An Unusual Ally
I wake up in the late morning like usual, floating just above the chair I had laid down on the previous night. It's been a couple of weeks since I moved into the Whimsicott village, and while it's comfier than the Clover Guild, it still isn't home. At least I can go outside without feeling like I'm as much of a spectacle as I was back in Capim.
I hear a knock on my room's door, accompanied by a familiar voice saying “Are you awake?”
Getting up to push open the door, I see the head of the Whimsicott village smiling at me. “Mindy, would you, like, do me a quick favor?”
As nice as she is, that valley girl voice is pretty grating. I glance out the window. The sky is light blue, with not a single cloud in the sky. At least it's a nice day out, and some sunlight always feels nice. I give a small nod.
“Like, totally awesome! So like, there's a few bushes on the way to Capim with some extra tasty berries, right? So would you like, get a bunch for us?” After agreeing, she says, “Nice! They're pink and like, look a bit like bananas. See ya when you get back!”
Grabbing a small bag near the door, I float out into the village and down the road.
I take my time as I begin to look for the berries. Looking down at the ground as I float over it, I'm thankful that I'm at least past needing to walk anymore. I used to be scared of falling out of the air, but floating feels like it's pretty failproof. Still, I've been in this world for... almost half a year now, and I still don't know how to do anything else. Maybe someday... maybe now?
Turning my attention to a small rock on the ground, I concentrate as hard as I can on it. Everybody says I can harness psychic powers, and I had always dreamed of having them when I was little, but I've never been able to get anything working! Holding out my tiny hand, I tense up my arm and squint my eyes, putting every bit of focus I can muster into trying to move that rock. I let out a loud shout, thrusting my hand forward!
For a split second, I could have sworn I saw a flash of blue come from somewhere. But sadly, the rock hasn't budged even an inch. I let out a groan. Why's it so easy for everybody else to do cool things?! But still... if that flash was for real, maybe I'm a step closer now? Sighing, I turn my attention back to the task at hand, continuing on my hunt for the berries. I'll need to practice more some other time.
The path twists into a tangle of trees. Drifting into the shadows of the canopy, I look around for the berries, and spot several bushes covered in them. Stuffing as many as I can into my bag, I begin to nibble on one. The berry tastes like a mix of bananas and peaches. As I eat, however, a feeling of uneasiness washes over me. Did I just see something move around in the brush? Is somebody watching me? Maybe I'm just being paranoid again.
Just as I finish the berry off, I hear a twig snap! Letting out a small scream, I grab the bag of berries and hurry back to the village, hoping to put as much distance as I can between whatever that was.
Everybody else in the Whimsicott village was thankful I got the berries, and the rest of my day passed by uneventfully. This place is a lot less chaotic than the old guild, that's for sure. Once the sun sets, I huddle underneath my blankets, trying to get cozy. As I try to sleep, I can swear I hear voices calling out to me from the darkness. Trying to push the voices out of my mind, I roll over and attempt to force myself to sleep.
Moments later, I nearly jump out of my skin as I hear a quiet knock at the front door. "I know yer in there. I ain' gonna hurt you, relax."
I definitely heard that! Heart pounding, I hesitate for a moment before floating over to the door. “H-how do I know for sure?”
“There's a village full of those monsters here, and I don't feel like startin' a fight this late.”
My mind screams at me to wake everybody else up, but something about this seems... familiar, somehow? “O-okay... I'm coming out.”
I pull the door open, floating outside. In the moonlight, I can see an otter-like creature, wearing a black cloak and hood, wearing some manner of headband underneath.“Good, you came out. I'll cut to the chase. There's somebody at the Clover Guild I'd like info on, and I know you're a member there.” His voice sounds stern, yet relaxed, as though he's had experience with this sort of thing. “There's 500 Poke with your name on it if you do this for me.”
I shake my head. “More like former member. I quit because I never fit in there.”
The creature frowns, responding with, “Maybe you'll know who I'm talking about, anyways. There's a member there. White body. Wings. Blue and red triangle pattern. What do you know about him?”
What is this? This guy's interrogating me like I killed someone! “Who are you, anyways? How do you know him to begin with?”
“Just call me Dewott. I'm his old partner. His name's Togetic, but he might have some sort of nickname at the guild.”
“I don't know many at the guild very well, except for the two guys that found me when I... woke up in this world.”
Dewott's expression softens. "So me and my partner aren't the only humans here. Good, means you ain't one of those monsters."
“I don't think they're that bad, but...” Sighing sadly, I say, “Honestly, I'd rather just go home. I miss my old life.”
Dewott frowns once more, but this time it's a frown of slight sadness as opposed to annoyance. “That makes two of us. Tell me, how good are you at fighting?”
Fighting?! “I u-umm... can't fight. At all. Everybody at the guild knows how to do stuff like that, but I can't get anything working. It's like something's wrong with me...”
“I see.” To my surprise, he lowers his hood, a look of pity showing on his aged, slightly scarred face. “You remind me of my old partner. He's pretty helpless on his own. You're the only one in this world that seems to have a lick of sense.” Holding out a hand, he says, “I can help you get stronger, in exchange for some info on my old partner.”
“I don't really know much about him, but... I suppose I could make a trip back to the guild to learn some more about him if it means you'll teach me some things.”
“How about coming out for a bit in the middle of the night to train, in that case?”
“Why can't we just train in the daytime?”
Dewott shakes his head. “Guild's got my number. Don't want to draw more attention than I have to. Barely got away from my last run-in with them.”
Something feels insanely sketchy about this, but... I want to know how to do cool stuff like everybody else! “It's not like I have anything you can steal anyways.”
“Good. Follow me. Who knows, maybe you'll learn a thing or two.”
I wordlessly follow Dewott out of the village and towards the darkness of the forest, floating up out of his range in case he tries to do anything funny. I must be insane to be doing this, but I really want to stop being so useless! As we approach a small clearing, I see Dewott reach inside his cloak, pulling out a strange stick. I let out a small scream as a blast of fire shoots out of it, igniting a firepit I hadn't seen before! Dewott turns his head towards me, saying, "Shoulda' warned ya', sorry."
Letting out a shaky breath, I say, “I-it's fine. So... what now?”
Bracing himself, he says, “Show me what you know.”
“You mean, attack you?”
“Do it.”
Well, here goes nothing. Letting out a yell, I dive down at Dewott. Knowing nothing else, I go for a flying kick! Dewott lets out a low grunt as I hit him, but doesn't lose his balance. “Crude, but good enough for a beginner. What else ya got?”
I look down at the ground. “Umm, that's all. Others have told me I could have psychic powers, but though I've struggled for months to do something, I haven't managed to move even a pebble.” Sighing, I say, “Maybe I'm broken somehow.”
Dewott's expression softens once more. Reaching into his bag, he pulls out something that looks like a CD. “Press this to your head. My old partner told me these will make even the most hopeless cases learn how to do something special.”
He didn't have to outright call me hopeless, but beggars can't be choosers. Taking the object from his hands, I hold it to my forehead. The scene in the forest vanishes, leaving me in a dark void. I feel a jolt of fear for a moment, which gives way to confusion as I feel my body moving on its own. All I can do is look down watch as I feel my hands press together hard, an odd glow forming around them. As the glow shines brighter, my arms raise upward, stretching out over my sides as the light surrounds me. Still unable to move under my own will, my body repeats the motion several times, drilling into my mind the actions that I think I'm supposed to take. After what feels like an agonizingly long time doing this, I'm finally brought back to reality.
“What... was that all about?” I say, confused beyond belief.
"Whatever ya' saw just now, do it." Dewott says.
Beginning to mirror the actions I was forced to do earlier, I press my hands together, focusing everything I can into them and... nothing. “C'mon! I'm doing what it told me to do! It has to work, it's gotta work!” Feeling more determined, I put as much force into my action as I can muster. A very faint light begins to emanate from my hands, causing my pulse to quicken. “I-I'm doing something!” My breathing turning shaky, I raise up my arms, watching as the light splits off into two. One light flies towards Dewott, while the remainder begins to shimmer around me.
“Seems a little weak, but looks like it worked.”
I can't contain my excitement, it worked! Without thinking about how silly I look, I start doing loops in the air, cheering at my success! “Did you see that? I did something, I really did something! Isn't that great?!” Finally, I'm learning how to do something after all this time! It might not be shooting beams of light or lifting someone with my mind, but it's an actual start! But there's still one question about this left. “But wait, what's this light good for, anyways?!”
“My old partner would do something similar to this. Burns, freezing cold, crippling electricity, it'd protect us from it all. Him and that skill were... an invaluable help on jobs we took.” Shaking his head, he follows with, “From what I've learned, what you just did should help protect us from harm as well.”
“So instead of being a fighter, I'd be more like a supporter or something?”
“Yep. Now, prepare yourself!"
Gasping, I shout, “Wh-what?! But what did I do wrong? I don't have anything on me to rob!”
"Whoa, kiddo, I'll be holdin' back. Jus' wanna test your new skill. If it works, ya' shouldn't feel a thing."
Holding my tiny arms in front of myself, I ready myself for whatever Dewott's got in store for me. “I dunno about this, but... Make it quick!”
Dewott gives me a nod. Inhaling, he shoots a tiny, light-blue stream of energy at me! The light around me glows brighter as the beam hits it, allowing only an even smaller bit of the energy to pass through. The minuscule beam hits my left hand, a chill coming over it. It stings a little, but only feels like a little pinch. “Hey, I think it worked?”
A tiny smile forms on Dewott's face. "Good job. Now that that's settled, I got a favor to ask you." Continuing, he says, “I need you to go back to the guild tomorrow and get me some information on my old partner. Who he talks to, where he hangs out, that sorta thing.”
He wants me to spy on Toge? It feels a little wrong, but he was a close partner for Dewott, so maybe it's not a bad thing to do? “Umm... Okay. Got nothing else to do around here.”
“Glad to hear you're agreeable. I'll meet you outside the village at sunset tomorrow.” As he turns to leave, he says, “By the way, don't rat me out. Like I said, that guild ain't really happy with me. Don't ask about him by name either, or they'll know it was me that sent you.”
Curled up in my chair, I can't sleep. My mind is still racing over what I just experienced. What's with that guy? Why's he so mysterious? But more than that... I know how to do something now! For what feels like hours, I repeatedly use my newfound ability to summon those strange shimmering lights, just because I can! Something about doing this feels oddly comforting, like a security blanket of sorts. It might be because it's the first real thing I've learned how to do after so long, but I gotta work with what I have! Eventually, fatigue overtakes me and I huddle underneath my blankets, wondering what my next encounter with Dewott will bring.
First thing in the morning, I head for Capim. It's been a while since I've been back at the guild, and even when I lived here before, I only left my room to get something to eat. Hopefully others in town don't gawk at me too much, I always hated that!
Trying to pick up the pace, I focus on floating faster. I soon realize that moving any faster than what would be a light jog for others makes it much too hard to control. I let out a small groan, feeling like I've still got a long way to go for what seems like such a basic thing for those like me.
Once I arrive at the guild, I look around for Dewott's old partner. The few guild members I remember from my time here walk by me, only really saying stuff like “Long time no see!” or “Come to rejoin us, Mindy?” Trying to find a good enough cover, I take a look at the mission board, not intending to take any of them as I periodically glance around.
“Hey pretty in pink! Come back for me, did you?”
That voice... I turn to see that degenerate Cyndaquil looking up at me. “Don't flatter yourself, I'm not in the mood.”
“Sheesh, tough crowd.” Mercifully, Cyndaquil takes the hint and leaves me alone, heading for the mess hall.
Thankfully I don't need to wait much longer, as I hear a door on the far end of the main room open. Looking over, I see Toge exiting the storeroom, yawning. Keeping an eye on him, I watch as he meets up with a couple other guild members. Wait, is that Chespin and Wooper he's talking to? What's stranger is the fact that Toge's mood seemed to perk up the second he came across them. I can't hear what they're talking about from here, but it sounds like the three of them are good friends. It isn't long before the trio begins to walk outside, so I begin to tail them.
Exiting the guild, I keep to the guild walls, trying to move higher up to stay hidden. Looking down at them, my head starts to feel a little funny. I'm so high up... what if I fell out of the air and... I shake my head at my thoughts, I can't let that get the better of me now! I know I'm not going to fall to the ground! Safely out of sight, I land on a nearby rooftop, peeking my head out to see what the three are up to.
What I see takes me a little by surprise. Wooper's floating in the pond, lazily swimming back and forth while chatting with Chespin, who sunbathes in a bed of flowers nearby. All the while, Toge is relaxing underneath the tree, talking with the two of them as well. What's bizarre about it all is how... not bizarre this would be if it wasn't happening at this madhouse of a guild. How did these three end up here, anyways? Having seen enough, I decide to get closer, looping around the other side of the guild building to make it look like I wasn't just spying on them.
As I float into the garden, Chespin picks his head up, looking at me. “Mindy? I thought you quit the guild.”
I let out a nervous breath. “I-I did, but I was just thinking about some things.” I grab a strange yellow berry off a nearby bush. “You don't mind, do you? Haven't eaten today, haha...”
“Nah, go right ahead,” Chespin says, looking back up at the sky.
I take a bite out of the berry, my mouth being filled with flavors of oranges, lemons, and limes all at the same time. The food in this world is always so strange, yet another reminder that I'm not at home. “So... the three of you are good friends?”
I hear a splash from the pond, followed by Wooper's voice. “You betcha!”
Right after that, I hear Toge speak up, his voice sounding quiet and timid. “T-Team Cozy found me a-after I ended u-up in tr-trouble... They saved my l-life...”
They found him, too? Just how often do “newcomers” get found around here, anyways? “I see... so, uhh, I'm just gonna... get some of these berries and get going then.”
“Alright then,” Chespin says. “Remember, if you ever feel like rejoining the guild, there's always room.”
I return back to the Whimsicott village, glad that nobody seemed to have suspected a thing from me. Once I return, I make my way for the woods. The sun begins to set over the forest, casting long shadows across the field. Floating towards the treeline, I'm startled by a loud voice yelling at me from behind!
“YOU! YOU'RE ONE OF THE ROTTEN PUNKS THAT RUINED MY FLOWERS!”
Whipping my head around, I spot the Sunflora I kicked in the face a few weeks back, and she looks even angrier this time! “U-umm, can't we talk this out?” I stammer.
“Talking won't bring back my sunflowers! I worked so hard on those all for your stupid friend to ruin them and for YOU to kick ME in the FACE!”
“Y-you shot me first! Can't I get you some cotton or something as an apology?!” I've never been in a fight on my own, and I don't want to start today!
“No, but I've got something for you! Taste the power of the sun, flower-ruiner!”
Sunflora's face begins to glow brighter and brighter as she glares at me. Wait a minute, that glowing, that's what Chespin did before he... mowed down this girl's flowers! With a shout, she fires a bright beam of light directly at me! I barely manage to float out of range of the shot, but it's only a matter of time before I get hit. Starting to get really scared, I shout “H-help! Help!”
The angry sunflower begins to charge up again, and I try to fly to the side, bonking into a tree I didn't see! My heart sinks as I see another bright flash, I'm going to get hit! I close my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the inevitable.
“Agh!”
I'm done for, I'm... wait, I'm not hurt? I open my eyes, and on the ground in front of me lies Dewott! “You saved me!”
“Ugh, showed up just in time.” He reaches a hand into his cloak, shoving something into his mouth. Not long after, he manages to stand back up. “Let me take care of this, Mindy.”
Reaching back into his cloak, he pulls out two large shells. I gasp as I see watery-looking blades shoot out from the ends of them! Dewott wordlessly rushes down my attacker with a flurry of slashes. His ruthlessness makes me wonder how many times he's done this, and it isn't long before the Sunflora collapses, down for the count.
Putting his shells back into his cloak, Dewott turns to me. “Got 'em. You're unharmed, I hope.”
I let out a sigh of relief, saying, “You came not a second too late!” I look behind him at the fallen foe. “But, she's not... dead, is she?”
Dewott shakes his head. "... Probably not. Don't usually go that far anyway, brings too much heat."
“Oh, good...” Wait, usually?
"So how'd you piss her off?"
“Umm, a few weeks ago, I was out in a field of sunflowers with Chespin looking for something, and he cut down a bunch of them, and after that she got pretty mad with us.”
For a split second, I see a grimace cross Dewott's face upon hearing Chespin's name. “... I see.”
“Wait, do you know Chespin?”
Dewott glances off to the side, scoffing. “... Had a bad experience with one of those sorts before.” He turns around towards the forest, beckoning for me. “Come. We've got work to do.”
I silently follow behind Dewott, floating over the brush and bushes that he nimbly weaves through, as though he's done this a million times before.
Dewott is the first to break the silence. “So, what'd you learn today?”
“Not much, admittedly. He works in the storeroom and seems to be best friends with Chespin and Wooper. I ran across the three chatting and relaxing in the garden earlier today.”
“... Got any other info?” I can hear a hint of restrained anger in his voice.
“Sorry, that's all I got. He seemed happy enough, if a little timid.”
“He was always a quiet one. What were you like before becoming trapped in this world like me?”
I let out a small sigh, remembering my old life. “I was just an average girl, still going through school. It was nice enough, even if it was a little boring. But I feel like an outcast here, and I want to go back!”
Determination fills Dewott's voice. “Once I get my old partner back and find a way home, I'll be sure to bring you back with us.”
We enter into a small meadow in the middle of the woods, with clusters of flowers here and there. Dewott takes a few steps away from me, and turns around.
“Time for you to learn,” he says. “Attack me as hard as you can.”
I still don't know how I feel about attacking someone on my side, but he was able to take it last night. “Um, okay? I still can't do much, you know.”
“I know you can kick, but you're unskilled with that. Let's focus on training the basics before trying anything else. Now, attack me.”
All I've ever really managed for fighting before is a flying kick, so I charge forward, doing just that... But Dewott easily dodges my attack, causing me to miss and hit the ground at an awkward angle! I tumble across the grass, letting out a groan. “Ugh...” Thankfully I don't feel very hurt, just a little dazed.
“Too predictable. If you can't do anything else for fighting, try flying at your enemy while anticipating that they'll try to step out of the way.” Dewott takes a defensive pose once more, saying, “Try it again.”
Lacking any other options, I try to follow his instructions as I go for another flying kick. I manage to steer myself towards his sidestep, but he counters by grabbing me out of the air and guiding my momentum to the side, causing me to hit the ground again. Rolling in the grass again, I let out a sigh of frustration.
Dewott steps over, looking down at me. “Your flying kicks have potential, but it's too high risk for you to rely on. You need to learn another method for fighting.”
“But... I don't...”
I'm interrupted by an unknown voice calling out from the darkness. “We've finally found you, Dewott the Damp Devastator!” I turn my head towards the voice, seeing a Fearow and Galvantula come out from the trees. Seeing the latter sends a jolt of intense fear running through me, and I can't help but scream. The voice continues, saying, “Who is this, Dewott? Finally got a new accomplice?”
Dewott stands in front of me, saying, “Nah, she's nothing but another mark.”
Without any more words, Dewott pulls his shells out, leaping into action. He nimbly evades the Fearow's pecks, delivering a series of harsh slashes on the bird. He got one of them, but... That spider is utterly terrifying, I have to help Dewott or else it'll come for me! Taking a series of shaky breaths, I summon that strange light barrier from last night, a glow quickly enveloping Dewott. Just as that happens, a streak of electricity shoots out from the horrifying giant spider, scoring a hit. I hear Dewott let out a small grunt, but he quickly closes in on his enemy, felling it with only a few slashes.
Once both of the intruders are knocked out, he puts his shells back. “Hmph, just a couple of no-skill rookies.” He reaches a hand down to me, helping me up. "Might've gotten a bit dicey without your help, kiddo. Thanks."
I let out a nervous sigh. “I'm sorry for screaming, spiders really scare me.”
“It helped sell my lie, at least.”
That's right, the things those guys said... “Dewott? They talked like you were a criminal. Are you... a bad guy?”
“I do what I have to in order to survive. Especially if it means getting my old partner back and returning to our old life.” A hint of sadness accents his voice as he talks about his former partner.
“This partner of yours, how did you know him before all this?”
Dewott shakes his head, looking down. “All we had was each other.”
“He must mean a lot to you if you're breaking laws just to try and reunite with him.”
“I just want him to be safe. Besides, you've seen those monsters, they don't deserve mercy. Remember how you were attacked earlier?”
I think on it a little. “It's true that a lot of them can be scary, but... There's a lot of nice ones as well. The village I live in now, everybody there is kind, even if they are a bit strange. Even before I moved out here, Capim had a lot of friendly townsfolk. They're not all monsters, honest!”
“Exceptions, to be sure. I'm not going to stop until I get my old partner back and return to the real world.” Dewott holds out a hand, saying, “Come with me. When I finally get him back and find a way back, the three of us can return together.”
I reach out, but pull my hand back slowly, saying, “Umm... I don't think I want to become an outlaw. I want to go back home, but I don't want to risk getting thrown in some awful cell!”
"Heh, do you have that little faith in my fighting skills? Well, suit yourself. I'll still be hidin' out in the area if you want to learn more, so long as you don't sell me out.”
He's an outlaw, but... I can't help but feel sympathetic for him. “My lips are sealed.”
“Glad to hear it. Go get some rest, Mindy.”
Dewott turns to head off into the forest, but there's still one question on my mind. “Why did you call me a mark when we're on the same side?”
He looks back at me, saying, “I don't want innocents taking the fall for what I've done. Not anymore.”
I lay in my chair, looking up at the moonlit sky through the window as I try to fall asleep. The past couple days have been pretty eventful, and I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere! I still don't know what was up with that blue flash from the other day, but I can't help but feel like I'm a step closer to figuring more things out. I call upon that shimmering light once more, feeling comforted as the glow surrounds me.