PMD: EoA Intermission Pre-Expedition

Chapter 15.5: Marrowak’s Dojo

“Tyrone?”
…
“Tyrone!”
……
“Tyrone, please wake up!”
………
DING-A-LING!
I grumbled at the soft but firm ringing noise, and opened my eyes. Whatever it was, I was not in the mood to work today.
“Ugh. Pablo, could you get that? Tell them we’re unavailable or something.”
No answer.
“Fine, don’t. Roy, can you…?”
My eyes widened when I saw Roy with his waist wrapped in bandages. It looked like he’d gotten seriously hurt. Like he was severely burned…
That wasn’t Roy.
Wait, a minute. Pablo. I quickly sat up and looked to his bed, hoping…
No one there.
That’s right. Roy’s sister was still sick. And Pablo was still gone.
“Tyrone…”
I sat up and turned to the only other apparent pokémon in the room.
“Chimeco?” I realized out loud. “What are you doing in here?”
“I came to wake you up.” She answered simply. “You boys have been through way too much recently, so we’ve let you sleep in for the last few days. I even convinced Loudred to let me wake you instead. You look like you needed a more peaceful sleep for a change.”
“Yeah…I guess. Thanks for being quiet, Chimeco.”
Sleep. Yeah, as if that would make me feel better. How long had Pablo been gone since the incident? A few days? A whole week? I’d lost track of time since he left. And despite taking his place, I hadn’t done that much work, no more than one low-ranking job a day. I was probably scared, again. Scared knowing that I didn’t have a partner to give me the courage to try harder.
“Nnnngh…No, I don’t wanna work. Go away…”
“It’s okay, Roy.” Chimeco said to the Shinx lying next to Dahlia. “No one is forcing you to work, today. Go ahead and sleep some more with your sister if you need to.”
He gave another grunt, and rolled over, wrapping a paw around said sibling.
Roy didn’t take it so well either. He didn’t even do any jobs with me. Most of the time, he was in our room, with Dhallia, hoping somehow she would turn out okay. And when he wasn’t there, he was in Spinda’s Café, probably attempting to drown his misery in berry drinks. Yesterday, he drank enough to the point of vomiting, and almost became intoxicated. Either way, it was probably going to be a while before he could stand on his four feet again.
“C’mon.” I whispered to Chimeco. “Let’s move outside. We don’t want to disturb them.”
She nodded, waited for me to pick up the bag along with my Sun Scarf, and followed me out.

“I’m really sorry this had to happen to you…”
“No, no. I don’t need pity.” I tried to dismiss, stopping in the middle of the hall. “I’m the leader of Team Sunstars now, so I have to take responsibility for the group.”
“Frankly, I don’t think you’ve been doing a good-enough job, so far.” Chimecho reminded me. “Besides, it’s not about that.”
I sighed in defeat, and let her speak. Why was it so hard for me to act independent now?
“Look.” She continued. “I’m aware you’re upset, you don’t have to tell me. But it’s not just you who is hurting. The whole guild is starting to feel the effects of Pablo’s absence, day by day.”
“Doesn’t look like it to me.” I huffed.
“Are you sure?” Chimeco said. “I’ve certainly seen some changes. For instance, Bidoof’s appetite has dropped greatly since the incident. He barely eats as much as a single apple at dinner, now.”
"Maybe he just isn't hungry." I muttered.
"That wouldn’t be the case if you didn’t eat enough fruit for more than three days in a row."
I didn't reply.
“Diglett has been more alert at his post recently.” Chimeco went on. “Even when dinner is served, or after the day has ended, he remains at his post. It’s as though Diglett is anticipating your friend’s return, should he ever.”
“…Really?”
Chimecho nodded, then continued. “Corphish doesn’t talk as fast as usual, and whenever he does, it’s often just three words at most. Sunflora has been less than her usual bright self as of late, and has even confided in me of her guilt, believing she, as well as the other guildmates who witnessed Pablo’s assault, were responsible for driving him away.”
“What about Chatot?” I asked, without thinking.
“Oddly enough, Chatot has also been showing signs of worry as well.” She answered. “He’s been more on-edge, despite acting optimistic, and either remains outside the guildmaster’s door, or in his room. He hasn’t spoken to anyone either, save for the announcements and morning cheers. He must be thinking about your friend, just as much as you are.”
…Wow. I didn’t think everyone was that worried! I guess I was too upset to notice, so it was partially my fault for being unaware.
“That’s not to say everyone in the guild is concerned about Pablo.” Chimeco admitted. “They must have more important things to do. But, you shouldn’t worry about them. Right now, your priority should be working as hard as you can for the expedition.”
“…”
Chimeco sensed my doubt, and gave me a compassionate smile. “Please, Tyrone. I know it seems bleak right now. But we all are feeling the same pain you’re currently going through. And right now, the last thing we would want to see is one of our own becoming depressed. It’s times like this where you have to keep your head held high, and greet every day with a smile while doing the best you can.”
“…You really mean that?”
“Of course I do!” Chimeco beamed. “Besides, I’m confident that Pablo will come back to us. That’s certainly something to be cheerful for, isn’t it?”
I looked down at the floor, mulling it over for a bit.
Pablo…what was it he said to me before he left?
“I just don’t like to see you give up like that. When it feels hopeless, sometimes you have to figure out what’s right on your own. You gotta learn to pull through by yourself when there’s no one around to help you.
“…Look. I know you feel like the unluckiest kid on the planet. But you’re the only other drive that can keep the team going, no matter what. I trust you enough to make that decision.”
Why did Pablo choose me, anyway? It’s not like I was any better at it. I was such a coward, the only reason I didn’t act that way was because of him. If it hadn’t been for him, I’d still be as cowardly as ever! It’s not like he was ever afraid of any—!
Wait…
Could...could it be that…Pablo was scared, too? Scared of what he’d done, and the retaliation he’d received because of it? Was he just as scared as…me…?
...Maybe that’s why he chose me to lead the team before he left. Because he was scared…and there was no one else he could trust more to do that for him.
“…You’re right.” I finally said, looking at the badge in my hand. “I shouldn’t just be moping like this. Pablo wouldn’t want that. If he hadn’t been so angry, he would want us do our best, regardless of this expedition.”
I looked up at Chimeco.
“Even if he doesn’t come back, that shouldn’t stop me from trying my hardest. So, I’m going to keep going, and I’m going to give my best performance each and every day. And the first step is picking up where Pablo left off, as the team’s current leader!”
“There! That’s the spirit!” Chimeco rang. I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm.
“And I’m sorry I’ve been upset to everyone else.” I admitted. “I’ll keep working hard for them, too. Thanks for cheering me up, Chimeco!”
“That’s what friends are for.” Chimecho chirped. “Now, better hurry along, before all the best-ranked jobs get taken!”

“Tyrone?”
Ayane was waiting for me near Croagunk’s work station, her tail wrapped around her legs.
“Hey, Ayane.” I waved, walking over to her.
“Um...Are you feeling any better?” She asked hesitantly, looking up at me with her eyes full of worry.
“It’s okay. I feel much better, now. Chimeco helped me out with that already.” I replied, patting her head.
“Okay...but please don’t shut us out again, and let us help next time.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” I reassured her. “Now, let’s get to work, today!”
“What about Roy? Is he coming, too?” Ayane asked, looking around me.
“I…don’t see that happening.” I sweatdropped a little. “At least, not right now. Don’t worry about it. He’ll be ready to work when he’s ready. In the meantime, let’s do our own work for today.”
“Okay!”

After selecting a decent amount of jobs, I figured it would be a good idea to give Ayane a tour through Treasure Town, in case she ever got lost. She was certainly more upbeat than I was, keeping ahead of me most of the way (despite being told to stay close to me at all times).
“Could you slow down a bit?” I asked, catching up to her as she skipped merrily down the steps from the guild. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She stood on front of the entrance to Spinda’s Café, then bounced off towards town the minute I caught up. I swear, she couldn’t sit still for five minutes.
“Ayane!” I called out, going after her again. “You don’t know where you’re going—?”
Something caught my eye as I rushed past Duskull’s Bank, and I skid to a halt. Walking a few steps backward, I noticed a large rock now standing next to Chansey’s Daycare.
…Huh. Never noticed that here, before. Who would put a rock in the middle of town?
“Tyrone?” Ayane came scampering back when she saw me stop. “What’s the matter?”
“…Tell me something, has that boulder always been there?” I asked, still looking at the structure.
Ayane looked with me, and tilted her head. “I don’t know. I just thought that was always there.”
“No. It definitely wasn’t here, before.” I replied, moving towards it. “Either that, or I’ve been too busy to notice.”
Still, even if it had been there, something seemed different about it now. Without another word, I went down the path that led around the structure—and realized it was another building, one with a Marrowak skull above the entrance, and feathered bones on either side of it.
“Ooooh!” Ayane went ahead of me again, stopping before the entrance with big gleaming eyes. “I wonder what’s in here!”
“W-wait, Ayane! I’m not sure if this place is open to the public.” I warned her. “Besides, we can’t just barge in uninvited. We don’t know what’s going on in there!”
“We could at least take a look.” She replied. “It’s not like we have to buy anything.”
“Well, yeah! But…”
“Is it because you’re scared?” She finished for me. “It’s okay if you are. We don’t have to go in if you don’t want to.”
Maybe I was scared. Just a bit. But this time, Pablo wasn’t here with us, so it wouldn’t do any good if I chickened out, now.
“No, no. It’s okay.” I answered. “I’m just a little cautious, that’s all. I guess taking a peak wouldn’t hurt.”
“Then let’s go!” Ayane chirped, and before I could stop either of us, she was already inside.

“…!”
A brown dinosaur, doning a skull helmet, turned to see the two of us enter.
“V-visitors?” The pokémon’s eyes widened instantly. “F-finaly! M-my…my first visitors!”
“First?”
The pokémon approached us, holding a long thick bone club at his side.
“Welcome to the Marowak Dojo!” He greeted. “This is my place, dedicated to the training of all exploration teams!”
“Wait a minute.” I replied. “If this is for training exploration teams, then why wasn’t this around when I joined Wigglytuff’s guild?”
“Well, that’s the thing.” The pokémon—Marrowak, obviously—said in a less excited voice. “Because Wigglytuff’s guild became the common spot for training new exploration teams, the dojo was rendered obsolete. It fell to rack and ruin, and then to a pile of rubble…BUT!”
The sudden emphasis on that last word almost made us jump. “With time, long tiring work, and lots of rock, I’ve restored it to its former glory! Only—“
Marrowak turned away from us, and finished sheepishly, “—I haven’t had any visitors, so far. Not even one…it saddened me down to my very marrow…”
“Hey! Cheer up!” Ayane piped. “We’re an exploration team. We can be your very first trainees! Right, Tyrone?”
The question hit me like a brick. Training was one thing, but training here AND doing guild work at the same time? Something about it seemed too stressful for me. “Wait, wait! I never agreed to—“
“Oh, c’mon, Tyrone!” Ayane begged. “We’re not causing any harm by training here. And we could get a lot stronger if we do!”
“I dunno…” I started, but Ayane kept going. “What about Pablo? He might come back, and if he saw how much you improved leading the team after all that training, he’d be really impressed!”
Yeah, he definitely would be impressed if he did come back...something in my mind said this wasn’t necessary, but ultimately, I decided to brush it off. Maybe training here WOULD be able to prove that, maybe even prepare me to take the roll completely if I had to. Or, it could at least ease my conscience for the time being.
“…Alright, why not?” I finally concluded. “Maybe I can learn a thing or two here.”
Marrowak beamed at the answer. “Then you’re definitely in the right place. It’s wonderful to have you as my first customers! Heck, you don’t need to pay me, just training here is all I ask!”
“Yay!” Ayane cheered, hopping up once. “This will be so much fun!”
“Yeah…I’m sure it will.” I said, finally smiling, and gave a bow to Marrowak. “So, where do we get started, Sensei?”

The rest of our day was spent there, training in Marrowak’s dojo. Me and Ayane both went through exercises made to sharpen offense, defense and stamina. I even got to spar with Marrowak himself, and got to use one of the bone clubs for staff practice. This would certainly come in handy soon.
The dojo itself was actually a lot more elaborate that it looked on the outside; there were multiple mystery dungeon mazes connected underground, all having five floors, and each with one or two specific types of pokémon. These weren’t the regular dungeons we were used to; all our items disappeared once we went in, so we had to make sure all the important ones were put away before we began there. Any items we found in those dungeons were ours to keep, even if we fainted in the dungeons. They weren’t for farming items so much as training your type and stats.
Right now, I was by myself in the Electric-Steel-type Maze, chewing on the last of my cherri berry to get the paralysis out. Seriously, though, why did all of those Magmemite have the Sturdy ability?
“It’s like that ability only exists to hinder your progress.” I mumbled to myself. “That’s all it’s been doing for me, so far.”
I was probably going to regret saying that. There were about five of them waiting for me when I reached the stairs to the exit, each buzzing madly with raw electricity.
“I don’t suppose you’re going to let me by?” I asked, preparing a fighting stance. The Magnemites said nothing, and started moving towards me.
“I thought so.” And I charged at one with Force Palm.
Again, it had the Sturdy ability. I was forced to switch to a defensive stance as the opposing pokémon all used random metal sounds and sonic booms on me. They hardly did any damage, but man, were they annoying! At this rate, I’d never make it out of here without having to go through those things.
If only I had something to fend them off with. I could’ve learned a ground-type move, but those were so rare as TMs these days. Maybe a weapon, something like a bone—
Something twitched in my paw. I looked at it, and saw I wasn’t holding anything. What was that about? Whatever, I said I needed something for those pesky Magnemite, a ground-type move, something like a bone—
Another twitch. I swear, I wasn’t holding anything. It was like every time I said the word ground, or bone—!
Hold on.
“…Bone.”
Another twitch, this time a little stronger than before.
“Bone.”
And again.
“Bone!”
Even more, now!
“BONE!” I commanded out loud, linking my clenched paws together. Sure enough, I felt something warm grow in my hands, extending from either side, until I was holding a glowing blue bone in them. It was almost identical to Marrowak’s Bone Club, only this one was as long as a bo staff. It was Bone Rush!
Now I got it! I’d memorized the appearance of Marrowak’s Bone Club, and the attacks he could use with it. So, if I transmitted that memory into my aura, I could form it into that kind of weapon!
And now, it was time to put it to good use!
Without warning, I rushed towards the swarm of Magnemite, striking at each one left and right with my newfound attack. Whether or not they had the Sturdy ability didn’t matter, anymore; Bone Rush was able to hit its target multiple times in one go. And since they were close together, it was easy to hit two or three Magnemite at once with each blow. It was only after I knocked the last Magnemite out of my way that I saw the path to the stairs was free.
“Phew! Well, that was fun.” I sighed, wiping the sweat from my forehead before heading up the stairs. “Wait until Pablo hears about th—“
I felt my voice die in my throat at the name, and stopped in my tracks. The bone quickly faded when I thought about my partner, until it completely disappeared from my grip.
Pablo…man, I’d been working so hard at the dojo, I never stopped to think about him.
Where was he, now? He had no idea where to go on his own. Was he safe? I know he was tough enough to hold his own. On his own, though…? Was he still thinking about us?
I wonder if he even missed us at all…
No. He had to. It wouldn’t be like him to just shut himself out from the guild completely. Surely, he had to be missing us. He’d definitely miss me.
“Pablo…I don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, right now…but, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I hope you come back soon. Until then…I’ll be sure to keep going. I’ll keep trying to the very end. For the guild, for my friends...and for you.”
After giving myself a few minutes to recuperate, I finally ascended the stairs, back to the dojo.

“Wow!” Ayane’s eyes sparkled when she saw me summon my Bone Staff. “That looks so cool!”
“I know, right?” I replied, letting the tool dissipate again. “I never knew my species could use that move, at this stage!”
“…It’s neat.”
Roy didn’t look too impressed. He didn’t even look that positive. (Then again, he’d just been dragged out of our room.)
Right now, the three of us were killing any remaining time on the 2nd floor of the guild. Ayane and I had spent almost all day at the dojo, traversing the mazes and honing our moves. By the time we were about done, it was less than an hour before dinner. (And boy, were we starving!)
“You know, you could try being a little more positive, once in a while.” I said to Roy. He merely gave me a flat glare.
“It’s been hard for you, I get that.” I sighed. “But now’s not the time to get bummed out, not when we’ve got something big ahead of us.”
“And how’s that going to help?” He pouted. “You heard Chatot. We don’t have a chance to go on the expedition anymore.”
“Okay, I know he didn’t say that.” I corrected him. “He said our chances were slim. That doesn’t mean we don’t have a chance at all!”
“But I’m still so angry!” Roy suddenly shouted. “First, we get pushed around by those jerks, then my sister ends up getting severely burned, and now—”
He was forced to stop ranting when he broke into another coughing fit, and I had to pat his back until it stopped. Once he'd recovered, Roy's face turned to worry for a brief moment before he looked at the ground beneath him.
“Roy…” Ayane whispered.
“I’m sorry. I just…I don’t know what to think, now.” He sighed.
I knew that this would be the part where Pablo gave emotional morale to us whenever we were in a slump like this. It must’ve been part of what made a good leader for any exploration team. And right now—I was the only one who could provide for him.
“Don’t worry.” I soothed, putting a paw on Roy’s shoulder. “Your sister’s going to be fine. Once we figure out a way to help her, we'll have her fixed up faster than you can say Magical Master Magikarp.”
“…I sure hope so…” He said quietly.
“Everyone! Dinner’s ready ~!”
“Finally! I’ll see you two, there!”
I looked to Ayane as she quickly frolicked in Chimeco’s general direction, and gave Roy a pat on the back. “C’mon. I’m sure you’ll feel a lot better after you eat.”
“Alright.”
He then looked up at me with some hope in his eyes. “Hey, Ty?”
“Yeah?”
“…Don’t give up either, okay?”
I couldn’t help but smile, and gave him a thumbs up. “No problem.”