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Description
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: When Worlds Collide
A Fan Novel by Nitrinoxus

Chapter 7: Aether Base

Ginji led the group out to the far west edge of town, where the greenery dropped off into a cliff high above the ocean. The road ended abruptly before reaching the cliff edge. Ash and his friends looked off towards the ocean, awestruck by the view.
"Amazing view, isn't it?" Ginji said behind them. "If we check back in a little while, we might catch a glimpse of the bubbles the Krabby clan blow from down by the beach around sunset. But for now…" He wheeled the cart over to the end of the cobblestone path, stopping in the middle of the clearing. Suddenly, the ground beneath him started to vibrate. "Let's head inside," Ginji said, beckoning to the others. They came closer, looking about nervously.
"Elevator going down!" Ginji said as a large circular area of the clearing lowered into the ground. "Next stop: Aether Base!" The elevator didn't have to travel very far; right beneath the clearing they had been in was a room hewn into the cliff face. As the lift ground to a stop, an Empoleon stepped into the room.
"Welcome back, Ginji," he said, sounding more than a little angry. It was obvious that he was struggling to stay calm. "So, who are our surprise guests THIS time?" Ginji stepped to one side and pulled the cart out of the room without a word.
"HEY!" Empoleon shouted after him. "Aren't you at least going to tell me who-" He turned around, seeing Ash and company. "Oh… Oh." Empoleon was starting to get the picture. "Oh, no. No, no, no." "Empoleon…" Ginji sighed from the other room, but his partner wasn't listening. "Nonononono. No, no, NO!" "Empoleon…" came another groan through the curtain that hung over the door. "Ginji, need I remind you of what happened the LAST time a human came here?" Empoleon said lividly. "Hey, for the record, I didn't cause any of those catastrophes by coming here!" Ginji snapped back through the curtain.
"And what if…" Empoleon trailed off. He pondered his partner's comeback, realizing he had nothing to counter that. "Good point," he said, defeated.
Ginji stepped back into the room. "They've got no other place to stay," he said, walking over to their houseguests. "And besides, I owe these guys for helping me get Team Aura back here safely. Oh, but where are my manners! I forgot the introductions." He indicated each of the guests one by one.
"This is Ash Ketchum, an old friend of mine who grew up in Pallet Town in Kanto. This is his long-time friend and partner, Pikachu. That's Brock, a Gym Leader from Pewter City, Kanto. Over there is Max, from Petalburg City in Hoenn. And last is Dawn, from the small town of Sandgem in Sinnoh."
Ginji turned to his partner. "Everyone, this is Empoleon, my partner throughout my travels on and off this island." "Hello, everyone," Empoleon said. "I apologize for being so aggressive earlier. Everyone in town has been a little on edge as of late, you see." He started towards a door behind him; opening it, he motioned for the others to follow him. "Come on in," Empoleon said as delightful smells wafted through the open door. "Dinner's ready!"
Heading through the door, Ash and his friends found themselves in a cavernous dining room, lit by a chandelier covered in glowing crystals. A massive stone table stood in the middle of the room, with two pillars at either end that served as stools. Empoleon pulled up another two seats on the far side of the table, and exited through another door. Ginji set another stool and a large wooden bench on the side closest to them. "Better grab a seat," Ginji said, sitting on one of the stone pillars. "They're going fast!"
Ash and Pikachu hopped up on the bench, with Dawn on the stool next to Pikachu. Max and Brock sat opposite them. "So, Ginji," Ash said, looking up at his host, "you and Empoleon actually live here?" "Yeah," Ginji replied with a smirk. "We've lived here since we graduated from the Explorer's Guild. The first room you saw was the only one that was here at first; we've financed a few expansions since then." The door opened, and Empoleon waddled back in, carrying two dishes. He set one down at the open spot at the far end of the table and slid the other down to Ginji. The bowl slid to a stop in front of Ginji, who looked from it to his partner, back to the bowl, then to his guests, and back at Empoleon.
"What?" Empoleon shrugged. "We both had a long day today, so I recruited some help in the kitchen." The kitchen door opened again, and out floated a Metang and a trio of Beldum. The Metang placed the two bowls it was carrying in front of Max and Brock, and the Beldums each dropped a bowl off in front of Ash, Pikachu, and Dawn. The four Steel-type waiters then floated back into the kitchen.
"All right, everyone," Empoleon said, "eat up while it's hot!" "Sounds like an invitation to me!" said Pikachu, promptly burying his face into his bowl. Ash elbowed him. "Pikachu!" "Hey, it's all right!" Ginji chuckled. "It's kinda hard for etiquette to apply when you don't have opposable thumbs! Now dig in; you guys must be starving!"

Description
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: When Worlds Collide
A Fan Novel by Nitrinoxus

Chapter 7: Aether Base

Ginji led the group out to the far west edge of town, where the greenery dropped off into a cliff high above the ocean. The road ended abruptly before reaching the cliff edge. Ash and his friends looked off towards the ocean, awestruck by the view.
"Amazing view, isn't it?" Ginji said behind them. "If we check back in a little while, we might catch a glimpse of the bubbles the Krabby clan blow from down by the beach around sunset. But for now…" He wheeled the cart over to the end of the cobblestone path, stopping in the middle of the clearing. Suddenly, the ground beneath him started to vibrate. "Let's head inside," Ginji said, beckoning to the others. They came closer, looking about nervously.
"Elevator going down!" Ginji said as a large circular area of the clearing lowered into the ground. "Next stop: Aether Base!" The elevator didn't have to travel very far; right beneath the clearing they had been in was a room hewn into the cliff face. As the lift ground to a stop, an Empoleon stepped into the room.
"Welcome back, Ginji," he said, sounding more than a little angry. It was obvious that he was struggling to stay calm. "So, who are our surprise guests THIS time?" Ginji stepped to one side and pulled the cart out of the room without a word.
"HEY!" Empoleon shouted after him. "Aren't you at least going to tell me who-" He turned around, seeing Ash and company. "Oh… Oh." Empoleon was starting to get the picture. "Oh, no. No, no, no." "Empoleon…" Ginji sighed from the other room, but his partner wasn't listening. "Nonononono. No, no, NO!" "Empoleon…" came another groan through the curtain that hung over the door. "Ginji, need I remind you of what happened the LAST time a human came here?" Empoleon said lividly. "Hey, for the record, I didn't cause any of those catastrophes by coming here!" Ginji snapped back through the curtain.
"And what if…" Empoleon trailed off. He pondered his partner's comeback, realizing he had nothing to counter that. "Good point," he said, defeated.
Ginji stepped back into the room. "They've got no other place to stay," he said, walking over to their houseguests. "And besides, I owe these guys for helping me get Team Aura back here safely. Oh, but where are my manners! I forgot the introductions." He indicated each of the guests one by one.
"This is Ash Ketchum, an old friend of mine who grew up in Pallet Town in Kanto. This is his long-time friend and partner, Pikachu. That's Brock, a Gym Leader from Pewter City, Kanto. Over there is Max, from Petalburg City in Hoenn. And last is Dawn, from the small town of Sandgem in Sinnoh."
Ginji turned to his partner. "Everyone, this is Empoleon, my partner throughout my travels on and off this island." "Hello, everyone," Empoleon said. "I apologize for being so aggressive earlier. Everyone in town has been a little on edge as of late, you see." He started towards a door behind him; opening it, he motioned for the others to follow him. "Come on in," Empoleon said as delightful smells wafted through the open door. "Dinner's ready!"
Heading through the door, Ash and his friends found themselves in a cavernous dining room, lit by a chandelier covered in glowing crystals. A massive stone table stood in the middle of the room, with two pillars at either end that served as stools. Empoleon pulled up another two seats on the far side of the table, and exited through another door. Ginji set another stool and a large wooden bench on the side closest to them. "Better grab a seat," Ginji said, sitting on one of the stone pillars. "They're going fast!"
Ash and Pikachu hopped up on the bench, with Dawn on the stool next to Pikachu. Max and Brock sat opposite them. "So, Ginji," Ash said, looking up at his host, "you and Empoleon actually live here?" "Yeah," Ginji replied with a smirk. "We've lived here since we graduated from the Explorer's Guild. The first room you saw was the only one that was here at first; we've financed a few expansions since then." The door opened, and Empoleon waddled back in, carrying two dishes. He set one down at the open spot at the far end of the table and slid the other down to Ginji. The bowl slid to a stop in front of Ginji, who looked from it to his partner, back to the bowl, then to his guests, and back at Empoleon.
"What?" Empoleon shrugged. "We both had a long day today, so I recruited some help in the kitchen." The kitchen door opened again, and out floated a Metang and a trio of Beldum. The Metang placed the two bowls it was carrying in front of Max and Brock, and the Beldums each dropped a bowl off in front of Ash, Pikachu, and Dawn. The four Steel-type waiters then floated back into the kitchen.
"All right, everyone," Empoleon said, "eat up while it's hot!" "Sounds like an invitation to me!" said Pikachu, promptly burying his face into his bowl. Ash elbowed him. "Pikachu!" "Hey, it's all right!" Ginji chuckled. "It's kinda hard for etiquette to apply when you don't have opposable thumbs! Now dig in; you guys must be starving!"