Chapter 2- Beginning of a Mystery (Part 2)

Alejandrien, and T’nuri scanned the beach, one now free from the terror of Ruinous Fog after their successful combined efforts. One of true fogcutters, even unbeknownst to their power.

Tall compared to the small dunes of the sandbar, an Arboliva searched. He held a relatively small wooden chest in his leaves as he dusted across the area.

There he is! “Frederico!” Alejandrien bellowed in a shout and tried to hurry toward him.

“Alejandrien!?” Frederico gasped and dropped the crate. The Arboliva flew over to the Jangmo-o and hugged them tight. “I was so scared when I woke up without any of the crew around!”

“Same here, partner.” She tapped Frederico’s shoulder and he let go. Squeezed me half ta death!

He gasped as he grabbed his scarf from Alejandrien’s torso. “I thought you guys had died in the sea or something after that crazy rain!”

The Jangmo-o gazed at the ground, their golden eyes widened. “I can only say I’m safe, not sure about the others.”

“Ádi and Marisa, I pray to the future sands of time they’re okay.” The Arboliva held his leafy arms. “Speaking of others, who’s this Cubone?”

T’nuri made her way down to them and sighed. “Hello, I’m T’nuri.”

“Ah hello.” Frederico fixed his scarf across his shoulders. “I take it you were the one Alejandrien was looking for?”

The Jangmo-o laughed a little. “Let’s worry about that later, Frederico. We need to find Marisa and Àdi.” 

With a nod, the Arboliva hoisted the chest off the ground. He pointed a leafy tendril to the west. “If anything, I came from that way and didn’t see them so they must be further along the beach to the east or up in the land itself.”

“Thanks, are we ready?” The Cubone rolled her shoulders. 

“Yeah, T’nuri!” Alejandrien grinned. 

“Let’s move!” Frederico pointed at the stretch of sand and plants before them.

The three padded through the beachfront for quite a few minutes, all the while the Ruinous Fog slowly spread closer from another side of Kuanalio Island and it spread fast. 

After they traversed along the dips and rises of the beach a bit longer, Alejandrien pointed toward the brush of the land to the side. “Maybe we should check over there?” they asked.

T’nuri and Frederico rubbed their chins at the thought. “Sure.” 

Just as the three Pokémon got into the thin grass of the Island they spotted a red, pink, and white figure amidst the sand.

“Àdi!?” the Arboliva shouted, his voice a raspy against the waves.

The Stufful, wrapped in a small green, striped neckerchief bolted toward them, a torrent of sand flying in the air as their massive paws crashed onto the ground. “You guys!” they cried. 

“Hey Àdi.” The Jangmo-o smiled. “You okay?” 

Àdi sighed and caught their breath. “I guess.”

“Great, I missed you too!” Frederico hugged them.

“Oh.” They returned the embrace and broke away. “Alejandrien found the relic we were looking for!” the Stufful pointed at the cylinder.

Alejandrien puffed up. “Hehe, I’ll tell you about that on the voyage back!”

T’nuri rolled her eyes yet again. 

The four went further along the beach, closer and closer toward their destination and final companion. A squall slowly filled the air as the Ruinous Fog continued its path of destruction, and engulfed more of the island under a black cloud of toxic tyranny. Mist still surrounded the edge of the water, blanketed in thin grey soft sheets for kilometers.

The waves of the sea ebbed and flowed with a renewed vigor, the brine splashed higher and further as the Pokémon hurried along.

Out of cover of bushes and rocks on the hill, a Floatzel climbed out. “Hey!” her shout echoed through the area as she adjusted her purple-striped bandana. “I’ve gathered some supplies.”

The Floatzel was still a bit away from the group as the view beach was blocked by more mangroves and towering flora. They rounded the corner to a clearing as she caught up.

“Marisa!” Àdi cheered.

The Floatzel caught her breath for a moment, her tails spinning. “I’m glad to see you all safe.” 

“Likewise.” Frederico grabbed her shoulder.

“Now where is the ship?” Marisa hefted up some rough pieces of palm tree wood. 

“There!” 

On the shore sat the ship that carried Alejandrien and the crew to Kuanalio, a brown-orange brigantine, with purple sails, some finishing, green trim, a black hull, an orange rudder, lookout nest and harpoon. Battered and bruised. Pieces of wood from the hull drifted in the ocean. And one of the masts had collapsed from the rough mooring. 

“Shit!” the Jangmo-o’s tail dropped. “ El Nadar Rapido. The Swift Swim!”

“ Mierda. Shit indeed.” The Floatzel clutched her purple scarf. “Those damn snuffing pirates did quite the number on him.”

“What are we gonna do now?” T’nuri held her bone-club to her chest. 

“Well here’s the good news.” Marisa climbed up the ladder on the port side. “We can fix it!” 

“And the bad news?” Àdi called.

“We’ve gotta fix it.”

The five of them spread out toward the palm trees and large deposits of stone.

T’nuri spoke up before everyone split up. “Good news folks, I’ve read about this.”

The Floatzel ahead sighed. “Another nerd?”

“I’m not a nerd just because I like books.”

“Ah, much better than Alejandrien over here, yapping to all spark about chemicals!”

“Hey!” the Jangmo-o pushed her. “I prefer doing experiments ta readin’ stuffy old textbooks all day!”

“Anyway, I read books on wood repair so it’s a good thing I’m used to working with lumber!” the Cubone patted her side.

Marisa clapped her paws. “Glad you’re not just a nerdy book-Orthworm eh?”

“Hey!” Alejandrien yelped. “I’m not just a nerd.”

“Never said you were only that,” the Floatzel laughed. “You’re still a nerd though.”

The Jangmo-o grumbled. “Why don’t you bother T’nuri?”

“Me?” the Cubone took a step back.

Àdi ran up beside them. “What did you do?”

“Eh I just made little chairs and small stuff.” T’nuri rubbed her head. “Nothing like working on a ship.”

“Hey, chairs are pretty important!” Frederico patted her back. “Let’s see what we can do everyone!”

The Cubone and the Stufful sized up one of the larger selections of trees with the thickest wood and cut them down from bottom to top while the Jangmo-o and Arboliva dug through the soil and found tough collections of stone and ore. The Floatzel sorted through them and made repairs and fixes to the vital parts of El Nadar Rapido . Once they gathered enough materials everyone went aboard and started the particular reinforcements and building. 

“Alrighty,” the Floatzel called. “Let’s hurry before that fog catches us.”

“Now Alejandrien, tell us what you’ve seen.” Frederico tightened his scarf.

“On the southwestern, and northwestern side of Kuanalio Island, there are Category 5 conditions, and it will reach Category 6,” the Jangmo-o explained. “Extremely dangerous amounts of Ruinous Fog along with a small amount of pirate activity. I need a full Team for further investigation.”

“I see.” Àdi’s ears lowered. “Do what you need to.”

Marisa waved a paw at them from the rudder. “I’ll be waiting.”

Alejandrien took out a small assortment of glass jars from their black saddlebag.”I’ll go collect some more proper evidence!”

T’nuri grabbed a few and pried off the lids. “I’ll help too.”

The Jangmo-o dashed toward the plume of black, fire, and orange “Let’s get a bit of Ruinous Fog, and part of the island that has been affected by it!” they listed.

“Got it!”

With a careful bob and weave the Jangmo-o snagged a jar full of the toxic gas and then snipped a blade of seagrass as it was set alight. Alejandrien grabbed a portion only covered in the Ruinous Fog and shoveled that into another jar. 

“I think I have enough sand and rocks!” T’nuri called and held up the filled glass jars.

The Jangmo-o sniffed each of them and nodded. Such interestin’ compositions, nothing like regular.   “Alrighty, let’s go!” She ran to the ocean and scooped up the brine into one last container before she sealed all of the glass and placed them back in the compartment of her saddlebag.

The Jangmo-o and the Cubone made their way on board El Nadar Rapido via the large metal ramp on the port side. It rose back up into the ship once they stepped on the deck.

“The Ruinous Fog isn’t going along the water!” the Arboliva gasped as he lifted the anchor. “We’re safe!” Frederico ran to the front sails and loosened the ropes on the port and starboard. With one push the sails unfurled and caught the first bit of wind, massive fabric blowing every which way before the Arboliva angled them straight ahead.

The Stufful adjusted the starboard side rear sails.”Now we can take a breather and plan for our next trip.” Adi grabbed a telescope and tucked it in between their scarf. Then they began the lengthy climb up to the lookout nest, and gazed at the ebb and flow of the tide from the point for a bit.

“Alrighty we’re setting sail.” Marisa held out her compass before she pulled out her Wonder Map, an orange triangle on the top right of it. This ship and all others of the Fogcutters Detective Agency had a few other colored shapes on the map: beacons inside them that shared their location.

And thus El Nadar Rapido set off onto the ocean, headed southwest. It was off the northern shore of Kuanalio Island, one of the furthest points in the Archipelago Continent’s waters. A brisk wind rolled across the ship and its passengers as they locked in their course.

T’nuri plopped down against one of the masts as the ship lurched. “So where are we sailing to?” 

“Iaijutsukage Island.” Alejandrien sprawled down beside her.

“In the heartwaters? Why?”

“It houses tha Fogcutters Detective Agency.”

“And that’s what your job is with huh, gonna explain that?”

“Well we investigate various mysteries. Pokémon either bring them to us as jobs or ones we find that are a threat to the Pokémon of the land. What detectives generally do.” 

“I see,” T’nuri stretched out against the railing, and leaned forward. “I guess it’s in the name, detectives detect stuff, kinda like my job.”

“So what did ya used to do back home?” The Jangmo-o asked.

“I just started working at a small workshop,” the Cubone explained. “I made tools and furnishings for adventurers and other Pokémon who needed them.” 

Alejandrien sat upright. “Your workload is in the name too I suppose, but of course it’s not that simple right?”

“Yeah, my coworkers and I each specialize in different areas, but all of us make stuff that’s relatively small and boring. Nothing like a giant wood carving, an entire building, or ship.”

“Don’t worry too much about what you can’t do, try and focus on what you can do.”

“I’ll try,” T’nuri said as she looked away.

The Jangmo-o nodded, “That’s the spirit.”

The voyage was simple, fair winds, easy currents, and no pirates to be seen. Waves crashed upon the deck of the ship as it navigated through the gales used to continue onward. Some bursts of wind had to be countered with an adjustment of front and rear sails, and other times with the steady guidance of the rudder, to slightly alter the path of El Nadar Rapido. 

From far off the coast the Ruinous Fog truly did swarm across Kuanalio, but some of the southern point, a heavily forested area was fine. For the moment. On the slim glance of islands to the south, there was a small shimmer of a sparkling fog on one and a very faint shine of a faded dark green fog. Both weren’t as intense as the black fog but could brew into something deadly given time. El Nadar Rapido passed one last island, one small and free of Ruinous Fog before it approached the eastern side of Iaijutsukage Island.

An enormous island filled to the brim with white buildings as far as the eye could see. Tall hourglass statues and various monuments stood tall, like the few mountains that graced the island. There were different types of buildings spread throughout the island, with pagodas and shrines that were located toward the center and northern portion of the land.The ship made it to a harbor and the crew anchored it down before they lowered the ramp.

“Alrighty you two, we’re going to go work for a bit!” Marisa ushered Alejandrien and T’nuri down.

Down on the boardwalk, there were numerous other ships and boats, some were very small while others were much bigger than El Nadar Rapido. Pokémon of all types walked to and fro, some carrying supplies, or equipment.

Frederico wrapped his arms around them both with a fragrant floral aroma. “Now you can go relax before you give your report.”

“You grass-types sure are welcoming,” T’nuri said with a cough.

Alejandrien wheezed in a ragged breath. “Not all of ‘em can make all these scents and hug so tight.”

The two separated from the Arboliva for a moment and walked further inland, with Àdi right behind them, a purple saddlebag fastened to their hip. 

“Relax around town you two!” the Stufful said as they nuzzled T’nuri’s side.

“I’d rather relax in Pa’a Lepo, reading at home with my folks. Or even just at my shop working on a new door or chair, but fair enough,” the Cubone sighed.

The Jangmo-o gestured at a large collection of buildings above the beach of Iaijutsukage. “We have ta go to the Fogcutter’s Detective Agency first, partner.”

“Always talking about what ‘we’ need to do,” T’nuri grumbled. “I have needs too.”

“Please just hold on a little longer.”

“Fine, you better promise me.”

“I promise.”

“It shouldn’t take long,” the Arboliva added. “But we need to look for someone.”

“Who?”

“Someone from the agency.”

They soon exited the boardwalk and made their way onto a grassy and dirt-filled path, slightly above the beach, still in view of the sea. “Where’s the agency?” T’nuri asked.

“It is on the outskirts of Phantismo Vista, a city,” Marisa replied.

“Ah, I’ve never been there. I’ve mainly hung around the south and then the capital, far in the north.”

The group of Pokémon walked along the harbor and eventually made it to a residential area of Phantismo Vista.

“It’s just down the bridge that way.” Àdi pointed forward toward a white marble bridge. 

The Arboliva behind them adjusted his purple satchel. “Bao, one of the Head Navigators, a Clawitzer, said she and her crew would be nearby once we landed.”

“I see,” Alejandrien replied with a flick of their tail.

T’nuri rubbed her chin. “So that’s who we’re looking for. Good to know.”

Small brown, gray, and white apartments with bright colorful trim sat in stacks, with palm trees and other tall plants surrounding them to the bridge and beyond, deeper into Iaijutsukage.

The Jangmo-o hummed in thought and stepped away from the crew.

In the distance far beyond the bridge a large blue, and black Pokémon, a Clawitzer, jetted through the air. The structure behind her blocked the view of the Pokémon behind her. 

The Floatzel in front of everyone stopped in her tracks. “Oh, there’s Bao!”

“Huh?” T’nuri asked

“See ya~” Marisa’s ears perked up. She adjusted her scarf before she raced down the bridgeway.

“Huh?”

Frederico and Adí gathered up all their belongings and hurried after the Floatzel without a word.

The Jangmo-o and Cubone pair were left by the three as they stared at their surroundings.

“Where’d Marisa, Frederico, and Ádi go?” the Cubone whispered and looked side to side. 

The Jangmo-o beside her hadn’t heard the question. “Huh?”

“Nevermind.”

T’nuri once again stood still. The lingering ocean’s scent and salt brushed over her as a tranquil breeze passed by.

The same wind that rolled through the entire land.

“Isn’t this area mighty swell?” Alejandrien asked.

“Yeah.” T’nuri walked away from the dirt road to an open hill, providing a view of the town below. Phantismo Vista was breathtaking. Full of all sorts of architecture, framed on seashell-lined and cobblestone-lined streets.

Ancient white buildings were tightly packed, their sides painted a myriad of warm and bright colors, despite the narrow streets. Newer yet similarly light buildings appeared in developments and various sections throughout the city, more and more toward the center. 

The light brown boardwalks between each land mass were sparsely decorated with lanterns and electric lamps. Atop them, quartz and marble hourglass statuettes sat ominously, juxtaposed by bright scarlet and violet ribbons that linked each light source to the other.

Closer to the hillside, a Grookey and a Fuecoco walked on a stony path, both carrying a backpack. 

Another pull, this time different. T’nuri glanced back at Alejandrien and stamped her foot into the earth. It rumbled back her frustration, and a pile of sand started to dislodge.The pair of Pokémon’s saddlebags were black too. This pull, it was weaker than the last time. But they also had the purple and green colored magnifying glass. The symbol of the Fogcutters Detective Agency. “Can’t tell from here.” Still a pull.

A warning pitter-patter from the steadily increasing sand fall was too quiet to be heard over the daily life of Pokémon in Phantismo Vista, and the thoughts in the Cubone’s and Jangmo-o’s heads.The very hillside they stood on had something inside it. Inside Iaijutsukage. Something that resonated within, and it was weaker than they ever were. Another rumble shook through the hillside, not from the Cubone’s efforts. 

Then it collapsed.

The loosened sand fell in chunks, and the weakened foundation of land destabilized once again in the presence of a ground-type and their unstable will. In a crashing heap, the dirt, rocks, and chunks of soil cascaded down to the slate of the earth.

“L-look out!” the Jangmo-o yelled as she and T’nuri plummeted downhill. 

The two held onto each other as they careened toward the ground and the other Pokémon below. A plume of sand and dirt shot into the air as the earth collided with a deafening roar.

Alejandrien fell into the Grookey and was shoved back onto the ground. The Grookey fell backward just as their companions crashed.

T’nuri couldn’t catch herself and collided against the Fuecoco as they tumbled over. Her bone-club accidentally jutted out of her clutches and hit him.

“Ya’ve gotta be bloody kiddin’ me!” he screamed.

As the Fuecoco fell T’nuri pulled away. She widened her stance to ground herself. “Spark! My bad-“

“You!” At the speed of light, the Grookey beside the Fuecoco swung her wooden stick at T’nuri.

“F-fuck,” the Cubone gasped and twitched for a moment. She dropped her bone-club and sank to the floor wordlessly. With a croak, she doubled over.

Shit! “By ‘Quaza! ‘Am sorry plenty Emile!” The Jangmo-o got off the ground and ran up to T’nuri, the Fuecoco, and the Grookey. 

The Grookey crossed her arms as Alejandrien nearly doubled over, her forelegs wobbly.

She pried herself upright and faced the Fuecoco. “And Kaliente! T’nuri didn’t mean to do that on purpose!”

“Ya sure mate?” he croaked.

“She and I lost our footing and tumbled downhill.”

“Un momento One moment…” Emile, the Grookey narrowed her eyes. “My calculations were off.” 

The Cubone clamped her eyes shut. “It’s … it’s fine.”

“Ya ain’t doing a good job convincin’ me I’ll tell ya,” Alejandrien stood in between her and the others.

“I’m… down here,” Kaliente, the Fuecoco mumbled. “I’m down here too, yew know,”

The Jangmo-o’s tail lowered. “Sorry ’bout that! I’m the one who made us fall. It was an accident Kaliente.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you like that.” T’nuri sighed.

The Fuecoco thrashed his tail. “Accepted. Still bloody hurts.”

Alejandrien blinked. “Emile?”

The Grookey glanced at the Jangmo-o, who gestured at their partner.

“Emile.” They shook their head. “Ya didn’t need to hit T’nuri so hard.”

The Grookey looked at Alejandrien and her injury. She dropped her stick on the floor and knelt at the spot beside the Fuecoco and the Cubone. “Are you okay?” 

“No,” both replied in a groan. 

“Sorry I did that,” T’nuri apologized once more. She groaned and grasped at her burnt shoulder.

Eventually, the Fuecoco got up and nudged T’nuri. “Emile got you back so we’re even lass~”

“Don’t call me lass.” the Cubone growled. “I don’t even want to be here.”

“Sorry then laddie.” 

“Only a bit better… I’m not entirely sure.”

The mentioned Grookey’s tail twitched. Her red eyes studied every centri of the three Pokémon around her. She exhaled as her ears folded. “ Vamos . Let’s go.”  She turned away from the sandy hill Alejandrien and T’nuri collapsed and to the town outskirts behind them. 

The town was filled with tons who roamed about. Peacefully unaware. The Ruinous Fog hadn’t tainted Iaijutsukage’s sand. Not one bit.

“Yeah,” with a laugh T’nuri staggered off the sand and immediately shuddered in place.

Alejandrien sighed as she held herself. “I’m glad we don’t have any hard feelings.”

“Hard feelings?” the Cubone mumbled.

The Fuecoco smirked. “Why’s that?”

“Because we’ll be working together soon.”

“Emile, are they talking ‘bout what I think they are?” the Fuecoco grinned, and a puff of smoke poured out his maw.

“Probably.”

“Aw yeah!”

The Cubone sighed. “Are you two detectives?”

“Ah right, ya have Alejandrien here tagging along. Of course, I’m Kaliente.” The Fuecoco squeezed T’nuri’s arm. 

The Cubone stepped away from Kaliente and put her bone-club in her left claw. “And this must be Emile.” 

The Grookey nodded. 

A gentle breeze full of solemn salt parted through the air.

“Like me, these two work for ta Fogcutters Detective Agency,” Alejandrien explained as they looked left and right. Wha? Where did-

“What’s wrong, Alejandrien?” T’nuri followed their gaze.

The Jangmo-o swung her tail against the sandy soil. “Speakin’ of work, where did Marisa and the others go?”

Kaliente’s emerald green eyes lit up. “You got to sail with those guys?!”

“It wasn’t exactly the best ride,” the Cubone rubbed the back of her head.

Alejandrien stamped their claws into the dirt. “That ain’t important! I can’t find them-”

Emile sighed. “Perhaps they went to look for Captain Bao?”

The Jangmo-o nodded. “Yeah, they needed to repair and upgrade El Nadar Rapido.”

T’nuri groaned. “I think I’ll have what Rapido’s having.”

“Okay,” Alejandrien stepped forward. “Let’s go get help from the Apothecary before we head on down to the agency.”

“Apothecary?” the Grookey twindled her stick.

“Yeah, I’m sore all over from everything that happened on Kuanalio.” T’nuri rubbed her side. 

“Sounds good, we could stock up on some supplies.” the Fuecoco adjusted his bag.

“Agreed.”

The four Pokémon dusted themselves off and headed into Phantismo Vista proper, as the breeze from earlier grew stronger. The salty spray spread far and wide off the ocean’s waves all through the land.

Winds that traveled all across Iaijutsukage Island, and far beyond. Far throughout the Archipelago Continent’s reaches. Just as another plume of Ruinous Fog began to slowly brew, not far from the coast.

On the coast of Iaijutsukage Island and many other islands, deep into the depths of the sea an obsidian hourglass ticked away.

It counted away the sands of time.