Togetic's Echoes of Adventure

By Togetic Anon

(I can't believe I'm being forced to go on a mission by order of the federation...)

I sighed. (No doubt shoved onto us because it's something the federation is too lazy to do themselves. That, or they just don't want to spend the money hiring actually competent exploration teams.) As I walk through the halls, I look over the paper I was given by the Guildmaster earlier. It describes a request to find an item called an Echo Rock from a dungeon on the Air Continent called Echo Grotto. (Would be a lot easier if it was in the Echo Chamber behind Waterfall Cave. Rumors say that the rock can project one's voice over miles. It doesn't say why the federation wants it, but it's easy enough to assume that they're researching some type of long-distance communication. The fact that it's only rumored though is probably why they sent the Clover Guild to investigate...)

Some yelling from a nearby dorm grabs my attention. A sharp voice hurling vulgar insults argues with a painfully flamboyant one, making it obvious who the two guildmembers are. (Sounds like Adrian and Enny alright. And unfortunately, they're the ones assigned as my partners on this mission.)

"I know it's fucking here somewhere."

"Are you SURE you didn't take it somewhere and lose it?"

"Of course not!"

"Did Bellossom or Vileplume take it before they went out on their mission today?"

"No! Shut up already and leave me alone!"

"C'mon, let me help! I already know it exists, so what's the harm in-"

The two cease their argument the moment I open the door to their room. The room is a complete mess, and Adrian the Umbreon looks like he has just got done tearing his bed apart as he stares at me with an irate look in his eyes. "The fuck are you doing here? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Addy, quit being rude!" Says Enny the Sylveon as he walks over to greet me. He's dressed in a gaudy pink skirt that covers his lower half. "Always happy to see a fellow fairy type! Did you come over so the two of us could hang out and talk about... fairy things?"

It takes all of my willpower to hide my disgust. (This queer is worse than Cyndaquil.) "N-No... I-I'm h-here... B-Because-"

Enny laughs at my stuttering. "Getting all flustered because of me? It's okay, it's not the first time I've made a guy feel that way~"

"I-It's n-not... I-I'm here t-to..."

"You don't have to hide your feel-"

"Shut up, Enny. I don't want to put more with more of that stuttering than I have to," Adrian interrupts. "What the hell are you here for?"

I take a deep breath. "T-The guild g-got an o-official mission f-from the F-Federation, and t-the Guildmaster ordered me t-t-to b-be the l-leader of the m-mission... A-And for y-you two to b-be my p-partners."

Adrian let out a groan, while Enny looked delighted. "Sounds like a great, fun little adventure!" Enny says as he nudges Adrian's shoulders with one of his ribbons.

"Of course I get forced on a mission with two damn fairies..." Mumbles Adrian as he heads deeper into the room to grab a bag of supplies, and Enny does the same. I wait outside the doorway, and soon the two walk out of the room, each with their own bag. Adrian gives his room one last look-over.

"F-Forget s-something?" I ask, flying over next to him to get a better look into the disheveled room.

"... No, forget it," Adrian says curtly as he brushes past me and starts making his way down the hallway. "Also, I don't care if that Guildmaster said you're the leader, I'm the one taking point on this mission, got it?"

Enny slaps Adrian with one of his ribbons. "Adrian! You can't jus-"

I interrupt before an argument can break out. "I-It's o-okay. I-I d-don't usually e-enjoy b-being the l-leader a-anyway..."

"Oh... Alright," Enny looks disappointed that I gave in so easily.

(I mean, it's not like I'm lying. It's a lot of pressure, and it's not like I've got combat skills to help me if I'm taking point. From what I've heard Adrian is an experienced explorer, so it's probably best he takes the lead. Even if it seems like he'd rather be on his own.) I follow behind the two as we make our way down the guild's stairway, and leave out the front of the guild through the lobby.

After making a quick stop at the Kecleon market for some supplies, we head to the Capim Town docks and hop onto a Lapras to take us to the Air Continent.

I use the downtime to check everyone's bags and make sure everyone has the proper items, while also reviewing a map of our destination. As I plot a course for when we land, I can't help but think about something that's been on my mind. (... He's probably still coming up with some plan to try and get me back. I hope I can trust Adrian and Enny to hold their own if he shows up... But... What if they- Ugh, I'm just being paranoid. I'm not going to get betrayed again, and there's no way Dewott's following me now. )

I look up from the map and look out across the sea. The water is completely calm, and the few clouds in the sky are reflected onto its surface, leading to a somewhat surreal look, as the sea itself looks like an inverted sky. For a moment, I begin to relax, but my second of peace is shattered near instantly by my two partners.

"Y'know little bre, the way we're riding this lapras is giving me some ideas about things you and me could be doing together."

"Is it impossible for you to not be a complete faggot for less than ten seconds?"

"I'm just true to myself, maybe you should try it sometime."

"I'll throw you into the goddamn sea if you keep talking like this."

"So you're saying you want to get me wet?"

"Just shut the fuck up."

"Come ooooon... Isn't this romantic? Oooh, but the ride back will be even more romantic, riding on the waves together at dusk... We'll get to enjoy the sunset together!"

(This is going to be a long trip.)

"You know Addy, I think you should try some new clothes sometime. I've got a wardrobe you could try ou-"

I speak up before Adrian can make a threat towards Enny. "L-Look, t-that's the c-cave over th-there."

We reach a small outcrop of rock that pierces out of the ground, with a small opening. Echoes of faint, indecipherable sounds can be heard as we walk closer. "Let's get this over with, come on," Adrian orders as he takes the first steps into the cave, and we both follow behind him.

The limestone walls of the cave are covered in a thin layer of moisture, and the cave's many stalactites constantly drip water from their tips. The silence of the cave is forever shattered by these waterdrops, the sounds of their impact against the cavern floor echoing all around the three of us. Adrian leads the way, with Enny following right behind him. I take the rear, while constantly checking behind to make sure no ferals are following us.

The footsteps of my two partners add to the symphony of echoes. I fly in the air, careful to not add myself to its orchestra. The noise gets louder and louder the deeper we go. Drip... Drip... Drip... Step... Step... Step...

I do my best to tune out the noise as I mark our path on a map. (Gotta keep focused. I can't be a burden to my team.)

The ambient sounds of the cave are eventually broken by Enny speaking up. "Sooooo..." Enny's voice travels through the cave, echoing all around us. "Oh! oh... oh.... oh... This is so cool! cool... cool... cool..."

Adrian lets out a low groan. "Great job announcing to any ferals nearby where we are. are... are... are..."

"N-Not l-like it m-m-matters much, f-ferals d-don't... d-don't seem to u-usually be s-smart enough t-to be a-alerted b-by far a-away n-n-noise... n-n-noise... n-n-noise... n-n-noise...... A-At least in my ex-ex-experience... ex-ex-experience... ex-ex-experience... ex-ex-experience... "

"God, can you just shut up for the rest of this trip? Your stuttering was annoying enough before, I don't need it fuckin' echoing all around me. me... me... me..." Adrian growls.

"S-Sorr-"

Enny interrupts me. "Adrian! You can't just say that!"

"I just did, and it looks like he's willing to keep quiet, unlike you."

"Only because you scare him! C'mon Togey, you can talk-"

"I-It's okay. I-I prefer b-being quiet m-most of the time a-anyway..."

Enny lets out a sigh and decides not to push the issue further as the three of us continue through the dungeon. Before long, we enter a medium-sized room with two Golbat on the other side of it. (Alright, the best way to handle this would be-) Before I can even think of a plan, Adrian rushes ahead and lunges at one, chomping down on one of its wings! Meanwhile, Enny runs up and lets out a cry towards the other, releasing a shimmering pink heart-shaped blast. Enny's attack makes a discordant tone echo through the room, which makes my head pound for a second. (Ugh... Well, looks like I'm not really needed here, they're fine without me.)

By the time I fly over to my teammates, the two feral Golbat have already been defeated and disappeared into dust. "Don't lag behind," Adrian barks at me as he enters a nearby corridor.

Enny gives me a sympathetic look. "He's always like this, don't worry. One time he even almost left me in a dark cave alone!"

"R-Really?" (Damn, if only Adrian actually left him behind.)

Enny nods. "He's a good guy deep do-"

"LET'S GO!" Adrian's voice reverbs from down the hall.

Adrian and Enny continue to take the lead through one of the dungeon's hallways and bicker with each other as I follow behind. (... Pretty easy dungeon dive so far. Hopefully it stays that way.)

"Look! Gummis!" Enny dashes ahead into a large room in front of us.

"I think I see a TM in there as well," Adrian says nonchalantly as he also heads towards the room.

(Wait... Gummis and TMs? Oh, no!) "G-GUYS, ST-ST-OP-"

My cry is too late, as the moment Enny exits the hallway and enters the chamber, a familiar mist envelops the room. Within seconds, Enny is surrounded by a number of Golbat, Loudred, and Nosepass. Enny looks around, completely panicked. Me and Adrian sprint to catch up with him before the horde cuts us off.

"Dammit, should've known!" Adrian angrily mumbles to himself as he lunges to take out a Nosepass blocking our path. "Enny! Get back here!"

"I-I can't! Help!" The sea of monsters envelops Enny, and all that we can see of him is his ribbons occasionally flying up above the crowd.

As the Nosepass Adrian hit turns to dust, another one headbutts him from the side, staggering him. "Shit! Toge, use an item!"

I nod, and quickly begin rummaging through my bag. (C'mon... I must've packed some good orbs... Oh-) I'm forced to dodge as a Golbat flies right at me, and attempts a Bite. I just barely float out of the way and use Yawn to try and put the feral to sleep. (Maybe if I can put enough of them to sleep, this could be managabl- Ah!?)

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Adrian stumbling around, attacking nothing, as other ferals continue to knock him around. (Oh no! He got confused, why didn't I use Safeguard the moment we entered?! I'm so useless!) I throw my arms out and do a twirl, and a soft blue light envelops me and my two allies. Adrian is finally snapped out of his confusion, and his eyes glow pink as the ferals around him suddenly begin to glow faintly and float. An instant later, as if hit by an invisible force, the ferals are telekinetically thrown backward across the room. In this moment of respite, I grab an Oran Berry and throw it directly at Adrian. "CATCH!"

He snatches it out of the air and bites it down in one gulp. "USE A ORB ALREADY, DUMBASS!" His yell echoes across the cave and adds to the cacophony of sounds assaulting my eardrums.

"S-Sorry!" I try and look through my bag again, only for two Loudreds to run at me! I fly up to avoid them and let out another Yawn to put one to sleep. However, the other lets out a series of loud screams, forcing me to cover my ears. (Uproar... Dammit...) My head begins to pound from all of the noise. Every sound reverberates, and it never stops. It becomes impossible to even hear myself think. Through the discord, I'm barely able to make out the voice of one of my partners.

"WHAT ARE YOU FUCKING WAITING FOR?!"

(I... I have to do something... The bag...) All of the noise feels like a hammer slamming against my head. My hands shake as I try once again to search through my bag. A Golbat fires off a Supersonic, and while it has no effect, the noise pierces my skull and disorients me.

The noise is just too much. I fall to the ground, covering my ears as hard as I can, but it doesn't stop. (Can't.... Stop.... Shaking... Why...)

In my peripheral vision, I see Adrian defeat a feral Nosepass attempting to attack me, and Enny firing off a a pink blast of energy from his mouth at a Golbat. (Disarming Voice... So much noise... Stop...)

My stress reaches its limit and I close my eyes. I don't want to be here. I can't do anything.

"̷̨̓H̸̤̋e̶̥̊y̵̡͐!̴̨̋ ̸̻̀Ẁ̵̗h̸̫͂á̷͙t̸̩̐ ̷̬͂ȧ̷͚r̶̟͐ě̸͉ ̷̤̎ỳ̸̠ö̵̬ṵ̴̍ ̶̱̾d̸̫̑ȏ̵ͅí̵͚n̵͇͌g̷̩͘?̶͓̎!̸̯͝ ̵̯͗G̴̫͝e̶͇͌t̶͚͘ ̸͇̏u̴̩̒p̶̞͌!̵͈͘"̷̟͠

Every time I think the noise is about to end, another echo pierces my head, like an explosion going off. There's no stop to it. Why did I even come here?

"̵̰̆A̷̛̟ḍ̷͂d̴̞̒y̶͈̋,̸̝̐ ̶̱͆w̸̲̕ȅ̸͎ ̸̦̑g̶̮̎o̴̞̽t̶͎̄t̷̮̉a̷̪͗ ̵̟̈p̸͉͝r̷̢̀o̵̰̕t̶͙͛e̸̜̾c̵̯͆t̷͍̍ ̵̟̏T̶̬̋õ̴͓ġ̶͔ẽ̷̩!̷̞͘ ̸̯́Č̴̻'̸͚̾m̴̧͊õ̸̪n̸̪̏,̵̰́ ̸̡̀ĥ̵̥ē̷̘l̸̮̆p̸̯̃ ̴̲̃ṃ̴̛e̶͉̔ ̶̘́o̷̳̊u̶͒ͅt̷̲̓!̸̰̀"̸̠͛

More explosions. More echoes. I couldn't even do something as simple as get an item out of a bag. I'm useless.

"̴͇͝.̶̝͒.̷̩́.̵̫̓ ̵̢̄Ȟ̴̲e̵̳̊y̸̺̒,̷͈͝ ̷̖̾s̸̻̊h̷͉̃u̸͔̓ṫ̶͉ ̴͙̀t̷̺̎h̸̟͑é̷̲ ̵̺͒f̷̣͐ṵ̶͒c̸̗̿k̷̟̍ ̷̛̘u̶̘̅ṕ̷̗!̶͓̄"̸̫̔

I just want it all to stop.

"̵̜̐T̸̄ͅh̸̲́ì̶͔ṣ̷͊ ̶̣̐ḭ̵̊s̵͛ͅ ̸̙͛ṇ̶̊o̴͙͊ ̶̖͠t̷̯̓ì̸̟m̵̥̕e̷̡͐ ̷̡̋t̶̲̏o̷͉͒ ̶̘͑á̷̧ṛ̸͆g̶̖͝u̸̧̍e̷͚̽!̵̖̌ ̵̫̓W̴̳̏e̵͉̋ ̴̱̌h̵̖̀ā̷̫v̸̲̈́ë̸̗́ ̵̖̑t̶͔̋o̷̹̽ ̸̪͒h̵͈̀e̵͠ͅl̶̝͌p̴̱̐-̸̩͗"̸̡͑

Maybe he was right. I'm not safe here. I'm only a danger to myself and a burden.

"̶͈̿Į̵̇ ̷̦̍S̴̠͊A̵͕͐Ḯ̷͜Ḓ̵͘ ̷̳̔S̸̞̆H̷̍ͅU̸̬͛T̷͉̈ ̴̪̅Ủ̵̯P̷̿͜ ̴̨͌Y̸̺͋O̸̥͐U̵͓͒ ̴̬́R̴͉̽E̴͎͗T̴͇̾A̷͠ͅR̶͇̿Ḓ̵͒!̸̺̽ ̴̩̓B̵̩̉Ę̴̓ ̸͔̓Q̶̠́U̶̜͂Ǐ̶͔E̵͎͝T̷͕̈́!̵͋͜"̵͖̈

I just want to go home.

"̷͂͜W̷̦̉-̶̢̽W̵̝̄h̷̰͒a̸͉̋t̴̲̃ ̶̫̾ì̵̹f̷̮̈́ ̵̫̓I̷͍͋.̵͎̈́.̶͔̀.̵̖́"̵̲̚

"̸̺͋D̶̠̊o̵͓̒n̵͚̈́'̶̮̾t̵̰̍ ̵̫̌t̷͕̀ǫ̵̃u̵̬͑c̷̜̃h̸̭̕ ̶̻̓h̷̨͝i̸̝̔m̸̗̒,̶͙̉ ̴͍͑d̴̫͒u̵̝͐m̶̮͋b̴͔͌à̷̟š̷͕s̸̛̫.̴̰̑ ̷̡̄Q̸̘̇ū̵̩i̷̙̐e̷̫͝t̸̘̄.̴̡̈́"̷̡̚

The noise dims ever so slightly. There's no longer any explosions that reignite the echoes that stab through my skull. I feel something soft and warm touch the front of my body, and I grab onto it tightly. Slowly, my mind begins to clear, and the incomprehensible pandemonium I heard before is replaced by the sounds of my labored breathing.

I open my eyes, still shaking, to see that what I had been holding onto was one of Adrian's front legs.

"O-O-Oh.... S-S-S... S-Sorry..." I limply let go and half-heartedly stand up. I stare at the floor, too embarrassed to even think about looking at either of my team members in the eyes.

Enny rushes over to me and wraps his ribbons around me, making me shiver from the sudden contact. "Are you okay, little Togey? You just completely-" Enny stops himself once he realizes his sudden outburst has made me wince, his high-pitched voice giving my sore head even more damage. "... Sorry..." He mumbles out in a softer tone.

"... I-It's okay... I'm th-the one who... Sh-Should be s-sorry... I'm u-usele-"

Adrian interrupts me. "Save the self-pity for later. We've got more company," I look up to see another group of ferals entering the room. "We're in no condition to fight. Use an Escape Orb."

Only now I notice just how battered and bruised both Enny and Adrian are. Their fur is covered with small cuts staining their fur with blood. Before the ferals can get any closer, I reach into my bag and grab an escape orb, then smash it onto the floor of the dungeon. The sound of it shattering echoes throughout the room as the mist of the escape orb engulfs us. That sound is then replaced by the rustling of wind blowing through the leaves as we're transported back to the entrance of the dungeon.

"Well, that was a complete fucking disaster. Great job everyone!"

I stare into the campfire as Enny starts snoring behind me. We set up camp in a small forest clearing a short walk away from the entrance to the dungeon. My head still throbs from my meltdown earlier, and every sound I hear seems louder than it should be. (... I should've known this would've happened. I shouldn't have gone on this mission at all. If I weren't here, both Adrian and Enny probably would've completed the request by now.)

Tears begin to well up in my eyes. The crackling flames of the campfire makes my blurred vision a mess of red and orange. I try to take a deep breath to calm myself, but instead I let out a quiet sob, and I'm unable to hold back my tears. (I'm such a failure. This was an important mission for the guild too... Why... Why am I so useless?)

"Hey," I'm broken out of my stupor by Adrian calling out to me. I quickly wipe my eyes and look over at the Umbreon, who's lying down on a blanket near the campfire. "Get some sleep. I'd rather have only one person this team who's an insomniac instead of two."

"... S-S... S-S-Sorr-" My voice completely cracks and I'm unable to even get out a single word before I begin crying.

Adrian lets out a groan and slowly gets up. "C'mon, get your shit together," He walks over and lays down next to me with a thump. "We all have our fuckups, there's no need to cry about it."

"B-B... B-But... I c-c-completely r-ruined the m-m-mission! Y-You... Y-You tw-two would've c-c-completed it b-b-by now... I-If I weren't h-h-h... h-here..."

"Pfft. Fat chance. That Safeguard you did back there? Completely fuckin' saved my ass, and probably Enny's too. Though knowing him, he probably would've been fine with losing it," Adrian lets out a small chuckle at his own joke. "... Truth is, I'm the fuckup here."

"N-No... Y-You've been a-a g-good l-leader-"

"Shut up, you don't believe that. I walked blindly into a monster house and got us into that whole mess in the first place."

"... Y-You mean th-that idiot E-Enny did."

Adrian smirks. "Yep, that fuckin' dumbass would've ran right in even if I did notice it was a trap. Then I would've yelled at him, and then if they were here, Bellossom and Vileplume would've started crying or some shit."

"... Wh-Why... Wh-Why are y-you being s-s-so n-nice to me? I-I th-thought you f-found me a-annoying..."

"That stutter is pretty insufferable, but you actually listen when I tell you to shut up. And you follow orders. Gotta respect you for that," Adrian stretches and lets out a sigh. "... Still, this is my mistake. I stole your leadership spot and ended up just being a shitty leader. I'll write in the report when we get back that it was all my fault we failed."

(... So he really just wants to give up here. I think it's for the best too... But...) "... B-But... Th-This mission is i-important t-to the g-guild..."

"They'll just throw it to a more competent team."

"... B-But... Your team's r-r-reputation-"

"You're acting like we have a good reputation in the first place."

(He's right about that... But it doesn't feel right for him and his team to take responsibility for this.) "... W-We... W-We could give i-it one l-last sh-shot. W-We still h-have a d-decent amount of s-supplies."

Adrian tilts his head towards me. "... You were just crying like a bitch a few seconds ago, and now you wanna go get our asses beat again? What happens if shit gets noisy again and you have another breakdown?"

I sigh. (He's right. I might just get overstimulated again and shut down.) "W-Well... Y-You two could j-just go in w-without m-"

"No. I'm not leaving anyone behind. And I'd rather go deaf than go back into that hellhole with that fag who never shuts up."

(Fair enough... Wait, go deaf... That's it!) I take my bandana off my neck and wrap it around my head, then rip out some thick patches of grass out of the ground. I put the grass over my earholes, then move the cloth to keep the grass in place. The sizzling sound of the campfire is now completely muffled.

Adrian stares at me, completely bewildered. He mouths something I can't make out. "S-Sorry, I c-can't hear you!" I say a little too loudly.

A look of realization hits Adrian's face, and I can see him let out a small chuckle. I remove the grass so I can hear again. "Pretty clever."

"Th-Thanks..." I mutter with a bashful smile. ".. W-Wait, I w-won't be a-able to hear w-what you and E-Enny say th-though... Y-You won't be a-able to g-give me o-orders..."

Adrian sits up and thinks for a second. "... Well, there's one way to fix that, making you the leader again."

(Wait, what?!) "A-Are you s-sure? B-But-"

"Oh, shut up. If you're the leader you can give orders without having to worry about listening to me or Enny. If you really want another attempt at this dungeon, then you gotta lead it."

(... Can I really make it through that dungeon...? No... I can't doubt myself. I have to give it another shot.) "... Alright. I-I'll... I'll lead."

"Good, now I don't have to take responsibility when we get the shit kicked out of us again." Adrian lets out a yawn and heads back to his blanket. "Now, get some damn sleep!"

"R-Right..."

"... That's brilliant, Togey! With ideas like that, you'll make a far better leader than Addy!" Enny exclaims as he pats me on the back with one of his ribbons.

Adrian rolls his eyes. "Put the earmuffs on already and go on ahead."

"R-Right," I slide on my makeshift earmuffs, which immediately deafens me as the three of us once again enter the dungeon.

The two walk close to me as I lead the way. It isn't long until we encounter a small room with a few feral Pokemon, this time a Zubat and a Loudred. They use Supersonic and Hyper Voice respectively, and my earmuffs successfully stop the sounds from overwhelming me. I use Safeguard to protect me and my team, while out of the corner of my eye I see Adrian and Enny dodging the attack from the Loudred. Adrian rushes down the Loudred and it turns into dust with a single Bite, while Enny yells something I can't hear and shoots a blast of pink energy towards the Zubat, defeating it in one hit.

(I can't believe this is actually working!) A group of three Nosepass come out of a hallway to the left of us. I yell "I-INCOMING, NINE-O-CLOCK!" while throwing a blast seed. It hits one of the Nosepass dead-on, causing a small explosion that sounds like a soft, suppressed bang through my makeshift earmuffs. My teammates rush in to clean up the last two remaining Nosepass with ease.

Enny turns around and mouths something that looks like "Good work!", but then he realizes I can't hear him and he bashfully scratches his head with one of his ribbons while giving me a bright smile. I look over at Adrian, who gives me a content smirk. I can't help myself from smiling and letting out a nervous laugh.

I motion for my two teammates to follow me as we continue deeper into the dungeon. We encounter more random ferals, but they're no match for us, and we quickly make short work of them every time.

We eventually enter a large room with a small plinth in the middle, with some sort of stone sitting on top of it. It looks like it's made out of jade, and the rock has a cylindrical hole that goes right through the middle of it. (That must be the Echo Rock.) I motion for Adrian and Enny to follow me, and we carefully make our way over to the middle of the room. However, right as I get close to the plinth, a pillar of light shoots up from the ground in front of me! I yelp and fall backward, and the light clears to reveal an unfortunately familiar face.

(Oh god, not HER again.)

It's Madam Memory, the outlaw Gardevoir. She still sports her green top hat and twirls around her black magician's wand as she smugly stares down at me. She starts speaking while spinning around like a ballerina, and I use the chance to stand back up. (I'm glad my custom "earmuffs" mean I don't have to listen to her drivel. Maybe I can just grab the rock and escape before she notices...)

I notice Adrian seems to have the same idea as me, while Enny seems positively enamored by whatever the Gardevoir is talking about. The two of us slowly inch closer to the plinth every time Madam Memory's back is turned.

(So close... Time to just reach out and-)

However, the moment I reach out to touch the rock, Madam Memory turns around and waves her wand at me and Adrian, sending us both flying backwards! The force of the blast rips my bandana off my head, allowing me to hear again. (Dammit, she must've been reading Adrian's mind!)

"Thought you could sneak out before the show even began!? Shameful!" The Gardevoir flicks her wand upward, and I'm sent up into the air. "And covering your ears?! You should be sitting patiently-"

(Not doing this bullshit again.) Before she can lock me in place with her psychic powers, I quickly wave my arms and use Safeguard. The moment my body glows blue I start floating back to the ground. (I'm not getting trapped this time!)

"How... How DARE you not even listen to my intro! Do you know how long I prepar-" Madam Memory gets interrupted by Adrian rushing at her, and she just barely dodges in time to avoid his Bite. "H-Hey! Let me finish my pre-prepared intro interruption comeback at lea-"

"I-I'm s-sorry, b-but we h-have n-no time f-for another o-one of your p-performances," I say while I adjust my bag, ready to use an item at a moment's notice. "J-Just l-let us t-take the r-rock so w-we c-can b-be on our w-way."

Madam Memory steps back and leans her side against the plinth. "You mean this thing?" She grabs the Echo Rock with her free hand, then throws it into the air. When it's at the peak of its height, she waves her wand, and it stays suspended in the air.

I sigh and fly up to grab it out of the air, but Madam Memory waves her wand to the side, making the Echo Rock move just out of my reach. (... Why can't I ever have a normal mission that doesn't end with some sort of fight?) "... G-Give me the r-rock, o-or..."

The Gardevoir snickers. "Or what? You'll take it by force?"

Enny suddenly decides to speak up. "Why would someone like you even want it?"

"I could say the same to you!" With another swish of her wand, Madam Memory sends the Echo Rock flying towards her, and she snatches it out of the air. "Well, you know what they say, finder's keepers! Though, if you really want it, maybe we could negotiate something... I could use a few new stagehands..."

(God. Dammit.)

Adrian speaks up before I can respond, his tone noticeably more irritated than usual. "There's nothing to negotiate. Give us the rock, now."

"I would, but you see, this rock is the key to my path to stardom!" She takes off her hat and starts juggling it, along with her wand and the Echo Rock. "Rumors say this stone not only has the power to amplify one's voice, but their psychic voice as well! It'll increase my power tenfold, allowing me to create the magic shows of people's dreams!"

(The last thing we need is this hack making even more elaborate farces. We need to cancel this show before it even gets on stage.) "B-By order o-of the f-federation, w-we won't let an o-outlaw like y-you have that st-stone!"

Madam Memory grabs her hat out of the air and uses the bottom of it to scoop up the Echo Rock. She uses her other hand to snatch her wand back with a pirouette. "I think you mean former outlaw! There's nothing illegal about taking treasure I found first!" She fits her hat back onto her head with a devilish smile. "Do you think the Federation will approve of you taking this thing from innocent ol' me?"

Both Adrian and Enny give me a sideways glance, waiting for my orders. (... Alright Toge, you can do this. I've been carried through every other fight I've been in, time to show the guild my worth!)

"I-It's h-hilarious y-you think the F-Federation will even give a second thought to a third-rate street performer like YOU!" I hurl a Blast Seed directly at Madam Memory's enraged face, but she makes it explode before it can reach her by firing off a stream of fire from her wand. Adrian follows up my attack by rushing at her for another Bite, and digs his teeth right into her leg!

"WHO LET THIS FERAL BEAST ONTO THE STAGE?!" Madam Memory kicks Adrian off with her free leg, sending him rolling across the cave floor. Enny hollers out a Disarming Voice before closing in to get some hits in with his ribbons. The Gardevoir fires off purple spheres of psychic energy from her wand to counter Enny's advance, while gracefully dodging his attacks.

(Looks like she can still read minds other than mine. I'll have to keep surprising her so Adrian and Enny can get hits in.) I fly up behind our foe while she's distracted, and let out a loud Yawn right in her ear. She swiftly turns around to bat me away, but I fly just out of her reach. "I-I think y-you should get s-some beauty sl-sleep!"

Madam Memory lifts her wand as if she's about to attack, but is interrupted by an involuntary yawn. "A good performer... Knows the show MUST always go on!" She lethargically takes off her hat and thrusts her other hand into it. She pulls out a Chesto Berry and chomps it down before I can stop her. She puts her hat back on just in time to avoid some tackles from Adrian.

(Yawn won't work now... Do I have to rely purely on items?) I flap my wings hard as I fly all around Madam Memory, trying to look for an opening to throw a Blast Seed. But she's caught on to my tactics, and she keeps an eye on me while dodging my partner's attacks without even looking at them. *(I don't know how many items she has in that hat of hers, and I don't think we can win a battle of attrition -huh?)

My feathers stand on end, then my entire body seizes up in a searing pain as a Thunderbolt crashes against my body. I plummet to the ground, my body crackling with static. "Toge, are you okay?!" Enny rushes over to me while Adrian continues to try and land another Bite on Madam Memory.

Using one of his ribbons, Enny takes out an Oran Berry and shoves it into my mouth. I chew it down, and the smooth flavor rejuvenates me. But before I can get up, I feel my feathers stand on end again, and Enny quickly grabs me with his ribbons to pull me to safety, narrowly avoiding another Thunderbolt.

"Th-Thanks. T-Try to k-keep up the attack," Enny gives me a nod, and then runs off to help Adrian. (... I think I need to take a gamble if I really want to get her off-guard...) I look towards Madam Memory and wag my finger.

... And all that happens is that my body glows a bit.

(Dammit! Did I roll Refresh?! That's useless! Alright, you know what they say, 99% of gamblers...) I wag my finger again, and suddenly my hand glows with a dark aura. My body then flies like a missile toward Madam Memory, and I deliver a devastating slap across her face that leaves a bright impression. (Well, could've rolled worse than Assurance.)

"My makeup! You..." The outlaw waves her wand around madly, letting loose blasts of fire, electricity, and psychic energy from her wand that bounce across the room. The three of us are all forced to back off as we try to avoid the mess of projectiles. "... Well, if you want to be like that, we should move on to the next act!" Madam Memory claps her hands and jumps onto the plinth in the middle of the room.

"Your performances have been adequate so far, but they will pale before my next trick!" Madam Memory points at me. "Now, despite my continued training, I still can't read your mind because of your superpower! However, I've realized I no longer need to! Reading the minds of your friends here has let me find out your deepest secret... Your WEAKNESS!"

(Oh no.)

With a snap of her fingers, two holographic Exploud appear on either side of her. "Let's turn this magic show... Into a concert! HYPER... VOOOOOOOIIIIIIIICEEEEEEE!"

Madam Memory opens her arms as she yells, and the Exploud follow her lead and begin screaming. I rush to cover my ears, but my entire brain instantly feels like it's going numb. My vision completely blurs, and I can only whimper as I try to stop myself from breaking down.

(... I... Need to do something...)

Ȇ̵̡n̴̹̾n̵̤̍ÿ̷̡,̶̥͊ ̴̺́g̷̭͗o̶͉̅ ̴̋͜h̴̩͝ě̶̥l̴̡̑p̷̠̉ ̴̪̿Ṱ̵̋o̵͖͆g̷̜̑e̵̠̋!̴̙̐

G̵͍̃o̷̗͂ẗ̶̜ ̴̰̏i̴̖͠t̸̬̎!̶̠͘

H̴̰̾ḁ̴̛!̸̜̀ ̷̺͒W̸̠̾ĥ̶̹è̷̮r̸̙̉e̷̯̚'̷̺̒s̴̮͗ ̵̜̈́y̶̲͊o̴̝̍u̵͙͂r̵͙͑ ̷̑ͅś̵̟u̸͙̽p̸̗͊e̴͈͛r̸̹̚p̸̱̑ò̵̱w̴̥̍e̷̥͘r̸̞̿ ̷̼͝n̷̈͜o̵͉͌w̵͔͂?̷̣̎!̵̫̿

(... Metronome is too risky... I... Have one last thing... I can try... Last Resort...)

I focus all of my mental energy onto keeping my mind stable and not losing my composure.

(I can't give up... I have to show... I'm not useless!)

Sparks of light begin to fill the corners of my blurred vision, and the head-piercing wails start to fade into the background.

(I have to survive and complete this mission... Not just for me, but for my friends and guildmates! And most importantly...)

The light begins to fully envelop my vision until all I see is a blaze of gold and white. My body begins to feel like it's burning with energy, waiting for the chance to let loose. I can hear my blood pumping through my veins. An otherworldly power begins to take hold within me, and I know that in this moment, I will be able to land the deciding blow. Any and all doubt has been erased from my mind, completely replaced with assured dedication for the ones I care about most.

(... FOR TEAM COZY!!!)

My body shines like the brightest star, and with a confident flap of my wings, I hurl myself towards where Madam Memory was standing. My vision clears for a moment, and I can see what's ahead of me.

... And I'm about to ram head-first into Enny.

CRASH!

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

I slam into Enny, sending him flying into the air as he screams in terror. The force of the hit knocks me back and sends me sprawling on the floor.

Madam Memory turns to face the living projectile flying towards her. "Oh n-"

Enny collides with Madam Memory, hitting her right in the head, and the two holographic Exploud disappear the moment she's hit. Her hat flies off as the two of them get entangled and roll across the floor, coming to a harsh stop when they impact the wall of the cave, leaving a dent in the rock wall.

As I pick myself up from the ground and rub my throbbing head, I look over to see Adrian staring at the now defeated outlaw, with an expression of complete bewilderment on his face. "... Pffft.... Bwh... Bwahahahahahahah!" He gets so overcome with laughter he struggles to keep himself standing. "Haah... Fuck, that's the funniest shit I've seen in a long time. Nice job Toge."

(... Well, we won. Sort of.) "U-Uh... Th-Thanks," While still rubbing my head, I suddenly remember the reason we came here in the first place. "O-Oh, th-the Echo Rock!"

Both me and Adrian rush over to the outlaw's top hat, only for the both of us to let out a mutual sigh of disappointment. "Damn. It's shattered."

The hat is surrounded by hundreds of tiny pieces of pale green shards. I try and pick up some of the bigger ones, but they merely break into even smaller pieces on contact, letting out a meek echo as they turn into dust. (No! So this entire fight... Was for nothing...)

"Well, at least we stopped that outlaw from taking it, and we get to turn her in," Adrian says as he turns to the outlaw and Enny, who are both unconscious. Enny's ribbons are completely wrapped around both of them, making them look like some sort of haphazardly wrapped gift.

"... L-Lets get th-them unwrapped a-and go h-home."

"Agreed."

The trip back to the guild is mostly uneventful. We turn in Madam Memory at Pokemon Square before hitching a ride back to the Grass Continent. Enny is unusually quiet on the way back, something both me and Adrian are thankful for.

By the time we reach Capim, the sun has begun to set and most of the Pokemon in town are heading back to their homes. (I wish I didn't get assigned this mission. It was a complete fluke we even defeated Madam Memory, and I was nothing but deadweight.)

Adrian notices my sulking and speaks up. "Hey, we got some money from that outlaw's bounty, so this wasn't a complete bust."

"B-But... It w-was p-pure luck w-we even d-defeated her...."

"Luck? Seemed like you were the one to knock her out. Even if you were a little off-mark." Adrian responds with a snicker. Enny grumbles disapprovingly behind us. "If you weren't there to catch her off guard, we would've completely failed."

"A-Any half d-decent p-psychic t-type would've b-been able to c-c-counter her t-telepathy..."

"Well, shame one of us wasn't an Espeon then. Get over it, there's plenty of other teams at the guild that probably would've failed this mission if they got assigned it. If the federation truly cared about this mission they wouldn't have thrown it at our guild of all places."

(... He's got a point... But I still wish we didn't fail it. Maybe if I had trained more... Or if I planned more carefully... I barely contributed anything to the mission.)

Seeing my continued sulking, Adrian rolls his eyes. "Hey, if my dumb ass was still the leader, we would've returned with absolutely nothing to report except how badly we got our shit kicked in."

"St-Still-"

"C'mon, man," Adrian's voice turns uncharacteristically soft. "If you're worried about future missions, you'll find a way to make things work, just like you did today."

Adrian's words help ease my worries ever so slightly. (... Did I really-Ah, he's probably right. Maybe I am worrying about this too much.)

"I'm just glad it's over. You should get some rest, I sure know I fuckin' need some..." Adrian's soft tone disappears as quickly as it came.

"... R-Right, g-good idea."

We finally reach the entrance of the guild, where a familiar Delibird deliverymon greets us. "Hoot! So that's where y'all went! I was lookin' for you, Toge!"

(Huh? Oh crap, did I have a shift at Delibird Deliveries today!?) "U-Uh... H-Hello M-Miss D-Debby."

"Jus' decided to drop on by to deliver something. Ol' Ariados said y'all dropped this off to get sewed up and forgot to pick it up," Debby digs into her bag and takes out a small Teddiursa plush.

(Oh no. I forgot to get it and return it this morning!)

I can feel Adrian's eyes staring daggers into the back of my neck. "O-Oh... Th-Thanks... I-I uh... F-Found it l-lying in the st-storage r-room, a-and thought i-it would be b-best if s-someone f-fixed it up t-the h-hole in i-it i-instead of j-just leaving it to r-rot..." I mumble out as I sheepishly grab the plush.

"That's a darn good idea! Anyhoot, I gotta get back to work, nice seein' y'all!" Debby gives a wave before flying off into the evening sky.

Adrian walks up to me and looks around to make sure no other guildmembers are nearby, then quickly snatches the plush out of my hand and shoves it into his bag. The glare he gives me afterward says all I need to know. It's a look I perfectly understand, one that I myself have given a certain other guildmember due to their knowledge of Team Cozy's secret. This mon is someone who also strives for coziness in his own way, and I must respect a mon's right to keep their pursuit of coziness private.

I give Adrian a soft nod to let him know his secret will be safe with me.