Mystery Dungeons: Through Realms and worlds

by Navanastra

Chapter 7: Broader Expansion of Events

Chapter 7: Broader Expansion of events

Edited by: The Great Khan

“I think he’s regaining consciousness,” I called out to everyone after Victini started to moan for the fourth time in a row.

Everybody immediately came rushing down into the basement afterwards, with Ampharos being the last, and even followed by the two pony natives who were generous enough to give us their basement for the time being. Or rather, the supply storage room as it was originally called. It would be used as that, if it wasn’t still for the fact that the fields were at least still a month away from harvest.

Either way, me and Nava watched with great anticipation as Victini was slowly waking himself up from his slumber.

We all felt a sense of relief when he finally opened his eyes. Slowly of course, but it’s the intentions which count.

“Ugh…where…where the heck am I?” Victini mumbled out as he started to blink a couple of time to get the blurriness out of his eyes.

This is when Ampharos stepped up. “Well, you are in a basement, someone else’s basement in fact, and to be even more specific…” He gestures towards the two ponies standing at the foot of the stairs. “…these two’s basement. They have generously offered their large basement, or rather, empty supply room for us to camp out in as thanks for having saved their children from certain death. Well…you did of course. All we did was help with the damage control and transporting the injured back to the village for better treatment.” Ampharos answered before looking down at Victini’s form with a smile.

Victini on the other hand was busy rubbing his head before pushing himself upwards with the other hand. Groaning a bit to himself before attempting to get up fully. Something which Jirachi didn’t approve of almost immediately.

“No, no, no! Just…just stay in bed. Rest a bit. You inhaled a dangerous amount of smoke yesterday, which is why you were out for so long. Take it easy and rest, and keep eating these slices of Oran Berries that I prepared for you on that plate next to you. These should speed up your recover time significantly.” He stated and pointed towards the mentioned plate of berries next to him on a small night stand.

Victini gave the plate a few seconds look before sighing, reaching an arm out to one of those slices and gently putting one of them into his mouth before chewing. He then sighed once more before laying himself back down on the bed. Crossing his arms and gazing up towards the ceiling.

He didn’t seemed to be too happy with his situation it seems, but health comes first after all. Especially when Jirachi’s accounts were true, and even more so in how we first found him.

Covered in soot and left breathing very poorly. Jirachi actually had to jam a few slices of Oran Berry into his throat to help his body cope better with his smoke filled lungs a little, which thankfully worked. Even though it was…a bit awkward to watch him with how much trouble he was having.

He obviously didn’t want to choke him out by accident by doing so. Plus, he isn’t a doctor, so there’s that too. I mean, neither of us are. There actually is a local herbalist here in the village, but as expected, she only had herbs and medical knowledge for ponies and gryphons respectively, and none for Pokémon.

Some of these herbs are even poisonous to Pokémon, as Ampharos managed to deduct when he suddenly developed a small skin rash after trying out one of her oily creams.

Either way, the room was eerily silent afterwards with neither of us having any idea on what to talk about next, or say anything.

Well, Victini at least seemed to know, as he was the one to break the silence.

“Say, what happened to the children I saved? Are they alright, and you mentioned something about these two over there being the parents of one of those kids? Which of the four are they, and again is he or she doing alright?” Victini questioned worriedly before reaching for another slice of Berry and gently chewing on it.

Jirachi smiled. “Well; all of them are doing pretty well thanks to you. The two you saved first are practically unharmed except for some minor cuts and bruises, while the one you help out third is so far the worst one off so far. However, he should also be fine if given enough recovery time and herbs for his leg. At least, according to the herbalist.” He answered with a pause before continuing. “And the last child you saved is actually the son of these two fine individuals over here who have offered us their basement to us as thanks. Though sadly…” He trailed off with a sad look. “…it turned out that he was actually the cause of this disaster, according to some students and one of the teachers. Having tried out a brand new spell during class, which horribly backfire on him as a result. He is sadly still out cold thanks to the incident, but miraculously unscathed minus the heavy knock-out.” He added, rubbing one of his arms in a rather sad manner. A sense of sadness we all shared.

Victini not excluded. “Oh…well at least it is good to know that nothing else happened to him then. I was suspecting the worst when I first fished him out from under all that rubble he was buried in.” He added before sighing once more.

It was my turn to step up…though more to keep the conversation going and to avoid another awkward silence. “Well anyway, it’s still good to know that you are doing well Victini. Your heroic charge along with our contribution of keeping the fire from spreading any further really helped in building a foundation of trust with many of these locals. They even stopped looking at us so suspiciously and were more inclined to try and talk to us, minus the language barrier.” I announced with a smile before looking to my partner. “Also, you should have seen their wondrous faces they all had when Nava over here used his water moves to put out the fire way quicker than a whole gang of them could with buckets. It was quite hilarious to look at.” I added, giving Nava a little nudge which made him blush a bit.

“Well, it was nothing. I wasn’t trying to cause a scene or anything.” He shyly replied which just made me chuckle.

“Well anyway, just make sure to get some rest, Victini. You earned it.” Ampharos stated which we all agreed upon.

“Well, it’s better than trying to fight my own body I guess. It certainly has been a while since I’ve pushed myself this hard, that’s for sure.” He added before popping in another slice.

“Anyway; Nava and I will be off exploring the village if any of you need us.” I stated before making for the door. Nava of course following.

“Well ok then, just stay out of trouble you two and everything should be fine. There are some that still seem rather weary towards us despite everything.” We heard Ampharos call after us, which made both me and Nava nod.

“Actually, I might like to go with them as well, if that’s okay, Chief. Do you mind keeping an eye on Victini over here while the three of us are out and about?” Jirachi stated quickly after we managed to reach the foot of the stairs.

This caused us to hold of course and look back at the two.

Ampharos didn’t look particularly thrilled though. “Really? You three are going to go out there and have some fun while I have to be on nursing duty? And here I thought I was the chief.” He said while scratching his head.

“Well…” Jirachi began innocently. “I am the only one capable of communicating with these ponies with the use of my telepathy, which is obviously a great feature to have when trying to keep these two out of trouble as you said. Avoiding misunderstanding and miscommunication are of course a lot easier when you are capable of proper communication in the first place. Plus, I generally just want to have more chances of learning more about these ponies, like their motives, culture, religions and what-not. Such knowledge could certainly be helpful too, in avoiding any unnecessary mishaps in the future.” He explained, which in turn made me look up at him with a bit of annoyance.

“Hey, we are NOT some random babies that need to be supervised at all times! We can, and will, stay out of trouble if need be. No problem at all.” I stated confidently which made Nava tilt his head towards me.

“Really? I mean, trouble is your middle name as far as I know. Even after all the adventures, hardships and challenges we have been through, you have never really changed much in terms of being a natural trouble magnet with both your hyped attitude and overall naïvety. I think we should have Jirachi join us just to be sure.” Nava countered.

“Well geez, you didn’t have to be so blunt about it, you know.” I sighed while hanging my head low.

“Well sorry but…I just had to say that.” He stated while rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

Well to be fair he is kinda right. I am certainly not the most “tame” individual when it comes to a lot of things, and to be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is just part of the overall Glade package. Trouble and annoying character tropes included.

“Well anyway, let’s go you two, and…” He paused before looking over to one of the two pony adults and smiling at her with his eyes slightly glowing.

The female nodded before smiling back. Both of the ponies then made their way back up towards the stairs, disappearing behind the entry hatch to the basement.

“Alright, we are ready to go.” Jirachi stated before taking the lead.

I was, of course, curious as me and Nava followed. “What did you tell them, Jirachi?”

“Oh nothing much.” He began with a small pause. “Just that the three of us wish to take a stroll through town while Ampharos is going to stay behind to keep Victini company. Nothing too complicated or revealing, really.” He answered as we reached the hatch ourselves and back into the outside world.

The entrance to the basement was actually outside the wooden house. Facing towards the same hilly countryside from where we come, in case some of you wonder. Furthermore, the house itself was actually located right on the edge of town, too. Constructed along a simple road, not too far from the actual main road where most of the traffic was going through, such as caravans and what-not.

Nava and I stretched ourselves just a little bit after we exited through the basement entrance; taking in the fresh cool air of the outside world after having spent some time in the moist and somewhat dusty smelling air down below the cellar. I think it’s more of a cellar than a basement.

“Alright, how about we simple go and do a bit of shopping first to see what this village has to offer, ware-wise? It’s a good thing that gold is used as a currency here, too, which makes using our pokebucks a valid choice to use for future purchases here. If not well…” Jirachi started to smile. “I think I can always fish out a few more gold bars and use those, instead.” He stated with a big happy grin.

“Jirachi…” I started with a tilted head. “Don’t you think that using them is a bit overkill? I mean, you would practically be overpaying for pretty much everything. And not just a little but at a HUGE amount.” I reasoned.

Jirachi though dismiss it. “Nah, its fine. Plus, it would also give me the perfect opportunity to exercise my wish making role a little bit more; something I should be doing instead of mapping the stars and tinkering around with old technology and what-not. This reason should certainly surface for spending so much gold willy-nilly, plus…” he began patting his bag “…I have way more of this stuff than I could ever realistically make use of. The amount of treasures you find on a regular basis in high level dungeons is just crazy. I mean, you two should know, because you have tackled a couple of them yourselves too.” He added while giving us a knowing look.

I rubbed my head. “Well, I guess so. I mean, Nava alone here has a pretty sum of money inside his deposit bank alone from all the golden louplets we found and sold.” I responded.

“Well there you have it then. Now let’s go, I want to know what type of technology or tools these natives must have or use on a daily basis. If not, then…well…I guess a simple stroll to kill some time would be nice too. Maybe even stock up on food while we’re at it.” He stated, before again taking the lead around the house with the two of us following him, of course.

It didn’t take long for most of the town’s attention to fall back on us the moment we hit the open streets once more.

Though as I said, it was far less wondrous and suspicious and more curious over all. Some of them gave us happy smiles and hoof gesture greetings.

I was of course inclined to return the friendly gestures as we casually strolled through the main road. The village overall had a very cozy feeling to it, if you don’t mind the muddy roads sometimes and the overall mistrust from the beginning.

Overall, this place does has a completely different feel to it from most Pokémon towns and villages I have visited before, and I am not referring to the obvious here of having ponies running around instead of Pokémon.

It’s just…a different atmosphere overall.

“Hey, let’s go and check out that store over there. It seems to be selling something that looks a lot like apples and other fruits by the looks of it.” Jirachi suddenly stated after we spent a couple of minutes just walking alongside the road.

Well, he floated, but that’s not the focus here.

Maybe I am just being crazy, but I just had this distinct feeling that we were being watched from somewhere this entire time. No, it wasn’t the typical stares we would get from the locals, but it was more of a type of stare you would feel when someone is actively trying to spy on you from afar.

I am not sure if this feeling is genuine or not, or if I am just going nuts right now. But it certainly wouldn’t be the first time I have gotten this feeling from somewhere, that’s for sure.

I was actually forced to stop and look around myself, which my partner next to me noticed.

“Hey Glade, what…what is it?” He asked curiously while tilting his head.

I shrugged. “I don’t know, just had the feeling that we were being watched from somewhere.” I answered while keeping vigilant.

“Pffff, really? I mean we are already getting stares from pretty much everyone around here no matter where we are in the village. I think that all of this nonstop attention is maybe getting into your head or something. Or maybe it’s your overall anxiety to go out there and do some more exploring instead of just sitting here and waiting for something else to happen. I at least can somewhat relate to the last a bit more. I’m a lot more anxious of going out there myself, and see what else this new world has to offer species-wise. The idea alone is pretty enticing if I had to be honest.” Nava stated.

I sighed, “Yeah…yeah I guess you might be right with that to some extent. Maybe I am just getting a bit jumpy inside my head thanks to all of the undivided attention we have been getting nonstop.” I answered while scratching my head.

Nava smiled. “Hey, it's fine. You’re not the only one who feels or thinks this way. All of this attention has certainly been making me feel really awkward lately. Even now when things have finally eased up on us for the better.” He stated, which in turn made me give him a curious look.

“Wait…you just said that you were feeling the same way, weren’t you?” I asked, feeling somewhat suspicious with the idea that suddenly cropped up inside my mind regarding the subject.

Nava was confused of course. “Well yeah. Same with the sensation that we were actually…” He trailed off, before the idea suddenly clicked in him as well.

We both sported a look of surprise. “Wait…if that is the case, then shouldn’t this feeling we’ve been feeling this entire time be true? The…sensation that something was watching us this entire time the moment we hit the open streets? I mean, if we both somehow felt it at the same time, doesn’t that automatically confirm that we were actually being spied on from the shadows?” I theorized, getting more and more worried about it as the idea continued to evolve itself inside my mind.

I mean sure, being personally paranoid about something wouldn’t have really meant much. But having Nava over here feel the same thing does make this idea a lot more plausible.

We both knew it, which is why we both started to look around ourselves franticly in hopes of finding something out of the ordinary.

Which we obviously failed. Besides the happy-go-lucky villagers going about their day and the few pony driven carts that just passed by us, there was nothing else that looked even remotely suspicious.

What was even more worrying about this was the fact that the sensation was now gone, too. Like, whoever was watching us was no longer here, and has disappeared to who knows where.

This was extremely creepy and worrying, and it showed in both of our expressions.

“Hey you two, you got to try these.” Jirachi’s voice suddenly appeared behind us, which almost made me jump out of my tail.

We both turned around, only to be met with a beaming smile and a lot, and I mean A LOT of baskets filled with nothing but apples and mangoes floating alongside him. I have certainly seen a lot of apples in my days, but the mangoes were a little bit of a rarity to my knowledge. Though what intrigued me the most was just how much of this stuff he actually had floating alongside him with one half of an apple firmly held in one of his hands.

Or rather, in his mouth, as he suddenly took another bite of it and blushed out of sheer joy.

“Oh dear Arceus above, you two just gotta try these apples, they are by far the juiciest apples I have ever tasted! Oh I just HAD to buy all of them while shoving another gold bar at the store vendor’s face. But seriously, here, try them and see for yourself.” Jirachi stated, before levitating a pair of shiny reds directly towards us.

We of course took them. Giving these rather generic looking apples some questionable looks before we both chowed down.

Our eyes immediately widen as the sweet and plentiful juices of these apples assaulted our taste buds. We were so shocked by its taste that we even forgot to chew. Well, until the shock wore off with the two of us quickly devouring the rest of the apple as a result; core and stem included.

“Pretty good, huh?” Jirachi asked after we devoured the apples.

We both nod with huge smile. “They were AMAZING! I would have never thought that apples could be so juicy. This is absolutely amazing!” I stated happily with a jump.

Nava nodded to that. “Yeah, in fact, it's best that we never tell Swirlix about this. Otherwise she would most likely feast herself into a coma if she ever gets her paws on them, if that is even possible.” He added to which the both of us chuckle.

“Well yeah, you’re kinda right with that. Better not inform her of this, or she might actually decide to leave the expeditions society to live here instead. And there aren’t any good qualified cooks back in Lively Town as far as I know.” I added.

Jirachi on the other hand just smiled. “Well anyway, let’s just head back for now so that I can deposit these baskets back with Victini and the chief. I mean, I can certainly carry a lot more than these, but that obviously doesn’t make it any less awkward to do so. Plus…” He looked around. “We are turning in a crowd again.” He stated.

We both nod. “Well yeah, probably from the fact that you bought out a whole store’s worth of fruit in one go. I think you are taking this, ‘spending gold around the village,’ a little bit too extreme now. In the end, you are most certainly just going to get flooded with these ponies trying to make you buy something from them for one of your gold bars or sacks of coin.” I tried to warn.

Though Jirachi dismissed it. “Nah, its fine, and as I stated before; I have no problems with that. I cherish knowledge, artifacts and technology a lot more than just silly old gold. I mean, if I can use it to make other people happy and making their wishes true that way, then so be it. At least it means that I would be exercising my naturally given role again, which is just great. Making dreams come true without having to use my powers is a positive. Efficiency at the finest.” He answered, beaming to himself at this own clever way of thinking, which in turn just made the two of us sigh.

“Anyway, let’s get back to both Ampharos and Victini so that I can get rid of all of these baskets and get some more later on. I am going to look if they have something similar to a telescope too around here so that I can start peeking into their night sky. Kinda stupid of me for having forgotten to bring mine with me. Darn it all. But…what can you do?” He stated with a small frown at the end before floating back towards the same path we came from.

We of course were forced to follow, not just because of Jirachi himself, but rather for the fact that I really wanted some more of these apples, and maybe try out these mangoes too while at it.

Sometimes, we can all just think with our stomachs.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

“So, how are you feeling now? A bit better maybe? I mean, you already cleared the entire plate since the last time I checked.” Ampharos asked as he came back from his little exploration trip from around the cellar.

Not sure what exactly enticed him to explore an empty cellar. But then again, it at least gave me an excuse to be alone for a while with my own thoughts. I wasn’t even aware that I subconsciously cleared the plate while being mentally trapped.

Either way, I turned my attention back towards him. “I am doing fine. I’ll admit that I feel a little bit better than I did when I woke up.” I groaned. “Argh…if these were the good old days then I wouldn’t even be in this state in the first place. You wouldn’t believe what kinds of Pokémon both me and Pericles had to face back then. Crazy; let me tell you that.” I exclaimed, remembering the few times where our adventures where almost cut short. Power hungry and dangerous Pokémon were pretty common back then.

I heard Ampharos chuckle. “Really, you make yourself sound like an old geezer when you say it like that. A strange thing to say for someone who is practically immune to the passage of time, unlike most of us common folk.” He commented, scratching his head a bit at the end.

I hummed. “Well, yeah. Physically I really haven’t changed that much for the last couple of decades, or in your case millennia as far as I know. But still…” I exhaled. “Being the keeper of the Void Orb has pretty much kept me very complacent over the years compared to the activities I once used to partake in on an almost daily basis. It is also funny to see how much our world has changed since those times. Crazy to think what effects time can have. Thinking back on those memories now, does make it feel as if it only happened yesterday, and not decades ago.” I lengthily explained, trailing off a bit from the main subject as my own memories once again betrayed me.

It was Ampharos’ turn to hum. “Well yes, that is just the nature of memories as a whole. I also can still remember my younger days as a Flaaffy, and even further back when I was just a wee little Mareep. You know…days when I actually still had fur.” He added, also seeming to trail off on his own as he sported a rather depressed look while looking down on himself.

“I used to have such luxurious looking fur. Oh, I was the envy of all of my siblings back home.” He added, which awoke my curiosity.

“You actually have a family somewhere?” I asked, feeling genuinely interested.

He nodded. “Well, yes of course, they are actually living in a small herding village to the north of the grass continent. I do still write them letters from time to time just to keep in touch with them. Though…” He trailed off a bit in thought. “It has been a mighty long while since I last visited my old home. I should really remedy that when we get back to our world. I am sure both Ma and Pa would be thrilled to see their son again.” He added, which kinda made me smile a bit.

It always sounds kinda nice when somebody talks so fondly about their parents and family. Something I obviously can’t really relate too, as I have absolutely no idea who my own parents were or if I really had any to begin with.

A common trope all Mythic Pokémon share, and just another piece of mystery of our existence.

“We’re baaaaack!” Somebody suddenly sang, which immediately got our attention.

We both perked up.

“Oh hey, Jirachi, Nava and Glade! How are you…uh…” Ampharos stopped and started to confusingly gawk at the couple of large baskets filled with fruits trailing behind the aforementioned Pokémon.

The two kids in question were actually snacking on some of those fruits, too. Moaning and blushing happily at something that obviously must be very delicious.

This very much made me curious, but right now, I was more interested on the fact that Jirachi was carrying a huge number of apples and mangoes behind him for some reason. I mean, it is pretty clear that he most likely bought them. But what was not so obvious was the reason why he bought so much of them in the first place.

If it’s for provisions, then I can understand. Though if that is the case, then wouldn’t it make a little bit more sense to have a bit more diversity in regards to your selection of food besides just apples and mangoes?

Either way, I will find out soon enough. Plus, these two kids are really digging into their apples with a lot of enthusiasm. Which again, made me super curious.

“Well, well, well, this is certainly…a lot of grocery shopping you have done there Jirachi old buddy. Though why only apples and mangoes if I may ask?” Ampharos questioned while tilting his head a bit.

“Well, it’s simple.” Jirachi began before levitating an apple towards the chief. “Just have a bite and see…or rather taste, for yourself.” He stated with a smile.

Ampharos, of course, took the offered apple and confusingly inspected it first before taking a bite. The moment he did though, it was as if someone had pulled a switch inside Ampharos’ brain, as his entire form froze after the first crunch.

I was somehow even more curious about this then I was before, especially when he suddenly sprung back to life with the apple basically gone in under 5 seconds.

Yeah, definitely curious now.

“Oh my gosh, this apple you gave me was absolutely divine! No wonder you bought so many of them from the start! I can already feel both my strength and enthusiasm returning in full force after having tasted something so delicious. Not that I lost my enthusiasm in the first place, of course, but…now I am definitely pumped to do more. Much, much, much more!” Ampharos stated with glee before holding his head high with a large and determined grin on his face.

“Here, you should probably try one out too. It might help you recover faster, too, if Ampharos’ reaction to it is anything to go by.” Glade suddenly stated, holding out an apple for me in one of her hands while smiling.

I took her offer, of course. Inspecting the apples first just as Ampharos did before taking a bite. My eyes momentarily widened out of surprise before quickly normalizing.

These apples were good, very good. But really nothing special compared to the things I have tasted before. One of the obvious perk you can have when living on a world hopping chain of islands is the chance of taste all kinds of otherworldly fruits, foods, deserts, and what not.

Though besides that, these are still some really darn good apples if I had to be honest.

“Pretty good, certainly a lot juicier and sweeter than the ones back home.” I stated while chewing.

“Yeah, I know right? Who would have thought that another world could harbor much better apples then our own?” Glade answered, before using a vine whip to pluck out another apple from one of the baskets and eating it as well.

“You know, I’m also wondering about these mangoes.” Ampharos announced before taking one.

“I don’t know, I really only bought them because they are somewhat of a rarity to see in Lively Town.” Jirachi answered before finally putting all the baskets down.

“Well, no better time but the present, then. Let’s see if these mangoes also surpass the ones from our world.” Ampharos stated, before lifting the fruit up to his mouth and taking a rather large bite of it.

He started to chew quietly as the rest of us awaited the results with great anticipation. After a few seconds of chewing, he swallowed, before tentatively smacking his lips and looking down at the fruit he had just tasted.

“Well, how is it?” Glade asked curiously.

“Well…” Ampharos began. “It tastes like mangoes, that’s for sure.” He answered, getting a mix of disappointed responses from everyone, including me.

“Well, at least the apples are super good.” Glade added before taking another bite out of the apple and just getting red around the cheeks all over again.

I did the same, biting into what was left of my apple and enjoying it for what it was.

“Well alright, I guess I am off again.” Jirachi suddenly announced before making his way back towards the stairs.

“Off? Off where?” Ampharos asked.

“Well to go find myself a telescope, or at least something similar to one so that I can finally start charting the skies in this world and compare them with our own in terms of constellations and position. Not to mention also finding out if their stars also harbor some form of cosmic secrets or powers behind them just like the ones back home. If so, then I personally might be able to make some use out of them thanks to my wish making powers.” He explained after turning himself around to face the chief.

Ampharos hummed. “Well alright, very good idea there, Jirachi. Please, go ahead and do so. Having knowledge of their stars and their overall position in the heavens can be majorly beneficial when trying to navigate this new world. That is, if the locals’ maps of nearby areas are unavailable or nonexistent, that is. Maybe you should also ask around for something like that if you get the chance, Jirachi. Having a map as well is obviously very useful as well when it comes to explorations.” He suggested, which in turn made Jirachi nod.

“Got it, chief. I’m sure that they at least have something similar to that if something like a telescope is impossible to find here. I’ll go ask every store owner around the village for a map, just to be sure.” He stated before finally floating up the stairs and disappearing.

“Well then, in that case I guess it should be my turn to head out this time. I am very anxious after all to have a closer look around myself. Well, hope you and Nava can keep an eye on Victini over here while I do the same as Jirachi. I guess a little local shopping spree is an order, and maybe I’ll even find something interesting or useful to buy. Having two Pokémon scouting out the shops is obviously better and faster than just one.” Ampharos quickly stated, before passing me and making for the stairs himself.

“What…really? But we didn’t even get the chance to explore the village ourselves yet, and now you are going to leave us on guard duty for Victini?” Glade shockingly questioned, which in turn I found a little bit insulting in the way they seem to think of me right now.

“Hey, I am not that weak right now, you know. I might be sore, but I’m far from helpless when push comes to shove!” I annoyingly stated.

“Well, I personally never claimed that.” Ampharos answered as he climbed the stepped. “Also, sorry for throwing you under the carriage right now Nava and Glade, but…that apple really energized me and I’m just itching to have a more proper look at this place and its natives. You two can have all the chances in the world to do your own exploration after Victini is good enough to get out of bed without any issues. Until then, simply for safety reasons, it’s better for someone to stay close to him in case something happens. It isn’t exactly necessary, knowing how capable Victini truly is on his own, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.” Ampharos added before finally reaching the top of the stairs and the exit.

Glade sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She responded, sounding quite depressed.

“Well, having me as company can’t be that bad for you two to be depressed about it.” I mumbled to myself as I watched Nava next to me suddenly perk up.

“But hey Glade, how about just looking at the bright side of this?” He announced which got Glade’s attention.

“What bright side?” She curiously asked.

“Well…” He began with a grin. “Jirachi left all of the delicious apples here that you just seem to love so much. And there are so many of them here that you don’t have to worry about eating too many. If you can even make it that far that is…we really do have a crap ton of apples right now.” Nava suggested.

Well, Glade’s sudden transition from sad to happy was almost comical. “Oh yeah, you’re right! Thanks for pointing that out, Nava! I mean, now we can fill ourselves with these overly delicious apples without much hassle. Maybe taking care of Victini might not be such a bad thing after all!” She jumped up happily before landing on the apples afterwards.

“Hey…I’m still here you know.” I announced, feeling quite annoyed by her comment.

Well she ignored me, and so did Nava as the two were immediately engrossed with the apples they were devouring.

It was my turn to sigh. “Well if you can’t beat them, join them I guess.” I muttered before levitating an apple as well and grabbing it. Taking a quick bite of it and just mentally sighting at the sweet juicy tasted.

I would say one more day. One more day and I can finally get my butt out of this basement and back out into the outside world.

I think I might actually also have to return back to the Isle for just a moment. Not just to make sure the Void Orb and waters are still doing fine, but to also check if anything had passed through the portal alongside us.

I could have sworn I felt something odd after both Ampharos and Victini traveled through the dimensional tunnel. I didn’t bring it up at the time, because I was actually somewhat more concerned with the fact that Glade almost got hardcore flattened by the large electric-type Pokémon that is Ampharos.

Though, saying that out loud would most likely result in him taking it personally and getting depressed by it.

He certainly is a bit of a goofball, especially when it comes to his terrible sense of directions; or so everyone keeps saying.

It does actually made me think. “Wonder how well Ampharos is going to be, wondering the village all alone when his sense of direction is so disastrously bad. It certainly would be a funny thing to watch if I wasn’t still somewhat bound to the bed.” I thought to myself before also mentally deciding that I should maybe lay this idea out to the two kids who know him more than I do.

“Hey…” I called out to get their attention. “Don’t you think that he is most likely going to get himself lost out there if he wanders the village alone in his own accord?” I announced, making both Glade and Nava stop their snacking as their eyes went wide.

“Oh dear Arceus above, you’re right! The chief is definitely going to end up somewhere that he most likely shouldn’t be in.” Glade openly stated before switching her gaze back on me.

“Thanks for the heads up with that, Victini. Sorry if we have to leave you now, but someone does need to keep an eye on him in case he accidentally runs into some trouble on his own.” She added, before switching her gaze to the Froakie. “Come on, Nava, let's catch up with Ampharos.” She stated, before the two of them were quickly off towards the stairs and eventually out of this cellar.

I chuckled. “Well…I guess all of these morsels are now mine to enjoy at my heart’s content. I may have tasted better fruits before, but I certainly won’t say no to apples such as these. Actually, I wonder where these things might actually be grown out here. I haven’t seen anything close to resembling an apple orchard around the village. Guess they must have been imported or whatever. Probably from one of the caravans that sometimes pass by. Maybe Jirachi will be able to find his desired telescope with one of them, If any even pass by, that is, while we’re here.” I thought to myself out loud as I grabbed another apple with my telekinesis and began biting down on it.

Damn, these apples really are good. Wonder if I can take some of them with me so that the garden and orchard caretakers back at the Isles could replicate them. That would certainly be good idea if I’m going to be heading back home.