s attack, and let go of Sera.
“Whew… Thanks, Chiaki…” Sera said, stumbling a bit. “That Tangela drained some of my strength, but I think I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?” Chiaki asked.
“Yeah,” Sera responded, nodding her head slightly. “Let’s just finish this and get out of here, already.”
Sera then quickly tackled the Tangela before it could grab her again, sending it stumbling back. Chiaki was quick to follow up with a Swift attack, knocking out the Tangela around the same time as Azure managed to finish off the Munna by hitting it with her tail.
“That was fun!” Azure said, smiling. “Wouldn't mind fighting a few more, actually!”
“Uh… I think we’ve had enough battles for one day,” Sera responded, sighing and letting her ears droop down slightly.
“Guys, I found the Skitty!” Frederick said, cheerfully walking back over to his friends with the pink kitten Pokémon following him.
“Thank you for coming all the way here to rescue me!” the Skitty said. “All of a sudden, the wild Pokémon here started acting really weird, and I had to get away, but I couldn’t find the way out. So, I had to send out a request for help, and find a place to hide.”
“Well, let’s get out of here before any other wild Pokémon show up, then,” Sera responded, seeming tired, but also relieved that the mission was over.
And so, all five Pokémon disappeared from the dungeon in a flash of golden light.
----
After picking up their rewards at the HQ, Sera and the others met up with Blitz and Lita, and went to the café to talk about the events of the day. Blitz watched as Sera quickly drank up a glass of berry juice, before giving a content sigh with her ears drooping down slightly.
“Whew, I needed that…” Sera said.
“You don’t usually get as worn out as this after a mission,” Blitz commented looking somewhat concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine…” Sera responded, nodding her head slightly. “Just… those wild Pokémon kind of caught us off guard…”
“I see…” Blitz replied, rubbing his forelegs together. “Guess that’s something one couldn’t really have predicted… As the distortions keep spreading, I guess it’ll only get harder to predict what might happen…”
“Hey, let’s talk about something else,” Sera said, with a small smile. “How was your day off?”
“Oh, yeah… It was nice,” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “Lita and I talked about some stuff, and then we played hide-and-seek.”
“Yeah, and Blitz kept finding me pretty quickly,” Lita said, giggling a little. “He’s always been good at that game.”
“Glad to hear you had fun,” Sera commented, smiling.
“So, Frederick, did you enjoy going on a mission with us?” Azure asked, nudging her Deino friend.
“Yeah, it was pretty exciting, getting to go on a mission with everyone,” Frederick responded.
“I know, right?” Azure replied, grinning. “You should totally join the rescue team too!”
“Helping that Skitty did feel nice…” Frederick commented, thinking for a moment. “All that walking made me hungry, though…”
“Oh, but doesn’t food taste better after a day of adventuring?” Azure asked.
“Um… Maybe,” Frederick responded, shrugging slightly.
Chiaki was glad to see that Blitz seemed to be in a better mood now after his day off, which he had probably needed. Still, Blitz and Sera hadn’t yet sorted everything out between themselves, so things weren’t quite back to normal for the rescue team just yet. At least they were talking, and seemed to be getting along well enough.
“I hope they’re able to talk things out soon,” Chiaki thought, with a small smile as he looked at his teammates.
Eventually, the six Pokémon had to head home for the night, and they managed to get to their homes before it started raining. Sera was greeted by Flare upon returning home, but she barely had anything to say. She just went straight to bed, and fell asleep.
“Today’s mission must’ve been a tough one,” Flare whispered to himself, smiling as he walked up to Sera and gently petted her on the head with his paw. “Sleep well, sis.”
----
End of Chapter 26
But, enough about that! Today is my 22nd birthday, and I thought, why not celebrate with a new chapter of Reflecting Balance? Yes, that's right! Chapter 26 is finally done! Hope you all enjoy it!
----
Chapter 26: I think he’s really sorry about what happened back then.
----
Another day had begun in Fenix Town, and things were busy as usual. It was looking to be a somewhat cloudy day, with a chance of rain. Understandably, Megara the Magmar wanted Mirage to hurry up and finish preparations so their rescue team could head out before it could start raining.
“Calm down, we don’t even know for sure if it’s going to rain today,” Mirage said. “For all we know, it might not rain until tomorrow.”
“The mushroom wouldn’t mind some rain,” Cordyceps commented.
“All right, but I still want to get going soon,” Megara said, looking around and noticing two Shinx and a Mienfoo walking by. “Oh, hey guys!”
“Hi!” Chiaki replied, waving to the other rescue team.
“Blitz, good to see you,” Mirage commented, smiling. “I heard from your teammates that you’d gone missing the day before.”
“Yeah,” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together.
“Well, good to see you made it back okay,” Mirage said, before turning back to her teammates. “All right, let’s get going!”
“Finally,” Megara muttered as the three of them left.
Blitz, Lita and Chiaki also kept walking towards the café, where they were pretty sure that Sera and Azure would be waiting for them. And as they stepped through the door, they spotted the two girls, plus Frederick, sitting and talking at one of the tables.
“Ah, there you are!” Azure said, grinning. “Good morning, guys!”
“Good morning!” Chiaki responded, smiling back.
“Hi Blitz,” Sera said, seeming a bit unsure of what to say. “So, um… Did you… sleep well?”
“Uh, yes… Very well,” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly and rubbing his forelegs together. “And you?”
“Sort of, I guess,” Sera replied, nodding her head with a bit of a nervous smile.
“That’s… good,” Blitz said, clearing his throat. “So… What’s the plan for today?”
“Oh, well… I was sort of thinking that maybe… maybe you should take today off, and spend some time with Lita?” Sera suggested. “You know, since she’s only really staying for a few days, I figured it might be nice for the two of you.”
“That sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it, big brother?” Lita asked, smiling up at her brother.
“Hmm… Well, I certainly would like to spend some quality time with Lita,” Blitz said, looking somewhat doubtful. “But Sera, will you be okay without me?”
“I’m sure I can handle it!” Sera replied, nodding her head.
“Are you… sure?” Blitz asked.
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Sera responded, doing her best to reassure her teammate. “I’ve got Chiaki and Azure with me, and Frederick offered to come along as well!”
“Is that so?” Blitz asked, looking over at Frederick.
“Uh-huh,” Frederick responded, nodding his head. “Azure convinced me to give it a try!”
“Hmm… Okay, then,” Blitz said, giving Sera a small smile. “Just… um… when looking over missions, don’t pick anything that looks too difficult…”
“Sure, if that makes it easier for you to relax,” Sera responded.
“All right,” Blitz replied, before turning to Lita. “So, what do you want to do today?”
“Ooh, there’s a lot we could do, but I don’t know what I want to do the most,” Lita said, smiling at her brother. “Of course, as long as I get to spend time with you, it’s not that important what game we play.”
“So, how about we go for a little walk then while you think about what you want to do?” Blitz suggested.
“Okay!” Lita responded, nodding her head before following Blitz out of the café.
“Have fun, you two!” Sera said, waiting until they were out of earshot before sighing. “I just hope I really can do one mission without Blitz…”
“Don’t worry, you’ve got me, Chiaki and Frederick with you,” Azure commented. “I’m sure that we can handle this one together.”
“All right…” Sera responded, taking a deep breath. “Well… Let’s head up to the HQ and find ourselves a mission.”
Sera, Chiaki, Azure and Frederick began heading for the rescue team HQ. Azure noticed that Sera seemed a bit lost in thought, walking slowly and somewhat unsteady.
“Hey, Sera?” Azure said. “Did you give Blitz the day off so you wouldn’t have to talk to him about what happened just yet?”
“Huh?” Sera responded, looking over at Azure. “Oh, um… Not really, although I do need some more time to think about what to say to him…”
“All right, just checking,” Azure replied, nodding slightly.
“I know I should talk to him soon, but it’s not easy figuring out what to say,” Sera said.
“Well, he probably hasn’t figured out what to say to you either,” Azure responded. “Don’t worry about it too much.”
“I’ll try,” Sera replied, nodding. “It’s kind of difficult not to think about it, though…”
----
For once, Amethyst was not doing the various chores to be done alone, as Sirena had offered to help her. Amethyst was surprised Sirena had offered, but was grateful for the extra help as it would likely allow for things to be finished sooner. Still, despite being a psychic type, Amethyst wasn’t entirely sure about what had compelled Sirena to help out all of a sudden.
“Hey, why do you keep giving me that confused look?” Sirena asked, having noticed how Amethyst kept glancing over her shoulder at her.
“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry,” Amethyst responded. “I was just wondering why you suddenly decided you wanted to help me with the chores today… I figured you’d have better things to do.”
“Well, don’t you remember what you said to me when we were out looking for Sera’s friend yesterday?” Sirena asked.
Amethyst blinked a few times, trying to remember what the two of them had talked about yesterday…
----
Despite her psychic powers, Amethyst wasn’t having any better luck than the other groups at tracking down Blitz. Sirena kept enviously looking up at her older sister, Amethyst eventually glancing at Sirena as she noticed the stares her sister was giving her.
“… Is there a problem?” Amethyst asked.
“No,” Sirena replied, looking away. “I just wish I had your life, you know? I mean, you’re like, the favorite of the family because you’re good at like, everything!”
“Well, I suppose my life seems pretty nice,” Amethyst responded, sighing. “Of course, being the favorite can be difficult at times… Always having the most responsibility, always having to look good… It can be a burden.”
“Is it?” Sirena asked, tilting her head slightly. “You don’t look like you have any problem with it.”
“I hide it pretty well,” Amethyst responded, before suddenly stopping. “Oh, I’ve said too much…”
“Um… Hey, don’t worry about that now,” Sirena said, somewhat unsure of what to make of this.
“You’re right… We need to focus on finding Sera’s friend,” Amethyst responded, nodding her head slightly. “Let’s keep looking around for any traces of him.”
“All right,” Sirena replied, nodding and helping Amethyst look for anything that might lead to the missing Shinx.
----
“… Ah, that’s right…” Amethyst said, blinking a few times as she remembered what she and Sirena had talked about yesterday.
“Well, don’t you worry about it, big sis!” Sirena exclaimed, grinning. “You don’t have to carry that burden all by yourself!”
“Sirena… I appreciate the thought, but you really don’t need to do this,” Amethyst said. “I’ve been able to handle it myself all this time, after all…”
“Hey, it’s no problem,” Sirena responded, smirking. “I take half the burden from you, and in return I get to take half the credit for the work!”
“But… I…” Amethyst stuttered, unsure of how to handle the situation.
“Well, I intend to help you out whether you want it or not!” Sirena said, grinning. “So, you might as well just accept it!”
Amethyst sighed as Sirena cheerfully continued cleaning up around the living room, feeling rather upset that she had admitted to her weakness after trying to hide it away from her family for so long in order to keep the image they had of her intact. However, Sirena’s reaction wasn’t quite what Amethyst had expected. In fact, her current behavior was almost the exact opposite of Amethyst’s expectations.
With how much Sirena seemed to resent her for being “perfect”, Amethyst would’ve thought this revelation would make things between her and her sister worse, but that wasn’t what was happening. In fact, it seemed as if Sirena liked her better now. Amethyst didn’t really understand it, but at the same time, it was somewhat of a relief.
“Sirena… Thank you,” Amethyst said, smiling to her sister.
“It’s no problem,” Sirena responded, grinning.
“This is… just between the two of us, right?” Amethyst asked. “There are some things that I need to think about… Until then, don’t tell anyone else what we talked about yesterday?”
“If that means you’ll let me help so that you don’t get all the credit, sure,” Sirena responded.
“Okay, I guess that works for me,” Amethyst replied, nodding her head slightly.
The two sisters continued doing the work together, not noticing that a certain Flareon had been listening to their conversation, with a small smile on his face.
----
Chiaki and Azure were looking over the bulletin board, and were eagerly discussing amongst themselves trying to decide on what mission they would do. Frederick just listened to the two of them, trying to hear if there were any of the missions that sounded good to him.
“Gee, I wish I could read those missions too,” Frederick thought to himself, while occasionally nodding his head to Chiaki or Azure when they suggested another mission.
Sera wasn’t really paying attention, seeming rather lost in thought. It was difficult for her to focus on anything else as the current situation between her and Blitz kept consuming her thoughts. She just had to think of something she could say, some way she could prove to Blitz just how much their friendship meant to her.
“Sera? Hey, Sera!” Azure shouted, shaking Sera. “Snap out of it, will you?”
“Huh? What?” Sera responded, looking over at her teammates. “Oh, I’m sorry. What is it?”
“We can’t make up our mind on what mission to take,” Azure said, pointing to the board.
“Sera, what do you think?” Chiaki asked, looking at Sera expectantly.
“Oh, um… Let me take a look,” Sera said, looking up at the various missions on the board.
There were plenty of missions at their current skill level to choose between, but the letters on the different missions just seemed to blur together as Sera began losing focus again.
“I wish Blitz was here,” Sera thought to herself, before shaking her head and trying to clear up her clouded mind. “No! I can do this… I’ve picked out missions without Blitz’s help before, so it’s not like I don’t know what I’m doing…”
Sera sighed, and looked closely at the various missions. She could tell just how used she was to Blitz’s presence that she caught herself almost wanting to ask him for advice. Instead, she took a deep breath and mentally told herself that she couldn’t rely on Blitz all the time.
“So, anything look good to you?” Azure asked.
“Well, um… There are two up there in the corner that are in the same dungeon,” Sera said.
“Ah, yes,” Azure responded, nodding slightly. “Chiaki, can you reach those?”
“Yep!” Chiaki replied, cheerfully jumping up and grabbing the two missions off the board. He then looked over them. “Let’s see… The first one is a request from a Shieldon, asking to find a missing Cranidos, and the other is from a Skitty who apparently got lost after escaping some wild Pokémon.”
“So, we’ve got two rescue missions,” Azure said, glancing over at the outlaw board as another rescue team walked away from it. “Should we check the other board too?”
“Huh?” Sera responded, before shaking her head. “No, I think these two rescue missions will be enough for today.”
“Okay, then,” Azure said, grinning. “Well, if everyone’s ready, let’s head out!”
The four Pokémon headed over to the room behind the purple curtain, where a certain Abra seemed content with dreaming the day away as usual. Of course, she also had work to do, so she simply had to accept that rescue teams would shake her by the shoulders until she woke up for them.
“All right, tell me where you want to go so I can get back to my dream…” Kala muttered, rubbing her eyes. “I was just about to knock the moon out of the sky with a giant spoon…”
“Let us know how that turns out,” Azure responded, before showing Kala the missions and pointing out the location to the sleepy Abra.
“Okay, no problem… Good luck, be careful and all that…” Kala mumbled, before teleporting the four Pokémon out of the room and going back to her nap. “… Yes, I know… I’ve only got one shot, so if the moon misses its target…”
Kala snickered a little in her sleep as she turned over on her side, mumbling something in a satisfied tone.
----
Blitz and Lita were taking a walk, neither of them really saying much. Blitz wasn’t really sure what to say, and from the looks of things, Lita wasn’t sure what to say either. It looked she wanted to say something, though. Perhaps she was just trying to think of how to say what she wanted to say? Blitz noticed that they were walking right past the dojo, but just looked away from it.
He knew that just like he and Sera would have to properly talk about what had happened, he would also eventually have to talk to Hercules about it. Hercules had broken his promise and revealed Blitz’s secret, but had done so out of concern for him… Blitz wasn’t really sure what to really make of that. So far, he didn’t see how anything good was going to come out of it.
“Hey, Blitz?” Lita said, looking up at her older brother.
“What is it?” Blitz asked, meeting his sister’s gaze.
“I, um… Back home, Charge has been asking about you,” Lita responded, looking away.
“Huh?” Blitz replied tilting his head slightly.
“He wondered how you’ve been doing since… that incident,” Lita explained. “I think he’s really sorry about what happened back then.”
“Wait, how would you know that?” Blitz asked, looking rather confused.
“Well… You see, it’d been a while since you left, and I was having trouble finding the courage to approach the other Shinx,” Lita said, blushing slightly. “I was just too shy…”
“Um… I see,” Blitz responded, still rather confused. “But what does Charge have to do with any of this?”
“I kind of ran into him, and when I told him about my problem, he said the best solution was to find a certain item in a mystery dungeon,” Lita explained. “He said it’d build my confidence, and offered to go with me to help me get that item.”
“He did?” Blitz asked, surprised at this sudden turn of events. “Why would he do that?”
“I wondered why he’d do that too,” Lita responded. “I thought it might be a trick, but he really did help me get that item, and then I thought that maybe he felt sorry for what he did to you, and was trying to make up for it by helping me be more brave?”
“Huh… I thought that Charge would’ve hated me for what happened back then,” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together.
“While I don’t know if I’ve really gotten any less shy around the other Shinx, I become friends with Charge, surprisingly enough,” Lita replied, smiling at her brother.
“That… certainly is surprising,” Blitz responded, blinking a few times.
“So, when he heard I was going to be visiting you, he asked me to let him know what you’d been up to and how you were doing over here,” Lita explained. “I think the other Shinx miss having you around as well, from what I’ve heard.”
“Oh, um…” Blitz glanced around, before looking down at the ground and rubbing the rings on his forelegs together again. “I guess when you go home, you can tell them that I’m doing okay, and that my training has been going well?”
“Sure, I can do that!” Lita responded, grinning. “Of course, I want to make sure that you really are okay before I leave, though!”
“What do you mean by that?” Blitz asked.
“Since I’m your sister, don’t I have to make sure my brother is okay?” Lita responded, tilting her head slightly. “
“Oh, um… You really don’t have to worry too much about me,” Blitz replied, rubbing his forelegs together.
“You think I should leave all the worrying to you just because you’re the older sibling?” Lita asked, shaking her head. “I don’t think so.”
“I’m sorry…” Blitz responded, looking away. “A lot has happened lately, and I’m still trying to figure out how to deal with it all…”
“Well… How about you forget about that just for a moment?” Lita asked, smiling up at her brother. “Come on, let’s play together like we used to! How does hide-and-seek sound?”
“Uh… Sure, sounds like fun,” Blitz replied, giving a small smile.
“All right, then!” Lita said, smiling. “Close your eyes and count to twenty-two, while I find a good hiding spot!”
“Okay, sis,” Blitz responded, nodding his head and closing his eyes as Lita ran ahead and began looking for a hiding spot. “One, two, three…”
----
Sera, Chiaki, Azure and Frederick were slowly making their way through the mystery dungeon, and were getting close to the floor where the Pokémon of the first mission needing rescuing was. While things were going well, Sera couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Everything that had happened over the course of the past few days had been rather stressful for her.
She had to push the thought of how to solve things between her and Blitz out of her mind so she could focus on the mission. At least Azure’s good sense of hearing and Frederick’s good sense of smell allowed them to help alert her to possible dangers.
“I see the stairs!” Chiaki exclaimed, cheerfully pointing to the stairs leading to the next floor.
“Oh, okay,” Sera replied, nodding her head slightly. “Let’s go, guys.”
The four Pokémon moved onto the next floor, and began looking around for the first of the two lost Pokémon in the dungeon. Azure listened closely, while Frederick tried to pick up the missing Pokémon’s scent. It didn’t take long before they had a lead, and were able to track down and send the lost Pokémon back to Fenix Town.
“All right, just one more to go,” Sera said, taking a deep breath. “We can do this…”
Sera felt somewhat reassured by the fact that one Pokémon was now saved, and they just had to find one more. Of course, she still had to stay alert, and focus on the mission. After all, she had experienced before that even if the mission was close to being completed, things could still go wrong on the way there.
It didn’t take them too long to reach the floor where the Skitty they had to rescue was, however, they soon noticed something rather odd about this particular floor.
“Hey, Sera? Don’t those walls look kind of strange?” Azure asked, glancing around.
“They look… distorted…” Chiaki said, noticing that a few of the walls looked much like water rippling.
“Huh, I guess this floor must’ve been affected by the distortions,” Sera commented, looking around. “Hope the Skitty we must rescue is okay.”
“Yeah…” Azure responded, nodding and looking a bit nervous as her ears picked up on something in the distance. “Um… How do you think this might be affecting the wild Pokémon on this floor…?”
Before Sera had the chance to respond, she noticed several shadows flying above them, and glanced up to see several black crow-like Pokémon with features on their head in a top hat-like shape. It didn’t take long before eight Murkrow landed in front of the rescue team, staring at Sera and her teammates.
“Those Murkrow… don’t look so well…” Chiaki said, feeling rather unnerved by the almost empty look in the wild Murkrow’s eyes.
“Maybe we can walk right past them…?” Azure suggested, glancing around. “I mean, even though they’re looking right at us, I’m not entirely sure if they actually know we’re here?”
“I don’t get it, what’s going on?” Frederick asked, not really understanding what the others were talking about since he couldn’t actually see that there was anything wrong with these Murkrow.
“Um… Let’s go, guys…” Sera said, slowly starting to make her way towards one of the other paths. “We need to find that Skitty.”
Before Sera could reach the path, one of the Murkrow flew over and blocked it. Sera nervously stared into the Murkrow’s eyes for a few moments, before the crow Pokémon suddenly cried out and attempted to peck her. Sera gave a startled yelp as she barely dodged the Murkrow’s attack, and as she glanced around she noticed that the other Murkrow were headed for her teammates.
“Sera, we could use some help here!” Azure said, using her tail to swat one of two Murkrow currently trying to nip at her ears aside.
“Oh, right!” Sera responded, nodding her head before using her Helping Hand move to power up her three friends.
“Thanks!” Azure replied, smirking as she knocked the other Murkrow out of the way.
“I could use a little more help here…” Chiaki said, trying his best to use Detect to dodge the attempts of three of the Murkrow to Peck or hit him with a Wing Attack.
“I’ll be there in just a second!” Frederick responded, while attempting to hit a Murkrow he was fighting with Dragon Rage, but it continued to dodge his attacks. “Hmm… Or maybe two seconds?”
“Hey, Sera? Don’t you have an item or something that can take care of these guys?” Azure asked, trying to fight off the two Murkrow that had gotten back up and were trying to grab her ears again. “Like, an orb, maybe?”
“Oh, right… Good idea,” Sera responded, trying to get enough distance between herself and the Murkrow that kept trying to hit her so she could check what items she had. Luckily for Sera, one of Frederick’s stray Dragon Rage attacks hit the Murkrow, knocking it down. “Oh, thanks, Frederick!”
“Uh… You’re welcome!” Frederick replied, nodding his head. “I… totally meant to do… whatever it was I did!”
Sera quickly looked through her bag, hoping to find something she could use to stop the Murkrow.
“Hmm… Petrify Orb? Nah, I should save that one for a bigger emergency…” Sera muttered to herself while examining an orb before putting it back into the bag. “I know one of these other orbs should work, though… Ah, maybe this will do!”
Sera smirked as she pulled out an orb, and tossed it on the ground. Upon activating, the orb sent out a wave of sound that made the Murkrow stumble around dizzily, while Sera and her teammates were unaffected.
“All right, it worked!” Sera said, happily wagging her tail.
“Well done, Sera!” Azure responded, nodding her head slightly. “Now let’s get moving before the effects of the Totter Orb wears off!”
And so, the four Pokémon quickly exited the room, and kept moving, only to run into even more wild Pokémon in the next room they entered.
“Oh, no…” Sera muttered, as she glanced at the wild Pokémon.
“Hey, I think I can smell the Skitty…” Frederick said, sniffing the ground. “Yeah, I think he or she is in here somewhere…”
“Well, in that case… I guess you should go find them while the rest of us deal with the wilds?” Sera suggested, sounding uncertain about whether she thought it was the best course of action or not.
Frederick began moving forward, sniffing the ground to find out where the scent trail would lead, with Azure walking next to him on one side, and Chiaki on the other, with Sera following shortly behind them. As wild Pokémon began moving closer, Sera used her Helping Hand to power up her teammates, while Azure used her Bubble Beam attack to hit opponents from afar to keep them from getting closer and Chiaki did the same using his Swift attack.
“Just a little further…” Sera muttered, only to feel something snag onto her tail. “Ah, let go!”
A Pokémon appearing to be a spherical mass of blue vines had grabbed onto Sera’s tail by extending two of its vines, and was attempting to pull her back. There was a pink Pokémon with flower-shaped spots on its body floating next to the Tangela, its small oval eyes having a multicolored glow as it charged up a psychic attack.
“We’re coming, Sera!” Azure shouted, glancing over at Frederick. “You find the Skitty while Chiaki and I help Sera!”
“You’re talking to me, right?” Frederick asked, tilting his head slightly. “Wait, of course she’s talking to me. I mean, she mentioned herself and the other two guys, so by process of elimination, I’m the only one she could be…”
“H-Hello?” a soft female voice called out. “I-I’m over here…”
“Oh, right!” Frederick said, making his way over to the source of the sound, a tree with a small opening in it that the pink kitten Pokémon had crawled inside.
“You came to rescue me, didn’t you?” the Skitty asked, peeking out from her hiding spot.
“Yeah, sort of,” Frederick replied, nodding his head. “My friends will be here in just a moment to do the teleport thing with the badge!”
Chiaki moved to dodge multicolored beams of psychic energy fired from the Munna’s eyes, before Azure eventually managed to hit the floating psychic type with a Bubble beam attack. While the Munna took a moment to recover from the attack, Chiaki took the opportunity to run up to the Tangela, and managed to successfully catch it off-guard with a Fake Out attack while the grass type was distracted trying to drain Sera’s energy.
The Tangela flinched from Chiaki’s attack, and let go of Sera.
“Whew… Thanks, Chiaki…” Sera said, stumbling a bit. “That Tangela drained some of my strength, but I think I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?” Chiaki asked.
“Yeah,” Sera responded, nodding her head slightly. “Let’s just finish this and get out of here, already.”
Sera then quickly tackled the Tangela before it could grab her again, sending it stumbling back. Chiaki was quick to follow up with a Swift attack, knocking out the Tangela around the same time as Azure managed to finish off the Munna by hitting it with her tail.
“That was fun!” Azure said, smiling. “Wouldn't mind fighting a few more, actually!”
“Uh… I think we’ve had enough battles for one day,” Sera responded, sighing and letting her ears droop down slightly.
“Guys, I found the Skitty!” Frederick said, cheerfully walking back over to his friends with the pink kitten Pokémon following him.
“Thank you for coming all the way here to rescue me!” the Skitty said. “All of a sudden, the wild Pokémon here started acting really weird, and I had to get away, but I couldn’t find the way out. So, I had to send out a request for help, and find a place to hide.”
“Well, let’s get out of here before any other wild Pokémon show up, then,” Sera responded, seeming tired, but also relieved that the mission was over.
And so, all five Pokémon disappeared from the dungeon in a flash of golden light.
----
After picking up their rewards at the HQ, Sera and the others met up with Blitz and Lita, and went to the café to talk about the events of the day. Blitz watched as Sera quickly drank up a glass of berry juice, before giving a content sigh with her ears drooping down slightly.
“Whew, I needed that…” Sera said.
“You don’t usually get as worn out as this after a mission,” Blitz commented looking somewhat concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine…” Sera responded, nodding her head slightly. “Just… those wild Pokémon kind of caught us off guard…”
“I see…” Blitz replied, rubbing his forelegs together. “Guess that’s something one couldn’t really have predicted… As the distortions keep spreading, I guess it’ll only get harder to predict what might happen…”
“Hey, let’s talk about something else,” Sera said, with a small smile. “How was your day off?”
“Oh, yeah… It was nice,” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “Lita and I talked about some stuff, and then we played hide-and-seek.”
“Yeah, and Blitz kept finding me pretty quickly,” Lita said, giggling a little. “He’s always been good at that game.”
“Glad to hear you had fun,” Sera commented, smiling.
“So, Frederick, did you enjoy going on a mission with us?” Azure asked, nudging her Deino friend.
“Yeah, it was pretty exciting, getting to go on a mission with everyone,” Frederick responded.
“I know, right?” Azure replied, grinning. “You should totally join the rescue team too!”
“Helping that Skitty did feel nice…” Frederick commented, thinking for a moment. “All that walking made me hungry, though…”
“Oh, but doesn’t food taste better after a day of adventuring?” Azure asked.
“Um… Maybe,” Frederick responded, shrugging slightly.
Chiaki was glad to see that Blitz seemed to be in a better mood now after his day off, which he had probably needed. Still, Blitz and Sera hadn’t yet sorted everything out between themselves, so things weren’t quite back to normal for the rescue team just yet. At least they were talking, and seemed to be getting along well enough.
“I hope they’re able to talk things out soon,” Chiaki thought, with a small smile as he looked at his teammates.
Eventually, the six Pokémon had to head home for the night, and they managed to get to their homes before it started raining. Sera was greeted by Flare upon returning home, but she barely had anything to say. She just went straight to bed, and fell asleep.
“Today’s mission must’ve been a tough one,” Flare whispered to himself, smiling as he walked up to Sera and gently petted her on the head with his paw. “Sleep well, sis.”
----
End of Chapter 26
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Umbramatic
The Ghost Lord
It's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!
Amethyst and Sirena were sweet. Fredrick is adorable.
I am curious as to when the main plot will pick back up, though.
Amethyst and Sirena were sweet. Fredrick is adorable.
I am curious as to when the main plot will pick back up, though.
SeekerofLight
He's everywhere...
Huzzah! It's back! I was VERY happy to hear that this hadn't died for some reason (not that I thought that, of course, I had faith)
As always, the plentiful, colourful and diverse characters make this story amazing. Yet again, we have a chapter focusing on Character development, rather than blindly following a story.
Loved the chapter, with the interaction between the Eevee family members, and of course, it's awesome to see Frederick having some action!
Keep up the good work, and Merry Christmas.
SeekerofLight
As always, the plentiful, colourful and diverse characters make this story amazing. Yet again, we have a chapter focusing on Character development, rather than blindly following a story.
Loved the chapter, with the interaction between the Eevee family members, and of course, it's awesome to see Frederick having some action!
Keep up the good work, and Merry Christmas.
SeekerofLight
DarkerShining
Well-Known Member
Hey again, everyone! And thanks once again for your reviews, I really appreciate it. And thanks to everyone who's been following the story so far.
Chapter 27 is finally ready, but before we get to that, here's a fun fact:
Hercules the Heracross was originally only going to be a minor character who barely appeared at all, and his debut chapter was originally going to be later into the story, instead of chapter 5. However, once I had the idea of making him Blitz's mentor, he became the important supporting character we know him as.
I have to say, I'm really pleased with how that's turned out so far, and I think the story became a lot better than it would've been if I hadn't expanded his role.
So, now that that's out of the way, I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter!
----
Chapter 27: If only I hadn’t broken my promise, none of this would’ve happened…
----
At some point during the night, it had started raining. The sound of many raindrops falling from the sky and splashing against the ground, rooftops and plants ended up waking up Hercules, despite the fact that he was not normally a light sleeper. Looking out the window at the pouring rain, the sleepy Heracross could tell that the weather probably wouldn’t clear up until tomorrow morning. Or maybe tomorrow afternoon, he wasn’t sure.
While there was no sign of thunder or lightning, the way it was pouring down outside reminded him of the dark and stormy night three weeks ago…
----
Hercules hadn’t quite expected the weather that night to be quite as bad, but luckily he had managed to make the necessary preparations by covering up all the windows and the front door so the rain wouldn’t be blown right into his house. He’d been sleeping for a while already, when there suddenly was a sound at the front door that he had to investigate. Removing the cover slightly, he discovered that a certain Shinx was sitting outside with a frown on his face.
“Blitz, what are you doing here!?” Hercules asked, quickly removing the cover for a moment so the young Shinx could quickly make his way inside. “Why would you come all the way here on a night like this? Is something wrong?”
“I… I’m sorry…” Blitz said, shaking the water out of his fur. “I… I had a nightmare…”
“Ah, I see…” Hercules responded, petting Blitz on the head.
The two Pokémon headed into Hercules’ kitchen, where the Heracross began preparing some tea for the two of them.
“Was it another dream about things back at Lightning Plateau?” Hercules asked, glancing over at Blitz while the water for the tea began to boil.
“Yeah…” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly.
“I see,” Hercules replied, looking through a cabinet filled with jars of honey.
“I’ll have to go back someday, but… I’d rather not…” Blitz said, sighing. “I don’t want to deal with everyone’s expectations…”
“I understand,” Hercules responded, nodding his head slightly while looking through another cabinet filled with nothing but jars of honey. “I wish there was something I could do to help you with that…”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together. “I mean, you’ve already done a lot for me since I got here, and… well, it’s not like you can change my destiny…”
“I’m not really sure if I’d call it destiny…” Hercules replied, finally finding the tea leaves he was looking for. “But, enough about that… How are things with you and Sera? I hear you two formed a rescue team a few days ago?”
“Well, yeah…” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “She’d been asking me for a while to form a team with her, and I finally agreed to do it…”
“I see,” Hercules replied, placing two teacups on the table and pouring in the tea. “Sera does seem like the kind of Pokémon that doesn’t give up once she sets her mind to something.”
“She certainly is,” Blitz responded. “But at least she doesn’t ask me to tell her more about where I’m from, or why I moved here and stuff like that…”
“Really?” Hercules inquired, getting a jar of honey out from one of the cabinets. “Isn’t she interested in getting to know you better?”
“Oh, I prefer it this way,” Blitz explained, blowing on his tea. “I don’t want anyone in this town aside from you to know. That way, I can get to be just a normal Shinx… at least for a while…”
“Blitz, I think I’ve told you this before, but I don’t really think you need to worry about what the Pokémon of Fenix Town would think of you if they knew the truth,” Hercules said, beginning to pour the contents of the honey jar into his tea.
“I’m not taking any chances,” Blitz replied, shaking his head.
“Well, you don’t have to tell her yet if you’re don’t want to,” Hercules said. “So, how is the rescue team business going, anyways?”
“Okay, I guess,” Blitz responded, giving Hercules an odd look. “Um… Aren’t you putting a bit too much honey in your tea?”
“What do you mean?” Hercules asked as he scraped out the rest of the honey from the bottom of the jar with a spoon.
“Oh, never mind,” Blitz replied, looking down at his own cup of tea. “Anyways, as I was saying… Sera and I only formed our rescue a little over a week ago, so I don’t really know how good a rescue team we are yet…”
“But I’m guessing your missions so far have been successful?” Hercules asked.
“Well, yeah,” Blitz responded, nodding his head.
“I thought so,” Hercules replied, smiling. “You’re a fast learner, and I have no doubt that you can put your skills to good use when you and Sera explore mystery dungeons.”
“Thanks,” Blitz responded, taking a sip of his tea. “Again, sorry about coming here this late just for this…”
“It’s okay,” Hercules said. “Are you feeling better now?”
“I… guess so…” Blitz responded, drinking up the rest of his tea. “So, I guess I should be heading home now…”
“Are you sure?” Hercules asked, looking a bit concerned. “You can stay over for the night, if you want.”
“No, it’s okay…” Blitz replied, starting to walk towards the door. “This kind of weather doesn’t really bother me all that much.”
“Well, if you say so…” Hercules responded, nodding his head slightly and opening the door for Blitz. “Good night, Blitz.”
“Good night,” Blitz replied, before heading outside.
----
Hercules sighed as he looked out at the rain, thinking about Blitz and wondering how the young Shinx was feeling now. He knew that Blitz hadn’t taken it well when he found out that Sera and Chiaki had learned the truth about why he came to Fenix Town. Hercules felt awful about breaking his promise not to tell anyone, while he also believed that it couldn’t stay a secret forever.
Still, he had wanted Blitz to trust his friends enough to tell them himself. All Hercules could do now was hope that things would work out, and that Blitz would be okay.
“I have to talk to him soon…” Hercules muttered to himself, sighing. “Will he want to talk to me, though?”
Hercules was the only Pokémon in Fenix Town that Blitz had fully trusted with everything. Hercules knew that, and yet he’d still betrayed that trust by telling Sera and Chiaki about the events that led to Blitz coming to town to train at the dojo. He only hoped that he’d be able to regain that trust, and that this wouldn’t have any lasting negative effects on Blitz’s trust in anyone else…
----
Eventually, it stopped raining and a new day began. Even if he was tired, and felt like he’d barely gotten any sleep, Hercules had to get up and head over to the dojo. The ground was still wet from the rain, but while fire types might not enjoy walking on it in this state, Hercules thought it looked kind of pretty when parts of it glistened in the light of the sun.
“Hey, Hercules!” a female voice called out, and Hercules turned to see a certain Ledian already having finished setting things up for today’s work.
“Oh, good morning, Marietta,” Hercules said, giving a friendly smile. “I see you’ve already set everything up.”
“Well, you know me,” Marietta responded, smiling back. “I always get up early, and I’m always ready to assist rescue teams with keeping their money safe!”
“That’s good to hear,” Hercules replied, nodding his head. “Keep up the good work.”
“You know I will!” Marietta responded, grinning.
Hercules smiled, and continued heading for the dojo, before Marietta suddenly called out to him again.
“Hercules, wait!” Marietta said, waving to him.
“What is it?” Hercules asked, tilting his head slightly.
“I was just wondering if you might be… I mean, if you’re free tonight, after work, I was thinking... that maybe the two of us could head over to the café for some refreshments or something?” Marietta asked, smiling. “You’ve seemed kind of stressed lately, so I was just thinking it might help to get out and spend some time with a friend, and just, relax, you know?”
“Oh?” Hercules replied, thinking about it for a moment. “… Yeah, I suppose that might help… Okay, I’ll meet you at the café after sunset, then.”
“All right, I’ll see you then!” Marietta responded, waving good-bye to Hercules.
She continued watching him flying off in direction of the dojo, until he was out of sight. Once she was certain he couldn’t see or hear her, Marietta did a fist pump with her upper left hand and grinned. “Yes!”
----
Hercules tried not to think too much about it while at work, but found himself occasionally glancing over at the entrance to the dojo. Part of him probably hoped a certain Shinx would show up, but he knew he probably shouldn’t expect it considering the current circumstances. Other than that, things were as usual at the dojo. The other Pokémon working at the dojo assisted the rescue teams who came in to train.
Lotus and Riley were currently having a sparring match as part of a demonstration on the importance of being able to predict your opponent’s moves in battle. So far, they appeared to be evenly matched.
One of the Hoothoot was keeping its eyes on one of the obstacle courses, and keeping track of the time it took for each of the Pokémon on the rescue teams going through it to reach the end. A Makuhita was taking notes as the Hoothoot told him the time.
“Everyone seems to be doing their jobs well,” Hercules thought to himself. “Maybe I could step out for a bit, and try to talk to Blitz…” Hercules considered it for a moment, before shaking his head. “No… At this point, he and his teammates have likely already headed out to their next mission…”
Hercules decided to just keep focusing on his work, and not think too much about it for now.
----
After a while, Hercules did notice a familiar Shinx enter the dojo. He quickly noticed that it wasn’t Blitz, though, but rather Blitz’s younger sister Lita. Hercules smiled and went over to greet the young Shinx.
“Hey there,” Hercules said. “What’s going on?”
“Well, my brother and his friends are out on a mission, so I decided to come here!” Lita replied, smiling.
“I see,” Hercules responded, nodding slightly. “But, isn’t someone else supposed to be looking after you?”
“Frederick was supposed to, but then something came up, and I asked him if it was okay if I went here while he sorted it out,” Lita explained.
“Ah, okay,” Hercules said, petting Lita on the head. “So, how is Blitz?”
“I guess he’s feeling a little better,” Lita responded, thinking for a moment. “I don’t think he and Sera have sorted out their issues yet, though.”
“I’m guessing they still don’t know what to say to each other on the subject?” Hercules asked.
“Probably,” Lita replied, nodding her head. “Chiaki and Azure aren’t really helping that much either, since whenever they try to approach the subject, Sera or Blitz just changes the subject…”
“Hopefully, Sera and Blitz can figure out how to sort things out on their own…” Hercules said, sighing. “If only I hadn’t broken my promise, none of this would’ve happened…”
“Oh, don’t feel bad,” Lita said, looking up at Hercules. “I’m sure everything will be sorted out.”
“Yeah, but… I’m worried Blitz won’t want to talk to me again,” Hercules responded, looking away. “I’m the only Pokémon in this town that Blitz fully trusted with any of his concerns, and yet I ended up betraying him by telling his secret to Sera and Chiaki…”
“… You did make a big mistake,” Lita replied, nodding slightly.
Hercules just remained silent for a while.
“… I’m sure Blitz will forgive you,” Lita said, after thinking for a few moments.
“How do you know that?” Hercules asked, looking at Lita.
“Well… You want to make things right again, don’t you?” Lita responded, smiling at him.
“Of course I do,” Hercules replied, nodding his head. “I just don’t know if Blitz will listen to me anymore…”
“I don’t think Blitz really is mad at you, to be honest,” Lita said. “I’m not really sure how feels, though… Then again, he might not even know it himself…”
“So, in other words, you think he has mixed feelings about this?” Hercules asked.
“I guess so?” Lita replied, tilting her head slightly.
“… You know what? You’re right,” Hercules said, giving a small smile. “I need to show Blitz that I’m still here for him, and maybe I’ll be able to help him figure out how to sort things out with Sera.”
“Yay!” Lita responded, grinning.
“I just need a chance to talk to him,” Hercules said, thinking for a few moments.
“No problem!” Lita said, smirking. “I’ll just stay here, and then he’ll have to come here to pick me up later!”
Hercules chuckled and petted Lita on the head again.
“You’re really clever,” Hercules commented, smiling at Lita. “Just like your big brother.”
“You really think so?” Lita asked, looking really excited. “Thanks!”
Lita cheerfully followed Hercules around as he went back to work, and now all they had to do was to wait.
----
After a few hours, when things were beginning to quiet down in the dojo as rescue teams were beginning to head home, Blitz entered the dojo to look for his younger sister. After getting back from their mission, Blitz and the others had met up with Frederick, who explained that Lita was over at the dojo. He soon spotted the younger Shinx, who happily walked up to her brother.
“There you are, Lita,” Blitz said, sighing.
“Was today’s mission a difficult one?” Lita asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Kind of,” Blitz responded. “Had to catch this outlaw…”
“Was he difficult to beat?” Lita asked.
“Well, no, he wasn’t all that strong, actually,” Blitz responded. “However, he was really fast, and it took us a while to catch up to him… We did manage to keep him from reaching the stairs, and eventually managed to get him in a corner…”
“I’m assuming you used your hunting knowledge to corner him?” Hercules asked, stepping forward.
“Um… Yeah…” Blitz responded, glancing down at the floor and rubbing his forelegs together. “How’d you know?”
“Because I’ve gotten to know you pretty well during your time here so far,” Hercules replied.
“Oh, right…” Blitz responded, still not looking directly at Hercules.
“I’m going to go wait outside while you talk!” Lita said, before cheerfully walking outside.
Hercules and Blitz were quiet for a few moments, before Hercules finally spoke up.
“Blitz, I’m really sorry I broke my promise not to tell anyone,” Hercules said, sighing. “I wanted you to tell Sera and Chiaki yourself when you were ready, and I was hoping I could help you with that…”
“I know…” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together. “You kept encouraging me to tell her, but I kept thinking it was a bad idea… I thought she would think of me differently if she knew who I really was…”
“Does she?” Hercules asked.
“… I have no idea,” Blitz replied, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t really know what to think anymore… Maybe you were right all along…”
“Huh?” Hercules responded, surprised to hear this.
“I mean, after the conversation I had with Bow…” Blitz said, thinking for a few moments. “I never realized that… she and I felt so similarly about things…”
“She understood how you felt about your situation, and could relate to it,” Hercules commented, smiling.
“Hercules… I won’t forgive you for telling Sera and Chiaki the truth about me just yet,” Blitz said, looking up at the Heracross. “But… I need you…”
Much to Hercules’ surprise, Blitz suddenly ran up and hugged him.
“Blitz…” Hercules said, smiling and gently petting him on the head. “I’m still here for you, anytime. Whenever you want to train, or you need advice, I’ll do my best to help you.”
“Thank you…” Blitz replied, giving a small smile. “Well… I guess I should get going now.”
“Good-bye for now, then,” Hercules said, nodding his head slightly.
Blitz then headed outside, briefly glancing back over his shoulder before disappearing out the door. With a sigh of relief, Hercules went to finish what little work was left before he was done for the day.
----
Marietta was humming to herself while waiting outside the café for a certain Heracross to show up. She occasionally glanced around, and seemed quite pleased once she finally spotted Hercules flying over to the café.
“Ah, there you are!” Marietta said, grinning.
“Sorry if I kept you waiting,” Hercules responded, smiling at the Ledian.
“Ooh, you seem to be in a good mood,” Marietta commented, as the two of them headed into the café. “Good day at work?”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Hercules replied. “And how was your day?”
“Pretty good,” Marietta responded, taking a seat. “Of course, I guess my work isn’t as interesting as yours.”
“Maybe not, but I’d say your job is probably more important than mine,” Hercules said, smiling at Marietta.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Marietta responded. “I mean, sure, keeping money safe for rescue teams is important, but I’d say the way you help Pokémon train is important too.”
“Well, of course,” Hercules replied, nodding his head slightly.
“So, how’d you end up in charge of the dojo, anyways?” Marietta asked.
“Oh, well, it’s kind of a long story,” Hercules responded. “But if you’re interested, I’ll gladly tell you.”
“Sounds good to me,” Marietta replied, nodding her head slightly. “Let me just go order us some drinks first. You like your berry juice sweet, am I right?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Hercules responded, nodding his head.
“All right, I’ll be back in just a moment!” Marietta replied, cheerfully flying up to the counter to order the drinks.
Hercules smiled as he watched the Ledian talk with River, and thought to himself about how he hoped Blitz would be able to sort things out with his teammates soon. Things were starting to seem like they were only going to get better from here… but then again, perhaps it was a bit too soon to be thinking that way.
----
End of Chapter 27.
----
Chapter 27 is finally ready, but before we get to that, here's a fun fact:
Hercules the Heracross was originally only going to be a minor character who barely appeared at all, and his debut chapter was originally going to be later into the story, instead of chapter 5. However, once I had the idea of making him Blitz's mentor, he became the important supporting character we know him as.
I have to say, I'm really pleased with how that's turned out so far, and I think the story became a lot better than it would've been if I hadn't expanded his role.
So, now that that's out of the way, I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter!
----
Chapter 27: If only I hadn’t broken my promise, none of this would’ve happened…
----
At some point during the night, it had started raining. The sound of many raindrops falling from the sky and splashing against the ground, rooftops and plants ended up waking up Hercules, despite the fact that he was not normally a light sleeper. Looking out the window at the pouring rain, the sleepy Heracross could tell that the weather probably wouldn’t clear up until tomorrow morning. Or maybe tomorrow afternoon, he wasn’t sure.
While there was no sign of thunder or lightning, the way it was pouring down outside reminded him of the dark and stormy night three weeks ago…
----
Hercules hadn’t quite expected the weather that night to be quite as bad, but luckily he had managed to make the necessary preparations by covering up all the windows and the front door so the rain wouldn’t be blown right into his house. He’d been sleeping for a while already, when there suddenly was a sound at the front door that he had to investigate. Removing the cover slightly, he discovered that a certain Shinx was sitting outside with a frown on his face.
“Blitz, what are you doing here!?” Hercules asked, quickly removing the cover for a moment so the young Shinx could quickly make his way inside. “Why would you come all the way here on a night like this? Is something wrong?”
“I… I’m sorry…” Blitz said, shaking the water out of his fur. “I… I had a nightmare…”
“Ah, I see…” Hercules responded, petting Blitz on the head.
The two Pokémon headed into Hercules’ kitchen, where the Heracross began preparing some tea for the two of them.
“Was it another dream about things back at Lightning Plateau?” Hercules asked, glancing over at Blitz while the water for the tea began to boil.
“Yeah…” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly.
“I see,” Hercules replied, looking through a cabinet filled with jars of honey.
“I’ll have to go back someday, but… I’d rather not…” Blitz said, sighing. “I don’t want to deal with everyone’s expectations…”
“I understand,” Hercules responded, nodding his head slightly while looking through another cabinet filled with nothing but jars of honey. “I wish there was something I could do to help you with that…”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together. “I mean, you’ve already done a lot for me since I got here, and… well, it’s not like you can change my destiny…”
“I’m not really sure if I’d call it destiny…” Hercules replied, finally finding the tea leaves he was looking for. “But, enough about that… How are things with you and Sera? I hear you two formed a rescue team a few days ago?”
“Well, yeah…” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “She’d been asking me for a while to form a team with her, and I finally agreed to do it…”
“I see,” Hercules replied, placing two teacups on the table and pouring in the tea. “Sera does seem like the kind of Pokémon that doesn’t give up once she sets her mind to something.”
“She certainly is,” Blitz responded. “But at least she doesn’t ask me to tell her more about where I’m from, or why I moved here and stuff like that…”
“Really?” Hercules inquired, getting a jar of honey out from one of the cabinets. “Isn’t she interested in getting to know you better?”
“Oh, I prefer it this way,” Blitz explained, blowing on his tea. “I don’t want anyone in this town aside from you to know. That way, I can get to be just a normal Shinx… at least for a while…”
“Blitz, I think I’ve told you this before, but I don’t really think you need to worry about what the Pokémon of Fenix Town would think of you if they knew the truth,” Hercules said, beginning to pour the contents of the honey jar into his tea.
“I’m not taking any chances,” Blitz replied, shaking his head.
“Well, you don’t have to tell her yet if you’re don’t want to,” Hercules said. “So, how is the rescue team business going, anyways?”
“Okay, I guess,” Blitz responded, giving Hercules an odd look. “Um… Aren’t you putting a bit too much honey in your tea?”
“What do you mean?” Hercules asked as he scraped out the rest of the honey from the bottom of the jar with a spoon.
“Oh, never mind,” Blitz replied, looking down at his own cup of tea. “Anyways, as I was saying… Sera and I only formed our rescue a little over a week ago, so I don’t really know how good a rescue team we are yet…”
“But I’m guessing your missions so far have been successful?” Hercules asked.
“Well, yeah,” Blitz responded, nodding his head.
“I thought so,” Hercules replied, smiling. “You’re a fast learner, and I have no doubt that you can put your skills to good use when you and Sera explore mystery dungeons.”
“Thanks,” Blitz responded, taking a sip of his tea. “Again, sorry about coming here this late just for this…”
“It’s okay,” Hercules said. “Are you feeling better now?”
“I… guess so…” Blitz responded, drinking up the rest of his tea. “So, I guess I should be heading home now…”
“Are you sure?” Hercules asked, looking a bit concerned. “You can stay over for the night, if you want.”
“No, it’s okay…” Blitz replied, starting to walk towards the door. “This kind of weather doesn’t really bother me all that much.”
“Well, if you say so…” Hercules responded, nodding his head slightly and opening the door for Blitz. “Good night, Blitz.”
“Good night,” Blitz replied, before heading outside.
----
Hercules sighed as he looked out at the rain, thinking about Blitz and wondering how the young Shinx was feeling now. He knew that Blitz hadn’t taken it well when he found out that Sera and Chiaki had learned the truth about why he came to Fenix Town. Hercules felt awful about breaking his promise not to tell anyone, while he also believed that it couldn’t stay a secret forever.
Still, he had wanted Blitz to trust his friends enough to tell them himself. All Hercules could do now was hope that things would work out, and that Blitz would be okay.
“I have to talk to him soon…” Hercules muttered to himself, sighing. “Will he want to talk to me, though?”
Hercules was the only Pokémon in Fenix Town that Blitz had fully trusted with everything. Hercules knew that, and yet he’d still betrayed that trust by telling Sera and Chiaki about the events that led to Blitz coming to town to train at the dojo. He only hoped that he’d be able to regain that trust, and that this wouldn’t have any lasting negative effects on Blitz’s trust in anyone else…
----
Eventually, it stopped raining and a new day began. Even if he was tired, and felt like he’d barely gotten any sleep, Hercules had to get up and head over to the dojo. The ground was still wet from the rain, but while fire types might not enjoy walking on it in this state, Hercules thought it looked kind of pretty when parts of it glistened in the light of the sun.
“Hey, Hercules!” a female voice called out, and Hercules turned to see a certain Ledian already having finished setting things up for today’s work.
“Oh, good morning, Marietta,” Hercules said, giving a friendly smile. “I see you’ve already set everything up.”
“Well, you know me,” Marietta responded, smiling back. “I always get up early, and I’m always ready to assist rescue teams with keeping their money safe!”
“That’s good to hear,” Hercules replied, nodding his head. “Keep up the good work.”
“You know I will!” Marietta responded, grinning.
Hercules smiled, and continued heading for the dojo, before Marietta suddenly called out to him again.
“Hercules, wait!” Marietta said, waving to him.
“What is it?” Hercules asked, tilting his head slightly.
“I was just wondering if you might be… I mean, if you’re free tonight, after work, I was thinking... that maybe the two of us could head over to the café for some refreshments or something?” Marietta asked, smiling. “You’ve seemed kind of stressed lately, so I was just thinking it might help to get out and spend some time with a friend, and just, relax, you know?”
“Oh?” Hercules replied, thinking about it for a moment. “… Yeah, I suppose that might help… Okay, I’ll meet you at the café after sunset, then.”
“All right, I’ll see you then!” Marietta responded, waving good-bye to Hercules.
She continued watching him flying off in direction of the dojo, until he was out of sight. Once she was certain he couldn’t see or hear her, Marietta did a fist pump with her upper left hand and grinned. “Yes!”
----
Hercules tried not to think too much about it while at work, but found himself occasionally glancing over at the entrance to the dojo. Part of him probably hoped a certain Shinx would show up, but he knew he probably shouldn’t expect it considering the current circumstances. Other than that, things were as usual at the dojo. The other Pokémon working at the dojo assisted the rescue teams who came in to train.
Lotus and Riley were currently having a sparring match as part of a demonstration on the importance of being able to predict your opponent’s moves in battle. So far, they appeared to be evenly matched.
One of the Hoothoot was keeping its eyes on one of the obstacle courses, and keeping track of the time it took for each of the Pokémon on the rescue teams going through it to reach the end. A Makuhita was taking notes as the Hoothoot told him the time.
“Everyone seems to be doing their jobs well,” Hercules thought to himself. “Maybe I could step out for a bit, and try to talk to Blitz…” Hercules considered it for a moment, before shaking his head. “No… At this point, he and his teammates have likely already headed out to their next mission…”
Hercules decided to just keep focusing on his work, and not think too much about it for now.
----
After a while, Hercules did notice a familiar Shinx enter the dojo. He quickly noticed that it wasn’t Blitz, though, but rather Blitz’s younger sister Lita. Hercules smiled and went over to greet the young Shinx.
“Hey there,” Hercules said. “What’s going on?”
“Well, my brother and his friends are out on a mission, so I decided to come here!” Lita replied, smiling.
“I see,” Hercules responded, nodding slightly. “But, isn’t someone else supposed to be looking after you?”
“Frederick was supposed to, but then something came up, and I asked him if it was okay if I went here while he sorted it out,” Lita explained.
“Ah, okay,” Hercules said, petting Lita on the head. “So, how is Blitz?”
“I guess he’s feeling a little better,” Lita responded, thinking for a moment. “I don’t think he and Sera have sorted out their issues yet, though.”
“I’m guessing they still don’t know what to say to each other on the subject?” Hercules asked.
“Probably,” Lita replied, nodding her head. “Chiaki and Azure aren’t really helping that much either, since whenever they try to approach the subject, Sera or Blitz just changes the subject…”
“Hopefully, Sera and Blitz can figure out how to sort things out on their own…” Hercules said, sighing. “If only I hadn’t broken my promise, none of this would’ve happened…”
“Oh, don’t feel bad,” Lita said, looking up at Hercules. “I’m sure everything will be sorted out.”
“Yeah, but… I’m worried Blitz won’t want to talk to me again,” Hercules responded, looking away. “I’m the only Pokémon in this town that Blitz fully trusted with any of his concerns, and yet I ended up betraying him by telling his secret to Sera and Chiaki…”
“… You did make a big mistake,” Lita replied, nodding slightly.
Hercules just remained silent for a while.
“… I’m sure Blitz will forgive you,” Lita said, after thinking for a few moments.
“How do you know that?” Hercules asked, looking at Lita.
“Well… You want to make things right again, don’t you?” Lita responded, smiling at him.
“Of course I do,” Hercules replied, nodding his head. “I just don’t know if Blitz will listen to me anymore…”
“I don’t think Blitz really is mad at you, to be honest,” Lita said. “I’m not really sure how feels, though… Then again, he might not even know it himself…”
“So, in other words, you think he has mixed feelings about this?” Hercules asked.
“I guess so?” Lita replied, tilting her head slightly.
“… You know what? You’re right,” Hercules said, giving a small smile. “I need to show Blitz that I’m still here for him, and maybe I’ll be able to help him figure out how to sort things out with Sera.”
“Yay!” Lita responded, grinning.
“I just need a chance to talk to him,” Hercules said, thinking for a few moments.
“No problem!” Lita said, smirking. “I’ll just stay here, and then he’ll have to come here to pick me up later!”
Hercules chuckled and petted Lita on the head again.
“You’re really clever,” Hercules commented, smiling at Lita. “Just like your big brother.”
“You really think so?” Lita asked, looking really excited. “Thanks!”
Lita cheerfully followed Hercules around as he went back to work, and now all they had to do was to wait.
----
After a few hours, when things were beginning to quiet down in the dojo as rescue teams were beginning to head home, Blitz entered the dojo to look for his younger sister. After getting back from their mission, Blitz and the others had met up with Frederick, who explained that Lita was over at the dojo. He soon spotted the younger Shinx, who happily walked up to her brother.
“There you are, Lita,” Blitz said, sighing.
“Was today’s mission a difficult one?” Lita asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Kind of,” Blitz responded. “Had to catch this outlaw…”
“Was he difficult to beat?” Lita asked.
“Well, no, he wasn’t all that strong, actually,” Blitz responded. “However, he was really fast, and it took us a while to catch up to him… We did manage to keep him from reaching the stairs, and eventually managed to get him in a corner…”
“I’m assuming you used your hunting knowledge to corner him?” Hercules asked, stepping forward.
“Um… Yeah…” Blitz responded, glancing down at the floor and rubbing his forelegs together. “How’d you know?”
“Because I’ve gotten to know you pretty well during your time here so far,” Hercules replied.
“Oh, right…” Blitz responded, still not looking directly at Hercules.
“I’m going to go wait outside while you talk!” Lita said, before cheerfully walking outside.
Hercules and Blitz were quiet for a few moments, before Hercules finally spoke up.
“Blitz, I’m really sorry I broke my promise not to tell anyone,” Hercules said, sighing. “I wanted you to tell Sera and Chiaki yourself when you were ready, and I was hoping I could help you with that…”
“I know…” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together. “You kept encouraging me to tell her, but I kept thinking it was a bad idea… I thought she would think of me differently if she knew who I really was…”
“Does she?” Hercules asked.
“… I have no idea,” Blitz replied, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t really know what to think anymore… Maybe you were right all along…”
“Huh?” Hercules responded, surprised to hear this.
“I mean, after the conversation I had with Bow…” Blitz said, thinking for a few moments. “I never realized that… she and I felt so similarly about things…”
“She understood how you felt about your situation, and could relate to it,” Hercules commented, smiling.
“Hercules… I won’t forgive you for telling Sera and Chiaki the truth about me just yet,” Blitz said, looking up at the Heracross. “But… I need you…”
Much to Hercules’ surprise, Blitz suddenly ran up and hugged him.
“Blitz…” Hercules said, smiling and gently petting him on the head. “I’m still here for you, anytime. Whenever you want to train, or you need advice, I’ll do my best to help you.”
“Thank you…” Blitz replied, giving a small smile. “Well… I guess I should get going now.”
“Good-bye for now, then,” Hercules said, nodding his head slightly.
Blitz then headed outside, briefly glancing back over his shoulder before disappearing out the door. With a sigh of relief, Hercules went to finish what little work was left before he was done for the day.
----
Marietta was humming to herself while waiting outside the café for a certain Heracross to show up. She occasionally glanced around, and seemed quite pleased once she finally spotted Hercules flying over to the café.
“Ah, there you are!” Marietta said, grinning.
“Sorry if I kept you waiting,” Hercules responded, smiling at the Ledian.
“Ooh, you seem to be in a good mood,” Marietta commented, as the two of them headed into the café. “Good day at work?”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Hercules replied. “And how was your day?”
“Pretty good,” Marietta responded, taking a seat. “Of course, I guess my work isn’t as interesting as yours.”
“Maybe not, but I’d say your job is probably more important than mine,” Hercules said, smiling at Marietta.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Marietta responded. “I mean, sure, keeping money safe for rescue teams is important, but I’d say the way you help Pokémon train is important too.”
“Well, of course,” Hercules replied, nodding his head slightly.
“So, how’d you end up in charge of the dojo, anyways?” Marietta asked.
“Oh, well, it’s kind of a long story,” Hercules responded. “But if you’re interested, I’ll gladly tell you.”
“Sounds good to me,” Marietta replied, nodding her head slightly. “Let me just go order us some drinks first. You like your berry juice sweet, am I right?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Hercules responded, nodding his head.
“All right, I’ll be back in just a moment!” Marietta replied, cheerfully flying up to the counter to order the drinks.
Hercules smiled as he watched the Ledian talk with River, and thought to himself about how he hoped Blitz would be able to sort things out with his teammates soon. Things were starting to seem like they were only going to get better from here… but then again, perhaps it was a bit too soon to be thinking that way.
----
End of Chapter 27.
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Last edited:
DarkerShining
Well-Known Member
Hi, it's me again! Thanks to everyone who's been reading the story so far, and I hope you're all enjoying it!
Things might be getting more busy with school and such again pretty soon, but I'm going to keep doing my best to get new chapters done and keep this story moving! For now, here's Chapter 28!
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Chapter 28: Have you been doing anything suspicious lately?
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Blitz, Chiaki and Lita were sleeping soundly as the morning sun slowly spread its light across the area… that is, until they were suddenly woken up by the sound of Santos the Delibird’s terrified screams. Blitz got up, and looked outside just in time to see Santos running past his house in a panic. Blitz however, remained perfectly calm, since he had a fairly good idea of what was going on.
“Lita, I think mom is here to pick you up,” Blitz said, looking over at his younger sister.
“Aw, I have to go home already?” Lita asked, pouting. “I want to spend more time with you, big brother!”
“I know, I wish we could spend more time together too,” Blitz responded, nuzzling Lita. “I promise I’ll try to write to you more often, though.”
“Okay…” Lita replied, sighing. “It’s not the same, though…”
“Hello!” Leandra said, as she suddenly showed up at the front door, smiling widely.
“Hey, mom,” Blitz replied, waving a paw slightly.
“Oh, um… Hi, Blitz’s mom,” Chiaki said, timidly waving a paw while trying not to look directly at the many sharp teeth exposed by the Luxray’s smile.
“So, how has my little princess been?” Leandra asked, walking up to Lita. “Did you enjoy spending these past few days visiting your brother?”
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun!” Lita responded, nodding her head.
“Good to hear,” Leandra replied, before turning to Blitz. “What about you, my little prince?”
“Oh, um… It’s certainly been nice having Lita over,” Blitz said, glancing around as he rubbed his forelegs together. “Other than that, I guess the past few days have been rather uneventful.”
“What are you talking about?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly. “Our rescue team reached Silver rank, remember?”
“Ooh, Silver rank? Congratulations!” Leandra commented, patting Blitz on the head.
“Uh… Thanks,” Blitz responded, looking a bit embarrassed.
“Well, I should get going now,” Leandra said, grinning. “So, you and your friends keep up the good work!”
“Yeah, we will,” Blitz replied, nodding his head. “Bye for now, mom. Bye for now, Lita.”
“Bye, Blitz!” Lita said, waving her paw. “Don’t forget to write soon!”
“Okay, let’s head home, Lita!” Leandra said.
The Luxray and her daughter began heading off, and soon had disappeared from sight.
“Well, I guess we should be going somewhere too,” Blitz said, looking over at Chiaki. “Sera and Azure may already be waiting for us in the town plaza.”
Chiaki nodded his head, and followed Blitz into the main part of the town.
----
After meeting up with Sera and Azure, the four of them headed for the rescue team HQ to look for some missions. However, when they got into the main room of the HQ, they noticed Mirage’s rescue team discussing something. Wondering what was going on, they decided to go investigate.
“The mushroom says no,” Cordyceps said, looking up at Megara with his blank white eyes.
“But guys, this is the perfect chance for you two to get to see where I’m from!” Megara protested. “I could introduce you two to my old friends!”
“My apologies, but the mushroom’s answer is still no, and as usual, I have to take the mushroom’s side,” Cordyceps responded. “As you know, we don’t particularly like fire, strong heat and similar things of that nature.”
“While I don’t have the same weakness to fire as Cordyceps does, I’m with him on this one,” Mirage said, sighing. “It’s not that I don’t want to help, but… well, it’s a volcano!”
“Oh, come on!” Megara said, looking somewhat annoyed. “Would you be saying the same thing if there was money to earn on this mission?”
“What are you implying?” Mirage asked, crossing her arms.
“Um… What is going on over here?” Azure asked, walking up to the three. “What are you guys arguing about?”
“We talked to Stella this morning, and apparently one of the Axis Tower crystals is hidden somewhere within Mt. Caldera,” Mirage explained. “And since that is where Megara is from, she wants the three of us to go retrieve it, but…”
“The mushroom doesn’t want to go because our species and fire go together about as well as a Magcargo and the ocean,” Cordyceps added.
“You guys don’t know what you’re missing out on!” Megara protested.
“I’m really sorry, Meg,” Mirage said, shaking her head. “But I think it’s better if Cordy and I take care of another mission while you go handle this. After all, you know your way around the volcano, so I’m sure you can handle this just fine without our help!”
“Okay, fine,” Megara responded, sighing. “I would’ve liked to introduce you two to some of my friends back home, though…”
“Maybe you can ask them to come visit you here sometime?” Mirage suggested, giving a comforting smile. “Anyways, I guess Cordy and I should go find ourselves a mission, so good luck with finding the crystal!”
“Thanks,” Megara responded, nodding her head slightly. “Good luck to you too.”
As Mirage and Cordyceps went to look at the mission boards, Megara turned to Sera and her teammates.
“So… You guys have helped retrieve some of the crystals already, right?” Megara asked.
“Uh… Yeah,” Sera responded, nodding her head.
“Well, maybe you guys would like to come with me, then?” Megara asked, glancing over at her teammates. “I figure that since Mirage and Cordy didn’t want to come, I might as well invite someone else.”
“Oh, um… Kind of sudden, but… sure, we’ll come along,” Sera said, nodding her head slightly.
“Wait, what?” Blitz responded, looking over at Sera. “How are we supposed to explore a volcano without our ears burning off, or something?”
“I think Couture might have something that’ll protect you from the heat,” Megara said, pointing to the green curtain.
“Well, let’s go get that item from Couture, then!” Azure said, grinning. “My water moves will take care of any wild fire Pokémon that think they can mess with us!”
“Uh… Okay,” Sera responded, nodding her head slightly. “Come on, guys.”
And so, they headed through the green curtain, where the Leavanny was in the process of making a scarf.
“Oh, it’s you!” Couture said, smiling as Sera and her teammates came in. “Were you pleased with the Deep Sea Charms I made for you?”
“Yeah, they worked really well!” Chiaki responded, grinning.
“That’s good to hear!” Couture replied, still smiling. “So, what may I help you with this time?”
“Well, Megara invited us along on a mission to Mt. Caldera,” Azure explained. “So, we’re going to need something to protect ourselves from the heat.”
“Ah, I have just the thing!” Couture said, looking through a box and pulling out four silver-colored headbands from it. “Here, try these on!”
“Um… How exactly do these help?” Blitz asked, while trying on his.
“They’re made with a special fabric infused with a type of magic that makes it so a Pokémon can explore even extremely warm areas and barely feel the heat!” Couture explained, smiling as the rescue team put the headbands on. “They won’t protect you from direct fire attacks, nor do they protect from lava.”
“Cool,” Azure commented, nodding slightly.
“Thanks, Couture!” Chiaki said, grinning.
“You’re welcome!” Couture responded, smiling back and waving as the four Pokémon left her room. “When you need anything else, just let me know!”
The four Pokémon quickly met up with Megara, and headed into Kala’s room. The Abra was asleep, but that didn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
“Hey, wake up!” Megara said, shaking Kala’s shoulder.
“Not now, I’m tired…” Kala muttered in her sleep. “I’ll teach you more about telepathy later, okay…”
“Kala, wake up! We need you to send us over to Mt. Caldera!” Megara said, continuing to shake the Abra’s shoulder.
Kala slowly sat up and opened her eyes, sleepily looking at the five Pokémon before yawning.
“Oh, I thought you were someone else…” Kala said, rubbing her eyes. “Okay, teleporting… Sure… I’ll do that…”
Using her power, the five Pokémon disappeared in a flash of light as Kala’s power sent them to their desired destination. With her job done for now, Kala plopped back down onto her pillow, and went back to sleep.
----
Megara grinned as best as a Pokémon with a beak could, as she looked around at the familiar surroundings of the place where she grew up. While there was not much other than rock and magma to see, the way some of the rocks were shaped and the different elevations still made it an impressive sight.
“Whoa…” Sera said, looking around. “This place is really big, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is,” Megara responded, nodding her head.
“Hmm… Probably won’t be easy to find that crystal, then,” Blitz commented, rubbing his forelegs together. “Not to mention that a lot of these areas can probably only be reached by fire type Pokémon…”
“Don’t worry,” Megara said, grinning. “Just leave those areas to me!”
“So, where should we go?” Chiaki asked, looking around.
“I’ll lead the way,” Megara responded, motioning for the rescue team to follow her. “Come on, let’s go!”
Sera and her teammates followed Megara, seeing as she was the one who knew her way around this place. They occasionally passed by a few fire type Pokémon that Megara greeted as they looked around, and soon they come across a red bipedal clawed lizard and a monkey with orange fur as well as a blue and red pattern of fur on his face that made it look like he was wearing a mask. Both Pokémon’s tails had a flame burning at the tip of it, similar to Megara’s own tail.
Megara seemed to recognize this Charmeleon and Monferno, and excitedly ran over to them.
“Drake! Inferno! Long time no see!” Megara shouted, getting their attention.
“Megara?” Drake the Charmeleon said, seeming surprised to see the Magmar.
“That’s right!” Megara responded, grinning. “Sorry to show up unannounced like this, but I’m sort of on a special mission!”
“Hey, that’s fine,” Inferno the Monferno said, smiling at Megara. “I certainly don’t mind surprise visits, especially not from our old pal Megara!”
“Oh, I’ve missed hanging out with you guys so much!” Megara said.
“We’ve missed you too, Megara,” Drake responded, smiling at the Magmar.
“Yeah, things are more fun when all three of us are together,” Inferno commented, smirking as he looked up at Megara. “By the way, Megara… You look hot.”
Drake gave a slight groan, while Megara just chuckled.
“How long have you been waiting to use that one?” Drake asked, shaking his head.
“Oh, come on, look at her!” Inferno said, grinning. “I can tell she’s just burning with passion for her rescue team work! Isn’t that right, Megara?”
“You haven’t changed one bit,” Megara responded, chuckling.
“He certainly hasn’t,” Drake commented, rolling his eyes. “So, anyways… What is this mission you mentioned?”
“Well, it turns out one of the Axis Tower crystals may be hidden somewhere in Mt. Caldera, so I came to investigate,” Megara explained.
“Whoa, one of the Axis Tower crystals is here?” Inferno asked, staring wide-eyed at Megara.
“Yeah, apparently,” Megara responded, shrugging slightly. “I tried to convince my teammates to come along, but they weren’t too fond of places as warm as this…”
“So, who are they, then?” Drake asked, pointing to Sera and her teammates, who had been watching the conversation.
“Oh, they’re another rescue team I invited along,” Megara responded. “They’ve been doing a pretty good job helping track down the other crystals so far, so I figured they could help us out.”
“Uh… Hi!” Sera said, waving a paw. “I’m Sera, the leader of this rescue team. And these are my teammates, Blitz, Chiaki and Azure.”
“Ooh, nice to meet you all!” Inferno said, grinning.
“It’s nice to meet you too!” Chiaki responded, smiling.
“So, I’m guessing neither of you have heard anything about this crystal?” Megara asked.
“No, we have not,” Drake responded, thinking for a moment. “We should probably let Aidan know about this.”
“Yeah, definitely,” Megara replied, nodding her head. “Do you guys know where he is right now?”
“This way,” Drake said, pointing to a nearby tunnel.
The seven Pokémon began heading through the large tunnel, even if Sera and her teammates were a bit lost as to what was going on.
“So, who is this Aidan?” Azure asked.
“Oh, he’s an Arcanine who is kind of in charge around here,” Megara explained. “He and a Blaziken named Blaze look after things, making sure all the Pokémon here are happy and things like that.”
“Huh, so those Pokémon are sort of like… a pride leader?” Blitz asked, looking down at the ground.
“Something like that, yeah,” Megara responded, shrugging slightly.
“Blaze has been acting kind of strangely lately, though…” Drake commented.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Megara asked, looking over at the Charmeleon.
“Well, it’s… kind of difficult to explain,” Drake responded, thinking for a moment. “He doesn’t seem to listen to anyone’s concerns these days… and it seems like… I don’t know… like he has something on his mind, but whenever someone tries asking him about it, he refuses to answer…”
“Also, the other day, I saw him sneaking around near one of the tunnels,” Inferno added, tilting his head slightly. “I tried following him, but I lost sight of him before I could find out where he was going…”
“That is really strange…” Megara responded, looking rather confused.
“Sounds awfully suspicious to me,” Azure commented. “I bet he’s hiding something.”
The seven Pokémon soon reached another section of the area, where a large dog with orange fur with black stripes was talking to some other fire type Pokémon. Once the other fire types had left, he noticed Megara and the others and turned his attention to them.
“Ah, Megara, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you around,” Aidan said, giving the Magmar a friendly smile. “So, how have things been for you since you went to Fenix Town? I’ve heard that you joined a rescue team?”
“That’s right!” Megara responded, nodding her head. “I’ve been doing pretty well, with a lot of successful missions and stuff!”
“Good to hear,” Aidan replied, before his expression changed to a slightly concerned one. “I get the feeling that you didn’t just come here to visit, though. Is something the matter?”
“Your intuition is pretty much correct there,” Megara responded. “Turns out one of the crystals that went missing from Axis Tower might be hidden somewhere inside of Mt. Caldera.”
“Is that so?” Aidan asked, stopping to think for a moment. “This is the first I’ve heard about this… If this is true, we must find that crystal as soon as possible.”
“You’ll help us find it, then?” Megara asked.
“I’ll do what I can,” Aidan responded, nodding his head.
“So, um… Have you noticed anything unusual in the past few weeks?” Blitz asked, rubbing his forelegs together as he looked up at the larger Pokémon. “Like, any strange things happening with the volcano…?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Aidan responded, shaking his head. “As far as I can tell, nothing is wrong with the volcano…”
“Ah…” Blitz replied.
“Are you absolutely sure about that?” Sera asked.
Aidan was about to say something, when a bipedal Pokémon with red feathers covering most of his body walked over. The Pokémon also had gray talon-like hands with three fingers, beige hair-like feathers behind its head and its mouth looked similar to a beak. The Blaziken didn’t seem to pay much attention to the Pokémon present as he walked over.
“Oh, there you are, Blaze,” Aidan said, looking over at the Blaziken. “Have you seen anything unusual around here lately?”
“… No, nothing unusual at all,” Blaze responded, his voice sounding oddly flat. Megara couldn’t help but think about Cordyceps when she heard Blaze speak.
“Are you sure?” Aidan asked, giving the Blaziken a concerned look. “According to these Pokémon, there might be a crystal from Axis Tower hidden here somewhere.”
“I have seen no such thing,” Blaze responded, continuing to walk. “Don’t bother me, I’m busy.”
The other Pokémon exchanged confused glances, except Azure, who wasn’t quite satisfied with the Blaziken’s answer and tried running up to him before he could leave the area. Blaze didn’t seem to acknowledge her presence, however.
“Are you hiding something?” Azure asked, smirking as she looked up at him.
Blaze ignored her and just continued to walk away. Azure just ran a bit further, trying to get his attention.
“Have you been doing anything suspicious lately?” Azure asked.
The Blaziken just continued walking away without even seeming to notice Azure, much to her annoyance.
“Hey, I’m talking to you, chicken-breast!” Azure shouted as the Blaziken disappeared into one of the tunnels. “How rude…”
“I don’t know what is up with him these days…” Aidan said, sighing. “I guess I’ll go ask around and see if any of the others have noticed anything unusual.”
As Aidan went off to another part of the volcano to ask the fire type Pokémon there if they’d seen anything out of the ordinary, the other seven Pokémon pondered what to do now.
“I think we should help Aidan ask around,” Drake said.
“Good idea,” Megara replied, nodding her head. “We might be able to learn something faster that way.”
The three fire type Pokémon went off to help Aidan, while Sera and her teammates stayed behind, pondering what to do now.
“So… What exactly are we going to do now?” Azure asked. “Without Megara to show us around, we won’t exactly know where to go.”
“I guess we can explore and look for anything that might seem unusual?” Chiaki suggested.
“Um… We don’t exactly know all that much about this place,” Sera commented, glancing around. “I mean… Even if we came across something unusual, we might not even realize it since we don’t really know all that much about this place…”
“Actually… I think there’s something kind of obvious that we’re overlooking here,” Blitz said. “Megara’s friends say the Blaziken is acting different from how he usually acts, right?”
“You think the Blaziken has something to do with this?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head.
“Well, even though I don’t even know him… something certainly seemed off about his behavior…” Blitz said, looking down at the ground.
“But… doesn’t he help Aidan look after the Pokémon here?” Chiaki asked. “I mean, surely he wouldn’t be up to something not good…?”
“Even the most reliable of leaders could…” Blitz said, but stopped before he could finish whatever he was about to say.
Sera looked over at Blitz, wanting to say something, but wasn’t sure what to say.
“I think Blitz is on to something,” Azure said, nodding slightly. “There’s definitely something suspicious going on with that guy.”
“So… I guess we should go investigate, then…?” Sera asked, seeming a bit uncertain.
“It’s the only lead we’ve got,” Azure commented. “So, we might as well check it out, and see if we can find out what’s going on.”
“Okay… Let’s do that, then…” Sera said, nodding her head slightly. “… Where do we begin?”
“Um… The Blaziken went that way, right?” Blitz asked, pointing his paw towards the tunnel which the Blaziken had left through.
“Yeah, he did,” Azure responded.
“Oh. Well, I guess we should also go that way, then…” Sera said, slowly beginning to walk towards the tunnel.
----
Blitz tried his best to track the Blaziken’s scent, although it was difficult to do considering the smoke and smell of sulfur that were mixed in with the air in the volcano. Blitz figured that the Pokémon living there weren’t bothered by it, and tried his best to ignore it and focus on trying to follow the Blaziken’s scent. Eventually, he lost the trail, and realized that he and his friends were probably lost now, unless Megara or one of her friends happened to find them.
“So… I’m guessing by the look on your face that you can’t figure out where he might’ve gone from here?” Sera asked, looking somewhat concerned.
“Pretty much,” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together. “I’m surprised I was even able to get us this far.”
“Ugh, maybe I shouldn’t have suggested this…” Sera said, sighing. “I’m so sorry, guys… I’ve gotten us all lost…”
“Hey, it’s not your fault, Sera!” Blitz responded, looking around. “Maybe we should just go back the way we…” Blitz trailed off as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
“What is it?” Chiaki asked. “Did you find something?”
“There’s a Kangaskhan rock over there,” Blitz responded, pointing a paw at the rock shaped like the kangaroo Pokémon.
“Oh, there is!” Chiaki said, nodding his head. “That’s a good thing, right?”
“Well, since Mt. Caldera is marked on our map and Kala can teleport us here, then there must be a mystery dungeon here,” Blitz explained, looking around. “And since this Kangaskhan rock is here, then that mystery dungeon is probably very close by.”
“Ooh, right,” Azure said, nodding slightly. “But how does finding the mystery dungeon of this place help us in this situation?”
“Hmm… Remember how Inferno said he tried following Blaze, but eventually lost sight of him?” Blitz asked, glancing around. “I sort of have a hunch, but…”
“Well, what is it?” Chiaki replied.
“I might be completely wrong here, I mean, we don’t even know if this is the area Inferno was following Blaze into…” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together. “But if it is… then maybe he lost sight of Blaze because Blaze went into the mystery dungeon?”
“Huh, I guess that kind of makes sense…” Azure commented. “Although as you said, you are just making a wild guess here.”
“I know…” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “Maybe I shouldn’t even have brought it up…”
“So, what do we do from here, then?” Chiaki asked, looking around at his teammates.
“Um… I really don’t know,” Sera said, sighing. “I’m not doing a very good job as a rescue team leader today…”
“Sera, don’t feel bad,” Blitz responded, gently patting Sera’s back. “None of us really know what to do at the moment…”
“Hmm… Guess we should try to figure out whether this mystery dungeon is worth exploring or not,” Azure said, thinking for a moment. “Man, if only there was some kind of thing we could use to like, talk to Pokémon far away so we could talk to Megara and her friends, or if we could somehow send them a picture of this area with a short message like, “Hey, is this the place you lost sight of Blaze?” and then they could send a message back and say if it was or not…”
“Ooh, such a thing sounds like it’d be quite handy indeed,” Chiaki commented, nodding his head slightly.
“We should’ve just followed Megara and her friends…” Sera muttered, her ears drooping slightly. “Why didn’t I suggest that instead of bringing us out here…?”
“Sera, this is my fault just as much as it is yours,” Blitz said, sighing. “After all, if I hadn’t brought up Blaze’s strange behavior as a possible clue as to how to find the crystal…”
“At least you actually did figure something out, though,” Sera replied.
“Guys, we can discuss our mistakes after the mission is over,” Azure said, glancing at the tunnels. “I say we do explore the dungeon. I mean, the other crystals required us to explore mystery dungeons to get to them, so maybe we need to do that here too?”
“Well… I suppose that makes sense, as whoever hid them would make them difficult to reach from what we’ve seen so far,” Blitz responded. “But… just like my theory, we can’t know anything for sure.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Chiaki said, nodding his head. “I mean, what if the crystal-stealer decided to hide this one in a place that didn’t require going through the mystery dungeon to reach, since the rescue teams would naturally assume that they’d have to go through the mystery dungeon after finding other crystals that way?”
“Um… You know, it’s only a coincidence that our rescue team has been involved in getting back all the found crystals so far,” Blitz commented, rubbing his forelegs together. “We only happened to be in the right place at the right times to learn about Stella’s latest visions of a crystal location, and thus going to investigate those places…”
“Oh, right…” Chiaki said, looking down sheepishly. “I suppose the odds of the same rescue team finding all the crystals are kind of slim, huh?”
“Hey, what’s going on here?” another voice asked, and the rescue team turned to see Megara and her two friends.
“Megara!” Chiaki exclaimed, looking happy to see her.
“Sorry I left you guys behind…” Megara said, rubbing the back of her head. “I decided to go check on you once I realized that without you guys, I won’t be able to get back to Fenix Town since I don’t have Mirage’s rescue team badge with me…”
“Really, that’s your only reason?” Azure asked, giving Megara a look.
“No, of course not,” Megara replied, looking down sheepishly. “I’m sorry; I guess you guys were kind of lost without a guide, huh?”
“We were,” Chiaki responded, smiling. “But everything is fine now that you’re here!”
“Uh… Thanks,” Megara replied, returning the smile.
“So, what were you talking about just now?” Drake asked.
Blitz decided to let Megara and her friends know about his suspicions regarding Blaze’s strange behavior, and the possible connection to the crystal. The three fire types listened closely, and exchanged concerned glances as Blitz finished explaining.
“What do you guys think?” Megara asked.
“I… suppose it makes sense,” Drake responded, sighing. “I guess we didn’t really notice before because… well, I guess we didn’t want to believe that Blaze would do something like that.”
“Inferno, is this the place where you lost sight of Blaze that time?” Azure asked, looking over at the fire monkey.
“As a matter of fact, it is!” Inferno responded, nodding his head. “I guess he must’ve gotten into the mystery dungeon just before I reached this area.”
The seven Pokémon present exchanged glances, and looked towards one of the tunnels.
“Is that the mystery dungeon entrance?” Blitz asked.
“It is,” Megara replied, nodding her head. “You guys make preparations, and go ahead into the dungeon. Drake, Inferno and I will go find Aidan, and explain to him what you just told us.”
“Okay,” Blitz responded, nodding his head.
“We’ll catch up to you as soon as we can,” Megara said, giving a determined smile.
“Yeah, and when we catch up, things are really going to heat up!” Inferno added, grinning.
“… Good luck, you guys,” Drake said, while rubbing his head and sighing at Inferno’s attempt at a joke.
The three fire types went off to find Aidan, while Sera and her teammates were left behind to make their preparations for exploring the mystery dungeon. Hopefully, it would lead them closer to finding out where the crystal was hidden, and what Blaze’s strange behavior was all about.
----
End of chapter 28.
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Things might be getting more busy with school and such again pretty soon, but I'm going to keep doing my best to get new chapters done and keep this story moving! For now, here's Chapter 28!
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Chapter 28: Have you been doing anything suspicious lately?
----
Blitz, Chiaki and Lita were sleeping soundly as the morning sun slowly spread its light across the area… that is, until they were suddenly woken up by the sound of Santos the Delibird’s terrified screams. Blitz got up, and looked outside just in time to see Santos running past his house in a panic. Blitz however, remained perfectly calm, since he had a fairly good idea of what was going on.
“Lita, I think mom is here to pick you up,” Blitz said, looking over at his younger sister.
“Aw, I have to go home already?” Lita asked, pouting. “I want to spend more time with you, big brother!”
“I know, I wish we could spend more time together too,” Blitz responded, nuzzling Lita. “I promise I’ll try to write to you more often, though.”
“Okay…” Lita replied, sighing. “It’s not the same, though…”
“Hello!” Leandra said, as she suddenly showed up at the front door, smiling widely.
“Hey, mom,” Blitz replied, waving a paw slightly.
“Oh, um… Hi, Blitz’s mom,” Chiaki said, timidly waving a paw while trying not to look directly at the many sharp teeth exposed by the Luxray’s smile.
“So, how has my little princess been?” Leandra asked, walking up to Lita. “Did you enjoy spending these past few days visiting your brother?”
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun!” Lita responded, nodding her head.
“Good to hear,” Leandra replied, before turning to Blitz. “What about you, my little prince?”
“Oh, um… It’s certainly been nice having Lita over,” Blitz said, glancing around as he rubbed his forelegs together. “Other than that, I guess the past few days have been rather uneventful.”
“What are you talking about?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly. “Our rescue team reached Silver rank, remember?”
“Ooh, Silver rank? Congratulations!” Leandra commented, patting Blitz on the head.
“Uh… Thanks,” Blitz responded, looking a bit embarrassed.
“Well, I should get going now,” Leandra said, grinning. “So, you and your friends keep up the good work!”
“Yeah, we will,” Blitz replied, nodding his head. “Bye for now, mom. Bye for now, Lita.”
“Bye, Blitz!” Lita said, waving her paw. “Don’t forget to write soon!”
“Okay, let’s head home, Lita!” Leandra said.
The Luxray and her daughter began heading off, and soon had disappeared from sight.
“Well, I guess we should be going somewhere too,” Blitz said, looking over at Chiaki. “Sera and Azure may already be waiting for us in the town plaza.”
Chiaki nodded his head, and followed Blitz into the main part of the town.
----
After meeting up with Sera and Azure, the four of them headed for the rescue team HQ to look for some missions. However, when they got into the main room of the HQ, they noticed Mirage’s rescue team discussing something. Wondering what was going on, they decided to go investigate.
“The mushroom says no,” Cordyceps said, looking up at Megara with his blank white eyes.
“But guys, this is the perfect chance for you two to get to see where I’m from!” Megara protested. “I could introduce you two to my old friends!”
“My apologies, but the mushroom’s answer is still no, and as usual, I have to take the mushroom’s side,” Cordyceps responded. “As you know, we don’t particularly like fire, strong heat and similar things of that nature.”
“While I don’t have the same weakness to fire as Cordyceps does, I’m with him on this one,” Mirage said, sighing. “It’s not that I don’t want to help, but… well, it’s a volcano!”
“Oh, come on!” Megara said, looking somewhat annoyed. “Would you be saying the same thing if there was money to earn on this mission?”
“What are you implying?” Mirage asked, crossing her arms.
“Um… What is going on over here?” Azure asked, walking up to the three. “What are you guys arguing about?”
“We talked to Stella this morning, and apparently one of the Axis Tower crystals is hidden somewhere within Mt. Caldera,” Mirage explained. “And since that is where Megara is from, she wants the three of us to go retrieve it, but…”
“The mushroom doesn’t want to go because our species and fire go together about as well as a Magcargo and the ocean,” Cordyceps added.
“You guys don’t know what you’re missing out on!” Megara protested.
“I’m really sorry, Meg,” Mirage said, shaking her head. “But I think it’s better if Cordy and I take care of another mission while you go handle this. After all, you know your way around the volcano, so I’m sure you can handle this just fine without our help!”
“Okay, fine,” Megara responded, sighing. “I would’ve liked to introduce you two to some of my friends back home, though…”
“Maybe you can ask them to come visit you here sometime?” Mirage suggested, giving a comforting smile. “Anyways, I guess Cordy and I should go find ourselves a mission, so good luck with finding the crystal!”
“Thanks,” Megara responded, nodding her head slightly. “Good luck to you too.”
As Mirage and Cordyceps went to look at the mission boards, Megara turned to Sera and her teammates.
“So… You guys have helped retrieve some of the crystals already, right?” Megara asked.
“Uh… Yeah,” Sera responded, nodding her head.
“Well, maybe you guys would like to come with me, then?” Megara asked, glancing over at her teammates. “I figure that since Mirage and Cordy didn’t want to come, I might as well invite someone else.”
“Oh, um… Kind of sudden, but… sure, we’ll come along,” Sera said, nodding her head slightly.
“Wait, what?” Blitz responded, looking over at Sera. “How are we supposed to explore a volcano without our ears burning off, or something?”
“I think Couture might have something that’ll protect you from the heat,” Megara said, pointing to the green curtain.
“Well, let’s go get that item from Couture, then!” Azure said, grinning. “My water moves will take care of any wild fire Pokémon that think they can mess with us!”
“Uh… Okay,” Sera responded, nodding her head slightly. “Come on, guys.”
And so, they headed through the green curtain, where the Leavanny was in the process of making a scarf.
“Oh, it’s you!” Couture said, smiling as Sera and her teammates came in. “Were you pleased with the Deep Sea Charms I made for you?”
“Yeah, they worked really well!” Chiaki responded, grinning.
“That’s good to hear!” Couture replied, still smiling. “So, what may I help you with this time?”
“Well, Megara invited us along on a mission to Mt. Caldera,” Azure explained. “So, we’re going to need something to protect ourselves from the heat.”
“Ah, I have just the thing!” Couture said, looking through a box and pulling out four silver-colored headbands from it. “Here, try these on!”
“Um… How exactly do these help?” Blitz asked, while trying on his.
“They’re made with a special fabric infused with a type of magic that makes it so a Pokémon can explore even extremely warm areas and barely feel the heat!” Couture explained, smiling as the rescue team put the headbands on. “They won’t protect you from direct fire attacks, nor do they protect from lava.”
“Cool,” Azure commented, nodding slightly.
“Thanks, Couture!” Chiaki said, grinning.
“You’re welcome!” Couture responded, smiling back and waving as the four Pokémon left her room. “When you need anything else, just let me know!”
The four Pokémon quickly met up with Megara, and headed into Kala’s room. The Abra was asleep, but that didn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
“Hey, wake up!” Megara said, shaking Kala’s shoulder.
“Not now, I’m tired…” Kala muttered in her sleep. “I’ll teach you more about telepathy later, okay…”
“Kala, wake up! We need you to send us over to Mt. Caldera!” Megara said, continuing to shake the Abra’s shoulder.
Kala slowly sat up and opened her eyes, sleepily looking at the five Pokémon before yawning.
“Oh, I thought you were someone else…” Kala said, rubbing her eyes. “Okay, teleporting… Sure… I’ll do that…”
Using her power, the five Pokémon disappeared in a flash of light as Kala’s power sent them to their desired destination. With her job done for now, Kala plopped back down onto her pillow, and went back to sleep.
----
Megara grinned as best as a Pokémon with a beak could, as she looked around at the familiar surroundings of the place where she grew up. While there was not much other than rock and magma to see, the way some of the rocks were shaped and the different elevations still made it an impressive sight.
“Whoa…” Sera said, looking around. “This place is really big, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is,” Megara responded, nodding her head.
“Hmm… Probably won’t be easy to find that crystal, then,” Blitz commented, rubbing his forelegs together. “Not to mention that a lot of these areas can probably only be reached by fire type Pokémon…”
“Don’t worry,” Megara said, grinning. “Just leave those areas to me!”
“So, where should we go?” Chiaki asked, looking around.
“I’ll lead the way,” Megara responded, motioning for the rescue team to follow her. “Come on, let’s go!”
Sera and her teammates followed Megara, seeing as she was the one who knew her way around this place. They occasionally passed by a few fire type Pokémon that Megara greeted as they looked around, and soon they come across a red bipedal clawed lizard and a monkey with orange fur as well as a blue and red pattern of fur on his face that made it look like he was wearing a mask. Both Pokémon’s tails had a flame burning at the tip of it, similar to Megara’s own tail.
Megara seemed to recognize this Charmeleon and Monferno, and excitedly ran over to them.
“Drake! Inferno! Long time no see!” Megara shouted, getting their attention.
“Megara?” Drake the Charmeleon said, seeming surprised to see the Magmar.
“That’s right!” Megara responded, grinning. “Sorry to show up unannounced like this, but I’m sort of on a special mission!”
“Hey, that’s fine,” Inferno the Monferno said, smiling at Megara. “I certainly don’t mind surprise visits, especially not from our old pal Megara!”
“Oh, I’ve missed hanging out with you guys so much!” Megara said.
“We’ve missed you too, Megara,” Drake responded, smiling at the Magmar.
“Yeah, things are more fun when all three of us are together,” Inferno commented, smirking as he looked up at Megara. “By the way, Megara… You look hot.”
Drake gave a slight groan, while Megara just chuckled.
“How long have you been waiting to use that one?” Drake asked, shaking his head.
“Oh, come on, look at her!” Inferno said, grinning. “I can tell she’s just burning with passion for her rescue team work! Isn’t that right, Megara?”
“You haven’t changed one bit,” Megara responded, chuckling.
“He certainly hasn’t,” Drake commented, rolling his eyes. “So, anyways… What is this mission you mentioned?”
“Well, it turns out one of the Axis Tower crystals may be hidden somewhere in Mt. Caldera, so I came to investigate,” Megara explained.
“Whoa, one of the Axis Tower crystals is here?” Inferno asked, staring wide-eyed at Megara.
“Yeah, apparently,” Megara responded, shrugging slightly. “I tried to convince my teammates to come along, but they weren’t too fond of places as warm as this…”
“So, who are they, then?” Drake asked, pointing to Sera and her teammates, who had been watching the conversation.
“Oh, they’re another rescue team I invited along,” Megara responded. “They’ve been doing a pretty good job helping track down the other crystals so far, so I figured they could help us out.”
“Uh… Hi!” Sera said, waving a paw. “I’m Sera, the leader of this rescue team. And these are my teammates, Blitz, Chiaki and Azure.”
“Ooh, nice to meet you all!” Inferno said, grinning.
“It’s nice to meet you too!” Chiaki responded, smiling.
“So, I’m guessing neither of you have heard anything about this crystal?” Megara asked.
“No, we have not,” Drake responded, thinking for a moment. “We should probably let Aidan know about this.”
“Yeah, definitely,” Megara replied, nodding her head. “Do you guys know where he is right now?”
“This way,” Drake said, pointing to a nearby tunnel.
The seven Pokémon began heading through the large tunnel, even if Sera and her teammates were a bit lost as to what was going on.
“So, who is this Aidan?” Azure asked.
“Oh, he’s an Arcanine who is kind of in charge around here,” Megara explained. “He and a Blaziken named Blaze look after things, making sure all the Pokémon here are happy and things like that.”
“Huh, so those Pokémon are sort of like… a pride leader?” Blitz asked, looking down at the ground.
“Something like that, yeah,” Megara responded, shrugging slightly.
“Blaze has been acting kind of strangely lately, though…” Drake commented.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Megara asked, looking over at the Charmeleon.
“Well, it’s… kind of difficult to explain,” Drake responded, thinking for a moment. “He doesn’t seem to listen to anyone’s concerns these days… and it seems like… I don’t know… like he has something on his mind, but whenever someone tries asking him about it, he refuses to answer…”
“Also, the other day, I saw him sneaking around near one of the tunnels,” Inferno added, tilting his head slightly. “I tried following him, but I lost sight of him before I could find out where he was going…”
“That is really strange…” Megara responded, looking rather confused.
“Sounds awfully suspicious to me,” Azure commented. “I bet he’s hiding something.”
The seven Pokémon soon reached another section of the area, where a large dog with orange fur with black stripes was talking to some other fire type Pokémon. Once the other fire types had left, he noticed Megara and the others and turned his attention to them.
“Ah, Megara, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you around,” Aidan said, giving the Magmar a friendly smile. “So, how have things been for you since you went to Fenix Town? I’ve heard that you joined a rescue team?”
“That’s right!” Megara responded, nodding her head. “I’ve been doing pretty well, with a lot of successful missions and stuff!”
“Good to hear,” Aidan replied, before his expression changed to a slightly concerned one. “I get the feeling that you didn’t just come here to visit, though. Is something the matter?”
“Your intuition is pretty much correct there,” Megara responded. “Turns out one of the crystals that went missing from Axis Tower might be hidden somewhere inside of Mt. Caldera.”
“Is that so?” Aidan asked, stopping to think for a moment. “This is the first I’ve heard about this… If this is true, we must find that crystal as soon as possible.”
“You’ll help us find it, then?” Megara asked.
“I’ll do what I can,” Aidan responded, nodding his head.
“So, um… Have you noticed anything unusual in the past few weeks?” Blitz asked, rubbing his forelegs together as he looked up at the larger Pokémon. “Like, any strange things happening with the volcano…?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Aidan responded, shaking his head. “As far as I can tell, nothing is wrong with the volcano…”
“Ah…” Blitz replied.
“Are you absolutely sure about that?” Sera asked.
Aidan was about to say something, when a bipedal Pokémon with red feathers covering most of his body walked over. The Pokémon also had gray talon-like hands with three fingers, beige hair-like feathers behind its head and its mouth looked similar to a beak. The Blaziken didn’t seem to pay much attention to the Pokémon present as he walked over.
“Oh, there you are, Blaze,” Aidan said, looking over at the Blaziken. “Have you seen anything unusual around here lately?”
“… No, nothing unusual at all,” Blaze responded, his voice sounding oddly flat. Megara couldn’t help but think about Cordyceps when she heard Blaze speak.
“Are you sure?” Aidan asked, giving the Blaziken a concerned look. “According to these Pokémon, there might be a crystal from Axis Tower hidden here somewhere.”
“I have seen no such thing,” Blaze responded, continuing to walk. “Don’t bother me, I’m busy.”
The other Pokémon exchanged confused glances, except Azure, who wasn’t quite satisfied with the Blaziken’s answer and tried running up to him before he could leave the area. Blaze didn’t seem to acknowledge her presence, however.
“Are you hiding something?” Azure asked, smirking as she looked up at him.
Blaze ignored her and just continued to walk away. Azure just ran a bit further, trying to get his attention.
“Have you been doing anything suspicious lately?” Azure asked.
The Blaziken just continued walking away without even seeming to notice Azure, much to her annoyance.
“Hey, I’m talking to you, chicken-breast!” Azure shouted as the Blaziken disappeared into one of the tunnels. “How rude…”
“I don’t know what is up with him these days…” Aidan said, sighing. “I guess I’ll go ask around and see if any of the others have noticed anything unusual.”
As Aidan went off to another part of the volcano to ask the fire type Pokémon there if they’d seen anything out of the ordinary, the other seven Pokémon pondered what to do now.
“I think we should help Aidan ask around,” Drake said.
“Good idea,” Megara replied, nodding her head. “We might be able to learn something faster that way.”
The three fire type Pokémon went off to help Aidan, while Sera and her teammates stayed behind, pondering what to do now.
“So… What exactly are we going to do now?” Azure asked. “Without Megara to show us around, we won’t exactly know where to go.”
“I guess we can explore and look for anything that might seem unusual?” Chiaki suggested.
“Um… We don’t exactly know all that much about this place,” Sera commented, glancing around. “I mean… Even if we came across something unusual, we might not even realize it since we don’t really know all that much about this place…”
“Actually… I think there’s something kind of obvious that we’re overlooking here,” Blitz said. “Megara’s friends say the Blaziken is acting different from how he usually acts, right?”
“You think the Blaziken has something to do with this?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head.
“Well, even though I don’t even know him… something certainly seemed off about his behavior…” Blitz said, looking down at the ground.
“But… doesn’t he help Aidan look after the Pokémon here?” Chiaki asked. “I mean, surely he wouldn’t be up to something not good…?”
“Even the most reliable of leaders could…” Blitz said, but stopped before he could finish whatever he was about to say.
Sera looked over at Blitz, wanting to say something, but wasn’t sure what to say.
“I think Blitz is on to something,” Azure said, nodding slightly. “There’s definitely something suspicious going on with that guy.”
“So… I guess we should go investigate, then…?” Sera asked, seeming a bit uncertain.
“It’s the only lead we’ve got,” Azure commented. “So, we might as well check it out, and see if we can find out what’s going on.”
“Okay… Let’s do that, then…” Sera said, nodding her head slightly. “… Where do we begin?”
“Um… The Blaziken went that way, right?” Blitz asked, pointing his paw towards the tunnel which the Blaziken had left through.
“Yeah, he did,” Azure responded.
“Oh. Well, I guess we should also go that way, then…” Sera said, slowly beginning to walk towards the tunnel.
----
Blitz tried his best to track the Blaziken’s scent, although it was difficult to do considering the smoke and smell of sulfur that were mixed in with the air in the volcano. Blitz figured that the Pokémon living there weren’t bothered by it, and tried his best to ignore it and focus on trying to follow the Blaziken’s scent. Eventually, he lost the trail, and realized that he and his friends were probably lost now, unless Megara or one of her friends happened to find them.
“So… I’m guessing by the look on your face that you can’t figure out where he might’ve gone from here?” Sera asked, looking somewhat concerned.
“Pretty much,” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together. “I’m surprised I was even able to get us this far.”
“Ugh, maybe I shouldn’t have suggested this…” Sera said, sighing. “I’m so sorry, guys… I’ve gotten us all lost…”
“Hey, it’s not your fault, Sera!” Blitz responded, looking around. “Maybe we should just go back the way we…” Blitz trailed off as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
“What is it?” Chiaki asked. “Did you find something?”
“There’s a Kangaskhan rock over there,” Blitz responded, pointing a paw at the rock shaped like the kangaroo Pokémon.
“Oh, there is!” Chiaki said, nodding his head. “That’s a good thing, right?”
“Well, since Mt. Caldera is marked on our map and Kala can teleport us here, then there must be a mystery dungeon here,” Blitz explained, looking around. “And since this Kangaskhan rock is here, then that mystery dungeon is probably very close by.”
“Ooh, right,” Azure said, nodding slightly. “But how does finding the mystery dungeon of this place help us in this situation?”
“Hmm… Remember how Inferno said he tried following Blaze, but eventually lost sight of him?” Blitz asked, glancing around. “I sort of have a hunch, but…”
“Well, what is it?” Chiaki replied.
“I might be completely wrong here, I mean, we don’t even know if this is the area Inferno was following Blaze into…” Blitz said, rubbing his forelegs together. “But if it is… then maybe he lost sight of Blaze because Blaze went into the mystery dungeon?”
“Huh, I guess that kind of makes sense…” Azure commented. “Although as you said, you are just making a wild guess here.”
“I know…” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “Maybe I shouldn’t even have brought it up…”
“So, what do we do from here, then?” Chiaki asked, looking around at his teammates.
“Um… I really don’t know,” Sera said, sighing. “I’m not doing a very good job as a rescue team leader today…”
“Sera, don’t feel bad,” Blitz responded, gently patting Sera’s back. “None of us really know what to do at the moment…”
“Hmm… Guess we should try to figure out whether this mystery dungeon is worth exploring or not,” Azure said, thinking for a moment. “Man, if only there was some kind of thing we could use to like, talk to Pokémon far away so we could talk to Megara and her friends, or if we could somehow send them a picture of this area with a short message like, “Hey, is this the place you lost sight of Blaze?” and then they could send a message back and say if it was or not…”
“Ooh, such a thing sounds like it’d be quite handy indeed,” Chiaki commented, nodding his head slightly.
“We should’ve just followed Megara and her friends…” Sera muttered, her ears drooping slightly. “Why didn’t I suggest that instead of bringing us out here…?”
“Sera, this is my fault just as much as it is yours,” Blitz said, sighing. “After all, if I hadn’t brought up Blaze’s strange behavior as a possible clue as to how to find the crystal…”
“At least you actually did figure something out, though,” Sera replied.
“Guys, we can discuss our mistakes after the mission is over,” Azure said, glancing at the tunnels. “I say we do explore the dungeon. I mean, the other crystals required us to explore mystery dungeons to get to them, so maybe we need to do that here too?”
“Well… I suppose that makes sense, as whoever hid them would make them difficult to reach from what we’ve seen so far,” Blitz responded. “But… just like my theory, we can’t know anything for sure.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Chiaki said, nodding his head. “I mean, what if the crystal-stealer decided to hide this one in a place that didn’t require going through the mystery dungeon to reach, since the rescue teams would naturally assume that they’d have to go through the mystery dungeon after finding other crystals that way?”
“Um… You know, it’s only a coincidence that our rescue team has been involved in getting back all the found crystals so far,” Blitz commented, rubbing his forelegs together. “We only happened to be in the right place at the right times to learn about Stella’s latest visions of a crystal location, and thus going to investigate those places…”
“Oh, right…” Chiaki said, looking down sheepishly. “I suppose the odds of the same rescue team finding all the crystals are kind of slim, huh?”
“Hey, what’s going on here?” another voice asked, and the rescue team turned to see Megara and her two friends.
“Megara!” Chiaki exclaimed, looking happy to see her.
“Sorry I left you guys behind…” Megara said, rubbing the back of her head. “I decided to go check on you once I realized that without you guys, I won’t be able to get back to Fenix Town since I don’t have Mirage’s rescue team badge with me…”
“Really, that’s your only reason?” Azure asked, giving Megara a look.
“No, of course not,” Megara replied, looking down sheepishly. “I’m sorry; I guess you guys were kind of lost without a guide, huh?”
“We were,” Chiaki responded, smiling. “But everything is fine now that you’re here!”
“Uh… Thanks,” Megara replied, returning the smile.
“So, what were you talking about just now?” Drake asked.
Blitz decided to let Megara and her friends know about his suspicions regarding Blaze’s strange behavior, and the possible connection to the crystal. The three fire types listened closely, and exchanged concerned glances as Blitz finished explaining.
“What do you guys think?” Megara asked.
“I… suppose it makes sense,” Drake responded, sighing. “I guess we didn’t really notice before because… well, I guess we didn’t want to believe that Blaze would do something like that.”
“Inferno, is this the place where you lost sight of Blaze that time?” Azure asked, looking over at the fire monkey.
“As a matter of fact, it is!” Inferno responded, nodding his head. “I guess he must’ve gotten into the mystery dungeon just before I reached this area.”
The seven Pokémon present exchanged glances, and looked towards one of the tunnels.
“Is that the mystery dungeon entrance?” Blitz asked.
“It is,” Megara replied, nodding her head. “You guys make preparations, and go ahead into the dungeon. Drake, Inferno and I will go find Aidan, and explain to him what you just told us.”
“Okay,” Blitz responded, nodding his head.
“We’ll catch up to you as soon as we can,” Megara said, giving a determined smile.
“Yeah, and when we catch up, things are really going to heat up!” Inferno added, grinning.
“… Good luck, you guys,” Drake said, while rubbing his head and sighing at Inferno’s attempt at a joke.
The three fire types went off to find Aidan, while Sera and her teammates were left behind to make their preparations for exploring the mystery dungeon. Hopefully, it would lead them closer to finding out where the crystal was hidden, and what Blaze’s strange behavior was all about.
----
End of chapter 28.
----
Last edited:
Umbramatic
The Ghost Lord
I really like how Chapter 27 is a Day In The Limelight for Hercules.
And yay, main plot advancement!
And yay, main plot advancement!
Last edited:
DarkerShining
Well-Known Member
Glad you liked it!
So, I wasn't sure if I'd have it done by today, but I managed to get Chapter 29 done! Isn't that great?
Can't really think of anything else to say at the moment, so I'll just say that I hope you guys will enjoy the chapter, and feel free to let me know what you think!
----
Chapter 29: I… I don’t know what’s wrong with me today…
----
Mt. Caldera was an unfamiliar place to Sera and her teammates, but at least mystery dungeons felt more like familiar territory. Of course, before they could enter the dungeon, they needed to make a few preparations. Sera was standing in front of the Kangaskhan rock, and seemed to be having difficulty deciding on which items to bring.
“Um… Considering this is fire type territory, maybe we should bring Rawst berries in case we get burned?” Blitz suggested, having noticed that Sera seemed to be unsure what to retrieve from their item storage.
“Oh, right… Rawst berries…” Sera said and nodded her head slightly, before looking through the berries they had in storage. “… Ah! We barely have any Rawst berries in here!” Sera sighed and leaned her head against the rock. “Why haven’t I bought more…?”
“Sera, there’s no need to freak out!” Azure commented, shrugging slightly.
“Hmm… I guess we can bring some Heal Seeds,” Blitz said, thinking for a moment. “If we don’t have enough Rawst berries, then Heal Seeds will work too.”
“Right, Heal Seeds…” Sera said, sighing. “Why didn’t I think of that…? Oh, but how many do I bring?”
“Yeah, there’s always that dilemma there…” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together. “Bring along an item that would be useful, or save it for later?”
“I don’t know what to do!” Sera exclaimed, her ears twitching.
“Whoa, calm down!” Blitz said, surprised at Sera’s sudden outburst.
“Sorry!” Sera responded, turning to Blitz. “I… I don’t know what’s wrong with me today…”
“… Do you want me to handle the items for you?” Blitz asked, looking somewhat concerned.
“O-Okay…” Sera replied, nodding her head and moving aside so Blitz could get to the Kangaskhan rock. “Here you go…”
Sera set down the treasure bag so Blitz could look through it and the items in storage, and determine which to bring and which to save for another time. While Blitz was managing the items, Sera took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
“Come on, Sera, you’re the leader of this rescue team,” Sera said to herself, lightly hitting one of her paws against her head. “You’ve got to pull yourself together!”
“Why are you talking to yourself?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly.
“It’s nothing to be concerned about,” Sera replied, shaking her head.
“Sera, the last few days have been kind of stressful for you,” Azure said. “So, we understand if you’re feeling a bit out of it today.”
“Thanks for the concern, but I’ll be fine, really,” Sera responded, managing a smile at her teammates. “So, Blitz? How is the item management going?”
“Almost done,” Blitz replied, placing a few items into the bag.
“Good!” Sera responded, nodding her head. “I guess we’re almost ready to get going, then!”
Sera, Chiaki and Azure waited for Blitz to finish sorting out the items, and soon Blitz closed the lid on the treasure bag and returned it to Sera.
“Here you go,” Blitz said. “I think I picked out a good selection of items.”
Sera nodded, and opened the lid to see which items Blitz had picked out for her. After looking over everything, she closed the lid again and smiled at Blitz.
“Yeah, this probably looks good,” Sera said, nodding her head slightly. “Thanks for helping me out, Blitz.”
“No problem,” Blitz responded, looking around. “So… I guess we should start exploring the mystery dungeon, then?”
“I’m ready!” Azure said, raising her hand.
“So am I!” Chiaki said, smiling and waving his paw.
“Okay, let’s go, then!” Sera said, walking up to the entrance to the mystery dungeon.
She waited for her three friends to gather together at the entrance, and then the four of them entered the mystery dungeon together.
----
Meanwhile, Megara and her two friends, Drake the Charmeleon and Inferno the Monferno had managed to find Aidan the Arcanine, and were currently explaining to him what Blitz had explained to them earlier. Aidan listened closely to what they had to say, and nodded his head as they finished explaining.
“I feared something like that might be the case…” Aidan said, sighing.
“Come on, Aidan!” Megara said, looking up at the Arcanine. “We need to get to the bottom of this!”
“You’re right…” Aidan responded, nodding his head slightly. “I need to find out exactly what is going on with Blaze, even if it means possibly having to fight him…”
“Whoa, could it be?” Inferno said, staring wide-eyed. “Will we finally get our answer to the question of who would win in a battle between Aidan and Blaze?”
“Possibly,” Drake responded, looking over at Inferno. “However, the situation is quite serious.”
“I know!” Inferno replied, grinning. “But you have to admit, the thought of a battle between those two is quite exciting!”
“I suppose it is…” Drake commented, thinking about it for a moment.
“So, the rescue team you brought along with you is over at the mystery dungeon right now, right?” Aidan asked, looking over at Megara.
“Yeah, they’re probably exploring it as we speak,” Megara responded, nodding her head.
“Let’s get going, then,” Aidan replied, running ahead.
“Hey, wait for us!” Inferno shouted, running after him. “I don’t want to miss out on whatever’s going to happen!”
----
Sera and her teammates were making their way through the mystery dungeon, Azure seeming to be having the time of her life as her water attacks made quick work of the wild fire type Pokémon they came across. Blitz was still amazed at how well the silver-colored headbands Couture gave them to protect them from the heat worked, since he doubted they would’ve been able to withstand it otherwise.
Sera was doing her best to focus on leading her team through the mystery dungeon, but she kept getting distracted by the thoughts that kept swirling inside her head.
“What’s with me these days…?” Sera thought to herself. “I am the leader of this rescue team… I need to focus!”
Sera’s ears twitched slightly as she glanced around, trying to decide which way to go.
“As leader, I must… look out for my teammates’ well-being, right?” Sera thought, slowly leading her team forward. “And I… really messed things up when I made Hercules tell me Blitz’s secret… I need to make things right, but how?”
Sera gave a quiet sigh, and glanced over her shoulder. She was certain Blitz and the others could tell she was concerned, but she had to try to stay strong to convince them that it was nothing they needed to be worried about.
“I have to think of something, but for now… my team needs me to get them through this dungeon,” Sera thought, nodding her head slightly. “I can do this… right? I’ve been a good leader for my team, right?”
Walking up the stairs to the next floor, the rescue team moved further into the mystery dungeon. How many floors was this mystery dungeon anyways? Sera wasn’t sure, but maybe Blitz knew? She was about to ask him if he knew how many floors were left, but closed her mouth and remained quiet as she kept on leading the way.
“Do I… depend too much on Blitz?” Sera thought, looking down at the floor as she kept walking. “While I did go on a mission without him a few days back… Didn’t I just end up looking to Azure or Chiaki when I couldn’t think of anything?”
Sera’s ears drooped down slightly, and she stopped walking for a moment.
“I’m the leader of this rescue team… but do I really have what it takes?” Sera thought, blinking a few times as she contemplated this. “A leader is supposed to have confidence and the knowledge to handle any situation that might come up… Do I have either of those things?”
“Sera, what’s the matter?” Azure shouted. “Shouldn’t we keep moving?”
“Oh, right!” Sera responded, nodding her head. “Sorry!”
Sera continued marching on, glancing around as her ears continued to twitch slightly.
“Blitz is the one with the knowledge, and when he’s around, I can be confident because I know he’s there for me,” Sera thought. “But… is that really the only reason I’ve made it this far?”
----
Eventually, Sera and her teammates reached the end of the mystery dungeon. Sera sat down and took a moment to catch her breath, while Blitz, Chiaki and Azure began looking around at their surroundings. It seemed the mystery dungeon had led them into another part of the volcano, but they weren’t entirely sure how far this area was from the previous one.
“So… Do we explore further, or wait for Megara and the others to get here?” Azure asked, glancing around.
“I think we should wait…” Blitz responded, rubbing the rings on his forelegs together. “I mean, we don’t know what might await us if we keep going…”
“Blitz has a point,” Sera commented, nodding her head slightly. “Let’s just rest for a bit and wait for the others to catch up…”
The four Pokémon sat down and waited for Megara and her friends to show up, however, Azure suddenly heard something.
“Something wrong, Azure?” Chiaki asked, looking over at the Marill.
“Quiet, I hear something…” Azure responded, trying to figure out where the sounds were coming from.
“Is it Megara and the others?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly.
“No… I think it’s coming from over there,” Azure said, pointing towards a nearby tunnel.
“Um… Maybe it’s just the sounds of the volcano?” Blitz suggested, nervously rubbing his forelegs as he began to realize what this would likely lead to. “Volcanoes probably make quite a few sounds that aren’t really worth investigating, with all the magma and stuff that’s in it…”
“Hey, be quiet!” Azure said again, taking a few steps towards the tunnel and listening closely to try to identify the sounds. “Hmm… Nope, these aren’t volcano sounds!”
“I was afraid she’d say that…” Blitz commented, sighing.
“What is it, then?” Chiaki asked, walking up to Azure and trying to listen to the tunnel.
“Hmm… Footsteps…” Azure said, listening closely. “… Claws or talons scratching against the rocky floor…”
“Whoa, you’re awesome, Azure!” Chiaki exclaimed.
“Thanks!” Azure responded, grinning. “It’s probably that Blaziken that’s walking around in there.”
“Okay, that’s good to know,” Blitz said. “Now, let’s wait until Megara and the others get here before we do anything about it.”
“Why?” Azure asked, tilting her head slightly. “It couldn’t hurt to just go take a look, could it?”
“… Azure, if you say something like that out loud, chances something bad might happen increase by twenty percent,” Blitz commented, sighing.
“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said that…” Azure responded, looking down sheepishly. “If we don’t go check it out, though, we might lose our chance to figure out what’s going on.”
Blitz was about to say something, but Sera suddenly stepped in.
“Azure, don’t…” Sera said, and it seemed like she was going to say more, but suddenly froze.
Sera stared at her friends, trying to say something, but even though her mouth moved slightly, she couldn’t get any words out. Her teammates looked at her with confused glances, which soon turned to looks of concern as they waited for her to say something.
“I… I think we should wait…” Sera finally managed to get out, trying to regain her composure. “Like Blitz said… it’s probably better to wait for Megara and the others.”
“Okay, you’re right,” Azure responded, nodding slightly. “I’ll be right back!”
And with that, Azure cheerfully ran inside the tunnel. Her teammates stared blankly at the tunnel, taking a moment to register what had just happened.
“Did she…?” Chiaki said, pointing at the tunnel.
“She did,” Blitz responded, sighing. “Well, guess we’d better go after her.”
Sera, Blitz and Chiaki walked through the tunnel, and soon saw Azure looking at the various walls in the room, although the Blaziken was nowhere to be seen.
“Guys, check it out,” Azure said, motioning for her friends to come closer.
The rocky walls in the area seemed to be partially distorted, parts of the walls occasionally turning transparent.
“So, it’s spread even here…” Blitz said, looking around.
“Do you think this is what caused the Blaziken’s strange behavior?” Chiaki asked.
“No way,” Azure responded, shaking her head. “There has to be something more… Let’s go a bit further. I think I know which way the Blaziken went.”
“Azure, what part of ‘this is a bad idea’ don’t you understand?” Blitz asked, sighing.
“This is the perfect chance to figure out what’s going on, though!” Azure responded, grinning. “Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?”
Azure did have a point, but Blitz still wanted to wait until the others got there. That, and he was getting the feeling that being in an area where most of the Pokémon around were weak to her water attacks was making the adventure-loving Azure feel a bit too confident.
“… Sera, it’s your call,” Blitz said, looking over at Sera. “Investigate now, or wait for the others to show up?”
“Um… Am I really the best Pokémon to make that decision?” Sera asked, glancing around. “I mean, I know I’m the leader of this team and all, but…”
“Come on, Sera,” Chiaki said, patting Sera on the back and smiling at her. “You can do this!”
Sera’s ears twitched slightly, and she nervously looked to Blitz and Azure, trying to make a decision. However, before she could say anything, Azure’s ears suddenly twitched as she picked up on something.
“Huh? Is something going on over there?” Azure wondered, before running towards the tunnel to investigate.
“Ah, wait up!” Sera exclaimed, chasing after Azure.
“… Well, I suppose now we have to go over there, huh,” Blitz commented, sighing.
“Yeah, I guess we do,” Chiaki responded, nodding.
“Let’s hurry up and catch up to the girls, then,” Blitz said, beginning to move towards the tunnel. “But be careful, and try to be as quiet as you can.”
“Okay!” Chiaki replied, with a cheerful smile as he followed Blitz.
The two soon caught up to the girls, who were hiding behind some rocks, watching the Blaziken move about. It almost seemed as if he was patrolling the area, but why?
“What’s going on?” Blitz asked, whispering as he and Chiaki moved over to Sera and Azure.
“We’re not sure,” Azure replied, narrowing her eyes. “He’s definitely up to something, though.”
“So… Do we go back then?” Chiaki whispered, tilting his head slightly.
“But we haven’t figured out what he’s up to yet,” Azure responded, sighing. “However, I’m not sure if we can get any further from here…”
“Hmm…” Blitz carefully peeked over the rocks while Blaze wasn’t looking. “… You can’t, but maybe I can… Wait here, guys.”
Blitz quietly began moving closer, trying not to be spotted as he made his way over to a position where he could possibly get a better view. As she watched him, Sera couldn’t help but worry that something would go wrong. She was also amazed at how well Blitz was keeping his composure, even though he was probably just as worried as she was.
“Oh, Blitz, be careful,” Sera thought, finding herself unable to take her eyes off of Blitz.
Blitz was indeed nervous, but just used the technique he’d learned to control his breathing while he crept closer. On first glance, it seemed like Blaze was seemingly guarding a lava pool, but Blitz didn’t pay much attention to that and instead began looking up at the walls on the other side of the lava pool. That was the only place where something could be hidden.
It was difficult to see at first, but Blitz soon noticed something red and sparkly poking out slightly from a wall.
“Isn’t that…?” Blitz thought, before carefully starting to sneak back over to where his friends were waiting.
“So, did you see anything?” Azure asked, looking at Blitz expectantly.
“I think I saw the Axis Tower crystal,” Blitz responded. “It seems to be stuck inside a wall.”
“Well done, Blitz!” Azure replied, grinning. “So, what’s the plan?”
“First, we need to wait for Megara and the others,” Blitz responded. “Only a fire type Pokémon can get across the lava pool that’s in the way.”
“Okay… Let’s move back over to where we ended up when we got out of the mystery dungeon, and wait there for the others,” Sera said, and turned around.
As she began walking back, Sera’s tail accidentally brushed against a small rock, sending it flying for a short distance through the area before it landed on the ground. The sound of the small rock hitting the ground was enough to make Blaze turn around, noticing Sera.
Blitz realized Sera had been spotted, but before he could warn her, the Blaziken had already rushed over and picked up Sera by her ears.
“What do you want?” Blaze asked, staring at Sera.
“Ah, let me go!” Sera exclaimed, flailing as she attempted to free herself from the Blaziken’s grip.
“Why are you here?” Blaze asked, still staring at the Eevee, his expression oddly blank.
“Seriously, that hurts!” Sera shouted, glaring at the Blaziken. “Let go of my ears, now!”
The Blaziken just continued to stare at Sera, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with her. Blitz knew that this guy was probably much stronger than him, but he still had to try to help Sera. Blitz ran out from his hiding spot, and glared at Blaze.
“Let her go!” Blitz shouted, trying to get the Blaziken’s attention.
The Blaziken turned around, looking over at Blitz.
“You really shouldn’t be here,” Blaze said, narrowing his eyes slightly.
“Maybe you didn’t hear me,” Blitz growled, trying his best to imitate one of his mother’s intimidating glares. “Let my friend go!”
Blaze let go of Sera’s ears, causing the unfortunate Eevee to fall to the ground.
“Sera, are you okay?” Chiaki asked, rushing over to her side.
“That really hurt…” Sera muttered, rubbing her ears with her forepaws.
Blaze began walking towards Blitz, and Azure quickly ran over to Blitz’s side and assumed a battle position next to him.
“Ready to fight this guy when you are, buddy,” Azure said, smirking. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Um… Let me think…” Blitz responded, nervously rubbing his forelegs together.
Blitz had to think of something fast, as the Blaziken was slowly approaching him and Azure and he wasn’t sure what would happen once it got close enough. He was just glad it hadn’t tried to attack with any ranged fire attacks or something along those lines. What were they going to do, though? Were they going to fight? They still didn’t know what was going on with Blaze, but Blitz had the feeling that whatever had happened to Blaze was somehow connected to the crystal that was currently stuck in the wall a short distance away.
If they did have to fight, how were they going to beat him? Blaze looked like a strong opponent, but even if he was stronger than they were, surely they could beat him with just the right strategy. Of course, such a strategy would be difficult to come up with on such a short notice.
Blitz glanced at Azure, wondering how much damage one of her water attacks would do against the Blaziken. Maybe if he made his fur shine, then Azure could attack while the Blaziken was still blinded from the light?
Blaze was suddenly hit in the back of the head by a stream of golden shooting stars, and turned to see Chiaki glaring at him.
“Stop this!” Chiaki shouted. “You’re supposed to be helping the Pokémon who live here, not bothering my friends!”
“Why are you trying to get in my way?” Blaze muttered, as he turned around and began moving back towards Chiaki and Sera.
“Chiaki, what are you doing?” Sera asked, hiding behind the Mienfoo.
“I was hoping I could bring him back to his senses,” Chiaki responded.
Chiaki continued to try to talk to Blaze, but it didn’t seem like the words were reaching the Blaziken. Blitz had to quickly think of a way to get Blaze’s attention again, and recalled something his father had once tried to teach him. Blitz had never actually tried the move in question, so he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get the technique right. He still decided to give it a try, and tried to remember what his father had said.
Blitz took a step forward, and then took a deep breath. He then attempted to let out a powerful Roar, but the only sound that he was able to produce was more of a high-pitched squeaking noise.
“… What was that?” Azure asked, tilting her head slightly.
“I… I guess my Roar needs work…” Blitz said, looking rather embarrassed.
However, Blitz’s Roar did accomplish its intended purpose, as Blaze turned around again, looking towards Blitz and Azure in confusion. Before he could do anything else, a much louder Roar suddenly echoed from one of the tunnels, and as Blaze turned towards the source of the sound, he was suddenly tackled to the ground by an Arcanine.
“Aidan!” Blitz exclaimed, looking rather relieved to see the Arcanine.
“Sorry I took so long,” Aidan said, looking around. “Is everyone okay in here?”
“Yeah, we’re fine!” Azure responded, grinning.
“What’s going on in here?” Megara asked as she, Drake and Inferno ran over to the others.
“Megara, we found the crystal!” Chiaki said, happily running up to the Magmar. “Blitz can show you where it is!”
“Oh, you found it already?” Megara asked, grinning and giving Blitz a thumbs-up. “Well done!”
“Um… Thanks, I guess,” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “We need the help of you guys to actually get to it, though.”
“All right, lead the way!” Megara replied, grinning.
“Uh… Hold on,” Sera said, pointing a paw at Blaze, who was staring to stir. “Shouldn’t we do something about him?”
Blaze got back onto his feet without a word, before glaring at Aidan.
“You’re in my way…” Blaze muttered, before suddenly ramming into Aidan with enough force to knock him backwards.
“Whoa! B-Blaze?” Aidan exclaimed, looking rather frightened by this turn of events.
“In my way…” Blaze muttered, charging at Aidan before rapidly hitting the Arcanine with a flurry of punches and kicks. “In my way… In my way!”
“Aidan!” Megara exclaimed, looking horrified at the scene.
“This isn’t good…” Drake said, clenching his fists. “We’ve got to do something…”
“Come on, Aidan, fight back!” Inferno shouted. “Tackle him to assert your dominance!”
Aidan struggled to endure Blaze’s repeated attacks while he attempted to find an opening so he could fight back, but it didn’t seem like Blaze was going to let that happen. Luckily for Aidan, a Bubble Beam attack to the back of the head made Blaze momentarily stop, just long enough for Aidan to push him aside, before collapsing.
“Nice shot, Azure!” Megara said, grinning at the aqua mouse Pokémon.
“Thank you,” Azure responded, smirking. “That felt really good.”
Blitz began running over to Aidan, making his fur shine as he passed Blaze to momentarily blind the Blaziken, who had turned his attention back to Azure and the others.
“Aidan, eat these!” Blitz said, placing two Oran berries near the Arcanine.
“Thanks…” Aidan responded, eating the two berries and regaining his energy. “Ah, much better…”
“Are you okay?” Blitz asked, glancing over at Blaze, who was rubbing his eyes while muttering something.
“Yeah, I will be,” Aidan responded, nodding his head. “That was quite the scare, though… I wouldn’t be surprised if my fur had turned white for a moment there as he suddenly charged at me…”
“What should we do about him?” Blitz asked, nervously looking up to the Arcanine.
“Blaze is my friend, I know he would never do something like this under normal circumstances,” Aidan said, narrowing his eyes. “Something or someone else might be controlling him.”
“Controlling him?” Blitz asked, tilting his head slightly. “Well, how do we get him back to normal, then?”
“I don’t know,” Aidan responded, shaking his head. “For now, I’m just going to try to defeat him before he ends up hurting anyone else!”
Blaze soon came rushing at Aidan again, but this time, Aidan was able to swiftly step to the side and dodge Blaze’s attack. As the battle begun, Blitz quickly headed back over to his friends.
“Sera, Chiaki, you two take Megara, Drake and Inferno over to where I spotted the crystal, and try to retrieve it,” Blitz said, before turning to Azure. “In the meantime, Azure and I will help Aidan defeat Blaze.”
“Ooh, I like this plan!” Azure responded, grinning.
“Okay, Blitz…” Sera said, nodding her head. “That’s… a good idea, I think…”
Sera, Chiaki, Megara, Drake and Inferno headed off to retrieve the crystal, while Blitz and Azure turned around and began to prepare to assist Aidan.
“Eat this Violent Seed to boost your attacking strength,” Blitz said, handing Azure a small seed.
“Okay!” Azure responded, happily popping the seed into her mouth.
In the meantime, Aidan and Blaze were running around, both trying to catch up to and attack the other. Eventually, the two stopped, and Blaze attempted to strike Aidan with an electrified fist, only for Aidan to dodge and then bite down on Blaze’s fist with electrified fangs. Blitz and Azure watched as sparks flew from the two.
“I guess I should wait until they’re done with the electricity before I attack?” Azure asked.
“Yes, you should,” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly.
----
Sera and Chiaki looked up at the cave wall across the lava pool, and eventually, they spotted the red crystal partially poking out from a wall.
“There it is!” Chiaki said, pointing up to the wall.
“All right, we’ll get it,” Megara said, with a confident smirk. “Inferno, you’re good at climbing, right?”
“Of course,” Inferno responded, grinning. “I’m all fired up for this!”
“Dude, this isn’t the time for your bad jokes!” Drake replied, looking rather annoyed.
“Oh, come on, Drake,” Inferno said, happily putting his arm around the Charmeleon. “Just admit that you do lava my jokes!”
“Seriously, stop it,” Drake responded, pushing Inferno’s hand away.
“You want me to go dormant?” Inferno asked, grinning at Drake.
Drake just sighed, and shook his head.
“Let’s just go get that crystal and get this over with,” Drake said.
The three fire type Pokémon easily made it across the lava pool while Sera and Chiaki looked on, and Inferno soon began climbing the wall in order to get up to the crystal while Megara and Drake waited for him on the ground. Inferno managed to reach the point where the crystal was without much difficulty, but how was he going to get the crystal out of the wall?
“Hmm… Maybe I can punch it loose?” Inferno said, considering it for a moment before shaking his head. “No, that’s a terrible idea…”
“Shame I can’t get up there,” Drake commented, looking at his own claws. “My Metal Claw attack would probably have been able to break through the rock around the crystal…”
“Well, I guess we need to get something Inferno can use to dig that crystal out,” Megara said, before looking over to Sera and Chiaki on the other side of the lava pool. “Do either of you have something that can help Inferno?”
“Um… Blitz has our items,” Sera responded, looking down at the ground.
“Oh, wait a minute!” Chiaki said, pulling out three Silver Spikes. “I picked these up when we were exploring the mystery dungeon, but I guess I must’ve forgotten to hand them over to Blitz!”
“When did you do that?” Sera asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Will this do?” Chiaki shouted, holding up a Silver Spike for Megara and Drake to see.
“It’s worth a try!” Megara responded.
Chiaki nodded his head, and held the Silver Spike in his paw. Soon, his paw began to glow with a golden light, and soon Chiaki launched the spike inside a golden star up to where Inferno was, who managed to catch it in his hand.
“Whoa,” Inferno said, examining the spike. “Thanks, dude!”
“You’re welcome!” Chiaki responded, smiling and waving.
Inferno then began picking at the rock with the Silver Spike, starting to slowly but surely dig the crystal out.
----
In the meantime, the heated battle between Aidan and Blaze continued, both Pokémon occasionally having to stop and catch their breaths. Blitz and Azure were doing what they could to assist Aidan, but since both Pokémon were moving so fast, it was difficult for them to help.
“Was this really worth using up one of our Violent Seeds?” Azure asked, tilting her head slightly. “We’re not actually doing much fighting here.”
“Well, at least that way you are prepared whenever we do need to step in,” Blitz replied.
“I suppose,” Azure responded, trying her best to keep up with the battle. “Wow, these two are fast. I’m worried I might blink and miss everything…”
“I know what you mean,” Blitz said, nodding his head slightly. “They’re both starting to look tired, though. This might be over soon…”
“Come on, Aidan!” Azure shouted, grinning. “You can do this!”
Aidan’s fur and Blaze’s feathers were looking rather messy from all the fighting and both of them were worn out from the fight.
“Blaze… Please snap out of it!” Aidan said.
The Blaziken just ignored him, and crossed his arms over his chest, beginning to glow with a blue and white light.
“… I guess you’re not going to listen,” Aidan said, shaking his head. “Very well, let’s get this over with.”
Aidan growled, and his body soon became enveloped in purple flames, while Blaze spread his arms as the glow around them took the shape of wings. The two Pokémon then charged at each other, before colliding in a big flash of light.
“Whoa! What was that?” Azure asked, trying to shield her eyes from the bright light.
“I think… Blaze used a Brave Bird attack, while Aidan used Outrage,” Blitz responded, blinking a few times. “Both very powerful attacks…”
As the dust settled, Blitz and Azure could see that both Aidan and Blaze were still standing, although not for long, as Blaze collapsed just a few seconds later. Aidan stumbled around for a bit, looking rather dazed, before collapsing himself. Blitz and Azure quickly ran up to the Arcanine, taking out a Reviver Seed and giving it to Aidan.
The Arcanine soon opened his eyes, and looked at the two young Pokémon.
“So, how’d I do?” Aidan asked, getting to his feet.
“You beat him,” Azure responded, grinning. “That was quite the awesome battle!”
“Thanks,” Aidan replied, glancing over at Blaze’s unconscious body. “I just hope that Blaze will be back to normal when he wakes up…”
----
Inferno continued using the Silver Spike to pick away at the rock around the crystal, and was now close to getting it loose from the wall. Drake and Megara were watching and getting ready to catch the crystal once it fell down, while Chiaki and Sera were waiting on the other side of the lava pool for the fire types to finish their work.
“Almost got it,” Inferno said, grinning as he continued digging the crystal out.
With a few more determined strikes against the rock, the crystal fell out from the cave wall, and landed in Drake’s arms.
“All right, we did it!” Drake said, handing the crystal to Megara.
“Thanks, you guys!” Megara responded, grinning.
Inferno climbed back down, and the three fire types went back across the lava pool to the Mienfoo and Eevee waiting on the other side.
“You did it!” Chiaki exclaimed, smiling as he saw the crystal.
“Couldn’t have done it without your help,” Megara said, smiling back at Chiaki and Sera.
“You’re welcome!” Chiaki responded, grinning.
The five of them went to go check on how things had gone for Blitz, Azure and Aidan, with Sera staring down at the ground with her ears drooping down as they went.
----
After moving to a different area within the volcano, Aidan, Drake, Inferno and Megara were waiting for Blaze to wake up, while Chiaki was showing the crystal they had retrieved to Azure. Sera was just sitting on the ground, facing a wall.
“Sera, what’s the matter?” Blitz asked, walking up to her. “We got the crystal, so shouldn’t you be more excited?”
“I didn’t really do anything, though,” Sera responded, sighing. “You, Azure and Chiaki did all the hard work… All I did was following your lead… Really, I’m not fit to be the leader of this rescue team…”
“Huh?” Blitz replied, tilting his head. “Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?”
“Blitz, think about it… All I’ve ever done is listen to you and following advice and never really trusting myself to make own decisions when exploring,” Sera said, glancing over her shoulder at Blitz. “While I may be a good enough explorer, I don’t really have what it takes to be a leader…”
“Sera…” Blitz responded, unsure what to say to her.
“I’m so sorry, Blitz,” Sera said, shaking her head. “I should’ve treated you better, but I messed up…”
Blitz wasn’t sure what to do. Sera was clearly under a lot of stress these days, to the point where she was in no condition to act as the rescue team leader. Perhaps someone else could fill in for her while she took a few days to recover? The question was, who? Chiaki was much too inexperienced to be a rescue team leader, and while Azure was getting better at it, she was too unpredictable. It seemed like there was only one option.
“Um… Would you like me to be the leader?” Blitz asked, rubbing his forelegs together.
“What?” Sera responded, surprised at this. “I thought you didn’t want to be a leader? I mean, what about those things that happened to you at your old home?”
“Well… Being the leader of a Luxray pride and the leader of a rescue team are two different things, right?” Blitz replied, looking away. “Besides, it’d only be for a little while… You know, until you’re feeling a little better, and can properly focus on the missions.”
“You’d… do that for me?” Sera asked, blinking a few times.
“We’re friends, and… friends look out for each other, right?” Blitz responded, glancing around.
“Yeah, they look out for each other,” Sera replied, hugging Blitz. “Thank you…”
“I’ll… do my best,” Blitz responded half-heartedly, nodding his head slightly.
The two of them soon walked over to the others, as Blaze was starting to regain consciousness.
“Ugh… What happened?” Blaze asked, rubbing his head and looking around at the Pokémon gathered around him. “… Megara? When did you come over for a visit? And who are these four Pokémon?”
“You don’t remember?” Megara responded, tilting her head.
“Um… Not really,” Blaze replied, blinking a few times. “I… recall patrolling the area, and… there was a Sigilyph there…”
“Wait, a Sigilyph?” Blitz inquired, leaning a bit closer.
“Yeah… I asked what he was up to, but he just laughed… and then I tried to stop him from leaving, but I think he hit me with an attack…” Blaze said, thinking for a moment, before shaking his head. “Everything is kind of fuzzy after that…”
“I… see…” Blitz responded, looking over at his teammates.
“So, the Sigilyph that stole the crystal was the one who made Blaze act all weird and suspicious,” Azure said, tilting her head slightly. “How’d he do that?”
“Um… What are you talking about?” Blaze asked, looking rather lost.
“It’s a long story,” Megara replied, gently patting Blaze’s shoulder.
“I’m glad to have you back,” Aidan said, smiling at Blaze. “I’ll explain everything I know later.”
“Oh, okay…” Blaze responded, nodding his head.
“Well, I’d like to stay longer, talk about the old times and such, but we should probably be heading back to Fenix Town,” Megara said, looking over at Drake and Inferno. “It was nice seeing you guys again, though!”
“Yeah, it was nice seeing you too,” Drake responded, smiling at Megara.
“You should come back and visit another time when there isn’t some crisis going on!” Inferno commented, grinning.
“I will,” Megara responded, nodding her head. “And you guys should come visit me sometime, so you can meet my teammates!”
“We’ll consider it,” Drake replied, before turning to Sera and her teammates. “It was nice meeting you guys as well, and maybe we’ll meet again someday?”
“I’d like that!” Chiaki responded, smiling.
“Ooh, I can tell you some more of my jokes the next time we meet!” Inferno said, grinning.
“Hey, don’t scare him like that,” Drake commented, smirking at Inferno.
“What?” Inferno said, shrugging. “Come on, you do like my jokes. Just admit it!”
Megara chuckled, and hugged her two friends, before walking up to Sera and the others.
“Let’s return to town, and give this crystal to Stella,” Chiaki said, smiling.
“Four crystals found, four more out there,” Azure commented, grinning.
“I wish you luck in getting the remaining crystals back,” Aidan said, smiling to the Pokémon from Fenix Town. “In the meantime, Blaze and I will keep an eye on things here, and keep track of the distortions.”
“Thanks, Aidan,” Megara responded, nodding her head.
Blitz looked to Sera expectantly, only to remember that this time; he was the one who was going to use the badge to send everyone home. He took the silver badge in his paws and looking down at it for a few moments, before lifting it up and letting it release its magic to teleport everyone back to town. Drake and Inferno waved good-bye, before going off somewhere, while Aidan explained to Blaze what was going on.
----
When they returned to town, Megara went to find Mirage and Cordyceps so she could tell them about how her mission had gone, while Blitz, Sera, Chiaki and Azure stopped by Stella’s house to drop off the crystal for safe-keeping. When he and Chiaki had returned home for the night, Blitz lay awake and kept staring at the bag and the rescue team badge which was now sitting in a corner, thinking about how he now was the rescue team leader until Sera was feeling better.
Being a rescue team leader was different from leading a Luxray pride. That’s what Blitz had said to Sera earlier, and he kept quietly repeating it to himself as he tried to sleep.
----
End of Chapter 29
----
So, I wasn't sure if I'd have it done by today, but I managed to get Chapter 29 done! Isn't that great?
Can't really think of anything else to say at the moment, so I'll just say that I hope you guys will enjoy the chapter, and feel free to let me know what you think!
----
Chapter 29: I… I don’t know what’s wrong with me today…
----
Mt. Caldera was an unfamiliar place to Sera and her teammates, but at least mystery dungeons felt more like familiar territory. Of course, before they could enter the dungeon, they needed to make a few preparations. Sera was standing in front of the Kangaskhan rock, and seemed to be having difficulty deciding on which items to bring.
“Um… Considering this is fire type territory, maybe we should bring Rawst berries in case we get burned?” Blitz suggested, having noticed that Sera seemed to be unsure what to retrieve from their item storage.
“Oh, right… Rawst berries…” Sera said and nodded her head slightly, before looking through the berries they had in storage. “… Ah! We barely have any Rawst berries in here!” Sera sighed and leaned her head against the rock. “Why haven’t I bought more…?”
“Sera, there’s no need to freak out!” Azure commented, shrugging slightly.
“Hmm… I guess we can bring some Heal Seeds,” Blitz said, thinking for a moment. “If we don’t have enough Rawst berries, then Heal Seeds will work too.”
“Right, Heal Seeds…” Sera said, sighing. “Why didn’t I think of that…? Oh, but how many do I bring?”
“Yeah, there’s always that dilemma there…” Blitz responded, rubbing his forelegs together. “Bring along an item that would be useful, or save it for later?”
“I don’t know what to do!” Sera exclaimed, her ears twitching.
“Whoa, calm down!” Blitz said, surprised at Sera’s sudden outburst.
“Sorry!” Sera responded, turning to Blitz. “I… I don’t know what’s wrong with me today…”
“… Do you want me to handle the items for you?” Blitz asked, looking somewhat concerned.
“O-Okay…” Sera replied, nodding her head and moving aside so Blitz could get to the Kangaskhan rock. “Here you go…”
Sera set down the treasure bag so Blitz could look through it and the items in storage, and determine which to bring and which to save for another time. While Blitz was managing the items, Sera took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
“Come on, Sera, you’re the leader of this rescue team,” Sera said to herself, lightly hitting one of her paws against her head. “You’ve got to pull yourself together!”
“Why are you talking to yourself?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly.
“It’s nothing to be concerned about,” Sera replied, shaking her head.
“Sera, the last few days have been kind of stressful for you,” Azure said. “So, we understand if you’re feeling a bit out of it today.”
“Thanks for the concern, but I’ll be fine, really,” Sera responded, managing a smile at her teammates. “So, Blitz? How is the item management going?”
“Almost done,” Blitz replied, placing a few items into the bag.
“Good!” Sera responded, nodding her head. “I guess we’re almost ready to get going, then!”
Sera, Chiaki and Azure waited for Blitz to finish sorting out the items, and soon Blitz closed the lid on the treasure bag and returned it to Sera.
“Here you go,” Blitz said. “I think I picked out a good selection of items.”
Sera nodded, and opened the lid to see which items Blitz had picked out for her. After looking over everything, she closed the lid again and smiled at Blitz.
“Yeah, this probably looks good,” Sera said, nodding her head slightly. “Thanks for helping me out, Blitz.”
“No problem,” Blitz responded, looking around. “So… I guess we should start exploring the mystery dungeon, then?”
“I’m ready!” Azure said, raising her hand.
“So am I!” Chiaki said, smiling and waving his paw.
“Okay, let’s go, then!” Sera said, walking up to the entrance to the mystery dungeon.
She waited for her three friends to gather together at the entrance, and then the four of them entered the mystery dungeon together.
----
Meanwhile, Megara and her two friends, Drake the Charmeleon and Inferno the Monferno had managed to find Aidan the Arcanine, and were currently explaining to him what Blitz had explained to them earlier. Aidan listened closely to what they had to say, and nodded his head as they finished explaining.
“I feared something like that might be the case…” Aidan said, sighing.
“Come on, Aidan!” Megara said, looking up at the Arcanine. “We need to get to the bottom of this!”
“You’re right…” Aidan responded, nodding his head slightly. “I need to find out exactly what is going on with Blaze, even if it means possibly having to fight him…”
“Whoa, could it be?” Inferno said, staring wide-eyed. “Will we finally get our answer to the question of who would win in a battle between Aidan and Blaze?”
“Possibly,” Drake responded, looking over at Inferno. “However, the situation is quite serious.”
“I know!” Inferno replied, grinning. “But you have to admit, the thought of a battle between those two is quite exciting!”
“I suppose it is…” Drake commented, thinking about it for a moment.
“So, the rescue team you brought along with you is over at the mystery dungeon right now, right?” Aidan asked, looking over at Megara.
“Yeah, they’re probably exploring it as we speak,” Megara responded, nodding her head.
“Let’s get going, then,” Aidan replied, running ahead.
“Hey, wait for us!” Inferno shouted, running after him. “I don’t want to miss out on whatever’s going to happen!”
----
Sera and her teammates were making their way through the mystery dungeon, Azure seeming to be having the time of her life as her water attacks made quick work of the wild fire type Pokémon they came across. Blitz was still amazed at how well the silver-colored headbands Couture gave them to protect them from the heat worked, since he doubted they would’ve been able to withstand it otherwise.
Sera was doing her best to focus on leading her team through the mystery dungeon, but she kept getting distracted by the thoughts that kept swirling inside her head.
“What’s with me these days…?” Sera thought to herself. “I am the leader of this rescue team… I need to focus!”
Sera’s ears twitched slightly as she glanced around, trying to decide which way to go.
“As leader, I must… look out for my teammates’ well-being, right?” Sera thought, slowly leading her team forward. “And I… really messed things up when I made Hercules tell me Blitz’s secret… I need to make things right, but how?”
Sera gave a quiet sigh, and glanced over her shoulder. She was certain Blitz and the others could tell she was concerned, but she had to try to stay strong to convince them that it was nothing they needed to be worried about.
“I have to think of something, but for now… my team needs me to get them through this dungeon,” Sera thought, nodding her head slightly. “I can do this… right? I’ve been a good leader for my team, right?”
Walking up the stairs to the next floor, the rescue team moved further into the mystery dungeon. How many floors was this mystery dungeon anyways? Sera wasn’t sure, but maybe Blitz knew? She was about to ask him if he knew how many floors were left, but closed her mouth and remained quiet as she kept on leading the way.
“Do I… depend too much on Blitz?” Sera thought, looking down at the floor as she kept walking. “While I did go on a mission without him a few days back… Didn’t I just end up looking to Azure or Chiaki when I couldn’t think of anything?”
Sera’s ears drooped down slightly, and she stopped walking for a moment.
“I’m the leader of this rescue team… but do I really have what it takes?” Sera thought, blinking a few times as she contemplated this. “A leader is supposed to have confidence and the knowledge to handle any situation that might come up… Do I have either of those things?”
“Sera, what’s the matter?” Azure shouted. “Shouldn’t we keep moving?”
“Oh, right!” Sera responded, nodding her head. “Sorry!”
Sera continued marching on, glancing around as her ears continued to twitch slightly.
“Blitz is the one with the knowledge, and when he’s around, I can be confident because I know he’s there for me,” Sera thought. “But… is that really the only reason I’ve made it this far?”
----
Eventually, Sera and her teammates reached the end of the mystery dungeon. Sera sat down and took a moment to catch her breath, while Blitz, Chiaki and Azure began looking around at their surroundings. It seemed the mystery dungeon had led them into another part of the volcano, but they weren’t entirely sure how far this area was from the previous one.
“So… Do we explore further, or wait for Megara and the others to get here?” Azure asked, glancing around.
“I think we should wait…” Blitz responded, rubbing the rings on his forelegs together. “I mean, we don’t know what might await us if we keep going…”
“Blitz has a point,” Sera commented, nodding her head slightly. “Let’s just rest for a bit and wait for the others to catch up…”
The four Pokémon sat down and waited for Megara and her friends to show up, however, Azure suddenly heard something.
“Something wrong, Azure?” Chiaki asked, looking over at the Marill.
“Quiet, I hear something…” Azure responded, trying to figure out where the sounds were coming from.
“Is it Megara and the others?” Chiaki asked, tilting his head slightly.
“No… I think it’s coming from over there,” Azure said, pointing towards a nearby tunnel.
“Um… Maybe it’s just the sounds of the volcano?” Blitz suggested, nervously rubbing his forelegs as he began to realize what this would likely lead to. “Volcanoes probably make quite a few sounds that aren’t really worth investigating, with all the magma and stuff that’s in it…”
“Hey, be quiet!” Azure said again, taking a few steps towards the tunnel and listening closely to try to identify the sounds. “Hmm… Nope, these aren’t volcano sounds!”
“I was afraid she’d say that…” Blitz commented, sighing.
“What is it, then?” Chiaki asked, walking up to Azure and trying to listen to the tunnel.
“Hmm… Footsteps…” Azure said, listening closely. “… Claws or talons scratching against the rocky floor…”
“Whoa, you’re awesome, Azure!” Chiaki exclaimed.
“Thanks!” Azure responded, grinning. “It’s probably that Blaziken that’s walking around in there.”
“Okay, that’s good to know,” Blitz said. “Now, let’s wait until Megara and the others get here before we do anything about it.”
“Why?” Azure asked, tilting her head slightly. “It couldn’t hurt to just go take a look, could it?”
“… Azure, if you say something like that out loud, chances something bad might happen increase by twenty percent,” Blitz commented, sighing.
“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said that…” Azure responded, looking down sheepishly. “If we don’t go check it out, though, we might lose our chance to figure out what’s going on.”
Blitz was about to say something, but Sera suddenly stepped in.
“Azure, don’t…” Sera said, and it seemed like she was going to say more, but suddenly froze.
Sera stared at her friends, trying to say something, but even though her mouth moved slightly, she couldn’t get any words out. Her teammates looked at her with confused glances, which soon turned to looks of concern as they waited for her to say something.
“I… I think we should wait…” Sera finally managed to get out, trying to regain her composure. “Like Blitz said… it’s probably better to wait for Megara and the others.”
“Okay, you’re right,” Azure responded, nodding slightly. “I’ll be right back!”
And with that, Azure cheerfully ran inside the tunnel. Her teammates stared blankly at the tunnel, taking a moment to register what had just happened.
“Did she…?” Chiaki said, pointing at the tunnel.
“She did,” Blitz responded, sighing. “Well, guess we’d better go after her.”
Sera, Blitz and Chiaki walked through the tunnel, and soon saw Azure looking at the various walls in the room, although the Blaziken was nowhere to be seen.
“Guys, check it out,” Azure said, motioning for her friends to come closer.
The rocky walls in the area seemed to be partially distorted, parts of the walls occasionally turning transparent.
“So, it’s spread even here…” Blitz said, looking around.
“Do you think this is what caused the Blaziken’s strange behavior?” Chiaki asked.
“No way,” Azure responded, shaking her head. “There has to be something more… Let’s go a bit further. I think I know which way the Blaziken went.”
“Azure, what part of ‘this is a bad idea’ don’t you understand?” Blitz asked, sighing.
“This is the perfect chance to figure out what’s going on, though!” Azure responded, grinning. “Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?”
Azure did have a point, but Blitz still wanted to wait until the others got there. That, and he was getting the feeling that being in an area where most of the Pokémon around were weak to her water attacks was making the adventure-loving Azure feel a bit too confident.
“… Sera, it’s your call,” Blitz said, looking over at Sera. “Investigate now, or wait for the others to show up?”
“Um… Am I really the best Pokémon to make that decision?” Sera asked, glancing around. “I mean, I know I’m the leader of this team and all, but…”
“Come on, Sera,” Chiaki said, patting Sera on the back and smiling at her. “You can do this!”
Sera’s ears twitched slightly, and she nervously looked to Blitz and Azure, trying to make a decision. However, before she could say anything, Azure’s ears suddenly twitched as she picked up on something.
“Huh? Is something going on over there?” Azure wondered, before running towards the tunnel to investigate.
“Ah, wait up!” Sera exclaimed, chasing after Azure.
“… Well, I suppose now we have to go over there, huh,” Blitz commented, sighing.
“Yeah, I guess we do,” Chiaki responded, nodding.
“Let’s hurry up and catch up to the girls, then,” Blitz said, beginning to move towards the tunnel. “But be careful, and try to be as quiet as you can.”
“Okay!” Chiaki replied, with a cheerful smile as he followed Blitz.
The two soon caught up to the girls, who were hiding behind some rocks, watching the Blaziken move about. It almost seemed as if he was patrolling the area, but why?
“What’s going on?” Blitz asked, whispering as he and Chiaki moved over to Sera and Azure.
“We’re not sure,” Azure replied, narrowing her eyes. “He’s definitely up to something, though.”
“So… Do we go back then?” Chiaki whispered, tilting his head slightly.
“But we haven’t figured out what he’s up to yet,” Azure responded, sighing. “However, I’m not sure if we can get any further from here…”
“Hmm…” Blitz carefully peeked over the rocks while Blaze wasn’t looking. “… You can’t, but maybe I can… Wait here, guys.”
Blitz quietly began moving closer, trying not to be spotted as he made his way over to a position where he could possibly get a better view. As she watched him, Sera couldn’t help but worry that something would go wrong. She was also amazed at how well Blitz was keeping his composure, even though he was probably just as worried as she was.
“Oh, Blitz, be careful,” Sera thought, finding herself unable to take her eyes off of Blitz.
Blitz was indeed nervous, but just used the technique he’d learned to control his breathing while he crept closer. On first glance, it seemed like Blaze was seemingly guarding a lava pool, but Blitz didn’t pay much attention to that and instead began looking up at the walls on the other side of the lava pool. That was the only place where something could be hidden.
It was difficult to see at first, but Blitz soon noticed something red and sparkly poking out slightly from a wall.
“Isn’t that…?” Blitz thought, before carefully starting to sneak back over to where his friends were waiting.
“So, did you see anything?” Azure asked, looking at Blitz expectantly.
“I think I saw the Axis Tower crystal,” Blitz responded. “It seems to be stuck inside a wall.”
“Well done, Blitz!” Azure replied, grinning. “So, what’s the plan?”
“First, we need to wait for Megara and the others,” Blitz responded. “Only a fire type Pokémon can get across the lava pool that’s in the way.”
“Okay… Let’s move back over to where we ended up when we got out of the mystery dungeon, and wait there for the others,” Sera said, and turned around.
As she began walking back, Sera’s tail accidentally brushed against a small rock, sending it flying for a short distance through the area before it landed on the ground. The sound of the small rock hitting the ground was enough to make Blaze turn around, noticing Sera.
Blitz realized Sera had been spotted, but before he could warn her, the Blaziken had already rushed over and picked up Sera by her ears.
“What do you want?” Blaze asked, staring at Sera.
“Ah, let me go!” Sera exclaimed, flailing as she attempted to free herself from the Blaziken’s grip.
“Why are you here?” Blaze asked, still staring at the Eevee, his expression oddly blank.
“Seriously, that hurts!” Sera shouted, glaring at the Blaziken. “Let go of my ears, now!”
The Blaziken just continued to stare at Sera, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with her. Blitz knew that this guy was probably much stronger than him, but he still had to try to help Sera. Blitz ran out from his hiding spot, and glared at Blaze.
“Let her go!” Blitz shouted, trying to get the Blaziken’s attention.
The Blaziken turned around, looking over at Blitz.
“You really shouldn’t be here,” Blaze said, narrowing his eyes slightly.
“Maybe you didn’t hear me,” Blitz growled, trying his best to imitate one of his mother’s intimidating glares. “Let my friend go!”
Blaze let go of Sera’s ears, causing the unfortunate Eevee to fall to the ground.
“Sera, are you okay?” Chiaki asked, rushing over to her side.
“That really hurt…” Sera muttered, rubbing her ears with her forepaws.
Blaze began walking towards Blitz, and Azure quickly ran over to Blitz’s side and assumed a battle position next to him.
“Ready to fight this guy when you are, buddy,” Azure said, smirking. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Um… Let me think…” Blitz responded, nervously rubbing his forelegs together.
Blitz had to think of something fast, as the Blaziken was slowly approaching him and Azure and he wasn’t sure what would happen once it got close enough. He was just glad it hadn’t tried to attack with any ranged fire attacks or something along those lines. What were they going to do, though? Were they going to fight? They still didn’t know what was going on with Blaze, but Blitz had the feeling that whatever had happened to Blaze was somehow connected to the crystal that was currently stuck in the wall a short distance away.
If they did have to fight, how were they going to beat him? Blaze looked like a strong opponent, but even if he was stronger than they were, surely they could beat him with just the right strategy. Of course, such a strategy would be difficult to come up with on such a short notice.
Blitz glanced at Azure, wondering how much damage one of her water attacks would do against the Blaziken. Maybe if he made his fur shine, then Azure could attack while the Blaziken was still blinded from the light?
Blaze was suddenly hit in the back of the head by a stream of golden shooting stars, and turned to see Chiaki glaring at him.
“Stop this!” Chiaki shouted. “You’re supposed to be helping the Pokémon who live here, not bothering my friends!”
“Why are you trying to get in my way?” Blaze muttered, as he turned around and began moving back towards Chiaki and Sera.
“Chiaki, what are you doing?” Sera asked, hiding behind the Mienfoo.
“I was hoping I could bring him back to his senses,” Chiaki responded.
Chiaki continued to try to talk to Blaze, but it didn’t seem like the words were reaching the Blaziken. Blitz had to quickly think of a way to get Blaze’s attention again, and recalled something his father had once tried to teach him. Blitz had never actually tried the move in question, so he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get the technique right. He still decided to give it a try, and tried to remember what his father had said.
Blitz took a step forward, and then took a deep breath. He then attempted to let out a powerful Roar, but the only sound that he was able to produce was more of a high-pitched squeaking noise.
“… What was that?” Azure asked, tilting her head slightly.
“I… I guess my Roar needs work…” Blitz said, looking rather embarrassed.
However, Blitz’s Roar did accomplish its intended purpose, as Blaze turned around again, looking towards Blitz and Azure in confusion. Before he could do anything else, a much louder Roar suddenly echoed from one of the tunnels, and as Blaze turned towards the source of the sound, he was suddenly tackled to the ground by an Arcanine.
“Aidan!” Blitz exclaimed, looking rather relieved to see the Arcanine.
“Sorry I took so long,” Aidan said, looking around. “Is everyone okay in here?”
“Yeah, we’re fine!” Azure responded, grinning.
“What’s going on in here?” Megara asked as she, Drake and Inferno ran over to the others.
“Megara, we found the crystal!” Chiaki said, happily running up to the Magmar. “Blitz can show you where it is!”
“Oh, you found it already?” Megara asked, grinning and giving Blitz a thumbs-up. “Well done!”
“Um… Thanks, I guess,” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly. “We need the help of you guys to actually get to it, though.”
“All right, lead the way!” Megara replied, grinning.
“Uh… Hold on,” Sera said, pointing a paw at Blaze, who was staring to stir. “Shouldn’t we do something about him?”
Blaze got back onto his feet without a word, before glaring at Aidan.
“You’re in my way…” Blaze muttered, before suddenly ramming into Aidan with enough force to knock him backwards.
“Whoa! B-Blaze?” Aidan exclaimed, looking rather frightened by this turn of events.
“In my way…” Blaze muttered, charging at Aidan before rapidly hitting the Arcanine with a flurry of punches and kicks. “In my way… In my way!”
“Aidan!” Megara exclaimed, looking horrified at the scene.
“This isn’t good…” Drake said, clenching his fists. “We’ve got to do something…”
“Come on, Aidan, fight back!” Inferno shouted. “Tackle him to assert your dominance!”
Aidan struggled to endure Blaze’s repeated attacks while he attempted to find an opening so he could fight back, but it didn’t seem like Blaze was going to let that happen. Luckily for Aidan, a Bubble Beam attack to the back of the head made Blaze momentarily stop, just long enough for Aidan to push him aside, before collapsing.
“Nice shot, Azure!” Megara said, grinning at the aqua mouse Pokémon.
“Thank you,” Azure responded, smirking. “That felt really good.”
Blitz began running over to Aidan, making his fur shine as he passed Blaze to momentarily blind the Blaziken, who had turned his attention back to Azure and the others.
“Aidan, eat these!” Blitz said, placing two Oran berries near the Arcanine.
“Thanks…” Aidan responded, eating the two berries and regaining his energy. “Ah, much better…”
“Are you okay?” Blitz asked, glancing over at Blaze, who was rubbing his eyes while muttering something.
“Yeah, I will be,” Aidan responded, nodding his head. “That was quite the scare, though… I wouldn’t be surprised if my fur had turned white for a moment there as he suddenly charged at me…”
“What should we do about him?” Blitz asked, nervously looking up to the Arcanine.
“Blaze is my friend, I know he would never do something like this under normal circumstances,” Aidan said, narrowing his eyes. “Something or someone else might be controlling him.”
“Controlling him?” Blitz asked, tilting his head slightly. “Well, how do we get him back to normal, then?”
“I don’t know,” Aidan responded, shaking his head. “For now, I’m just going to try to defeat him before he ends up hurting anyone else!”
Blaze soon came rushing at Aidan again, but this time, Aidan was able to swiftly step to the side and dodge Blaze’s attack. As the battle begun, Blitz quickly headed back over to his friends.
“Sera, Chiaki, you two take Megara, Drake and Inferno over to where I spotted the crystal, and try to retrieve it,” Blitz said, before turning to Azure. “In the meantime, Azure and I will help Aidan defeat Blaze.”
“Ooh, I like this plan!” Azure responded, grinning.
“Okay, Blitz…” Sera said, nodding her head. “That’s… a good idea, I think…”
Sera, Chiaki, Megara, Drake and Inferno headed off to retrieve the crystal, while Blitz and Azure turned around and began to prepare to assist Aidan.
“Eat this Violent Seed to boost your attacking strength,” Blitz said, handing Azure a small seed.
“Okay!” Azure responded, happily popping the seed into her mouth.
In the meantime, Aidan and Blaze were running around, both trying to catch up to and attack the other. Eventually, the two stopped, and Blaze attempted to strike Aidan with an electrified fist, only for Aidan to dodge and then bite down on Blaze’s fist with electrified fangs. Blitz and Azure watched as sparks flew from the two.
“I guess I should wait until they’re done with the electricity before I attack?” Azure asked.
“Yes, you should,” Blitz responded, nodding his head slightly.
----
Sera and Chiaki looked up at the cave wall across the lava pool, and eventually, they spotted the red crystal partially poking out from a wall.
“There it is!” Chiaki said, pointing up to the wall.
“All right, we’ll get it,” Megara said, with a confident smirk. “Inferno, you’re good at climbing, right?”
“Of course,” Inferno responded, grinning. “I’m all fired up for this!”
“Dude, this isn’t the time for your bad jokes!” Drake replied, looking rather annoyed.
“Oh, come on, Drake,” Inferno said, happily putting his arm around the Charmeleon. “Just admit that you do lava my jokes!”
“Seriously, stop it,” Drake responded, pushing Inferno’s hand away.
“You want me to go dormant?” Inferno asked, grinning at Drake.
Drake just sighed, and shook his head.
“Let’s just go get that crystal and get this over with,” Drake said.
The three fire type Pokémon easily made it across the lava pool while Sera and Chiaki looked on, and Inferno soon began climbing the wall in order to get up to the crystal while Megara and Drake waited for him on the ground. Inferno managed to reach the point where the crystal was without much difficulty, but how was he going to get the crystal out of the wall?
“Hmm… Maybe I can punch it loose?” Inferno said, considering it for a moment before shaking his head. “No, that’s a terrible idea…”
“Shame I can’t get up there,” Drake commented, looking at his own claws. “My Metal Claw attack would probably have been able to break through the rock around the crystal…”
“Well, I guess we need to get something Inferno can use to dig that crystal out,” Megara said, before looking over to Sera and Chiaki on the other side of the lava pool. “Do either of you have something that can help Inferno?”
“Um… Blitz has our items,” Sera responded, looking down at the ground.
“Oh, wait a minute!” Chiaki said, pulling out three Silver Spikes. “I picked these up when we were exploring the mystery dungeon, but I guess I must’ve forgotten to hand them over to Blitz!”
“When did you do that?” Sera asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Will this do?” Chiaki shouted, holding up a Silver Spike for Megara and Drake to see.
“It’s worth a try!” Megara responded.
Chiaki nodded his head, and held the Silver Spike in his paw. Soon, his paw began to glow with a golden light, and soon Chiaki launched the spike inside a golden star up to where Inferno was, who managed to catch it in his hand.
“Whoa,” Inferno said, examining the spike. “Thanks, dude!”
“You’re welcome!” Chiaki responded, smiling and waving.
Inferno then began picking at the rock with the Silver Spike, starting to slowly but surely dig the crystal out.
----
In the meantime, the heated battle between Aidan and Blaze continued, both Pokémon occasionally having to stop and catch their breaths. Blitz and Azure were doing what they could to assist Aidan, but since both Pokémon were moving so fast, it was difficult for them to help.
“Was this really worth using up one of our Violent Seeds?” Azure asked, tilting her head slightly. “We’re not actually doing much fighting here.”
“Well, at least that way you are prepared whenever we do need to step in,” Blitz replied.
“I suppose,” Azure responded, trying her best to keep up with the battle. “Wow, these two are fast. I’m worried I might blink and miss everything…”
“I know what you mean,” Blitz said, nodding his head slightly. “They’re both starting to look tired, though. This might be over soon…”
“Come on, Aidan!” Azure shouted, grinning. “You can do this!”
Aidan’s fur and Blaze’s feathers were looking rather messy from all the fighting and both of them were worn out from the fight.
“Blaze… Please snap out of it!” Aidan said.
The Blaziken just ignored him, and crossed his arms over his chest, beginning to glow with a blue and white light.
“… I guess you’re not going to listen,” Aidan said, shaking his head. “Very well, let’s get this over with.”
Aidan growled, and his body soon became enveloped in purple flames, while Blaze spread his arms as the glow around them took the shape of wings. The two Pokémon then charged at each other, before colliding in a big flash of light.
“Whoa! What was that?” Azure asked, trying to shield her eyes from the bright light.
“I think… Blaze used a Brave Bird attack, while Aidan used Outrage,” Blitz responded, blinking a few times. “Both very powerful attacks…”
As the dust settled, Blitz and Azure could see that both Aidan and Blaze were still standing, although not for long, as Blaze collapsed just a few seconds later. Aidan stumbled around for a bit, looking rather dazed, before collapsing himself. Blitz and Azure quickly ran up to the Arcanine, taking out a Reviver Seed and giving it to Aidan.
The Arcanine soon opened his eyes, and looked at the two young Pokémon.
“So, how’d I do?” Aidan asked, getting to his feet.
“You beat him,” Azure responded, grinning. “That was quite the awesome battle!”
“Thanks,” Aidan replied, glancing over at Blaze’s unconscious body. “I just hope that Blaze will be back to normal when he wakes up…”
----
Inferno continued using the Silver Spike to pick away at the rock around the crystal, and was now close to getting it loose from the wall. Drake and Megara were watching and getting ready to catch the crystal once it fell down, while Chiaki and Sera were waiting on the other side of the lava pool for the fire types to finish their work.
“Almost got it,” Inferno said, grinning as he continued digging the crystal out.
With a few more determined strikes against the rock, the crystal fell out from the cave wall, and landed in Drake’s arms.
“All right, we did it!” Drake said, handing the crystal to Megara.
“Thanks, you guys!” Megara responded, grinning.
Inferno climbed back down, and the three fire types went back across the lava pool to the Mienfoo and Eevee waiting on the other side.
“You did it!” Chiaki exclaimed, smiling as he saw the crystal.
“Couldn’t have done it without your help,” Megara said, smiling back at Chiaki and Sera.
“You’re welcome!” Chiaki responded, grinning.
The five of them went to go check on how things had gone for Blitz, Azure and Aidan, with Sera staring down at the ground with her ears drooping down as they went.
----
After moving to a different area within the volcano, Aidan, Drake, Inferno and Megara were waiting for Blaze to wake up, while Chiaki was showing the crystal they had retrieved to Azure. Sera was just sitting on the ground, facing a wall.
“Sera, what’s the matter?” Blitz asked, walking up to her. “We got the crystal, so shouldn’t you be more excited?”
“I didn’t really do anything, though,” Sera responded, sighing. “You, Azure and Chiaki did all the hard work… All I did was following your lead… Really, I’m not fit to be the leader of this rescue team…”
“Huh?” Blitz replied, tilting his head. “Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?”
“Blitz, think about it… All I’ve ever done is listen to you and following advice and never really trusting myself to make own decisions when exploring,” Sera said, glancing over her shoulder at Blitz. “While I may be a good enough explorer, I don’t really have what it takes to be a leader…”
“Sera…” Blitz responded, unsure what to say to her.
“I’m so sorry, Blitz,” Sera said, shaking her head. “I should’ve treated you better, but I messed up…”
Blitz wasn’t sure what to do. Sera was clearly under a lot of stress these days, to the point where she was in no condition to act as the rescue team leader. Perhaps someone else could fill in for her while she took a few days to recover? The question was, who? Chiaki was much too inexperienced to be a rescue team leader, and while Azure was getting better at it, she was too unpredictable. It seemed like there was only one option.
“Um… Would you like me to be the leader?” Blitz asked, rubbing his forelegs together.
“What?” Sera responded, surprised at this. “I thought you didn’t want to be a leader? I mean, what about those things that happened to you at your old home?”
“Well… Being the leader of a Luxray pride and the leader of a rescue team are two different things, right?” Blitz replied, looking away. “Besides, it’d only be for a little while… You know, until you’re feeling a little better, and can properly focus on the missions.”
“You’d… do that for me?” Sera asked, blinking a few times.
“We’re friends, and… friends look out for each other, right?” Blitz responded, glancing around.
“Yeah, they look out for each other,” Sera replied, hugging Blitz. “Thank you…”
“I’ll… do my best,” Blitz responded half-heartedly, nodding his head slightly.
The two of them soon walked over to the others, as Blaze was starting to regain consciousness.
“Ugh… What happened?” Blaze asked, rubbing his head and looking around at the Pokémon gathered around him. “… Megara? When did you come over for a visit? And who are these four Pokémon?”
“You don’t remember?” Megara responded, tilting her head.
“Um… Not really,” Blaze replied, blinking a few times. “I… recall patrolling the area, and… there was a Sigilyph there…”
“Wait, a Sigilyph?” Blitz inquired, leaning a bit closer.
“Yeah… I asked what he was up to, but he just laughed… and then I tried to stop him from leaving, but I think he hit me with an attack…” Blaze said, thinking for a moment, before shaking his head. “Everything is kind of fuzzy after that…”
“I… see…” Blitz responded, looking over at his teammates.
“So, the Sigilyph that stole the crystal was the one who made Blaze act all weird and suspicious,” Azure said, tilting her head slightly. “How’d he do that?”
“Um… What are you talking about?” Blaze asked, looking rather lost.
“It’s a long story,” Megara replied, gently patting Blaze’s shoulder.
“I’m glad to have you back,” Aidan said, smiling at Blaze. “I’ll explain everything I know later.”
“Oh, okay…” Blaze responded, nodding his head.
“Well, I’d like to stay longer, talk about the old times and such, but we should probably be heading back to Fenix Town,” Megara said, looking over at Drake and Inferno. “It was nice seeing you guys again, though!”
“Yeah, it was nice seeing you too,” Drake responded, smiling at Megara.
“You should come back and visit another time when there isn’t some crisis going on!” Inferno commented, grinning.
“I will,” Megara responded, nodding her head. “And you guys should come visit me sometime, so you can meet my teammates!”
“We’ll consider it,” Drake replied, before turning to Sera and her teammates. “It was nice meeting you guys as well, and maybe we’ll meet again someday?”
“I’d like that!” Chiaki responded, smiling.
“Ooh, I can tell you some more of my jokes the next time we meet!” Inferno said, grinning.
“Hey, don’t scare him like that,” Drake commented, smirking at Inferno.
“What?” Inferno said, shrugging. “Come on, you do like my jokes. Just admit it!”
Megara chuckled, and hugged her two friends, before walking up to Sera and the others.
“Let’s return to town, and give this crystal to Stella,” Chiaki said, smiling.
“Four crystals found, four more out there,” Azure commented, grinning.
“I wish you luck in getting the remaining crystals back,” Aidan said, smiling to the Pokémon from Fenix Town. “In the meantime, Blaze and I will keep an eye on things here, and keep track of the distortions.”
“Thanks, Aidan,” Megara responded, nodding her head.
Blitz looked to Sera expectantly, only to remember that this time; he was the one who was going to use the badge to send everyone home. He took the silver badge in his paws and looking down at it for a few moments, before lifting it up and letting it release its magic to teleport everyone back to town. Drake and Inferno waved good-bye, before going off somewhere, while Aidan explained to Blaze what was going on.
----
When they returned to town, Megara went to find Mirage and Cordyceps so she could tell them about how her mission had gone, while Blitz, Sera, Chiaki and Azure stopped by Stella’s house to drop off the crystal for safe-keeping. When he and Chiaki had returned home for the night, Blitz lay awake and kept staring at the bag and the rescue team badge which was now sitting in a corner, thinking about how he now was the rescue team leader until Sera was feeling better.
Being a rescue team leader was different from leading a Luxray pride. That’s what Blitz had said to Sera earlier, and he kept quietly repeating it to himself as he tried to sleep.
----
End of Chapter 29
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Last edited:
DarkerShining
Well-Known Member
Hey everyone! I finally finished Chapter 30! Due to a combination of being busy with schoolwork and a case of writers block, this took a lot longer than I expected. I have to say, I'm glad I can finally put up a new chapter for all my readers. I hope you'll all enjoy it!
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Chapter 30: You really do have natural talent as a leader!
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It was late at night, and most Pokémon in Fenix Town were asleep. However, for Elina, this was an opportunity to have some telepathy lessons with Kala while none of the rescue teams were around. After she’d finally figured out how to relax and project her thoughts, they’d managed to make a lot of progress with the lessons. While their lessons had mostly consisted of asking each other and answering simple questions, Kala felt like trying something a little bit different this time.
“… And then you have to say a different Pokémon that has something in common with the Pokémon I described, and then describe a quality that Pokémon possesses,” Kala explained. “We keep doing this until one of us can’t think of a Pokémon that matches the trait the other described, understood?”
Elina nodded her head slightly.
“All right… Let’s do this,” Kala said, and switched to telepathy as she began the game. “Even though it’s late at night, the Noctowl doesn’t mind. Because the Noctowl goes hunting when it’s dark, just like…”
“… a Sneasel?” Elina suggested, before quickly continuing when Kala nodded her head. “Yes, the Sneasel-y Sneasel goes hunting when it’s dark, and it’s sneaky and quiet like…”
“… a Luxio!” Kala responded, smirking as she continued. “The Luxio is sneaky and quiet when it goes hunting, but can shine so very brightly just like…”
“… a Chinchou!” Elina replied. “The Chinchou shines brightly, lighting up the ocean floor. It feels at home there in the sea, just like…”
“… a Clamperl,” Kala responded, thinking for a short moment before continuing. “The Clamperl feels at home in the sea, although it usually stays still. But that’s okay, because it has a tough shell to protect it just like…”
“… a Metapod!” Elina replied, smiling. “The Metapod is protected by a tough shell and daydreams all day long. It dreams of the day it’ll be able to fly, just like…”
“… a Bagon!” Kala responded, smirking. “The Bagon dreams of growing wings so that it can learn to fly. It has a hard head to protect it when it falls, just like…”
Elina blinked a few times, trying to think of something. Eventually, she just shook her head, and Kala just nodded slightly.
"… Seems I win this round,” Kala communicated via telepathy, smiling at Elina. “You did really well, though.”
“Oh, thanks, Kala!” Elina responded, nodding her head.
“Well, maybe that’s enough telepathy training for tonight,” Kala said, yawning. “You’ve really improved at this in the past few days…”
“Yes, I guess I have,” Elina responded via telepathy, seeming proud of herself. “I’m really glad you’re teaching me, Kala.”
Kala nodded her head, and then plopped down onto her pillow and fell asleep. Elina figured Kala had used quite a bit of energy on the telepathy lessons, and now needed her rest. Since it was so late, there wasn’t really any point in waking her up anyways. Elina then realized that she too needed to find a place to sleep for tonight.
“You still here, Elina…?” Kala asked, seeming to be talking in her sleep. “You can stay here for tonight, if you’d like… I don’t mind…”
Elina was surprised at this, but gladly accepted Kala’s offer and lay down on the floor next to her. It was better than sleeping outside, she thought to herself as she fell asleep.
----
Chiaki woke up the next morning to discover that Blitz seemed to be sitting in a corner with his eyes closed, whispering something while holding the silver rescue team badge in his paws. Chiaki tried listening, but couldn’t quite make out what Blitz was saying. He did think it sounded kind of like Blitz was trying to give himself a pep-talk, though. Chiaki also thought he heard Blitz mention Sera’s name a few times.
“… Blitz, what are you doing?” Chiaki asked, smiling at the Shinx.
Blitz gave a startled yell, and his fur shone brightly for a moment, before Blitz calmed down.
“Ah… Don’t startle me like that,” Blitz said, sighing.
“Sorry!” Chiaki responded, rubbing his eyes. “Good morning, by the way!”
“Good morning,” Blitz replied, attaching the badge back onto the treasure bag. “So… ready to head out?”
“Yeah, I’m ready!” Chiaki responded, with a cheerful smile.
The two of them headed outside and began heading into the town, Blitz carrying the treasure bag with the rescue team badge on it. It felt a bit weird carrying these things, and Blitz wasn’t sure how he felt about being a rescue team leader, even if it was only until Sera was feeling better. At least being the leader of a rescue team wasn’t the same as being the leader of a Luxray pride.
How different would it be from the missions they’d been on so far, though? He wasn’t entirely sure about that. While he probably did have a bit more knowledge on these things than Sera did, which was why she often looked to him for advice, surely things would be different when he actually had to be the leader?
He thought about it while he and Chiaki were going around the town plaza, making some preparations for today’s missions, before beginning to head over to the HQ to meet up with their teammates. On the way there, they ran into a certain Gothorita.
“Hi!” Bow said, happily waving at the two.
“Oh, hi Bow,” Blitz responded, smiling at her. “What are you doing out here?”
“Um… I forgot,” Bow replied, shrugging her shoulders slightly. “What about you guys? I’m guessing you’re on your way to the HQ?”
“That’s right!” Chiaki said, nodding his head.
“Yeah, that’s where we’re going,” Blitz said, glancing around. “Sera and Azure might already be waiting for us there, so…”
“Oh, that’s okay!” Bow responded, nodding her head. “We can talk later! Also, I just remembered what it was I was supposed to do, so I better go do that before I forget again!”
“Thanks, Bow,” Blitz replied, smiling at her.
Bow ran off into town, and Blitz and Chiaki headed up to the HQ. As they went inside, they soon spotted Sera and Azure talking to each other, while other rescue teams were looking at the bulletin boards.
“Hi, girls,” Blitz said, walking up to them.
“Oh, hey there, Blitz!” Sera responded, smiling at him.
“Feeling a little better today?” Blitz asked.
“I guess so,” Sera replied, shrugging slightly.
“That’s good,” Blitz responded, nodding his head.
“What about you, Blitz?” Sera asked, tilting her head slightly. “Are you ready for this?”
“Yeah,” Blitz replied, glancing at the rescue team badge. “I have the badge and I know how to use it… Got some items that might be useful… We just need to pick out some missions to do.”
They waited for some of the rescue teams to move away from the board, before walking up to it and seeing which missions were posted up on the bulletin board. As usual, there were requests from Pokémon needing to be rescued, needing a particular item to be retrieved, or having someone escort them to a certain point within a dungeon. It wasn’t too difficult for Blitz to pick out a few missions.
“These look good,” Blitz said, looking over the three missions he had picked out.
“Wow, that was fast,” Azure commented.
“Uh, thanks,” Blitz responded, showing the missions to his three teammates. “So, what do you guys think?”
“Yeah, they look good to me,” Azure responded, nodding slightly.
“I agree!” Chiaki said, with his usual cheerful smile.
Sera just smiled and nodded her head.
“Okay, then…” Blitz said, taking a deep breath. “First, we must find an item on the tenth floor, and then we must rescue two Pokémon on floor twelve and fourteen.”
“All right, let’s go!” Azure said, grinning. “Another adventure, here we come!”
And so they headed over to Kala’s room, and were quickly teleported to the mystery dungeon where their missions awaited.
----
Stella was looking into the chest where the four Axis Tower crystals that had been retrieved were currently being kept for safety, looking somewhat concerned as she closed the lid and locked the chest. She looked out the window, knowing that it was about time she told the Pokémon of Fenix Town how their current situation was linked to something that had happened a long time ago.
As she was standing there, thinking to herself, Bow returned from her errand.
“I’m back!” Bow said, cheerfully running up to her mother.
“Ah, welcome back,” Stella responded, patting Bow on the head. “Did you do what I asked you to?”
“Uh-huh!” Bow replied, nodding her head.
“Good girl,” Stella responded, giving a small smile. “Now that you’re back, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?” Bow said, tilting her head slightly. “Is this about why you’ve been so worried lately?”
“Yes,” Stella responded, nodding her head. “I will soon inform the other Pokémon in Fenix Town about what is going on, but I wanted to tell you first.”
“Why?” Bow asked, looking up at her mother.
“Because of something that happened in the past,” Stella explained, motioning for Bow to sit down. “Did I ever tell you about Cassandra?”
“Um… I don’t remember,” Bow responded, thinking for a moment. “Was she… one of the previous town oracles?”
“Yes, exactly,” Stella replied, telekinetically picking up some old scrolls. “Listen closely, as the way the Pokémon of this town live their lives was in many ways a direct result of these events in the past.”
----
Blitz didn’t feel entirely comfortable leading the rescue team as they made their way deeper into the mystery dungeon, but he kept reminding himself it was only temporary. Having the knowledge and skills, being the rescue team leader wasn’t at all very difficult for the young Shinx. However, if anything, the fact that he was good at it only made Blitz feel even more uncomfortable about it. After all, it could just be another sign that destiny could not be fought, and he just had to accept what was decided for him.
Once again Blitz had to take a deep breath, and remind himself that being a leader of a rescue team and being the leader of a Luxray pride were two very different things. He was just doing this to help Sera, and so he just had to try to not let it bother him.
“We’re nearly at the tenth floor,” Blitz said, glancing back at his teammates. “Remember to keep an eye out for a Persim Band once we get there!”
“Okay!” Chiaki responded, nodding his head.
“Understood,” Azure replied, briefly turning around and firing a Bubble Beam at a wild Pokémon following behind them. “Heh, thought it could sneak up on us, huh? Not when I’m around!”
Sera wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, she felt… lighter. It could’ve just been because she wasn’t carrying the treasure bag full of items like she normally did on missions, but she knew there was more to it than that. When she had admitted to Blitz that she wasn’t fit to be the leader of the rescue team, she had thought she would be feeling really bad about it. And it did feel bad to begin with, but now… Sera couldn’t explain it, but she felt really relieved.
For a long time, Sera had wanted to prove that she wasn’t just a little kid. She wanted to prove that she had the maturity, intelligence and strength to be the leader of a rescue team, but who was it she was trying to prove this to? She wasn’t sure if she knew the answer to that question anymore. She was confused about a lot of things now, but felt as if things would soon be much clearer.
“It’s like… I’ve opened the door leading to a whole new path, just waiting for me to explore it,” Sera thought, and couldn’t help but smile. “As I explore it, maybe I’ll find my answers.”
Right now, Sera didn’t feel that she needed to prove anything to anyone. She could just go on missions, explore and have fun with her friends. It would’ve been nice if things could just stay like that for a while, but she had to take Blitz’s feelings into consideration. He didn’t seem entirely comfortable with the whole leader thing, which she figured had to do with his own insecurities about what was expected of him.
Blitz had told her he was okay with being the leader of the rescue team until Sera was ready to take back the position, but was it really okay to let Blitz do this?
“There’s the stairs!” Chiaki exclaimed.
“Yes, I see them,” Blitz responded, briefly glancing around to see if there were any items nearby, before they all headed up the stairs to the next floor.
As they began looking around for the Persim Band, Chiaki couldn’t help but quietly observe Blitz and Sera. It seemed as if things were getting better between the two of them, although it was a bit difficult to really tell how they were feeling. Chiaki wasn’t sure if there was anything he could do, but he wanted to help more if he could. Chiaki wondered if his friendship with Elina had been anything like the friendship between Blitz and Sera, and felt a bit saddened by the fact that he couldn’t remember how it really felt.
Sure, he had made many friends since meeting Blitz and Sera, and he felt he could talk to Elina about a lot of things, but he wondered if there might be something more to having a best friend.
“Guys, you hear that?” Azure asked, her ears twitching slightly. “I think I hear… snoring?”
As they moved over to the next room, they noticed the Persim Band they were looking for on the ground. However, there was a sleeping wild Pokémon right next to it, a pink sheep with white wool around its neck. The Flaaffy was sitting on the floor, with its back leaning against a wall.
“So… How are we going to get the item without waking up the Flaaffy?” Azure asked.
“I doubt it’s possible to do without a Sneak Scarf,” Blitz responded.
“Do we have one of those?” Chiaki asked, glancing at the treasure bag.
“No,” Blitz replied, shaking his head. “However, it shouldn’t be too hard to knock it out quickly for the four of us.”
“Okay, what’s the plan, then?” Azure asked, with a confident smirk.
“I’ll sneak up to it first, since both it and I are electric types, and thus I resist its attacks,” Blitz explained, looking over at Sera. “Sera, I want you to use your Helping Hand to increase the power of our attacks.”
“Okay, Blitz!” Sera responded, nodding her head.
“Azure, you can try attacking from a distance with your Bubble Beam attack,” Blitz said, looking over at Azure. “That way, you won’t risk being affected by the effects of the Flaaffy’s Static ability.”
“No problem,” Azure replied, grinning.
“And Chiaki, you can come with me,” Blitz said. “Try grabbing the Persim Band while I try to get the Flaaffy’s attention, and use Detect to dodge its attacks if necessary.”
“Sure, I can do that!” Chiaki responded, nodding slightly.
Blitz began moving closer to the Flaaffy, Chiaki following closely behind. The two tried to move as quietly as they could, while Sera prepared to use her Helping Hand to make her teammates’ attacks stronger. It didn’t take long before they had gotten close enough that the Flaaffy woke up. Blitz quickly tackled the Flaaffy to the ground, while Chiaki went to pick up the Persim Band. The Flaaffy gave an angry bleat, and pushed Blitz aside. Sparks of electricity flew from the Flaaffy’s wool as it prepared to attack, but Blitz was only concerned with keeping the electric sheep’s attention on him.
Chiaki had managed to pick up the Persim Band while Blitz kept the wild Flaaffy distracted, and was soon ready to assist Blitz in fighting the sheep Pokémon. The fight was over in just a few moments, and they could put the Persim Band into the treasure bag and move on to the next floor.
“That was pretty awesome, Blitz!” Chiaki said, smiling.
“Oh, um… It really wasn’t anything special,” Blitz responded, glancing around. “Just basic stuff about how the Pokémon types work, and taking advantage of it… The kind of thing most Pokémon know, really.”
“If you say so…” Chiaki replied, tilting his head slightly. “I still thought it was cool, though.”
“Uh-huh…” Blitz responded. “We’ve still got two more missions in this dungeon, so let’s keep going, shall we?”
The rescue team continued moving onto the next floor, and Blitz asked Azure to listen closely for the first of the two Pokémon they had to rescue. With Azure’s help, it didn’t take long before they knew which direction would likely lead them to the lost Pokémon fastest. Blitz quickly led his teammates through the maze to where the lost Pokémon was, and used the rescue team badge to teleport it out of the dungeon.
“Okay, one more to go,” Blitz said, with a slight smile. “Let’s go, guys!”
They kept on moving, Blitz leading the way as they moved towards the next floor.
“Hey, am I imagining it, or does it seem like Blitz is actually enjoying this a little bit?” Azure whispered to Chiaki.
“I think so too,” Chiaki whispered back, glancing over his shoulder at Azure. “Things are going really well, after all.”
“Sera seems to be feeling pretty good too, doesn’t she?” Azure asked.
“Yeah, it seems that way,” Chiaki replied, smiling. “Things are looking up for us, aren’t they?”
“What are you two whispering about?” Sera asked, glancing at Chiaki and Azure behind her.
“Oh, it’s nothing!” Azure responded, grinning.
They soon reached the next floor, and looked around as usual. Finding a Reviver Seed, only to realize their treasure bag was already full, they had to have a brief discussion about which item to swap it for. Taking the Reviver Seed while leaving a Pecha berry they had picked up earlier behind, they continued making their way through the maze. Blitz suddenly stopped near another room, listening closely.
“… Azure, do you hear that?” Blitz asked, looking over at his teammates.
“Yeah, it sounds like there’s a lot of wild Pokémon just head,” Azure responded.
“I don’t think they’ve noticed us yet, so let’s take a few moments to prepare before going in there,” Blitz said, rubbing his paws against the ground and charging up some electricity.
“Oh, you mean use the attacks we know to increase our strength?” Sera asked, smiling and nodding her head. “Okay, I understand!”
While Blitz continued charging electricity to increase his defense from special attacks and increase the strength of his own electric attacks, Sera started using her Helping Hand to power up her three teammates. Chiaki closed his eyes and took a deep breath, meditating for a moment to increase his attack power. Azure simply just curled up into a ball in order to increase her defense.
Once they were all ready, they headed into the room to deal with the wild Pokémon in there. After the battle, one of the wild Pokémon dropped a small red treasure chest-shaped box upon being knocked out by Azure’s Slam attack.
“We should take this back to town and have Bijou open it for us,” Blitz said, looking through the treasure bag to figure out if there were any items they could use up or leave behind in order to make room for it.
“I hope there’s something good in there!” Azure commented, grinning.
“You know, the treasure boxes are smaller than I expected,” Chiaki said, tilting his head slightly. “Then again, I suppose if they were much bigger, we wouldn’t be able to fit them in the bag…”
Once Blitz had made room for it and put the treasure box into the bag, they could keep moving on to the next floor and begin looking for the second Pokémon they had to rescue in order to finish their last mission for the day.
----
As she finished telling the story, Stella gave Bow some time to let it all sink in. There was a lot to take in, and understanding how it was all connected. Bow stared with wide eyes up at her mother, and seemed to be trying her best to remember everything and properly put all the pieces together.
“So… That’s why so many buildings in this town are made of stone...” Bow said, tapping her hand against the side of her chin.
“Yes, indeed,” Stella responded, nodding her head. “Like I said before, a lot of the things that happened back then had a major impact on how we live our lives in this town today.”
“Cassandra was really awesome,” Bow said, looking up at her mother. “It’s almost a little hard to believe that I’m related to her.”
“What do you mean by that?” Stella asked.
“I’m such a scatterbrain,” Bow responded, sighing. “There’s no way someone as forgetful as me would ever make a good town oracle.”
“Everyone has their flaws, Bow,” Stella replied, smiling at her daughter. “Just because you’re a little forgetful, it doesn’t mean you won’t be a good town oracle.”
“Yes, it does!” Bow responded. “I mean, how am I supposed to help Pokémon if I can’t even remember my own visions? And writing things down doesn’t help, because I’ll just forget I did so or where I left my notes!”
“I understand that must be frustrating, dear,” Stella replied, patting Bow’s shoulder.
“No, you don’t understand what it’s like…” Bow said, sighing. “I really do try not to lose my focus, and remember what I’m told and what I’ve seen, but… I’m hopeless, really.”
“Bow, you are far from hopeless,” Stella responded. “In fact, I think you’ve been getting better at keeping your focus on things lately.”
“You really think so?” Bow asked, looking up at Stella. “Or are you just saying that because you’re my mom?”
“I really do mean it,” Stella replied, embracing her daughter. “Sure, you tend to get distracted and forget what is currently on your mind at times, but when it’s something important, you don’t lose track of it.”
“What do you mean?” Bow inquired, tilting her head slightly.
“You were there to lend Blitz an ear when he needed someone to talk to, right?” Stella asked, smiling at Bow. “And because you were able to understand the way he felt, you showed him that he was not as alone as he thought he was.”
“Huh… I guess so,” Bow responded, thinking about it for a moment. “We talked about our feelings about the future, and our destinies…”
“Exactly,” Stella replied, nodding her head. “You were able to reassure the young Shinx and show him that he was not the only one with concerns about the future. I’d say that shows you have potential to be a great town oracle someday.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Bow said, blushing slightly.
“Trust me, you have what it takes,” Stella responded. “Even if there are some things that are difficult for you now, if you just keep working to overcome them a little by little, I’m certain you’ll come far.”
“Sounds like it might take a while, though,” Bow commented.
“And that’s perfectly fine,” Stella replied, smiling. “Pokémon mature at different rates, after all.”
“I guess so,” Bow responded, nodding her head slightly. “Thanks.”
“Just believe in yourself,” Stella said, patting Bow’s shoulder. “You’re stronger than you think.”
“Okay, I’ll keep trying,” Bow replied, tilting her head. “So, um… About Cassandra, and the other stuff… I have a few questions.”
“Go ahead, ask anything you’d like to know,” Stella responded.
----
After finishing their last mission for the day, Blitz and his teammates returned to the rescue team HQ and received their rewards from the missions. With not enough space in the treasure bag for it all, most of it ended up being sent to their item storage box at Lionel’s item warehouse. Then it was time for Azure to go help her mother at the café, while Sera had to get home in time for dinner. After saying good-bye to the girls, Blitz and Chiaki began heading home as well.
“Wow, I’m so impressed with how you handled those missions today!” Chiaki said, smiling at Blitz. “You really do have natural talent as a leader!”
“Uh… Chiaki, please don’t say things like that,” Blitz responded, looking rather uncomfortable and staring down at the ground.
“Oh, sorry,” Chiaki replied, remembering how Blitz felt about it. “So, what are we doing tomorrow? Aside from more missions, I guess.”
“Well, we need to sort through our items, so we have what we need and still have room for more useful items we might find in dungeons,” Blitz responded. “Also, we need to have Bijou open that treasure box we found.”
“Oh, that’s right!” Chiaki said, nodding his head. “What do you think is inside that treasure box?”
“I don’t know,” Blitz replied, shrugging slightly. “It might be something useful, but we’ll see what it is once Bijou has opened it for us.”
“I can’t wait!” Chiaki commented, grinning.
The two Pokémon soon returned to their home, and went to sleep. New adventures would await them tomorrow, but for now it was just a regular night.
…
At least, for the two of them it was.
----
Bow was still awake, staring up at the starry sky. She attempted to see if the stars would hold any answers about the future, while also thinking about what she had been told before about the past. She was wondering if there was a chance that history might repeat itself, even if Cassandra and the other Pokémon who lived during that time had taken some precautions to prevent that. Still, if they had really wanted to prevent that, they could’ve told Pandora to better plan out something in case the magic spell she had used eventually wore off or was broken.
At the very least, Pandora had made sure that she would have a successor before moving on to the next world, and that everything she had learned about magic was written down, including the instructions for the spell she had used to seal away their enemy.
“She may have been good with magic, but I don’t think she can possibly have thought things through,” Bow whispered to herself, still looking up at the starry sky. “She should’ve asked Cassandra and the others to help her think of something…”
Bow glanced over at her mother, who was currently asleep.
“I should ask mom to include something about that in her next letter for Samara,” Bow commented, before turning her gaze back to the stars. “Just so she won’t make the same mistake.”
Bow yawned and laid down to sleep, hoping she would remember to bring this up to her mother tomorrow. However, a few minutes after falling asleep, Bow suddenly got up and quietly made her way outside. Slowly, but surely, she got further away from the stone building. Suddenly, she stopped and looked around at her surroundings, with a confused look on her face.
“Huh? When did I get out here?” Bow wondered, tilting her head slightly. “Did I go here in my sleep?”
Bow looked around, but there wasn’t much to see. It was dark outside, and the area was eerily quiet.
“… I should hurry back home,” Bow muttered, and turned around.
After taking a few steps back in the direction she came from, she suddenly felt something wrapping itself around her leg. She looked down to see what appeared to be a thin shadowy tentacle coming out of the ground.
“What’s that?” Bow said, grabbing onto her leg and trying to pull it out of the tentacles’ hold.
As she struggled to free herself, an eerie laugh began echoing through the area.
“Let me go!” Bow shouted, feeling a bit panicked and trying to pull harder. However, more tentacles soon emerged from the ground, and before Bow could scream for help, one of them had wrapped around her head and covered her mouth.
“I finally caught you…” a voice from behind Bow said, and the Gothorita was able to turn her head slightly to see a Sigilyph hovering behind her. “Hello there, Bow. I’m guessing you’ve recently learned who I really am?”
Bow stood there frozen in terror, wondering just what was going to happen to her now…
----
End of chapter 30.
----
----
Chapter 30: You really do have natural talent as a leader!
----
It was late at night, and most Pokémon in Fenix Town were asleep. However, for Elina, this was an opportunity to have some telepathy lessons with Kala while none of the rescue teams were around. After she’d finally figured out how to relax and project her thoughts, they’d managed to make a lot of progress with the lessons. While their lessons had mostly consisted of asking each other and answering simple questions, Kala felt like trying something a little bit different this time.
“… And then you have to say a different Pokémon that has something in common with the Pokémon I described, and then describe a quality that Pokémon possesses,” Kala explained. “We keep doing this until one of us can’t think of a Pokémon that matches the trait the other described, understood?”
Elina nodded her head slightly.
“All right… Let’s do this,” Kala said, and switched to telepathy as she began the game. “Even though it’s late at night, the Noctowl doesn’t mind. Because the Noctowl goes hunting when it’s dark, just like…”
“… a Sneasel?” Elina suggested, before quickly continuing when Kala nodded her head. “Yes, the Sneasel-y Sneasel goes hunting when it’s dark, and it’s sneaky and quiet like…”
“… a Luxio!” Kala responded, smirking as she continued. “The Luxio is sneaky and quiet when it goes hunting, but can shine so very brightly just like…”
“… a Chinchou!” Elina replied. “The Chinchou shines brightly, lighting up the ocean floor. It feels at home there in the sea, just like…”
“… a Clamperl,” Kala responded, thinking for a short moment before continuing. “The Clamperl feels at home in the sea, although it usually stays still. But that’s okay, because it has a tough shell to protect it just like…”
“… a Metapod!” Elina replied, smiling. “The Metapod is protected by a tough shell and daydreams all day long. It dreams of the day it’ll be able to fly, just like…”
“… a Bagon!” Kala responded, smirking. “The Bagon dreams of growing wings so that it can learn to fly. It has a hard head to protect it when it falls, just like…”
Elina blinked a few times, trying to think of something. Eventually, she just shook her head, and Kala just nodded slightly.
"… Seems I win this round,” Kala communicated via telepathy, smiling at Elina. “You did really well, though.”
“Oh, thanks, Kala!” Elina responded, nodding her head.
“Well, maybe that’s enough telepathy training for tonight,” Kala said, yawning. “You’ve really improved at this in the past few days…”
“Yes, I guess I have,” Elina responded via telepathy, seeming proud of herself. “I’m really glad you’re teaching me, Kala.”
Kala nodded her head, and then plopped down onto her pillow and fell asleep. Elina figured Kala had used quite a bit of energy on the telepathy lessons, and now needed her rest. Since it was so late, there wasn’t really any point in waking her up anyways. Elina then realized that she too needed to find a place to sleep for tonight.
“You still here, Elina…?” Kala asked, seeming to be talking in her sleep. “You can stay here for tonight, if you’d like… I don’t mind…”
Elina was surprised at this, but gladly accepted Kala’s offer and lay down on the floor next to her. It was better than sleeping outside, she thought to herself as she fell asleep.
----
Chiaki woke up the next morning to discover that Blitz seemed to be sitting in a corner with his eyes closed, whispering something while holding the silver rescue team badge in his paws. Chiaki tried listening, but couldn’t quite make out what Blitz was saying. He did think it sounded kind of like Blitz was trying to give himself a pep-talk, though. Chiaki also thought he heard Blitz mention Sera’s name a few times.
“… Blitz, what are you doing?” Chiaki asked, smiling at the Shinx.
Blitz gave a startled yell, and his fur shone brightly for a moment, before Blitz calmed down.
“Ah… Don’t startle me like that,” Blitz said, sighing.
“Sorry!” Chiaki responded, rubbing his eyes. “Good morning, by the way!”
“Good morning,” Blitz replied, attaching the badge back onto the treasure bag. “So… ready to head out?”
“Yeah, I’m ready!” Chiaki responded, with a cheerful smile.
The two of them headed outside and began heading into the town, Blitz carrying the treasure bag with the rescue team badge on it. It felt a bit weird carrying these things, and Blitz wasn’t sure how he felt about being a rescue team leader, even if it was only until Sera was feeling better. At least being the leader of a rescue team wasn’t the same as being the leader of a Luxray pride.
How different would it be from the missions they’d been on so far, though? He wasn’t entirely sure about that. While he probably did have a bit more knowledge on these things than Sera did, which was why she often looked to him for advice, surely things would be different when he actually had to be the leader?
He thought about it while he and Chiaki were going around the town plaza, making some preparations for today’s missions, before beginning to head over to the HQ to meet up with their teammates. On the way there, they ran into a certain Gothorita.
“Hi!” Bow said, happily waving at the two.
“Oh, hi Bow,” Blitz responded, smiling at her. “What are you doing out here?”
“Um… I forgot,” Bow replied, shrugging her shoulders slightly. “What about you guys? I’m guessing you’re on your way to the HQ?”
“That’s right!” Chiaki said, nodding his head.
“Yeah, that’s where we’re going,” Blitz said, glancing around. “Sera and Azure might already be waiting for us there, so…”
“Oh, that’s okay!” Bow responded, nodding her head. “We can talk later! Also, I just remembered what it was I was supposed to do, so I better go do that before I forget again!”
“Thanks, Bow,” Blitz replied, smiling at her.
Bow ran off into town, and Blitz and Chiaki headed up to the HQ. As they went inside, they soon spotted Sera and Azure talking to each other, while other rescue teams were looking at the bulletin boards.
“Hi, girls,” Blitz said, walking up to them.
“Oh, hey there, Blitz!” Sera responded, smiling at him.
“Feeling a little better today?” Blitz asked.
“I guess so,” Sera replied, shrugging slightly.
“That’s good,” Blitz responded, nodding his head.
“What about you, Blitz?” Sera asked, tilting her head slightly. “Are you ready for this?”
“Yeah,” Blitz replied, glancing at the rescue team badge. “I have the badge and I know how to use it… Got some items that might be useful… We just need to pick out some missions to do.”
They waited for some of the rescue teams to move away from the board, before walking up to it and seeing which missions were posted up on the bulletin board. As usual, there were requests from Pokémon needing to be rescued, needing a particular item to be retrieved, or having someone escort them to a certain point within a dungeon. It wasn’t too difficult for Blitz to pick out a few missions.
“These look good,” Blitz said, looking over the three missions he had picked out.
“Wow, that was fast,” Azure commented.
“Uh, thanks,” Blitz responded, showing the missions to his three teammates. “So, what do you guys think?”
“Yeah, they look good to me,” Azure responded, nodding slightly.
“I agree!” Chiaki said, with his usual cheerful smile.
Sera just smiled and nodded her head.
“Okay, then…” Blitz said, taking a deep breath. “First, we must find an item on the tenth floor, and then we must rescue two Pokémon on floor twelve and fourteen.”
“All right, let’s go!” Azure said, grinning. “Another adventure, here we come!”
And so they headed over to Kala’s room, and were quickly teleported to the mystery dungeon where their missions awaited.
----
Stella was looking into the chest where the four Axis Tower crystals that had been retrieved were currently being kept for safety, looking somewhat concerned as she closed the lid and locked the chest. She looked out the window, knowing that it was about time she told the Pokémon of Fenix Town how their current situation was linked to something that had happened a long time ago.
As she was standing there, thinking to herself, Bow returned from her errand.
“I’m back!” Bow said, cheerfully running up to her mother.
“Ah, welcome back,” Stella responded, patting Bow on the head. “Did you do what I asked you to?”
“Uh-huh!” Bow replied, nodding her head.
“Good girl,” Stella responded, giving a small smile. “Now that you’re back, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?” Bow said, tilting her head slightly. “Is this about why you’ve been so worried lately?”
“Yes,” Stella responded, nodding her head. “I will soon inform the other Pokémon in Fenix Town about what is going on, but I wanted to tell you first.”
“Why?” Bow asked, looking up at her mother.
“Because of something that happened in the past,” Stella explained, motioning for Bow to sit down. “Did I ever tell you about Cassandra?”
“Um… I don’t remember,” Bow responded, thinking for a moment. “Was she… one of the previous town oracles?”
“Yes, exactly,” Stella replied, telekinetically picking up some old scrolls. “Listen closely, as the way the Pokémon of this town live their lives was in many ways a direct result of these events in the past.”
----
Blitz didn’t feel entirely comfortable leading the rescue team as they made their way deeper into the mystery dungeon, but he kept reminding himself it was only temporary. Having the knowledge and skills, being the rescue team leader wasn’t at all very difficult for the young Shinx. However, if anything, the fact that he was good at it only made Blitz feel even more uncomfortable about it. After all, it could just be another sign that destiny could not be fought, and he just had to accept what was decided for him.
Once again Blitz had to take a deep breath, and remind himself that being a leader of a rescue team and being the leader of a Luxray pride were two very different things. He was just doing this to help Sera, and so he just had to try to not let it bother him.
“We’re nearly at the tenth floor,” Blitz said, glancing back at his teammates. “Remember to keep an eye out for a Persim Band once we get there!”
“Okay!” Chiaki responded, nodding his head.
“Understood,” Azure replied, briefly turning around and firing a Bubble Beam at a wild Pokémon following behind them. “Heh, thought it could sneak up on us, huh? Not when I’m around!”
Sera wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, she felt… lighter. It could’ve just been because she wasn’t carrying the treasure bag full of items like she normally did on missions, but she knew there was more to it than that. When she had admitted to Blitz that she wasn’t fit to be the leader of the rescue team, she had thought she would be feeling really bad about it. And it did feel bad to begin with, but now… Sera couldn’t explain it, but she felt really relieved.
For a long time, Sera had wanted to prove that she wasn’t just a little kid. She wanted to prove that she had the maturity, intelligence and strength to be the leader of a rescue team, but who was it she was trying to prove this to? She wasn’t sure if she knew the answer to that question anymore. She was confused about a lot of things now, but felt as if things would soon be much clearer.
“It’s like… I’ve opened the door leading to a whole new path, just waiting for me to explore it,” Sera thought, and couldn’t help but smile. “As I explore it, maybe I’ll find my answers.”
Right now, Sera didn’t feel that she needed to prove anything to anyone. She could just go on missions, explore and have fun with her friends. It would’ve been nice if things could just stay like that for a while, but she had to take Blitz’s feelings into consideration. He didn’t seem entirely comfortable with the whole leader thing, which she figured had to do with his own insecurities about what was expected of him.
Blitz had told her he was okay with being the leader of the rescue team until Sera was ready to take back the position, but was it really okay to let Blitz do this?
“There’s the stairs!” Chiaki exclaimed.
“Yes, I see them,” Blitz responded, briefly glancing around to see if there were any items nearby, before they all headed up the stairs to the next floor.
As they began looking around for the Persim Band, Chiaki couldn’t help but quietly observe Blitz and Sera. It seemed as if things were getting better between the two of them, although it was a bit difficult to really tell how they were feeling. Chiaki wasn’t sure if there was anything he could do, but he wanted to help more if he could. Chiaki wondered if his friendship with Elina had been anything like the friendship between Blitz and Sera, and felt a bit saddened by the fact that he couldn’t remember how it really felt.
Sure, he had made many friends since meeting Blitz and Sera, and he felt he could talk to Elina about a lot of things, but he wondered if there might be something more to having a best friend.
“Guys, you hear that?” Azure asked, her ears twitching slightly. “I think I hear… snoring?”
As they moved over to the next room, they noticed the Persim Band they were looking for on the ground. However, there was a sleeping wild Pokémon right next to it, a pink sheep with white wool around its neck. The Flaaffy was sitting on the floor, with its back leaning against a wall.
“So… How are we going to get the item without waking up the Flaaffy?” Azure asked.
“I doubt it’s possible to do without a Sneak Scarf,” Blitz responded.
“Do we have one of those?” Chiaki asked, glancing at the treasure bag.
“No,” Blitz replied, shaking his head. “However, it shouldn’t be too hard to knock it out quickly for the four of us.”
“Okay, what’s the plan, then?” Azure asked, with a confident smirk.
“I’ll sneak up to it first, since both it and I are electric types, and thus I resist its attacks,” Blitz explained, looking over at Sera. “Sera, I want you to use your Helping Hand to increase the power of our attacks.”
“Okay, Blitz!” Sera responded, nodding her head.
“Azure, you can try attacking from a distance with your Bubble Beam attack,” Blitz said, looking over at Azure. “That way, you won’t risk being affected by the effects of the Flaaffy’s Static ability.”
“No problem,” Azure replied, grinning.
“And Chiaki, you can come with me,” Blitz said. “Try grabbing the Persim Band while I try to get the Flaaffy’s attention, and use Detect to dodge its attacks if necessary.”
“Sure, I can do that!” Chiaki responded, nodding slightly.
Blitz began moving closer to the Flaaffy, Chiaki following closely behind. The two tried to move as quietly as they could, while Sera prepared to use her Helping Hand to make her teammates’ attacks stronger. It didn’t take long before they had gotten close enough that the Flaaffy woke up. Blitz quickly tackled the Flaaffy to the ground, while Chiaki went to pick up the Persim Band. The Flaaffy gave an angry bleat, and pushed Blitz aside. Sparks of electricity flew from the Flaaffy’s wool as it prepared to attack, but Blitz was only concerned with keeping the electric sheep’s attention on him.
Chiaki had managed to pick up the Persim Band while Blitz kept the wild Flaaffy distracted, and was soon ready to assist Blitz in fighting the sheep Pokémon. The fight was over in just a few moments, and they could put the Persim Band into the treasure bag and move on to the next floor.
“That was pretty awesome, Blitz!” Chiaki said, smiling.
“Oh, um… It really wasn’t anything special,” Blitz responded, glancing around. “Just basic stuff about how the Pokémon types work, and taking advantage of it… The kind of thing most Pokémon know, really.”
“If you say so…” Chiaki replied, tilting his head slightly. “I still thought it was cool, though.”
“Uh-huh…” Blitz responded. “We’ve still got two more missions in this dungeon, so let’s keep going, shall we?”
The rescue team continued moving onto the next floor, and Blitz asked Azure to listen closely for the first of the two Pokémon they had to rescue. With Azure’s help, it didn’t take long before they knew which direction would likely lead them to the lost Pokémon fastest. Blitz quickly led his teammates through the maze to where the lost Pokémon was, and used the rescue team badge to teleport it out of the dungeon.
“Okay, one more to go,” Blitz said, with a slight smile. “Let’s go, guys!”
They kept on moving, Blitz leading the way as they moved towards the next floor.
“Hey, am I imagining it, or does it seem like Blitz is actually enjoying this a little bit?” Azure whispered to Chiaki.
“I think so too,” Chiaki whispered back, glancing over his shoulder at Azure. “Things are going really well, after all.”
“Sera seems to be feeling pretty good too, doesn’t she?” Azure asked.
“Yeah, it seems that way,” Chiaki replied, smiling. “Things are looking up for us, aren’t they?”
“What are you two whispering about?” Sera asked, glancing at Chiaki and Azure behind her.
“Oh, it’s nothing!” Azure responded, grinning.
They soon reached the next floor, and looked around as usual. Finding a Reviver Seed, only to realize their treasure bag was already full, they had to have a brief discussion about which item to swap it for. Taking the Reviver Seed while leaving a Pecha berry they had picked up earlier behind, they continued making their way through the maze. Blitz suddenly stopped near another room, listening closely.
“… Azure, do you hear that?” Blitz asked, looking over at his teammates.
“Yeah, it sounds like there’s a lot of wild Pokémon just head,” Azure responded.
“I don’t think they’ve noticed us yet, so let’s take a few moments to prepare before going in there,” Blitz said, rubbing his paws against the ground and charging up some electricity.
“Oh, you mean use the attacks we know to increase our strength?” Sera asked, smiling and nodding her head. “Okay, I understand!”
While Blitz continued charging electricity to increase his defense from special attacks and increase the strength of his own electric attacks, Sera started using her Helping Hand to power up her three teammates. Chiaki closed his eyes and took a deep breath, meditating for a moment to increase his attack power. Azure simply just curled up into a ball in order to increase her defense.
Once they were all ready, they headed into the room to deal with the wild Pokémon in there. After the battle, one of the wild Pokémon dropped a small red treasure chest-shaped box upon being knocked out by Azure’s Slam attack.
“We should take this back to town and have Bijou open it for us,” Blitz said, looking through the treasure bag to figure out if there were any items they could use up or leave behind in order to make room for it.
“I hope there’s something good in there!” Azure commented, grinning.
“You know, the treasure boxes are smaller than I expected,” Chiaki said, tilting his head slightly. “Then again, I suppose if they were much bigger, we wouldn’t be able to fit them in the bag…”
Once Blitz had made room for it and put the treasure box into the bag, they could keep moving on to the next floor and begin looking for the second Pokémon they had to rescue in order to finish their last mission for the day.
----
As she finished telling the story, Stella gave Bow some time to let it all sink in. There was a lot to take in, and understanding how it was all connected. Bow stared with wide eyes up at her mother, and seemed to be trying her best to remember everything and properly put all the pieces together.
“So… That’s why so many buildings in this town are made of stone...” Bow said, tapping her hand against the side of her chin.
“Yes, indeed,” Stella responded, nodding her head. “Like I said before, a lot of the things that happened back then had a major impact on how we live our lives in this town today.”
“Cassandra was really awesome,” Bow said, looking up at her mother. “It’s almost a little hard to believe that I’m related to her.”
“What do you mean by that?” Stella asked.
“I’m such a scatterbrain,” Bow responded, sighing. “There’s no way someone as forgetful as me would ever make a good town oracle.”
“Everyone has their flaws, Bow,” Stella replied, smiling at her daughter. “Just because you’re a little forgetful, it doesn’t mean you won’t be a good town oracle.”
“Yes, it does!” Bow responded. “I mean, how am I supposed to help Pokémon if I can’t even remember my own visions? And writing things down doesn’t help, because I’ll just forget I did so or where I left my notes!”
“I understand that must be frustrating, dear,” Stella replied, patting Bow’s shoulder.
“No, you don’t understand what it’s like…” Bow said, sighing. “I really do try not to lose my focus, and remember what I’m told and what I’ve seen, but… I’m hopeless, really.”
“Bow, you are far from hopeless,” Stella responded. “In fact, I think you’ve been getting better at keeping your focus on things lately.”
“You really think so?” Bow asked, looking up at Stella. “Or are you just saying that because you’re my mom?”
“I really do mean it,” Stella replied, embracing her daughter. “Sure, you tend to get distracted and forget what is currently on your mind at times, but when it’s something important, you don’t lose track of it.”
“What do you mean?” Bow inquired, tilting her head slightly.
“You were there to lend Blitz an ear when he needed someone to talk to, right?” Stella asked, smiling at Bow. “And because you were able to understand the way he felt, you showed him that he was not as alone as he thought he was.”
“Huh… I guess so,” Bow responded, thinking about it for a moment. “We talked about our feelings about the future, and our destinies…”
“Exactly,” Stella replied, nodding her head. “You were able to reassure the young Shinx and show him that he was not the only one with concerns about the future. I’d say that shows you have potential to be a great town oracle someday.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Bow said, blushing slightly.
“Trust me, you have what it takes,” Stella responded. “Even if there are some things that are difficult for you now, if you just keep working to overcome them a little by little, I’m certain you’ll come far.”
“Sounds like it might take a while, though,” Bow commented.
“And that’s perfectly fine,” Stella replied, smiling. “Pokémon mature at different rates, after all.”
“I guess so,” Bow responded, nodding her head slightly. “Thanks.”
“Just believe in yourself,” Stella said, patting Bow’s shoulder. “You’re stronger than you think.”
“Okay, I’ll keep trying,” Bow replied, tilting her head. “So, um… About Cassandra, and the other stuff… I have a few questions.”
“Go ahead, ask anything you’d like to know,” Stella responded.
----
After finishing their last mission for the day, Blitz and his teammates returned to the rescue team HQ and received their rewards from the missions. With not enough space in the treasure bag for it all, most of it ended up being sent to their item storage box at Lionel’s item warehouse. Then it was time for Azure to go help her mother at the café, while Sera had to get home in time for dinner. After saying good-bye to the girls, Blitz and Chiaki began heading home as well.
“Wow, I’m so impressed with how you handled those missions today!” Chiaki said, smiling at Blitz. “You really do have natural talent as a leader!”
“Uh… Chiaki, please don’t say things like that,” Blitz responded, looking rather uncomfortable and staring down at the ground.
“Oh, sorry,” Chiaki replied, remembering how Blitz felt about it. “So, what are we doing tomorrow? Aside from more missions, I guess.”
“Well, we need to sort through our items, so we have what we need and still have room for more useful items we might find in dungeons,” Blitz responded. “Also, we need to have Bijou open that treasure box we found.”
“Oh, that’s right!” Chiaki said, nodding his head. “What do you think is inside that treasure box?”
“I don’t know,” Blitz replied, shrugging slightly. “It might be something useful, but we’ll see what it is once Bijou has opened it for us.”
“I can’t wait!” Chiaki commented, grinning.
The two Pokémon soon returned to their home, and went to sleep. New adventures would await them tomorrow, but for now it was just a regular night.
…
At least, for the two of them it was.
----
Bow was still awake, staring up at the starry sky. She attempted to see if the stars would hold any answers about the future, while also thinking about what she had been told before about the past. She was wondering if there was a chance that history might repeat itself, even if Cassandra and the other Pokémon who lived during that time had taken some precautions to prevent that. Still, if they had really wanted to prevent that, they could’ve told Pandora to better plan out something in case the magic spell she had used eventually wore off or was broken.
At the very least, Pandora had made sure that she would have a successor before moving on to the next world, and that everything she had learned about magic was written down, including the instructions for the spell she had used to seal away their enemy.
“She may have been good with magic, but I don’t think she can possibly have thought things through,” Bow whispered to herself, still looking up at the starry sky. “She should’ve asked Cassandra and the others to help her think of something…”
Bow glanced over at her mother, who was currently asleep.
“I should ask mom to include something about that in her next letter for Samara,” Bow commented, before turning her gaze back to the stars. “Just so she won’t make the same mistake.”
Bow yawned and laid down to sleep, hoping she would remember to bring this up to her mother tomorrow. However, a few minutes after falling asleep, Bow suddenly got up and quietly made her way outside. Slowly, but surely, she got further away from the stone building. Suddenly, she stopped and looked around at her surroundings, with a confused look on her face.
“Huh? When did I get out here?” Bow wondered, tilting her head slightly. “Did I go here in my sleep?”
Bow looked around, but there wasn’t much to see. It was dark outside, and the area was eerily quiet.
“… I should hurry back home,” Bow muttered, and turned around.
After taking a few steps back in the direction she came from, she suddenly felt something wrapping itself around her leg. She looked down to see what appeared to be a thin shadowy tentacle coming out of the ground.
“What’s that?” Bow said, grabbing onto her leg and trying to pull it out of the tentacles’ hold.
As she struggled to free herself, an eerie laugh began echoing through the area.
“Let me go!” Bow shouted, feeling a bit panicked and trying to pull harder. However, more tentacles soon emerged from the ground, and before Bow could scream for help, one of them had wrapped around her head and covered her mouth.
“I finally caught you…” a voice from behind Bow said, and the Gothorita was able to turn her head slightly to see a Sigilyph hovering behind her. “Hello there, Bow. I’m guessing you’ve recently learned who I really am?”
Bow stood there frozen in terror, wondering just what was going to happen to her now…
----
End of chapter 30.
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Umbramatic
The Ghost Lord
Holy bejebus cliffhanger. ._.
I WAS going to note the missed potential with not telling us the actual legend of Casssandra, but with that ending it's clear you're holding back spoilers.
Also, nice to see Blitz show his leader chops.
All in all, nice chapter.
I WAS going to note the missed potential with not telling us the actual legend of Casssandra, but with that ending it's clear you're holding back spoilers.
Also, nice to see Blitz show his leader chops.
All in all, nice chapter.