Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Twisted Space

4: Nothing to Fear

Fallen stood in front of the Alliance base. His head tilted backwards, not to bask in the tent's grandeur, but because he was deterred by the ho-oh's acute stare. It petrified him to see those burning eyes reach into his soul and judge his character. It probably realized that Fallen was not truly a pokémon, and was preparing several ways to destroy the atrocity that stood before him.

Vigil and Waver finally caught up to the treecko. They were both rather on-edge after their argument just moments ago. Fallen, with some help from Vigil, did his best to keep his secret from Waver, but he continuously pushed them. It would only be a matter of time before he found out that Fallen was once a human.

Waver stepped in front of the two pokémon. "Shall we?" he gestured them inside.

Fallen and Vigil followed the jigglypuff into the Alliance base. At first, all the two saw was the wooden balcony that they stood upon, the tent covers encasing the ground around them. There was also a wooden railing that kept any Pokémon from the edge. Vigil wondered what the fence was put up for, so he ran towards it.

The siding was taller than the sentret, allowing him to sneak on all fours to the edge of the cliff. He looked down and saw dozens, maybe even hundreds of pokémon congregating below. Several tunnels branched out in different directions, but all of them returned to the central area directly underneath Vigil and the others.

Vigil, still entranced by the breadth of the Alliance, turned to his treecko friend, "Fallen! You have to see this!"

Fallen cast the sentret a baffled glance, then followed him to the edge. Too short to be supported by the railing, he mimicked Vigil and lay down just over the lip.

The treecko quickly slithered away from the cliff, dismayed by the depth of the base. Memories of falling from the sky haunted him, urging him to turn back and stay far away from the tent.

"Over here, guys," Waver called.

Fallen turned to the jigglypuff, who was gesturing towards a staircase hidden in the peripherals of the tent entrance. No wonder they didn't see it when they first walked in. Unless they scanned the room in its entirety, they never would've spotted it until they started leaving.

Waver took notice of the treecko's quivering gaze, "Why do you look so nervous, Fallen? This place ring any bells?"

Fallen immediately shook off the distress, "Staring down there reminded me of yesterday, that's all."

"You fell from a tree, right? Don't tell me you're scared of heights after one fall."

Fallen scowled, "No, I'm not afraid of heights. I'm afraid of nearly dying again."

It took so much effort for Fallen to forge lies for Waver. He contemplated just telling the jigglypuff everything, just to get him to stop pressing for answers. He decided against it with the belief that telling him could ruin everything. They were in a place where Waver could easily report such a phenomenon. Fallen didn't want that. He just wanted to return home without any trouble, wherever home may have been.

"Right," Waver rolled his eyes. "Well, let's get going. You too Vigil!"

Vigil's head popped up from the edge. He scurried over to the others, eagerly awaiting the marvels that lay below.

As they descended the stairs, the three of them became engulfed by the sounds of pokémon under them. Their chatter drowned the air around them, as if they were back on the streets of Amethyst City. The balcony seemed to be the only reprieve from the tumultuous city life, a reticence that Fallen yearned desperately for.

When they reached the bottom, Waver guided them through the tunnel directly across from the foot of the stairwell. Vigil walked by Waver's side, and Fallen followed from behind. The corridor was tight, big enough for only two large pokémon to walk side by side. The walls were dug out in a smooth stone arch and painted a bright crimson with a golden trim where the floor and wall met. Torches were mounted high above the ceiling, providing ample light from their odd cerulean flames.