PMD: Explorers of Destruction- Chapter 5.3

There couldn't have been any greater relief pouring from Pikachu's eyes seeing his wife again, back in Florges' office. He rubbed his scarlet cheeks against hers as he held her tightly, producing small sparks of static between them. “Oh, Dedenne, my love,” he cried onto her cheek, “I'm so glad you're okay! I'm just so happy that we're together again!”

Dedenne only responded to him with a low grumble of irritation. After seeing her husband again after what she's been put through, how could she reply back to him with the same kindness.

“Wh-what's wrong, dear?” He asked her nervously.

“I think you know what's wrong,” she replied back with a bitter voice. She decided to let her foolish husband have it, “Do you know how long you left me stranded out there, at the mercy of every Ariados in the Indigo Overgrowth?! I don't even know how long I was out there, but it felt like an eternity! And all because YOU ran away to get help, when you could have stayed with me to fight them off! We could have solved the problem faster that way!”

Pikachu's once gentle grasp around his wife grew limp and weak. He knew she had some harsh criticism about his decision, and he thought he could take it. But his watery eyes and cracking heart believed otherwise. “B-b-but I did get help for you,” he sniveled. “I-I only wanted to help.”

She crossed her arms while turning her back on him, “Thanks for the 'help'.”

“Dedenne, I-” the closer he got to her, the more she wanted to push away from him. he squeaked multiple huffs, and hid his eyes in his palms. “I'm so sorry, Dedenne,” he told her, with streams of water trailing down his tiny arms. “I wanted our honeymoon to be perfect; but instead, I ruined it for us! If only I didn't take that detour! Why am I so stupid? Everything good that happens to me I ruin!”

“Cry all you want, I'm still mad at you,” she told him.

“You deserve to be mad at me- even I'm mad at me- and I deserve every ounce of it!” Dedenne felt her husband's tiny hands gently placed on her shoulders, “I know today was sort of a hiccup, but let's try to forget about it. Every couple goes through days like this. But at least let me take us to Cristal Springs! Before our marriage dies before it even begins.”

Dedenne glanced at her husband from her left shoulder. Even while bumbling, she noticed something different in him. Previously he was too squishy to support himself. Maybe some of that softness hardened into a backbone during her absence. And she felt a little proud, teaching him how to do that, though not enough to break through her anger. “Fine,” she sighed heavily, “I forgive you. I'm not gonna stay mad at you- at least you did try to help.”

“R-really?” He pulled his wife in towards him for a tight hug. “Thank you, Dedenne,” he praised with tears running from his eyes, “you don't know how much that makes me happy! I promise not to mess this up!”

She replied with no words, but with a, silent, hot huff into his arm.

Pikachu peeled away from her, “What's wrong, love?” He asked. “Was it something I said?”

“Oh, nothing,” Dedenne told him. Pretending to trip into his chest, she purred to him within his hold, “it's just that, after going through all that stuff, I'm really beat. I don't think I have the energy to walk all the way to Cristal Springs. If only there was a big, strong Pikachu that could carry me there- that would make me very happy.”

He caught on to what she was trying to tell him, though he thought it best to keep it to himself, and just play along. “U-uhm, okay,” he said, “I'll carry you along the way, if that's what you want.”

“Oh, that would be lovely,” she purred with warmth. Crawling into his arms she wiggled a little bit to fit snugly in his caress. She could almost fall asleep! It took the mouse by surprise: rarely did his wife ever let him hold her. His stubby, little arms just wanted to give way as soon as she cradled on top. But after all he put her through, he felt she needed this little rest, and he needed this little pain. She pecked him in his right cheek with a kiss, “Love ya', honey.”

He chuckled a bit under his wife's weight, “I-I love you, too.” He looked to the three explorers standing in front of him who saved his wife, “Thank you, explorers,” he told them. “If it weren't for you, I would see my wife, again.”

“No problem, we're always happy to help,” Scyther told him.

Finally reunited, the Electric couple went on their journey, continuing for the glistening waters of Cristal Springs.

“What, no reward?” Being left empty-handed frustrated the Buneary. She at least expected to be paid for all her labor and the fur she lost- some Poké wouldn't have hurt. She turned to the Guildmistress, “We're just letting them walk out for free?”

“We've already worked out a payment,” Florges said while tapping a stack of papers on the face of her desk. “It may not come today, but you'll be duly compensated.”

Pecha grunted, crossing her arms, “Could you at least tell me what it is?”

Florges chuckled, “No, no, no, I'm keeping it a surprise~. I thought you'd appreciate surprises.”

“I think I'm all burnt out on surprises for today,” the Buneary said.

She felt Scyther's lukewarm blade wrapping around her right shoulder. He kneeled down to her, and stuttered, “Come on, let's get some rest, okay?”

“Excellent idea, Scyther,” Florges praised, “you've all had quite a day, I'm sure. You all deserve some rest.” Being dismissed by the Guildmistress, Pecha and Scyther walked out of the office.

Strutting behind the others Oran had one foot out the door, before hearing his name called, “Oh, Oran,” Florges said, “before you leave, I need to have a word with you.”

A massive clump formed in his throat, and tiny goosebumps began growing under his pelt. Regardless of what she had to tell him, he never liked being called by her to stay in her office. He had a feeling he knew what she wanted to talk about, but a little speck in the back of his mind kept him cool, telling him she might actually commend him in private! He turned and asked, “Yes, Miss Florges?” Although his body stayed collected, his voice crackled with anticipated anxiety.

“Scyther has told me about your behavior in the Indigo Overgrowth,” she explained. “I'm very disappointed in you. That's not the way an explorer should act.”

he rushed over to her deck, “But if I hadn't, I wouldn't rescue Dedenne,” he argued.

“That may be true,” Florges said, “but you could have put your teammates in danger, just running off like that. You could have easily put yourself in danger. I do not condone reckless behavior like that. I'm sorry, Oran, but you give me no choice: no dinner for you, tonight.”

In one instant, upon hearing those words, he immediately knew what it felt like to be a Water-type being struck by Wood Hammer. “No, no, Miss Florges, don't do that,” he begged against her desk, his eyes misting lightly with tears. “I promise I learned my lesson! I won't do that ever again!”

“I'll take your word for it,” the Guildmistress told him, “after you are finished with your punishment. Don't worry, I know you'll pull through.”

“This can't be happening,” he chanted softly to himself while cupping his pointed ears to his head, “this can't be happening!” The anxiety was too much for him to bear, and he dashed out of her office before it had the chance to cripple him.

The office grew dead and silent with just the Florges occupying its lonesome space. Her once erect form slouched sluggishly down on the desk, her face covered behind the wall her arms formed. A deep breath turned into a heavy sigh, and she raised her head from behind her arms, “I hope I wasn't too harsh on him,” she said to herself. “That boy is becoming more and more like his mother everyday. Pretty soon I have to discipline him the same way I disciplined her. Oh, Lopunny, why is watching over your children so draining? I'm a Guildmistress; not a babysitter.” A great yawn escaped her mouth, and she wiped the light dew from her eyes. “Oh my, I should take a break, too, before my job kills me.”

The light of day quickly burned to just specks of light in the blackened Unidan sky, with just streaks of gray clouds casually floating across the canvas. A gentle, yet weary breath of wind blew through a beige prairie of dry grass. Like an island stranded in an ocean, there was a small cave formation looking over the field, softly illuminated by several torches inside its mouth.

A young Gabite paced back and forth in front of the cavern at an impatient pace. Being on the run with her twin brother, it didn't sit well with her just staying in one place, while authorities came closer to sniffing them out. How much longer must she sit around until that happened, she thought. “Come on, come on,” she growled to herself as she chugged along her little personal moat, “where is he? The authorities are gonna be here any minute- where is he?!”

“Calm down, Pele,” her twin brother told her from within the cave. Surrounding him where he sat was their plunder for the day: four hundred-fifty of Poké, three Oran berries, and just a handful of Gravelerrock. Hardly anything of worth in small quantities. “I'm sure we're safe for the night.”

“Easy for you to say, Lono,” she hissed at him. “We can't have our guards down when it comes to the Pawniard Brigade: one minute we'll be miles ahead of them, and then the next they're breathing down our scales! We can crush those little worms easily- but noooo- we need to be on the run from them!” Repeatedly she took her frustration out on a nearest innocent wall by kicking it, crushing it bit by bit into rubble underneath her large feet. “He's an idiot,” she roared, “he's making us sitting ducks, while he's still out there! We're supposed to be a team!”

Each kick by his sister caused the ceiling above his head to rumble a little bit, with a few strands of dust breaking loose. “Can you try to be a little more quiet?” Lono asked his sister calmly. “And while you're at it, I'd appreciate it if you don't collapse the entire foundation on top of us.”

“Shut up, Lono, worry about yourself,” the sister barked. “Go back to counting our loot!” She was about to deliver another blow to the wall, but something stopped her. A curious rumble, softly vibrating beneath her grounded foot. The little shiver quickly became a violent shake, until a geyser of earth and dust exploded in front of the cavern, and a heavy object crashed back down near the gaping opening.

The thin veil of dust settled, revealing a Garchomp behind it, one very large for his species. A deep scar from long ago stretched diagonally across his scarlet underbelly, and another smaller one permanently closing his left eye.

“Where have you been, Ku?!” The Gabite female demanded. “do you know how much I hate waiting out here?!”

“Shut up,” the land shark growled back. The authority and aggression in his voice took the female a step back, closing her mouth. “I was meeting with an associate of mine.”

“I hope it was a good meeting,” the twin brother cracked.

“All you need to know is we have our next target: a small town not too far from here. I hear they have something that has peeked my interest.”

“Really?” Pele asked. “What is it?”

“You'll see soon enough. It's time to head out!” The Garchomp hopped back into the hole from where he came.

“Aw, man, and I was just starting to like it in here,” Lono said in a sarcastic tone, scraping all of the items off the floor and shoveling them back into his bag. “Any longer, I would've called this place 'home'.”

“There's no use bellyaching,” Pele told him, rearing for a fight, “I've been looking forward for a little action all night! Come on!” The Gabite hopped and then drilled into the earth, disappearing into the hole she made.

Lono huffed, “Why am I always picking up your guys' slack?”