The stuck sky

The night is coming to a close and the festival with it. Hopefully tomorrow wont be too bad.

The rest of that night went by quickly, or at lest it felt like it. Zangoose came by to take what was left of the cheese to eat at his own accord. Hopefully it will be the last time I ever have to see any cheese again.

After cleaning up the display I finally got back to the guild. Felicia had managed to get the other to her room. It beats trying to sleep with all of yellow, there bound to be too hype to get any sleep after tonight. Then again Ronnie is louder than all of them, but its entertainment and not crowed control.

“Come on pleassss. Just for tonight?” She wouldn’t stop pestering me walking back to the guild. “Danny and Zach are staying in our room. Why cant you? It will be super fun.” Felicia had been begging me to going them for a sleepover ever since I left the stall.

“And what sort of bed will I have? Straw? You know ill just set that on fire right?” How Ronnie sleep on that without set it alight is a mystery, or doesn’t every fire type have to deal with setting stuff on fire constantly. Lucky her.

“Well your bed is way too hard. How do you sleep on it” Felicia said in a huff.

“It beats sleeping on the hard floor” In truth it was a hard bed. But I did not earn enough money to get something softer that won’t catch fire. I might be a fire type by that doesn’t mean I can live in the stuff, even if laying in a small fire is nice every now again.

“Ah, here’s our cheesy boy. glad you could make it.” Ronnie greeted me with a grin. Her, Brad, Danny and Zach were already sitting on there ‘beds’. Brad was looking more like a pillow than buizel now, almost blends in with that suit. “All we are missing is some of that wine now and this night is complete. You know where they keep it right?”

“if you want to steal it, check their offices. Or you could buy some like a normal person” I replied back. There room was filled with useless thing. Flowers, toys, drawing that covers the walls and way too many blankets, all in a pile you could hide in. And yet it was somehow messier than yellows room. There’s only two of them how? At lest it wasn’t as bland.

“About time you got here. I swear your getting slower, was hoping I could help myself to these” Brad said shaking a white, grease stained bag. It had to be them, the source of life.

“Like Giratina you are” snatching the bag away from him, I can finally smell the goods. Anything but the cheese would be good at this point, but. “These are cold!”

“Well what did you expect? For me to be you express delivery?”

“Yes! You should have gotten them and come straight back to me instead of disappearing for the night! Were did you even go?” I was starting to think he hadn’t gotten any and thats why he didn’t show back up.

“I did and your weren’t there! You go of and hide or something.” He accusingly said back “almost seemed like you didn’t want them”

“And you didn’t try looking around?” Brad sometimes I wonder how you are on a team and im not

“I did, and I could only see Felicia and Ronnie!”

“I was with them! Are you blind?” I have a glowing warning light for a tail how can you not see me?

“Oh. Well You still owe me” at lest he admits he did wrong.

“Im not paying the full amount now.” How can I know if he hadn’t already eaten one.

“your acting like its the end of the world again. Just use your fire to heat them up and they will be fine”

“and ruin them? You mad?”

“You basically eat coal as it it, there will be no differences”

“No brad thats not, forget it” Im not going to convince him how it will be different, and beside its Liz who always burns food not me.

“Are they like this a lot?” Danny asked asked braking up any argument we would have had left.

“They are like this a lot of the time. Man, I will never get boys” Ronnie replied. Stretching out to a more comfortable position, acting like this more common enough to not bother with it.

“Any way.” I say as I stuff my face with a doughnut “I want to know more about how you lot met. You just found them lost or something?” I doubt that Felicia or Ronnie were going to tell me how they got lost.

“Oh? Umm… well we were looking for a, um, Cranidos’s?… thing, what was it?” Danny was fidgeting with his hands while stumbling over his words. Not too sure if he cant remember it or too nervous with others around. “Well when she went through a dungeon she though she had dropped so we went looking for it and we found them looking at a map.” Danny explained.

“How you expect a map to work in a dungeon did confused me. You cant map dungeons silly they keep changing” Zach happily added added

“We took a wrong and ended up in it. And anyhow the dungeon did match up with the map up until like the 5^th floor. But then when you found us and saved us!” Felicia answered back, As if it was something to be proud of.

“Wasn’t like you two were much help in finding where we actually needed to go. You got us more lost” Ronnie laughed as she rolled onto her back.

“We don’t go that way much. And Danny cant read so he count tell you how to use that map anyway” Zach blurt out made Danny cover his face again despite Zach seeming overly defensive in the way he said that.

“You cant read?” Nice one Brad he clearly doesn’t want to talk about that

“Well, yes. Mesh thinks some psychic robed me and then erased my memory. So I don’t really know all that much” Guess he was lucky then to have found Zach and Mesh. If I forgot everything I’d probably be too confused to know who to ask for help.

“Hey you renumbered your name at lest. OH! And you still haven’t told me what a racoon is” Zach looked at him happily but oblivious to how he must have felt about the topic.

“I think it’s like a Riolu, I think. I just can’t remember.” Danny voice dropped as he said that. More sad than embarrassed.

“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”

“OH SWEET MEW!” Brad jump up into a fight position, facing Trapinch who was standing right next to were Brad had just been “Trapinch!? How long have you been there?”

“aaa” Trapinch just stared at him, before moving to a pile of blankets and burrowing his way in. Popping his head out “a”

“You lot having a party and ya didn’t invite me? For shame, for shame, Tis tis” Liz stood at the door holding two barrels under her arms. “I brought the good stuff”

“TwO Barrels! They better not be the stuff they threw out.” Bard was glued staring at the barrels as if Trapinch didn’t just scare the life out of him.

“You think I would go for anything but the best? If you lot want anything other than cider then grab yer own barrels from the main hall. They got tons of stuff and there just giving it away.” She came in and dump the barrels down. “I hope yu got cups in here.” She stopped and stared at Danny and Zach. “who are the kids? They ain’t with you bruv are they?” I could see a smirk forming on her face.

“PPFFF, you wish they were with you. They are an actual team from the Tiny Apple Guild” Ronnie laugh at the idea I was on a team. “Now give me the juice” she seemed so scare of alcohol before, why she so into it now? Or dose she just not know it is alcohol.

“Slow down there. I ain’t getting another one of these. And I didn’t know ya drank. So how about some house rules, whoever finishes the barrel can get another one right. Now you two. How old are ya? You ever gotten wasted?” Liz had the same smirk she game me when I got my first taste at something alcoholic. Not the greatest of nights. If this is Felicia and Ronnie first time at least there older than when I was.

“What do you mean wasted? Is that like when you get knocked out?” Zach questioned. His young innocent shining through.

“In a way, but more fun, try some” she handed him a cup. The anticipation showing on her face

“This like that wine the adults have?” Ronnie asked. Kinda wished I hadn’t said anything about alcohol now.

“yeah, Its like that but this shi.. this stuff tastes good.”Close one Liz, going to swear in front of the kids. At lest my mood is improving from not having to smell the stench of the cheese, thing are already starting to feel back to normal now. That or its the doughnuts.

“It smell like apples, but with something” Zach sniffed at the drink. Slowly extending his tongue to meet it, and immediately spat it out “AARR That’s disgusting!” his face cringing from it “How can you like that?”

Liz started laughing, falling onto her back. I could help but snicker a little at the reaction “AH AH Ah, Ya know old cheesy here had the same face when he first had some. Yer just like him. Riolu you give it a try” She passed a glass to him, trying not to spill any as she giggled.

Danny took the cup and just started at it for a bit, giving it a few sniffs. “Its just apple right? I don’t get was so bad about it”

“its apple all right. But, it has something special added in” Liz pinched her claws as if she was squeeing something into the drink. I mean you do squees apples but shes making it like it’s a berry or something added.

“It’s the special sauce that make it better than apple juice” I added, knowing full well that you don’t need to add any sauce to it. That would just make a thick cyder and im not about that.

“Its less like a sauce and more like the tears of our sins” Brad said as he begin got a cup for himself.

“Brad, is everything ok? Do you need to talk to some one?” Felicia said, eyeing the drink with sadness

“Don’t you go lecturing me on why you shouldn’t drink. I can drown out my pain in booze if I want” Brad that is not healthy at all, and you don’t normally drink anything anyway.

“Aww is my bestie buizel getting depressed cause he cant swim no more? Sea too cold for ya now?” Liz squeezed him in a hug “Ya a lightweight. You’ll be sing off your ass before we know it”

“Zach I don’t know why you don’t like this? It just apple.” Danny said having had a sip. Clearly not caring with the current conversation.

“YOU LIKE THAT!?” Zach fur stood on end. He must like apple, not that hard to believe.

“That’s ma boy” Liz cheered, raising a glass and spilling some on to brad who recoiled at the spill.

“The magic is the alcohol. Just rot up some apples. Get the juice inside. And you got cyder” I say, hopefully that will be enough for them.

“WHAT! That how you make? You add alcohol. So it is just like wine.” Come on Ronnie, you cant be this naive.

“No you don’t add it, it just dose that.” it was meant to be a joke, you don’t need rotten apples that would probably ruin it.

“you not going to elaborate on that?” Brad asked.

“No. go read a book on it or something.” At lest for tonight it seemed they aren’t going to be talking about the cheese.

“Charlie? Charrrlie. Chhhaaaarrrlieeeee. Come on get up, I don’t want you to get get in trouble again. Get up” opening your eye is ways the hardest thing to do. But it not like you can get back to sleep when someone is pushing you. “Charlie you don’t have to do that cheese any more you can get rid of the smell, come on get uuuupppp!” The pushing was almost enough to push me off my side. Might as well make Em happy and try to get up.

“Em its too early to, just let me get to sleep.” The words mumble out of my mouth as I was blinded by the morning light. It better have not been the normal time we get up. Not like I was getting up at the time anyway.

“NO! Its your own fault for coming back late. You woke everyone up. We could all hear you laughing coming down the hall” Em pouted, puffing her cheeks out.

“What?” Oh yeah Liz had to practically drag bard out last night and his pathetic attempt to get out was funny. “Was I that loud?”

“Yes and if you don’t go now ill get Lizabeth” She stomp her foot, clearly annoyed now.

“Ok ok, I’m going.” Getting of the bed was harder than it should have been, but only the headache would linger thankfully. Em turned and ran out of the room. I should follow and find out how early it is, but my bed dose look so comforting now, but the rumble from my stomach commanded to find food first. The canteen should be doing their “party hangover special” today, hopefully.

After getting a plate full pancakes I noticed the canteen looked a lot emptier than normal, no one to sit with at lest. There all probably still sleeping in, lucky.

After eating I do take Ems’ advice and try to finally get rid of this smell. A shame that it cant be as easy as just getting to the bathroom and just washing. A true shame. At lest the walk to the washroom will be quiet.

“Ah Charlie my boy. Good to see you up and around. Heading off to wash are we. Ho ho, its so good to see you all grown up. Lizabeth must finally be rubbing off on you” That deep voice was one I hadn’t herd in while, and was hoping the next time I herd it, it wasn’t when I in the middle of doing something.

“Oh hey dad” turning around, Johnson, the Tropius is completely blocking the corridor with a smile on his face, Hard for him not to at his size. I know he’s going to drag me off to do something, I just know it.

“Charlie! You weren’t out partying last night were you! You look terrible” his long neck came down to inspect me. I turns my head away to try and hide the tired look in my eyes. If he just saw the grime I might be able to get away with still going to the washroom.

“It wasn’t that late” That was a lie but come on dad I’m old enough. Beside its only a headache I have now.

Shaking his head disapprovingly he started to lecture me “Well you need to know when to stop peer pressure before thing get..”

“Dad I know when to stop don’t worry” I managed to cut him off, I get enough “lectures” from Mismagius when dealing with Yellow. Don’t need him to start too.

“Oh! Well, it look like you truly have grown up” the beam smile from his face gave me a bad felling “I think its time we got you that promotion. After all, all that work you did for Zangoose will have put you in his good books.” This again. Cant he accept I’m not getting out of yellow soon. I only just got off Zangoose bad list. Id be lucky if he ignore me for the year now.

“Dad no, I didn’t do…”

“No buts, we going to see him now. Just thing of the look of your mothers face when she find out you got on a team” I didn’t get a chance to protest. He started pushing me down the hallway, missing the turning I would have taken, Blocking the hallway with his size meant there would be no choice in the matter.

“What Do You Mean Stuck?!” The muffled voice of Zangoose was still enough to have you understand every part of his anger.

“Its just hanging there not moving since last night!” Another voice, thankfully not at loud, also came from the other side of his office door.

“And What That Got To Do With Us?!” From the way they were arguing, I would say they are town officials. Im sure I recognised the other pokes voice.

“EVERYTHING! You lot put on that festival and now look at where we are!”

“Sound like he busy. Perhaps another day” Ive had enough of Zangoose being angry for a while.

“No no son. Our intervention will break the tension in that room. It will be good for your image” He want listening at all. Zangoose was clearly in the middle of something we had no part of. I don’t want to be dragged in to it.

“I don’t think that’s the right word to, WO!” He pushed me! my own dad pushing me through the doors, making them swing open as I stumble down to the floor.

“WHAT!” Zangoose was slammed down on his desk as we had enter “Oh its you Johnson… and Charlie. I don’t know if you heard, but I’m in the Middle Of Something Right Now! But, maybe a fresh pare of ears would be good. Go on, tell them this ridiculous idea you have.” Zangoose fell back into his char as he gesture to the other people who were in the room.

“Humff, Fine. Your guild has caused the moon to become stuck in the sky” and angry Pikachu splutter. It had to be the same one from the day I was getting the milk. Not a nice day to be reminded of. The Dusclops was there too, standing just off to the side and thankfully looking a lot calmer than the Pikachu was. “Its as bright as anything out but the moon is still there! What ever your guild did you need to undo!”

“Oh a riddle! Moon in the sky, festival last night, The guild. hmmm?” Johnson pondered clearly missing the point entirely. How did he think this was a puzzle? People don’t get that angry over a puzzle, I hope.

“Its is not a riddle. The moon has become stuck in the sky As guardian of this town I must let all know.” The Dusclops spoke in a much more calming way compared to the Pikachu.

“hmm, that really is a problem.” Dad how did you not get that from the beginning?

“YOU THINK?!” Sparks were being to come off the Pikachu. I really want to leave but dad was still blocking the door. I hate just standing hear twiddling my claws while other argue over something.

“I hope you have good luck in your search Detective in finding what has caused this. It really would be bad if we cant enjoy the moon festival next winter” That’s why you think its bad? Come on dad. There got to be something really wrong for it to be stuck.

“IM NOT A DETECTIVE!” the Pikachu was getting as angry as Zangoose does. And he wasn’t looking to pleased about this hole situation. He did try to step forwards but the Dusclops grabbed him on the shoulder to bring him back as Dad came forwards to make his reasoning to why he barged in.

“Well then. Mr Zangoose. I would like to see my son here promoted to an orange rank team” And there it is. At lest the shouting match is over, but now all the attention was on me. The Pikachu was obviously trying to keep his annoyance at our disturbance from coming out.

Zangoose was just looking down. Rubbing his temploe as he stared past me, Judging me. I tried to look acceptable but its hard when your still hungover and tired. I just want to curl into a ball right now.

“IS that why you barged into my office? I swear… If you leave now I might just forget this, I don’t want to deal you now.” Zangoose sound more tired than me. “and do give a call out for Mismagius. To get here before I break something”

“Y-yes of course. Right away.” The words fell out of my mouth. All I could think about was getting out.

Coming out of his office I just collapsed on a wall as if I had just been running. Dad cam out out after me closing the doors with his vines.

“Well I think that went well. Don’t you?” All I could give in response was a look of confusion. How was that good. Were lucky if the exhaustion make him forget us.

“Come on son it wasn’t that bad. I remember when me and your mother when in to ask for a promotion for gold rank. He had me and your mother running supplies across the country for a month followed by exhaustive training. Your mother was going to rip of here wing by the end of it from flying so much. Haha what good times. Which remind me. We will have to get Lizabeth flying lessons arranged for when she evolves.” He laughed at the through. Thanks I can’t wait until I get there now.

“And that got you into gold? Oh just end me now” I give up. This place is going to be the end of me before I get on a team. When I get wings I should join the Pelipper office or something. Would be a lot better than this.

“Your sounding just like your mother now. Oh she is going to be so happy to hear this I’m sure. Perhaps I can get some of the left over wine from yesterday. We did miss most of the festival last night. She always did like to kiss me under the moon light” T

My face instantly constricted,
remember all the times they would do that with me and Liz around. Hopefully Em didn’t see them do that so much “Don’t remind me”
I’m going to be stuck stopping my self from think things all day now.

“Aha. Your old enough now to be thinking about girls now, so you better be careful of any who you are on a team with. They will be thinking about you too. Now have a Nanab, you look like you haven’t eaten yet” Johnson reached shown his long neck for me to grab one of the fruit growing on it. “Go on, there soft. Just the way you like them”

“I think I’m going to drown myself now” Getting up with I grunt I begin to head back the way we originally came.

“That the spirt son.”

Walking back away I just give him a dismissive wave

Thankfully by the time I got to the washroom, it was almost empty. Most poke will go here before breakfast, or at the end of a day, a shame there wasn’t any bins to put this Nanab in here.

For once, the water here is soothing. The rash still stings for all the extra time I’ve spent trying to get the smell off. Maybe I’m getting better at defence agent water, that or I’m loosing feeling in my arm.

After that refresher I did feel a bit better, this headache didn’t seem like it was going away, I hope I can get a few oran berry without anyone noticing for it. Coming down to the front desk late had become a normal thing by now. Talia was used to leaving a copy for yellows for me to take out now. Today was no different. Yellows tasks for the day were there waiting on the desk.

But so were all the other jobs, and no sign of the Lopunny. It was her main job to take care of all the jobs listing for the job board. But today it seemed she was busy elsewhere. Or sleeping in as well. I could tell Zangoose was still felling it and I doubt she was any better.

Today’s tasks were more or less what I expected. Help clean and dismantle the festival displays, easy but monotonous. Go pick up some teams delivery, Cleaning the toilets was thankfully crossed out, maybe Zangoose got someone else to do it. What I didn’t expect to see was a dungeon run. A Geuodue had lost a treasure box in the Abandoned Acre. How people get stuff lost in dungeons confuses me. There clearly labelled as dangerous and not to enter. If it weren’t for people like you I could have a job I like by now.

Heading down to the main plaza I noticed that the moon as still out. Had it really stated in the same places all this time, Guess that Pikachu was being serious. Its kinda eerie seeing it out so bright after last night. I do hope nothing really bad is happening with it, but its not my problem right now so I shouldn’t worry about it.

The walk down was surprisingly quite. Everyone must have been too busy cleaning the mess from what every parties they had. Never really like these public parts, always reminded me of when I got lost when I was young. But upon reaching the plaza it was a sight to behold. Rubbish in bags or being blown about, Pools of dried liquids I don’t want to know are, Stall in a varying state of destruction. And of course, the members Yellow recruitment running about looking for anything they can do.

“Hey Darumaka you need any help with anything there?” He was holding a couple of boxes filled with stuff from one of the few stalls left standing.

“Oh char. I wasn’t sure if your were going to make it back. You were really loud last night. I was afraid I wasn’t going to get any more sleep after you woke us up.” He was sound like it was one of the worst things to happen to him. This is why I like to sleep in.

“So I’ve been told. Now what am I going to do here?” To be honest I had no clue what we were meant to be doing with any of this. I mean we could sweep and clean rubbish. But with the stalls I have no idea. Who even owned them?

“I was asked to pack away this stand, but I don’t think I’m big enough to take it apart. C-could you help me with it?” He was sounding almost shy about asking to do my job.

“As long as it doesn’t make someone shouts at me sure.”

“Are you going to be coming with us to the forest?”

“Your not allowed to go without me. And it’s the Abandoned Acre right. Feels like we were there not too long ago. I’m glad its not too far of a walk” I’m too tired to be leading them through. maybe ill try and get someone else to lead, other than Em that is. She always want to take charge.

“I hate that palace. All the ghosts keep laughing at me. And the other that hide in the trees. I’m glad your coming with us. You can burn them all away right?” He need to get over he fear of ghost. And he’s a fire type too, he can burn them away. Then again all he can do right now is breath out some embers.

“its meant to be you who’s training there. I’m more for just a guide now.” out of everyone in recruitment yellow he’s the one who need to grow up the most. “for now, let’s just get one with. The sooner we finish this the soon we can pack and get there.” It was I wish I had taken more of dads’ banana with me now.