Seven Years Later Chapter 2
Seven Years Later
CH. 2: The first (Unofficial) Adventure
"Treasure town is really close by", huffed Unshi. "My family decided to move close to a place called Serenity River since it seemed safe and peaceful for us. If we keep walking across this field, we should be able to make it to town in a couple of hours." Trudging along, Kutty stared in amazement at the scenery. The bright sun in the sky warmed the area, allowing the plants to thrive. Along the way, many grass type pokemon could be seen blissfully relaxing out in the open. Happily absorbing the sun's rays, they waved at the traveling pair and invited them to join in.
Waving back and declining their offer, Kutty rushed to catch up with Unshi. The dile's eagerness fueled him and only one thought filled his mind. It was the thought of his dream becoming a reality, which could be seen in his eyes. Heart pounding and breathing quickening, it looked like he was charging through like a spark hitting a trail of gunpowder. "Unshi, wait up!", cried Kutty, breaking him out of his trance. Looking behind, he saw his char friend running with a strange pink pokemon.
Catching up, the pink pokemon introduced herself to be Clefairy. "I need your help", she cried. "My buddy Vulpix and I got into some trouble while doing a mission and now I can't seem to find him. You two look strong enough, so could you please help me?" Upon hearing her request, Unshi understood and agreed to help. "Lead us to the last place you saw him and we'll do the rest", puffed Kutty.
The clefairy led them to a forest filled with ripening oran berries. "Our mission was to catch an outlaw named Ariados. We managed to corner him, but suddenly we were ambushed by something. The next thing that I recall was waking up alone with all of our stuff taken away." Looking over at Kutty, he nodded at the clefairy. "We'll do our best to find Vulpix. Lets go Kutty." Together, they entered the dungeon and braced themselves for a fight they won't soon forget.
"This Ariados guy should be hiding at the end of this dungeon. For now, we need to be careful and fight only when the civilians are wild and out of control. Pokemon are usually hostile against intruders who invade their territory, so if they start coming at you with anger in their eyes, just knock them out." "Okay, attack only when they charge. Got it", said Kutty. Keeping a lookout for any trouble, the pair went deeper and deeper into the forest. Afraid to pick up any items since they thought it could have belonged to someone else, they only went after loose change scattered around. Subduing some of the local bug and grass types, they could feel themselves get stronger and more confident. Finally reaching the deepest part of the forest, they prepared themselves.
The first thing that caught their eyes was the giant web in the trees. Many lifeless cocoons lie scattered in the tangled mess. Hearts beating in sadness and fear, Kutty heard the sounds of rustling leaves over her head. "That large one over there might have vulpix in it", Unshi pointed towards the bottom left. The sound of moving branches grew louder and Kutty suddenly pushed Unshi away. Before he could comment on the push, he saw a pokemon land directly in the spot where he once stood. "Shoot, I almost had you", cursed the spider-like pokemon. Kutty scratched at the ambusher, hitting him directly on his back. Unshi regained his wits and let loose a shot of his water gun, making a direct blow onto the attacker's face. "Ariados, you're going down after what you did to the locals", Unshi shouted angrily. Ariados jumped towards its web and looked down at the pair. Fangs and horn gleaming with poison, it chuckled to itself.
"I need to eat too, you know. And speaking of food, both of you look delicious." Unleashing a volley of string shots, he managed to hit the pair at least a couple of times. The slowing affects of the string didn't stop them however, as they continued attacking the wanted outlaw. One well shot water gun finally dropped the ariados, and both pokemon jumped with relief. "We did it Kutty!", cried an overjoyed Unshi. Nodding her head, she felt the pounding rush of adrenaline slowly make its way out of her body. Checking the large cocoon, they found an unconscious vulpix, slightly moving his body as it fought the effects of poison.
From the darkness came out large threads of string, hitting the fire lizard dead on. Trapped inside the makeshift cocoon, she could hear someone laughing maniacally. "I won't let you interfere with my dinner", it cried in delight. Emerging from a hidden tunnel was another ariados, who glared right at the stunned dile. "My so called mate has failed me for the last time. He too shall join the both of you in becoming my meal." Pouncing onto the totodile, she bit him with a poison sting and managed to inject a painful poison into him. "Kutty, help me", Unshi gasped before falling unconscious.
Inside of her mind, Kutty panicked to find a solution to their problem. She didn't want anyone else to die, especially not her hero. Remembering the promise she made to Unshi's mom, Kutty began to focus. The flame of her tail glowed intensely, burning the cocoon part way through. "I see you still have some fight left in you", chuckled the Ariados. She began to cover the poor lizard with more of her string, hoping to crush or suffocate her new prey. Kutty felt the new weight on top of her and she screamed in pain, losing her concentration. "I love the sound of my victims screaming. It's like music to my ears." This caused the char to stop her ineffective shouts and again she tried to focus.
An indescribable feeling took a hold of her. Or more importantly, it took a hold of her throat. It was like a burning sensation mixed together with raw anger and seasoned with fear. This thing desperately wanted out, just like how Kutty wanted to get out of this cocoon. Unable to hold back, Kutty fired off her first ember. It burned through the layers of thread, growing stronger with each penetration. It finally tore through the cocoon and smashed into the unexpected villain. The overwhelming raw power of blast instantly knocked out the ariados and freed the char from her prison.
"Oh my", came a voice from the entrance. Shaking off the thread coverings, Kutty glanced over to see Clefairy and another pokemon scurry over. "I'm officer Magnezone and I'm here to assist in the apprehension of the C-rank outlaw Ariados." Spotting the two troublemakers, the officer's eyes widened in shock. "So there were two of them", buzzed the officer. "Could you forget about them for now and help out these pokemon", pleaded Kutty. Clefairy was prepared for this situation. Pulling out a bag filled with pecha berries, she began feeding the afflicted. Many of them were cured, while some had already perished from the poison. Although killing others for food is legal in the land, attacking and killing children is illegal and the two outlaws are lead away by the officer and his deputies.
Reunited with her partner, Clefairy and Vulpix thanked Unshi and Kutty for their help. "You should thank Kutty. She saved all of us from becoming lunch today", exclaimed Unshi. After playfully licking her face, Vulpix had something to ask the pair. "So what are you two doing out here?" Unshi explained to the curious fox about their plans to train at Wigglytuff's guild. He even told them his dreams of becoming an explorer, fully trusting the others to not laugh at his ambitions. Vulpix however, giggled a bit. Not trying to be rude, he brought out a map and explained that they were actually going the opposite way. "You see, we're apprentices from the guild. As thanks, we would gladly lead you guys to our home." Fully accepting the offer with sparkles glowing from his eyes, Unshi and Kutty followed the apprentices towards the famous guild.
The sun began to dip down as the pale moon rose from behind the clouds. Finally reaching the front of the guild, Unshi's once tired body sprung back to life. Clefairy stepped onto the grate to gain access into the guild. "Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected! WHOSE FOOTPRINT? WHOSE FOOTPRINT? The footprint belongs to Clefairy! The footprint belongs to Clefairy! Welcome back Clefairy and Vulpix. I sense two others with you. Could you both step over the grate so I could read their footprints?"
Unshi stepped up first, trying to contain his explosive energy. "The footprint belongs to Totodile! The footprint belongs to Totodile! A bit anxious but that's okay. Alright, next." Stepping away, Unshi watched as Kutty nervously stood upon the grate. "No need to be afraid. The thing is sturdy and could hold pokemon much larger then you. Now then, the footprint belongs to Charmander! The footprint belongs to Charmander. It seems you're naturally confused. Scared and timid, two thing that your species aren't known for. Anyways, all of you may enter." The gates soon opened and allowed access to the guild.
Climbing down the a couple of ladders, the group reached the second floor of the guild. Greeting them was a colorful bird who looked overjoyed at Clefairy and Vulpix's return. "I'm relieved that you both returned safely", preached the bird. "Despite my warning about the job being to difficult, it seems that you managed to effortlessly complete it. Well done!" "Actually Chatot", began Clefairy. Finishing her tale, the chatot seethed with anger. "I knew it! I knew it! Yet the both of you didn't listen to me, the head of intelligence of this guild. I would have sent the both of you away without dinner tonight to teach you a lesson, but thanks to these helpful strangers, you still managed to finish the job."
With that out of his system, Chatot calmed down and looked at Unshi and Kutty. "I'm sorry that you had to trouble yourselves over our incompetent members. Thank you for your help, but I couldn't reward you with anything from our vault. Guilds you see, need tons of funding to stay afloat and we find ourselves in a financial crisis. I'm sure you all understand." "Of course", nodded Unshi "We don't need any money from helping out pokemon in need. However, there is a reason for why we came here in the first place. My buddy and I were wondering if we could join the guild as apprentices and learn everything there is to learn for exploring. Will this be alright?
Turning around to think, the chatot muttered under his breath. "There have been many others who we tried to teach, but they usually quit within the next couple of days. I wouldn't want to waste my time training new recruits." "We wouldn't run away", squeaked Kutty. Chatot flapped his wings in shock and turned to look at the source of his interruption. "Unshi and I will be different then the others. I want to help Unshi follow his dreams to become an explorer and will dedicate myself to make it come true." Kutty's squeaky voice grew louder. "If there's anyway we can prove ourselves, then tell us so we could show you how serious we can be." Unshi smiled and hugged his friend.
Chatot was also moved by the shy girl's remark. "So you're that kind of pokemon,huh? Alright, I'll give you both a chance to impress me. Let me talk it over with the guildmaster and we'll decide the time you will take your test. For now, follow Clefairy and Vulpix and have them give you the tour of our legendary guild." With that being said, Chatot hopped into the guildmaster's room and closed the door behind him. "I thought we were going to get punished", sighed Vulpix in relief. "No dinner after a day like this would have crushed my will to do anything tomorrow", whimpered Clefairy. Thanking Unshi and Kutty again from being spared, they began their new jobs as tour guides for their friendly guests.