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Well, here it is, after years of planning here is the introduction to Clear Skies!
I guess you could call this a 5th anniversary celebration to Poke-Air (Having started back in 2014). The aim of Clear Skies is to create a story with the characters in a way where there doesn't need much context going in so hopefully anyone can enjoy it!
Either way, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! More will be on the way soon!!
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Clear Skies Part 1.
Discovery.
“Thank you for doing this for Alto, Mabel.”
The setting sun shone over a small airstrip in Unova’s Mistralton City. Outside the entrance, Two Pokémon were having a conversation. A bipedal Sylveon with shorter ribbons, a pair of sky-blue framed glasses, and pink hair that trailed down to his neck handed a Gardevoir a box with two bags on top of it. The Gardevoir’s dress was absent, instead replaced with what resembled a pair of bellbottomed trousers. The green markings on her upper body was also different too, resembling a shirt with the sleeves reaching just above her elbows, showing off her white forearms and hands. She also had her hair shorter than normal, the sides just overlapping her jawline. The Gardevoir presented herself as a more casual and sportier Pokémon as opposed to the elegant and graceful appearance that one would expect.
“It’s not a problem, Travis! You’ve done a lot for me, and Poke-Air. I think it’s time that I returned the favour too!” The Gardevoir replied with a warm smile. Travis grinned warmly.
“I see. Still, to offer such a thing to him means a lot. To me, and to Alto.” He replied.
Mabel giggled as she started to turn back to the building. “Alright then! I’ll see you tomorrow, Travis!” The Gardevoir skipped off with the stuff she had received. Travis waved her goodbye before gazing at the setting sun.
“I know that this will be unexpected. But I do hope you enjoy your day buddy.” He said quietly to himself.
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“You can open your eyes now!”
Two Pokémon stood outside the airstrip from the previous day. The morning sun casting a soft light against it. Travis guided a slightly younger looking Pokémon to a sign; the other Pokémon was a bipedal Alolan Vulpix. Like Travis, the Pokémon stood upright, their tail trailing down behind their legs, and the fringe of their hair almost overlapping one of their eyes.
The Vulpix opened their eyes a little, squinting to regain his focus. As their vision started to clear, they noticed the sign that he was standing in front of, the Vulpix began to read what it said aloud. “Poké-Air. Why does this sound familiar?”. The Vulpix perked as they saw the rest, quickly turning to the Sylveon, a big grin on the fairy type’s face as he was barely able to contain his excitement for the Vulpix.
“Happy Birthday, Alto! Here’s my present to you!” The Sylveon said with a laugh. Alto was understandably flustered, and startled by the situation he found himself in.
“This is a joke, right? You seriously booked me in to go skydiving?” The Vulpix looked around frantically, trying to find any hint that he was being pranked. “You’re serious, Travis?” he asked again as the realisation that this wasn’t a joke started to settle in.
The Sylveon gave a chuckle over the surprised Vulpix. “Well, you know Mabel. That Gardevoir that visits our shop often?” Travis paused waiting for an answer, the Vulpix nodding a little, still processing the situation. “Well, this is her workplace!” Travis grinned again, perking as he noticed someone behind Alto. “Oh! Speaking of, here she is!”
Alto turned around. Outside the door was Mabel, holding a balloon reading “Happy Birthday”, handing it over to Alto with a giggle as he instinctively held on to the ribbon with a trembling grasp. Mabel saw Travis smile and give a nod as she continued.
“Tandem skydive party for Alto and Travis?” The Gardevoir asked with a smile. She looked at the Sylveon who suddenly had an uneasy expression as he tried to form a coherent sentence, unsure if the Gardevoir was joking. Travis’ surprise made Alto giggle faintly. Before Travis could respond, the Gardevoir approached him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Just kidding!” She grinned as the Sylveon sighed in relief.
“I think that one time was enough for me. Never again” Travis said, relieved that his friend was just joking. After regaining his composure with a quiet sigh, he looked over to Alto with a grin.
The Gardevoir giggled before turning her attention to Alto again, smiling softly. “Hey Alto, happy birthday!”
Despite the quiet panic that he faced, Alto smiled warmly over the birthday wish. “Thank you, Mabel.” He replied quietly, looking up at the balloon he received as it idly swayed above him. The Vulpix glanced at Travis “I guess Travis booked me in?”
Mabel nodded for a moment. “Well, more like Travis mentioned that you were turning eighteen, and he didn’t know what to do. So, I offered to pull a few strings to get you in.” She grinned merrily, noticing the Vulpix’s surprise over the act. “You know, my first jump was on my eighteenth too. So, I wanted to continue that tradition somehow. Think of it as a way of saying thank you for being such awesome Pokémon to do business with!”
The Sylveon and Vulpix looked at each other, unable to hold back a smile over the compliment. “And it’s always a pleasure doing business with you too Mabel!” Travis replied, grinning as he wrapped his own arm against Mabel’s shoulders. The two of them sharing a small chuckle. The Sylveon glanced over to Alto, then back at Mabel. “So, Mabel. How about we get the birthday boy here ready to have his birthday present?” He asked, smiling happily at the Vulpix.
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Some time had passed since Mabel led the two guests inside, after having signed Alto’s paperwork and explaining several things to him about what was going to happen during the ride, they proceeded with the final preparations for the experience. Mabel was waiting outside the male changing room, having already gotten prepared. She wore a forest green jumpsuit with white sleeves for the arms and legs. The suit was also designed to accommodate her chest spike as it poked out of an opening in the suit. Her right shoulder had a patch on it designed to resemble a love ball themed balloon with a string trailing underneath it as it curled inward, presumably as an identifier of who the suit belonged to. By her side was a helmet with a camera attached to it, and her own personal parachute. Mabel had agreed to film the jump as a surprise bonus for the trip. Mabel perked as she heard a familiar voice once again.
“Hey, Mabel. How do I look?” The Gardevoir glanced over. The Vulpix was outside the male changing room. He was wearing a pink jumpsuit with white legs and arms, his long tail poked out of an opening on the back of the suit for his own comfort. The right shoulder bore the symbol of a Pokéball suspended by a red and white parachute, a pair of clear goggles rested on his forehead, almost sinking into his cloudy hair. Over the suit was a black harness that would be used to secure him in for the jump ahead, his balloon from earlier was given to Travis since he couldn’t jump with it. The Vulpix looked understandably nervous about what was ahead of him, his legs trembled a little, almost looking like he was about to fall over.
The Gardevoir grinned as she got up, “You’re looking awesome, Alto!” She checked the harness that he had put on, after a brief check, the Gardevoir looked at Alto, a surprised look on her face. “And I have to say, you did well with the harness! I’m impressed!” Alto blushed a little at the compliment. He then perked as he felt some straps tighten up a little. “Don’t worry, just making sure you are secure in it.” Mabel added reassuringly as she used psychic on each strap to double check that Alto really was secured inside. Once satisfied she grinned again. “Come on, let’s introduce you to your tandem master!”
Mabel slung her parachute over her shoulder, grabbing her helmet too as she used her other hand to hold Alto’s paw, taking him to meet the one he would jump with.
Passing through the door to the hangar Alto was reunited with Travis, who was having a conversation with a Lopunny, Alto’s balloon tied to the Sylveon’s paw for safekeeping. The Lopunny wore a similar jump suit to Alto, with the exception that the pink on her suit was replaced with a shade of purple. Her emblem appeared to be a silhouette of an Ambipom’s tail hand. Travis glanced over at the newcomers and waved excitedly. The Lopunny, noticed that Travis’ attention shifted some place else, and turned around to see what caught his attention. Perking and smiling happily as she noticed Mabel and Alto.
“Oh! You must be Alto? Hey there!” The Lopunny ran over, stopping in front of the Vulpix, offering her paw to shake. “My name’s Mimi, I’ll be the one you’re jumping with today!” The Lopunny grinned enthusiastically as Alto shook her paw.
“I get the feeling that that you and Mimi may have some things in common. So, I asked if she could go with you today, having someone to relate to and all that!” Mabel explained, smiling warmly. “Years ago, Mimi used to be nervous and kept to herself a lot. It wasn’t until we started working here that she began to open herself up to others more. But she’s a sweetheart, I’m sure you two will get along just fine!”
Mimi blushed a little as Mabel introduced her. She cleared her throat as she turned to Alto. “Well, anyways. I’ll do my best to make sure you have a wonderful time!” She smiled warmly at Alto, the Vulpix looking a little less nervous by her reassurance, giving the Lopunny a weak smile.
“Thank you, Mimi” He said with a nod. Mabel and Travis looked at each other with a grin.
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While the party waited for the all clear to fly, Alto caught a glimpse of a Riolu, and a Pachirisu at the other side of the hangar, the Riolu wore bandages around their paws, and had slightly ruffled fur in a few areas, while the Pachirisu wore a small pair of glasses, almost as if they were balancing on their nose. The pair were inspecting a recently used parachute, with the Pachirisu giving instructions to the Riolu about what to look for, and how to pack it back in. Mimi noticed that Alto’s attention was on the Riolu, smiling softly. “That’s Ieuan. He recently joined Poké-Air as an apprentice to Jan.” Mimi explained, pointing to the Pachirisu who glanced over to the party on hearing their name. “Ieuan hasn’t really had a chance to jump just yet. But it does seem like he really wants to go!” Mimi added with a smile.
Alto noticed that Ieuan perked at the mention of his name, turning around to look at the party. He grinned, waving his arms at them and shouting out to them. “Have fun up there!” he said, jumping in excitement for the Vulpix. Jan looked over at Ieuan, then back at the group giving a small wave of his own, chuckling softly.
Alto couldn’t help but smile over the cheering on. “Well, he seems friendly!” He looked up at Mimi, who gave a giggle herself. She perked as a jingle played from a backpack next to her. She searched through her bag as the jingle continued. Mimi perked with a smile as she pulled out a device that Alto had identified as an Xtransceiver. Mimi spoke with the Pokémon on the other end of the call, looking over at Alto as the call ended.
“Well, looks like we are ready to go!” Mimi said as she got up and stretched, placing the device back in her bag, and strapping herself into her parachute for the ride, and offering her paw to Alto once she double checked that she was ready.
“Well, time to get this party started!” She said, grinning excitedly. Alto saw Mabel already running off to the plane, fully geared up and cheering as she did so. The pair paused for a moment and giggled between each other over the Gardevoir’s enthusiasm. Alto then grasped Mimi’s hand as the Lopunny lifted him up, offering a pink helmet with the same symbol on Alto’s suit to him, The Vulpix Placed his goggles over his eyes, making sure the fringe of his hair wasn’t trapped inside it. Once he felt that they were comfortably on, he slid the helmet over his head, the two ears poking out of two holes around the top of the helmet. Mimi grinned and nodded, as she started to lead the way.
“Good luck up there! Have fun!!” Travis called out to the two as they walked out of the hangar, grinning as he cheered his friend on. As they left his presumed hearing range, he sighed happily watching Alto board the small plane with the two skydivers. Travis perked as he heard a door close, turning around to see a Mawile enter the room.
“Well there they go.” The Mawile said as they approached the Sylveon. The new Pokémon stood just a little taller than other Mawiles and had a smaller maw with what appeared to be a bandage wrapped entirely around the space between it and the back of their head, both ends of the bandage trailed downwards as if it were a ribbon. The new Pokémon glanced up at Travis before they continued. “Everything on our end is going well! We should have the room ready by the time they return!” They sighed softly, almost as though they enjoyed the brief break. “It would have been sooner if Mabel was around. But she’s already playing her little part in all this.” The Mawile added, leaning back a little.
Travis smiled softly. “Thank you, Angela.”. He looked over to the lightweight plane in the distance, already taking off from the runway. “I do hope he enjoys everything. I really appreciate you all wanting to help make his day something that he will remember.”
The Mawile chuckled. “Hey! It’s not a problem!” She grinned, giving a thumbs up at the Sylveon. “Now, why don’t you check on the room we have? Since Mabel is absent, you’ll have to do I’m afraid!” She added playfully. Travis chuckled at Angela’s remark.
“Well, let’s see how things are going!” Travis replied as he followed the Mawile.
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It was a clear morning in the skies of Unova, with barely a cloud in sight. As the plane soared through the sky, various sights of the region could be spotted. From Chargestone Cave, to Dragonspiral Tower. It was certainly a beautiful view, and a great way to start the adventure that the occupants in the rickety plane faced.
Alto gazed outside the window, almost as though he was in a trance. Not even Mabel getting excited was not enough to distract him from the window. Mimi noticed this as she patted the Vulpix’s shoulder, the Pokémon jumping from the surprise.
“Hey! Everything okay?” Mimi asked after flinching in surprise over Alto’s reaction. “You aren’t scared or worrying about this, right?” she added, trying to reassure him.
Alto smiled softly “I wake up one morning, and the next thing I know I’m about to jump out of an airplane. This is certainly the craziest birthday I’ve ever had.” He replied, unable to hold back a nervous laugh over his situation.
Mimi smiled softly as she checked Alto’s harness. “I see, I totally get what you mean. Reminds me of when I went on my first ride with Mabel. Don’t worry, you’ll be alright!” Mimi replied as she did her best thumbs up as the Lopunny gave a goofy grin. The Vulpix paused for a moment before giving a small chuckle over the goofy Lopunny.
Mabel watched the moment, getting her camera ready. “Hey! Get closer you two, let’s take a picture to remember this moment in Alto’s life!”. She motioned for the Vulpix and Lopunny to get closer. Alto was about to shuffle closer. However, he was surprised when Mimi quickly wrapped an arm around his shoulder, giving a big, goofy grin and a peace sign to the Gardevoir. The Vulpix then looked at Mabel, doing the same as he smiled softly. Mabel paused for a moment, before smiling back at them. “Awesome! I’ll be sure to give you all of the pictures during this jump soon!” She added with a giggle.
A few moments later, a red light next to the door illuminated. Filling the interior with its glow. “Is it really that time already? Time flies when you are having fun I suppose” Mabel commented as she got up. Alto was about to ask what Mabel meant. But was cut off as Mabel opened the door to the plane. A roaring rush of cold wind blasted Alto and the others as the plane depressurised. After the winds died down a little, The Vulpix looked around, his fringe already a mess after the depressurisation, he perked as he heard some clicks behind him.
“We seem to be good here!” Mimi remarked, checking how secure Alto was to Mimi’s rig. The Vulpix quietly gulped, as Mimi neared herself, and Alto to the now open door. Alto watched as Mabel held on to the door of the plane and moving outside of the plane, hanging on to fuselage of the plane. Her head peeked inside the plane, grinning happily at the pair still inside.
It took a few seconds for Mimi to get to the edge, the Vulpix looming just outside the plane. Through the beginnings of his adrenaline fuelled blur, Alto saw the blue sky surrounding them. He looked down, noticing that he could see the land of Unova thousands of feet below him. The airport that he was at being too small to barely recognise. Alto tried to think back to what he was told to do at this point, his thoughts becoming a fast blur as the situation started to overwhelm the Vulpix a little. He instinctively grabbing on to his harness as the Vulpix gulped nervously, Mimi noticing the Vulpix tremble a little.
“Get ready Alto!” Mabel shouted, The Vulpix perked as he looked at Mabel as she started to count down. “Three! Two! One! Let’s Go!” As Mabel finished, Alto felt Mimi push forward, gravity taking over as Mimi bailed from the plane. The sudden situation caused Alto to scream loudly, continuing to hold on to his harness with an unfaltering grip. The two girls cheered and giggled happily as the party fell from the sky, the loud roars of the wind almost deafening the group to the frightened Vulpix.
After what felt like an eternity, Alto looked around as his body plummeted, his hands loosening from the harness as he entered the free fall pose that he was taught. He looked up to see Mabel in front of him, recording every moment. Maybe the fear had finally broken him, maybe it was excitement taking over, Alto was unsure of the feeling in his body. But a thought in the back of his head was telling him that it wasn’t as bad as he thought. In fact, he was having the time of his life! He grinned at the camera, playfully giving a double peace sign to Mabel as he laughed and cheered to the Gardevoir.
Seconds later, Alto felt a sharp upwards yank as Mimi cheered loudly, he instinctively looked upwards, just in time to see a large mass of white and pink start unfurl and inflate in the sky, Alto heard a loud sound similar to a sheet being hit with wind as the parachute had just deployed with little warning, his ride slowing and calming down as the rectangular canopy slowed their descent.
He quickly looked down to check on Mabel. He saw that another parachute had finished blossoming below them, Mabel’s being a solid pink, with a subtle balloon motif on the upper side of the canopy. The loud roar of the wind had since died down to a loud breeze as the sounds of fabric rustling in the wind joined the symphony of sounds that Alto could hear.
The Vulpix looked around, he could still see a large amount of the region below him, though not as small as it was earlier. His paws angled below him, almost appearing to cover the areas directly below them. At that moment Alto felt the nervousness and fear wash away from his body, a sense of relief and calm welling up inside the newcomer. However, much to his surprise, he also felt another feeling deep inside, it felt like joy. However, Alto was unable to put his paw on it exactly.
Alto felt a tap on his shoulder as his thoughts snapped back to his current situation. “Is everything okay, Alto?” Mimi asked, having noticed how quiet the birthday boy became after their parachute deployed.
“Oh! Yes! I’m okay Mimi. Just enjoying the view.” He chuckled nervously. Part of him was still dwelling on the feeling inside, still trying to figure it out, he realised that Travis and the group had arranged this for him, so trying to find an answer could wait, enjoying the moment comes first. He slightly kicked his legs back and forth. A small smile on his face as they soared through the sky.
Mimi smiled. “I’m glad. I’ve had some customers faint at this part. So, it’s a relief when that doesn’t happen!” The Lopunny chuckled to herself as she glided around the skies of Unova for Alto to get a better look at the world below him, and to make the ride more thrilling. The Pokémon giggling happily, trying to get Alto to join in. She even offered to give control of the toggles to the Vulpix, to which he declined. He just wanted to take in the experience.
The ride continued for what felt like longer than it really was, as they neared the ground, Mimi pointed to Mabel, asking the Vulpix to watch as Mabel was about to touch down. Alto saw that the Gardevoir swooped down, landing as the large canopy leaned back as Mabel hit the ground running. Alto remembered what he was told to do as they neared the ground, tucking his legs in to his body so that Mimi would have an easier time with landing. Mimi’s feet touched the ground as she ran as well, flaring the large parachute behind her as they slowed down.
However, a gust of wind blew at the canopy, causing it to drag back a little, the pair falling back with a surprised yelp as they finally stopped. Alto looked up at the sky, his back resting on Mimi, his heart was racing from the adrenaline rushing through his body. Finding it hard to believe that he was up there just a few minutes ago. His thoughts were again distracted by Mimi pumping her arms up in the air and cheering and laughing loudly over another successful jump.
Alto looked back at Mimi, giving a huge grin back at the Vulpix. “Thanks for riding with us today, birthday boy! Hope you had an awesome time?” She giggled happily as the Vulpix smiled warmly, he certainly had fun by looking at his expression.
“Yeah, this was fun!” The Vulpix grinned back at Mimi. Despite being a little nervous at the start. This was better than he thought it would be. However, the thoughts from earlier returned to Alto, Mimi noticed that his smile faded a little as though he was thinking about something. Mimi smiled softly as she gave another giggle.
They both perked as they heard another loud cheer. This time from Mabel, rushing over with her parachute slung over her shoulder, still filming the two.
“You were awesome buddy!” The Gardevoir said while Mimi unbuckled Alto from her rig. Mabel offered her hand to the Vulpix as he gladly accepted. Mimi got up herself up and started gathering her parachute while Mabel and Alto talked about the ride. When the Lopunny was done Mabel glanced back at Alto. “How about we head back? We landed not far away from base, so it shouldn’t take long.” She said, giving a subtle wink to Mimi who nodded.
Alto grinned as he nodded too. “Yeah! I can’t wait to meet up with Travis again!” The group shared a chuckle as they headed back.
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It took a few minutes for the trio to return to the small base. Alto immediately noticed that there was nobody at the reception, the balloon that Mabel gave him was floating over the reception desk. He looked around. But there was nobody to greet him. The Vulpix looked a little confused but he carried on inside. “Maybe the other staff went for lunch?” he remarked as he wandered in. Mabel and Mimi glanced at each other, sharing a quiet giggle before he could turn around to the two. “You wanted me to go to the changing room to take this stuff off, right?” he asked, pointing to the suit he was still wearing.”
“Oh! Right, sure thing! We need to change too, so we will meet you back here!” Mimi said with a nod. The Vulpix smiled thankfully as he wandered off, having a good idea on where the changing room was.
After a few minutes, Alto had returned to the reception. He had noticed that Mimi was at the reception, checking up on some office work. Her gear was nowhere in sight, presumably having taken it off as soon as Alto had left. Mimi perked when she realised that she was not alone, smiling at Alto. The Vulpix waved back at her. “I asked Mabel to take the stuff back. She will be here soon!” Mimi got up, passing Alto’s balloon to him which he accepted with a smile.
A few minutes later, Mabel returned to the reception. “Any sign of Travis, Mabel?” asked Mimi, glancing at the Gardevoir. Mabel shook her head quietly. Mimi pondered for a moment, before perking, clearly having an idea.
“Maybe they went to the staff room for a break?” Mimi replied with a warm smile, Mimi turned to Also, getting up from her seat. “Let’s show you the way!”. Alto nodded as he let Mimi took the lead, Mabel following behind the Vulpix. They quickly reached a windowed door.
The window was covered by what Alto presumed was a poster on the other side, obscuring the view inside The Vulpix could just hear some voices inside having a conversation. However, the door was not thin enough for Alto to guess what the voices were talking about. Alto paused and glanced at the two Pokémon beside him, wondering what was going on before Mimi broke their silence. “Door should be unlocked, go in!” The rabbit smiled as he turned the handle on the door. As he did, he noticed that the voices in the other room fell silent. Realising something was up, Alto opened the door.
As the door opened, several sudden bangs echoed across the room. Alto flinched in surprise, letting out a surprised yelp. He noticed confetti fluttering down, one of the pieces landing gently on the tip of his nose, the Vulpix quickly shaking it off. It was at that time when Alto noticed several other Pokémon, some with party poppers, others clapping and cheering for Alto. In front of them was Travis, wearing a party hat and a huge grin on his face.
“Happy Birthday Alto!” The Sylveon said as the others cheered for their guest. The Vulpix was at a loss of words as Mabel placed another party hat on the birthday boy’s head.
“Who says the party was over when we touched the ground?” Mabel added with a giggle. She looked around. The room was decorated with banners that had warm wishes for Alto on them, and balloons decorated all around the room. The group had also set up a table with snacks and a cake in the middle. “You all did an excellent job!” Mabel said, grinning and giving an affirming nod to the other staff.
Alto was still speechless over what he had stumbled on. Travis flinched a little as he saw the Vulpix start tearing up a little. “Hey buddy, are you alright?” Travis asked, a concerned look on his face.
Alto perked as he realised what was going on, wiping his eyes before giving a happy smile, a visible blush on his face. “Oh! Sorry, I’m just surprised.” He looked around, taking in the surroundings. “This looks wonderful! I love it!” He added, quickly giving Travis a tight hug. “Today has been perfect. Thank you so much buddy.”
Travis smiled softly, returning the Vulpix’s hug. “It’s not a problem. I’m so glad you’ve been having fun today.” Mimi watched the two with a tearful smile over the sweet scene before turning her attention to an Emolga, beckoning them over as if to talk to them about something. The Emolga nodding before heading over to her as they quietly left the room as the party started.
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Some time had passed as the party went on. Alto familiarised himself with a few of the staff that were able to join in. He was discussing the jump with Angela and a Weavile, the two staff members interested in hearing all about Alto’s ride and sharing their own first jump experiences too. The Mawile perked as she noticed someone behind Alto. “Hey Mimi! What’s up?” Angela asked. Alto perked and turned around. Mimi was there with an Emolga, and the Pachirisu from before. Alto had noticed that Jan was holding on to a piece of card that was almost as big as he was, unable to see what was on the other side.
“Hey Alto! Thanks for joining us today.” The Emolga said as he introduced himself. “The name’s Icarus. I’m the head of this branch, and one of the founders for Poke-Air!” He said with a grin, reaching out his paw.
Alto kneeled and shook the Emolga’s paw. “It’s nice to meet you Icarus” Alto replied with a soft smile. “This place is awesome!” he added with a giggle. Icarus returned the smile.
“I’m glad you think so!” He replied with a chuckle. Jan joined Icarus’ side, presenting the card to Alto.
“Hey Alto! Congratulations on your first jump! Here’s just a little something to say well done!” The Pachirisu said, holding out what Alto realised was a certificate. Alto accepted it with a thank you, He started to read what it said, noticing a picture of himself grinning at the camera as he fell from earlier. Blushing a little over how happy he looked in that moment.
“I still can’t believe that happened.” Alto remarked. He paused for a moment before returning his attention to those in front of him. “Thank you all so much!”
The Pachirisu grinned as he adjusted his glasses. “Not a problem!”. He perked, realising he hadn’t properly introduced himself yet. “As you know, the name’s Jan. I’m a mechanic for the group’s plane, and I do maintenance work on all the parachutes here! As well as help design new ones for customers and staff. You saw Mabel’s balloon parachute, right? That was something I made!” He said, looking proud of himself.
Jan noticed Alto’s surprised expression. The Vulpix was certainly caught off guard that such a small guy could do so much for the team. After a moment, the Vulpix smiled and nodded with a small nod to the electric squirrel. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jan” he replied.
Mimi smiled warmly before she joined in the conversation. “Hey Alto, do you mind if we have a chat? We want to talk about something, it won’t be long.” The Vulpix perked and nodded as he got back up, wondering what it is that Mimi wanted, and how it warranted Icarus’ presence.
The three took Alto to another room that on a first glance appeared to be an office. Several file cabinets lined the walls, each one labelled with mentions of staff records, customer details, parachute blueprints, and such. The Vulpix noticed that there was also a large photo of Icarus and Jan appearing younger than they looked now, alongside a Fennekin. The Fennekin had a specially made parachute strapped to them, the canopy bearing the image of what resembled a Fennekin’s head fluttering and rustling idly behind them.
Icarus noticed that Alto’s attention was on the photo, smiling softly. “I see you’ve noticed the picture?” Alto glanced over at the Emolga, nodding to let him continue. “That Fennekin is a cousin of ours, she was technically our first customer too! Without her, I don’t think we would have been able to do all of this.” He added, looking at the picture himself.
Jan joined into the conversation as Icarus was done. “That was also the first parachute I designed. It was so nerve wracking, putting all your faith on something you made and tested repeatedly. There was so much to consider. It's not just about getting a sheet of silk in the air. It was making sure that she was able to use it safely, and making sure that it wouldn't get damaged easily. One mistake could have been catastrophic. But the result paid off in the end I think”.
Alto turned his attention to the two Pokémon, impressed by their devotion. “So, this photo shows the birth of Poké-Air?”
Icarus nodded. “You could say that.” He smiled warmly before he continued. “One Pokémon’s curiosity led us to many happy, and unforgettable times. It’s hard to think where we would be without Amy.” He said pointing to the Fennekin. “Which brings us to why we are here now.” The Emolga looked at Mimi, “You said you wanted to talk to Alto?” The Lopunny nodded in agreement, before turning her attention to the Vulpix.
“Alto?” Mimi asked. “During the parachute ride, I couldn’t help but notice how quiet you were. Was there something wrong?”
Alto perked at the sudden question. “Well, I was having fun, don’t get me wrong.” He paused before turning to Mimi with a worried look. “I didn’t do anything wrong, right?”
Mimi giggled softly. “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t do anything wrong! I was just talking to Icarus about the ride, and how it felt like you were at peace. You know, it really reminded me a lot of my first jump, I can recall being so nervous before the jump, and suddenly finding peace and calm in the sky”. She answered with a smile “I remember wanting that feeling to last so badly, and here I am now! The point I am trying to make is, I get the feeling that you may be in the same situation as I was. And I would love it if you wanted to pursue that feeling”.
The Vulpix sighed in relief, knowing that he didn’t do anything wrong. However, the latter part caught Alto’s attention, realising the parallel between the two Pokémon. Mimi continued, “Before we go back to the party. I just wanted to ask if you had the chance to go skydiving again, would you?” Mimi took a step to the side, showing a folder on a desk behind her.
“Mimi and I spoke, and we agreed that we would be willing to book you in for another jump. If you wanted to that is,” Icarus added with a smile.
Alto’s ears perked up once more. Sure, he had fun. But he was still wondering what Mimi was on about. He quickly nodded. The experience left Alto with a desire for more. And since he was given the opportunity to go again, he couldn’t bring himself to turn down their offer. A huge grin appeared on Alto’s face as he enthusiastically nodded. “I would love that! Thank you so much for the offer!”
Looking satisfied with his answer, Mimi glanced to Icarus, The Emolga nodded as he climbed up on the desk, opening the folder, flicking through a few pages before stopping. “Will you be able to come back at the same time next week?”
Alto looked at the Emolga, then back at Mimi. It was obvious that he was overjoyed at their generosity, tears welling up in his eyes. “Are you sure about this? I mean, I can pay for another jump if you want?” he asked, choking back a little.
Mimi grinned merrily. “Don’t worry about it. This one is on the house!”. Alto started to sniff, causing the three staff members to flinch. He quickly hugged Mimi as he quietly wept into Mimi’s fur, overwhelmed over how nice they have been to him. Mimi perked, and returned the hug with a soft giggle, comforting the Vulpix. The Emolga and Pachirisu glanced at each other with a grin. “Come back same time next week, okay?” she said, letting go of the Vulpix, petting his head as he did his best to calm down.
Alto wiped his eyes as he gave a sincere smile back at Mimi. “Sure thing!” He grinned with a giggle “I’ll look forward to it!”
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The party had continued for a few more hours, eventually dying down by the start of the evening. Mabel had insisted on showing Alto and Travis the way out. The Vulpix still wearing his party hat, and with several birthday balloons tied to the base of his tail so he could hold on to his other possessions.
“Thank you so much, Mabel!” Alto said with a cheerful grin. Travis looked down to Alto with a small chuckle.
“We greatly appreciate everything that you have done for us today. Thank you for making Alto’s big day unforgettable!” Travis added with a nod.
Mabel smiled warmly over the gratitude from the two, looking over at Alto. “It’s not a problem. I’m so glad that you had so much fun! And you bet that we will be looking forward to next week too!” She replied, giving her best thumbs up to the Vulpix.
After the two said their goodbyes and returned home, Mabel paused for a moment, thinking back on what she had said. A grin appeared on her face as she made her way back to the staff room.
A few members of staff had volunteered to clean the room up after the celebrations, Jan was finishing some leftover snacks while Icarus was clearing the table. “I’m glad that Alto agreed on coming back. He seemed like a nice guy.” Jan said after swallowing the food that was in his mouth. Icarus glanced at Jan and nodded. Before turning his attention to Ieuan and Mimi. The Lopunny was taking down some of the birthday banners, while Ieuan dealt with the leftover balloons, finding a moment to juggle one in the air, eventually letting it land on the back of his paw, balancing it as he smiled to himself.
“I’m glad that he accepted the proposal too” Mimi replied, having overheard the other two Pokémon in the room. “I think it would benefit him if he went a second time. Who knows? Maybe he discovered a new hobby but doesn’t realise it yet.” The Riolu looked up at Mimi and smiled, knowing that Alto would return.
“That’s great!” Ieuan said happily. He perked as Mabel entered the room, approaching the Riolu as she grabbed the ribbon to a star shaped balloon, tying it to his other wrist with a giggle.
“You know, you can join him if you want? I’ll go tandem with you!” Mabel said, offering the opportunity to the Riolu.
Ieuan was caught by surprise over the offer, not noticing the balloon he was playing with rolling off his paw and on the ground. He hadn’t gone before. But being invited to go was almost irresistible to him. “Really!? I’d love to!” The Riolu giggled excitedly as he jumped around at the offer. Mimi smiled at Mabel who nodded at the Lopunny with a delighted grin on her face.
“The next week should be fun!” Mabel said with a chuckle.
To be Continued.
I guess you could call this a 5th anniversary celebration to Poke-Air (Having started back in 2014). The aim of Clear Skies is to create a story with the characters in a way where there doesn't need much context going in so hopefully anyone can enjoy it!
Either way, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! More will be on the way soon!!
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Clear Skies Part 1.
Discovery.
“Thank you for doing this for Alto, Mabel.”
The setting sun shone over a small airstrip in Unova’s Mistralton City. Outside the entrance, Two Pokémon were having a conversation. A bipedal Sylveon with shorter ribbons, a pair of sky-blue framed glasses, and pink hair that trailed down to his neck handed a Gardevoir a box with two bags on top of it. The Gardevoir’s dress was absent, instead replaced with what resembled a pair of bellbottomed trousers. The green markings on her upper body was also different too, resembling a shirt with the sleeves reaching just above her elbows, showing off her white forearms and hands. She also had her hair shorter than normal, the sides just overlapping her jawline. The Gardevoir presented herself as a more casual and sportier Pokémon as opposed to the elegant and graceful appearance that one would expect.
“It’s not a problem, Travis! You’ve done a lot for me, and Poke-Air. I think it’s time that I returned the favour too!” The Gardevoir replied with a warm smile. Travis grinned warmly.
“I see. Still, to offer such a thing to him means a lot. To me, and to Alto.” He replied.
Mabel giggled as she started to turn back to the building. “Alright then! I’ll see you tomorrow, Travis!” The Gardevoir skipped off with the stuff she had received. Travis waved her goodbye before gazing at the setting sun.
“I know that this will be unexpected. But I do hope you enjoy your day buddy.” He said quietly to himself.
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“You can open your eyes now!”
Two Pokémon stood outside the airstrip from the previous day. The morning sun casting a soft light against it. Travis guided a slightly younger looking Pokémon to a sign; the other Pokémon was a bipedal Alolan Vulpix. Like Travis, the Pokémon stood upright, their tail trailing down behind their legs, and the fringe of their hair almost overlapping one of their eyes.
The Vulpix opened their eyes a little, squinting to regain his focus. As their vision started to clear, they noticed the sign that he was standing in front of, the Vulpix began to read what it said aloud. “Poké-Air. Why does this sound familiar?”. The Vulpix perked as they saw the rest, quickly turning to the Sylveon, a big grin on the fairy type’s face as he was barely able to contain his excitement for the Vulpix.
“Happy Birthday, Alto! Here’s my present to you!” The Sylveon said with a laugh. Alto was understandably flustered, and startled by the situation he found himself in.
“This is a joke, right? You seriously booked me in to go skydiving?” The Vulpix looked around frantically, trying to find any hint that he was being pranked. “You’re serious, Travis?” he asked again as the realisation that this wasn’t a joke started to settle in.
The Sylveon gave a chuckle over the surprised Vulpix. “Well, you know Mabel. That Gardevoir that visits our shop often?” Travis paused waiting for an answer, the Vulpix nodding a little, still processing the situation. “Well, this is her workplace!” Travis grinned again, perking as he noticed someone behind Alto. “Oh! Speaking of, here she is!”
Alto turned around. Outside the door was Mabel, holding a balloon reading “Happy Birthday”, handing it over to Alto with a giggle as he instinctively held on to the ribbon with a trembling grasp. Mabel saw Travis smile and give a nod as she continued.
“Tandem skydive party for Alto and Travis?” The Gardevoir asked with a smile. She looked at the Sylveon who suddenly had an uneasy expression as he tried to form a coherent sentence, unsure if the Gardevoir was joking. Travis’ surprise made Alto giggle faintly. Before Travis could respond, the Gardevoir approached him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Just kidding!” She grinned as the Sylveon sighed in relief.
“I think that one time was enough for me. Never again” Travis said, relieved that his friend was just joking. After regaining his composure with a quiet sigh, he looked over to Alto with a grin.
The Gardevoir giggled before turning her attention to Alto again, smiling softly. “Hey Alto, happy birthday!”
Despite the quiet panic that he faced, Alto smiled warmly over the birthday wish. “Thank you, Mabel.” He replied quietly, looking up at the balloon he received as it idly swayed above him. The Vulpix glanced at Travis “I guess Travis booked me in?”
Mabel nodded for a moment. “Well, more like Travis mentioned that you were turning eighteen, and he didn’t know what to do. So, I offered to pull a few strings to get you in.” She grinned merrily, noticing the Vulpix’s surprise over the act. “You know, my first jump was on my eighteenth too. So, I wanted to continue that tradition somehow. Think of it as a way of saying thank you for being such awesome Pokémon to do business with!”
The Sylveon and Vulpix looked at each other, unable to hold back a smile over the compliment. “And it’s always a pleasure doing business with you too Mabel!” Travis replied, grinning as he wrapped his own arm against Mabel’s shoulders. The two of them sharing a small chuckle. The Sylveon glanced over to Alto, then back at Mabel. “So, Mabel. How about we get the birthday boy here ready to have his birthday present?” He asked, smiling happily at the Vulpix.
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Some time had passed since Mabel led the two guests inside, after having signed Alto’s paperwork and explaining several things to him about what was going to happen during the ride, they proceeded with the final preparations for the experience. Mabel was waiting outside the male changing room, having already gotten prepared. She wore a forest green jumpsuit with white sleeves for the arms and legs. The suit was also designed to accommodate her chest spike as it poked out of an opening in the suit. Her right shoulder had a patch on it designed to resemble a love ball themed balloon with a string trailing underneath it as it curled inward, presumably as an identifier of who the suit belonged to. By her side was a helmet with a camera attached to it, and her own personal parachute. Mabel had agreed to film the jump as a surprise bonus for the trip. Mabel perked as she heard a familiar voice once again.
“Hey, Mabel. How do I look?” The Gardevoir glanced over. The Vulpix was outside the male changing room. He was wearing a pink jumpsuit with white legs and arms, his long tail poked out of an opening on the back of the suit for his own comfort. The right shoulder bore the symbol of a Pokéball suspended by a red and white parachute, a pair of clear goggles rested on his forehead, almost sinking into his cloudy hair. Over the suit was a black harness that would be used to secure him in for the jump ahead, his balloon from earlier was given to Travis since he couldn’t jump with it. The Vulpix looked understandably nervous about what was ahead of him, his legs trembled a little, almost looking like he was about to fall over.
The Gardevoir grinned as she got up, “You’re looking awesome, Alto!” She checked the harness that he had put on, after a brief check, the Gardevoir looked at Alto, a surprised look on her face. “And I have to say, you did well with the harness! I’m impressed!” Alto blushed a little at the compliment. He then perked as he felt some straps tighten up a little. “Don’t worry, just making sure you are secure in it.” Mabel added reassuringly as she used psychic on each strap to double check that Alto really was secured inside. Once satisfied she grinned again. “Come on, let’s introduce you to your tandem master!”
Mabel slung her parachute over her shoulder, grabbing her helmet too as she used her other hand to hold Alto’s paw, taking him to meet the one he would jump with.
Passing through the door to the hangar Alto was reunited with Travis, who was having a conversation with a Lopunny, Alto’s balloon tied to the Sylveon’s paw for safekeeping. The Lopunny wore a similar jump suit to Alto, with the exception that the pink on her suit was replaced with a shade of purple. Her emblem appeared to be a silhouette of an Ambipom’s tail hand. Travis glanced over at the newcomers and waved excitedly. The Lopunny, noticed that Travis’ attention shifted some place else, and turned around to see what caught his attention. Perking and smiling happily as she noticed Mabel and Alto.
“Oh! You must be Alto? Hey there!” The Lopunny ran over, stopping in front of the Vulpix, offering her paw to shake. “My name’s Mimi, I’ll be the one you’re jumping with today!” The Lopunny grinned enthusiastically as Alto shook her paw.
“I get the feeling that that you and Mimi may have some things in common. So, I asked if she could go with you today, having someone to relate to and all that!” Mabel explained, smiling warmly. “Years ago, Mimi used to be nervous and kept to herself a lot. It wasn’t until we started working here that she began to open herself up to others more. But she’s a sweetheart, I’m sure you two will get along just fine!”
Mimi blushed a little as Mabel introduced her. She cleared her throat as she turned to Alto. “Well, anyways. I’ll do my best to make sure you have a wonderful time!” She smiled warmly at Alto, the Vulpix looking a little less nervous by her reassurance, giving the Lopunny a weak smile.
“Thank you, Mimi” He said with a nod. Mabel and Travis looked at each other with a grin.
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While the party waited for the all clear to fly, Alto caught a glimpse of a Riolu, and a Pachirisu at the other side of the hangar, the Riolu wore bandages around their paws, and had slightly ruffled fur in a few areas, while the Pachirisu wore a small pair of glasses, almost as if they were balancing on their nose. The pair were inspecting a recently used parachute, with the Pachirisu giving instructions to the Riolu about what to look for, and how to pack it back in. Mimi noticed that Alto’s attention was on the Riolu, smiling softly. “That’s Ieuan. He recently joined Poké-Air as an apprentice to Jan.” Mimi explained, pointing to the Pachirisu who glanced over to the party on hearing their name. “Ieuan hasn’t really had a chance to jump just yet. But it does seem like he really wants to go!” Mimi added with a smile.
Alto noticed that Ieuan perked at the mention of his name, turning around to look at the party. He grinned, waving his arms at them and shouting out to them. “Have fun up there!” he said, jumping in excitement for the Vulpix. Jan looked over at Ieuan, then back at the group giving a small wave of his own, chuckling softly.
Alto couldn’t help but smile over the cheering on. “Well, he seems friendly!” He looked up at Mimi, who gave a giggle herself. She perked as a jingle played from a backpack next to her. She searched through her bag as the jingle continued. Mimi perked with a smile as she pulled out a device that Alto had identified as an Xtransceiver. Mimi spoke with the Pokémon on the other end of the call, looking over at Alto as the call ended.
“Well, looks like we are ready to go!” Mimi said as she got up and stretched, placing the device back in her bag, and strapping herself into her parachute for the ride, and offering her paw to Alto once she double checked that she was ready.
“Well, time to get this party started!” She said, grinning excitedly. Alto saw Mabel already running off to the plane, fully geared up and cheering as she did so. The pair paused for a moment and giggled between each other over the Gardevoir’s enthusiasm. Alto then grasped Mimi’s hand as the Lopunny lifted him up, offering a pink helmet with the same symbol on Alto’s suit to him, The Vulpix Placed his goggles over his eyes, making sure the fringe of his hair wasn’t trapped inside it. Once he felt that they were comfortably on, he slid the helmet over his head, the two ears poking out of two holes around the top of the helmet. Mimi grinned and nodded, as she started to lead the way.
“Good luck up there! Have fun!!” Travis called out to the two as they walked out of the hangar, grinning as he cheered his friend on. As they left his presumed hearing range, he sighed happily watching Alto board the small plane with the two skydivers. Travis perked as he heard a door close, turning around to see a Mawile enter the room.
“Well there they go.” The Mawile said as they approached the Sylveon. The new Pokémon stood just a little taller than other Mawiles and had a smaller maw with what appeared to be a bandage wrapped entirely around the space between it and the back of their head, both ends of the bandage trailed downwards as if it were a ribbon. The new Pokémon glanced up at Travis before they continued. “Everything on our end is going well! We should have the room ready by the time they return!” They sighed softly, almost as though they enjoyed the brief break. “It would have been sooner if Mabel was around. But she’s already playing her little part in all this.” The Mawile added, leaning back a little.
Travis smiled softly. “Thank you, Angela.”. He looked over to the lightweight plane in the distance, already taking off from the runway. “I do hope he enjoys everything. I really appreciate you all wanting to help make his day something that he will remember.”
The Mawile chuckled. “Hey! It’s not a problem!” She grinned, giving a thumbs up at the Sylveon. “Now, why don’t you check on the room we have? Since Mabel is absent, you’ll have to do I’m afraid!” She added playfully. Travis chuckled at Angela’s remark.
“Well, let’s see how things are going!” Travis replied as he followed the Mawile.
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It was a clear morning in the skies of Unova, with barely a cloud in sight. As the plane soared through the sky, various sights of the region could be spotted. From Chargestone Cave, to Dragonspiral Tower. It was certainly a beautiful view, and a great way to start the adventure that the occupants in the rickety plane faced.
Alto gazed outside the window, almost as though he was in a trance. Not even Mabel getting excited was not enough to distract him from the window. Mimi noticed this as she patted the Vulpix’s shoulder, the Pokémon jumping from the surprise.
“Hey! Everything okay?” Mimi asked after flinching in surprise over Alto’s reaction. “You aren’t scared or worrying about this, right?” she added, trying to reassure him.
Alto smiled softly “I wake up one morning, and the next thing I know I’m about to jump out of an airplane. This is certainly the craziest birthday I’ve ever had.” He replied, unable to hold back a nervous laugh over his situation.
Mimi smiled softly as she checked Alto’s harness. “I see, I totally get what you mean. Reminds me of when I went on my first ride with Mabel. Don’t worry, you’ll be alright!” Mimi replied as she did her best thumbs up as the Lopunny gave a goofy grin. The Vulpix paused for a moment before giving a small chuckle over the goofy Lopunny.
Mabel watched the moment, getting her camera ready. “Hey! Get closer you two, let’s take a picture to remember this moment in Alto’s life!”. She motioned for the Vulpix and Lopunny to get closer. Alto was about to shuffle closer. However, he was surprised when Mimi quickly wrapped an arm around his shoulder, giving a big, goofy grin and a peace sign to the Gardevoir. The Vulpix then looked at Mabel, doing the same as he smiled softly. Mabel paused for a moment, before smiling back at them. “Awesome! I’ll be sure to give you all of the pictures during this jump soon!” She added with a giggle.
A few moments later, a red light next to the door illuminated. Filling the interior with its glow. “Is it really that time already? Time flies when you are having fun I suppose” Mabel commented as she got up. Alto was about to ask what Mabel meant. But was cut off as Mabel opened the door to the plane. A roaring rush of cold wind blasted Alto and the others as the plane depressurised. After the winds died down a little, The Vulpix looked around, his fringe already a mess after the depressurisation, he perked as he heard some clicks behind him.
“We seem to be good here!” Mimi remarked, checking how secure Alto was to Mimi’s rig. The Vulpix quietly gulped, as Mimi neared herself, and Alto to the now open door. Alto watched as Mabel held on to the door of the plane and moving outside of the plane, hanging on to fuselage of the plane. Her head peeked inside the plane, grinning happily at the pair still inside.
It took a few seconds for Mimi to get to the edge, the Vulpix looming just outside the plane. Through the beginnings of his adrenaline fuelled blur, Alto saw the blue sky surrounding them. He looked down, noticing that he could see the land of Unova thousands of feet below him. The airport that he was at being too small to barely recognise. Alto tried to think back to what he was told to do at this point, his thoughts becoming a fast blur as the situation started to overwhelm the Vulpix a little. He instinctively grabbing on to his harness as the Vulpix gulped nervously, Mimi noticing the Vulpix tremble a little.
“Get ready Alto!” Mabel shouted, The Vulpix perked as he looked at Mabel as she started to count down. “Three! Two! One! Let’s Go!” As Mabel finished, Alto felt Mimi push forward, gravity taking over as Mimi bailed from the plane. The sudden situation caused Alto to scream loudly, continuing to hold on to his harness with an unfaltering grip. The two girls cheered and giggled happily as the party fell from the sky, the loud roars of the wind almost deafening the group to the frightened Vulpix.
After what felt like an eternity, Alto looked around as his body plummeted, his hands loosening from the harness as he entered the free fall pose that he was taught. He looked up to see Mabel in front of him, recording every moment. Maybe the fear had finally broken him, maybe it was excitement taking over, Alto was unsure of the feeling in his body. But a thought in the back of his head was telling him that it wasn’t as bad as he thought. In fact, he was having the time of his life! He grinned at the camera, playfully giving a double peace sign to Mabel as he laughed and cheered to the Gardevoir.
Seconds later, Alto felt a sharp upwards yank as Mimi cheered loudly, he instinctively looked upwards, just in time to see a large mass of white and pink start unfurl and inflate in the sky, Alto heard a loud sound similar to a sheet being hit with wind as the parachute had just deployed with little warning, his ride slowing and calming down as the rectangular canopy slowed their descent.
He quickly looked down to check on Mabel. He saw that another parachute had finished blossoming below them, Mabel’s being a solid pink, with a subtle balloon motif on the upper side of the canopy. The loud roar of the wind had since died down to a loud breeze as the sounds of fabric rustling in the wind joined the symphony of sounds that Alto could hear.
The Vulpix looked around, he could still see a large amount of the region below him, though not as small as it was earlier. His paws angled below him, almost appearing to cover the areas directly below them. At that moment Alto felt the nervousness and fear wash away from his body, a sense of relief and calm welling up inside the newcomer. However, much to his surprise, he also felt another feeling deep inside, it felt like joy. However, Alto was unable to put his paw on it exactly.
Alto felt a tap on his shoulder as his thoughts snapped back to his current situation. “Is everything okay, Alto?” Mimi asked, having noticed how quiet the birthday boy became after their parachute deployed.
“Oh! Yes! I’m okay Mimi. Just enjoying the view.” He chuckled nervously. Part of him was still dwelling on the feeling inside, still trying to figure it out, he realised that Travis and the group had arranged this for him, so trying to find an answer could wait, enjoying the moment comes first. He slightly kicked his legs back and forth. A small smile on his face as they soared through the sky.
Mimi smiled. “I’m glad. I’ve had some customers faint at this part. So, it’s a relief when that doesn’t happen!” The Lopunny chuckled to herself as she glided around the skies of Unova for Alto to get a better look at the world below him, and to make the ride more thrilling. The Pokémon giggling happily, trying to get Alto to join in. She even offered to give control of the toggles to the Vulpix, to which he declined. He just wanted to take in the experience.
The ride continued for what felt like longer than it really was, as they neared the ground, Mimi pointed to Mabel, asking the Vulpix to watch as Mabel was about to touch down. Alto saw that the Gardevoir swooped down, landing as the large canopy leaned back as Mabel hit the ground running. Alto remembered what he was told to do as they neared the ground, tucking his legs in to his body so that Mimi would have an easier time with landing. Mimi’s feet touched the ground as she ran as well, flaring the large parachute behind her as they slowed down.
However, a gust of wind blew at the canopy, causing it to drag back a little, the pair falling back with a surprised yelp as they finally stopped. Alto looked up at the sky, his back resting on Mimi, his heart was racing from the adrenaline rushing through his body. Finding it hard to believe that he was up there just a few minutes ago. His thoughts were again distracted by Mimi pumping her arms up in the air and cheering and laughing loudly over another successful jump.
Alto looked back at Mimi, giving a huge grin back at the Vulpix. “Thanks for riding with us today, birthday boy! Hope you had an awesome time?” She giggled happily as the Vulpix smiled warmly, he certainly had fun by looking at his expression.
“Yeah, this was fun!” The Vulpix grinned back at Mimi. Despite being a little nervous at the start. This was better than he thought it would be. However, the thoughts from earlier returned to Alto, Mimi noticed that his smile faded a little as though he was thinking about something. Mimi smiled softly as she gave another giggle.
They both perked as they heard another loud cheer. This time from Mabel, rushing over with her parachute slung over her shoulder, still filming the two.
“You were awesome buddy!” The Gardevoir said while Mimi unbuckled Alto from her rig. Mabel offered her hand to the Vulpix as he gladly accepted. Mimi got up herself up and started gathering her parachute while Mabel and Alto talked about the ride. When the Lopunny was done Mabel glanced back at Alto. “How about we head back? We landed not far away from base, so it shouldn’t take long.” She said, giving a subtle wink to Mimi who nodded.
Alto grinned as he nodded too. “Yeah! I can’t wait to meet up with Travis again!” The group shared a chuckle as they headed back.
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It took a few minutes for the trio to return to the small base. Alto immediately noticed that there was nobody at the reception, the balloon that Mabel gave him was floating over the reception desk. He looked around. But there was nobody to greet him. The Vulpix looked a little confused but he carried on inside. “Maybe the other staff went for lunch?” he remarked as he wandered in. Mabel and Mimi glanced at each other, sharing a quiet giggle before he could turn around to the two. “You wanted me to go to the changing room to take this stuff off, right?” he asked, pointing to the suit he was still wearing.”
“Oh! Right, sure thing! We need to change too, so we will meet you back here!” Mimi said with a nod. The Vulpix smiled thankfully as he wandered off, having a good idea on where the changing room was.
After a few minutes, Alto had returned to the reception. He had noticed that Mimi was at the reception, checking up on some office work. Her gear was nowhere in sight, presumably having taken it off as soon as Alto had left. Mimi perked when she realised that she was not alone, smiling at Alto. The Vulpix waved back at her. “I asked Mabel to take the stuff back. She will be here soon!” Mimi got up, passing Alto’s balloon to him which he accepted with a smile.
A few minutes later, Mabel returned to the reception. “Any sign of Travis, Mabel?” asked Mimi, glancing at the Gardevoir. Mabel shook her head quietly. Mimi pondered for a moment, before perking, clearly having an idea.
“Maybe they went to the staff room for a break?” Mimi replied with a warm smile, Mimi turned to Also, getting up from her seat. “Let’s show you the way!”. Alto nodded as he let Mimi took the lead, Mabel following behind the Vulpix. They quickly reached a windowed door.
The window was covered by what Alto presumed was a poster on the other side, obscuring the view inside The Vulpix could just hear some voices inside having a conversation. However, the door was not thin enough for Alto to guess what the voices were talking about. Alto paused and glanced at the two Pokémon beside him, wondering what was going on before Mimi broke their silence. “Door should be unlocked, go in!” The rabbit smiled as he turned the handle on the door. As he did, he noticed that the voices in the other room fell silent. Realising something was up, Alto opened the door.
As the door opened, several sudden bangs echoed across the room. Alto flinched in surprise, letting out a surprised yelp. He noticed confetti fluttering down, one of the pieces landing gently on the tip of his nose, the Vulpix quickly shaking it off. It was at that time when Alto noticed several other Pokémon, some with party poppers, others clapping and cheering for Alto. In front of them was Travis, wearing a party hat and a huge grin on his face.
“Happy Birthday Alto!” The Sylveon said as the others cheered for their guest. The Vulpix was at a loss of words as Mabel placed another party hat on the birthday boy’s head.
“Who says the party was over when we touched the ground?” Mabel added with a giggle. She looked around. The room was decorated with banners that had warm wishes for Alto on them, and balloons decorated all around the room. The group had also set up a table with snacks and a cake in the middle. “You all did an excellent job!” Mabel said, grinning and giving an affirming nod to the other staff.
Alto was still speechless over what he had stumbled on. Travis flinched a little as he saw the Vulpix start tearing up a little. “Hey buddy, are you alright?” Travis asked, a concerned look on his face.
Alto perked as he realised what was going on, wiping his eyes before giving a happy smile, a visible blush on his face. “Oh! Sorry, I’m just surprised.” He looked around, taking in the surroundings. “This looks wonderful! I love it!” He added, quickly giving Travis a tight hug. “Today has been perfect. Thank you so much buddy.”
Travis smiled softly, returning the Vulpix’s hug. “It’s not a problem. I’m so glad you’ve been having fun today.” Mimi watched the two with a tearful smile over the sweet scene before turning her attention to an Emolga, beckoning them over as if to talk to them about something. The Emolga nodding before heading over to her as they quietly left the room as the party started.
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Some time had passed as the party went on. Alto familiarised himself with a few of the staff that were able to join in. He was discussing the jump with Angela and a Weavile, the two staff members interested in hearing all about Alto’s ride and sharing their own first jump experiences too. The Mawile perked as she noticed someone behind Alto. “Hey Mimi! What’s up?” Angela asked. Alto perked and turned around. Mimi was there with an Emolga, and the Pachirisu from before. Alto had noticed that Jan was holding on to a piece of card that was almost as big as he was, unable to see what was on the other side.
“Hey Alto! Thanks for joining us today.” The Emolga said as he introduced himself. “The name’s Icarus. I’m the head of this branch, and one of the founders for Poke-Air!” He said with a grin, reaching out his paw.
Alto kneeled and shook the Emolga’s paw. “It’s nice to meet you Icarus” Alto replied with a soft smile. “This place is awesome!” he added with a giggle. Icarus returned the smile.
“I’m glad you think so!” He replied with a chuckle. Jan joined Icarus’ side, presenting the card to Alto.
“Hey Alto! Congratulations on your first jump! Here’s just a little something to say well done!” The Pachirisu said, holding out what Alto realised was a certificate. Alto accepted it with a thank you, He started to read what it said, noticing a picture of himself grinning at the camera as he fell from earlier. Blushing a little over how happy he looked in that moment.
“I still can’t believe that happened.” Alto remarked. He paused for a moment before returning his attention to those in front of him. “Thank you all so much!”
The Pachirisu grinned as he adjusted his glasses. “Not a problem!”. He perked, realising he hadn’t properly introduced himself yet. “As you know, the name’s Jan. I’m a mechanic for the group’s plane, and I do maintenance work on all the parachutes here! As well as help design new ones for customers and staff. You saw Mabel’s balloon parachute, right? That was something I made!” He said, looking proud of himself.
Jan noticed Alto’s surprised expression. The Vulpix was certainly caught off guard that such a small guy could do so much for the team. After a moment, the Vulpix smiled and nodded with a small nod to the electric squirrel. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jan” he replied.
Mimi smiled warmly before she joined in the conversation. “Hey Alto, do you mind if we have a chat? We want to talk about something, it won’t be long.” The Vulpix perked and nodded as he got back up, wondering what it is that Mimi wanted, and how it warranted Icarus’ presence.
The three took Alto to another room that on a first glance appeared to be an office. Several file cabinets lined the walls, each one labelled with mentions of staff records, customer details, parachute blueprints, and such. The Vulpix noticed that there was also a large photo of Icarus and Jan appearing younger than they looked now, alongside a Fennekin. The Fennekin had a specially made parachute strapped to them, the canopy bearing the image of what resembled a Fennekin’s head fluttering and rustling idly behind them.
Icarus noticed that Alto’s attention was on the photo, smiling softly. “I see you’ve noticed the picture?” Alto glanced over at the Emolga, nodding to let him continue. “That Fennekin is a cousin of ours, she was technically our first customer too! Without her, I don’t think we would have been able to do all of this.” He added, looking at the picture himself.
Jan joined into the conversation as Icarus was done. “That was also the first parachute I designed. It was so nerve wracking, putting all your faith on something you made and tested repeatedly. There was so much to consider. It's not just about getting a sheet of silk in the air. It was making sure that she was able to use it safely, and making sure that it wouldn't get damaged easily. One mistake could have been catastrophic. But the result paid off in the end I think”.
Alto turned his attention to the two Pokémon, impressed by their devotion. “So, this photo shows the birth of Poké-Air?”
Icarus nodded. “You could say that.” He smiled warmly before he continued. “One Pokémon’s curiosity led us to many happy, and unforgettable times. It’s hard to think where we would be without Amy.” He said pointing to the Fennekin. “Which brings us to why we are here now.” The Emolga looked at Mimi, “You said you wanted to talk to Alto?” The Lopunny nodded in agreement, before turning her attention to the Vulpix.
“Alto?” Mimi asked. “During the parachute ride, I couldn’t help but notice how quiet you were. Was there something wrong?”
Alto perked at the sudden question. “Well, I was having fun, don’t get me wrong.” He paused before turning to Mimi with a worried look. “I didn’t do anything wrong, right?”
Mimi giggled softly. “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t do anything wrong! I was just talking to Icarus about the ride, and how it felt like you were at peace. You know, it really reminded me a lot of my first jump, I can recall being so nervous before the jump, and suddenly finding peace and calm in the sky”. She answered with a smile “I remember wanting that feeling to last so badly, and here I am now! The point I am trying to make is, I get the feeling that you may be in the same situation as I was. And I would love it if you wanted to pursue that feeling”.
The Vulpix sighed in relief, knowing that he didn’t do anything wrong. However, the latter part caught Alto’s attention, realising the parallel between the two Pokémon. Mimi continued, “Before we go back to the party. I just wanted to ask if you had the chance to go skydiving again, would you?” Mimi took a step to the side, showing a folder on a desk behind her.
“Mimi and I spoke, and we agreed that we would be willing to book you in for another jump. If you wanted to that is,” Icarus added with a smile.
Alto’s ears perked up once more. Sure, he had fun. But he was still wondering what Mimi was on about. He quickly nodded. The experience left Alto with a desire for more. And since he was given the opportunity to go again, he couldn’t bring himself to turn down their offer. A huge grin appeared on Alto’s face as he enthusiastically nodded. “I would love that! Thank you so much for the offer!”
Looking satisfied with his answer, Mimi glanced to Icarus, The Emolga nodded as he climbed up on the desk, opening the folder, flicking through a few pages before stopping. “Will you be able to come back at the same time next week?”
Alto looked at the Emolga, then back at Mimi. It was obvious that he was overjoyed at their generosity, tears welling up in his eyes. “Are you sure about this? I mean, I can pay for another jump if you want?” he asked, choking back a little.
Mimi grinned merrily. “Don’t worry about it. This one is on the house!”. Alto started to sniff, causing the three staff members to flinch. He quickly hugged Mimi as he quietly wept into Mimi’s fur, overwhelmed over how nice they have been to him. Mimi perked, and returned the hug with a soft giggle, comforting the Vulpix. The Emolga and Pachirisu glanced at each other with a grin. “Come back same time next week, okay?” she said, letting go of the Vulpix, petting his head as he did his best to calm down.
Alto wiped his eyes as he gave a sincere smile back at Mimi. “Sure thing!” He grinned with a giggle “I’ll look forward to it!”
__________________________________________________________________________________________
The party had continued for a few more hours, eventually dying down by the start of the evening. Mabel had insisted on showing Alto and Travis the way out. The Vulpix still wearing his party hat, and with several birthday balloons tied to the base of his tail so he could hold on to his other possessions.
“Thank you so much, Mabel!” Alto said with a cheerful grin. Travis looked down to Alto with a small chuckle.
“We greatly appreciate everything that you have done for us today. Thank you for making Alto’s big day unforgettable!” Travis added with a nod.
Mabel smiled warmly over the gratitude from the two, looking over at Alto. “It’s not a problem. I’m so glad that you had so much fun! And you bet that we will be looking forward to next week too!” She replied, giving her best thumbs up to the Vulpix.
After the two said their goodbyes and returned home, Mabel paused for a moment, thinking back on what she had said. A grin appeared on her face as she made her way back to the staff room.
A few members of staff had volunteered to clean the room up after the celebrations, Jan was finishing some leftover snacks while Icarus was clearing the table. “I’m glad that Alto agreed on coming back. He seemed like a nice guy.” Jan said after swallowing the food that was in his mouth. Icarus glanced at Jan and nodded. Before turning his attention to Ieuan and Mimi. The Lopunny was taking down some of the birthday banners, while Ieuan dealt with the leftover balloons, finding a moment to juggle one in the air, eventually letting it land on the back of his paw, balancing it as he smiled to himself.
“I’m glad that he accepted the proposal too” Mimi replied, having overheard the other two Pokémon in the room. “I think it would benefit him if he went a second time. Who knows? Maybe he discovered a new hobby but doesn’t realise it yet.” The Riolu looked up at Mimi and smiled, knowing that Alto would return.
“That’s great!” Ieuan said happily. He perked as Mabel entered the room, approaching the Riolu as she grabbed the ribbon to a star shaped balloon, tying it to his other wrist with a giggle.
“You know, you can join him if you want? I’ll go tandem with you!” Mabel said, offering the opportunity to the Riolu.
Ieuan was caught by surprise over the offer, not noticing the balloon he was playing with rolling off his paw and on the ground. He hadn’t gone before. But being invited to go was almost irresistible to him. “Really!? I’d love to!” The Riolu giggled excitedly as he jumped around at the offer. Mimi smiled at Mabel who nodded at the Lopunny with a delighted grin on her face.
“The next week should be fun!” Mabel said with a chuckle.
To be Continued.
Category Story / Pokemon
Species Pokemon
Gender Multiple characters
Size 90 x 120px
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