Week 26 Quest

    “Ahhh, this is what I needed,” Howard exclaimed as he leaned back on river bank with his Pokémon right beside him. He was finally on a vacation that he requested months ago and he planned on enjoying every moment of it. While Bass and Shelldon relaxed in the shallow water, King was busying himself with more training.

    Scratching the alchemized chatot that sun bathed on his chest, the forgeborne pirate continued, “A week to myself and you guys. No duties, no chores, and no worries.”

    “No worries,” Whisper mimicked with a pleased chirp.

    The sound of splashing water drew giant pangoro chimera’s attention up stream. A man riding a zebstrika cut across the water and continued up the river. The electric Pokémon looked ragged compared to it rider.

    After having it pointed out to him, the stocky pirate replied with a dismissive wave of the hand, “Let him go King. It's probably just a common thief that stole something bigger than he could handle. Today, our time is ours alone. Let him enjoy his prize while he can.”

    A faint whine though brought him out of his laziness. Disturbing the bird on his chest, Howard sat up and squinted at the fading rider. “Glass,” he uttered while sticking his arm out.

    Knowing that tone all too well, King started digging through the large travel bag resting next to them. With the tiny telescope pinched between two large fingers, the deviant Pokémon removed the delicate instrument from the bag. Taking the scope, the trainer peered through it at the fleeing rider.

    The man appeared to be a wlydborne with curled tail sticking out from underneath the fluttering cape he wore. As suspected from earlier, the zebstrika he rode was on the verge of collapse. What really drew Howard’s attention though was the source of the crying. A harvestborne babe, still in swaddling, was tucked loosely in its kidnapper’s arm.

    Lowering the glass, the pirate looked at the waiting faces of his crew. With a defeated sigh he muttered, “Get him.” As one, both King and Shelldon shot off after the criminal. The alchemized chimera waited behind long enough for the pirate to climb onto his back before taking pursuit as well. Unsure of what to do, the alchemized chatot flew back to his trainer and perched on his shoulder.

    It was quite easy for the two pursuing Pokémon to overcome the tired mount. King, with his massive size, shook the ground with each step that he took, causing the rider to look back at him. This proved to be a mistake as Shelldon took the chance to surprise them. Leaping out of the water in front of the exhausted Pokémon, it balked throwing kidnapper and his hostage off. Both landed in the shallow water with the latter being supported by the kidnapper.

    With both Pokémon and rider scrambling to get out of the water, Howard sail right up on Bass’s backside. “You know, I have to give you credit,” he said as the circle started to close around the man, “As a former pirate, I’ve kidnapper plenty of people in my prime. Men, women, an old fart, even a ‘wet-behind the ear’ kid like yourself. It can be good money if you nab the right person. I’m on vacation right now and Gods forgive me but I was going to let you go. Shoot, I’ve would have even bet on you getting away with it. But you, you had to kidnap a child. An infant no less. That is something I don’t approve of. So, I'm going to give you two options. First one is you give me the child and come with me peacefully. Second one is you can try to resist and I’ll have to beat you senseless. Your choice.”

    The wlydborne replied by retrieving a Pokéballs from his belt and threw it before him. From the glow appeared a hitmonchan but with scythes instead of the boxing gloves and a pair of wings sprouting from its back.

    The tiny chatot on his shoulder squawked in displeasure as the aged man raised a hand. “I really wished you picked option one,” he said before dropping the hand. “He’s all yours King.”

    Before the opposing chimera could turn around to face his foe, King had already closed the distance. The giant chimera brought his left arm up, socking the smaller Pokémon in the jaw. The extra force sent it airborne and clear over its trainer's head. By the time it finally came down it was already unconscious.

    Reaching for his belt, he tossed another ball only for it to turn up empty. The stunned expression on the wlydborne’s face was enough for Howard to assume the zebstrika was also the kidnapper's.

    “Give it up, kid,” he said gesturing toward the exhausted Pokémon. “You're out of backup. Give me the child and come quietly.”

    The man reached for his belt one last time. This time though, he drew a small knife and held it the infant’s neck. “I’m not going to jail,” he shouted over the child’s cries.

    Clenching his fists, the forgeborne tried reason once more. “Jail isn’t too bad,” he started, “free food, a roof over your head. Granted there might be a lack of things to do, but that is an agreeable trade-off.”

    “No, I’m not going,” the kidnapper replied. “That’s because you're going to give me your Pokéballs for that lapras chimera and the Pokémon itself. And you're going to stand there until I’m out of sight. Okay?”

    Doing as the man said, Howard removed the ball from his belt and tossed it over. Skillfully catching it with his knife hand before returning the blade to the little one’s throat, the man rushed over to Bass. A subtle nod between him and Pokémon told the alchemized chimera what to do.

    As the wlydborne climbed on Bass’s shell started to heat up. It wasn't long before he knew what was happening to him. Leaping off the heated shell with his pants smoking, he went to cool himself in the river water.

    That was when Howard's Pokémon made their move. Shelldon rushed forward and jabbed his small mouth into the kidnapper's leg. Meanwhile the tiny Whisper flew by, grabbed a hold on the blanket that cradled the young harvestborne and brought it safely out of range.

    “I wouldn't move if I were you,” Howard said as him and King walked up to him. “In case you didn't know, a gorebyss can the fluids out of their prey pretty quickly. While I doubt he would want drink the blood of a coward, I’m he doesn't want you to get away.”

    Defeated, the kidnapper hung his head and cried. “Pathetic,” Howard said as he gestured his giant Pokémon to recover some rope.

    “Pathetic,” Whisper repeated from where he stood guard over the crying child in the soft river bank soil.

    ****

    Later that day, Howard approached a little homestead on the edge of town with the little one sleeping in his arm. A bag of trins hung from his waist just under his old coat jingle with every step. Whisper still sat on his shoulder, conversing with his trainer over the day event in merriment.

    The owner of the home was too busy with his field work that the forgebrone walk right on by. It wasn’t until the harvestbrone heard knocking on his door that he turned around.

    “Excuse me stranger,” he said, drawing Howard attention as the door open revealing his tear ridden wife. Both of them became speechless as their eyes locked onto the sleeping child in the pirate’s arm.

    The woman reach right for her newborn with her husband moving around to support her. “Thank you, sir,” the farmer said, tears leaking from his eyes, “How can we even repay you?”

    Smirking, the Keymain Captain pulled the bag of coins from his wait. “Make good of this will you?” With that he left the reunited family and returned to town.

    “Why did you not keep the reward?” Whisper asked, adjusting himself on his perch.

    Scratching his Pokémon underneath his beak, Howard replied, “They look like they could use all the help they could.”