Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Quenched Torch

Chapter 14: Up and Away

"Sh-sheaugh..."

"Y-yeah, I know, we're... we're almost there..."

The two of us dragged our sweating selves along the long, winding path to Brine's port. The sun had dipped so that it hung above the lake in the distance, sending glaring light into our eyes as we walked. As we averted our eyes from this and trudged into the port's campus, a gust of wind blew my fur back as a familiar Pelipper landed in front of us and quickly saluted.

"Ah, you two! Oi reckon ya came to see the lass and her friends back? You're a couple days early, oi'd say!" Cap'n Brine boomed. Rye stepped up, fidgeting his fingers so hard they turned pale.

"Uh... a-actually, we were wondering if... uh..."

Cap'n Brine gave us as close to a grin as his massive bill could produce as Rye shrunk back, visibly sweating.

"If it's anywhere down the rivah ya wanna go to, oi can-" the captain began.

"W-we need to get to Bassa Village as soon as possible. Guild job," Rye managed to choke out. Cap'n Brine's smile faltered as he looked at us conflictedly.

"Bassa? Hm, that's up north in the desert, if oi remember correctly? Hm, suppose ye want me tah fly ya lads there, then?" he inquired. We reluctantly nodded as Brine cast his gaze down in thought, muttering to himself.

"Hrm, I don't usually floi anyone places, me place is on the water. But oi suppose I still owe the Oshawott fah saving me raft..."

After a few minutes of this, he looked back up at us, his hearty grin returning.

"Alright, oi'll get ye lads there, but only if ya do me a lil' favor," he said.

"Wah?" I questioned. In response, Cap'n Brine pointed a wing out towards the lake, where several large Water-types seemed to be gathered over one spot trying to retrieve something from underwater.

"Last noight, two freighters carryin' ya standard goods 'ere rammed into each other," he explained. We let out small gasps as he chuckled grimly. "No one died, thank goodness fah that, but it's why it 'appened that's got me a bit spooked," he said.

He then gestured us to follow him, leading us to the lighthouse on the water's edge. The tower must have been a good twenty feet tall, and it was made entirely out of large stones and planks crowned by a haphazardly assembled light room. I had no idea how they managed to keep this thing from falling over from the mildest breeze, but through some miracle of engineering, it worked.

'Honestly, why am I even trying to question things around here anymore?'

"Loike most ports in Gray Proper, and the rest o' the world, I assume, we 'ave a resident Pokémon go up and Flash to guide the boats 'round here. Thing is, ours 'appens to be a lil' scattered and left the key inside before his shift last noight. Both doors in are locked and... eh, we don't wanna pay for a new door. We've been tryin' tah get in all day without breakin' the lighthouse itself. No luck," Cap'n Brine continued. Understanding dawned on us as he looked at us expectantly.

"...w-why do you even have a door? No one uses those!" Rye said after a minute.

"Lad, you're from a noice town where ya don' have to worry 'bout that kinda malarkey. You 'ave no oidea how many 'mon like to go in and mess with Flaaffy while he's on duty. Better safe than sorry," Brine defended. Rye groaned in response.

"Isn't there another way, sir?"

"Sorry, but I won't be flyin' you two till ya find a way to go in and unlock the loighthouse."