Chespin and the Chillers: Part 2
Part 1
When I reawaken, I find that I'm somehow in the guild's infirmary. I grumble to myself upon the discovery, I had JUST gotten out of here the other day! Looking around, I see Wooper and Toge sleeping on the floor nearby. Clearing my throat, I say “Ahem, uh, y'know there's multiple beds in here, right?”
Wooper instantly leaps up upon hearing my voice. “Chespin! You're okay!”
Toge wakes up as well, flying up to stand on my bed. “O-oh good...I-I was so worried...”
Confused, I say, “What happened? How'd I get here? I remember a scream and then...nothing.”
“U-umm...Th-that scream...I-it was you.” Toge looks down, concern on his face. “Th-the nurse says you're unharmed, b-but you s-suffered such a fright that y-you fainted...”
I roll over to look away from Toge, feeling more helpless than I've felt in a long time. “Ice doesn't even have to hit me to do me in...What kind of adventurer am I? All this 'exposure therapy' has done is make things even worse!”
Wooper jumps up onto the bed as well. “There's still one thing we haven't tried. It's something I've heard about here and there, but there was never a good chance to bring it up!”
Part of me wants to simply give up, but...this is Wooper's idea. “...What's your plan?”
“It's a secret, but you gotta trust me! You trust me, right?”
I hesitate for a moment, thinking on it. “...With my life.” I throw the blankets off of me, hopping down onto the floor.
“I knew you'd agree to it! See, Toge?” Wooper looks real happy at my decision.
“Y-you two are such great f-friends...I know you can d-do it, Chespin.” I see a faint smile form on Toge's face as Wooper and I leave the infirmary.
Once more, Wooper leads me down the streets and bridges of Capim. “So...Where are we headed?”
“It's a secret, you'll see!” Wooper continues skipping through down before finally coming at a stop at a staircase. The stairs are covered by a red and beige canopy, and lead downward into a tree. Still unsure of what Wooper has in store for us, I follow him down the steps.
We descend downward into something that resembles a waiting room. Several chairs line a nearby wall, a red curtain covers a doorway on the opposite end of the room, and the walls are adorned with paintings, each depicting a different pair of Pokemon.
“Hello? Anybody here?” Wooper calls out.
“Yes...I can see to a pair of Pokemon right now. Come back here, through the curtain.” The voice sounds...familiar, somehow?
“Good, he's here! C'mon, Chespin!”
Still unsure of what's going on, I push aside the curtain, stepping into the backroom. What I see causes my jaw to drop.
Inside, on the other side of a plain wooden desk, is a Smeargle. He sits on a large cushion, his paintbrush tail in hand. A red paintbrush. Gasping, I stammer out, “Y-you're that outlaw we caught!! Wh-what are you doing here?!”
The Smeargle flinches as he sees us. “Those badges... Clover Guild...”
Wooper nudges me with his tail. “Chespin, just hear him out. We're in the middle of town, there's no way he could get away with anything.”
“Yes, listen to your little blue friend.” Standing up, the Smeargle approaches us. “You see, I'm not in the business of mugging passerby anymore.” Lifting his brush up, he continues with, “Tell me... Have you not been curious about what it'd be like to... relive the experience of residing in one another's bodies, if only for a short while?”
Realization slams into me as I put the pieces together, discovering Wooper's plan. “Y-you what?! That was a total nightmare for me! I didn't know if I'd ever return to normal!”
The Smeargle looks off to the side. “I can see why you would think that. But even you have to admit...not all of it was bad, was it?”
“Well...” He has a point. I learned just how good Wooper has it in the water, and if it weren't for that one incident, Wooper and I would have never gotten the idea to share a bed. “...Go on.”
“Ah, now you're seeing reason. You see, this is a shop of sorts. Instead of items or food, I sell an experience. The chance to see life from a different perspective, if only for a short while.”
I'm still not sold on this. “Whose to say you won't switch us, take the money, and run, stranding us?”
“Let me finish the spiel, kid!” He composes himself quickly, continuing with, “Ahem... After all I did in the past, the cops keep a close eye on me. They only let me run this shop on one condition. I must not receive payment until AFTER the two of you return so that I may undo the switch.”
Still unsure about this, I look over at Wooper. “This is your plan?”
Wooper eagerly nods. “Yup!” Lowering his voice, he whispers, “You're terrified of ice when others have it, but...maybe you'll think differently when YOU are the one wielding it? Just trust me on this one, please? Plus, it was kinda fun being you for a few days!”
Guess this'll mean I'll be armless for awhile. Relenting, I turn my attention back to the Smeargle. “How long does it last?”
“Until the two of you come back here. Do try to not take more than a few days, as the cops will get on my case should a pair of clients not return.” Placing a piece of paper and pencil on the desk, he says, “I simply need the two of you to sign your names, to show that it's what both of you want.”
I grab the pencil, signing down my name. “Wait, how's Wooper gonna sign his name with no hands?”
“Oh, that's easy!” Wooper nods towards the wall. “Hold the paper against the wall for me, please.”
I shrug, doing as he asks. Wooper holds the pencil in his mouth, and begins writing his name as well. His mouthwriting is extremely sloppy, but I can still make out the words.
I place the paper back on the desk. “Alright, it's done. Now what?”
Hefting his brush up, the Smeargle says, “Hold out your hand.” I place mine on the desk, and he paints two hearts on my hand, with two arrows pointing back and forth between them.
Pointing to Wooper, he continues with, “Hold out your ha-oh wait, hmm... Tail, please.” Wooper points his tail towards the painter, who sketches the same symbol onto him.
“Good... The stage is set. On the count of three, I'll lift my brush upwards, and it'll begin to glow. Your vision will go blurry and your body will turn numb. This will last for only a few seconds, and it will be done.”
I look over to Wooper once more. Our eyes lock, and he nods. I still feel a little uneasy about this, but he hasn't let me down before. I nod as well.
“One... two... three!”
Smeargle lifts his tail upwards, a brilliant flash accompanying it. Instantly, my vision goes blurry, and I lose all feeling in my body, just as he said. Seconds later, my vision returns, followed by the numbness subsiding. I still can't feel my arms however, and I look around the room. Next to me is... my body. Looking down confirms the obvious, I'm in Wooper's body again. “Well... I guess it worked.”
“Alright!” Wooper, now in my body, raises a fist in the air. “This'll be fun. Now, how's this work again?” Wooper stretches, wiggling his shoulders around before shooting a pair of vines out. “Ah, there we go.”
“It seems to have been a total success. As expected.” Smeargle holds the curtain open. “When you two are ready to return to normal, come back. With cash.”
Wooper looks over at me. “C'mon, we got a field to head to!”
I awkwardly follow behind Wooper as we leave the Smeargle's shop. It feels all kinds of strange, being back in this situation again. The immense stress from the first time is thankfully absent, at least this time I know for sure it's temporary. Even so, being armless for a couple days isn't going to be easy.
Wooper walks beside me, wiggling and waving around his vines. “These things are real neat, huh?”
“Yeah, they're super useful!” Huh, that's weird, I feel strangely cheerful all of a sudden?
“Right, so here's the plan. We're gonna head out to the field a-”
“HELP!” Wooper gets cut off by a scared-looking Pichu, who runs right up to us!
“What's wrong?” Wooper asks.
“M-my brother! There's a bad guy in Quiet Forest!” The Pichu looks frantic. “H-he keeps trying to attack us, he's gone mad!”
“Have no fear, Team Cozy is here!” Wooper looks over at me. “C'mon, let's go!” Without waiting for my response, Wooper runs off!
I hop as fast as I can after him. “WAIT! We gotta get our bag before we go!”
Wooper skids to a stop. “Oh, right. Well, we had better hurry.”
The two of us run through the guild halls, in a hurry to get the mission done. Along the way, we run right into Toge, who is in the middle of sweeping the hallways near our room.
“O-oh... you two are b-back pretty quickly...”
“Yeah, someone ran up to us with a request!” Turning to Wooper, I say, “Wooper, make sure we have enough items, okay?”
“Got it.” Wooper runs through the doorway.
I hear the broomstick clatter to the floor, a look of shock washing over Toge. “Y-you...s-switched bodies?! Th-that was Wooper's plan?”
“Umm...whoops! Kinda let that slip out, didn't I?” I'm really no good at keeping secrets. Continuing, I say, “There's some guy in town who can switch others around!”
Wooper comes back out, bag slung across his shoulder. “Alright, should be good to go.”
“Y-you guys even trust one another with your own bodies...” Toge begins to tear up as he looks at us. “That's just the most adorable thing I've ever seen! See, THIS is why you guys are the best team in the entire guild, no, the world! The others might trust their teammates, but never to this extent! Two best friends, their bodies switched, yet still taking on missions during it... It's... It's...” Without warning, Toge lunges forward, pulling both of us into a hug! “You two are incredible! I just know that you'll succeed AND fight off your fears!”
Toge's sudden embrace forces a gasp out of me, a strange dust rubbing off onto me. I accidentally inhale some of it, causing my uncharacteristic cheerfulness to turn to elation! “You betcha, Toge!! I'm gonna have a lot of fun with it!”
The dust seems to have an effect on Wooper as well. “This'll work out great, just you watch!”
Realizing what he's doing, Toge pulls away from the two of us, looking mortified. “I-I-I u-umm... S-sorry...I-I shouldn't have d-done that...!”
“Nah, you're good, honest!” Wooper looks up and down the halls. “Nobody else saw it, so who has to know?”
I nod. “Don't worry about it! We ain't gonna go blabbin' about this stuff!”
Toge lets out a nervous sigh. “O-okay... g-good luck on the mission.”
The two of us trek across the fields on our way to Quiet Forest. My joy dust-fueled cheerfulness gives way to concern as I begin to realize something.
“Umm...Are you sure we can do this? We don't REALLY know how to fight like this, right?”
Wooper shrugs, waving a vine about. “Ah, Quiet Forest probably ain't that bad.” Wooper grabs a nearby rock with his vine, tossing it aside. “Man, these things are cool. So, how much do you remember from the first time, Arthur?”
“I was thinking I could just copy the stuff I watch you do and see where it gets me.”
Wooper nods. “That makes two of us. I've seen you fight enough times, mimicking what you do shouldn't be too hard.”
It isn't long before we come upon a sign denoting Quiet Forest. Trying not to worry about what might happen inside, I say, “Well, here goes nothin'.”
Wooper leads the way into the dungeon, the canopy growing thicker and blotting out most of the sunlight. It's not the first time I've been in a forest dungeon, but I can't help but feel a bit concerned. The concern only grows when we round a corner and come face to face with a Roselia and Treecko! Both begin to take aim at me, firing a barrage of seeds in my direction!
I just barely leap out of the way in time, tumbling across the ground. “W-Wooper! You gotta protect me, remember?”
“Right!” Wooper leaps in front of me just in time, tanking another volley of shots from the enemies. Helping me back up, he says, “Arthur, you gotta shoot ice at them!”
So...it's time. I inhale, just like all of the chillers I've seen in my nightmares. As I take aim, I recall the sheer terror of all those nights, the agony of all the frigid attacks coming to mind. What if the attack backfired? Shuddering, I blow out...a tiny poof of cool air. The 'attack' peters out inches from my face, dissipating into nothing. “It's no good, I can't do it!”
“It's okay Arthur, you just gotta keep trying!” Wooper turns his attention back to the foes. He grabs the Treecko in his vines, awkwardly swinging him around until he manages to slam the foe into a tree trunk. “You wanna try shooting some water at the other one?”
I nod. “That, I can do!” I stare the Roselia down, recalling the first time I was in Wooper's body. I just blow out, right? Inhaling, I breathe out as hard as I can.
An unthinkably massive torrent of water blasts out of my mouth! The force is so great that the recoil knocks me backwards, where I bonk into a nearby stump! “Owww!”
I hear Wooper gasp at my outcry. “Are you okay?!”
I shake my head as I clumsily stand back up. “Fine...” By the look of things, my attack still managed to connect, but the Roselia is still ready for more. “You gotta run up and headbutt it, Wooper!”
“Got it!”
As Wooper leaps headfirst at the Roselia, it throws a punch, its right 'flower' glowing purple. The two attacks collide with a loud thumping sound. The Roselia is knocked away, fading into a purple smoke before landing on the ground.
“That could have gone better, but we did i-AGH!” Wooper doubles over in pain, clutching his stomach.
“Oh no, the bad guy musta poisoned you! Quick, look in the bag!!” I can't let anything happen to Wooper, especially not when he's in my body!
Wooper rides out the wave of poison-induced pain. Once it fades, he wastes no time digging through the bag, pulling out a pink berry and stuffing it in his mouth. “Phew...been a long time since that's happened to me.” Wooper pulls out a blue berry as well, popping the thing into his mouth whole.
“Um... sorry I couldn't do the ice thingy... It's still really scary, you know! What if I did it wrong and hurt myself?”
Wooper pats me on the head. “Nah, that ain't gonna happen! But we gotta keep moving. You ready?”
We continue through Quiet Forest, the dungeon living up to its name. The only sound we hear is the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze that blows through the natural corridors we walk through. The peace doesn't last for long, and we are confronted with another pair of foes, this time a Lotad and Sobble. The latter stares at me, the look in its eyes making me feel strange. “It looks so sad, Wooper...”
The Sobble lets out a loud cry, firing two streams of water directly out of its eyes! The jets slam into me, where they... get absorbed into my body? “Huh?!” Oh, right, water can't hurt me. But he tried to attack me! “Wooper, get that guy! He tried to hurt me!”
Wooper nods. Looking up, he spots a ray of sunlight streaming through the canopy. “Oh yeah, time to finally try this out.” He stands in the light, holding his arms upward. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-” He stops to take a breath.
Did I really look like this to everybody when I did it the one time? “Uh, Wooper, you don't have to shout while cha-”
I'm cut off by Wooper continuing his cry. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-” Wooper lowers his hands to his side, thrusting them forward. “HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
The blast of solar energy slams into the Sobble, vaporizing it!
“Oh yeah, this is awesome!” Wooper points to the Lotad. “Alright, try to put this one on ice, Arthur. I'll protect you when he attacks.”
I give an uneasy nod, breathing in once again as the scary thoughts return. I remember the scene from Serenity River. How the ice crept up my body, the paralyzing fear of watching myself nearly being frozen solid. Wooper's protecting me, but what if I screw up? What if I froze him?!
With a small cry, I fire off my attack at the Lotad! A cold, tiny stream shoots out, sending a chill down my spine as it passes my lips. The beam is forceful enough to actually travel towards the foe, but the impact is very weak, barely fazing it! The Lotad retaliates by charging up a green ball of energy, firing it at me! Wooper leaps in front of my, tanking the attack for me.
I let out a sad sigh. “I still can't do it, I keep remembering the fear!”
“You're getting better at it, Arthur. I know you can do it!” Wooper grapples the Lotad in his vines, slamming him onto the ground until it finally turns to dust.
“That went a lot better than last time.” Wooper looks pretty pleased with himself.
“Sorry you're doing all the work. I'm not used to anything in this body!”
“Hey, you'll get there. Besides, there's still the bad guy at the end to use as target practice, right?”
Something shifts in my mind as I say “Right! Let's go!” What's going on? Is this the natural cheer from earlier kicking in?
Continuing on through the forest, we come across a more open area. It isn't long before we hear a cry for help ring through the clearing! A figure leaps from a tree branch, gliding silently towards us. My mouth drops open as I make out its shape. It looks like a cross between a vampire bat and a scorpion, with large pincers for hands. What scares me most is its size... it's gigantic!
A smirk crosses the Gliscor's face. “Heh... my plan worked... There's always a team of would-be heroes coming to the rescue, loaded down with tons of loot. Hand it over or I'll... cut you down to size... kid.”
Wooper steps in front of me. “We ain't afraid of you!” Wooper flails his vines around, scoring a few hits across the bad guy's cheek.
Gliscor glares at us, the smirk still plastered across his face. “Heh, pitiful... How about I show you how Gliscor, Dread Lord of Shadows, fights?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTizqgk2xbs
The villain dives towards Wooper, swinging his claws. Wooper dodges out of the way of one hit, but can't avoid the second! Wooper lets out a cry of pain, getting knocked down.
“Hey! Where do you get off, trying to beat up those smaller than you? I'm getting' real sick of guys like you!” I fire a blast of water directly at the enemy, using my tail to help keep the recoil low.
The attack hits home, and I can't help but let out a cheer as the Gliscor is knocked towards a tree. He recovers before colliding with it however, and swoops towards me, claws at the ready!
Before he can get close enough to attack, a blinding beam of light flies from the left, slamming into the foe! Looking over, I see Wooper nodding towards me, a determined look on his face.
Our enemy recovers from the mighty blow, letting out a sinister laugh.“Heh... not bad... you're making me use a fraction of my power... This is all for play, kids. Farewell...”
Gliscor swoops towards Wooper, who dodges preemptively. But before Gliscor gets close enough, the enemy does a loop in midair, changing direction! He swipes again at Wooper, this time slashing with his tail as well! Wooper lets out a loud cry, which fades as he slumps to the ground.
I look around nervously, feeling extremely vulnerable now. Wh-what do I do?!
Gliscor shoots a look over at my downed friend. “Pssh... nothin' personal, kid...”
“Did you really just say that? What's your problem?!” Edgelords exist in this world, too?
“Tsk, tsk... My problem is that I haven't taken the bag from your friend yet. Guess I'll just have to take care of you first...”
I don't know what to do! He's still full of energy! I'm all alone! My attacks don't seem to do much, and the only idea I have left is... that. But he hurt Wooper, so I have no choice!
Looking up at the enemy, I get another idea. I decide to channel some of his edge. Playing into his act, I chuckle. “Hmph... so be it... just this once I'll have to unleash my secret art...”
I see a momentary flash of fear in Gliscor's eyes, but it quickly melts away, his eyes giving me a skeptical look. “Oh, really now?”
I glare at him as I remember the pain and agony I felt at the hands of the chillers. Anybody that hurts Wooper deserves even worse. “The icy rage of a deadly blizzard... the horrifying loneliness of an endless winter... the pain of being frozen solid...” Looking at Gliscor once again, I can tell he's absolutely eating this all up, his eyes alight with interest. It's like he's been waiting for an exchange such as this his whole life. A grin crosses my face as I continue. “May all these and more combine as I unleash my darkest nightmares upon you!”
Gliscor snaps out of it as I begin to inhale, turning to glide away. Letting out the loudest shout of my life, I fire my attack.
The huge, icy beam of energy flies through the air! A look of horror washes over the villain's face as the blast scores a direct hit! He lets out a loud cry of pain as the nightmarish sound of crackling ice fills the air. In a matter of seconds, Gliscor is frozen solid. He falls to the forest floor with a THUNK, clearly unable to fight any longer.
I turn towards Wooper, shooting a look back at the frozen Gliscor. “Pssh... Nice try, kid. Maybe the playground's more your speed...”
Wooper groans as he stands back up. Reaching into his bag, he eats another Oran Berry, letting out a sigh of relief. “Arthur, you did it! He's totally frozen, we won!”
“Heh... It was no-” I shake my head, forcing myself out of the edginess. “Wait, I did? I did!”
“See? Ice ain't a tool of evil, you used ice to fight off a villainous foe! But uh... Arthur?” Wooper gives me a confused look. “What in the world was all of that strange talking you two were doing?”
“I-I umm...” I feel a surge of embarrassment as I realize Wooper was watching that entire exchange. “I was just playing into his act! There's a lot of people like that in the human world. They absolutely adore all of that 'tough' sounding talk!”
“Now that you mention it, he completely stopped fighting when you started speaking.”
I nod. “He was eating out of the palms of my hands.” Realizing something, I look down at myself. “...If I had them right now, but you get what I mean!”
Wooper rubs his chin. “Interesting way of taking care of a bad guy, but it worked. We'd better get the client's brother and bring him back to town.”
The two of us find the client's brother hiding in a nearby bush. Leaving the Gliscor behind, we return to Capim to reunite the brothers, arriving just before sundown. Grateful, the Pichu hands us a small sack of coins before leaving with his brother.
Wooper jingles the bag of money in his hand. “Well, our first mission in each other's bodies was a complete success. How you feelin', Arthur?”
Nodding, I say, “I...feel pretty good, actually! But uh...can I have my body back?”
“I think the Smeargle's closed for the night. Besides, I have some ideas I want you to try out before this is over.”
“But, my body...I froze the bad guy solid! That's not good enough?”
Wooper brings a hand to his chin. “It might be, but why not take it even further to make sure you're past the fear?”
I let out a small groan. “Fiiiiiine...”
We head to the guild's dining hall for some dinner, Wooper helping me eat with his vines. Part of me wants to feel irritated and humiliated for needing assistance with eating, but... I do it for him all the time, so it only seems fair. Other guild members give us curious glances, seeming to take notice of how differently we're carrying ourselves tonight. I wonder if any of them can guess what happened to us?
Letting out a yawn, Wooper opens the door to our room. Lifting up the blanket, both of us crawl underneath it.
Just as I wiggle under the covers, Wooper pulls me into a hug! Though I'm unable to move around much in his grasp, being hugged like this... still feels really good.
I hadn't realized it the first time we did this due to the mess with the outlaw, but being hugged like this feels strangely comforting, even more than when it's the other way around. It's nice, warm, and something about it makes me feel... safe. A familiar calming sensation washes over me, and I feel at peace. Our breathing begins to sync up as I feel myself overcome by relaxation and coziness.
As the two of us drift off to sleep, gentle smile creeps across my face. This is really nice...
What follows is the nightmare from the other night, but something different happens this time. Just as I see my icy foes, an unseen force attacks all three of them! The Cryogonal is lit on fire, the Dewott hit by a stray thunderbolt, and even the Kyurem is quickly buried beneath an avalanche of huge boulders! All three let out roars of pain as they're utterly destroyed by the unknown assistant. They poof into nothing more than a sparkly cloud of dust, which rushes right for me!
Unable to get away in time, the dust completely covers me, but instead of feeling scared or being harmed, a strange, happy feeling washes over me! Hey, this ain't so awful after all! I haven't felt this good since...wait a second!
My eyes shoot open, awakening from the nightmare-turned-dream. Toge is flying overhead, sprinkling that strange happy dust of his onto us. His face quickly darkens as he realizes he's been caught. “I-I-I'm s-sorry... I-I'll just u-umm...”
I let out a loud yawn, blinking a few times as I begin to wake up a little more. “It's okay, honest! So you're the reason the guys in my nightmare were suddenly destroyed?”
“U-umm... y-yes?”
“Thanks!” I try to stand up, but to no avail. Wooper still holds me in a tight hug. “Well...I guess I don't gotta get up right away!”
“A-Are you W-wooper or Ch-chespin? Y-you seem p-pretty cheerful i-if you're Chespin...”
“Still Chespin!”
I wiggle around a bit more, but it's no use. I'm definitely stuck until Wooper wakes up. “It's something about Wooper's body, it's like it MAKES him cheerful!”
“O-oh... so u-umm... h-how's the i-ice thing g-going?”
I nod. “I froze a bad guy away solid yesterday! You shoulda seen his face! He thought he had the upper hand and POW!”
A tiny smile creeps onto Toge's face. “Th-that's good...A-Are you st-still scared of ice?”
“I dunno...Being frozen still looks horrific, but Wooper wants to try out one more idea today?”
As if on cue, Wooper wakes up, his grip on me loosening. As great as being hugged by him feels, I can't lay here forever. He rubs his eyes, looking directly at Toge. “Oh, mornin'.” He gets to his feet, helping me up as well, an odd smile filling his face. “What brings you in here, Toge?”
“J-joy d-d-dust...Th-thought it c-could help the t-two of you sl-sleep b-better...”
Wooper stretches, scratching the back of his head. “Well, it worked, so go ahead and keep it up.”
I nod. “Team Cozy always appreciates anything that helps us be more, uh... cozy!”
“O-okay...S-see you later...” Toge quietly opens the door, silently flying out of the room.
Wooper takes a look at me. “Now that that's done, you ready to check out my final idea?”
“Yep! But after that, we're getting put in the right bodies... right? I already miss the vines!”
“Of course, but we'll be out and about for awhile before then.” Wooper opens the door, waving for me. “So, you ready?”
I nod, following after him. Wooper makes a quick stop inside the storeroom before we go.
Wooper leads me out of the guild and out of Capim Town, heading down a somewhat familiar road. I watch Wooper goof around with his vines as we walk, occasionally picking me up with them before setting me back down. The two of us chat about yesterday's mission as we walk, and it isn't long before I find myself in a somewhat familiar place.
A large lake stretches out before me. Vibrant green trees wrap around the shores, with clusters of flowers here and there. “This is the first place we visited, Wooper!” For some reason, this place doesn't feel as nice as it did the first time. Have I grown used to this world? Or is it just the fact I'm not in my 'normal' body currently?
Wooper nods. “Yep. Anyways, here's my idea. Yesterday, you got to see how ice can help us in a battle, right? Today, we're gonna have a little fun with it.”
“How're we gonna do that?”
Wooper points to the lake. “We're gonna do a bit of ice skating!”
I slowly walk up to the water's edge, looking down at its reflective surface. Huh, that's weird, I didn't realize I was smiling. I shoot a look back at Wooper. At least if he's back there, there's no chance I can accidentally freeze him. Even so, I feel a little nervous, and yet...there's a small voice in the back of my head, one that says 'Just freeze it, it'll be okay!'
Obeying the voice, I inhale, breathing out a chilly blast of icy energy onto the lake! A crackling sound fills the air as a large patch of ice begins to form atop the lake. Feeling a little unsure of things, I take a cautious step onto the ice, the chill making me shiver.
Wooper takes a step onto the ice as well, backing away quickly. “Oh yeah, almost forgot, we need some ice skates.”
“Wait...this world's got ice skates?”
“Well, sorta. You gotta special order 'em to get a proper pair. However...” Wooper digs into his bag, pulling out several large black spikes, each with a decently sized notch along the sharper edge. Grabbing a few lengths of string, Wooper says, “We can whip something up for ourselves. I've seen others do this before.”
Wooper sits on the grass as he tries to tie one of the spikes onto his foot. I watch as he fumbles with the string for a few minutes. Finally, he lets out a groan. “C'mon, this is so hard...”
“Don't know how to tie a knot?”
“I don't usually have hands, so no.”
“Umm...It'll be kinda tricky to explain, but I'll try! So, here's what you do...”
I do my best to walk Wooper through how to properly tie a knot, making sure he loops the string through the notch. After quite some time watching him screw up, he finally manages to get one of the 'skates' tied on. “There we go! Man, this is hard...”
Wooper continues trying, eventually getting both 'skates' on.
Wooper stands up, wobbling around a bit. “They're a little hard to walk in, but it should do the trick.” He kneels down next to me, helping me tie on my pair of 'skates'. I can't help but feel like a little kid who doesn't know how to tie his shoes yet...but at least I have a very good excuse.
Once the spikes are on my feet, Wooper helps me stand up. I totter back and forth before finally regaining my balance. Thankfully, the top of them are flatter than the sharper bottom, so they're not too uncomfortable to wear.
“Right, should be ready to go now.” Wooper waddles towards the icy patch on the lake, clearly not used to walking on 'skates'.
Trying to remember how I used to skate as a human, I start sliding my feet across the ice...and promptly fall on my face. I feel a set of vines lift me up as Wooper skates next to me, setting me back upright. Wooper gives me an encouraging nod before continuing to skate.
Well, this is gonna be tricky... I begin to do smaller motions, trying to make up for my lack of any true legs. I let out a small sigh of relief as I begin to slowly move across the ice. Feeling encouraged, I pick up the pace, and it isn't long before I'm gliding around the frozen water. I'm certainly not going to win any skating competitions, especially with no arms to help me balance, but it's at least doable.
“So,” Wooper says as he skates alongside me. “How good are humans at ice skating?”
“I wasn't the best at it, but I could do it. Lot harder without arms, but there were some humans that were really good at it, even without those!” I make the mistake of trying to do a spin jump, predictably flopping onto the ice.
Wooper helps me up again, saying, “Trying to get fancy?”
As we continue skating again, I say, “Hey, you never know if you don't tr-” I let out a gasp, seeing what's rapidly approaching us.
Water.
“Ah!” I don't know if Wooper knows how to swim in my body, I gotta do something! Without thinking about it, I fire forth a blast of ice, freezing the water just in time to create a longer path to skate on. I keep shooting out icy energy, not stopping until I finally feel like we have enough space to work with.
Wooper gives me a pat on the back of the head. “Good job, Arthur! See, ice ain't that bad. Think about it, we can use it to cross rivers that are in our way, even make our own bridges.”
How come I never thought about it like that before? It seems like such an obvious benefit! “I... you're right!”
“So, how're you feelin'? Think you're fine with ice now?”
“Well...the idea of being frozen is still horrifying to me. But if it's you or another friend with the ice, I think I'll be alright now! Guess I'll have to get used to it more with time.”
Wooper gives a small fist pump, saying, “Alright, now that's progress! See, I told you this bodyswap idea would work.”
“You've made your point, but umm... can I have my body back now?”
Wooper skids to a stop. “Once we head back into town, but... Can I see what sunbathing as you is like? Please?”
I look over the unfrozen water, the depths seeming to invite me in. “Well... okay!”
Kicking the 'skates' off, I leap into the lake. Instantly, an overwhelming sensation of relaxation floods into me, the cool water filling me with an uncharacteristic optimism! All the fear from the past few days feels like nothing but a distant memory right now. I swish my tail around as I speed around, the water feeling fantastic as I swim. Even now, I keep expecting to feel the need to go back up for air, but it never arrives. Making the most of things, I swim close to the bottom, trying to see if I can find anything that somehow got dropped into the lake.
There's nothing of value down here however, and I decide to take a little break. Sitting on the floor of the lake, I look up at the surface, the sunshine trickling down from above. I wish I could go for a swim like this everyday, but I can't have this and arms at the same time. Maybe in the future Wooper and I could redo a bodyswap just for the fun of it?
After some time, I hop out of the water, finding Wooper lying in the grass with a calm smile on his face, arms outstretched. I can see the green parts of his body glowing with a soft light. He lets out a contented sigh as I approach, saying, “I think I finally get it... the sunbathing... the warmth of the sunlight... it's no wonder you love doing this.”
“Yeah! Now you know how it feels! But um...” I nudge Wooper with my tail. “We better get back to town before sundown.”
Wooper gets to his feet, stretching as he lets out a yawn. “Alright, fair's fair. You're dealing with ice better, and I got to enjoy things a bit myself. Let's go see Smeargle.”
I follow Wooper into Smeargle's shop. I call out, yelling “Hey, we're back! You gonna change us back?” Hearing no response, I say, “Helloooo? Anybody home?”
“Maybe he's out in town?” Wooper says.
“Something doesn't feel right about this, Wooper...Check the place!”
Wooper walks further into the shop, entering the backroom. “It's cold back here... Hey, what's this?” I hear Wooper pick up a piece of paper as he begins to read from the note.
The Smeargle you seek works for me now! You will never again return to your normal bodies... Unless you're brave enough to come seek me in the Chilly Cavern, that is! You shall regret the day you ever stole my Frisms! -Cryogonal
I slam my tail against the wall in anger. “That stupid CHILLER! Oh, he wants a fight?! Well, we're gonna GIVE IT TO HIM!” Turning towards the stairway, I shout, “C'mon Wooper, it's time to deliver an ass kicking of biblical proportions!”
“... Biblical?” Wooper shakes his head, saying, “Nevermind, let's get that monster!”
“Does our bag have all the good stuff in it?”
Wooper checks inside the bag. “Yep, we're good to go!”
“Good. Don't forget about the wand that shoots fire.” Determined to put an end to this, I shout, “The day of the thaw is upon us!”
The two of us run towards the location of our first ever adventure, the icy cave where we found those Frisms, not slowing down until we arrive.
“It's pretty dark in that cave. Chespin, do you remember how to glow?”
I nod. “Gotta think happy thoughts. Right now, the happiest thought is the sight of that chiller either shattering or melting” Right on cue, a soft blue light begins to emanate from my body.
“Nice job, Chespin.” Grabbing the Blast Wand out from the bag, Wooper ventures into the cave, with me following close behind.
I begin to shiver uncontrollably as we delve deeper into the depths. “W-Wooper, c-can you d-do something to help keep me w-warm?”
Wooper grips the wand tighter, a small flame forming on the end. “This help you out?”
I stand close to the wand, sighing in relief. “Aah... sweet sweet warmth...”
“Be ready, Chespin. There's no telling what tricks that Cryogonal's got in store for us this time.”
We arrive at the large icy-covered room that I've seen in my nightmares so many times. Mirror-like walls, snow-covered floor, stalactites all over the ceiling, it's all so familiar to me at this point. Looking around, I spot two shadowy figures, one of which is distinctly snowflake shaped.
“Chiller detected.” Raising my voice, I shout, “CRYOGONAL! YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR THIS TIME!”
“Oh, looks like the runts finally decided to show up.” That awful voice... there's no doubt about it. Floating into view, the horrid visage of Cryogonal comes into full view. “Finally, I can exact my revenge. You've melted me, shattered me, but now it will be YOU who is broken before me!”
“Come off it! You think you can stop us? No way!” If I still had fists, I'd be clenching them right now.
“Not if my cohort has anything to say about it. Smeargle, tell them.”
The Smeargle from the other day steps forward, draped in a maroon-colored cloak. “Its high time we finally get our revenge.”
“You dirty criminal! You won't get away with thi-”
The words catch in my mouth as I hear the sound of glass shattering, a brown cloud swirling from Cryogonal's mouth towards Wooper and I! I lose all feeling in my body, and can do nothing but move my eyes around. Of all the horrible things I was ready for, a Petrify Orb was the last thing I ever expected! Fear rises in my mind as a wave of helplessness washes over me, unable to do anything but await whatever is in store for us.
Cryogonal spits out the remains of the orb. “Oh, how I've longed for this day! Now that I've got you two right where I want you, I'm going to make sure you never cause me trouble again. But I want a more personal touch for this. Smeargle is going to swap the bodies of me and the green-hatted thief. An explorer being beaten down by the body of his best friend is a fitting way to end this, don't you think? Smeargle, get it done! Feel free to drag it out, I want to savor this.”
“Gladly.” With a quick motion, Smeargle hefts up his tailbrush, slowly walking towards us while clutching his cloak around himself with his free arm. I look down at the ground, trying to distance myself from my horrible reality. As his brush touches Wooper, I hear Smeargle whisper to us in an almost-inaudible voice. “Trust me on this one.”
Taking a few steps back, Smeargle says, “Oh, I've waited though many days in jail dreaming of this day. Team Cozy, stopped with the aid of my brush!” Turning towards Cryogonal, he says, “However, there's just one thing I want to do before I switch the two of you.”
“Ahaha, go right ahead!”
“But of course...”
Smeargle quickly reaches into his cloak, throwing an Orb I've never seen before in Cryogonal's face. “I don't want to live my life on the run!” Taking out a second orb, he throws it at the ground before Wooper and I, green light flowing out of the shattered remains. Bathed in the glow, I find myself able to move again! Cryogonal quickly bears down on us, but doesn't attack us, much to my confusion.
Smeargle looks at the two of us. “I threw a Silence Orb at him. He cannot use his mouth for anything right now.
“But I can!” Inhaling, I fire a massive torrent of water directly into the chiller, slamming him against a stalactite. Cracks begin to form across his body as he recovers from the attack, but Wooper follows by firing off a volley of fireballs from his Blast Wand! Bits of the evil snowflake begin to melt, dripping to the floor as he drifts down to the floor, barely able to move.
Confidence fills me as I realize how much of an upper hand the three of us have now. “No matter how many times you fight Team Cozy, it'll always end in your defeat. Begone, CHILLER!” Slamming my tail on the ground, the floor erupts underneath Cryogonal, shattering him into pieces!
“Well, this was an unpleasant trip. To think I wasted my day inside some awful cavern of ice because of that vile thing. How dare he steal me away from my home.” Smeargle waves for the two of us. “Let us return to my shop.” Not wanting to spend a minute longer in this icebox, I eagerly follow.
We find ourselves in the former outlaw's shop once again, the Smeargle giving us a pensive look. “I trust your time in one another's bodies has been interesting? Educational? ... Fun, perhaps?”
I nod. “It was interesting and it got really scary at points, but yeah!”
“Well, you certainly seem happier than... the first time we did this.” The Smeargle shudders, no doubt recalling his capture. “Right. Simply hand over the payment and I'll set things back to normal.”
Curious, I ask, “Do we get a discount for fighting your kidnapper?”
“I don't give out discounts.” Pausing, he follows with, “However... You did save me the trouble of spending who knows how long waiting around in that frigid dump he called a home. I'll give you a 10% discount, and that's final.” Somehow, I'm not surprised Smeargle's that cheap.
Wooper digs into the bag, digging out a handful of coins. Smeargle pockets the change, saying “Time to finish this.”
Tail in hand, Smeargle quickly paints the swap symbol onto both of us. His brush glows as he hefts it upwards, causing my entire body to go numb! It only lasts a few seconds, and just like that, I'm back in my own body! Or at least, what passes for it in this world.
“The switch back seems to have been a total success. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a shop to close for the night.”
Taking the hint, I grab Wooper in my vines, climbing back up into the town proper.
I stretch out my vines as the two of us return to the guild. As interesting as that was, I much prefer having arms and vines. Wooper cheerfully skips alongside me as I head towards our room. Grabbing a Gummi drink from my cupboard, I say, “After the past few days, I think it's only fair to have a drink.” I pop the cork off, taking a long sip, the sweet juices helping me relax. “Just a shame this stuff's always warm, back in the human world we'd... cool it...” Just then, a lightbulb goes off in my head.
I whip around to face Wooper. “That's it! I have an idea! C'mon, let's go to the kitchen.” Wooper nods, following behind me.
Grabbing a couple of clean cups from the sink, I pour ourselves a couple drinks. “Alright Wooper, all you gotta do is chill these glasses.”
“Okay!” Wooper breathes a low-power beam of icy energy at the drinks, the outside of the cups slowly being coated in a thin frost.
Once he's finished, I check on the drinks, the juices having partially frozen. It's not a perfect job, but it's about as good as I'll get in this world.
Setting the glasses on a nearby table, I say, “And here we are, slushies! Ain't one to one with how they look in the human world, but it'll do. Perfect for cooling off during a hot day. I used to chug these bad boys down all the time as a kid.” Grabbing a cup in a vine, I hold it in front of Wooper, the chill running down the vine and making me shiver a little. “Go on, take a sip.”
Wooper eagerly takes a big gulp of the Gummi slushie, a smile coming over his face. “They're even better cold!”
“Most drinks are! Anyways, now that everything with us and ice seems to be sorted, get ready to do what you just did a lot more from now on.”
I take a sip of my own slushie, a wave of cold rushing through my body. But this time, it's a pleasant kind of chill, not unlike heading into a walk-in cooler on a hot day. Hopefully the next time we have to fight a chiller, I'll be able to keep it together. Even if I can't, getting used to Wooper's ice means I essentially have an ice gun to shoot enemies with!
I take a big chug of the slushie, content... Before a wave of pain slams into my head, right behind the eyes! “A-agh!”
“Arthur! What's wrong?!” Wooper's happy expression changes to one of concern.
“Urgh... just some brain freeze...”
“Are you gonna be okay?”
“Probably.”
“What're you gonna do with the rest of that?” Wooper asks.
“This.”
I chug the rest of the slushie in one gulp.