FicWad

Upon arriving at the beach, the two stopped dead in their tracks as they saw a familiar Pokemon standing by the shoreline. As the duo noticed this, they swiftly hid behind a nearby palm tree to get a closer look at the figure.

"Is that who I think it is?" Lukan whispered to his partner as he peeked his head out from behind the trunk, squinting as much as he could to reduce the dazzling sunset glare. "If it is, then I haven't seen him for quite some time."

"It is him..." Sienna's voice trailed off for a bit as she gasped in surprise, putting one paw over her mouth, attempting to hide her reaction. "...but what is he doing here of all places? And for that matter, where's his partner?"

"I don't know Sienna." He turned to his partner and gave her a clueless shrug before reverting his view toward the beach, "I don't know."

*

As the sun slowly fell below the horizon and the calm ocean waves reflected the rays of gold, a lone Buizel was standing there, admiring the sight that laid before him. The salty tang of the ocean air quickly struck his nose as he inhaled deeply.

"I haven't seen this view in a long time. It's as beautiful as I remember." The Buizel softly sighed, releasing some tension from his body as the Krabby started blowing bubbles from their tall, rocky outcrops. "I've just been too busy to come and see it. But I've missed this fantastic sight." His orange fur being ruffled by the salty sea air, while his eyes, unmoving as if the view entranced them.

The Buizel took a moment to watch the glistening spheres calmly dance in the evening wind. Each of the bubbles reflected a different memory associated with his partner, Vulcan. From forming an exploration team with his partner to overcoming his cowardice and preventing the collapse of time, these critical moments stood out the most among the sea of memories. The Buizel couldn't help but gaze in awe as both nostalgia and sadness have begun to dominate the other emotions within him.

"The last time I saw this was when I met Vulcan. I found him unconscious right over there." The Buizel took one last glance at the sunset, blissfully smiling before he started sauntering towards the other end of the sandy shore. "That was when our adventure began."

*

Four Months Prior
Local Beach

"Hmm? What's that?" Something caught the attention of the Buizel as he curiously looked towards Beach Cave, "what going on over there?"

After taking a few steps towards the other end of the beach, he quickly realized that someone was passed out and hurriedly ran towards them.

"H-Hey, Hey!" The Buizel shook the Pokemon frantically; attempting to wake them up from their deep slumber, "are y-you alright?"

"Ughhh..." The Quilava grunted in pain as it let out a couple of raspy, sand-filled coughs. "Wh-Where am I? How d-did I get h-here?"

"You're at the Treasure Town's local beach," Buizel explained while he handed Quilava an Oran Berry from his leather bag. "Here, eat this."

"Th-Thanks..." They mustered a weak smile before taking a large bite out of the blue fruit.

"I've never seen a Quilava in town before. Would you mind telling me where you came from?" Buizel gazed towards the vast, watery blue abyss before re-shifting his concerning glare on Quilava.

"A Quilava?" They mumbled, causing bits of fruit they were chewing to spew out. "I don't quite remember where I came from, or who I am for that matter. All that I can recall is that I'm a human, not a so-called Quilava you speak of."

Buizel scratched his head in confusion, dumbstruck over what he just said. "You say you're a human? You might want to see your reflection for confirmation."

The Quilava hastily finished eating the remainder of the berry and rushed towards the shoreline. A flock of Wingull, who were meandering about on the sandy beach, squawked and flew off in different directions as a muddled Quilava ran towards the water.

'What an odd Pokemon.' Buizel thought to himself, watching Quilava dumbfoundedly, his face reflecting utter bewilderment. 'Maybe I can ask him a favor once he's finished panicking.'

"I can't believe this is happening!" Quilava yelled in the distance as he saw his reflection in calm ocean water, "this must be a dream! It has to be!"

'Oh, who am I kidding.' He let out a defeated sigh, kicking a small, nearby rock to relieve some stress on his back. 'I'll never be able to summon up the courage to ask them a favor. I'm such a coward...'

At the shoreline, Quilava frantically paced around in a circular motion while they kept repeating the phrase, 'This can't be real!' Refusing to accept what had occurred to themselves.

'Even if I do ask them, what will they say in response to this?' Buizel discouragingly glared at his scruffy, leather bag for a short period before proceeding to open it. Upon opening it, he carefully rummaged through the contents this bag held in its worn-out clutches.

Said contents were berries ranging from Oran to Wacan, sharp sticks varying in size, seeds that gave unknown powers when eaten, and a decently small rock that had perplexing markings etched into its flat surface.

"Here it is," He muttered to himself, grabbing the strange rock from the bag and holding it up towards the colorful sunset. "My most valued treas-"

"Hey!" Quilava interrupted him from afar, shattering Buizel's calm mood. "What are you holding?"

"Oh, it's just a personal treasure of mine." He carefully handed the small stone over to Quilava, who inspected the strange markings. "I want to find out what secrets my treasure could be hiding!"

"What do you think it could be?" Quilava asked as its ruby eyes still focused on the mysterious rock.

"There are endless possibilities of what it could be!" Buizel's face lit up with excitement; his gaze was now starry-eyed and anchored towards the Fire-type. "For all we know, it could be the passcode to some ancient ruins or the key to a forgotten treasure of sorts!"

"So, will you join me to form an exploration team?" He requested, staring at the Quilava in a cheerful demeanor as his body trembled nervously.

Quilava inertly handed by the rock before watching the sunset; contemplating the most viable option. As they were thinking about this, some other questions began to crawl into the thought process, hindering the important choices they were thinking. Eventually, Quilava got their ideas sorted out and finally had an answer the Buizel was anticipating.

"Yes. I will form an exploration team with you." Quilava flashed him a small smile. "So, where do we start?"

*

"Those were the days, huh Vulcan," Buizel turned his head toward the cave as he spoke to the space beside him, talking as if his partner was still there. "I never knew that you were more than meets the eye. I just can't believe you're gone now."

"Kaito! Kaito!" A familiar voice in the distance cried, causing Buizel to glance curiously at the direction the voice had originated.

"Coburn? What are you doing here?" Kaito asked his younger sibling as he was running up to him. He then stretched his arms out, offering a hug towards the smaller Buizel.

"I've been searching for you everywhere!" He embraced his brother firmly, closing his eyes as tears started to fall. "The guild got worried when you didn't come back at dinner time, so called me to see if I knew about your current whereabouts."

"I didn't have a clue to where you could be..." Coburn's voice quickly petered out, quietly sniveling into his brother's warm, orange fur. "...d-don't ever do that a-again."

Kaito stared down at his brother, "I promise." He pledged, giving a small, benign smile, "Now, let's get back to town before the guild calls a search party."

Coburn let out a little chuckle in between sobs, wiping the remaining tears with his arms. The two then began to head towards the overgrown path, looking one last time at the view. Soon the beach was empty, except for Lukan and Sienna, who eavesdropped on the brothers.

"Quite the conversation. Wouldn't you agree, Sienna?" Lukan asked.

"Yeah, I feel kinda sorry for him, though." Sienna tilted her head down, "I mean he lost his partner some time ago. To think all this time, we thought he left for another town."

Lukan's ears drooped, "I know how he feels. To lose someone you care so much about, gone in the blink of an eye." He despondently looked at his silky, cobalt scarf; removing it from his neck and carefully caressing it in his hands, going over its well-knitted surface with his delicate fingers. "He gave me this many nights ago, you know."

"Who?" Sienna inquired, confused on who he was referring.

"Father..." he murmured as he kept his focus on the scarf, hugging it tightly as he recalled some harsh memories from his past.

"Oh, Lukan! I'm so sorry I didn't mean to-"

"Don't w-worry; I'm f-fine. Let's just g-get back home, okay?" He interjected, sighing heavily before wrapping the scarf around his neck once more, "It's b-been a long day. I j-just want to get s-some rest."

"Lukan, I've known you for quite some time. I can tell when something is bothering you. Just tell me what's wrong and-"

"I said I'm fine!" He hissed, the venom in his voice was starting to show itself, "what part of 'I'm fine' did you not understand!"

Sienna backed off a few paces from him, "Relax, Lukan. I was just trying to help you."

"Easy for you to say!" He snapped, gritting his teeth, "at least you still have a family to look forward to!"

"Look, I'm sorry for bringing up a touchy subject." She slowly approached him, staring into his hateful, yet fragile eyes, "I don't want you to be like this, it pains me to see you with such emotion."

"You should've never asked me that question."

"This isn't the real you; a hollowed out husk, who feels nothing but anger." She continued, trying to defuse the situation as calm as possible while maintaining her composure. "So, please, Lukan, think about what your father would say if he saw you like this.

Lukan started to calm down as he thought of his father. The burning hatred in his eyes gradually dissipated. Although Lukan's rage tried to regain control, his body refused to let it damage his frail soul even further. It was not easy, however. His body strained to keep his anger at bay. It already used up most of its energy doing mundane tasks throughout the day. And even though he relaxed for a bit, it was not enough to keep him energized.

"Partner?" Sienna asked, concerned by how his body was wavering, "are you alright?"

"Father, Sienna, I'm sorry..." Lukan whispered before abruptly passing out and collapsing on the ground.

*

"What an alluring sunset," the Armaldo commented, amazed by the view. "Only to defiled by the corruption of this realm, Terrus."

"Maybe I can assist with this problem of yours." A raspy voice from behind Armaldo suggested. The armored bug turned around and saw a man in his mid-50s wearing a sleek, blue custodian's outfit with a biohazard badge on the left side of the uniform. The man's hair was black and unkempt. Underneath the frizzled mess was a face that had some prominent wrinkles on the forehead region and was completely emotionless. On his back, he carried a mop with a gnawed-out wooden handle attached to the bundle of coarse silvery strands.

"Who might you be, dear entity? Are you a creature whose existence ties with the land of the spirits or are a creature of both flesh and blood?" Armaldo inquired, giving a toothy grin towards the visitor.

"I am The Janitor. I have a sacred mission to complete." The man answered; his voice, monotone, and emotion, still devoid.

Armaldo scratched his jutting chin, "Ah, what quest is it if I may ask."

"My mission is to create paradise on this polluted world that you stand on."

"I see. But what can I, an Armaldo, do to aid you in your endeavor?" Armaldo asked the strange man. The Janitor, however, said nothing, leaving Armaldo to think of a way to help him. After pondering for several minutes, he finally got an idea. "You'll probably need some help along the way. The creatures of this realm are quite violent and doing this mission alone is asking for your demise. There are objects in this world that can help you in fulfilling this mission of yours. These objects are called 'Acolytes.' So far, I have only been able to locate two in this vast-"

"Just get to the point already," The Janitor focused at Armaldo with an intimidating glare. "The more time you waste explaining, the more the corruption spreads throughout this world."

"Alright, the two Acolytes are located in Treasure Town and Lively Town. I suggest you make your way to Lively Town first since it's closer to this island."

"Thanks." The Janitor readjusted his shirt before leaving Armaldo by his lonesome once again. "May our paths cross again."

"I shall be looking forward to your next visit, dear Janitor."

And with that, he disappeared into the shadows of the island's dense forest.