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It is finally time for Alto's big day as he goes off for his second skydive! After his big adventure with Ieuan, the Vulpix is invited to join an upcoming class to further his new-found passion. Will he join the class to learn more about skydiving?
As usual, special thanks to digolgrin for helping edit and contribute ideas to the chapter!!
Hope you enjoy!!
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Clear Skies Chapter 3: The Offer of a Lifetime
“Good morning!” Travis half-heartedly cheered as he entered the living room. The Sylveon appeared to still be sleepy, with his hair being very unkempt after waking up from a good night’s rest. The Sylveon paused as he waited for a response. However, he quickly realised that nobody had returned his greeting, Travis raised an eyebrow as he quickly scanned around the living room, noticing that he was the only one present. “Hm? Where’s Alto?” Travis said to himself as he wondered where his roommate went.
The Sylveon turned his attention to a clock that was hung up on one of the walls. Travis noticed that the time on the clock was getting closer to when Alto’s second skydive would take place. “Don’t tell me he’s still asleep!” Travis exclaimed as the concerns of his friend missing their big moment woke the Sylveon up in a panic.
Travis quickly scrambled into the kitchen to see if there were any signs of his roommate. He immediately noticed that the kitchen was relatively clean with barely a sign of any previous visitors. The Sylveon’s concerns continued to grow as he started to worry about his absent friend. As he fretted, a small makeshift bouquet of slowly deflating balloons that rested on the kitchen’s table caught the Sylveon’s attention.
Travis paused as his mind processed the bouquet drifting over the table. “Hm? I don’t remember those being there last night.” Travis thought aloud as he approached the bundle. The Sylveon noticed a sheet of paper that was placed underneath the bouquet’s weight. Out of curiosity, Travis carefully grabbed the sheet, noticing that it was a note addressed to him from his notably absent roommate. The Sylveon glanced around before he started to read it aloud.
“Hey Travis! Sorry that I left on such short notice. I heard that you were still sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you up. My flight is almost ready, but I promise to come back as soon as possible! Until then, see you later! From Alto.” Travis also saw that below the message was a crudely drawn doodle of the Vulpix parachuting with a large smile on their face.
Travis’ ears drooped for a moment, quietly bemoaning that he missed getting to wish Alto good luck. The Sylveon let out a soft sigh before turning his attention to Alto’s doodle, smiling softly at the Vulpix’s attempt at drawing. “Well, there’s no use moaning about not being able to wish him good luck.” Travis said as he placed the sheet back on the table. “The least I can do is wait for him to come back home!” Travis said as he chuckled to himself. “I do hope that he at least has a fun time.” The Sylveon added as he got ready to start his morning.
Mimi hummed to herself as she set up the reception, the Lopunny had just finished cleaning the tiled floors as she admired her reflection on the floor. “And there we go!” The Lopunny giggled as she carefully tiptoed behind the counter to prepare all the essential documents that were needed for the day. The Lopunny was in the middle of checking through their reservations book when a frantic voice outside caught her attention.
The Lopunny turned her attention towards the glass doors as she wondered what was going on. She immediately spotted a familiar white Vulpix staggering and stumbling towards the building. “What’s Alto doing here so early?” Mimi asked herself as she got up from behind the desk, waving at Alto as she hoped that the Vulpix would see her.
Alto wearily pushed open the doors as he reached the base, the Vulpix panted heavily as he glanced at Mimi with a faint smile. “Hey Mimi!” He said as he stumbled to the reception’s desk, flopping against it as his legs trembled from running so much. “I hope I’m not too late. I wasn’t sure on when you wanted me to come, so I tried to get here as soon as I possibly could.” He said while he tried to catch his breath. Mimi glanced up at the clock that rested over the desk, letting out a soft chuckle.
“Oh Alto, you’re actually an hour ahead of schedule! You caught us while we were still opening for the day!” The Lopunny giggled as she ruffled Alto’s hair.
Alto’s ears perked up as he realised just how early he was. “Oh! I see.” Alto replied as he let out an awkward chuckle.
“Well hey, nothing wrong with being early!” Mimi reassuringly replied. The Lopunny perked as she got an idea. “Hey! Since the others aren’t here yet, we have first dibs on the parachutes! How about we pick ours out before everyone else gets a chance?”
The Vulpix looked surprised at Mimi’s offer, Alto briefly pondered on the idea before he gave an enthusiastic nod as he lifted himself up from the desk, doing his best to shake off his fatigue. Mimi smiled as she offered to guide the Vulpix to their storerooms. “Come on, let’s go! She cheered as she led the way.
A few minutes had passed by as Mimi guided the Vulpix to their destination. The pair eventually made their way to a closed door that was located inside their deserted hangar, Alto glanced around the dimly lit room before Mimi broke the silence. “And here we are!” Mimi announced as she pushed the door open to reveal a pitch-black room. Alto gazed into the darkness before he glanced at the Lopunny who paused before she realised that Alto couldn’t see inside the room. “Oh! I guess we were the first ones here today.” Mimi said as she awkwardly chuckled. “But that’s okay, I know where the lights are!” she added before guiding the Vulpix inside the room.
Alto quietly nodded as he made his way inside the room, he heard Mimi enter after him as she clumsily reached around the nearest wall. “There it is!” Mimi cheered as she flicked a light switch. The room’s lights flickered briefly before flooding the room with its light, greeting Alto to a surprisingly large room that was filled with a wide variety of parachutes that were neatly lined up and labelled in terms of shapes, sizes, designs, and what situations they would be ideal for. Alto’s eyes widened as he glanced around the room, his tail wagging as he took in the sights of the room.
“I guess we have a lot of options, Mimi?” Alto asked in awe as he glanced at the Lopunny. Mimi let out a chuckle over Alto’s reaction as she turned her attention to a nearby cabinet that was filled with a variety of differently coloured ring binders. Mimi’s fingers brushed against them before she pulled out a thick, and well used blue binder, passing it over to Alto as she smiled.
“We have quite a lot of options!” Mimi replied with a giggle. “Jan managed to get us all sorts of cool and fun designs over his years of working here. Maybe there’s something in here that takes your fancy? This folder is always kept up to date, so just ask if there’s something you want to use!” Mimi explained as Alto gazed at the heavily used folder.
Alto thanked Mimi as he held onto the surprisingly heavy ring binder, the Vulpix took note of its apparent heavy use, and the folder’s labelling of “Tandem parachutes”. The Vulpix flipped the folder open as he started skimming through its contents, taking note of the many photos of the wide array of parachutes that the group had in stock.
Alto quietly searched through their stock before his eyes fixed on a page that caught his attention. A huge grin appeared on Alto’s face as he carefully flipped the folder around to show Mimi, pointing to the parachute he wanted. “Is this one okay?” Alto asked with a starry-eyed smile.
The Lopunny let out a soft chuckle over Alto’s enthusiasm. “Well it’s your jump, so I’m fine with whatever you want!” Mimi replied as her attention turned to the page that Alto was pointing to. Mimi pondered for a moment before she nodded. “Yeah, we can use that, Alto!” Mimi said as the folder was returned to her. “I think I saw Ieuan packing one just like it the other day, Let’s go find it shall we?” Mimi added as she offered to lead the way. Alto nodded happily as he followed Mimi to search for their gear.
A few minutes had passed since Alto and Mimi’s improvised trip to the storeroom, the pair had returned to the reception for a drink while they waited for Mabel and Ieuan to arrive. The Vulpix was watching a promotional video that the group had made on a wall mounted TV, the video showcased past jumps that were backed by energetic music to get customers excited for what was to come. Meanwhile, Mimi was leaning against a nearby wall, drinking a tamato berry juice while she kept an eye out on the rest of their party.
“Hey Mimi?” Alto said as he turned his attention to the Lopunny. “What other services do Poké-Air provide?” he asked as he sipped on his own juice. The Lopunny perked up.
“Oh! I’m glad you asked, well, on this base, we've got your regular tandem skydives, static line jumps, and courses for beginner skydivers. We also provide wingsuit flying for those that are qualified to do so. We also work with a small dock in Undella Town that deals with parasailing. Coincidentally, that was the place where Travis had his first time in the sky!” Alto tilted his head at Mimi’s comment about Travis, it was clear that this was news to the Vulpix. “Oh! Travis didn’t tell you?” She asked with a smile.
Alto shook his head. “I remember him mentioning something about not wanting to go again last week, but I thought he meant that he jumped out of a plane like me. I wouldn’t want to pressure him or anything if it brought back bad memories, so I decided to not ask.” The Vulpix replied with a faint smile.
“I see, you should totally ask him about it when you get the chance, Mabel and Travis laugh about it now, so I think that he would be fine with telling you!” Mimi said as she grinned. Alto nodded as he let Mimi continue. “There’s actually quite a few drop zones and related venues around Unova too. We aren’t the only ones interested in the parachuting scene you know.” Mimi added as she glanced at Alto, noticing how invested he is in what Mimi had to say.
“Really? I’m still new to all of this, so I never knew there were more places out there that did this sort of stuff!” Alto replied, “I’d love to know more about them. I may even visit some of them in the future!” Alto added as he grinned widely.
The Lopunny perked at Alto’s enthusiasm. “Wow, making plans to jump more already? Someone’s feeling confident about today!” she jokingly replied as the pair laughed between themselves. Mimi was about to talk about some of the other drop zones before something outside caught her attention. The Lopunny stood up as she peered through the window, Mimi almost immediately let out a happy gasp as she started waving excitedly at the window.
Alto curiously turned around as he wanted to see what caught her attention. He immediately spotted both Mabel, and Ieuan who were talking between themselves as they strolled into the base, Alto couldn’t hear what was going on outside, but it appeared as though Mabel was getting the Riolu pumped up for the adventure that laid ahead of them while Ieuan’s excitement was seemingly reaching critical levels. Something caught Mabel’s attention as she glanced at the Lopunny and Vulpix who were waving at them from inside the base, Alto saw that Mabel tapped Ieuan’s shoulder to get his attention. The Riolu glanced at the windows, and immediately locked eyes with Alto, upon seeing the Vulpix, Ieuan hastily dashed to the building, waving excitedly at his new friend. Ieuan slammed the door open as he sprinted towards the guest, throwing himself into Alto’s arms as he laughed.
“Hey Alto!” Ieuan cheered as his tail almost became a blur from the excessive wagging. “I’m so glad you’re here!” the Riolu said as he giggled.
Alto was a little surprised by the overjoyed greeting, he glanced up at Mimi as if he expected the Lopunny to have an answer on what he should do, only to see the Lopunny blushing a little before giggling to herself. Alto was still a little unsure on what to do, but he smiled softly as he quietly returned the hug. “Of course, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world!” Alto said as he let go of the Riolu as they giggled happily.
“Good morning you two!” Mabel said as she entered the reception, the Gardevoir glanced down at the pair, giggling over the Riolu’s cheerful greeting. “Ieuan has been telling me about how excited he is to jump with you today, I’ve never seen him this excited before!”. She said to Alto before turning her attention to Mimi, letting Alto and Ieuan have their moment. “So, is everything ready to go?”
Mimi nodded. “Well, I think everyone’s here now. So, I think it’s safe to say that we’re good to go!” Mimi replied. Mabel smiled softly at Mimi’s response.
“That’s good to hear.” Mabel replied. The Gardevoir glanced back at the excited customers as they chatted and pumped each other up for what was to come. “Seeing all of this enthusiasm is making me feel like we’re ready to party. So how about it you two? Shall we get this show on the road?” Mabel asked them with a wide grin.
The pair glanced at each other before cheering in unison. “Let’s go!” they exclaimed as they followed their tandem masters to get ready.
Alto and Mimi waited in the hangar as they sat on a crate close to the plane. Alto wore a suit that was identical to the one that was given to him for his first jump, with the black straps of his tandem harness covering his pink and white suit. The Lopunny and Vulpix engaged in small talk that mostly focused on some of Mimi’s memorable skydiving memories while Alto’s attention occasionally shifted between Poké-Air’s trusty pilot, Leon who was in the middle of an early morning check on the company’s plane, and a grey and white parachute rig that rested on Mimi’s lap.
Their conversation was cut short as Alto heard a familiar voice call out to them. The Vulpix turned around as he watched Ieuan enter the hangar. “Ready to go?” Ieuan cheered as he called out to the waiting pair, the Vulpix saw that Ieuan was dressed in an almost matching light blue and white jumpsuit, with a tandem harness secured over the Riolu’s suit. Alto noticed the excited grin on Ieuan’s face as their tail continued to wag uncontrollably.
“You know I’m always ready!” Alto cheered as he joined up with Ieuan. “You’re looking so cool in your suit!” he added with a grin and a thumbs up. The Riolu chuckled over the compliment.
“Why thank you Alto!” Ieuan said as he grinned. The Riolu quickly inspected the Vulpix in his pink jumpsuit before he continued, “And I have to say that you look amazing too!” Ieuan added with a playful wink. The Vulpix perked as he gave a flustered smile, making the Riolu laugh. “Anyways, Mabel will be here soon. She’s just making some arrangements for this morning.”
“Oh?” Alto replied. “What sort of arrangements if you mind me asking?” he asked, curious on what the Gardevoir was doing.
“Well, I heard that it’s a bit of a tradition in the group to film the first jumps of their staff members. Something about Icarus wanting us to remember how we started and all.” Ieuan replied. Alto was about to reply when the Vulpix heard a giggle from Mimi who approached them.
“That’s right, Ieuan!” Mimi said as she joined in the conversation. The Lopunny turned her attention to her student jumper “I also asked if someone could join us as well if that’s okay with you, Alto? The photos from last week were great. But I get the feeling that you want to remember this jump as much as I do!” Mimi added as she smiled warmly.
Alto paused before nodding enthusiastically. “That’s perfectly fine with me. It’s a bit of a surprise. But I have no objections!” Alto replied with a grin.
Mimi sighed in relief over Alto’s approval. “That’s good to hear. Well, I'm not sure when Mabel will arrive, and I still have some more fun stories to share. Care to join us Ieuan?” She asked as she glanced at her co-worker.
“Oh! That sounds fun, Mimi!” Ieuan replied as he joined them in listening to Mimi’s stories while they waited for the rest of the group to show up.
It didn’t take long for Mabel to arrive. The Gardevoir wore the same green suit that she had from the previous week, as well as having already strapped herself into a parachute. Alto noticed that she was accompanied by two newcomers to the party. One of the guests was an Ambipom that wore a purple jumpsuit that Matched Mimi’s, his tails waved at the Lopunny, who returned the wave as she giggled. The other guest was a Weavile that had a cut on the edge of their crest, and was dressed in a dark grey jumpsuit with red highlights going down the arms and legs, the pair were already prepared to fly, strapped into parachutes and equipped with their recording gear, Alto quickly recognised the pair as Simon and Samuel who were both present for his party from the previous week.
The Weavile noticed Ieuan, waving at the Riolu. “Hey Ieuan!” The Riolu let out a happy gasp as he rushed over to the Weavile. “Jan asked for me to jump with you for your first ride. Do you mind if I join you for this?” he asked the clearly overjoyed Riolu.
“I’d love to have you come along!” Ieuan replied with a grin. the pair high-fived as the Riolu giggled in excitement.
Alto smiled warmly as he turned his attention to Mimi and Simon, the two talking about the upcoming jump and going over their plan. The Vulpix’s ears perked up as Mabel caught his attention.
“So Alto, are you ready to go?” Mabel asked as she grabbed his attention. Alto glanced around to see everyone before returning his attention to Mabel, nodding confidently as his tail swayed from side to side.
“I’ve been waiting all week for this, you bet I’m ready!” Alto cheered. The Vulpix’s cheer clearly surprised Mabel who laughed at his enthusiasm.
“Well, I have to say that you certainly look eager to jump again!” Mabel replied as she ruffled the Vulpix’s hair. “That’s good to hear, I do hope that this jump lived up to your expectations buddy!” She paused as she watched Leon get up to open the hangar doors, the large doors rolled back as the mechanism’s motors groaned loudly, flooding the hangar with the morning’s cool breeze, and revealing the airstrip to the Vulpix.
“Well, I think we’re all set for the first jump of the day! Let’s get this party started!” Mabel shouted, rallying the passengers to cheer exuberantly in return.
The party was getting ready to board when a frantic voice calling to Ieuan echoed in the hangar. “Ieuan!” The voice shouted. The Riolu paused as he was about to enter the plane, turning around to see a Poochyena. The small canine’s fur was a little ruffled and had a sleepy look on their face as panted as they caught their breath.
“Oh! Good morning Ellie, is something wrong?” Ieuan asked as he focused his attention on the smaller Pokémon.
Ellie shook her head in dismissal. “Nothing wrong here. Jan just told me about how you were going for your first jump. And I just really wanted to wish you good luck!” Ellie replied with a toothy grin.
Alto peeked through the window to see who Ieuan was talking to. The Vulpix glanced back at Mimi, wondering if she knew who Ieuan was talking to.
Mimi smiled softly. “That’s Ellie. She’s one of the few residents on this base. Her sister is a good friend of ours, so we’ve been taking care of Ellie while she’s away.” Mimi explained to Alto.
“Oh! I see.” Alto replied as he glanced out of the window again, noting that Ellie and Ieuan were still chatting. After a moment, Ellie grinned again and said her goodbyes, letting Ieuan be as the Riolu finally joined everyone else in the plane.
“Sorry about that!” Ieuan said as he let out a soft chuckle. “Let’s get this party started!” He added as he cheered loudly.
The group’s plane soared over Mistralton City and its surrounding areas. The morning’s sky was a quiet one, with barely a cloud in the sky, giving the passengers a breath-taking view of Unova as they waited to jump.
“I’ve never been so high in the sky before.” Ieuan said in awe as he peered through the plane’s window, taking in the views as he stood next to Alto.
“It’s just as beautiful as I remember it. I’m glad I got to see this view again!” Alto added as his attention switched between the sky and admiring Ieuan’s reactions while the pair wagged their tails in unison, blissfully unaware that Samuel was filming them taking in the scenery.
Ieuan felt a hand on his shoulder, causing the Riolu to flinch as he let out a surprised yelp. He quickly turned his attention to Mabel who looked just as surprised as the Riolu was. The Gardevoir giggled as she calmed down. “So, how does it feel to be up here with us?” She asked with a grin.
Ieuan paused as he glanced out the window once more, then back at Mabel. “I’ve lost count over how many times I’ve seen this scene play out on our videos. But now that I’m here and seeing this for myself. I can’t really put this feeling into words. But I really feel like I belong here!” Ieuan answered with a starry-eyed look on his face, blatantly lost in the awe of the moment.
“It certainly is a wonderful feeling.” Samuel chimed in. “But I’d say it’s a good idea to start getting used to it! You’re going to be seeing this a lot from now on!” The Weavile chuckled with a playful wink. The Riolu smiled softly as he nodded at his co-worker.
“Right, I guess this moment was inevitable. But I can’t deny that it just feels surreal knowing what’s coming next.” Ieuan replied as he glanced at Alto. “And I know our friendship has been brief. But I’m glad that I get to share this moment with you Alto.”
The Vulpix perked at the comment, smiling warmly as he slung his arm around the Riolu’s shoulder. “And I’m glad that I’m not the only one jumping today. Thanks for joining me today Ieuan.” The Riolu blushed a little over Alto’s comment before smiling and laughing as he slung his arm around Alto’s shoulders.
Simon glanced at Mabel as he whispered something to her before she gave an affirming nod. The Ambipom grinned as he turned his attention to the student skydivers. “Hey, if you don’t mind me interrupting, do you mind if I take a photo?” The pair glanced at each other before nodding in agreement, holding the pose as they grinned happily for the Ambipom.
The pair heard a click as Simon took the picture, the Ambipom smiled with a nod as he quickly checked the image. However, a red light flooded the plane’s interior as Leon called out to them.
“Sorry to butt in. But we are getting close to the drop off point, if you lot can decide which groups are going first as soon as possible, then that would be great!” The Luxray called out as he returned his attention to the scheduled flight path. Alto and Ieuan glanced at each other. It was clear that they were waiting for one or the other to speak first. After a moment, they both turned to Mabel and Mimi as if they had the answer.
“Well, it’s up to you two in the end. Though I’d suggest that you two quickly agree on something, so we don’t cause any delays!” Mimi said as she started checking her parachute.
Ieuan glanced at Alto before smiling. He was about to speak up when Alto interrupted. “I think Ieuan should go first!” Alto said as he grinned.
The Riolu flinched, obviously surprised by what Alto had said. “But this is your jump! You deserve to go first!” Ieuan replied, finding himself flustered over Alto’s decision. The Vulpix placed a paw on Ieuan's shoulder as he smiled.
“But this is your first jump too, and I know that you’ve been so excited for this. I don’t mind waiting another minute for your big moment!” Alto replied. The Riolu’s surprise faded away to an expression of almost overwhelming joy as he quickly hugged his friend, making the Vulpix adorably squeak in surprise.
“Thank you so much Alto!” Ieuan replied as the flustered Vulpix quietly returned the hug.
Mimi and Mabel took notice of the pair in their moment, giggling to themselves. “Doesn’t this remind you of our first jumps together?” Mimi asked. The Gardevoir nodded as she chuckled.
“Yeah, I guess it does, doesn’t it?” Mabel laughed as she did her final checks, the Gardevoir saw Samuel stand as he approached the plane’s door with a little stretch in his step.
“Well, that’s our cue!” Samuel said as he opened the plane’s door, depressurizing the cabin as the cold air rushed inside with the wind’s loud roar. The Weavile flinched as he got used to the wind before hopping onto the wing’s support beam and giving a playful wave at those still in the plane as he kicked his legs back and forth. “Get ready, it’s showtime!” The Weavile called out to Alto and Ieuan who had broken their hug.
Ieuan turned his attention to Alto, smiling happily at his friend. “Well, what are we waiting for? let’s get ready!” Alto returned the smile, giving a confident nod as they partnered up with their tandem masters.
Minutes had passed as Alto and Ieuan got ready. The Vulpix watched as Mabel and Ieuan joined Samuel as they edged themselves towards the door. Mabel waited at the door’s edge, letting the Riolu hang out of plane with nothing but the Gardevoir he was harnessed to keeping him from falling, Alto could hear Ieuan’s excited laughter laced in between the almost deafening wind as Mabel hyped him up for what was to come while she eagerly waited for the signal to go. The Vulpix smiled softly as he watched Ieuan’s big moment. “Hope you have a fun ride.” Alto thought aloud as he watched the happy moment.
The Vulpix’s ears perked up as the red light turned green with a loud buzz, followed by Leon’s calling for them to go. Without another word, Mabel threw herself out of the pane while Samuel followed with her. Alto could just about hear the Gardevoir and Riolu screaming and laughing happily as they bailed, their voices quickly trailing off in the distance as the light turned red once more.
Mimi giggled. “I hope Ieuan has a fun time, but why should we let them have all the fun, it’s our turn now buddy!”. Alto heard a kiss behind him, and a whisper for good luck as Simon walked past the pair, making his way towards the door. Simon used his tails to climb out of the plane and onto the spot where Samuel once sat. As the Ambipom exited the plane, the Vulpix felt himself getting pushed to the opening, Alto felt the pushing stop as Mimi held onto the entrance, leaving the Vulpix dangling out of the plane like the Riolu before him. Alto turned his attention to Simon who grinned at the waiting pair, he then glanced in the presumed direction of where Mabel and Ieuan would probably be. The Vulpix squinted his eyes as he managed to spot two distant objects in the sky that resembled parachutes. Alto smiled to himself as he quietly wondered how Ieuan’s ride was going.
Alto’s daydream was cut short as he heard Mimi call out to him. “Ready Alto?” Mimi said as she eagerly waited to jump.
Alto paused as he took in the views, the memories of his birthday rushing back to him. However, instead of feeling fear and confusion as he did prior, a huge grin appeared on his face as he was unable to contain himself. “I’ve been waiting for this all week, I'm ready!” Alto cheered, kicking his legs and punching the skies above.
The sight of Alto’s enthusiasm made Mimi and Simon laugh before they heard the same buzz and Leon call out to them. Mimi smiled as she nodded. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Alto perked as he felt Mimi roll herself out of the plane, the Vulpix was able to get a good look at both the plane flying away and the Ambipom who had joined them before getting a good view of the ground rushing towards them as Mimi adjusted herself into the planned freefall position. The Vulpix grinned widely as he gave an exuberant cry, feeling the cold wind rush against his cloudy fur with its familiar, and almost deafening roar.
Mimi giggled as she heard Alto’s excitement, knowing now that inviting the Vulpix for another ride was a wonderful idea. Her attention turned to Simon who had caught up, recording their free fall from a safe enough distance. The Lopunny tapped Alto’s shoulder before reaching behind herself, pulling something out of the parachute, and presenting it to Alto. The Vulpix perked as he saw what appeared to be a smaller, light blue parachute flapping around in Mimi’s hand. “Hold on to it, count to three, and let go, okay?” Mimi instructed to her student as she giggled.
The Vulpix nodded as he quickly held onto the smaller parachute. Alto counted to three before he let go as Mimi had instructed; the tiny chute quickly flew upwards, almost immediately disappearing from his sight as Mimi laughed merrily.
Alto continued to giggle and smile for the camera before he felt a familiar upwards pull as the parachute deployed. The Vulpix let out a surprised yelp as a large rainbow coloured canopy loudly blossomed above them slowing their freefall to a smoother descent. “Woohoo!!” Mimi cheered as their deployment was a success.
The Lopunny was about to grab onto the toggles for their ride, when she noticed Alto had gone silent once again. “Hey Alto, are you okay?” Mimi asked as she tapped the Vulpix’s shoulder again.
Alto gazed around the vast horizon, taking in the same sights that he saw during the last time he jumped. He then turned his attention to the world below him, he saw his feet idly dangling and swaying with the wind as they loomed over the airstrip and surrounding area beneath them. At the same time, Alto spotted a white and purple striped canopy blossom below them as it glided around. Alto’s ears perked up as he glanced upwards to the rainbow coloured silk that he had picked out not long ago, taking in its vibrancy as they calmly glided beneath it. It was at that moment when he caught himself getting misty eyed as he admired the silk.
“Hey, Mimi. I think I understand now.” Alto replied with a faint choke in his voice. Mimi tilted her head, while she was unable to see his exact reaction, the tone of his voice made her realise that something was up. “I know that I was afraid and confused the first time around. But right now, now that I can clearly take things in.” The Vulpix quickly wiped his eyes before grinning widely as his tone changed to one of sheer bliss. “This is perfect! I love this I love skydiving!” Alto cheered, waving his arms up and down as he laughed wildly.
Mimi looked surprised over Alto’s sudden burst of euphoria. But she giggled softly as the Lopunny petted Alto’s head. “I’m so happy for you buddy.” Mimi replied as she smiled warmly, turning her attention to the parachute’s toggles to let Alto soar across the Unovan skies as the Vulpix ecstatically embraced every second of their ride.
Alto noticed a purple and lavender parachute in the distance doing a tight spin as it spiralled in the air, feeling concerned for their wellbeing, Alto pointed to the parachute. “Hey, are they okay over there?” Mimi glanced to where Alto was pointing, observing the distant canopy before giggling as she realised what was going on.
“Oh! If I were to guess, I think Mabel let Ieuan take control, I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. I guess Ieuan just wants to try out some of the things that he has heard about and seen while working with us. I’m sure he has an idea on what he’s doing!” Mimi replied as she tried to explain her assumptions. The Lopunny then perked as she got an idea. “Hey Alto, want to take over for me?” she asked as she offered the toggles to the Vulpix. “I bet that you would like to fly around at your own pace, right?” Mimi added with a grin, hoping that her passenger would agree to the proposal.
Alto glanced at the toggles that Mimi offered to the Vulpix. He smiled happily as he tightly held onto them. Mimi gently let go to reassure the Vulpix that he had full control at that moment. “That’s it!” Mimi said with a giggle. She let out a relaxed sigh as she rested her body, letting Alto have his fun while they continued to soar.
A few seconds had passed when Mimi realised that something wasn’t right. She quickly glanced around, noticing that they weren’t moving outside of the parachute’s natural gliding. “Hm? That’s strange.” She mumbled to herself as the Lopunny glanced down at Alto. Mimi immediately noticed that the Vulpix was glancing between the toggles, and not doing anything with them. “Hey Alto, are you okay buddy?” She asked, wondering what was going on.
The Vulpix perked as he realised that Mimi was probably confused over his actions, or the lack thereof in his case. “Oh! I’m okay Mimi, it’s just...” The Vulpix paused for a moment before letting out a faint chuckle. “I don’t really know the first thing about parachuting. I was hoping that you could tell me what to do?” Mimi flinched as she had realised her oversight.
“Oh! That’s right, I totally forgot that I did all the flying last time.” Mimi replied as chuckled awkwardly. “Well, that’s okay! Better late than never to teach you. It’s pretty straightforward, so it should be easy to follow!” Mimi replied with a grin.
Alto nodded as he cheerfully replied. “Tell me what I need to know, teacher!” The Lopunny perked at Alto calling her his teacher, but Mimi smiled softly as she cleared her throat.
“So those toggles I gave you act as brakes to the parachute. You pull one down, and the canopy will move in that direction!” Mimi explained as she tried to keep it as simple as possible for Alto. “The more you pull, the sharper the turn will be. But remember to not pull too hard now, we don’t want to lose control of our ride back home!”
Alto glanced between the toggles again as he got an idea of what Mimi had said. “So, like this?” he asked as he gently lowered one of the toggles.
The Vulpix was caught off guard as both he and Mimi swayed in that direction. Alto took a moment to let his action sink in before he grinned widely, laughing as he wasted no time in learning more about his parachute. “This is so cool!” Alto cheered as he soared around Unova.
“You’re doing great buddy!” Mimi giggled as she enjoyed the ride as much as her passenger did, The Lopunny let him continue for a bit until she grinned as she got an idea. “Hey Alto, try pulling one of the toggles down a bit further, and hold it like that for as long as you want!”
The Vulpix perked at Mimi’s instruction, he glanced at the toggle he had just used. “Like this?” Alto asked before he pulled the toggle down a little further. Alto yelped in surprise while Mimi squealed in delight as the parachute swung them around horizontally in a clockwise spin, the world almost turning into a dizzying blur to the Vulpix as he unknowingly pulled off his first tight spiral manoeuvre.
After a few seconds, the Vulpix eased off the toggle as their canopy evened itself again, Alto felt dizzy from his experience while Mimi who was unfazed by the little stunt continued to giggle wildly. “That was so cool Alto! You’re not bad for a beginner!” The Lopunny chuckled a little as she calmed herself down. “I know it’s a little irresponsible of me. But I wouldn’t mind letting you take over for a little longer!” The Vulpix perked and blushed softly over the compliment, letting out a chuckle as he shook off his dizziness, and returned his focus on flying as the pair soared and danced around in the clear skies.
The flight continued as normal until Mimi noticed that it wouldn’t be long before they would have to think of landing. The Lopunny quickly observed her surroundings, noticing a large white sheet placed on a nearby field that was decorated with a red and white target mark, and the parachutes from Ieuan’s party making their approach towards it. “Hey Alto, see that target over to your right? Let’s see if you have what it takes to land there!”
Alto perked at what Mimi had said. It was one thing trusting him to fly around. But even he knew that landing a parachute would be a completely different challenge. He had a moment of hesitation over her proposal, letting out a faint chuckle to see if Mimi was joking. “Are you sure about this Mimi?” Alto asked, feeling the responsibility of the task looming over him.
“Oh! You don’t have to if you don’t want to!” Mimi replied with a smile. “But I must admit, this ride has been really great! I believe that you could do this if I instructed you along the way!” Mimi said reassuringly. Alto was surprised at the compliment, but he felt comfort in knowing that Mimi would support him through this moment.
The Vulpix paused before he nodded. “I’ll do it!” He said with a new-found determination. He quickly surveyed his surroundings, noticing the landing pad that Mimi spotted earlier, as well as Simon’s parachute not far away from the pair. “Let’s do this, Mimi!” Alto cheered as he followed the Ambipom. It didn’t take long for Alto to catch up to Simon while the Vulpix made sure that he kept a good distance from him.
Mimi perked as she realised what Alto was doing. “Oh! Good idea Alto!” Mimi said with a giggle. “If you feel like you're getting a little too close for comfort, pull down both toggles gently to slow down a little, and give Simon some space!” She explained as she watched the Ambipom gliding down to their target.
Alto continued his path, navigating the skies to the best of his abilities while taking cues from the Ambipom in front of them. As the Vulpix got closer he quickly spotted Ieuan’s party which had already landed, a red and black patterned parachute rested on the mat with Samuel close by, the Weavile focused his attention on a larger Goodra themed parachute which appeared as though Mabel and Ieuan were blanketed beneath it. With about a minute left of the flight, Alto moved away from Simon to give himself some space for landing. Mimi whistled, cheering as she watched her mate make a running landing while Alto swooped over him in an attempt to get the Ambipom to catch their landing on video.
“Okay Alto, tuck your legs in and brake as much as you can on my command!” Mimi said as their ride neared its climax. The Vulpix nodded as he followed Mimi’s orders, with seconds left of the ride, Mimi quickly called out to Alto for him to pull the brakes. Instinctively, the Vulpix tugged down on both toggles as Mimi prepared to make a running landing. However, Mimi noticed that her feet weren't touching the ground, her eyes darted between both toggles only to realise that Alto had flared too hard and made them stall in the air. Mimi struggled to get her feet on the ground, but the parachute was briefly pulled up by a gust of wind. The pair let out a surprised yelp as their ride ended abruptly with Mimi landing bottom first on the cold mat.
“Ah! Sorry Mimi! Are you alright?” Alto nervously asked his tandem master. The Lopunny let out a soft groan before chuckling.
“I’m fine Alto! You just flared too hard, that’s all!” Mimi said as she petted Alto’s head, “But we landed, and that’s what matters most. Congratulations on your first landing!” she added with a cheer. The Vulpix blushed softly over the compliment, laughing as he felt pride in completing his first landing. However, the Vulpix’s moment of joy was cut short as he looked up, letting out another yelp as their parachute started to deflate above them, Alto flinched as their silk covered the pair in its cold, rainbow coloured embrace.
The Vulpix glanced around as he lowered his guard, he took in his new surroundings that were now obscured in the vibrancy of the multi coloured silk. “Does this happen a lot?” Alto asked with an awkward chuckle as he tried to glance back at Mimi.
“It happens from time to time” Mimi replied with a bemused giggle. “I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.”
“I see.” Alto replied as he let out a small sigh of relief. He brushed his paw against the colourful silk, noting how smooth the parachute felt against his digits. “I can’t deny that this does feel rather nice.” Alto replied as he admired the canopy.
“There is something nice about it, yeah.” Mimi added with a chuckle. “It’s moments like these that take me back to when I started jumping. I used to get really nervous during my first jumps, so it felt nice to have a moment of privacy to calm down, and let the adrenaline run its course before I met up with the staff.” She added as she relaxed. Mimi glanced down at Alto as she watched him play with the silk, the Lopunny then grinned as she pushed up some of their parachute before childishly giggling as it floated down over them once more.
The Vulpix and Lopunny started to play with their canopy as they calmed down from their ride, the pair continued to giggle and enjoy the moment until Alto decided to speak up. “This morning has been perfect. Thank you so much for giving me another chance to fly!” Alto cheered as they goofed off. Mimi smiled warmly at Alto’s comment, delighted that he had such a fun time.
“I’m glad to hear that. Thank you for the awesome ride too!” Mimi replied as the Lopunny continued playing. However, something crossed her mind as she stopped. The Lopunny was hesitant before she continued talking. “Unfortunately, from here on out, I can’t really guarantee that I can get you in for free. But the cost for tandem jumps is great if you wanted to do this again. I’d love to fly with you again some time!”
Alto paused before he gave an understanding nod. “I see. Well, I did say last week that I was willing to pay for this jump. So, I’m fine with paying for the next time!” Alto replied with a soft chuckle. “You bet that I’m totally booking myself in for another jump, or two soon!” the Vulpix added as he grinned merrily.
“That’s good to hear buddy.” Mimi replied as she giggled. The Lopunny’s ears perked up as she heard a melody of footsteps on the mat, and excited laughter as the silhouette of a Riolu quickly loomed over them. “Well, it seems someone wants to see you, Alto.” Mimi chuckled as she disconnected Alto from her parachute with an audible click. “Why don’t you catch up with him for a bit while I pack things up?” Mimi added.
Alto nodded with a smile as he started to make his way out of the collapsed parachute, the Vulpix fumbled under the vibrant silk and cords as he followed the Riolu’s shadow. Alto eventually poked his head out as he saw the end of their fabric, the Vulpix’s eyes squinted as he got used to the natural light before he turned his attention to Ieuan, the Riolu seemingly towered over the Vulpix with the goofiest grin on his face while his tail wagged uncontrollably. The Vulpix smiled softly over the sight and was about to break the silence between them when Ieuan suddenly lifted Alto up, pulling him into a great big hug as the Vulpix let out a surprised squeak. The Riolu laughed merrily as he celebrated his first flight. “This has been the best day ever!” Ieuan cheered while Alto was still surprised by his friend’s sudden gesture.
Alto let out a soft giggle, returning the hug as he grinned. “This has been a perfect day too!” Alto replied as he broke off the hug. Alto glanced back at Mimi and Simon as they gathered their gear before returning his attention to Ieuan. “Well, we have some time to spare, I’d like to hear about your first time in the sky!” Alto said, eagerly wanting to hear how the Riolu’s jump went.
Ieuan’s ears perked up as he grinned. “Oh! Of course, that’s cool with me!” Ieuan replied as he wasted no time in recalling his first jump to the excited Vulpix.
The pair shared their experiences and goofed around while they let the other jumpers gather their gear to head back to base. As they talked, Alto heard Mimi call out to them. The pair turned around to see Mimi skip up to them with the large rainbow canopy bundled up and resting on her shoulders, the Lopunny was accompanied by Simon who was still filming the pair’s reunion. “Did you both have a good time today?” Mimi asked as she glanced at the duo.
“It was everything I could have wished for!” Ieuan cheered as he waved his arms while grinning at the Lopunny.
Alto chuckled as he saw Ieuan’s response. “Once again, thank you so much Mimi!” Alto replied as he turned his attention to his tandem master, his cloudy tail swayed from side to side as he giggled.
“Glad to hear!” Mimi replied to the delighted pair. “Hey! How about a photo to remember this moment?” Mimi asked as she glanced at the Ambipom. Simon perked as he checked his camera before nodding in approval.
“We should still have some battery life on the camera to get some last-minute photos!” Simon replied, as he checked the camera. “So how about it you two?” The Ambipom asked as he turned his attention to Alto and Ieuan.
Alto glanced at Ieuan to see what he had to say. Ieuan pondered for a moment before he gave his answer. “Well, that sounds good to me! Is that okay with you Alto?” he said as he turned his attention to Alto.
“That’s fine with me!” the Vulpix replied as he gave an approving nod to Simon.
“Alright then!” Simon replied as he chuckled, the Ambipom fumbled with the camera before pointing it at the two student jumpers. “Get ready then!”
Alto smiled at the camera. However, the Vulpix let out a surprised yelp as Ieuan wrapped an arm around Alto’s shoulder as he pulled the Vulpix in, the Riolu grinned excitedly as he gave a peace sign to the Ambipom. Alto was a little caught off guard, but quickly returned the favour, wrapping his own arm around Ieuan as he waved at Simon, smiling happily with his new friend.
“Alright then! Say cheese!” Mimi cheered as Simon got ready to take the photo.
“We’re back!” Mabel called out as she swung the reception doors open, letting the other members of the party get in before her. It had been some time since they left, and business had started operating as usual. As Alto stepped in, he noticed Angela at the reception who was talking to a Raboot that had a badge covered satchel resting around their shoulder.
The Mawile glanced at the party that had just returned, grinning as she waved at them. “Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a fun time?” she asked as Ieuan and Alto cheered in response. The cheering caught the Raboot’s attention as they turned around, the Raboot let out a happy gasp as they immediately spotted Ieuan.
“Ah! Hey Ieuan!” They said as the visitor dashed over to the Riolu. The Raboot paused as they noticed the jumpsuit that Ieuan wore. “Wait a minute, did you finally get a chance to jump?!” They asked with a sudden starry look in their eyes, eagerly awaiting the Riolu’s reply.
Ieuan chuckled. “That’s right Rachel! I finally got to see what I was missing out on!” he replied with a massive smile. He glanced at Alto as the Riolu wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder. “My friend, Alto came for his second jump today, and I was invited to come along for my first ride today!” Ieuan noted the overwhelming joy on the Raboot’s face, unable to contain her excitement as she cheered and jumped on the spot.
“That’s awesome news!” Rachel cheered. “I saw some parachutes on my way here. But I didn’t realise that it was you. I’m so happy for you Ieuan!” The Raboot perked as she turned her attention to Alto. “So, you’re Alto? My name’s Rachel, it’s nice to meet you!” Rachel said as she reached her paw out to Alto, the Vulpix glanced at her paw before returning the gesture as they giggled.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Rachel!” Alto replied as he grinned.
Mimi smiled as she gave most of her gear to Mabel, letting the Gardevoir and the camera crew get back to business. “So, have you come here to book your annual jump?” Mimi asked. Rachel turned her attention to Mimi as she nodded.
“That’s right! It’s almost time for my fourth birthday jump!” The Raboot giggled merrily, Rachel briefly paused as she glanced at Angela, then back at Mimi as a grin appeared on the Raboot’s face. “But the truth is, that’s not the only thing I came here for.”
Mimi glanced at Angela as the Mawile smiled. “This may be her last tandem ride with us.” Mimi looked surprised at the announcement before the receptionist continued. “That’s because Rachel will be a part of this year’s AFF class!” The Mawile cheered while the Raboot looked proud of herself.
Alto raised an eyebrow as he looked around the room before looking at Mimi. “Hey Mimi, is the AFF class that thing you mentioned earlier on?” Alto curiously asked.
Mimi perked as she remembered what they had discussed earlier on. “Oh! That’s right!” Mimi replied. “Our beginner skydivers’ course is called the accelerated freefall course—AFF for short. It’s the most convenient way to learn how to skydive on your own! There are a few lessons you need to do, so it'll take a few weeks to complete the course. But after that, and a few more jumps, you will be on your way to obtaining your A license. With that you can jump on your own, and it helps save you money on future jumps in the long run too!” The Lopunny explained while Alto listened closely “We host courses twice a year, one in Spring, and the other one is taking place in about two months!”
“Jan did invite me to take part in the last class. But the course got fully booked before I could register. I’m really looking forward to being a part of this upcoming class so I can take part in further work here though!” Ieuan interjected with a grin, the Riolu noticed the excited look on the Raboot’s face at what he had said.
“Really now?” Rachel asked. “I’m so glad that I have a jump buddy for the course! I can’t wait to be classmates with you Ieuan!” She said as she high fived the Riolu. Rachel turned her attention to Alto. “There’s still plenty of time to sign up if you want.” Rachel said as she opened her satchel, the Raboot rummaged around inside her bag before pulling out a pamphlet. “I don’t really need this anymore. Maybe you’d be interested in looking at it?”
Alto thanked Rachel as he accepted the pamphlet, he quickly skimmed through its contents while Mimi noticed how Alto’s tail wagged wildly as he read about what the course offered. “This sounds so exciting!” Alto replied with a starry-eyed look on his face.
“I’m glad you think so!” Mimi giggled. “Like Rachel said, there’s still time if you want to think about it. We are accepting students for another two weeks, and slots are limited. so, feel free to book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!” She added.
“I’ll make sure to think about it!” The Vulpix replied as he closed the pamphlet with a smile.
“It would be so cool to have you on the group.” Ieuan added. “I’d love to jump with you again!” Rachel glanced at Ieuan for a moment before she nodded in agreement with what the Riolu had said.
Alto chuckled softly as he replied. “Yeah, I’d really like to do more of this some time! Jumping with you again would be wonderful!”
Rachel smiled as she let out a happy sigh. “Well, I’ve got things that I need to do this afternoon, so I’m going to head off now. I can’t wait to see you all soon!” She giggled before turning her attention to Alto. “And I hope that we get a chance to meet up again soon!”
Alto perked and nodded. “That would be great. I hope we can get that chance!”
The Raboot nodded as the she made her way back home after an exchange of goodbyes. Alto and the staff watched as Rachel skipped off, quickly disappearing from their sight.
The Vulpix perked as he remembered something, breaking the silence as he turned towards the staff. “Well, on that note, as much as I would love to stay and hang out, I should probably think about heading off myself. I did say I would see Travis as soon as I possibly could.” Alto said with a soft smile.
Ieuan’s ears drooped a little, it was clear that the Riolu was disappointed that they had to say goodbye. But he smiled at the Vulpix, “I understand, I had an amazing time with you today!” Ieuan said with a wide grin. “I hope that you come see us again soon!”
Alto nodded as he held his paw out for the Riolu. “Of course, Ieuan. I promise I’ll be back soon!” Ieuan glanced down at Alto’s paw before nodding. He was about to shake the paw before they heard a set of footprints dashing on the tiled floors. The pair were about to see who it was when Ellie dashed into the room, the Poochyena was strapped into a parachute rig designed for quadrupedal Pokémon. Upon spotting Ieuan, she started to dash towards the Riolu.
However, Mimi noticed that the pilot chute on Ellie’s rig was fluttering behind her while she ran, the small chute got snagged onto a nearby door handle which made the Lopunny panic as she watched. Mimi tried calling out to Ellie to stop. However, it was in vain as both Mimi and Alto watched in shock as Ellie leapt towards Ieuan, the snagged pilot chute forced the main parachute out of its rig. A cacophony of colourful silk erupted from behind Ellie as the Poochyena tackled the Riolu onto the ground while he yelped in surprise.
“So how was it? You’ve got to tell me everything!” Ellie asked the surprised Riolu as her tail wagged wildly, blissfully unaware of the large silk that was settling down behind her. The Riolu glanced at Alto and Mimi who glanced between themselves, clearly unsure on what to say about the little incident while Angela who was visibly stunned at what went on quietly placed her face in both of her palms as she quietly groaned over the mess that was made. Alto then looked at the excited Poochyena, and Ieuan as he let out a bemused chuckle.
“Well, how about I let you tell your friend about your adventure while I get this suit off?” Alto said as broke the awkward silence, pointing out he was still geared up. Ieuan perked as he nodded.
“Oh! That’s right.” Ieuan replied as he glanced at Ellie. “Do you mind waiting a few minutes while Alto and I get our jumpsuits off?” The Riolu watched as Ellie’s eyes light up before she got off him, her tail wagging even more as she nodded.
“Sounds good to me!” Ellie replied as she watched Alto and Ieuan head back to the changing rooms.
“And there we go!” Travis said as he placed a picture frame on the bookshelf. “I’m sure Alto would love to see this when he comes back.” The Sylveon glanced around the room, then back at the clock. “I do hope he comes back soon. I’d love to hear about how his day went.” Travis said to himself as he laid back on their sofa. The Sylveon’s mind starting to wander as he gazed up at the ceiling.
A few minutes went by as Travis’ heard the front door open, followed by a familiar voice call out to the Sylveon. “I’m back!” Alto announced as he entered the house with a skip in his step. The Sylveon quickly sat up as he saw Alto make his presence known.
“Welcome back Alto!” Travis said as he eagerly got up to greet the Vulpix. “So how was your second jump?” Travis asked, excited to know more about Alto’s little adventure.
Alto grinned as he flopped onto a nearby seat, sinking a little in its plush cushions. “This morning has been amazing!” Alto said as he laughed. “I got to fly with Ieuan and discover that I really love skydiving! It’s been the best day ever!”
The Sylveon smiled warmly as he saw the happy Vulpix. “Mabel did tell me about some of the stuff that went on. It really sounded like you had a wonderful time, I’m so happy for you buddy!” Travis replied as he let out a happy sigh. The Sylveon perked as he remembered something. “Oh yeah, Mabel also sent me some of the photos from today!” he added as he pointed out a photo frame on the bookshelf.
The Vulpix looked surprised over Travis’ comment. “Wait, really?” Alto said as he got off the chair to investigate the bookshelf, Alto quickly spotted a photo of himself waving for the camera as he fell with Mimi, the Vulpix couldn’t help but notice how happy he looked in the photo as he recalled the joyful moment. It was at that moment when Alto remembered the discussion he had with Mimi and Ieuan about the upcoming classes. “Hey, Travis? I got something I wanted to discuss with you?”
“Hm? What’s up Alto?” Travis asked as he sat down.
“Well, I was told about a course that Poké-Air are doing soon for learning how to jump on your own. I was thinking about joining the classes, and I was wondering if that was okay with you?” Alto hesitantly asked.
Travis paused as he observed Alto’s body language. While the Vulpix was hesitant about asking, the Sylveon could clearly see that Alto really wanted this. “Is that it?” Travis asked with a soft smile before he continued. “Then do it. I can’t stop you, not that I would have wanted to anyways. I just want you to be happy, and if that means you taking up skydiving as a hobby, then so be it!” He said, smiling reassuringly at the Vulpix who was surprised at the Sylveon’s encouraging reply.
Alto paused for a moment as an expression of overwhelming joy appeared on his face. “Thank you, Travis!” He replied as he hugged the Sylveon tightly.
Travis let out a small squeak as he was hugged, he gently patted Alto’s back with a chuckle while the Vulpix continued to hug him. “It’s not a problem, Alto.” Travis felt the Vulpix let go of him as he grinned at the Sylveon. “So, how about you tell me how your jump went. I’d love to hear about your adventure!” Travis said as he grinned back at Alto.
Alto perked as he chuckled. “Sure thing!” Alto merrily replied.
Alto entered his room, quietly closing the door behind him. It had been some time since the Vulpix had returned home as the Vulpix saw the sunset from his window. Alto let out a soft sigh as he surveyed the room, he noticed that everything seemed to be where he had left it. However, Alto quickly noticed that Travis had made some updates to the Vulpix’s note-board. The Vulpix quickly dashed over to check what had been done, Alto saw that close to the certificate he got for his first jump was a new photo. The image was of Alto and Ieuan posing together in the plane. The Vulpix smiled brightly as he chuckled over the photo, his tail swaying gently as he recalled the moment. But that wasn’t the only addition that the Sylveon had made.
Alto’s attention then turned to the second item that he had noticed. It was the doodle that he did for Travis before he left. However, Alto noticed there was something new on the note. Close to the parachuting Vulpix was a message that Travis wrote.
“Follow your dreams and reach for the sky.” Alto read aloud. The Vulpix quickly glanced in the direction of the door as he wondered if Travis knew something all along, but the Vulpix quietly dismissed the thought as he let the message on the sheet, and all of the encouragement that he had received sink in.
“I guess I really have nothing to lose with joining the classes.” Alto thought aloud as he glanced at the calendar. The Vulpix grabbed a pen as he quickly scribbled something in a box for the next week.
The Vulpix closed the lid of the pen when he was done. He gazed at the box that now contained the words “Join the class!”. Alto smiled to himself as he made his decision, “It would be a wasted opportunity if I didn’t join the class. I may as well do it!” He thought aloud before turning his attention to the soft bed next to him. Alto threw himself onto his bed, feeling the mattresses embrace as stretched his body on the purple bedsheet, finally starting to feel the fatigue taking over as his rush started dying down.
“I’ll be back soon, I promise.” Alto mumbled to himself as he relaxed for the night.
To be continued.
As usual, special thanks to digolgrin for helping edit and contribute ideas to the chapter!!
Hope you enjoy!!
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Clear Skies Chapter 3: The Offer of a Lifetime
“Good morning!” Travis half-heartedly cheered as he entered the living room. The Sylveon appeared to still be sleepy, with his hair being very unkempt after waking up from a good night’s rest. The Sylveon paused as he waited for a response. However, he quickly realised that nobody had returned his greeting, Travis raised an eyebrow as he quickly scanned around the living room, noticing that he was the only one present. “Hm? Where’s Alto?” Travis said to himself as he wondered where his roommate went.
The Sylveon turned his attention to a clock that was hung up on one of the walls. Travis noticed that the time on the clock was getting closer to when Alto’s second skydive would take place. “Don’t tell me he’s still asleep!” Travis exclaimed as the concerns of his friend missing their big moment woke the Sylveon up in a panic.
Travis quickly scrambled into the kitchen to see if there were any signs of his roommate. He immediately noticed that the kitchen was relatively clean with barely a sign of any previous visitors. The Sylveon’s concerns continued to grow as he started to worry about his absent friend. As he fretted, a small makeshift bouquet of slowly deflating balloons that rested on the kitchen’s table caught the Sylveon’s attention.
Travis paused as his mind processed the bouquet drifting over the table. “Hm? I don’t remember those being there last night.” Travis thought aloud as he approached the bundle. The Sylveon noticed a sheet of paper that was placed underneath the bouquet’s weight. Out of curiosity, Travis carefully grabbed the sheet, noticing that it was a note addressed to him from his notably absent roommate. The Sylveon glanced around before he started to read it aloud.
“Hey Travis! Sorry that I left on such short notice. I heard that you were still sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you up. My flight is almost ready, but I promise to come back as soon as possible! Until then, see you later! From Alto.” Travis also saw that below the message was a crudely drawn doodle of the Vulpix parachuting with a large smile on their face.
Travis’ ears drooped for a moment, quietly bemoaning that he missed getting to wish Alto good luck. The Sylveon let out a soft sigh before turning his attention to Alto’s doodle, smiling softly at the Vulpix’s attempt at drawing. “Well, there’s no use moaning about not being able to wish him good luck.” Travis said as he placed the sheet back on the table. “The least I can do is wait for him to come back home!” Travis said as he chuckled to himself. “I do hope that he at least has a fun time.” The Sylveon added as he got ready to start his morning.
Mimi hummed to herself as she set up the reception, the Lopunny had just finished cleaning the tiled floors as she admired her reflection on the floor. “And there we go!” The Lopunny giggled as she carefully tiptoed behind the counter to prepare all the essential documents that were needed for the day. The Lopunny was in the middle of checking through their reservations book when a frantic voice outside caught her attention.
The Lopunny turned her attention towards the glass doors as she wondered what was going on. She immediately spotted a familiar white Vulpix staggering and stumbling towards the building. “What’s Alto doing here so early?” Mimi asked herself as she got up from behind the desk, waving at Alto as she hoped that the Vulpix would see her.
Alto wearily pushed open the doors as he reached the base, the Vulpix panted heavily as he glanced at Mimi with a faint smile. “Hey Mimi!” He said as he stumbled to the reception’s desk, flopping against it as his legs trembled from running so much. “I hope I’m not too late. I wasn’t sure on when you wanted me to come, so I tried to get here as soon as I possibly could.” He said while he tried to catch his breath. Mimi glanced up at the clock that rested over the desk, letting out a soft chuckle.
“Oh Alto, you’re actually an hour ahead of schedule! You caught us while we were still opening for the day!” The Lopunny giggled as she ruffled Alto’s hair.
Alto’s ears perked up as he realised just how early he was. “Oh! I see.” Alto replied as he let out an awkward chuckle.
“Well hey, nothing wrong with being early!” Mimi reassuringly replied. The Lopunny perked as she got an idea. “Hey! Since the others aren’t here yet, we have first dibs on the parachutes! How about we pick ours out before everyone else gets a chance?”
The Vulpix looked surprised at Mimi’s offer, Alto briefly pondered on the idea before he gave an enthusiastic nod as he lifted himself up from the desk, doing his best to shake off his fatigue. Mimi smiled as she offered to guide the Vulpix to their storerooms. “Come on, let’s go! She cheered as she led the way.
A few minutes had passed by as Mimi guided the Vulpix to their destination. The pair eventually made their way to a closed door that was located inside their deserted hangar, Alto glanced around the dimly lit room before Mimi broke the silence. “And here we are!” Mimi announced as she pushed the door open to reveal a pitch-black room. Alto gazed into the darkness before he glanced at the Lopunny who paused before she realised that Alto couldn’t see inside the room. “Oh! I guess we were the first ones here today.” Mimi said as she awkwardly chuckled. “But that’s okay, I know where the lights are!” she added before guiding the Vulpix inside the room.
Alto quietly nodded as he made his way inside the room, he heard Mimi enter after him as she clumsily reached around the nearest wall. “There it is!” Mimi cheered as she flicked a light switch. The room’s lights flickered briefly before flooding the room with its light, greeting Alto to a surprisingly large room that was filled with a wide variety of parachutes that were neatly lined up and labelled in terms of shapes, sizes, designs, and what situations they would be ideal for. Alto’s eyes widened as he glanced around the room, his tail wagging as he took in the sights of the room.
“I guess we have a lot of options, Mimi?” Alto asked in awe as he glanced at the Lopunny. Mimi let out a chuckle over Alto’s reaction as she turned her attention to a nearby cabinet that was filled with a variety of differently coloured ring binders. Mimi’s fingers brushed against them before she pulled out a thick, and well used blue binder, passing it over to Alto as she smiled.
“We have quite a lot of options!” Mimi replied with a giggle. “Jan managed to get us all sorts of cool and fun designs over his years of working here. Maybe there’s something in here that takes your fancy? This folder is always kept up to date, so just ask if there’s something you want to use!” Mimi explained as Alto gazed at the heavily used folder.
Alto thanked Mimi as he held onto the surprisingly heavy ring binder, the Vulpix took note of its apparent heavy use, and the folder’s labelling of “Tandem parachutes”. The Vulpix flipped the folder open as he started skimming through its contents, taking note of the many photos of the wide array of parachutes that the group had in stock.
Alto quietly searched through their stock before his eyes fixed on a page that caught his attention. A huge grin appeared on Alto’s face as he carefully flipped the folder around to show Mimi, pointing to the parachute he wanted. “Is this one okay?” Alto asked with a starry-eyed smile.
The Lopunny let out a soft chuckle over Alto’s enthusiasm. “Well it’s your jump, so I’m fine with whatever you want!” Mimi replied as her attention turned to the page that Alto was pointing to. Mimi pondered for a moment before she nodded. “Yeah, we can use that, Alto!” Mimi said as the folder was returned to her. “I think I saw Ieuan packing one just like it the other day, Let’s go find it shall we?” Mimi added as she offered to lead the way. Alto nodded happily as he followed Mimi to search for their gear.
A few minutes had passed since Alto and Mimi’s improvised trip to the storeroom, the pair had returned to the reception for a drink while they waited for Mabel and Ieuan to arrive. The Vulpix was watching a promotional video that the group had made on a wall mounted TV, the video showcased past jumps that were backed by energetic music to get customers excited for what was to come. Meanwhile, Mimi was leaning against a nearby wall, drinking a tamato berry juice while she kept an eye out on the rest of their party.
“Hey Mimi?” Alto said as he turned his attention to the Lopunny. “What other services do Poké-Air provide?” he asked as he sipped on his own juice. The Lopunny perked up.
“Oh! I’m glad you asked, well, on this base, we've got your regular tandem skydives, static line jumps, and courses for beginner skydivers. We also provide wingsuit flying for those that are qualified to do so. We also work with a small dock in Undella Town that deals with parasailing. Coincidentally, that was the place where Travis had his first time in the sky!” Alto tilted his head at Mimi’s comment about Travis, it was clear that this was news to the Vulpix. “Oh! Travis didn’t tell you?” She asked with a smile.
Alto shook his head. “I remember him mentioning something about not wanting to go again last week, but I thought he meant that he jumped out of a plane like me. I wouldn’t want to pressure him or anything if it brought back bad memories, so I decided to not ask.” The Vulpix replied with a faint smile.
“I see, you should totally ask him about it when you get the chance, Mabel and Travis laugh about it now, so I think that he would be fine with telling you!” Mimi said as she grinned. Alto nodded as he let Mimi continue. “There’s actually quite a few drop zones and related venues around Unova too. We aren’t the only ones interested in the parachuting scene you know.” Mimi added as she glanced at Alto, noticing how invested he is in what Mimi had to say.
“Really? I’m still new to all of this, so I never knew there were more places out there that did this sort of stuff!” Alto replied, “I’d love to know more about them. I may even visit some of them in the future!” Alto added as he grinned widely.
The Lopunny perked at Alto’s enthusiasm. “Wow, making plans to jump more already? Someone’s feeling confident about today!” she jokingly replied as the pair laughed between themselves. Mimi was about to talk about some of the other drop zones before something outside caught her attention. The Lopunny stood up as she peered through the window, Mimi almost immediately let out a happy gasp as she started waving excitedly at the window.
Alto curiously turned around as he wanted to see what caught her attention. He immediately spotted both Mabel, and Ieuan who were talking between themselves as they strolled into the base, Alto couldn’t hear what was going on outside, but it appeared as though Mabel was getting the Riolu pumped up for the adventure that laid ahead of them while Ieuan’s excitement was seemingly reaching critical levels. Something caught Mabel’s attention as she glanced at the Lopunny and Vulpix who were waving at them from inside the base, Alto saw that Mabel tapped Ieuan’s shoulder to get his attention. The Riolu glanced at the windows, and immediately locked eyes with Alto, upon seeing the Vulpix, Ieuan hastily dashed to the building, waving excitedly at his new friend. Ieuan slammed the door open as he sprinted towards the guest, throwing himself into Alto’s arms as he laughed.
“Hey Alto!” Ieuan cheered as his tail almost became a blur from the excessive wagging. “I’m so glad you’re here!” the Riolu said as he giggled.
Alto was a little surprised by the overjoyed greeting, he glanced up at Mimi as if he expected the Lopunny to have an answer on what he should do, only to see the Lopunny blushing a little before giggling to herself. Alto was still a little unsure on what to do, but he smiled softly as he quietly returned the hug. “Of course, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world!” Alto said as he let go of the Riolu as they giggled happily.
“Good morning you two!” Mabel said as she entered the reception, the Gardevoir glanced down at the pair, giggling over the Riolu’s cheerful greeting. “Ieuan has been telling me about how excited he is to jump with you today, I’ve never seen him this excited before!”. She said to Alto before turning her attention to Mimi, letting Alto and Ieuan have their moment. “So, is everything ready to go?”
Mimi nodded. “Well, I think everyone’s here now. So, I think it’s safe to say that we’re good to go!” Mimi replied. Mabel smiled softly at Mimi’s response.
“That’s good to hear.” Mabel replied. The Gardevoir glanced back at the excited customers as they chatted and pumped each other up for what was to come. “Seeing all of this enthusiasm is making me feel like we’re ready to party. So how about it you two? Shall we get this show on the road?” Mabel asked them with a wide grin.
The pair glanced at each other before cheering in unison. “Let’s go!” they exclaimed as they followed their tandem masters to get ready.
Alto and Mimi waited in the hangar as they sat on a crate close to the plane. Alto wore a suit that was identical to the one that was given to him for his first jump, with the black straps of his tandem harness covering his pink and white suit. The Lopunny and Vulpix engaged in small talk that mostly focused on some of Mimi’s memorable skydiving memories while Alto’s attention occasionally shifted between Poké-Air’s trusty pilot, Leon who was in the middle of an early morning check on the company’s plane, and a grey and white parachute rig that rested on Mimi’s lap.
Their conversation was cut short as Alto heard a familiar voice call out to them. The Vulpix turned around as he watched Ieuan enter the hangar. “Ready to go?” Ieuan cheered as he called out to the waiting pair, the Vulpix saw that Ieuan was dressed in an almost matching light blue and white jumpsuit, with a tandem harness secured over the Riolu’s suit. Alto noticed the excited grin on Ieuan’s face as their tail continued to wag uncontrollably.
“You know I’m always ready!” Alto cheered as he joined up with Ieuan. “You’re looking so cool in your suit!” he added with a grin and a thumbs up. The Riolu chuckled over the compliment.
“Why thank you Alto!” Ieuan said as he grinned. The Riolu quickly inspected the Vulpix in his pink jumpsuit before he continued, “And I have to say that you look amazing too!” Ieuan added with a playful wink. The Vulpix perked as he gave a flustered smile, making the Riolu laugh. “Anyways, Mabel will be here soon. She’s just making some arrangements for this morning.”
“Oh?” Alto replied. “What sort of arrangements if you mind me asking?” he asked, curious on what the Gardevoir was doing.
“Well, I heard that it’s a bit of a tradition in the group to film the first jumps of their staff members. Something about Icarus wanting us to remember how we started and all.” Ieuan replied. Alto was about to reply when the Vulpix heard a giggle from Mimi who approached them.
“That’s right, Ieuan!” Mimi said as she joined in the conversation. The Lopunny turned her attention to her student jumper “I also asked if someone could join us as well if that’s okay with you, Alto? The photos from last week were great. But I get the feeling that you want to remember this jump as much as I do!” Mimi added as she smiled warmly.
Alto paused before nodding enthusiastically. “That’s perfectly fine with me. It’s a bit of a surprise. But I have no objections!” Alto replied with a grin.
Mimi sighed in relief over Alto’s approval. “That’s good to hear. Well, I'm not sure when Mabel will arrive, and I still have some more fun stories to share. Care to join us Ieuan?” She asked as she glanced at her co-worker.
“Oh! That sounds fun, Mimi!” Ieuan replied as he joined them in listening to Mimi’s stories while they waited for the rest of the group to show up.
It didn’t take long for Mabel to arrive. The Gardevoir wore the same green suit that she had from the previous week, as well as having already strapped herself into a parachute. Alto noticed that she was accompanied by two newcomers to the party. One of the guests was an Ambipom that wore a purple jumpsuit that Matched Mimi’s, his tails waved at the Lopunny, who returned the wave as she giggled. The other guest was a Weavile that had a cut on the edge of their crest, and was dressed in a dark grey jumpsuit with red highlights going down the arms and legs, the pair were already prepared to fly, strapped into parachutes and equipped with their recording gear, Alto quickly recognised the pair as Simon and Samuel who were both present for his party from the previous week.
The Weavile noticed Ieuan, waving at the Riolu. “Hey Ieuan!” The Riolu let out a happy gasp as he rushed over to the Weavile. “Jan asked for me to jump with you for your first ride. Do you mind if I join you for this?” he asked the clearly overjoyed Riolu.
“I’d love to have you come along!” Ieuan replied with a grin. the pair high-fived as the Riolu giggled in excitement.
Alto smiled warmly as he turned his attention to Mimi and Simon, the two talking about the upcoming jump and going over their plan. The Vulpix’s ears perked up as Mabel caught his attention.
“So Alto, are you ready to go?” Mabel asked as she grabbed his attention. Alto glanced around to see everyone before returning his attention to Mabel, nodding confidently as his tail swayed from side to side.
“I’ve been waiting all week for this, you bet I’m ready!” Alto cheered. The Vulpix’s cheer clearly surprised Mabel who laughed at his enthusiasm.
“Well, I have to say that you certainly look eager to jump again!” Mabel replied as she ruffled the Vulpix’s hair. “That’s good to hear, I do hope that this jump lived up to your expectations buddy!” She paused as she watched Leon get up to open the hangar doors, the large doors rolled back as the mechanism’s motors groaned loudly, flooding the hangar with the morning’s cool breeze, and revealing the airstrip to the Vulpix.
“Well, I think we’re all set for the first jump of the day! Let’s get this party started!” Mabel shouted, rallying the passengers to cheer exuberantly in return.
The party was getting ready to board when a frantic voice calling to Ieuan echoed in the hangar. “Ieuan!” The voice shouted. The Riolu paused as he was about to enter the plane, turning around to see a Poochyena. The small canine’s fur was a little ruffled and had a sleepy look on their face as panted as they caught their breath.
“Oh! Good morning Ellie, is something wrong?” Ieuan asked as he focused his attention on the smaller Pokémon.
Ellie shook her head in dismissal. “Nothing wrong here. Jan just told me about how you were going for your first jump. And I just really wanted to wish you good luck!” Ellie replied with a toothy grin.
Alto peeked through the window to see who Ieuan was talking to. The Vulpix glanced back at Mimi, wondering if she knew who Ieuan was talking to.
Mimi smiled softly. “That’s Ellie. She’s one of the few residents on this base. Her sister is a good friend of ours, so we’ve been taking care of Ellie while she’s away.” Mimi explained to Alto.
“Oh! I see.” Alto replied as he glanced out of the window again, noting that Ellie and Ieuan were still chatting. After a moment, Ellie grinned again and said her goodbyes, letting Ieuan be as the Riolu finally joined everyone else in the plane.
“Sorry about that!” Ieuan said as he let out a soft chuckle. “Let’s get this party started!” He added as he cheered loudly.
The group’s plane soared over Mistralton City and its surrounding areas. The morning’s sky was a quiet one, with barely a cloud in the sky, giving the passengers a breath-taking view of Unova as they waited to jump.
“I’ve never been so high in the sky before.” Ieuan said in awe as he peered through the plane’s window, taking in the views as he stood next to Alto.
“It’s just as beautiful as I remember it. I’m glad I got to see this view again!” Alto added as his attention switched between the sky and admiring Ieuan’s reactions while the pair wagged their tails in unison, blissfully unaware that Samuel was filming them taking in the scenery.
Ieuan felt a hand on his shoulder, causing the Riolu to flinch as he let out a surprised yelp. He quickly turned his attention to Mabel who looked just as surprised as the Riolu was. The Gardevoir giggled as she calmed down. “So, how does it feel to be up here with us?” She asked with a grin.
Ieuan paused as he glanced out the window once more, then back at Mabel. “I’ve lost count over how many times I’ve seen this scene play out on our videos. But now that I’m here and seeing this for myself. I can’t really put this feeling into words. But I really feel like I belong here!” Ieuan answered with a starry-eyed look on his face, blatantly lost in the awe of the moment.
“It certainly is a wonderful feeling.” Samuel chimed in. “But I’d say it’s a good idea to start getting used to it! You’re going to be seeing this a lot from now on!” The Weavile chuckled with a playful wink. The Riolu smiled softly as he nodded at his co-worker.
“Right, I guess this moment was inevitable. But I can’t deny that it just feels surreal knowing what’s coming next.” Ieuan replied as he glanced at Alto. “And I know our friendship has been brief. But I’m glad that I get to share this moment with you Alto.”
The Vulpix perked at the comment, smiling warmly as he slung his arm around the Riolu’s shoulder. “And I’m glad that I’m not the only one jumping today. Thanks for joining me today Ieuan.” The Riolu blushed a little over Alto’s comment before smiling and laughing as he slung his arm around Alto’s shoulders.
Simon glanced at Mabel as he whispered something to her before she gave an affirming nod. The Ambipom grinned as he turned his attention to the student skydivers. “Hey, if you don’t mind me interrupting, do you mind if I take a photo?” The pair glanced at each other before nodding in agreement, holding the pose as they grinned happily for the Ambipom.
The pair heard a click as Simon took the picture, the Ambipom smiled with a nod as he quickly checked the image. However, a red light flooded the plane’s interior as Leon called out to them.
“Sorry to butt in. But we are getting close to the drop off point, if you lot can decide which groups are going first as soon as possible, then that would be great!” The Luxray called out as he returned his attention to the scheduled flight path. Alto and Ieuan glanced at each other. It was clear that they were waiting for one or the other to speak first. After a moment, they both turned to Mabel and Mimi as if they had the answer.
“Well, it’s up to you two in the end. Though I’d suggest that you two quickly agree on something, so we don’t cause any delays!” Mimi said as she started checking her parachute.
Ieuan glanced at Alto before smiling. He was about to speak up when Alto interrupted. “I think Ieuan should go first!” Alto said as he grinned.
The Riolu flinched, obviously surprised by what Alto had said. “But this is your jump! You deserve to go first!” Ieuan replied, finding himself flustered over Alto’s decision. The Vulpix placed a paw on Ieuan's shoulder as he smiled.
“But this is your first jump too, and I know that you’ve been so excited for this. I don’t mind waiting another minute for your big moment!” Alto replied. The Riolu’s surprise faded away to an expression of almost overwhelming joy as he quickly hugged his friend, making the Vulpix adorably squeak in surprise.
“Thank you so much Alto!” Ieuan replied as the flustered Vulpix quietly returned the hug.
Mimi and Mabel took notice of the pair in their moment, giggling to themselves. “Doesn’t this remind you of our first jumps together?” Mimi asked. The Gardevoir nodded as she chuckled.
“Yeah, I guess it does, doesn’t it?” Mabel laughed as she did her final checks, the Gardevoir saw Samuel stand as he approached the plane’s door with a little stretch in his step.
“Well, that’s our cue!” Samuel said as he opened the plane’s door, depressurizing the cabin as the cold air rushed inside with the wind’s loud roar. The Weavile flinched as he got used to the wind before hopping onto the wing’s support beam and giving a playful wave at those still in the plane as he kicked his legs back and forth. “Get ready, it’s showtime!” The Weavile called out to Alto and Ieuan who had broken their hug.
Ieuan turned his attention to Alto, smiling happily at his friend. “Well, what are we waiting for? let’s get ready!” Alto returned the smile, giving a confident nod as they partnered up with their tandem masters.
Minutes had passed as Alto and Ieuan got ready. The Vulpix watched as Mabel and Ieuan joined Samuel as they edged themselves towards the door. Mabel waited at the door’s edge, letting the Riolu hang out of plane with nothing but the Gardevoir he was harnessed to keeping him from falling, Alto could hear Ieuan’s excited laughter laced in between the almost deafening wind as Mabel hyped him up for what was to come while she eagerly waited for the signal to go. The Vulpix smiled softly as he watched Ieuan’s big moment. “Hope you have a fun ride.” Alto thought aloud as he watched the happy moment.
The Vulpix’s ears perked up as the red light turned green with a loud buzz, followed by Leon’s calling for them to go. Without another word, Mabel threw herself out of the pane while Samuel followed with her. Alto could just about hear the Gardevoir and Riolu screaming and laughing happily as they bailed, their voices quickly trailing off in the distance as the light turned red once more.
Mimi giggled. “I hope Ieuan has a fun time, but why should we let them have all the fun, it’s our turn now buddy!”. Alto heard a kiss behind him, and a whisper for good luck as Simon walked past the pair, making his way towards the door. Simon used his tails to climb out of the plane and onto the spot where Samuel once sat. As the Ambipom exited the plane, the Vulpix felt himself getting pushed to the opening, Alto felt the pushing stop as Mimi held onto the entrance, leaving the Vulpix dangling out of the plane like the Riolu before him. Alto turned his attention to Simon who grinned at the waiting pair, he then glanced in the presumed direction of where Mabel and Ieuan would probably be. The Vulpix squinted his eyes as he managed to spot two distant objects in the sky that resembled parachutes. Alto smiled to himself as he quietly wondered how Ieuan’s ride was going.
Alto’s daydream was cut short as he heard Mimi call out to him. “Ready Alto?” Mimi said as she eagerly waited to jump.
Alto paused as he took in the views, the memories of his birthday rushing back to him. However, instead of feeling fear and confusion as he did prior, a huge grin appeared on his face as he was unable to contain himself. “I’ve been waiting for this all week, I'm ready!” Alto cheered, kicking his legs and punching the skies above.
The sight of Alto’s enthusiasm made Mimi and Simon laugh before they heard the same buzz and Leon call out to them. Mimi smiled as she nodded. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Alto perked as he felt Mimi roll herself out of the plane, the Vulpix was able to get a good look at both the plane flying away and the Ambipom who had joined them before getting a good view of the ground rushing towards them as Mimi adjusted herself into the planned freefall position. The Vulpix grinned widely as he gave an exuberant cry, feeling the cold wind rush against his cloudy fur with its familiar, and almost deafening roar.
Mimi giggled as she heard Alto’s excitement, knowing now that inviting the Vulpix for another ride was a wonderful idea. Her attention turned to Simon who had caught up, recording their free fall from a safe enough distance. The Lopunny tapped Alto’s shoulder before reaching behind herself, pulling something out of the parachute, and presenting it to Alto. The Vulpix perked as he saw what appeared to be a smaller, light blue parachute flapping around in Mimi’s hand. “Hold on to it, count to three, and let go, okay?” Mimi instructed to her student as she giggled.
The Vulpix nodded as he quickly held onto the smaller parachute. Alto counted to three before he let go as Mimi had instructed; the tiny chute quickly flew upwards, almost immediately disappearing from his sight as Mimi laughed merrily.
Alto continued to giggle and smile for the camera before he felt a familiar upwards pull as the parachute deployed. The Vulpix let out a surprised yelp as a large rainbow coloured canopy loudly blossomed above them slowing their freefall to a smoother descent. “Woohoo!!” Mimi cheered as their deployment was a success.
The Lopunny was about to grab onto the toggles for their ride, when she noticed Alto had gone silent once again. “Hey Alto, are you okay?” Mimi asked as she tapped the Vulpix’s shoulder again.
Alto gazed around the vast horizon, taking in the same sights that he saw during the last time he jumped. He then turned his attention to the world below him, he saw his feet idly dangling and swaying with the wind as they loomed over the airstrip and surrounding area beneath them. At the same time, Alto spotted a white and purple striped canopy blossom below them as it glided around. Alto’s ears perked up as he glanced upwards to the rainbow coloured silk that he had picked out not long ago, taking in its vibrancy as they calmly glided beneath it. It was at that moment when he caught himself getting misty eyed as he admired the silk.
“Hey, Mimi. I think I understand now.” Alto replied with a faint choke in his voice. Mimi tilted her head, while she was unable to see his exact reaction, the tone of his voice made her realise that something was up. “I know that I was afraid and confused the first time around. But right now, now that I can clearly take things in.” The Vulpix quickly wiped his eyes before grinning widely as his tone changed to one of sheer bliss. “This is perfect! I love this I love skydiving!” Alto cheered, waving his arms up and down as he laughed wildly.
Mimi looked surprised over Alto’s sudden burst of euphoria. But she giggled softly as the Lopunny petted Alto’s head. “I’m so happy for you buddy.” Mimi replied as she smiled warmly, turning her attention to the parachute’s toggles to let Alto soar across the Unovan skies as the Vulpix ecstatically embraced every second of their ride.
Alto noticed a purple and lavender parachute in the distance doing a tight spin as it spiralled in the air, feeling concerned for their wellbeing, Alto pointed to the parachute. “Hey, are they okay over there?” Mimi glanced to where Alto was pointing, observing the distant canopy before giggling as she realised what was going on.
“Oh! If I were to guess, I think Mabel let Ieuan take control, I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. I guess Ieuan just wants to try out some of the things that he has heard about and seen while working with us. I’m sure he has an idea on what he’s doing!” Mimi replied as she tried to explain her assumptions. The Lopunny then perked as she got an idea. “Hey Alto, want to take over for me?” she asked as she offered the toggles to the Vulpix. “I bet that you would like to fly around at your own pace, right?” Mimi added with a grin, hoping that her passenger would agree to the proposal.
Alto glanced at the toggles that Mimi offered to the Vulpix. He smiled happily as he tightly held onto them. Mimi gently let go to reassure the Vulpix that he had full control at that moment. “That’s it!” Mimi said with a giggle. She let out a relaxed sigh as she rested her body, letting Alto have his fun while they continued to soar.
A few seconds had passed when Mimi realised that something wasn’t right. She quickly glanced around, noticing that they weren’t moving outside of the parachute’s natural gliding. “Hm? That’s strange.” She mumbled to herself as the Lopunny glanced down at Alto. Mimi immediately noticed that the Vulpix was glancing between the toggles, and not doing anything with them. “Hey Alto, are you okay buddy?” She asked, wondering what was going on.
The Vulpix perked as he realised that Mimi was probably confused over his actions, or the lack thereof in his case. “Oh! I’m okay Mimi, it’s just...” The Vulpix paused for a moment before letting out a faint chuckle. “I don’t really know the first thing about parachuting. I was hoping that you could tell me what to do?” Mimi flinched as she had realised her oversight.
“Oh! That’s right, I totally forgot that I did all the flying last time.” Mimi replied as chuckled awkwardly. “Well, that’s okay! Better late than never to teach you. It’s pretty straightforward, so it should be easy to follow!” Mimi replied with a grin.
Alto nodded as he cheerfully replied. “Tell me what I need to know, teacher!” The Lopunny perked at Alto calling her his teacher, but Mimi smiled softly as she cleared her throat.
“So those toggles I gave you act as brakes to the parachute. You pull one down, and the canopy will move in that direction!” Mimi explained as she tried to keep it as simple as possible for Alto. “The more you pull, the sharper the turn will be. But remember to not pull too hard now, we don’t want to lose control of our ride back home!”
Alto glanced between the toggles again as he got an idea of what Mimi had said. “So, like this?” he asked as he gently lowered one of the toggles.
The Vulpix was caught off guard as both he and Mimi swayed in that direction. Alto took a moment to let his action sink in before he grinned widely, laughing as he wasted no time in learning more about his parachute. “This is so cool!” Alto cheered as he soared around Unova.
“You’re doing great buddy!” Mimi giggled as she enjoyed the ride as much as her passenger did, The Lopunny let him continue for a bit until she grinned as she got an idea. “Hey Alto, try pulling one of the toggles down a bit further, and hold it like that for as long as you want!”
The Vulpix perked at Mimi’s instruction, he glanced at the toggle he had just used. “Like this?” Alto asked before he pulled the toggle down a little further. Alto yelped in surprise while Mimi squealed in delight as the parachute swung them around horizontally in a clockwise spin, the world almost turning into a dizzying blur to the Vulpix as he unknowingly pulled off his first tight spiral manoeuvre.
After a few seconds, the Vulpix eased off the toggle as their canopy evened itself again, Alto felt dizzy from his experience while Mimi who was unfazed by the little stunt continued to giggle wildly. “That was so cool Alto! You’re not bad for a beginner!” The Lopunny chuckled a little as she calmed herself down. “I know it’s a little irresponsible of me. But I wouldn’t mind letting you take over for a little longer!” The Vulpix perked and blushed softly over the compliment, letting out a chuckle as he shook off his dizziness, and returned his focus on flying as the pair soared and danced around in the clear skies.
The flight continued as normal until Mimi noticed that it wouldn’t be long before they would have to think of landing. The Lopunny quickly observed her surroundings, noticing a large white sheet placed on a nearby field that was decorated with a red and white target mark, and the parachutes from Ieuan’s party making their approach towards it. “Hey Alto, see that target over to your right? Let’s see if you have what it takes to land there!”
Alto perked at what Mimi had said. It was one thing trusting him to fly around. But even he knew that landing a parachute would be a completely different challenge. He had a moment of hesitation over her proposal, letting out a faint chuckle to see if Mimi was joking. “Are you sure about this Mimi?” Alto asked, feeling the responsibility of the task looming over him.
“Oh! You don’t have to if you don’t want to!” Mimi replied with a smile. “But I must admit, this ride has been really great! I believe that you could do this if I instructed you along the way!” Mimi said reassuringly. Alto was surprised at the compliment, but he felt comfort in knowing that Mimi would support him through this moment.
The Vulpix paused before he nodded. “I’ll do it!” He said with a new-found determination. He quickly surveyed his surroundings, noticing the landing pad that Mimi spotted earlier, as well as Simon’s parachute not far away from the pair. “Let’s do this, Mimi!” Alto cheered as he followed the Ambipom. It didn’t take long for Alto to catch up to Simon while the Vulpix made sure that he kept a good distance from him.
Mimi perked as she realised what Alto was doing. “Oh! Good idea Alto!” Mimi said with a giggle. “If you feel like you're getting a little too close for comfort, pull down both toggles gently to slow down a little, and give Simon some space!” She explained as she watched the Ambipom gliding down to their target.
Alto continued his path, navigating the skies to the best of his abilities while taking cues from the Ambipom in front of them. As the Vulpix got closer he quickly spotted Ieuan’s party which had already landed, a red and black patterned parachute rested on the mat with Samuel close by, the Weavile focused his attention on a larger Goodra themed parachute which appeared as though Mabel and Ieuan were blanketed beneath it. With about a minute left of the flight, Alto moved away from Simon to give himself some space for landing. Mimi whistled, cheering as she watched her mate make a running landing while Alto swooped over him in an attempt to get the Ambipom to catch their landing on video.
“Okay Alto, tuck your legs in and brake as much as you can on my command!” Mimi said as their ride neared its climax. The Vulpix nodded as he followed Mimi’s orders, with seconds left of the ride, Mimi quickly called out to Alto for him to pull the brakes. Instinctively, the Vulpix tugged down on both toggles as Mimi prepared to make a running landing. However, Mimi noticed that her feet weren't touching the ground, her eyes darted between both toggles only to realise that Alto had flared too hard and made them stall in the air. Mimi struggled to get her feet on the ground, but the parachute was briefly pulled up by a gust of wind. The pair let out a surprised yelp as their ride ended abruptly with Mimi landing bottom first on the cold mat.
“Ah! Sorry Mimi! Are you alright?” Alto nervously asked his tandem master. The Lopunny let out a soft groan before chuckling.
“I’m fine Alto! You just flared too hard, that’s all!” Mimi said as she petted Alto’s head, “But we landed, and that’s what matters most. Congratulations on your first landing!” she added with a cheer. The Vulpix blushed softly over the compliment, laughing as he felt pride in completing his first landing. However, the Vulpix’s moment of joy was cut short as he looked up, letting out another yelp as their parachute started to deflate above them, Alto flinched as their silk covered the pair in its cold, rainbow coloured embrace.
The Vulpix glanced around as he lowered his guard, he took in his new surroundings that were now obscured in the vibrancy of the multi coloured silk. “Does this happen a lot?” Alto asked with an awkward chuckle as he tried to glance back at Mimi.
“It happens from time to time” Mimi replied with a bemused giggle. “I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.”
“I see.” Alto replied as he let out a small sigh of relief. He brushed his paw against the colourful silk, noting how smooth the parachute felt against his digits. “I can’t deny that this does feel rather nice.” Alto replied as he admired the canopy.
“There is something nice about it, yeah.” Mimi added with a chuckle. “It’s moments like these that take me back to when I started jumping. I used to get really nervous during my first jumps, so it felt nice to have a moment of privacy to calm down, and let the adrenaline run its course before I met up with the staff.” She added as she relaxed. Mimi glanced down at Alto as she watched him play with the silk, the Lopunny then grinned as she pushed up some of their parachute before childishly giggling as it floated down over them once more.
The Vulpix and Lopunny started to play with their canopy as they calmed down from their ride, the pair continued to giggle and enjoy the moment until Alto decided to speak up. “This morning has been perfect. Thank you so much for giving me another chance to fly!” Alto cheered as they goofed off. Mimi smiled warmly at Alto’s comment, delighted that he had such a fun time.
“I’m glad to hear that. Thank you for the awesome ride too!” Mimi replied as the Lopunny continued playing. However, something crossed her mind as she stopped. The Lopunny was hesitant before she continued talking. “Unfortunately, from here on out, I can’t really guarantee that I can get you in for free. But the cost for tandem jumps is great if you wanted to do this again. I’d love to fly with you again some time!”
Alto paused before he gave an understanding nod. “I see. Well, I did say last week that I was willing to pay for this jump. So, I’m fine with paying for the next time!” Alto replied with a soft chuckle. “You bet that I’m totally booking myself in for another jump, or two soon!” the Vulpix added as he grinned merrily.
“That’s good to hear buddy.” Mimi replied as she giggled. The Lopunny’s ears perked up as she heard a melody of footsteps on the mat, and excited laughter as the silhouette of a Riolu quickly loomed over them. “Well, it seems someone wants to see you, Alto.” Mimi chuckled as she disconnected Alto from her parachute with an audible click. “Why don’t you catch up with him for a bit while I pack things up?” Mimi added.
Alto nodded with a smile as he started to make his way out of the collapsed parachute, the Vulpix fumbled under the vibrant silk and cords as he followed the Riolu’s shadow. Alto eventually poked his head out as he saw the end of their fabric, the Vulpix’s eyes squinted as he got used to the natural light before he turned his attention to Ieuan, the Riolu seemingly towered over the Vulpix with the goofiest grin on his face while his tail wagged uncontrollably. The Vulpix smiled softly over the sight and was about to break the silence between them when Ieuan suddenly lifted Alto up, pulling him into a great big hug as the Vulpix let out a surprised squeak. The Riolu laughed merrily as he celebrated his first flight. “This has been the best day ever!” Ieuan cheered while Alto was still surprised by his friend’s sudden gesture.
Alto let out a soft giggle, returning the hug as he grinned. “This has been a perfect day too!” Alto replied as he broke off the hug. Alto glanced back at Mimi and Simon as they gathered their gear before returning his attention to Ieuan. “Well, we have some time to spare, I’d like to hear about your first time in the sky!” Alto said, eagerly wanting to hear how the Riolu’s jump went.
Ieuan’s ears perked up as he grinned. “Oh! Of course, that’s cool with me!” Ieuan replied as he wasted no time in recalling his first jump to the excited Vulpix.
The pair shared their experiences and goofed around while they let the other jumpers gather their gear to head back to base. As they talked, Alto heard Mimi call out to them. The pair turned around to see Mimi skip up to them with the large rainbow canopy bundled up and resting on her shoulders, the Lopunny was accompanied by Simon who was still filming the pair’s reunion. “Did you both have a good time today?” Mimi asked as she glanced at the duo.
“It was everything I could have wished for!” Ieuan cheered as he waved his arms while grinning at the Lopunny.
Alto chuckled as he saw Ieuan’s response. “Once again, thank you so much Mimi!” Alto replied as he turned his attention to his tandem master, his cloudy tail swayed from side to side as he giggled.
“Glad to hear!” Mimi replied to the delighted pair. “Hey! How about a photo to remember this moment?” Mimi asked as she glanced at the Ambipom. Simon perked as he checked his camera before nodding in approval.
“We should still have some battery life on the camera to get some last-minute photos!” Simon replied, as he checked the camera. “So how about it you two?” The Ambipom asked as he turned his attention to Alto and Ieuan.
Alto glanced at Ieuan to see what he had to say. Ieuan pondered for a moment before he gave his answer. “Well, that sounds good to me! Is that okay with you Alto?” he said as he turned his attention to Alto.
“That’s fine with me!” the Vulpix replied as he gave an approving nod to Simon.
“Alright then!” Simon replied as he chuckled, the Ambipom fumbled with the camera before pointing it at the two student jumpers. “Get ready then!”
Alto smiled at the camera. However, the Vulpix let out a surprised yelp as Ieuan wrapped an arm around Alto’s shoulder as he pulled the Vulpix in, the Riolu grinned excitedly as he gave a peace sign to the Ambipom. Alto was a little caught off guard, but quickly returned the favour, wrapping his own arm around Ieuan as he waved at Simon, smiling happily with his new friend.
“Alright then! Say cheese!” Mimi cheered as Simon got ready to take the photo.
“We’re back!” Mabel called out as she swung the reception doors open, letting the other members of the party get in before her. It had been some time since they left, and business had started operating as usual. As Alto stepped in, he noticed Angela at the reception who was talking to a Raboot that had a badge covered satchel resting around their shoulder.
The Mawile glanced at the party that had just returned, grinning as she waved at them. “Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a fun time?” she asked as Ieuan and Alto cheered in response. The cheering caught the Raboot’s attention as they turned around, the Raboot let out a happy gasp as they immediately spotted Ieuan.
“Ah! Hey Ieuan!” They said as the visitor dashed over to the Riolu. The Raboot paused as they noticed the jumpsuit that Ieuan wore. “Wait a minute, did you finally get a chance to jump?!” They asked with a sudden starry look in their eyes, eagerly awaiting the Riolu’s reply.
Ieuan chuckled. “That’s right Rachel! I finally got to see what I was missing out on!” he replied with a massive smile. He glanced at Alto as the Riolu wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder. “My friend, Alto came for his second jump today, and I was invited to come along for my first ride today!” Ieuan noted the overwhelming joy on the Raboot’s face, unable to contain her excitement as she cheered and jumped on the spot.
“That’s awesome news!” Rachel cheered. “I saw some parachutes on my way here. But I didn’t realise that it was you. I’m so happy for you Ieuan!” The Raboot perked as she turned her attention to Alto. “So, you’re Alto? My name’s Rachel, it’s nice to meet you!” Rachel said as she reached her paw out to Alto, the Vulpix glanced at her paw before returning the gesture as they giggled.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Rachel!” Alto replied as he grinned.
Mimi smiled as she gave most of her gear to Mabel, letting the Gardevoir and the camera crew get back to business. “So, have you come here to book your annual jump?” Mimi asked. Rachel turned her attention to Mimi as she nodded.
“That’s right! It’s almost time for my fourth birthday jump!” The Raboot giggled merrily, Rachel briefly paused as she glanced at Angela, then back at Mimi as a grin appeared on the Raboot’s face. “But the truth is, that’s not the only thing I came here for.”
Mimi glanced at Angela as the Mawile smiled. “This may be her last tandem ride with us.” Mimi looked surprised at the announcement before the receptionist continued. “That’s because Rachel will be a part of this year’s AFF class!” The Mawile cheered while the Raboot looked proud of herself.
Alto raised an eyebrow as he looked around the room before looking at Mimi. “Hey Mimi, is the AFF class that thing you mentioned earlier on?” Alto curiously asked.
Mimi perked as she remembered what they had discussed earlier on. “Oh! That’s right!” Mimi replied. “Our beginner skydivers’ course is called the accelerated freefall course—AFF for short. It’s the most convenient way to learn how to skydive on your own! There are a few lessons you need to do, so it'll take a few weeks to complete the course. But after that, and a few more jumps, you will be on your way to obtaining your A license. With that you can jump on your own, and it helps save you money on future jumps in the long run too!” The Lopunny explained while Alto listened closely “We host courses twice a year, one in Spring, and the other one is taking place in about two months!”
“Jan did invite me to take part in the last class. But the course got fully booked before I could register. I’m really looking forward to being a part of this upcoming class so I can take part in further work here though!” Ieuan interjected with a grin, the Riolu noticed the excited look on the Raboot’s face at what he had said.
“Really now?” Rachel asked. “I’m so glad that I have a jump buddy for the course! I can’t wait to be classmates with you Ieuan!” She said as she high fived the Riolu. Rachel turned her attention to Alto. “There’s still plenty of time to sign up if you want.” Rachel said as she opened her satchel, the Raboot rummaged around inside her bag before pulling out a pamphlet. “I don’t really need this anymore. Maybe you’d be interested in looking at it?”
Alto thanked Rachel as he accepted the pamphlet, he quickly skimmed through its contents while Mimi noticed how Alto’s tail wagged wildly as he read about what the course offered. “This sounds so exciting!” Alto replied with a starry-eyed look on his face.
“I’m glad you think so!” Mimi giggled. “Like Rachel said, there’s still time if you want to think about it. We are accepting students for another two weeks, and slots are limited. so, feel free to book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!” She added.
“I’ll make sure to think about it!” The Vulpix replied as he closed the pamphlet with a smile.
“It would be so cool to have you on the group.” Ieuan added. “I’d love to jump with you again!” Rachel glanced at Ieuan for a moment before she nodded in agreement with what the Riolu had said.
Alto chuckled softly as he replied. “Yeah, I’d really like to do more of this some time! Jumping with you again would be wonderful!”
Rachel smiled as she let out a happy sigh. “Well, I’ve got things that I need to do this afternoon, so I’m going to head off now. I can’t wait to see you all soon!” She giggled before turning her attention to Alto. “And I hope that we get a chance to meet up again soon!”
Alto perked and nodded. “That would be great. I hope we can get that chance!”
The Raboot nodded as the she made her way back home after an exchange of goodbyes. Alto and the staff watched as Rachel skipped off, quickly disappearing from their sight.
The Vulpix perked as he remembered something, breaking the silence as he turned towards the staff. “Well, on that note, as much as I would love to stay and hang out, I should probably think about heading off myself. I did say I would see Travis as soon as I possibly could.” Alto said with a soft smile.
Ieuan’s ears drooped a little, it was clear that the Riolu was disappointed that they had to say goodbye. But he smiled at the Vulpix, “I understand, I had an amazing time with you today!” Ieuan said with a wide grin. “I hope that you come see us again soon!”
Alto nodded as he held his paw out for the Riolu. “Of course, Ieuan. I promise I’ll be back soon!” Ieuan glanced down at Alto’s paw before nodding. He was about to shake the paw before they heard a set of footprints dashing on the tiled floors. The pair were about to see who it was when Ellie dashed into the room, the Poochyena was strapped into a parachute rig designed for quadrupedal Pokémon. Upon spotting Ieuan, she started to dash towards the Riolu.
However, Mimi noticed that the pilot chute on Ellie’s rig was fluttering behind her while she ran, the small chute got snagged onto a nearby door handle which made the Lopunny panic as she watched. Mimi tried calling out to Ellie to stop. However, it was in vain as both Mimi and Alto watched in shock as Ellie leapt towards Ieuan, the snagged pilot chute forced the main parachute out of its rig. A cacophony of colourful silk erupted from behind Ellie as the Poochyena tackled the Riolu onto the ground while he yelped in surprise.
“So how was it? You’ve got to tell me everything!” Ellie asked the surprised Riolu as her tail wagged wildly, blissfully unaware of the large silk that was settling down behind her. The Riolu glanced at Alto and Mimi who glanced between themselves, clearly unsure on what to say about the little incident while Angela who was visibly stunned at what went on quietly placed her face in both of her palms as she quietly groaned over the mess that was made. Alto then looked at the excited Poochyena, and Ieuan as he let out a bemused chuckle.
“Well, how about I let you tell your friend about your adventure while I get this suit off?” Alto said as broke the awkward silence, pointing out he was still geared up. Ieuan perked as he nodded.
“Oh! That’s right.” Ieuan replied as he glanced at Ellie. “Do you mind waiting a few minutes while Alto and I get our jumpsuits off?” The Riolu watched as Ellie’s eyes light up before she got off him, her tail wagging even more as she nodded.
“Sounds good to me!” Ellie replied as she watched Alto and Ieuan head back to the changing rooms.
“And there we go!” Travis said as he placed a picture frame on the bookshelf. “I’m sure Alto would love to see this when he comes back.” The Sylveon glanced around the room, then back at the clock. “I do hope he comes back soon. I’d love to hear about how his day went.” Travis said to himself as he laid back on their sofa. The Sylveon’s mind starting to wander as he gazed up at the ceiling.
A few minutes went by as Travis’ heard the front door open, followed by a familiar voice call out to the Sylveon. “I’m back!” Alto announced as he entered the house with a skip in his step. The Sylveon quickly sat up as he saw Alto make his presence known.
“Welcome back Alto!” Travis said as he eagerly got up to greet the Vulpix. “So how was your second jump?” Travis asked, excited to know more about Alto’s little adventure.
Alto grinned as he flopped onto a nearby seat, sinking a little in its plush cushions. “This morning has been amazing!” Alto said as he laughed. “I got to fly with Ieuan and discover that I really love skydiving! It’s been the best day ever!”
The Sylveon smiled warmly as he saw the happy Vulpix. “Mabel did tell me about some of the stuff that went on. It really sounded like you had a wonderful time, I’m so happy for you buddy!” Travis replied as he let out a happy sigh. The Sylveon perked as he remembered something. “Oh yeah, Mabel also sent me some of the photos from today!” he added as he pointed out a photo frame on the bookshelf.
The Vulpix looked surprised over Travis’ comment. “Wait, really?” Alto said as he got off the chair to investigate the bookshelf, Alto quickly spotted a photo of himself waving for the camera as he fell with Mimi, the Vulpix couldn’t help but notice how happy he looked in the photo as he recalled the joyful moment. It was at that moment when Alto remembered the discussion he had with Mimi and Ieuan about the upcoming classes. “Hey, Travis? I got something I wanted to discuss with you?”
“Hm? What’s up Alto?” Travis asked as he sat down.
“Well, I was told about a course that Poké-Air are doing soon for learning how to jump on your own. I was thinking about joining the classes, and I was wondering if that was okay with you?” Alto hesitantly asked.
Travis paused as he observed Alto’s body language. While the Vulpix was hesitant about asking, the Sylveon could clearly see that Alto really wanted this. “Is that it?” Travis asked with a soft smile before he continued. “Then do it. I can’t stop you, not that I would have wanted to anyways. I just want you to be happy, and if that means you taking up skydiving as a hobby, then so be it!” He said, smiling reassuringly at the Vulpix who was surprised at the Sylveon’s encouraging reply.
Alto paused for a moment as an expression of overwhelming joy appeared on his face. “Thank you, Travis!” He replied as he hugged the Sylveon tightly.
Travis let out a small squeak as he was hugged, he gently patted Alto’s back with a chuckle while the Vulpix continued to hug him. “It’s not a problem, Alto.” Travis felt the Vulpix let go of him as he grinned at the Sylveon. “So, how about you tell me how your jump went. I’d love to hear about your adventure!” Travis said as he grinned back at Alto.
Alto perked as he chuckled. “Sure thing!” Alto merrily replied.
Alto entered his room, quietly closing the door behind him. It had been some time since the Vulpix had returned home as the Vulpix saw the sunset from his window. Alto let out a soft sigh as he surveyed the room, he noticed that everything seemed to be where he had left it. However, Alto quickly noticed that Travis had made some updates to the Vulpix’s note-board. The Vulpix quickly dashed over to check what had been done, Alto saw that close to the certificate he got for his first jump was a new photo. The image was of Alto and Ieuan posing together in the plane. The Vulpix smiled brightly as he chuckled over the photo, his tail swaying gently as he recalled the moment. But that wasn’t the only addition that the Sylveon had made.
Alto’s attention then turned to the second item that he had noticed. It was the doodle that he did for Travis before he left. However, Alto noticed there was something new on the note. Close to the parachuting Vulpix was a message that Travis wrote.
“Follow your dreams and reach for the sky.” Alto read aloud. The Vulpix quickly glanced in the direction of the door as he wondered if Travis knew something all along, but the Vulpix quietly dismissed the thought as he let the message on the sheet, and all of the encouragement that he had received sink in.
“I guess I really have nothing to lose with joining the classes.” Alto thought aloud as he glanced at the calendar. The Vulpix grabbed a pen as he quickly scribbled something in a box for the next week.
The Vulpix closed the lid of the pen when he was done. He gazed at the box that now contained the words “Join the class!”. Alto smiled to himself as he made his decision, “It would be a wasted opportunity if I didn’t join the class. I may as well do it!” He thought aloud before turning his attention to the soft bed next to him. Alto threw himself onto his bed, feeling the mattresses embrace as stretched his body on the purple bedsheet, finally starting to feel the fatigue taking over as his rush started dying down.
“I’ll be back soon, I promise.” Alto mumbled to himself as he relaxed for the night.
To be continued.
Category Story / Pokemon
Species Pokemon
Gender Multiple characters
Size 120 x 120px
It's something I'll consider! I haven't done much skydiving art lately, so it's something for me to think about! ^ ^
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