Adam Levine
[color=#ffffff][font="Century Gothic"]I have tried
- 5,200
- Posts
- 12
- Years
- Age 21
- he/they
- Kara's Flowers
- Seen Feb 27, 2024
(Posted this on FanFiction once. Posting the first five chapters first due to some casualties with the sixth one. Comments are greatly appreciated.)
The night was unforgiving. It was cold, stormy, and extremely dark, as if there was a lunar eclipse tonight. I tried my best to make my way past this death-defying trek, but alas, I failed. Thunder struck me in the most unforgiving way possible. My entire body was almost charred, and I could not regain my strength to stand up. As I tried and tried to go on, I was already being hit hard by every drop of rain. I then surrendered to nature's terrible forces, and finally fainted.
The morning I woke up, I smelled something delicious. I tilted my head everywhere, and noticed I was in some sort of hut. I was sleeping on a nest made out of straw, and the flooring was made of wood. As I walked on the floor, the smell became even more noticeable. Curious, I ran to where I thought the smell came from.
I then knocked a wooden door that was in front of me. "The door is ajar!" said a voice I had never heard before. I tilted my head again, and as I wandered in, I found a short, yellow woman with some sort of mouth at the back of her head. I barely recognized this species, so I took a wild guess. "You must be a Mawile," I guessed.
She then turned to me while she was cooking. "Yes. I am one," she replied. She cooked for three more minutes, and then served me some soup. "Drink this," she insisted.
As I took a sip, I felt comfortable. Its savory taste made me forget about the danger I got myself in. "I thank you so much for this meal," I said. I finished the entire bowl of soup, satisfied. "How did I get here?" I wondered. "I found you in the middle of that field when I was walking around midnight," she answered.
I returned to the Mawile's handmade straw nest, wanting to know why I wandered in the perils of nature in the first place. My mind tried to recollect, but to no avail. Then, I realized my favorite leek was gone. Where did it go?
I frantically searched around the hut. Not even a single trace of the stick could be seen. "Excuse me," I said. "Have you, perchance, seen a stick?" I went on to say.
"A stick?" the Mawile repeated. She thought for a while, leaving me worried. Was my favorite stick gone? Was it swept away by the wind? Perhaps, was it eaten? Where did my precious stick go? Many more thoughts filled my head, and I was in the most serious state of worry I had ever been to. Then, I heard murmurs coming from outside the hut.
As I opened the door, I looked around. The hut I had been in was the only building amidst this road covered with trees. I took a step outside to investigate the strange noises.
I walked to the back of the hut. A beautiful creature been studying my stick. "Excuse me, but that's my stick," I said to the creature.
The creature stood up and showed its face. It turned out to be a Lilligant, one of the most charming Pokémon around the land. "I was just studying your stick," she informed me in a Scottish accent. She handed it back to me.
The Mawile went outside as well, to see me and the Lilligant looking at each other. "Oh. I see you have found my friend Lilly," the Mawile told me.
As I stood up and held my stick, I then started to ask: "Lilly? Then was is your name?"
"My friends call me Grace," the Mawile answered. I was comforted, getting to know these two people. "So what is your name?" both Lilly and Grace asked me in unison. "Call me Julius," I said in reply.
"What are you doing around here?" Lilly asked me. "I was to brave a very awful storm, as I was on a quest to find something," I said in reply. "Thankfully, you girls have saved me." I then sat down on the grassy, moist ground as I tried to remember what I was actually supposed to get. "Was I here when you found me?" I asked.
The girls did not answer, but then I had noticed a patch of burnt grass at the far right. This patch of grass looked like a silhouette of me. I then realized I was there the entire time. I then tried to remember where I was supposed to go.
"Say, you two women seem good enough to accompany me on my journey," I said. "Why not join me?" I let out my hand. Lilly and Grace nodded and decided to come with me on my adventure. They followed me along my trek through the green path.
Then, we walked into a very, very dark forest. I was sure I was supposed to travel here to get what I wanted. Lilly and Grace were slightly unnerved. "Don't worry," I assured the ladies. "I know where we are going." The duo were still shivering a little.
I ordered Lilly and Grace to stop. I went to investigate a strange sound, which sounded like a drill. It was very loud. As I walked further into the woods, I saw a birdlike Pokémon, just like me. However, it had a long neck, a thin, elongated beak, a red sort of "cap", and brown-orange plumage. I recognized this Pokémon somewhere.
"Terry," I spoke. The Fearow had stopped drilling into a tree and quickly shifted his gaze at me. "Julius," he had replied. "Nice to meet you on this fine morning," he continued. His stern glare tempted me to smack his thin head with a stick.
He then looked behind me. "It appears you have companions," he commented. "Are you still looking for the treasure?" he asked rhetorically. "Haven't you given up yet?"
"Haven't you?" I asked back. Terry then laughed at how weak my insult was. "I've never given up. You, on the other hand, have every right to surrender!" he replied, giving me a greater urge to smack his pretty head. Terry then flown away. "Ta-ta," he told us.
I was infuriated at him. "Who was that?" Lilly asked. "Terry. An old friend of mine," I replied.
Terry and I were, indeed, friends, but that all changed one day.
Years ago, Terry and I had been searching for a fossil that would make us rich. It was a long flight, but we managed to make it to the heart of the desert.
We went to rest there, because we were told this was where a huge fossil would be found. Terry and I dug the sand up for almost an hour, until we had found some bone.
"I found it!" I exclaimed. Using our wings, we had brushed off the sand and finally revealed the huge Tyrantrum fossil.
"Let's try to dig this up," Terry said. Using every bit of our force, we pulled parts of the fossil up. Last was the jaw. It was ridiculously heavy. "Alright. We both lift on one..." I ordered. "Two... Three!" Using our strength, we managed to lift it, but suddenly we broke it somehow.
We both stopped carrying the jaw parts, dropped it back in the sand, and glared at each other with rage and frustration.
"If it weren't for your ridiculous strength, we would've finally unearthed it!" I shouted to Terry. "Well, if it weren't for you always focusing on your 'precious stick', none of this would have happened!" I was offended. By my best friend, even.
"If that's how you really feel, then we can finally go without each other!" I shouted as I flew from the desert. "Fine!" Terry replied, flying away from the fossil.
Back to present day, Grace, Lilly and I were still walking through the woods. We encountered many small bodies of water, a few large mushrooms (which I kept due to their rarity), birch trees, and circles of soil without grass on them. Lilly was a little frightened of the bugs that would have appeared here.
Near the end of our journey through the woods, we encountered a pair of Servine who seemed slightly suspicious. I then approached them. "Excuse me," I said. The Servine had noticed me and stared at me, as if I bothered them. "None of your business. Don't run into us again, or else..." one of them informed me. They both ran off.
I was confused. Then, I decided to shake it off and continue our journey. Lilly was just relieved there wasn't a single bug to bite her.
Then, we stumbled upon a village of Aipom. The village looked so puzzling, and the houses looked satisfyingly bizarre. "Hello, and welcome to Simius Town," one Aipom greeted us. "I hope you enjoy your stay, if you will," he continued. We then walked around the village, looking at how peaceful the village was. No crime, no war, just...peace and the sound of children playing with kites. We observed Aipom building houses, some selling goods, and others playing with an elderly Ambipom.
We realized we were still hungry, so we went into a diner in the village. We were served fruits, and as we took a bite, they were delicious. Lilly and Grace asked for more, while I decided what I ate was enough.
After the scrumptious, fruity meal, we went back outside. The instant we came out, the Aipom ran back to their houses. We were curious as to why this was.
Then, the two Servine we encountered earlier were seen carrying one large, green banner decorated with some sort of serpentine creature at the center. Then, a Serperior slithered as she made her entrance in front of the banner. "Greetings, residents of Simius Town!" she exclaimed. "Mind if we...take your village from you?" she asked rhetorically in a menacing way. Then, the two Servine from earlier eyed us.
The Serperior then summoned many Grass-type Pokémon to destroy the buildings, even while Aipom and Ambipom were still in them. The buildings were almost completely destroyed, clearing a path for multiple Tangrowth to place a new tower for the good of the Serperior's domain. Multiple Aipom and Ambipom could barely escape.
"Today is the day that I, Queen Vin III, become the supreme ruler of Divor!" the Serperior announced aloud as she entered her castle with two Servine and a Snivy. The entrance was guarded by two Torterra.
I then decided to stop my initial treasure hunt and stop Queen Vin's despotic reign. However, I needed a way to get in the tower. The Torterra were very watchful, and could stare at the same spot for an hour without shutting their eyes.
My plan was to let Lilly be some sort of distraction. Lilly then agreed and walked towards the two Torterra. "Hello, men. Mind if I let you drink some refreshing water?" Lilly asked them. The two Torterra doubted that Lilly wasn't suspicious, but dropped the idea and decided to drink the water she was about to give. Lilly then grabbed out a large basin of water for the Torterra to drink.
The Torterra happily drank, and I (carrying Grace) safely flown into the tower's window. No one was there to spot us, thankfully. We had to be careful with every movement, because someone might have caught us. Grace and I tiptoed through the stairs.
As we did, we overheard a conversation. Two of the voices speaking sounded exactly like the two Servine we met repeatedly, but one sounded almost completely different. It sounded like them, but a little clearer without the haziness in the voice. "You stay here and guard," one of the Servine said, which was soon followed by metal clanking. Tiny footsteps could then be heard above us.
"Is it safe?" I asked Grace. She shrugged, accidentally clamping her fake mouth which attracted attention. The source of the other voice heard us and ran downstairs. We tried to be absolutely quiet, to no avail. The strange voice actually came from a Snivy.
He dropped a lance he was holding a while again, and looked at us. "What are you doing here?!" the Snivy demanded. "They're going to catch you!"
"We're here to sabotage Queen Vin's plan to take over Divor," Grace said, confidently. "You can't do that," the Snivy warned us. "Everyone else who's tried failed."
Those words meant almost nothing to us, so we decided to walk bravely upstairs. However we quickly regretted that decision after we realized some Grass-type Pokémon had seen us. We had no choice but to attempt to fight them.
A Breloom had lunged at us, almost bruising me, until Grace chomped on the Breloom, quickly making him give in. "This has been my first fight in years," Grace had commented, until a Leavanny sliced her. As retaliation, I repeatedly bashed the Leavanny's head with a stick, fainting him. Then, more Grass-types surrounded us. Grace thought this was the end, but I quickly unleashed an Air Cutter on all of them, weakening them. As they approached us a second time, I did the same attack. By then all of them surrendered.
The Snivy from earlier walked in, looking at all the Pokémon we won against. "You're really good at this," he commented. Then, we ran to another floor, where the two Servine from earlier waited for us. Boldly, we did.
"We've been expecting you," the one on the left said. Their tails then glowed and suddenly turned sharper. They then readied a Leaf Blade attack on us. Grace endured one of the shots, while I was severely injured on the wing. I then tried to unleash an Air Cutter attack on them, missing, as they were way too fast for me to actually hit them.
They performed two more Leaf Blade attacks on me, almost fainting me. Grace then gripped one of them with her fake jaws and threw him at the other one. They then came after Grace. She quickly crunched the both of them, leaving them not choice but to surrender. "Are you OK?" Grace asked me as she helped me get on my feet. "I'm alright," I said, assuring Grace I could still fight. The Snivy ran to the room, shocked at us being able to defeat the two Servine. They quickly ran upstairs, injured.
"For a Farfetch'd, you can really fight," the Snivy commented. "Actually, Grace did most of the work," I corrected, pointing at Grace as she waved.
"But you need to get out of here. Mother might imprison you for life," the Snivy warned us. "Queen Vin is your mother?" Grace asked. The Snivy nodded, embarrassed by the fact that his mother was a tyrant; and he, a hero wannabe. "By the way, I haven't formally introduced myself," the Snivy said. "My name is Nik."
"Julius," I said to him. Then, our camaraderie was interrupted by Queen Vin slithering to the room. "Hello," she greeted us menacingly. Nik decided to pretend to act like a guard. "I found these two trespassing in our tower, Your Majesty," Nik said, still pretending. "Very good, my youngest son," Queem Vin replied, as she called a Torterra. This Torterra had Lilly tied to the tree growing on his back. Grace and I gasped.
"Take these infiltrators to the dungeon," she ordered. A Tangrowth picked us up, but Grace instinctively bit him with her fake jaw. Flustered at the Tangrowth's failure, she ordered him to imprison himself.
Queen Vin then ordered the two Servine to grab us, making sure we wouldn't be able to fight back.
All of a sudden, the castle shook. All of us looked around, only to find out the tower may have shaken on its own. Then, suddenly, the castle became hot. "Your Majesty, what shall we do at a time like this?" the Torterra asked. Queen Vin was confused as to where all this came from. She then ignored it and ordered the Servine to imprison us again.
Unexpectedly, the tower fell like a a house of cards. Piles of bricks and wood fell on us, as if there was an earthquake. Terry then walked toward us. "Queen Vin," he mentioned.
Queen Vin emerged from the rubble. "Terry Sawyer," she mentioned as well. "Your reign of terror ends now," Terry told her. Queen Vin smirked as she slithered away. "Jan! Lian! Nik!" she called out. As soon as they heard, the two Servine followed her into the woods. Nik couldn't get up, but neither Queen Vin nor Jan and Lian noticed.
Then, Lilly, Grace, and I removed some rubble above us, allowing us to breathe. Then, Lilly helped Nik resurface. "You saved us from life imprisonment," I told Terry. "I did?" he replied. After contemplating for a moment, he flew away, angry at himself for saving us.
As soon as we helped Nik get up, Grace asked him, "Would you like join us?" Nik was hesitant, but finally decided to do so. We then walked away from Simius Town's remains and ventured into the forest again.
The forest was quiet. There weren't many signs of Pokémon living here, which seemed a little eerie. As we went deeper into the forest, burnt patches of grass and leaves became noticeable. Something fishy was going on.
We ventured even deeper, and eventually found a few fires and some charcoal. Grace, Lilly and Nik weren't brave enough to want to know what caused this, so I went to check.
What I saw was a Pokémon with a tail on fire. It had orange fur and had considerably long arms. It was crying, so I decided to approach it. "Hello," I greeted the Pokémon, which turned out to be a Monferno. He revealed his face with tears flowing almost endlessly from his eyes.
"What seems to be the problem?" I asked the Monferno. "My friend was kidnapped," he replied. "The mean bandit took her."
"Can you tell us what this bandit looks like?" Nik asked the Monferno. "He had razor-sharp hands, and his face... Oh, his face. I never want to look at his face," the Monferno replied. "We can help you," Lilly said. "But please, come with us. I think it's best for you to help us as well."
The Monferno groaned a little, but finally got back on his feet and went with us to find this bandit.
"By the way, my name is Bunk," the Monferno informed us. It was a funny name, but nonetheless took him seriously.
Then, we followed his directions, eventually making it out of the forest. We then looked around us: not much; just grass, flowers, and trees everywhere. "I know he went here," Bunk said as he investigated the area. He walked to a puddle of bog and found his footprints. "There," he told us, pointing his index finger ahead of us.
The footprints started getting more noticeable as what was once loamy soil quickly turned into mud. Grace was disgusted, and wanted to escape the mud as quickly as possible. To make the walk more manageable for me, I flew above the rest of my team (and Bunk). Then, the mud started turning into grassy turf again.
We then stumbled upon a small hut in the middle of the woods. Curious, I went to see what was in there. The only things I found there were vines and a handcrafted knapsack. Inside this knapsack was some sort of journal.
Nik decided to read it aloud. "My Adventuring Days, by Hendrick Sawyer," Grave said. "Wait. That's Terry's father!" I said, quickly grabbing the book from Grace's hands and turned quickly from page to page. I found illustrations of a Servine, a gem, and a map. I then decided to fold page 14 (where the map was) and kept the journal in my knapsack.
"What's a hut doing in the middle of the forest?" Lilly wondered, curious. "Apparently, these trees are only twenty years old, and I found out that the last entry was twenty-five years ago," Nik informed, being a genius. Bunk was amazed by Nik's knowledge, until he accidentally burned a tree's trunk. Only I observed this. "Wait, wouldn't they know that there was already a hut here?" Bunk asked. "All these trees are a product of the Pokémon living here," Nik informed him.
"Excuse me, but it appears that this tree is burning," I said aloud, interrupting potential questions about Terry's father's hut. We then all noticed, quickly running away, which was deemed futile as the fire spread fast.
We ran even faster. We could barely outrun the fire, and we finally made it somewhere without any trees. The grassy loam was quickly replaced with dry, sandy soil. It was like a wasteland.
"We must be close," Bunk said as he walked around the barren area. He then noticed the same footprints he did on the bog before. "There," he ordered as he pointed right. We followed.
Then, the wasteland quickly became a desert. Sandstorms were occasional, and we encountered a few cacti. Then, faintly, we heard a condescending voice.
We curiously walked to the source of the voice. Then, sandstorms blurred our vision, making our eyes water with pain as sand got in.
Finally, the sandstorm stopped. We walked to a small house where the yelling came from. Right outside the house was a poster showing a Garchomp and saying "Wanted". Boldly, I knocked the door.
No one answered.
I knocked even harder the next time. Still no answer.
I pounded on the door hard, stopping the shouts coming from the house. Then, an unfriendly figure opened the door, glaring at us, especially at Bunk.
His defining features were sharp teeth, claws, and strange horns. His eyes also looked unnerving. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" he demanded. For a few seconds, all of us remained silent.
"We're here because you reportedly kidnapped someone," I said. The Garchomp then slammed the door shut. "What are we going to do? She's still in there," Bunk asked, very worried.
I decided to slice the door in half with an Air Cutter, letting us in. The Garchomp noticed us, approaching us and readying a Dragon Claw attack. Grace successfully blocked the attack and repeatedly crunched him with his fake jaws. In retaliation, the Garchomp slashed her furiously, leaving serious wounds.
Lilly then performed a Petal Dance attack on the Garchomp. He then bit her with a Fire Fang attack, giving her burns.
Nik and Bunk were too afraid to attack, so I decided to take him on. I started with two Air Cutters directly at his face. The Garchomp became even more infuriated, using Dragon Claw on me. My arm was too weak to even lift my favorite leek, but I hit him with another Air Cutter. The Garchomp was enraged and swiped me one more time, almost fainting me.
Then, Bunk punched the Garchomp in the face, finally knocking him out. Nik then went in the house.
When he came back, he was accompanied by a cutely bizarre, blue, small creature. It had no arms, but a tail the size of its body and small legs. It was an Azurill.
"Mindy," Bunk said, hugging the Azurill. We were just glad they were back together. "Thank you for saving me from that terrible Garchomp," Mindy said. "How can we repay you?" Bunk asked. "I guess we can consider putting you on our...team," Nik suggested. Bunk and Mindy agreed, trying to get Grace, Lilly and me back on our feet.
The second I opened my eyes after being carried by Nik, we stumbled upon a tent with torches around it. It was already midday.
We then made it to the tent. Inside was an Audino who almost fell asleep. "Yes?" she asked as she instantly woke up. "These three are severely injured," Mindy informed as Bunk and Nik dropped us.
The Audino then used some sort of feelers below her ears to feel our pulses.
She then used her powers to heal us completely. "You are now fully healed," the Audino told us. I pressed my wings, where my scars had been. Then, I picked up my stick, which somehow ended up on the ground.
"How can we repay you?" Nik asked. "My services are completely free," the Audino replied. Lilly still decided to give her 500 Poké.
We went back to finding our treasure, but suddenly...
Terry flew above us, probably already beating us in our race to the treasure. We then got on our feet and ran almost as quickly as we could.
Then, we heard hissing sounds behind us.
We ran faster.
It was already midday, we were tired from running, and we reached the foot of a mountain.
The hissing sounds from earlier were becoming more and more resonant. It was as if the voices had followed us the entire time, which they did.
Then, Jan and Lian ran towards us, readying vines as ropes. They were almost going to tie us up, but stopped at the sight of Bunk.
"So, it looks like you have some new friends," Lian said, circling his vine rope about. "Now give us who we need," Jan ordered, threatening to whip us. Nik hid behind me, trying to be safe, but Jan and Lian almost grabbed him.
Just in time, Bunk threatened the two Servine twins with his fiery tail. The twins were displeased at the sight of it, but were determined to get Nik back.
"You're not getting him. He doesn't want to work with you," Mindy said, trying to sound brave. "Doesn't he?" Jan asked rhetorically as he grabbed Nik's right arm. Lian then grabbed his left. Nik struggled to break free, but failed. I then attacked both Servine twins with a single Air Cutter attack. They both fell on their slender bodies, letting go of Nik.
Nik ran to us, but it wasn't long before Jan and Lian grabbed him again, this time tying him up. Bunk then decided to deal with the both of them.
Then, as a Grass-type would instinctively do, the Servine twins cowered and ran in fear. Bunk then untied Nik. "Thank you so much," Nik said to Bunk, also a little terrified of his flaming tail.
We then proceeded to climb up the mountain, which seemed like the only way to find the treasure (after I had read Hendrick Sawyer's drawn map).
Our trek was perilous. Pebbles started hitting our faces, and dust was covering us. We met various Pokémon moving from place to place, but we had to focus on the task at hand.
We then rested near some hot springs on the mountain. It was refreshing, and we all (even Bunk) decided to sit there after all our adventuring. Mindy especially enjoyed it.
Then, after fifteen minutes of relaxation, we hiked again. We could barely see Terry flying past us as we almost climbed to the peak of the mountain.
When we did, we decided to look at the scenery around us. Trees, rivers, hills, and lots of other Pokémon everywhere. I then breathed in to take a sniff of the air. Everyone else then followed, however Bunk's flaming tail made them cough as they smelled as well.
We then went downhill. It was a very taxing task, as one of us (especially Mindy) could fall off. We then climbed down carefully (except me, as I flew down instead), and we soon made our way down, until we were blocked by a squadron of Bunnelby.
We stopped at the sight of them. The Bunnelby then looked at us. They readied their huge ears, possibly to attack us. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON OUR SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN?!" one of them vehemently demanded.
We decided to back away, but not before one of them approached us. It punched one of its ears on the ground just to demonstrate how powerful it was. Bunk then kicked it away, rolling it down the mountain. The other Bunnelby then went to us.
Bunk repeatedly punched and burned them, making sure none of them would hurt us. However, that only agitated them more, making them move faster and relentlessly. Mindy tried to counter them, only to get hit fatally by one of their ridiculously strong ears.
In retaliation, Bunk attacked them at a much quicker rate, knocking them down one by one. They eventually retreated, as about half of them barely survived Bunk's attacks. They then burrowed inside a hole the size of a Bunnelby.
We then went to check on Mindy. "Are you OK?" Nik asked her. She replied with a weak yes, which didn't sound so reassuring.
Lilly decided to hold Mindy as we went down the mountain. Grace almost slipped many times, but managed to make it due to Bunk's strength and reflexes.
We were almost at the foot of the mountain. Drops of snow started falling as we went down. Pokémon became a much more common sight. Gogoat started hopping about the mountain, and flocks of Starly flew around. Snowy ground was a few hundred more meters away.
Our feet were touching rock covered in snow. It was very cold, but Bunk kept us warm. We were getting eventually closer to the ground, and, as we did, we finally got to rest. That was, until we heard something from underneath.
Grace nearly fell as the vibrations became even more tangible. It was as if seismic activity was happening.
Quickly emerging below us was a Diggersby. His face was as unkempt as a normal Diggersby, but he was covered in cuts and had only one working eye.
The Diggersby pumped himself up and readied his fist-like ears. He was ready to take us on, while we barely knew what was going on. As he swung his ear, we quickly dodged. I quickly launched an Air Cutter attack on him, barely harming him. He then pushed me back with his ear, aiming for Lilly and Grace.
Lilly then bravely executed a Petal Dance attack on the Diggersby, damaging him greatly. Grace then bit him with her fake jaw.
The Diggersby did not give up. He flung Lilly and Grace away, focusing on the rest of us: me, Bunk, Nik, and Mindy. Nik then used Leaf Tornado on the Diggersby, damaging him some more.
Then, Bunk grabbed an opportunity. He socked the Diggersby in the face, dizzying him. He then shook Nik and Bunk off with great force, leaving only me and Mindy. Trying to protect her, I repeatedly smacked him with my stick, with little effect.
He was about to smash me with his ear. Then, Mindy, trying to be useful, did a finishing blow on the Diggersby by flailing her large tail at him. The Diggersby then fell with a mighty thud.
We all retained our senses after a few minutes, and decided to walk through the snowy forest.
The forest was more lively than the last one, inhabiting lots of energetic Pokémon. Wild Snorunt gathered around to create a tent, a Vigoroth was punching a tree, and a herd of Mareep grazed on the cold grass.
We were amazed by all these Pokémon just doing what they would instinctively do. "This is amazing," Grace commented as she stared at the nearby herd of Stantler. In fact, Grace was hypnotized and neared the Stantler. "Grace!" I yelled. I then ran towards her, trying not to get hypnotized as well. Fortunately, I scared the Stantler away.
We then heard hissing sounds again. At the very sound of that, we moved fast. Thankfully, the sound grew faint and finally stopped. We were right at the edge of the ocean.
Mindy admired the view. Amidst all the cold and snow, the ocean was as sparkly as usual. With that, I decided to jump in (leaving my knapsack on the ground). "This might be cold, but it's quite relaxing," I said, gleefully paddling as I floated without a care.
Everyone else except Bunk decided to join me. "Julius is right," Lilly said. Mindy decided to ride on me as I floated. Bunk then envied us because we were able to get in the water without getting harmed.
Nik then decided to swim around everywhere. He was fast. He then decided to play a bit with Mindy.
We enjoyed ourselves, until a very familiar face flew down.
Terry was walking on a small ice floe floating above the water. "It appears as if you are having a good time," he said as he walked around the ice floe.
"We were, until you came," I said, with a little angry expression on my face. "Who's that?" Bunk asked. "Allow me to introduce myself," Terry said. Everyone was quiet. "I am Terry Sawyer. You might remember my father, Hendrick Sawyer," he continued. My friends then clamored as they began to comment about Terry's father.
"He was a very famous adventurer, and I decide to follow his footprints," he went on. "By the way, you five haven't introduced me to you. Care if I ask?"
"Very well. I'll go first," Nik suggested as he stepped on the ice floe. "I am Prince Nik, planned monarch of all of Divor. My mother and brothers force me to rule, but I refuse to take advantage of it." Bunk then went to introduce himself, as he found it interesting not only to familiarize him with my mortal enemy, but also with my other friends.
"I'm Boonkum Krugel," Bunk said. "But call me Bunk, as I find it...easier."
Mindy then did the same. "H-Hello," Mindy greeted Terry, stuttering a little (as she is afraid of some avian Pokémon and she usually gets shy). "I-I'm Mindy Wess," she continued, quivering all the more. "I'm B-Bunk's personal s-student..."
Before she could continue, Grace went to introduce herself. "Hello-" she tried to say, until she heard her stomach rumble.
"My dear, you must be hungry," Terry implied. Thankfully, Grace was a skilled cook, so she could prepare food in a matter of seconds. She (with the help of Bunk) made a warm soup for all of us to enjoy.
We were then served the food on handmade wooden bowls. Terry then finished his meal. "My, I do believe it is time for my departure. Farewell!" he said as he soared up into the sky, still searching for the treasure.
Lilly decided to swim instead of eat because she "didn't feel like it". She dove a little in the water, which turned out to be a big mistake.
As Lilly dove in the water, we could all see some sort of light. I then ran to Lilly as quickly as I could. She tried to swim up, only to be pulled down.
Instinctively, I dove in. Soon, Grace followed me.
The source of light was fading, so I knew I had to swim faster. Thankfully, I was a very good swimmer, so it was a slight problem. The source of light then hid behind a rock, confusing me as to where it went. Grace was struggling to get to me.
With barely enough air left in me, I finally made it to some sort of cave. The ceiling was leaking and covered in stalactites, and some sort of river was flowing. The walls were covered with ice.
I walked in, investigating. Then, out of the cave's flowing water, Carvanha jumped out to bite me. I quickly kicked them back, hurting myself a little due to their rough skin. The Carvanha then followed as I walked, soon accompanied by Chinchou. I then walked faster, and still I couldn't find Lilly.
The cave was very dark, and I could only see because of the Chinchou. As I went further, kelp was everywhere, and the ice started to melt. The craggy, rocky surface of the cave then turned into wet sand. My vision was gradually getting clearer. The Carvanha and Chinchou still followed me.
Grace then ran to me, avoiding the fish Pokémon. "You had me worried for a second," Grace said, trying to catch her breath while holding on to me.
I saw a bright light. I looked around, realizing this was a dead end. I was still looking for Lilly.
The source of the light dove into a large pool of water beside me, swimming around in an erratic fashion. Grace and I found Lilly, tied up in kelp.
The ceiling of the cave suddenly opened, revealing the sky. We could see better, though it was already past sunset. The source of light tackled me and electrocuted me, giving me severe wounds. Grace then held it in her fake jaw, revealing it to be a Lanturn. The Lanturn escaped by shocking Grace, and slipping away. The Lanturn then ordered her minions (Carvanha and Chinchou) to attack us.
The Chinchou came for us first. Grace dealt with most of them, as I had a slight fear of Electric-type Pokémon. As the Chinchou fainted one by one, the Lanturn became even more interested.
Grace grabbed them one by one, trapping each one in her fake jaw, biting them, and tossing them away. The Carvanha were slightly afraid to take us on.
One of the Chinchou lunged at me, but I successfully defended with a Leaf Blade attack. "How'd you do that?" Grace asked me, as it was unusual for someone like me to learn the move. I shrugged, focusing on the very last Chinchou.
This Chinchou was quite crafty: he would sneak up on us, hide behind rocks, and shock us when we can't see him. This had gond on for some minutes before Grace and I finally made a strategy on how to deal with him.
I quickly flew away, letting the Chinchou miss me. Then, Grace grabbed the Chinchou, attacked him, and threw him back in the water, tiring him.
Then, it was the Carvanha's turn to attack. They jumped about everywhere in the water, occasionally smacking and biting us. Some of my feathers fell out.
I quickly attacked them with multiple Leaf Blade and Air Cutter attacks. Barely any of them gave up.
Grace wasn't really sure how to deal with them safely, as she was more of a physical fighter. I had to deal with them myself because of this.
Another Air Cutter attack, and a few of them fainted. I executed the attack a few more times, and only three remained.
I then finished them off with Leaf Blade attacks. I then threw my stick up in the air and grabbed it back, trying make a good "finishing pose".
The Lanturn did not get angry at us at all. In fact, she only wanted to fight us more, making us think she had some sort of strategy.
She dove into the water, prompting the Chinchou and Carvanha to slowly back away.
She then swam around in a strange fashion. Afterwards, she attacked us with Discharge. I felt almost the same pain I felt during that thunderstorm. Grace and I felt weak, even after just one attack from her.
I then had an idea. I weakly lifted up my arm, using Air Cutter on the kelp that tangled Lilly. She started to return the favor and attack the Lanturn with Petal Dance. Grace then bit her hard. The Lanturn was way too distracted.
After that, I finished her off with a Leaf Blade attack. I then did the same "finishing pose" as earlier, as if I was already fine.
"Lilly! Don't ever do that again!" Grace shouted, trying to teach Lilly her lesson. "I-I'm sorry," Lilly replied. "I felt more comfortable drinking a bit from the ocean instead of eating."
"Excuse me, but how do we get out of here?" I asked, waiting for a response from Lanturn or one of her minions. Disappointed by the silence, I dove back in the water, and swam back to the waterside.
Then, we saw Nik, Bunk, and Mindy finishing their soup. They felt very warm, especially Bunk. "What happened back there?" Mindy asked, curious. I shook off the water around me, shedding a feather. Nik was fascinated with what I dropped from my body.
"We went for a little swim," Lilly replies, trying to simplify. Lilly, Grace and I went back to eating our soup, only to realize it had gone cold. I then spat it out after realizing the absurdly gelid temperature of what was in my bowl. "How did this happen? We have only been in the water for a few minutes," I wondered. The tundra's climate shouldn't have cooled it down, but nonetheless it did.
Terry then went back to the waterside. "I thought you said you had to go," Nik reminded. "I was going to, but realized how much time I've wanted to spend with you," Terry told us, leaving me suspicious.
"Anyway, lady, we haven't formally met. What is your name?" Terry asked Grace. She then stood up. "Grace Ferris," she answered. "Daughter of famous bandit, May Ferris."
Terry and I gasped in perfect sync. "Your mother was a bandit?" Nik followed, a little paranoid that Grace might be one too. "My father apprehended her years ago. Interesting," Terry said, thinking back on it.
"Why did you not tell me about this?" Lilly whispered. "You've never asked," Grace replied, nervous. "Your turn!" she then exclaimed, trying to make us forget.
Lilly then stood up. Nervously, she then walked near the water. "I'm Lilly Windroot. My father was a gardener and my mother was a skilled shopkeeper."
"Was?" Nik wondered with a slight frown on his face. "They died a few years ago," Lilly replied, looking down. Even Terry shed a single tear. "I'm sorry," I responded. I then wrapped my wings around Lilly.
"My condolences," Terry replied, showing genuine sorrow. For once, I felt his feelings were true.
After a few moments of silence, Terry then had a thought. "Are you sure all of you know Julius here well?" he asked my friends. I groaned, then all my friends nodded.
I then sighed and sat near the water. "My name is Julius Lore," I said. "I was born during a war, and my only friend at that time was a mentor. My father was forced to work when I was young, and my mother... Well, let me just say she isn't here," I continued, as I stared at the dark, cloudy sky.
Twenty minutes later after sharing my life story, we went back to finding the treasure. Terry casually flew away, this time even faster. We had to catch up.
The snow started to disappear, and the tundra turned into a swamp. Lots of bizarre Pokémon were around, like Ariados and Tangela. They did not seem so friendly.
We walked slowly, and suddenly something erupted from the marshy earth. A single purple, notched fin emerged. Then, the Garchomp from earlier dug up to strike at us.
"THIS IS FOR STOPPING ME FROM GETTING MY ONLY SOURCE OF WATER!" he shouted as he slowly got more insane. "Look around! There's water everywhere!" Bunk tried to reason out, looking at the nearby ponds.
"It's too late for that," the Garchomp said, almost siccing me. "It's time I return the favor," he continued as he readied his claws again. Then, all of a sudden, a vine tied him.
A Tangela walked towards the Garchomp, revealing that that vine came from that Tangela. "Well, well, well," the Tangela said. "It looks like I've captured yet another dangerous criminal."
"LET ME GO! I'M NOT DONE SLICING THEM YET!" the Garchomp demanded, struggling to break free of the vine's constriction.
"Dwine here is a Rank S criminal," the Tangela informed us. We were then amazed by how we were able to take down someone so powerful.
Then, we realized we had to get back to our treasure hunt. "Excuse me," Nik said. "We kind of have to go now."
"Now? First, I must reward you for helping me catch this bandit," the Tangela said, reaching out for a pouch of Poké. He then handed it to me. "Thank you for your help."
"You are welcome," I replied as we departed. The swamp was making us very uncomfortable, so we really had to leave.
Then, something we hadn't seen before in our adventures flew above us.
Trying to be safe, we walked away from where it was trying to land.
Bothered by the strange thing, we ran away and went back to adventuring.
~~Chapter 1~~
The night was unforgiving. It was cold, stormy, and extremely dark, as if there was a lunar eclipse tonight. I tried my best to make my way past this death-defying trek, but alas, I failed. Thunder struck me in the most unforgiving way possible. My entire body was almost charred, and I could not regain my strength to stand up. As I tried and tried to go on, I was already being hit hard by every drop of rain. I then surrendered to nature's terrible forces, and finally fainted.
The morning I woke up, I smelled something delicious. I tilted my head everywhere, and noticed I was in some sort of hut. I was sleeping on a nest made out of straw, and the flooring was made of wood. As I walked on the floor, the smell became even more noticeable. Curious, I ran to where I thought the smell came from.
I then knocked a wooden door that was in front of me. "The door is ajar!" said a voice I had never heard before. I tilted my head again, and as I wandered in, I found a short, yellow woman with some sort of mouth at the back of her head. I barely recognized this species, so I took a wild guess. "You must be a Mawile," I guessed.
She then turned to me while she was cooking. "Yes. I am one," she replied. She cooked for three more minutes, and then served me some soup. "Drink this," she insisted.
As I took a sip, I felt comfortable. Its savory taste made me forget about the danger I got myself in. "I thank you so much for this meal," I said. I finished the entire bowl of soup, satisfied. "How did I get here?" I wondered. "I found you in the middle of that field when I was walking around midnight," she answered.
I returned to the Mawile's handmade straw nest, wanting to know why I wandered in the perils of nature in the first place. My mind tried to recollect, but to no avail. Then, I realized my favorite leek was gone. Where did it go?
I frantically searched around the hut. Not even a single trace of the stick could be seen. "Excuse me," I said. "Have you, perchance, seen a stick?" I went on to say.
"A stick?" the Mawile repeated. She thought for a while, leaving me worried. Was my favorite stick gone? Was it swept away by the wind? Perhaps, was it eaten? Where did my precious stick go? Many more thoughts filled my head, and I was in the most serious state of worry I had ever been to. Then, I heard murmurs coming from outside the hut.
As I opened the door, I looked around. The hut I had been in was the only building amidst this road covered with trees. I took a step outside to investigate the strange noises.
I walked to the back of the hut. A beautiful creature been studying my stick. "Excuse me, but that's my stick," I said to the creature.
The creature stood up and showed its face. It turned out to be a Lilligant, one of the most charming Pokémon around the land. "I was just studying your stick," she informed me in a Scottish accent. She handed it back to me.
The Mawile went outside as well, to see me and the Lilligant looking at each other. "Oh. I see you have found my friend Lilly," the Mawile told me.
As I stood up and held my stick, I then started to ask: "Lilly? Then was is your name?"
"My friends call me Grace," the Mawile answered. I was comforted, getting to know these two people. "So what is your name?" both Lilly and Grace asked me in unison. "Call me Julius," I said in reply.
"What are you doing around here?" Lilly asked me. "I was to brave a very awful storm, as I was on a quest to find something," I said in reply. "Thankfully, you girls have saved me." I then sat down on the grassy, moist ground as I tried to remember what I was actually supposed to get. "Was I here when you found me?" I asked.
The girls did not answer, but then I had noticed a patch of burnt grass at the far right. This patch of grass looked like a silhouette of me. I then realized I was there the entire time. I then tried to remember where I was supposed to go.
"Say, you two women seem good enough to accompany me on my journey," I said. "Why not join me?" I let out my hand. Lilly and Grace nodded and decided to come with me on my adventure. They followed me along my trek through the green path.
Then, we walked into a very, very dark forest. I was sure I was supposed to travel here to get what I wanted. Lilly and Grace were slightly unnerved. "Don't worry," I assured the ladies. "I know where we are going." The duo were still shivering a little.
I ordered Lilly and Grace to stop. I went to investigate a strange sound, which sounded like a drill. It was very loud. As I walked further into the woods, I saw a birdlike Pokémon, just like me. However, it had a long neck, a thin, elongated beak, a red sort of "cap", and brown-orange plumage. I recognized this Pokémon somewhere.
"Terry," I spoke. The Fearow had stopped drilling into a tree and quickly shifted his gaze at me. "Julius," he had replied. "Nice to meet you on this fine morning," he continued. His stern glare tempted me to smack his thin head with a stick.
He then looked behind me. "It appears you have companions," he commented. "Are you still looking for the treasure?" he asked rhetorically. "Haven't you given up yet?"
"Haven't you?" I asked back. Terry then laughed at how weak my insult was. "I've never given up. You, on the other hand, have every right to surrender!" he replied, giving me a greater urge to smack his pretty head. Terry then flown away. "Ta-ta," he told us.
I was infuriated at him. "Who was that?" Lilly asked. "Terry. An old friend of mine," I replied.
Terry and I were, indeed, friends, but that all changed one day.
Years ago, Terry and I had been searching for a fossil that would make us rich. It was a long flight, but we managed to make it to the heart of the desert.
We went to rest there, because we were told this was where a huge fossil would be found. Terry and I dug the sand up for almost an hour, until we had found some bone.
"I found it!" I exclaimed. Using our wings, we had brushed off the sand and finally revealed the huge Tyrantrum fossil.
"Let's try to dig this up," Terry said. Using every bit of our force, we pulled parts of the fossil up. Last was the jaw. It was ridiculously heavy. "Alright. We both lift on one..." I ordered. "Two... Three!" Using our strength, we managed to lift it, but suddenly we broke it somehow.
We both stopped carrying the jaw parts, dropped it back in the sand, and glared at each other with rage and frustration.
"If it weren't for your ridiculous strength, we would've finally unearthed it!" I shouted to Terry. "Well, if it weren't for you always focusing on your 'precious stick', none of this would have happened!" I was offended. By my best friend, even.
"If that's how you really feel, then we can finally go without each other!" I shouted as I flew from the desert. "Fine!" Terry replied, flying away from the fossil.
Back to present day, Grace, Lilly and I were still walking through the woods. We encountered many small bodies of water, a few large mushrooms (which I kept due to their rarity), birch trees, and circles of soil without grass on them. Lilly was a little frightened of the bugs that would have appeared here.
Near the end of our journey through the woods, we encountered a pair of Servine who seemed slightly suspicious. I then approached them. "Excuse me," I said. The Servine had noticed me and stared at me, as if I bothered them. "None of your business. Don't run into us again, or else..." one of them informed me. They both ran off.
I was confused. Then, I decided to shake it off and continue our journey. Lilly was just relieved there wasn't a single bug to bite her.
Then, we stumbled upon a village of Aipom. The village looked so puzzling, and the houses looked satisfyingly bizarre. "Hello, and welcome to Simius Town," one Aipom greeted us. "I hope you enjoy your stay, if you will," he continued. We then walked around the village, looking at how peaceful the village was. No crime, no war, just...peace and the sound of children playing with kites. We observed Aipom building houses, some selling goods, and others playing with an elderly Ambipom.
We realized we were still hungry, so we went into a diner in the village. We were served fruits, and as we took a bite, they were delicious. Lilly and Grace asked for more, while I decided what I ate was enough.
~~Chapter 2~~
After the scrumptious, fruity meal, we went back outside. The instant we came out, the Aipom ran back to their houses. We were curious as to why this was.
Then, the two Servine we encountered earlier were seen carrying one large, green banner decorated with some sort of serpentine creature at the center. Then, a Serperior slithered as she made her entrance in front of the banner. "Greetings, residents of Simius Town!" she exclaimed. "Mind if we...take your village from you?" she asked rhetorically in a menacing way. Then, the two Servine from earlier eyed us.
The Serperior then summoned many Grass-type Pokémon to destroy the buildings, even while Aipom and Ambipom were still in them. The buildings were almost completely destroyed, clearing a path for multiple Tangrowth to place a new tower for the good of the Serperior's domain. Multiple Aipom and Ambipom could barely escape.
"Today is the day that I, Queen Vin III, become the supreme ruler of Divor!" the Serperior announced aloud as she entered her castle with two Servine and a Snivy. The entrance was guarded by two Torterra.
I then decided to stop my initial treasure hunt and stop Queen Vin's despotic reign. However, I needed a way to get in the tower. The Torterra were very watchful, and could stare at the same spot for an hour without shutting their eyes.
My plan was to let Lilly be some sort of distraction. Lilly then agreed and walked towards the two Torterra. "Hello, men. Mind if I let you drink some refreshing water?" Lilly asked them. The two Torterra doubted that Lilly wasn't suspicious, but dropped the idea and decided to drink the water she was about to give. Lilly then grabbed out a large basin of water for the Torterra to drink.
The Torterra happily drank, and I (carrying Grace) safely flown into the tower's window. No one was there to spot us, thankfully. We had to be careful with every movement, because someone might have caught us. Grace and I tiptoed through the stairs.
As we did, we overheard a conversation. Two of the voices speaking sounded exactly like the two Servine we met repeatedly, but one sounded almost completely different. It sounded like them, but a little clearer without the haziness in the voice. "You stay here and guard," one of the Servine said, which was soon followed by metal clanking. Tiny footsteps could then be heard above us.
"Is it safe?" I asked Grace. She shrugged, accidentally clamping her fake mouth which attracted attention. The source of the other voice heard us and ran downstairs. We tried to be absolutely quiet, to no avail. The strange voice actually came from a Snivy.
He dropped a lance he was holding a while again, and looked at us. "What are you doing here?!" the Snivy demanded. "They're going to catch you!"
"We're here to sabotage Queen Vin's plan to take over Divor," Grace said, confidently. "You can't do that," the Snivy warned us. "Everyone else who's tried failed."
Those words meant almost nothing to us, so we decided to walk bravely upstairs. However we quickly regretted that decision after we realized some Grass-type Pokémon had seen us. We had no choice but to attempt to fight them.
A Breloom had lunged at us, almost bruising me, until Grace chomped on the Breloom, quickly making him give in. "This has been my first fight in years," Grace had commented, until a Leavanny sliced her. As retaliation, I repeatedly bashed the Leavanny's head with a stick, fainting him. Then, more Grass-types surrounded us. Grace thought this was the end, but I quickly unleashed an Air Cutter on all of them, weakening them. As they approached us a second time, I did the same attack. By then all of them surrendered.
The Snivy from earlier walked in, looking at all the Pokémon we won against. "You're really good at this," he commented. Then, we ran to another floor, where the two Servine from earlier waited for us. Boldly, we did.
"We've been expecting you," the one on the left said. Their tails then glowed and suddenly turned sharper. They then readied a Leaf Blade attack on us. Grace endured one of the shots, while I was severely injured on the wing. I then tried to unleash an Air Cutter attack on them, missing, as they were way too fast for me to actually hit them.
They performed two more Leaf Blade attacks on me, almost fainting me. Grace then gripped one of them with her fake jaws and threw him at the other one. They then came after Grace. She quickly crunched the both of them, leaving them not choice but to surrender. "Are you OK?" Grace asked me as she helped me get on my feet. "I'm alright," I said, assuring Grace I could still fight. The Snivy ran to the room, shocked at us being able to defeat the two Servine. They quickly ran upstairs, injured.
"For a Farfetch'd, you can really fight," the Snivy commented. "Actually, Grace did most of the work," I corrected, pointing at Grace as she waved.
"But you need to get out of here. Mother might imprison you for life," the Snivy warned us. "Queen Vin is your mother?" Grace asked. The Snivy nodded, embarrassed by the fact that his mother was a tyrant; and he, a hero wannabe. "By the way, I haven't formally introduced myself," the Snivy said. "My name is Nik."
"Julius," I said to him. Then, our camaraderie was interrupted by Queen Vin slithering to the room. "Hello," she greeted us menacingly. Nik decided to pretend to act like a guard. "I found these two trespassing in our tower, Your Majesty," Nik said, still pretending. "Very good, my youngest son," Queem Vin replied, as she called a Torterra. This Torterra had Lilly tied to the tree growing on his back. Grace and I gasped.
"Take these infiltrators to the dungeon," she ordered. A Tangrowth picked us up, but Grace instinctively bit him with her fake jaw. Flustered at the Tangrowth's failure, she ordered him to imprison himself.
Queen Vin then ordered the two Servine to grab us, making sure we wouldn't be able to fight back.
All of a sudden, the castle shook. All of us looked around, only to find out the tower may have shaken on its own. Then, suddenly, the castle became hot. "Your Majesty, what shall we do at a time like this?" the Torterra asked. Queen Vin was confused as to where all this came from. She then ignored it and ordered the Servine to imprison us again.
Unexpectedly, the tower fell like a a house of cards. Piles of bricks and wood fell on us, as if there was an earthquake. Terry then walked toward us. "Queen Vin," he mentioned.
Queen Vin emerged from the rubble. "Terry Sawyer," she mentioned as well. "Your reign of terror ends now," Terry told her. Queen Vin smirked as she slithered away. "Jan! Lian! Nik!" she called out. As soon as they heard, the two Servine followed her into the woods. Nik couldn't get up, but neither Queen Vin nor Jan and Lian noticed.
Then, Lilly, Grace, and I removed some rubble above us, allowing us to breathe. Then, Lilly helped Nik resurface. "You saved us from life imprisonment," I told Terry. "I did?" he replied. After contemplating for a moment, he flew away, angry at himself for saving us.
As soon as we helped Nik get up, Grace asked him, "Would you like join us?" Nik was hesitant, but finally decided to do so. We then walked away from Simius Town's remains and ventured into the forest again.
~~Chapter 3~~
The forest was quiet. There weren't many signs of Pokémon living here, which seemed a little eerie. As we went deeper into the forest, burnt patches of grass and leaves became noticeable. Something fishy was going on.
We ventured even deeper, and eventually found a few fires and some charcoal. Grace, Lilly and Nik weren't brave enough to want to know what caused this, so I went to check.
What I saw was a Pokémon with a tail on fire. It had orange fur and had considerably long arms. It was crying, so I decided to approach it. "Hello," I greeted the Pokémon, which turned out to be a Monferno. He revealed his face with tears flowing almost endlessly from his eyes.
"What seems to be the problem?" I asked the Monferno. "My friend was kidnapped," he replied. "The mean bandit took her."
"Can you tell us what this bandit looks like?" Nik asked the Monferno. "He had razor-sharp hands, and his face... Oh, his face. I never want to look at his face," the Monferno replied. "We can help you," Lilly said. "But please, come with us. I think it's best for you to help us as well."
The Monferno groaned a little, but finally got back on his feet and went with us to find this bandit.
"By the way, my name is Bunk," the Monferno informed us. It was a funny name, but nonetheless took him seriously.
Then, we followed his directions, eventually making it out of the forest. We then looked around us: not much; just grass, flowers, and trees everywhere. "I know he went here," Bunk said as he investigated the area. He walked to a puddle of bog and found his footprints. "There," he told us, pointing his index finger ahead of us.
The footprints started getting more noticeable as what was once loamy soil quickly turned into mud. Grace was disgusted, and wanted to escape the mud as quickly as possible. To make the walk more manageable for me, I flew above the rest of my team (and Bunk). Then, the mud started turning into grassy turf again.
We then stumbled upon a small hut in the middle of the woods. Curious, I went to see what was in there. The only things I found there were vines and a handcrafted knapsack. Inside this knapsack was some sort of journal.
Nik decided to read it aloud. "My Adventuring Days, by Hendrick Sawyer," Grave said. "Wait. That's Terry's father!" I said, quickly grabbing the book from Grace's hands and turned quickly from page to page. I found illustrations of a Servine, a gem, and a map. I then decided to fold page 14 (where the map was) and kept the journal in my knapsack.
"What's a hut doing in the middle of the forest?" Lilly wondered, curious. "Apparently, these trees are only twenty years old, and I found out that the last entry was twenty-five years ago," Nik informed, being a genius. Bunk was amazed by Nik's knowledge, until he accidentally burned a tree's trunk. Only I observed this. "Wait, wouldn't they know that there was already a hut here?" Bunk asked. "All these trees are a product of the Pokémon living here," Nik informed him.
"Excuse me, but it appears that this tree is burning," I said aloud, interrupting potential questions about Terry's father's hut. We then all noticed, quickly running away, which was deemed futile as the fire spread fast.
We ran even faster. We could barely outrun the fire, and we finally made it somewhere without any trees. The grassy loam was quickly replaced with dry, sandy soil. It was like a wasteland.
"We must be close," Bunk said as he walked around the barren area. He then noticed the same footprints he did on the bog before. "There," he ordered as he pointed right. We followed.
Then, the wasteland quickly became a desert. Sandstorms were occasional, and we encountered a few cacti. Then, faintly, we heard a condescending voice.
We curiously walked to the source of the voice. Then, sandstorms blurred our vision, making our eyes water with pain as sand got in.
Finally, the sandstorm stopped. We walked to a small house where the yelling came from. Right outside the house was a poster showing a Garchomp and saying "Wanted". Boldly, I knocked the door.
No one answered.
I knocked even harder the next time. Still no answer.
I pounded on the door hard, stopping the shouts coming from the house. Then, an unfriendly figure opened the door, glaring at us, especially at Bunk.
His defining features were sharp teeth, claws, and strange horns. His eyes also looked unnerving. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" he demanded. For a few seconds, all of us remained silent.
"We're here because you reportedly kidnapped someone," I said. The Garchomp then slammed the door shut. "What are we going to do? She's still in there," Bunk asked, very worried.
I decided to slice the door in half with an Air Cutter, letting us in. The Garchomp noticed us, approaching us and readying a Dragon Claw attack. Grace successfully blocked the attack and repeatedly crunched him with his fake jaws. In retaliation, the Garchomp slashed her furiously, leaving serious wounds.
Lilly then performed a Petal Dance attack on the Garchomp. He then bit her with a Fire Fang attack, giving her burns.
Nik and Bunk were too afraid to attack, so I decided to take him on. I started with two Air Cutters directly at his face. The Garchomp became even more infuriated, using Dragon Claw on me. My arm was too weak to even lift my favorite leek, but I hit him with another Air Cutter. The Garchomp was enraged and swiped me one more time, almost fainting me.
Then, Bunk punched the Garchomp in the face, finally knocking him out. Nik then went in the house.
When he came back, he was accompanied by a cutely bizarre, blue, small creature. It had no arms, but a tail the size of its body and small legs. It was an Azurill.
"Mindy," Bunk said, hugging the Azurill. We were just glad they were back together. "Thank you for saving me from that terrible Garchomp," Mindy said. "How can we repay you?" Bunk asked. "I guess we can consider putting you on our...team," Nik suggested. Bunk and Mindy agreed, trying to get Grace, Lilly and me back on our feet.
The second I opened my eyes after being carried by Nik, we stumbled upon a tent with torches around it. It was already midday.
We then made it to the tent. Inside was an Audino who almost fell asleep. "Yes?" she asked as she instantly woke up. "These three are severely injured," Mindy informed as Bunk and Nik dropped us.
The Audino then used some sort of feelers below her ears to feel our pulses.
She then used her powers to heal us completely. "You are now fully healed," the Audino told us. I pressed my wings, where my scars had been. Then, I picked up my stick, which somehow ended up on the ground.
"How can we repay you?" Nik asked. "My services are completely free," the Audino replied. Lilly still decided to give her 500 Poké.
We went back to finding our treasure, but suddenly...
Terry flew above us, probably already beating us in our race to the treasure. We then got on our feet and ran almost as quickly as we could.
Then, we heard hissing sounds behind us.
We ran faster.
~~Chapter 4~~
It was already midday, we were tired from running, and we reached the foot of a mountain.
The hissing sounds from earlier were becoming more and more resonant. It was as if the voices had followed us the entire time, which they did.
Then, Jan and Lian ran towards us, readying vines as ropes. They were almost going to tie us up, but stopped at the sight of Bunk.
"So, it looks like you have some new friends," Lian said, circling his vine rope about. "Now give us who we need," Jan ordered, threatening to whip us. Nik hid behind me, trying to be safe, but Jan and Lian almost grabbed him.
Just in time, Bunk threatened the two Servine twins with his fiery tail. The twins were displeased at the sight of it, but were determined to get Nik back.
"You're not getting him. He doesn't want to work with you," Mindy said, trying to sound brave. "Doesn't he?" Jan asked rhetorically as he grabbed Nik's right arm. Lian then grabbed his left. Nik struggled to break free, but failed. I then attacked both Servine twins with a single Air Cutter attack. They both fell on their slender bodies, letting go of Nik.
Nik ran to us, but it wasn't long before Jan and Lian grabbed him again, this time tying him up. Bunk then decided to deal with the both of them.
Then, as a Grass-type would instinctively do, the Servine twins cowered and ran in fear. Bunk then untied Nik. "Thank you so much," Nik said to Bunk, also a little terrified of his flaming tail.
We then proceeded to climb up the mountain, which seemed like the only way to find the treasure (after I had read Hendrick Sawyer's drawn map).
Our trek was perilous. Pebbles started hitting our faces, and dust was covering us. We met various Pokémon moving from place to place, but we had to focus on the task at hand.
We then rested near some hot springs on the mountain. It was refreshing, and we all (even Bunk) decided to sit there after all our adventuring. Mindy especially enjoyed it.
Then, after fifteen minutes of relaxation, we hiked again. We could barely see Terry flying past us as we almost climbed to the peak of the mountain.
When we did, we decided to look at the scenery around us. Trees, rivers, hills, and lots of other Pokémon everywhere. I then breathed in to take a sniff of the air. Everyone else then followed, however Bunk's flaming tail made them cough as they smelled as well.
We then went downhill. It was a very taxing task, as one of us (especially Mindy) could fall off. We then climbed down carefully (except me, as I flew down instead), and we soon made our way down, until we were blocked by a squadron of Bunnelby.
We stopped at the sight of them. The Bunnelby then looked at us. They readied their huge ears, possibly to attack us. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON OUR SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN?!" one of them vehemently demanded.
We decided to back away, but not before one of them approached us. It punched one of its ears on the ground just to demonstrate how powerful it was. Bunk then kicked it away, rolling it down the mountain. The other Bunnelby then went to us.
Bunk repeatedly punched and burned them, making sure none of them would hurt us. However, that only agitated them more, making them move faster and relentlessly. Mindy tried to counter them, only to get hit fatally by one of their ridiculously strong ears.
In retaliation, Bunk attacked them at a much quicker rate, knocking them down one by one. They eventually retreated, as about half of them barely survived Bunk's attacks. They then burrowed inside a hole the size of a Bunnelby.
We then went to check on Mindy. "Are you OK?" Nik asked her. She replied with a weak yes, which didn't sound so reassuring.
Lilly decided to hold Mindy as we went down the mountain. Grace almost slipped many times, but managed to make it due to Bunk's strength and reflexes.
We were almost at the foot of the mountain. Drops of snow started falling as we went down. Pokémon became a much more common sight. Gogoat started hopping about the mountain, and flocks of Starly flew around. Snowy ground was a few hundred more meters away.
Our feet were touching rock covered in snow. It was very cold, but Bunk kept us warm. We were getting eventually closer to the ground, and, as we did, we finally got to rest. That was, until we heard something from underneath.
Grace nearly fell as the vibrations became even more tangible. It was as if seismic activity was happening.
Quickly emerging below us was a Diggersby. His face was as unkempt as a normal Diggersby, but he was covered in cuts and had only one working eye.
The Diggersby pumped himself up and readied his fist-like ears. He was ready to take us on, while we barely knew what was going on. As he swung his ear, we quickly dodged. I quickly launched an Air Cutter attack on him, barely harming him. He then pushed me back with his ear, aiming for Lilly and Grace.
Lilly then bravely executed a Petal Dance attack on the Diggersby, damaging him greatly. Grace then bit him with her fake jaw.
The Diggersby did not give up. He flung Lilly and Grace away, focusing on the rest of us: me, Bunk, Nik, and Mindy. Nik then used Leaf Tornado on the Diggersby, damaging him some more.
Then, Bunk grabbed an opportunity. He socked the Diggersby in the face, dizzying him. He then shook Nik and Bunk off with great force, leaving only me and Mindy. Trying to protect her, I repeatedly smacked him with my stick, with little effect.
He was about to smash me with his ear. Then, Mindy, trying to be useful, did a finishing blow on the Diggersby by flailing her large tail at him. The Diggersby then fell with a mighty thud.
We all retained our senses after a few minutes, and decided to walk through the snowy forest.
The forest was more lively than the last one, inhabiting lots of energetic Pokémon. Wild Snorunt gathered around to create a tent, a Vigoroth was punching a tree, and a herd of Mareep grazed on the cold grass.
We were amazed by all these Pokémon just doing what they would instinctively do. "This is amazing," Grace commented as she stared at the nearby herd of Stantler. In fact, Grace was hypnotized and neared the Stantler. "Grace!" I yelled. I then ran towards her, trying not to get hypnotized as well. Fortunately, I scared the Stantler away.
We then heard hissing sounds again. At the very sound of that, we moved fast. Thankfully, the sound grew faint and finally stopped. We were right at the edge of the ocean.
Mindy admired the view. Amidst all the cold and snow, the ocean was as sparkly as usual. With that, I decided to jump in (leaving my knapsack on the ground). "This might be cold, but it's quite relaxing," I said, gleefully paddling as I floated without a care.
Everyone else except Bunk decided to join me. "Julius is right," Lilly said. Mindy decided to ride on me as I floated. Bunk then envied us because we were able to get in the water without getting harmed.
Nik then decided to swim around everywhere. He was fast. He then decided to play a bit with Mindy.
We enjoyed ourselves, until a very familiar face flew down.
Terry was walking on a small ice floe floating above the water. "It appears as if you are having a good time," he said as he walked around the ice floe.
"We were, until you came," I said, with a little angry expression on my face. "Who's that?" Bunk asked. "Allow me to introduce myself," Terry said. Everyone was quiet. "I am Terry Sawyer. You might remember my father, Hendrick Sawyer," he continued. My friends then clamored as they began to comment about Terry's father.
"He was a very famous adventurer, and I decide to follow his footprints," he went on. "By the way, you five haven't introduced me to you. Care if I ask?"
"Very well. I'll go first," Nik suggested as he stepped on the ice floe. "I am Prince Nik, planned monarch of all of Divor. My mother and brothers force me to rule, but I refuse to take advantage of it." Bunk then went to introduce himself, as he found it interesting not only to familiarize him with my mortal enemy, but also with my other friends.
"I'm Boonkum Krugel," Bunk said. "But call me Bunk, as I find it...easier."
Mindy then did the same. "H-Hello," Mindy greeted Terry, stuttering a little (as she is afraid of some avian Pokémon and she usually gets shy). "I-I'm Mindy Wess," she continued, quivering all the more. "I'm B-Bunk's personal s-student..."
Before she could continue, Grace went to introduce herself. "Hello-" she tried to say, until she heard her stomach rumble.
"My dear, you must be hungry," Terry implied. Thankfully, Grace was a skilled cook, so she could prepare food in a matter of seconds. She (with the help of Bunk) made a warm soup for all of us to enjoy.
We were then served the food on handmade wooden bowls. Terry then finished his meal. "My, I do believe it is time for my departure. Farewell!" he said as he soared up into the sky, still searching for the treasure.
Lilly decided to swim instead of eat because she "didn't feel like it". She dove a little in the water, which turned out to be a big mistake.
~~Chapter 5~~
As Lilly dove in the water, we could all see some sort of light. I then ran to Lilly as quickly as I could. She tried to swim up, only to be pulled down.
Instinctively, I dove in. Soon, Grace followed me.
The source of light was fading, so I knew I had to swim faster. Thankfully, I was a very good swimmer, so it was a slight problem. The source of light then hid behind a rock, confusing me as to where it went. Grace was struggling to get to me.
With barely enough air left in me, I finally made it to some sort of cave. The ceiling was leaking and covered in stalactites, and some sort of river was flowing. The walls were covered with ice.
I walked in, investigating. Then, out of the cave's flowing water, Carvanha jumped out to bite me. I quickly kicked them back, hurting myself a little due to their rough skin. The Carvanha then followed as I walked, soon accompanied by Chinchou. I then walked faster, and still I couldn't find Lilly.
The cave was very dark, and I could only see because of the Chinchou. As I went further, kelp was everywhere, and the ice started to melt. The craggy, rocky surface of the cave then turned into wet sand. My vision was gradually getting clearer. The Carvanha and Chinchou still followed me.
Grace then ran to me, avoiding the fish Pokémon. "You had me worried for a second," Grace said, trying to catch her breath while holding on to me.
I saw a bright light. I looked around, realizing this was a dead end. I was still looking for Lilly.
The source of the light dove into a large pool of water beside me, swimming around in an erratic fashion. Grace and I found Lilly, tied up in kelp.
The ceiling of the cave suddenly opened, revealing the sky. We could see better, though it was already past sunset. The source of light tackled me and electrocuted me, giving me severe wounds. Grace then held it in her fake jaw, revealing it to be a Lanturn. The Lanturn escaped by shocking Grace, and slipping away. The Lanturn then ordered her minions (Carvanha and Chinchou) to attack us.
The Chinchou came for us first. Grace dealt with most of them, as I had a slight fear of Electric-type Pokémon. As the Chinchou fainted one by one, the Lanturn became even more interested.
Grace grabbed them one by one, trapping each one in her fake jaw, biting them, and tossing them away. The Carvanha were slightly afraid to take us on.
One of the Chinchou lunged at me, but I successfully defended with a Leaf Blade attack. "How'd you do that?" Grace asked me, as it was unusual for someone like me to learn the move. I shrugged, focusing on the very last Chinchou.
This Chinchou was quite crafty: he would sneak up on us, hide behind rocks, and shock us when we can't see him. This had gond on for some minutes before Grace and I finally made a strategy on how to deal with him.
I quickly flew away, letting the Chinchou miss me. Then, Grace grabbed the Chinchou, attacked him, and threw him back in the water, tiring him.
Then, it was the Carvanha's turn to attack. They jumped about everywhere in the water, occasionally smacking and biting us. Some of my feathers fell out.
I quickly attacked them with multiple Leaf Blade and Air Cutter attacks. Barely any of them gave up.
Grace wasn't really sure how to deal with them safely, as she was more of a physical fighter. I had to deal with them myself because of this.
Another Air Cutter attack, and a few of them fainted. I executed the attack a few more times, and only three remained.
I then finished them off with Leaf Blade attacks. I then threw my stick up in the air and grabbed it back, trying make a good "finishing pose".
The Lanturn did not get angry at us at all. In fact, she only wanted to fight us more, making us think she had some sort of strategy.
She dove into the water, prompting the Chinchou and Carvanha to slowly back away.
She then swam around in a strange fashion. Afterwards, she attacked us with Discharge. I felt almost the same pain I felt during that thunderstorm. Grace and I felt weak, even after just one attack from her.
I then had an idea. I weakly lifted up my arm, using Air Cutter on the kelp that tangled Lilly. She started to return the favor and attack the Lanturn with Petal Dance. Grace then bit her hard. The Lanturn was way too distracted.
After that, I finished her off with a Leaf Blade attack. I then did the same "finishing pose" as earlier, as if I was already fine.
"Lilly! Don't ever do that again!" Grace shouted, trying to teach Lilly her lesson. "I-I'm sorry," Lilly replied. "I felt more comfortable drinking a bit from the ocean instead of eating."
"Excuse me, but how do we get out of here?" I asked, waiting for a response from Lanturn or one of her minions. Disappointed by the silence, I dove back in the water, and swam back to the waterside.
Then, we saw Nik, Bunk, and Mindy finishing their soup. They felt very warm, especially Bunk. "What happened back there?" Mindy asked, curious. I shook off the water around me, shedding a feather. Nik was fascinated with what I dropped from my body.
"We went for a little swim," Lilly replies, trying to simplify. Lilly, Grace and I went back to eating our soup, only to realize it had gone cold. I then spat it out after realizing the absurdly gelid temperature of what was in my bowl. "How did this happen? We have only been in the water for a few minutes," I wondered. The tundra's climate shouldn't have cooled it down, but nonetheless it did.
Terry then went back to the waterside. "I thought you said you had to go," Nik reminded. "I was going to, but realized how much time I've wanted to spend with you," Terry told us, leaving me suspicious.
"Anyway, lady, we haven't formally met. What is your name?" Terry asked Grace. She then stood up. "Grace Ferris," she answered. "Daughter of famous bandit, May Ferris."
Terry and I gasped in perfect sync. "Your mother was a bandit?" Nik followed, a little paranoid that Grace might be one too. "My father apprehended her years ago. Interesting," Terry said, thinking back on it.
"Why did you not tell me about this?" Lilly whispered. "You've never asked," Grace replied, nervous. "Your turn!" she then exclaimed, trying to make us forget.
Lilly then stood up. Nervously, she then walked near the water. "I'm Lilly Windroot. My father was a gardener and my mother was a skilled shopkeeper."
"Was?" Nik wondered with a slight frown on his face. "They died a few years ago," Lilly replied, looking down. Even Terry shed a single tear. "I'm sorry," I responded. I then wrapped my wings around Lilly.
"My condolences," Terry replied, showing genuine sorrow. For once, I felt his feelings were true.
After a few moments of silence, Terry then had a thought. "Are you sure all of you know Julius here well?" he asked my friends. I groaned, then all my friends nodded.
I then sighed and sat near the water. "My name is Julius Lore," I said. "I was born during a war, and my only friend at that time was a mentor. My father was forced to work when I was young, and my mother... Well, let me just say she isn't here," I continued, as I stared at the dark, cloudy sky.
Twenty minutes later after sharing my life story, we went back to finding the treasure. Terry casually flew away, this time even faster. We had to catch up.
The snow started to disappear, and the tundra turned into a swamp. Lots of bizarre Pokémon were around, like Ariados and Tangela. They did not seem so friendly.
We walked slowly, and suddenly something erupted from the marshy earth. A single purple, notched fin emerged. Then, the Garchomp from earlier dug up to strike at us.
"THIS IS FOR STOPPING ME FROM GETTING MY ONLY SOURCE OF WATER!" he shouted as he slowly got more insane. "Look around! There's water everywhere!" Bunk tried to reason out, looking at the nearby ponds.
"It's too late for that," the Garchomp said, almost siccing me. "It's time I return the favor," he continued as he readied his claws again. Then, all of a sudden, a vine tied him.
A Tangela walked towards the Garchomp, revealing that that vine came from that Tangela. "Well, well, well," the Tangela said. "It looks like I've captured yet another dangerous criminal."
"LET ME GO! I'M NOT DONE SLICING THEM YET!" the Garchomp demanded, struggling to break free of the vine's constriction.
"Dwine here is a Rank S criminal," the Tangela informed us. We were then amazed by how we were able to take down someone so powerful.
Then, we realized we had to get back to our treasure hunt. "Excuse me," Nik said. "We kind of have to go now."
"Now? First, I must reward you for helping me catch this bandit," the Tangela said, reaching out for a pouch of Poké. He then handed it to me. "Thank you for your help."
"You are welcome," I replied as we departed. The swamp was making us very uncomfortable, so we really had to leave.
Then, something we hadn't seen before in our adventures flew above us.
Trying to be safe, we walked away from where it was trying to land.
Bothered by the strange thing, we ran away and went back to adventuring.