Sidequest: Journey to the Luminous Spring!

by skorupi-anon

"Wake up, little buddy! Wake up wake up wake up!"

I'm prematurely roused from my slumber when I feel my whole body being violently shaken. Furret's loud voice leaves my ears ringing, and my mind disoriented. Through my grogginess, I only manage to mutter, "Wh--... what, what do you want?" Looking out the window, I can see that it's still the early hours of the morning. "The... the sun's not even up..." I add.

"I know, but like, listen!" Furret pleads. "So, I heard about this place, right? Some people from around the town were talking about it! There's this place, and, if you go there, then apparently you can get a lot stronger! And, and, they were saying how normally the place is dormant somehow, but now it's active again for the first time in a while, so a lot of people are talking about how they wanna go there before it goes dormant again and we should definitely go there too--"

I cut her off. "Holy sh--... slow down, please." My ears were already ringing from how loud she's being while it's still early, but hearing her spit out a hundred words per second is going to make my head explode. I sit up in bed, trying to force my weary eyes to stay open. "What are you talking about? I'm too tired to keep up with you right now..."

"Right, sorry!" she apologizes. "Anyway, there were some people talking about a place called the Luminous Spring. They say that some Pokemon who go there can use some mysterious power to evolve, and they get a lot stronger! Doesn't that sound awesome?! I figure you would love something like that! But, I've heard that only so many Pokemon can evolve there at a time, before the mysterious power stops working for a while. So, we've gotta hurry!"

I sit there for a second, trying to process the information she's just given me. A place that lets you get stronger by evolving? I know there was a place like that in the Mystery Dungeon games, so there might be some truth to that rumor. But...

"That sounds nice, Furret," I say, "but I really want to go back to sleep... just for a few more hours..."

"There's no time for that!" she protests. "If we aren't quick, we might get there too late! You'll have time to sleep on the way there, anyways. Now, come on!"

"Wh-what? That doesn't make any--"

"I said let's go, little buddy! To the Luminous Spring!"

~Capim Town~

(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HHPdJMzT_4) The cool dawn air makes me shiver. Normally I'd find it rather pleasant, but in my Pokemon body, I find myself feeling more bothered by cooler temperatures than when I was still human. The cold just makes me want to go back inside and curl up in my bed even more than before. Furret's lucky... at least she has fur to keep her warm out here. I can barely keep up with her as she barrels down the vacant streets of Capim Town, her only sometimes remembering to slow down so I can match her pace.

Before long, we've reached the edge of the town. Off to the side of the road, I can see a blue-gray Meowth lounging in a chair behind a wooden table. The table is lined with merchandise, such as berries, seeds, orbs, and other exploration essentials. Next to the feline, an Absol with a distinctly broken horn is sitting in the dew-soaked grass, looking as if he's on the verge of falling asleep. (I don't blame him.) I recognize the Dark-type duo as Kaiji and Kris, fellow members of the Clover Guild.

Kaiji sits up in his chair and leans forward when he sees us approach his table. He nods and says, "Mornin', you two. Say, haven't I seen you two 'round the guild before?"

"Sure have!" cheers Furret. "My name is Furret, and this here is my little buddy."

"Mhm," I mumble in confirmation. I don't have the energy to correct her by giving my actual name.

"G'morning, Furret and... li'l buddy..." Kris mumbles back, drifting in and out of consciousness. He looks like he's in the same boat as me right now.

Furret asks Kaiji, "So, what's all this stuff you've got set up out here? Do you run a shop? It's pretty early, you know... I don't know how many customers you'll get!"

"I do," confirms Kaiji, "and I'd appreciate it if you didn't try tellin' me how to run my own business, got it?" He clears his throat, then continues. "Anyway, if you two are out here so early, I'll bet it's 'cause you're headin' out on a job or something, am I right?"

"No, no, we're not on any missions today," Furret clarifies. "We're gonna go check out Luminous Spring!"

Kaiji raises an eyebrow in response to her plan for the day. "Really? That's quite a popular tourist spot recently... Say, you two'll be needing a map for your travels, won't you? I happen to be selling maps to Luminous Spring right now," the Meowth says, with a smug grin.

"O-oh, um, we don't have that much money right now..." Furret whimpers.

"Heh, I'm kidding, of course," the sly cat jests. "Don't worry. I don't mind giving a discount to my fellow guild members." He places a small map onto the table, unrolling it to reveal its contents. "Go on, take it! I got plenty more of these things, thanks to our buddy Macom back at the guild."

Furret's eyes sparkle with excitement. "Really? For free?! Oh, thank you, Kaiji!" She turns to face me, and says, "Would you look at that, little buddy! With this, we'll make it to Luminous Spring in no time!"

"That's nice," I mutter. Anything that can make this trip faster is a blessing in my eyes.

(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP7Yic_OeX0) As the two of us prepare to resume out trip out of Capim Town, we stop in reaction to a rustling noise behind us. Beside the table, Kris is sprawled out awkwardly on the ground, twitching his legs at random. His face contorts into a clearly uncomfortable expression. The scene isn't unlike that of a dog having a nightmare. In his sleep, Kris can be heard muttering something to himself under his breath. His vocalizations get louder and more frequent, and suddenly... his eyes shoot wide open, and he jumps up into a standing position, turning his head to stare right at us!

Kaiji groans. "Oh boy. Here we go again..."

With heavy, uneven breaths, Kris begins to sputter out an incoherent series of words, which when combined, can only loosely be considered a sentence.

"B-beware! A dark path... n-no, lit up by... by three colored stones... c-can't see anymore, smoke everywhere! A-and then, the sun rises... I-it's too bright!"

In his stupor, the frenzied Absol begins pacing back and forth across the grass, hyperventilating as he does so.

Furret is taken aback by Kris's sudden panic. "Wh-what's wrong?! Is everything alright?"

"Don't pay him too much mind," Kaiji recommends. "His 'predictions' are always all out of whack. Somethin' about his-"

The Meowth glances to the side to make sure his partner isn't looking, before mouthing the word "horn" to us.

"-err, overactive imagination. He can't help but exaggerate all the time. Good luck tryin' to make any sense of it."

Kris's outburst was unexpected, and I'm concerned for his well-being, but I'm left feeling more confused than anything. Three stones? Smoke? And then the sun gets too bright...? None of that makes much sense.

(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oJVM_5ZYf0) I look over towards Furret, expecting to see her acting similarly shocked, but instead, I can see a distinct flame in her eyes. I know that look from anywhere... Kris's prediction has gotten her excited.

"Do you hear that, little buddy?! He just gave us an honest-to-goodness prediction of the future! Oh, man, this sounds awesome!! What do you think it could mean? Is it, like, some kinda prophecy for the end of the world or something? Ooh ooh ooh! Maybe it's a secret code that could lead us to some kind of treasure! Or maybe even--"

"Furret! Calm down," I say, only raising my voice enough to interrupt her rambling. "He's clearly distressed... don't make him worry even more by talking about the end of the world..."

"Right, right, sorry, Kris!" she apologizes. Then, she leans down to me and whispers, "But, seriously, how cool is THAT, that he can predict the future? Doesn't that make you wanna find out what it really means? It's like a mystery! Maybe it's even related to Luminous Spring!"

"Truth be told, I wish I was still in bed right now..." I groan.

"Come on, don't be a party pooper, little buddy! Today just got so much more exciting, don't you think?"

I open my mouth to protest, but nothing comes out. I know that once something has caught her eye, nothing can possibly change her mind until she's satisfied.

Taking my silence as a sign of my concession, my furred friend quickly gives a thank-you and a farewell to Kaiji and Kris, before confidently hitting the road in search of Luminous Spring once more.

Oh, Jesus fucking Christ. It's gonna be a long day.

...

We make our way down the road, Furret continuing to rave about Kris's prophecy along the way. Eventually, we hit a fork in the road. We can either go to the left, or to the right.

"So, what do you think it could all mean, little buddy? He said something about 'three colored stones'. Where would we find those...?" she thinks out loud.

Her speculating is cut short when, all of a sudden, a pink Pokemon runs toward us from the leftmost path. Not watching where he's going, the Pokemon accidentally bumps into Furret, knocking her back onto the ground!

"Ugh, crap!" shouts an annoyed Flaaffy, who is now also sitting on the dirt as a result of the collision. A leather bag rests next to him, its contents now scattered across the ground.

"Oh geez!" Furret says. "You're not hurt, are you? Here, I can--"

Furret's attention is captured by three jagged, glowing stones, resting alongside various seeds and berries. "Help... you... pick up your stuff," she mumbles. She's clearly intrigued by the bag's contents.

The Flaafy rises to his feet and pats the dirt off of his body. "No, I'm sorry... just a bit frustrated
is all. I went to Luminous Spring, and some voice told me I couldn't evolve. Someone told me these stones were supposed to let me evolve, but I guess not."

Furret isn't really listening, as she's fixated on the glowing stones. One of the stones is a red-orange color, one a brilliant blue, and one a bright green. I recognize them as a Fire Stone, a Water Stone, and a Thunder Stone, respectively. Three colored stones...? There's no way the prediction was real... right?

Each of the three stones has a long, jagged point on them. As they lay motionlessly, Furret and I see that their tips point towards... the rightmost path.

Her eyes sparkle, having long since forgotten about helping the Flaaffy pick up his belongings. "Woah!! Look at that, little buddy! The stones are guiding us that way! This MUST be a sign! That path on the right must be the way to Luminous Spring! Let's get moving!"

She dashes down the road, and I scurry after her, unable to object to her decision as per usual. From behind me, I can briefly hear the Flaaffy shout, "Wait! Luminous Spring is..."

Before long, we're too far away, and I can't hear the rest of what he's saying. Hopefully it was nothing important...

~Mystifying Forest?~

(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac8XIBEGtIA) The path leads us to a forest. The already dim sky is blotted out completely by the foliage above. We would be in almost total darkness, but conveniently enough, ethereal purple lights float around in the air and line the edges of the road. The curious lights illuminate the dark forest, guiding us along our way.

"This must be the Mystifying Forest," Furret remarks. "Isn't this pretty? The lighting is so cool and mysterious. You could even say it's... mystifying!"

I merely grunt in affirmation.

A moment passes, and a mischievous grin creeps onto her face. "Wanna hear something, little buddy? I heard that this place is a romantic getaway for a lot of people... maybe if someone sees us, they'll think we're lovers or something~"

"Whaaat?" I ask, not quite sure if I had heard her correctly.

"Just kidding~!" she sings. "Anyway, this is a nice place, but I pictured it a little differently in my head. I've heard that there are supposed to be, like mushrooms, and vines and stuff. Everything here is dark and lifeless... it's a bit ominous, if you ask me."

"Weren't you the one who decided we should go this way?" I ask sarcastically.

"Touché, little buddy! But, we shouldn't give up just because we're feeling unsure! I think if we keep following this path, good things will happen!"

I groan under my breath, and mutter, "Whatever, let's keep going."

...

Further down the trail, the purple lights are becoming more and more numerous. On top of that, we're both out of breath suddenly, and we find ourselves slowing down. As if in a trance, we continue walking down the road anyway, trying to ignore our exhaustion, and the creepy sensation crawling down our backs. Maybe I'm just going crazy, but I think I can even hear faint whispers...

Thankfully, we won't have to endure this for much longer, as up ahead, a log cabin enters our view.

Furret's face lights up with excitement and relief. "Would ya look at that! It's the rest stop! "Let's head inside and relax, already!" I don't argue. Maybe I'll finally be able to take a nap.

...

To my chagrin, it isn't very comfortable or inviting inside the cabin, either. Rather, darkness obscures most of the interior, the solemn light sources being the same creepy purple lights as outside. It feels suffocating in here, like the air in my lungs is being forced out faster than it can go in... how unsettling.

Furret is panting. "Geez, little buddy, who knew we'd be so worn out by the time we got here... maybe we should lie down for a little while..." she mumbles.

I'd love to take her up on her offer, but something feels really wrong. I squint and look around the room for a possible explanation to my bad feelings. It's really hard to see when the only things I can make out are those damn purple lights... wait, that's it! The lights! Upon closer inspection, I recognize the purple lights as Litwicks and Lampents! They're surrounding us, snickering amongst themselves at our predicament.

"Hey!" I snap, pausing to catch my breath afterwards. "What're you laughing at?"

One of the Litwicks pipes up. "You, dummy! You guys looked sooooo stupid walking in here! Don't you know this is a tra--!"

A Lampent smacks the small candle upside his head. "Shut it, you little moron! You almost spilled the beans about our plan to trap 'em!"

"Nice going, idiot!" another ghost shouts. "Now they know we're gonna keep them here and drain their life forces!"

The crowd explodes into bickering and hostility, as all of the ghosts begin accusing one another of ruining the 'plan'. Some of them even being hitting each other.

Meanwhile, Furret reaches into her bag and produces Oran Berries, one for each of us. Her strength returning, she gestures to the cabin's back door, only a dozen or so feet away. "Quick, little buddy!" she says. "Let's get outta here while they're distracted!"

"Not so fast!" a disembodied voice bellows. Suddenly, light floods the cabin, and I slam my eyes shut. The ghosts stop infighting, and they too shield their eyes. When my eyes finally adjust to the mysterious light, I can clearly make out the interior of the room. A table and several chairs lie on the ground, covered in cobwebs and dark stains. In fact, cobwebs are in every corner of the room, and similar stains are all over the walls and floors. There appears to be a small kitchen area, though most of the cabinets have had their doors ripped off of their hinges. Litwicks sit inside the cabinets, the flames atop their heads revealing that their interiors are in a state of disrepair not unlike the rest of the cabin.

In the center of the room, a large circle with an upside-down star in the middle is smeared sloppily on the floor with some kind of red paint. It looks like an amateur pentagram that an emo teenager would create in an attempt to summon some sort of demon. Five Litwicks stand at each individual point of the star. To me, the entire thing just ends up looking incredibly tacky and stupid.

Everyone in the room is silent with anticipation, and from the ceiling descends a menacing-looking Haunter. He lets loose a deep, haunting cackle, and proudly announces, "You two will never leave here alive! I will eat your mortal souls, and enslave you for eternity!" I can't help but roll my eyes at how corny the Haunter's threats.

"Kyaaah! A ghost~!" Furret squeals playfully, appearing to be similarly unfazed by the ghosts' act. "Go beat him up, little buddy!"

"Fine," I grumble. I walk up to the Haunter, and (unenthusiastically) lash my tail across his face!

...Except, the Haunter is incorporeal, so my tail swings straight through his body as if he wasn't even there.

Annoyed, I sigh, and admit, "Sorry, Furret, but he's a ghost. My attacks just go straight through him."

"Oh," she says, deflated.

The Haunter laughs evilly, a smug grin creeping along to the edges of his face. "I'm invincible, you fools! Nary an opponent could hope to lay even a finger upon me!" His posse of ghosts giggle with sadistic delight. "Now, YOUR souls will join my undead army!! The long, furred one will be my first victim!"

Haunter rushes towards Furret, and thrusts his hand towards her face!!

(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkgbuXsAYSI) ...Except, the Haunter is incorporeal, so his hand swings straight through Furret's body as if she wasn't even there. She is a Normal-type, after all.

Furret jumps in surprise, her hairs standing on end. "Eeeeeeeek! That felt really gross!" She's spooked, but still doesn't seem to be taking him seriously at all.

"Impossible!" sputters the Haunter. "This woman clearly must be some sort of arcane sorceress!"

I decide I've had enough of this circus act. I gesture at Furret to follow me, and we both walk to the back door.

The Haunter sounds furious. "How dare you ignore me?! I'll have your heads!" He continues trying to claw at Furret, but his attempts are in vain, as every one of his attacks phases straight through her body.

"Don't make eye contact, and maybe they'll leave us alone," I whisper to her. Holding back laughter, she agrees, and we walk out of the cabin's back door, never once turning around to face the ghosts. From behind, I can hear the muffles sounds of the Haunter berating his lackeys, followed by another argument breaking out amongst the gang. I can't help but feel like I just had my time wasted.

...

(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5gtv2NlRSM) Proceeding into the deepest depths of the forest, a dense fog crawls in, limiting our visibility. Our pace is slowed even further as a result. On top of that, it's getting really hard for me to stay awake... if we don't get to Luminous Spring in the next ten minutes, I think I'm gonna--

My thoughts are interrupted when Furret nudges me, and says, "Hey, little buddy. The fog is getting pretty thick in this part of the woods... I think that means we're almost there!"

As soon as the words 'almost there' register in my brain, a massive wave of relief floods my body. It's like crawling through the desert while on the verge of death, and at long last, being able to drink even just a single drop of water. Of course, in my case, it just means we're almost ready to turn around, go home, and get some sleep.

Feeling energized for the first time all day, I exhale deeply. "Finally," I say. "I didn't think we would be away from the guild for this long."

"Oh, cheer up, little buddy! It was a long journey, but we'll finally be able to say we reached the Luminous Spring!"

We march onwards, but we don't get very far before a peculiar, almost offensive odor reaches our nostrils. It smells oddly familiar, but I can't pinpoint exactly where I recognize it from. "Ugh, what's that smell?" I ask, my eyes watering.

Furret is put off by the stench as well. "I dunno, but, it's really strong. It's like a Stunky was here... geez... I hope this doesn't mean that someone else reached the spring first and started stinking up the place."

She begins to look discouraged, but that doesn't last for long. Her eyes light up anew, and she shouts, "Look, little buddy! Through the fog! There's water up ahead! I can see the sunlight sparkling off of it!" She dashes ahead at full speed, and I scuttle after her. The faster we get to the spring and see it, the faster we can go home and get away from the weird smell.

~Luminous Spring?~

(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAkpfpMGV4I) Beams of light penetrate the thickest parts of the fog, guiding our way to the heart of the forest. At long last, we break through the fog, the morning sun's light banishing the darkness of the Mystifying Forest. We find ourselves in a secluded clearing with a shallow pool of water in the center. Large rocks jut out from the earth and create a ledge, atop which several thin waterfalls flow into the pool. I can see why this place is considered a tourist attraction. It's pretty quaint.. although, it'd be even better if that stench was gone. Instead, it's even stronger now than it was earlier.

Furret has already forgotten about the smell, however. The sight of the Luminous Spring has her awestruck. She triumphantly raises her arms into the air, and shouts, "Can you believe it?! This place is beautiful! And, look! We made it here before anyone else! I knew this would be worth it, little buddy!"

Once the thrill of the moment has run its course, her expression changes to one of slight skepticism. "Although, it's a little odd... I'd heard there's this huge beam of magical light that's supposed to come from the pond. Maybe that's supposed to have something to do with that mysterious power that makes Pokemon evolve?"

"Sorry, Furret, but I have no idea," I tell her.

Somewhere, a voice says, "Hey, uhhh... can you like... keep it down, bros?"

We look around, but oddly enough, we appear to be the only two here.

"Who was that?" Furret asks, heartbroken. "You don't mean to tell me... someone else made it here first?"

"Uh, I don't think they can see us, man," another voice says.

"Shit, my bad, bro," the first voice says, before coughing a bit.

A third voice yells, "Hey, dudes, we're over here." We look over to the right side of the pool, and nestled among tall blades of grass we see...

...Three tiny Pokemon. They look similar to one another, but each varies in color, one orange and brown, one pink, and one yellow. They're Tatsugiris, each one with tired-looking eyes and an oversized cigarette sticking out of their mouths. They all seem incredibly relaxed, like they're living their best lives.

Furret approaches them, unsure of how to respond. "Ah... you guys made it here first, then, huh? Are you trying to evolve?"

(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkgbuXsAYSI) They don't seem to understand the question. The orange and brown one asks, "Uh... I dunno, bro. That's a deep question."

The yellow one nudges his friend's shoulder. "True... that's pretty crazy... bros, what if, like, we evolved?"

The pink one gasps, "Duuuude... that would be, like, really crazy, am I right?"

The three fishes collectively agree, curling their fins and bumping them together, as if emulating a fist bump. A small fit of chuckling breaks out, but they fall silent and continue to soak in the atmosphere.

Furret and I exchange glances, neither one of us sure of what to make of the scene. Disappointed, she sighs, "Well, it's a bummer that we weren't the first ones here... but... at least the Luminous Spring looks beautiful, right?"

I try to answer, but the orange and brown one says, "Wait, Luminous Spring? Bro, you've, like, got the wrong place."

"What? Really?!" Furret gasps. "But we went all the way through the Mystifying Forest! We made it to the rest stop and everything!" She frantically consults the map, double and triple checking to make sure we followed the correct path."

"Dudes, I think you took a wrong turn," says the pink one. "We aren't in the Mystifying Forest, dude... this is the Misguiding Forest. And, this isn't the Luminous Spring, this is the 'Illuminous Spring'. Sorry, dude... everyone mixes them up."

Furret's dreams have been crushed, but rather than wallow in sorrow, she quickly picks up the pieces of her broken heart and tries to see the good in our situation. "Well, little buddy, look on the bright side! So what if we went to the wrong place? Remember the old saying: it's not about the journey, it's about the destination!"

I'm not amused. On the contrary, I'm honestly feeling really annoyed. I calm myself the best I can, and say, "Well, it was a nice trip, but I'm ready to go home. That bad smell is getting on my nerves."

"Woah, calm down, man," the yellow Tatsugiri suggests, sensing the tension in my voice. He takes the cigarette out of his mouth and offers it to me. "Take a hit and chill out, man. I got some of that X-Eye strain."

"That's some strong shit, bro," the orange and brown one warns. The pink one nods in agreement.

Really? THAT'S what that smell is? They're seriously smoking weed? This situation is just too bizarre. Am I having some sort of fever dream? I'm being offered weed by three... wait a minute. Three Tatsugiris, and they're all different colors? There's no fucking way...

I think back to Kris's prediction, from this morning. Three colored stones... the smoke, the path being lit up, the sun rising...

This whole time, the prediction... was just about a bunch of stupid fucking stoners?!

Screw it, I'm done with this crap. All I got out of this ordeal was a throbbing headache and a sour mood. I reach into our bag and pull out a Heal Seed.

The pink Tatsugiri notices the seed. "Hey, dude, you have edibles? Like, what strain, bro?"

"It's not weed, you piece of shit stoner!!"