[PMD BTS] Mission RP: It's All About Family
Frannie and Gene enlist Team Thunderstruck's help on a particularly challenging mission. Avner and Timoti join them in search of some missing Xurkitree.
Frannie was determined to look at anything and everything other than Gene as they made their way to the Team Thunderstruck base. They'd made arrangements to tackle a mission with them, a rather difficult mission that they would need assistance with. Frannie and Gene had been making a point to divide up the work for that month between themselves and their new recruits Myrtle and Emil. They both needed the experience, and well... given Gene's recent efforts to not feed on Frannie's anxiety it just worked better if the leaders were split up for the time being. However, such a high level mission was not at all suited for new members which meant the leaders were forced to work together.
Frannie's ears pressed into her hair nervously as they walked. "Um, how-how are you feeling?" she asked Gene as she stared into the trees off the path.
"Fine," he shrugged casually. "And you?"
"Fine," she said back hastily.
"Mmm-hmm," Gene hummed, doing the gentlemanly thing and pretending he couldn't feel the anxiety pooling around her.
But eventually his curiosity got the better of him. "May I ask what it is that is troubling you?"
"Huh?" she gasped, quickly turning to him and her curls flying into her face.
He glanced at her as they walked, their eyes meeting. He felt his glow ever so slightly but he didn't draw on her nerves. He gave a small smile, not his usual peppy cheerful one but just a casual, calm upturn of the corners of his mouth.
"I um..." she started to say before looking away. "I just don't-don't want to make things harder for you."
"It is not so strenuous I assure you," he said with a small laugh. Awkward as it may be, from the fear Frannie exuded she clearly felt far worse about their circumstances than he did. And that was saying something seeing as how he was the one that wanted to feed on her feelings in this scenario.
"Try taking deep breaths," he said as he knocked on the door of the Team Thunderstuck base. "It's supposed to help."
"It's about time!" Timoti's voice boomed from the other side of the door, not with anger, but with impatience and excitement. He opened the door and looked down at the two short leaders. "I was wondering when you two would show up." The Tropius stepped outside and gave his wings a big stretch in the warmth of the sun. A bag of supplies was slung over his shoulder, enough to supply the whole mission and then-some.
"I know you're excited Timoti, but please remember that I am not as young as I used to be." Avner said, following out from a slight distance. He bore his weight against his cane as he walked. "Good day to you Frannie and Gene, it is a pleasure to be working with you today." The Cramorant pushed up his drooping specs back up his long nose.
Timoti nodded. "I'm most looking forward to returning to the land of my ancestors. It has been too long." His chest puffed with pride. "Hope you're not afraid of heights." Timoti looked down at Frannie with friendly concern.
"I-I uh," Frannie stuttered, unsure what to say.
"Not to worry, Frannie is equally afraid of everything," Gene teased as he placed a hand on her shoulder encouragingly. Frannie's face went red in response to his joke but Gene was unphased. Instead he turned to Avner. "Ah yes, it's been some time. Thank you for agreeing to assist us on this mission. From what I hear it is quite the job. You've looked over the paperwork I assume, yes?"
Timoti let out a bellowing laugh before folding his massive arms over his chest. "You are in good hands. No need to worry. If you fall, I'll catch you." Nobody gets left behind, not again, not this time, not ever.
"Oho, of course." Avner said in response to Gene. "I went through it about twelve times over because I kept misplacing my magnifying glass." He pulled it out to show from inside his vest's breast pocket. "Not to worry, I have it all up here." He tapped at his head of wispy locks.
"Between Avner's knowledge of navigation and my instincts, there is no way we could get lost." Timoti added with assurance.
"Though, I do not believe we are familiar with this Xurkitree family. I do hope that whatever is going on isn't too serious." Avner's finger began to tap against his cane with impatience.
Frannie knew not what to say to Timoti's reassurance that he would not let her fall. Fall!? She proceeded to mumble incoherent half-words in response but mostly just stared at her own feet and picked at her fingers.
"Yes, us as well," Gene nodded as he spoke with Avner. "Though from the request it certainly sounds as though this Gale has history with the guild of some sort. I did a bit of digging and it seemed the guild took on this job several months ago," he explained, producing another flier that was old and crumpled with details about a young Xurkitree that had gotten lost in the Atrium.
"I can only imagine this is the daughter we have been asked to seek out. Xurkitree's are exceptionally rare, I am sure you know. So to have two such missions is such a short time seems too great a coincidence."
"That it is." Avner confirmed solemnly. "I do hope that this rescue mission of ours can go smoothly." He gave his wings a stretch before working his way down the plank ahead. Better get a head start on these whipper snappers.
"I wonder if they would be purposefully avoiding one another. We should see if these Xurkitree even want to be rescued." Timoti said. "What kind of benefit would they be able to offer to us anyway?"
"That's right. Jasper did mention that there had been some strange visitors to drop in a while ago. A Quad of some kind with feet like knives, and an elegant woman with powerful machinery at her command. They did not seem too friendly, but he does tend to be guarded." Avner said over his shoulder. Timoti bowed to allow Frannie and Gene to lead the way.
"Yes, I was wondering the same," Gene nodded as he turned the flier over in his hand, considering. "Hopefully the mother and daughter will be able to tell us more once we locate them."
"Oh gosh, I didn't-didn't hear anything about that," Frannie mumbled to herself. "I guess, I guess that must have been before we joined the guild?"
The group made idle chit chat as they made their way to the docks. The Lapras escorts provided by the Wigglytuff Guild was waiting expectantly for them there.
"It seemed the Hidden Land is a well guarded place," Gene commented during their ride out to sea. "If I did not wish to found, I would certainly consider hiding out there."
"Maybe-maybe they just got lost," Frannie said. She didn't want to assume anything about the family they were looking for, and she hoped very much their help would not be unwanted.
Timoti was flying out in front of the ships, leading the way. One would look at him and wonder where exactly he knew to go considering the ocean was lacking in landmarks, but sure enough, the horizon soon drew up an island, and the nearer they got, the higher it rose until it peaked over to show that it was in fact raised into the sky.
"I do hope to help Timoti uncover some of his own personal history here. I have a degree in archaeology and very much enjoy learning about ancient cultures. He has only been here once before when he was young, but it seems to be imprinted into his memory. He is hopeful to find more of his people refuged here from an attack that separated them all a while ago." Avner filled Gene and Frannie in.
"Whether these two we are looking for are lost of in hiding, it would be best to keep them away from such a special place given the nature of other such rare pokemon being destructive. I do not like to place prejudices on others, but preservation tops that matter for me." Avner unscrewed the topper of his cane and pulled out a spyglass which he used to get a better look at the island. "Would either of you care to take a look?" He offered.
"Fascinating," Gene said as Avner explained Timoti's ability to navigate towards the dungeon. "I'd not realized he had such an affinity for this place. I do hope he finds what he is looking for." Seems this Xurkitree was not the only one with lost family.
Frannie's eyes lit up at Avner's offer. "Oh um, would-would that be alright?" she asked, eyeing the spyglass. She'd not used one herself before, and she wanted very much to see.
"But of course! Would be rude of me to offer and then decline." Avner's little wings flapped with surprise as he handed it over for Frannie to have a look.
"Yes. It would be most helpful for him to find some closure here, but your mission does come first. We can always return some other time." Avner looked out over the edge of the boat, pushing up his glasses. He very much enjoyed traveling. As a flightless humanoid, the sea breeze in his feathers was as close as he would get to the real thing. "You two are fairly young aren't you. What drove you to become Rescuers over anything else?" He understood Jasper and Lachlan's drives, but even so, they were still older than these two. It was almost like hanging out with children, not that he minded. He had two teenage daughters of his own.
Frannie eagerly accepted the spyglass, giving a small gasp as she looked out at the floating island. It was massive, suspended in midair as several waterfalls trickled out the edges and into the ocean beneath. Smaller boulders floated alongside the island, hovering in space. The sight was mesmerizing.
"It's beautiful," she said. "I wonder-I wonder what it will be like once we are inside."
Frannie and Gene both perked up at Avner's question but then quickly looked away. The specifics of why they joined the guild were rather private, from Frannie being an outcast with nowhere else to go to Gene having recently been revived.
"Well, um... I just-I just really like helping people," Frannie said, clutching the spyglass tightly. "And-and I heard of the guild on my home island. Sometimes guild members would visit and share stories. I thought that-that it would be a nice place to go once I was old enough," she explained. She'd had the dream of leaving for some time and sure enough she set off shortly after her eighteenth birthday.
"You could say I was a last minute addition to such plans," Gene said casually. "I was rather... directionless, at the time. I met up with Frannie as she was setting out and the chance to explore intrigued me. I realize that is more the Wayfarer's way than the Rescuer's, but I was not..." he paused, not wanting to explain that he was not really invested in sticking around forever. Sure that was no longer the case now, but the fact that he had previously been planning to leave after some time was something he'd not confessed to Frannie. "I was not very opinionated when it came to our branch at the time. And what of you? I don't believe I know the story of how you joined Team Thunderstruck."
"Hmhm, Seems the name of the branch rings true. Not only does it seem to be a job for those looking to save others, but I think the job itself helps save those who take on the responsibility." Avner tapped his cane with assurance.
"I myself chose to pursuit dreams long forgotten. It was honestly a very rash decision on my part and has grown to give me complications, but I am glad that I chose to go forward before it was too late. I'm hoping to discover a pokemon I had seen as a child on the Spiral Archipelago long long ago. I am unsure who they were, and I have yet to discover them. I have been utilizing as much of my research and knowledge that I can to try and solve the mystery, though finding them would make my efforts all worth the while." His wings seemed to fall slightly, as he was still bearing the weight of abandonment heavily alone. It was a consequence he had to own up to.
Gene felt as Avner's mood dropped, as he emotions grew thick and heavy in the air around them. It was a solemn feeling, whatever it was, and he had felt it but a few times before. It felt like Ari when Tobias had left. Had he lost someone too? Was this somehow related to this mysterious pokemon?
"That certainly sounds like quite the adventure," he said. "I hope you find what you are searching for.
"It looks like-like we're almost there," Frannie said, looking through the spyglass again at the steadily approaching island. She could make out some feral pokemon not too far off, which meant they would likely begin to change soon.
The mystery of the island showed up sooner than expected. With Timoti at the head of the ship, one could see him seemingly sparkle and glow as his body morphed from humanoid to saurian, the only feature remaining unchanged were his broad strong wings. He banked in front of the ship and threw a Gust into the sails to help bring it to a rest before landing on the deck himself. His height remained the same with his long neck making up a good portion of his height. "It's time." He bellowed.
Avner flapped his wings excitedly, jumping a few feet into the air and giving a squawk. "Very good! If it isn't too much trouble there, I would also appreciate the lift. It is a bit high of a flight for me. Short distances are not an issue, but I am not the young ducklett I once was."
Timoti rolled his eyes but lowered his wings for the others to use as a ramp. He looked over to Gene who was floating along on his own. He would probably manage just fine, and if he did need a lift, probably weighed nothing anyways.
Frannie hesitantly climbed up onto Timoti's back, having a hard time with how short her arms and legs were in this form. Eventually she managed to get settled, holding tight to Timoti.
"Thank-thank you for the ride," she said, hugging his long neck tightly.
Gene looked up at the island and tried to judge the distance. He'd not floated up somewhere so high before and knew not if he could, but no time to find out like the present. He stayed close to Timoti just in case he needed to hitch a ride mid flight.
Along the flight up, Timoti grazed his wings through the waterfalls creating a spray. It was no problem at all for him to fly around despite his size. One could feel the strength he held in him with every thrust of his wings. It was several hundred feet up before they reached a safe place to land, as the underside of the island was very jagged and filled with caves and crevices.
Avner perked up immediately, taking a fluttered leap off of Timoti's back and exitedly waddling up to a wall of rock. "Look look!" His tail feather shook with excitement. "Timoti, is this your mother tongue? It is quite the impressive system." His beak kept bonking into the structure as he observed the symbols. They were leaf shaped glyphs that differed in position and by how many notches were on the edges. The Tropius simply nodded, his eyes darting over the symbols themselves. It seemed he was reading the dead language.
"This trail leads up to the main dungeon." He finally said after giving Avner time to gawk. "There are strong pokemon ahead: Garchomp, Dragonite, Rampardos and Bastiodon for starters." As he began to lead the way, a few little Gibble hiding along the rocks scurried into the ground for safety. Timoti's natural size was a great deterrent for those who didn't know his true strength.
Frannie clung to Timoti the whole way, feeling as though she might blow away at any moment. She was startled by the spray of water when his wings brushed the waterfall and just tried to squeeze tighter, but with such tiny arms it was a wonder she could hold on at all.
Gene floated up beside them, finding it more difficult to do so the higher they went. How interesting, seemed his powers of levitation were somewhat limited. But no matter, he drifted over to Timoti to hitch a ride when he reached his limit.
Even once Timoti had landed Frannie was hesitant to let go, nervous about getting down. What if they were close to the edge and she fell off? Gene noticed her concern as always. "In need of assistance, are we?" he teased as he lifted her up with his Telekinesis. She gave a small squeak in surprise as she was removed from Timoti and set on the ground.
They listened as Timoti explained what challenges they could expect. Frannie trembled at the thought. What strong pokemon they would be fighting. She was glad they were not alone and that they had asked Team Thunderstruck to accompany them.
Gene nodded. "I've not had the chance to encounter such dragons up close before. What a wonderful opportunity," he said, seemingly not at all concerned. Frannie was certainly concerned enough for them both.
"I helped a bounty hunter team not long ago with a Garchomp arrest in the Ruined Colosseum. I was surprised to see they also had a Tropius of their own, but he was far different from myself. I didnt know our species existed outside of my circle." Timoti ducked bellow an overhang and at one point, the trail became so thin he had to fly beside the edge while the others kept up.
As he did so, a feral Glameow pounced out of nowhere and onto his back. He let out a bellowing roar when their claws dug into his back, and he kicked up a strong wind from his frantic flapping. "I do not trust my eyes to make an accurate shot on our opponent." Avner shouted to the others. "Are either of you able to hit a moving target?"
Frannie let out a shriek of Astonishment as the Glameow pounced on Timoti. You'd think she was the one being attacked with how startled she was. The Glameow twinged as the sound pierced their ears, but otherwise seemed unphased.
"Not a problem," Gene said simply as he caught hold of the Glameow with his Telekinesis and held them aloft so that they were easier to hit. They struggled in his grasp, likely he would not be able to hold them for long.
Before Avner could get a shot in, Timoti whipped a violent Leaf Tornado right at the levitating Glameow. It had no chance of avoiding his shot and was send down towards the earth engulfed in leaves. "That will teach you." Timoti grumbled, turning care away from the attacker.
"Best to be careful about your words." Avner warned quietly. "When he's upset he tends to lash out." A snort pushed out of Timoti's nose following his comment. Whether he had heard was to be discovered.
Timoti flew ahead and out of sight, but the path remained straight and true without another problem to arise. At the top of the trail, the island opened up to a lush a forested area that was growing over with moss and underbrush. There were several runic pillars leaning and toppled over around the area. "If I were a Xurkitree where would I be hiding?" Avner mumbled to himself as he pressed forward aimlessly.
Gene floated up to the pillars with intrigue, imagining what they once looked like when they stood tall and proud. Seeing the remnants of a time long past, it reminded him of Ari. What sort of people had constructed this, he wondered.
Frannie hesitantly tip toed around the clearing, her ears perked for any noteworthy sounds. She heard a faint rustling from behind them, but as she turned she didn't see anything. She hurried over to Avner.
"There's-there's something over there," she whispered, pointing in the direction the rustling came from.
A Dratini made an appearance from the brush, slithering over to the others non-threateningly. "Excuse me, there," Avner announced. "Yes, you. You live here, no? Would you mind assisting us?"
The Dratini cocked its head and then looked at everyone before slithering away back into the brush without a word. "I think it wants us to follow it." Avner said, taking a turning step in its direction. He tripped over a root and slammed into the ground with an abrupt thud before flapping his wings loudly and returning to his feet.
"You don't know what it wants." Timoti argued. "It didn't even say anything." It was clear he was frustrated, and watching Avner walk away into unknown territory was quite upsetting. He gave the others a wide eyed glare hoping they could convince the bird to stick close.
"Oh, w-wait," Frannie started to call out to the Dratini before Timoti made his stance clear. Her ears pressed to her head closely. He was right, it was stupid to just go running off after some random pokemon.
Gene looked between Frannie, Avner, and Timoti. He could feel the smallest tingle of frustration building in him, but he knew not why. "I know not what makes one path a better choice than any other, do you?" he asked him. "If you know the way, then by all means. But if not, I see no harm in seeing where this Dratini leads us."
"I did say Dragonite live here, but clearly someone thinks following it is the bright idea." The Tropius shook his head and followed begrudgingly.
"Come now Timoti, it seems friendly enough." Avner protested joyfully. It is a worm that wishes not to be eaten by the bird. Timoti thought to himself.
After a while of following, they lost sight of the Dratini.
Gene had, admittedly, forgotten about the Dragonite. He was not accustomed to visiting dungeons with such strong pokemon inside. But he was not one to admit to his mistakes easily, so he brushed his own concerns aside.
"Um... little Dratini?" Frannie called, looking around as the baby dragon wormed it's way out of sight. She perked her ears, trying to listen for what direction it may have gone in. She heard some rustling and turned to see that it has slithered it's way up into a nearby tree. Except the tree started to turn to face them and it wasn't a tree at all, it was a Tropius!
Frannie gasped, stumbling back. The Tropius looked over the group, but did not say anything.
Timoti looked her way and upon seeing the other, stopped in his tracks. So there were more. This other Tropius was shiny, possessing a seemingly golden hue over its body. As it stepped out from the cover of the brush and into their clearing, it spread open its wings. One of them was terribly tattered beyond repair with a blackened edge. "Petera?" He asked.
"Timoti!" The Tropius reared onto its hind legs with a joyful look in its eye. It came over to them, bounding and shaking the ground with each stomp and knocking Timoti over onto his side.
"Hey hey!" He laughed and bellowed. Any sense of frustration he previously had lifted with relief and joy. "Get off of me." He began to speak to the other in a gutteral and foreign dialect, likely the same as what had been unscripted in leaf patterns earlier.
Avner watched the two and then waddled over to Gene. "I suppose this is another of his people. It would be the third he'd found. Two others in the Jungle on the Air Continent, and now this one. What do you suppose their relation would be?" He looked at Gene with a stupid grin on his beak.
Frannie yelped as the Tropius bounded towards them, scurrying out of the way as Timoti was knocked over. She cowered for a moment, knowing not what to do, but it seemed he was... laughing? And speaking with noises she did not understand.
Gene glanced to Avner as he approached. "I haven't the slightest, though the discoloration may be what is throwing me," he said with a smile. "Regardless, seems we've encountered one missing family member even if not the one we are looking for."
"Pardon me." Timoti said after a few moments. Avner had begun to pick at the ground like the bird brain he was, swallowing some small stones to help his digestion. He coughed some up and gave his attention to the dinosaur.
"This is Petera. She is the one responsible for teaching the children of my tribe. Like you have helped me learn so much, Avner." He nodded in the bird's direction, and Avner returned a cordial bow, bonking his beak into the ground.
"Avner Shwartz, might I pick your brain and ask you some questions?" Petera looked at Avner with a vague emptiness.
"No." She said simply. "But- but-" "No." She repeated. Avner looked up at Timoti with confusion, and then he continued to speak to her in the strange language. "Ooooh. Search for the lost?" Timoti scooped his neck with a nod, then looked over to Frannie and Gene.
Gene watched in thinly veiled horror as Avner swallowed several rocks, not knowing enough about birds to know how why he did this. And for once he did not really care to know.
Frannie hesitantly rejoined the group, taking care not to stand too close to the Tropiuses in places where she would not be easy to spot. She didn't want them to accidentally step on her. That would probably make them feel bad.
"Oh, yes!" she said. "We're-we're looking for some xur... Xurkitree? Have you-have you seen any?" she asked. She would describe them but she knew not what they looked like.
"Twice your height, almost looks like a black and white tree." Avner piped up. Timoti relayed the information as best as he could, and the other nodded. "Follow." She said raising her wings and lifting herself into the air slightly.
"She says we should fly. It will be easier to track them that way." Timoti said, lowering his wing for Frannie again. He could see that she was nearly trembling from her anxieties. "No Garchomp in the air." Instinctively he made a low guttural sigh that wavered, similar to a cat's purr but coming out of a six foot tall lizard.
"T-twice my height, or twice their height?" Frannie asked Avner as they walked until Timoti lowered his wings for them to hop on. Oh gosh, more flying.
"Well uh, that's-that's good I guess," she said in response to the lack of flying Garchomps, still clearly uneasy. She latched onto Timoti's long neck just as she had previously.
Gene floated up as well, not the least bit concerned with flying as he could manage on his own if he were to fall. "Splendid idea, they should be easy to spot from above."
The next few hours flew by, literally, as Timoti and Petera circled the island several times. It was no luck. "How is it they could be so hidden?" Avner asked aloud. He was silently piecing together his thoughts, looking down to the vegetation below. "They must really not wish to be found." His voice grew with more concern. He wondered why the Xurkitree would not want to return home and how they ended up on such a remote and difficult to reach place.
"What do you think we should do Frannie?" He asked the young woman. As a man who raised two himself, he valued her input dearly, especially since he hadn't seen his own children in quite some time.
Overtime Frannie's death grip on Timoti relaxed, though she definitely did not let go. Her ears perked up in surprise as Avner addressed her. Oh gosh, she certainly didn't know what to do.
"I-I-I uh..." she stammered. "I don't know, maybe-maybe they are just hiding from all the other big scary pokemon here." After all Timoti did tell them all about the strong pokemon in this dungeon when they first arrived.
"Yes, perhaps there is something else they are hiding from," Gene pondered. He also wondered if perhaps this 'something else' had already found them, but no need to raise such suspicions when they knew so little.
Frannie ears twitched as she heard something from below. He hesitantly glanced over the side to get a better look, leaning farther off of Timoti than she had dared before.
"Ah yes. You should be able to hear much better with those ears of yours. If only Jasper had come along, maybe he'd be able to pick up on the electrical field from our target." Timoti and Petera lowered just above the treeline, their toes brushing against the leaves as they passed.
All of a sudden, a spark of electricity burst forth from beneath the canopy right in front of their flight path. Petera and Timoti had to make evasive maneuvers to dodge. "Great Stout!" Avner exclaimed, having trouble holding on with his wings and flippers. He had to use his beak to hold onto the base of one of Timoti's wings or risk falling.
Well. They found them. Timoti knew there weren't any other pokemon here that could produce a bolt like that.
Frannie continued to listen for anything out of the ordinary, hoping she would be able to pick up something helpful. Even if it wasn't the pokemon they were looking for any sort of clue would be nice.
She cried in Astonishment as the lighting shot through the air. She wasn't prepared as Timoti swerved to avoid it, and as she was already leaning over the side to listen she lost her grip and tumbled off his back, screaming as she fell.
"FRANNIE!" Gene yelled, reaching out with his Telekinesis to try to grab her but he was too slow and she'd fallen out of his range. He jumped from Timoti's back after her without a second thought.
Timoti felt as Frannie lost her grip, though he was unaware of the ghost's absence considering he was merely weightless. Avner's beak made him wince, but he toughed it out, as he'd experienced far worse pain, and dove into the coverage to rescue Frannie. She was headed straight for one of those endless holes that went right through the island. Of course. Timoti held no reservation in diving after her, streamlining himself to gain on her. He reached and extended his neck out to her in hopes that she would latch onto the leafy helm around his head.
Frannie's eye's were scrunched shut as she tumbled downwards, continuing to scream the whole way. Timoti was gaining on her but she wasn't paying attention. This was it, she was going to splat to her death. Oh gosh, so many things she didn't get to do. So many people she never go to apologize to.
Timoti, as large and heavy and aerodynamic as he was, was gaining speed faster than the little ghostly ball of cloth and Gene soon found he was pressed into Timoti's chest as they continued to plummet. He reached out to Frannie again as they drew nearer, taking hold of her with his Telekinesis and drawing her closer.
"Grab on!" Timoti bellowed at her as loudly as he could. Avner was practically flapping around wildly like a ragdoll, dragging Timoti behind. If it wasn't for him running into Gene, they probably would have lost her.
Frannie opened her eyes wide and she would have gasped if she had not been screaming. Timoti's head was just a few feet from her. She reached out towards him and Gene pulled her closer and she latched onto the leaves around his head, holding on for dear life. Literally.
The minute Frannie grabbed hold, Timoti flared his wings out on all sides, creating a large amount of drag and floating more gently like a parachute. Although he could barely tell the ghost was there, he wrapped his trunky legs around the other and begand to ascend one more.
Petera met up with them, and they made their way back to the sight of the startling lightning bolt. The earth bellow was blackened from the shock, and lying in the center was the Xurkitree that had been looking for for so long. When they landed, Timoti set Frannie down quickly, happy to have her off of his face.
Gene sighed with relief as Timoti grabbed him, admittedly not having thought this plan through very far. Fortunately it seemed everything had worked out alright.
Frannie maintained her death grip on Timoti's leaves even once they had touched down and needed some coaxing to let go. Once her feet were planted firmly on the ground herself she rubbed rubbed the tears from her eyes.
"I-I-I'm so-orry," she blubbered. Probably this was Frannie for 'thank you'.
Avner flapped his way down off of Timoti and next to Frannie. He ruffled his feathers with a dazed looked before shaking them flat again and looking down at the Whismer. "Nothing to worry about, dear. As he said, Timoti wasn't going to let you fall. Far." He couldn't help a small chuckle. "Your anatomy proves to be a challenge for you yes? If you so choose to evolve, I'll have you know that it will be quite helpful in keeping yourself held to those who fly, as well as many other unique things." The bird winked at Frannie, keeping a blind optimisim about him. He and Timoti looked over to the one they were supposed to find, wondering what the Rescuer leaders would do next.
Frannie rubbed the tears from her eyes, not knowing what to say to Avner. She knew she'd get a lot bigger if she evolved, but Loudred were so intimidating and loud and scary and she just... didn't feel like she was ready.
Gene took it upon himself to approach the Xurkitree while Frannie composed herself. "Excuse me, we are here on a mission with the Global Communication Setup Foundation. Are you acquainted with Gale perhaps?" he asked.
Since Xurkitree did not have faces it was difficult to judge their reaction at first, but the larger of the two stepped forward to blocker the smaller, presumably younger Ultra Beast. "What if we are?" the larger one asked defensively.
"Pardon me, but from the sounds of Gale's letter to our foundation, they seemed terribly worried for you. It is a wonder how they knew you were here in the first place, but they sent us to retrieve and return you safe and sound. I'm sure Gale would have come on their own, but this place is massive, it was a perfectly logical choice to send us in their place." Avner spoke up, joining at Gene's side.
Timoti stayed by Frannie's side, making sure she was okay and remaining cautious of the defensive strangers. If they had sent a spark flying into the air, he wondered if they may turn hostile.
Gene turned to Avner as he approached, grateful for his assistance. He made valid points; this was a dangerous place to venture into and Gale requesting a rescue team on his behalf was a smarter move than attempting the journey himself. But the Xurkitree did not seem so impressed.
"Oh he's worried, is he?" the electric mess of a body asked, the sarcasm evident in this voice that seemed to emanate from all around. "As if I care."
The smaller Xurkitree stepped out from around the taller one, moving towards the group. "But Mom, I wanna see Dad," they said.
"You know what happened last time you tried to see your father," the taller Xurkitree said, and the smaller one seemed to wince in response.
Avner took sympathy on the smaller Xurkitree, and cowered in the presence of the larger. His big goofy eyes now slightly squinting, and his posture turned slightly to the side. All he could think about was his Rebecca, his north star, and his two kids Lavender and Sage and how much he dearly missed them. He wanted to argue against the other, but held his tongue, fearful of passionate words escaping his beak.
Timoti raised his own head high, displaying a sense of strength in his posture. He did not like the way this situation seemed to be unfolding. The last thing he wanted to do was get in a fight with an electric type, him and Avner both being at a disadvantage. It would be easy for them to get snuffed out. "It does not seem they wish to be rescued." He said to Frannie, hoping she might step up as a Team Leader and do her job. Had something like this ever happened for Rescue Teams before?
Frannie shrank back against Timoti, frightened by the confrontation. But the smaller Xurkitree referring to them as 'Mom' and 'Dad' caught her attention. Hesitantly she stepped away from Timoti and moved towards them.
Meanwhile Gene was frustrated. "We've gone through a bit of trouble ourselves to ensure your safety I'll have you know. Do you really think it best to stay in a treacherous dungeon such as this?"
"Well it is a step up from the Buried Relic Gale requested we meet him in!" the taller Xurkitree argued, sparks rippling out around them.
Frannie flinched at the sight, but continued walking up to them. "I-I don't know what's happened between you, but... but if they want to see their dad I... I-I think you should let them," she said, staring wide eyed up at the Ultra Beast, trembling.
The supposed mother did not seem at all impressed. "And what would you know? Have you ever raised a child?"
"W-w-well, no," Frannie mumbled, her lower lip quivering. "But-but I've lost a parent. Both, actually," she said, glancing at the younger Xurkitree and then away. "So-so I don't think you should make-make them lose their Dad. Not when-not when they don't have to."
"We do not always make the wisest choices in life." Avner said, feathers ruffling from the electrical spike in the air. He was surprised as well to hear Frannie had become orphaned and that she had found the GCSF to help her along in life. "I can attest to that whole heartedly. My name is Avner, ma'dam. This here is Frannie, Gene, and Timoti." He started by introducing themselves, hoping that by humanizing them, this Xurkitree might calm down and listen. "I left my North Star and two kids behind myself, to chase dreams I had forgotten before it was too late. I tie this ribbon to my ankle every day in their memory, hoping that I'll be able to return to them safely once I have accomplished my mission. I cannot speak for Gale, but do you not think he has some shred of remorse for the peril you had been in before?"
It was hard to tell if the Xurkitree mother was swayed or not by Avner's words. While they did not protest they did not say anything in response at all. The clearing was quiet for a moment as they debated, until the child gave a timid "please?". This seemed to shake the mother's resolve letting out a staticy sigh.
"Fine. We will go with you. To see him," she relented.
Frannie gave a sigh of relief and turned to Avner. "That-that was really nice, what you said. Thank-thank you."
Avner turned and whispered back to Frannie, "To be fair, I did not think that that was going to go over so well." He wiped his feathery brow with his wing and waddled back over to Timoti. There was a dull heaviness in his chest after speaking his peace with the Xurkitree. The pain of his reality would not go away, and some days would be better than others. Today would be one of the harder ones.
"Petera can bring the small one down with us, but if you have any idea as to how to get the large one down other than Petera and I returning, then speak now." Timoti inquired.
Gene turned back to the group as Timoti posed his question and noticed the odd air coming off of Avner. He'd not been able to pick up on the whispered shared with Frannie, but given his speech he wondered if such matters were still fresh. To leave his home in order to chase a dream... it was not so unlike Gene's own path, albeit with a little less death involved.
"I have no other solution, you and Petera returning for them would be most helpful," he said, not having planned on encountering the Xurkitree in such an unreachable location. It was fortunate they brought Timoti along and happened to run into Petera. He may have to look into acquiring a large flying type for his own team to help cover such matters.
With that decided, and the Xurkitree seeming to be cooperative, Avner agreed to stay behind and keep the elder company while the others returned to the ship. He was grateful upon their return. Timoti was exhausted and ready to get back to Post Town for some R&R. Petera chose to stay behind at their ancestral home, but Timoti promised to tell the others where to find her so she wouldn’t have to be alone.
Frannie and Gene looked after the young Xurkitree while they waited for the others to return, after which they thanked them profusely for their assistance. They road back to town in companionable, if not awkward silence given the rather personal details that had been shared and the reluctant of certain parties to be meeting up with Gale. Still, they had succeeded in their mission regardless. Another job done.