Togetic's Mind-Bending Adventure
By Togetic Anon
"Remind me, partner. What's the info on our target?" Asked Sneasel.
"A powerful psychic-type outlaw has been messing with exploration teams and robbing them," responds Booker from Sneasel's belt pocket. "We don't know what pokemon it is, rumors say it's been wiping the memories of the teams it's attacked."
"... A-And it's a-also rumored t-to be h-hiding out in this c-cave... H-Here." I stutter out, while looking over our map.
"You sure this is it, Toge?" Said Elm, floating closer to the cave entrance in front of us. I look up from my map, and examine our surroundings. We're only a few hours to the east of Capim town, and a tall, rocky hill towers above us. A jagged cave entrance pierces the side of the hill, and as I peer deeper I can see that the cave's sloped path descends underground. "You said this wasn't a dungeon, right?"
I nod. "R-Right, it sh-should just be a normal c-cave... S-So we should only h-have to worry about the outlaw..."
Elm twirls the Switcher Wand he's holding in his hand. "And it's just a lone outlaw?"
"According to the rumors, yes. But we should be prepared if they do have some kind of backup." Answered Booker, staring into the cave. "Hey, it looks like there are light sources in there!"
I float closer to the entrance, and see that the cave's walls are lined with outcrops of white, shiny crystals that shoot out bright beams of light, as if they were searchlights. Sneasel walks by me and starts entering the cave. "Well, let's get going! " She beckons for us to follow as she heads deeper in. Elm and I look at each other and nod, then follow Sneasel and Booker.
Despite the beams of light, the cave is still pretty dim. It also doesn't help that when one of the rays of light hits my eyes, I get blinded for a second, and my eyes struggle to adjust back to the darkness, making the cave seem even darker than it is. Sneasel tries to keep the light out of her eyes by covering them with one of her claws, only the cause light to reflect off of it and shoot a ray of light onto the cave wall. "Hey, Booker, look at this!" She twists her claw around, making the reflected light move across the wall. "Heh, this place is kinda cool. I can see why someone would make a hideout here."
Booker's eyes follow Sneasel's ray of light. "It is pretty neat, but we should stay focused. The outlaw could be waiting to ambush us."
"Hey, this isn't a high-level dungeon. There's no way some chump outlaw is gonna beat all of us." Sneasel says as she lifts up her other arm, and starts creating a mini-light show with both of her claws.
(Well, someone seems to be enjoying herself. Booker is right though, we don't know what to expect from this outlaw, so we need to stay alert.) I fly closer to Sneasel, so I can be right next to the pocket Booker is sitting in. "H-Hey, you c-can sense a-aura, r-right? S-Sense anything?"
Booker shakes his tiny head. "No, nothing. I can only feel the auras of the four of us."
"Maybe they're not even here?" Elm chipped in as he floated up next to us. "If they're out, we can just grab whatever they stole and return it."
Sneasel scoffed. "Naw, if they're out we wait for them here, cuz that'll give us the chance to set up an ambush of our own!"
"Oh, alright..." Elm floats back, staring off in thought.
(... He must be a little worried. Not like I'm one to talk, I'm worried as well. A psychic type powerful enough to erase memories? There's been legends of mythical Pokemon doing that, but not an outlaw. I'm really curious about what kind of pokemon this outlaw is.)
The cave's path continues straight on, with no curves or forks in the road. After a few more minutes of walking and Sneasel entertaining Booker with her light-reflecting claws, we come to a large, open room. The ceiling is full of the light-shooting crystals, causing the room to be full of perfectly vertical pillars of light. We're all slightly mesmerized by this sight as we step into the room. (I'd be amazed if those were natural... I'm guessing this outlaw must've set up this room themselves.)
Sneasel strolls towards one of the pillars of light and moves to stick her claw in it, wanting to continue her little light show. The moment her claw touches the light, all of the lights in the cave disappear with a loud bang, plunging us into complete darkness! All of us yell in surprise, but before we can call out to each other, one of the crystals reactivates, creating a new column of light right in the middle of the room. The silhouette of a tall, slender pokemon can be seen from within the spotlight.
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP3FMYYb12Q
The silhouette takes out a baton and a top hat, and puts the hat on her head as she spins around the baton with her other hand. "WELCOME, ONE AND ALL! I, MADAM MEMORY, WILL BE YOUR HOST TONIGHT!" An energic feminine voice booms through the entire room. "Ohohohoho! What an INTERESTING audience we have today-"
"To hell with this." I hear Sneasel run past me in the darkness, and I see her shadow fly through the spotlight, trying to slash the silhouette. However, the silhouette simply disappears, and the spotlight turns off as another crystal activates a few feet way activates in its place. The mysterious silhouette reforms under this new spotlight.
"I LOVE audience participation, but I'm afraid the audience needs to STAY SEATED!" With a wave of her baton, I feel an invisible rope wrap around my arms, legs, and wings, locking me in place! I can hear Sneasel, Booker, and Elm grunting as they try and escape their own psychic restraints! "Perfect! Now you're all comfortably seated, I can start the show!"
Once again, the spotlight and the silhouette disappears, and both reappear a few feet away. "Ohohohohoh! Get your snacks ready folks! Madam Memory has got some JUICY thoughts to show off tonight!" Some of the other crystals on the ceiling begin to glow, slightly illuminating the darker parts of the room, allowing me to see my guildmates, and the true form of the silhouette.
It's a Gardevoir, wearing a green top hat with a red stripe, and using a black wand with a white tip. "Aren't memories just a beautiful thing? There's just one, teeny, tiny problem with them, and that's that they don't get to be shared in their raw, unfiltered form!" The outlaw cackles to herself, her laugh making my fur stand on end. "The TRUE thoughts of your friends, haven't you ever wanted to know them? What they REALLY think of you? And haven't all of you ever just wanted to say what you reaaaallllyyyy think?" Elm's skull shakes from side to side as he continues to struggle against the power binding him. The outlaw sees this and puts her hand to her ear. "What's this!? Do I hear a VOLUNTEER?! She raises her hand and snaps, causing a spotlight to shine over Elm. The sudden light makes his eye sockets grow, and he freezes up like a deer caught in headlights.
"How COURAGEOUS of you to be our first volunteer! Now, without further ado... Viola!" With a twirl, the Gardevoir disappears, and instead a transparent version of Elm forms in her place. An echo-y, almost ethereal version of Elm's voice can be heard from the hologram. "Every day I thank Arceus I was sent to this world and able to join the guild... I love it here, and all of my guildmates! They're a bunch of shitposting goofballs, but I wouldn't have it any other way!" The holographic Elm bounces from side to side happily, as the real Elm is sweating, his red eyeball shaking from within his skull.
The Gardevoir's disembodied voice booms throughout the room. "OHOHOHOHOHOH! My my my, this little human really likes his new buddies, doesn't he? But... Is that all he thinks about them?" The sound of a snap reverberates around us, and the posture and demeanor of the Elm hologram instantly changes. Now the hologram is rubbing his chin mischievously.
"Heh... They're a bunch of freaks alright! Perfect for messing with and playing pranks on! Especially that weirdo Togetic, it's hilarious how he c-c-can't s-seem t-to st-st-stop himself from st-st-stuttering! Bwahahahahah! And those rants he goes on, I could watch those all day! I'll have to find some ways to get that sperg to rant on command so I can laugh at him whenever I want!"
I see the real Elm staring at me from the corner of my eye. I ignore his staring and close my eyes, trying to drown out the voice of his doppelganger. (... So that's what Elm thinks of- Wait, I can't let myself be taken in by this outlaw's showy theatrics! I need to start thinking of a plan to get us out of here!) I try and struggle against my restraints again, but my limbs and wings still feel like they're bound by an invisible rope. I open my eyes and try to call out with my voice, but I can't open my mouth, so all that comes out are muffled grunts. (Damn... Damn! How can one psychic-type be this strong? Could something in this cave be amplifying her power? Or maybe she set up this entire trap beforehand, and there's some device in the room restraining us? Ugh, there has to be something I can do!)
The Elm hologram suddenly disappears and the Gardevoir struts into the spotlight, whirling around her wand. Her hair-raising cackle once again fills the room. "Thank you, Elm, for such an entertaining first act! Now, who wants to follow that up!? Oooooohhhh, why don't we leave it to chance!" The Gardevior pirouettes and laughs as she spins around with one arm outstretched. "Annnnnnnnnnddddd... YOU!" Her momentum stops instantly, and her arm is pointing at Booker, who's suspended in mid-air. The spotlight over Elm disappears and instead one lights over Booker. I can just barely see his head and tiny limbs struggling against his binds. "Awww, what a little cutie! I wonder what you think of your friends?"
The Gardevoir holds her wand horizontally, and snaps with her free hand. A hologram of Booker appears on her wand and sits down. "I like my friends, but... Why do Toge and Elm get to fly while I can't!? So many pokemon at the guild can fly, even ones that used to be humans, why am I the only one left out!? And Sneasel... She's so nice to me, but she just makes me feel even more weak and useless! Am I going to be stuck leashed to her the rest of my life!? I hate it... And I hate her! I know it's not her fault, but I can't stand how useless she makes me feel!" As the Booker hologram rants, the outlaw feigns a look of compassion and understanding. Meanwhile, Sneasel turns her head and has shut her eyes tight, trying to ignore Booker's thoughts. The real Booker has stopped trying to struggle and just stares down at the ground.
I try and tune out the voice and continue thinking. (I can't reach the items in my bag, and everyone else can't seem to do anything either. This display of psychic power must be draining on her, maybe it would just be best if we wait it out... Huh?) I feel the invisible binds around me suddenly loosen a tiny bit. I wiggle my entire body, trying to pull one of my arms free. Just as I feel like I'm making some progress, the Gardevior spots my squirming with a cold glare, and instantly my restraints tighten! She then turns her attention back to the ranting Booker hologram. (Ugh! Well, at least now I know she can't keep perfect focus, I guess I have no choice but to sit through this and wait until her focus wanes enough for me to break these binds.) I sigh, and decide to "enjoy" the show.
The Booker hologram finishes its rant, and it fades away as the Gardevoir spins the wand it was sitting on. "Poor, poor little Booker... A human stuck in a tiny body like that and unable to fly! His partner must feel so sorry for him..." The spotlight over Booker turns off, and now it's Sneasel's turn in the spotlight. She looks up with a start the moment the bright light shines over her. "Or does she?" The Gardevoir snaps her fingers, and she disappears a Sneasel hologram takes her place.
"I really want to help Booker get stronger cuz of how small and weak he is... So why do I keep worrying about what he'll do when he finally learns how to fly and fight on his own? What if he decides to go off on his own once he gets strong enough? I don't want that to happen! Maybe... If he does ever learn how to fly, I could make one of his wings get hurt in an "accident". Not enough to seriously injure him, but enough to make sure he'll be unable to fly for a while. Then he'll have to stick with me!" The hologram sighs and sits down. "Or... Maybe it's better if Booker doesn't hang around me at all. Cuz if I ever do lose control by accident while in a dungeon... I'm afraid of what I would do to him or any other guildmates... Booker's got some good friends here, maybe it's best if I just run off one day so I don't have to worry about hurting him..."
I look off towards the real Sneasel, and see her furiously struggling against the psychic power restraining her. My own restraints start to feel weaker. (Yes! Sneasel, keep it up! I wish I could tell them all to keep struggling, but I can't even move my arms to give them any signals...) Just as I'm about to try and free one of my arms, the outlaw's voice echoes through the room.
"What drama! But doesn't it feel good for you two to finally have what you actually think about each other out in the open? No more needing to hold back what you really think!" The outlaw twirls back into the spotlight, causing the Sneasel hologram to fade away as she takes its place. "Now, time for our final act! And I've saved the best for last! None of you will ever look at your little Toge the same way again!" She points her wand at me, and my eyes are blinded momentarily by the brightness of the spotlight.
I try and not let her words get to me, but I can't help but worry about what memories and thoughts of mine she'll unearth. (... She's going to show some of my memories with Dewott, isn't she? Or... Maybe some of my old mean thoughts about Booker? Wait, oh no... SHE'S GOING TO REVEAL TEAM COZY'S SECRET TO EVERYONE, ISN'T SHE?! Wait, she already read Elm's mind and didn't reveal that, so I'm safe on that front.) I take a deep breath, and prepare myself mentally. The Gardevoir snaps her fingers once again, and is replaced with a hologram of me.
"I-I'm s-so w-weak... M-My guildmates n-never seem to t-take notice of me..."
(... If these are supposed to be my own thoughts, why am I stuttering in them? I guess it's just another way of the outlaw taunting me.)
"A-All I want.. Is to b-be able t-to say what I r-really think w-without p-people thinking I-I'm w-weird for stuttering..."
(Is that what I really think? I just find the stutter annoying, and I do speak my mind most of the time, especially if I get into one of my rants.)
"A-And wh-what I w-w-want to s-say is... I-I... I-I have f-feelings for S-Sneasel!"
(WHAT.)
The holographic monstrosity masquerading as me starts to drool as he floats around in the air gleefully. "I... Really love Sneasel! She's so cute and powerful, I just want her to be mine! She can do better than that little bug, she should be with ME! I can just imagine her constantly pushing me to try and get stronger while also teasing me for being weaker than her... And then we could have training sessions where we spar, and then as we get all hot and sweaty-"
(I'M ENDING THIS FARCE.)
With all of the force I can muster, I move my arm into my bag and grab a Blast Seed, but the binds around me suddenly tighten up again, making it impossible to get my hand out of my bag! (Dammit, wasn't fast enough for her not to notice! All I can do is wiggle my arms uselessly! Wait... Wiggle... METRONOME! C'mon, give me something good!) I wag my finger from side to side, and a warm aura envelops me. Suddenly, a large blade of blue energy shoots out from my right arm, and I feel the invisible rope around me shatter!
My body moves on its own, and I shoot myself like a missile toward my doppelganger. The spotlight follows me as I fly, and I slice right through the hologram, causing it to split in two and dissolve into thin air. My body then flies directly upward, and I slash the crystal spotlight above me. The moment it shatters it fills the entire room with a blinding white light, and the force of its explosion even causes other crystals near it to shatter as well. My blade of energy fades from my arm, and I float back to the ground, rubbing my eyes. Once I can see again, I look around to see that the remaining crystals returned to all being activated, like they were when we first entered the room. (I can't believe I just rolled Sacred Sword of all moves, maybe my luck with Metronome isn't as bad as I thought.)
I scan the room for the outlaw, but she's nowhere to be seen. I turn to Booker, who's rubbing his head and getting up from the floor. (Oh right, Booker was being suspended in the air, he must've fallen when I scared off the outlaw.) I float over to him and offer my hand. "B-Booker, c-could you s-sense the outlaw's a-aura?"
He stares at me for a few seconds, probably still trying to process everything that just happened. "... Y-Yeah, I could sense it. I can't sense her anymore, but I think I felt her moving deeper into the cave when you broke free." He climbs onto my hand, and I stand back up. Sneasel and Elm come over to me, both of them looking a little shell-shocked.
"L-Lets follow, qu-quickly. Sh-She probably wasted a lot o-of her e-energy on th-the theatrics... S-So she's pr-probably w-weakened now." I hand Booker over to Sneasel, and they avoid eye contact as Booker climbs back into Sneasel's pouch. I notice Sneasel also trying to look away from me as well. (... Huh? Don't they realize that entire show was a farce? She wasn't reading our minds at all, she was too busy focusing on keeping us restrained.) "H-Hey. F-Forget that st-stupid fake sh-show, w-we need to m-move."
"Oh, uh... Right." Sneasel says half-heartedly. Booker and Elm nod, and Sneasel takes point, leading us deeper into the cave. Elm and I follow behind, and I take some time to mull over their reactions.
(... I guess the outlaw just made some lucky guesses on their thoughts? But "my" thoughts were completely wrong, I've never even considered falling in love with any guildmember, let alone Sneasel of all guildmons!) My thoughts are interrupted by Elm's meek voice from behind me.
"Hey... Toge?" I slow down and turn to face him, and he looks absolutely dejected. He lets out a sigh before he continues talking. "I'm... Sorry for thinking that about you..."
(... Wait, what?) "Wh-What she sh-showed... Y-You actually... Th-Thought that...?"
Elm starts fiddling with his wand, clearly nervous. "... Yeah... It was a little exaggerated, but I have thought that about you... I'm sorry."
I turn away from him and close my eyes. (She... She was actually reading their thoughts the entire time?! WHILE also restraining us?! Then... Why couldn't she read my mind? Were none of my thoughts entertaining enough for her, so she fabricated some? Wait, if she could read my mind, then why did she wait until I started struggling to tighten my restraints? Wait, she only did it the first time because she spotted me, so she for sure wasn't reading my mind! Then...)
"Uh... Toge? You're not mad at me right? I... I'd like to still be friends with you-" I turn around and grab Elm, causing his eye to widen in shock.
"E-Elm! Are you S-SURE th-those were your e-exact thoughts?!"
"... Yes?"
I let go of him and take a deep breath. "Th-This is bad... I-I didn't th-think she was actually r-reading our m-minds... I-If she is, th-then I don't think w-we stand a ch-chance against f-fighting her...."
Elm tilts his skull to the side curiously. "Huh? Are you not mad about what I thought?"
"Wh-Why would I b-be? I-It's your th-thoughts, n-not your actions. Y-You're free t-to think wh-what you want of m-me, I-I should b-be the one ap-aplogizing for invad-ding your p-privacy by l-listening to th-them and n-not tuning th-them out."
"But..."
I shake my head to cut him off. "L-Look, Elm. I-I think of y-you as a g-good friend, and wh-what happened t-today didn't change th-that... A-And to be h-honest, p-people have said m-much worse th-things to my f-face i-in the past."
Elm lets out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Toge. But, what did you mean by what you said earlier about her not reading our minds? Do you not actually like Sneasel?"
"O-Of course n-not! I d-don't find her h-hot at all!"
"Obviously, she's cool as ice!"
I roll my eyes. "Sh-Shut up Carlos." Elm giggles, and I crack a smile, happy to see his previously sad look completely wiped from his face. "I-I also d-don't stutter i-in my own th-thoughts, i-if that wasn't o-obvious."
"Ah, probably should've realized that." Elm says as he scratches the back of his head. "We should go tell Sneasel and Booker about this."
I nod. "R-Right." Both of us pick up our pace to catch up with Booker and Sneasel, who seem to have been walking in awkward silence. "H-Hey, S-Sneasel?
She just ignores me and continues walking. However, Booker looks up at me and speaks up. "Yes, Toge?"
"The o-outlaw c-couldn't read my m-mind, I assumed sh-she w-wasn't reading o-our minds a-at all at f-first... U-Until Elm t-told me wh-what she sh-showed w-was his thoughts...."
Upon hearing this, Sneasel immediately stops and turns around, making Booker have to hold on tight to not fall out of the pouch. "... You serious? You ain't just lying to save face?"
(She really thought I liked her!?) I can feel a rage boiling up within me. "I-I'm serious. Th-Those weren't m-my thoughts."
Sneasel laughs. "Oooooookay, sure. This outlaw happens to expose all of our thoughts, and somehow she DOESN'T expose yours? Likely story."
(I'm going to stab her.) My anger overtakes me, and I can't stop myself from letting loose. "... You REALLY think I would even CONSIDER you within the top ten cutest pokemon at the guild?! FIRST OFF, while your tomboyish flair gives you some extra points, you are NOWHERE near being one of the cutest romance candidates at the guild! While some people might find your crass attitude cute, it gets undercut by the fact there are just too many females (and girls (male)) at the guild who are just naturally cuter than you! Why, even Booker is more naturally adorable than you! Not to mention, you and Booker would be much cuter together than either of you with me, why would I want to RUIN that dynamic!? You also must be EXTREMELY full of yourself if you even DARED to think that I would want to romance YOU over someone like Kina or Debby! AND EVEN THEN, I would NEVER even THINK of trying to seduce either of them, as my HEART and SOUL have no room for romance as they are dedicated to only two people, and that is Team C-"
"T-Toge, we get it, that's enough!" Booker's yell snaps me out of my rant, and my face turns red with embarrassment as I realize everything I just said. Behind me I can hear Elm failing to stifle his laughter, while Sneasel just stares at me blankly with her mouth agape. "S-So... Um... What else did you want to say, Toge?"
"U-Uh... R-Right..." I clear my throat, and wait for Elm to stop laughing behind me. Sneasel's baffled expression fades as Elm regains his composure, his fights of laughter slowly getting less and less intense. "... S-So... I-If the o-outlaw is able t-to r-read all o-of our m-minds ex-except mine... W-We w-won't st-st-stand much of a-a ch-chance against h-her in a real f-fight..."
Sneasel crosses her arms. "What, you don't think I'm strong enough?"
"St-Strength w-won't matter i-if you can't hit h-her because sh-she can read your e-every thought... T-The only one o-of us th-that will b-be able to c-catch h-her off g-guard is m-me... A-And I-I don't th-think I'm st-strong enough f-for it..."
Booker taps Sneasel's side, and Sneasel scoops him out of her pocket with her claw, and lifts him up onto her head. "Do you have any idea why she couldn't read your mind?" Booker asks as he sits down atop Sneasel's head.
I shake my head. "N-No... I-I don't h-have any p-psychic or a-aura powers, s-so I d-don't know why sh-she failed t-to read my mind..." I look down at my blue scarf. "... I-I d-don't think th-this scarf is a-anything special... H-Hmmm..."
Elm floats up next to me, still slightly giggling. "Heh... Maybe it's because you're... Y'know... A little special!"
I sigh. (Very funny, Elm. As if that would-OH MY FUCKING GOD HE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE RIGHT) I slap my forehead as the realization hits me, startling Elm. "E-Elm... Y-You might a-actually be r-right..."
Elm is taken aback. "Wait, I was just joking, are you actually-"
I nod and interrupt him. "Y-Yeah... I a-am. Th-that might a-actually be the reason..."
Sneasel looks puzzled. "... I don't get it. What're you talking about? Is this some human thing?"
"E-Erm... W-Well... You s-see..." I take a breath to collect myself. "... I-I have a c-condition c-called autism... I-It makes me... Th-Th-Think differently, I-I guess? Th-That might be why sh-she couldn't r-read my m-mind..."
"So you have some kind of special human power? That's cool!" Sneasel's face lights up as she leans in closer, looking almost excited. "Tell me more!"
I don't know how to respond. "W-Well... U-Um... I-It's not l-like a p-power-"
Sneasel cuts me off. "Oh come on, don't be modest! This autism thing is a superpower if it lets you block out your mind from psychic types! C'mon, you gotta tell me how to get autism!"
Elm once again bursts into laughter, making Sneasel look confused. Booker holds his head in his hands, looking like he's about to die of second-hand embarrassment. I just stare blankly, trying to process what just happened. (... I guess it's nice Sneasel thinks its cool? But uh... How do I explain this to a native?)
Sneasel glares at the laughing Elm. "Did I say something funny?" Elm just continues to roll around in the air, laughing hysterically.
"U-Um... Y-You c-can't... E-Erm..." Booker notices me struggling to answer, and decides to speak up and save me.
"Sneasel, I'll explain it later. Right now all you need to know is that Toge's mind is... Special."
"Oh, alright." Sneasel seems to take Booker's hint but looks a little dispirited.
(She really wanted to know how to stop her mind from getting read, huh? Also, I'll have to thank Booker later.) We all stare at Elm, waiting for him to stop laughing. After a few minutes, he is finally able to compose himself. "S-So... A-Any ideas o-on wh-what we sh-should do?"
"I think we should continue on and fight her." Sneasel says confidently. "Even if she can read our moves, she won't be able to account for all of us attacking her at once."
Booker interjects. "Yeah, and she won't be able to predict your attacks, Toge. We just need you to catch her off-guard so we can follow up with an attack."
(That might work... If Elm or Sneasel can get a good hit in, that might be enough to bring her down.)
"What if she just locks us in place again?" Elm asks with a worried tone.
"Th-Then all o-of us n-need to st-struggle, sh-she can't focus all o-of h-her power o-on a-all f-four of u-us a-at once... E-Eventually o-one of u-us will b-break out... I d-don't think sh-she'll have e-enough power t-to do th-that a-again though."
"I agree, cuz of the fact that she retreated. If she was confident in her power she would've stayed and fought." Sneasel says with a smug tone.
(I didn't think of that, that's a good point. We might have a bigger advantage than I thought.) "Sh-She's likely t-trying to l-lead us i-into another t-trap of hers, th-though... W-We need to st-stay cautious."
All three of them nod, and we continue moving deeper into the cave. Sneasel moves Booker back into her belt pocket, and all we can hear are Sneasel's claws clacking against the rocky stone as she walks. (... Guess those two are back to thinking about the other's thoughts... Maybe I should try and get them to talk to each other, we'll need team synergy in the next fight and I want those two to be at the top of their game.) I fly a bit faster to catch up to Sneasel. "H-Hey, e-err... Y-You t-two know th-that sh-she was ex-x-xaggerating some o-of your th-thoughts, r-right? Sh-She could've e-even snuck i-in some l-lies as w-well..."
Sneasel and Booker look at each other, but neither one of them wants to speak up first. (Please don't tell me I'm going to have to play relationship counselor here...) "... O-Okay... Wh-Why don't o-one of y-you just st-start with t-talking a-abou-"
Sneasel rolls her eyes and ignores me, but Booker decides to interrupt. "U-Um... Sneasel, I don't hate you. I do get tired of how weak I am, but I'd never hate you for that. In fact... I-I really like being with you all the time." Booker's tone sounds a little forced and awkward, but his words feel genuine.
(There we go! Now it's Sneasel's turn...)
Sneasel looks off to the side and sighs. "... I did think about injuring you once, so that you'd stay with me. But only when I was totally wasted after drinking too much one night, and I wasn't thinking straight. I've hated that I've ever even considered doing that to you." Sneasel takes another deep breath. "... And I have thought about how it might be better for me to leave the guild. But every time I've thought it, I've reminded myself of how my fear just means I need to get stronger. That way, I'll get strong enough to never have to worry about losing control."
The tension that's been in the air since we escaped the outlaw finally dissipates. (They might not be as cute as Team Cozy, but I have to admit these two have a very cute relationship... I'm glad they didn't let that outlaw ruin it.)
Sneasel and Booker look at each other and both of them smile. "Come on, we gotta get going. We can't let that Gardevoir get away with messing with Team Brave!" Sneasel says assuredly.
Booker nods. "And for messing with our friends!" He says while looking over at me and Elm. "Let's go."
All of us nod with a look of determination on our faces, and we all start rushing down the corridor. Our shadows dance across the walls as we run by the light crystals, and eventually we come to another open room. Unlike the rest of the cave, the walls, floor, and ceiling of this room are made entirely out of crystal. As Sneasel steps into the room, the ground lights up where she walks, causing a pillar of light to shoot up that follows her as she goes deeper into the room. As Elm and I follow, floating behind her, the ground also lights up under us despite us not touching it.
Once we're in the middle of the room, I notice Booker give Sneasel a light tap, and she quickly assumes a fighting stance. (Booker must be able to sense the outlaw's aura nearby...) I get my bag ready, and Elm readies his wand.
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWXWkrn_39U
On cue, a column of light shines before us, and we once again come face to face with the Gardevoir. She does her usual theatrics with twirling her wand around, but the smile on her face now feels forced. "Ah... So you decided you wanted an encore? Well, I'm not one to keep my audience wai-"
With a growl, Sneasel pounces towards the Gardevoir, but a barely visible barrier of light shines before the outlaw, causing Sneasel's slash to bounce right off! (Reflect! Elm will have to pull his weight here.) I glance over at Elm, who's gaze keeps switching between his wand and the outlaw. "E-Elm! Pierce her d-defenses!"
Elm breaks past his hesitation and spins his wand forcefully. "On it!" He floats toward the outlaw and waves his wand from side to side, causing a purple flame to grow before him. He then does a forward swing with his wand, which causes the flame to hurl toward the Gardevoir!
However, she simply sidesteps out of the project's path. "Heh, you call that a flame?" She lifts up her own wand. "I'll show you why my show's ratings are BURNING HOT!" A flame forms on the tip of her wand, and then she creates a circle of flame in the air. "BEHOLD! MYSTICAL FIRE!" With a tap of her wand, the circle of fire shoots out a beam of flame straight at Elm! Elm only barely dodges the beam, which ends up grazing against his arm, causing it to singe and create a small amount of smoke.
Sneasel circles the outlaw, looking for an opening, but the barrier created by Reflect moves around the Gardevoir in tandem with Sneasel's movements, making it impossible to Sneasel to get an attack in. Sneasel shoots me a look, and I start trying to think of another plan of attack. (Elm and I aren't strong enough to damage her to break the barrier... I could try throwing Blast Seeds, but she's too on guard for that, and who knows what will happen to this room if one of those seeds misses and shatters the crystals surrounding us.)
My thoughts are interrupted by a familiar cackling from the outlaw. "So this is all you got? I don't even have to read your mind to get past your sorry excuses for attacks! You're boring me AND the audience! Maybe I should just go back to showing off more of your secrets?" She puts her hands together and closes her eyes as she begins to chant some sort of incantation.
I feel an invisible chain start to move across my limbs. (No! Not again! Is there anything I can do... Wait! What if....) I thrust out my arms straight forward, and then wave them to the side. "SAFEGUARD!" I feel the invisible chains around me shatter as a blue light envelops me and my guildmates. The outlaw staggers back with a gasp.
"Y-You... How DARE you ruin my trick!" She clenches her fists and stomps with her foot, causing the crystal floor below her to change to a different color with each stomp. "Do you KNOW how LONG I spent training my psychic powers to get that spell just right?" The Gardevoir takes a deep breath and calms herself. "... No matter. A good magician always has a backup routine!" With one swift movement, the Gardevoir takes off her hat and slashes with it, causing a Blast Seed to come shooting out right at me! I fly upward to avoid it, and it speeds past me before slamming into the crystal cave wall. The resulting explosion causes the crystal walls and floor to react by changing colors rapidly, making the entire room look like the inside of a constantly shifting kaleidoscope. The shifting colors and lights are disorienting and make it near impossible to make out the shape of the outlaw or my guildmates.
As I strain my eyes trying to spot the Gardevoir, I hear her cackles echo around me, each laugh coming from a different spot, as if she's teleporting around. "LADIES AND GENTLEMONS, IT'S TIME FOR THE FINAL PERFORMANCE OF OUR SPECIAL GUESTS! IT'LL BE A SHOW TO REMEMBER, A SHAME THAT I'LL HAVE TO ERASE THEIR MEMORIES OF IT AFTERWARDS!"
Through the constantly fluctuating colors of the room, I'm just barely able to see the outlaw teleport right behind Elm. With a swish of her wand, she conjures another circle of flame. However, a gust of wind blows out the fire! Elm turns around just in time to see Sneasel shoot off some Ice Shards toward the Gardevoir, only for the shards to be blocked by the outlaw's Reflect barrier. (Fairy Wind? That must've been Booker!) "E-Elm! A-Again!"
My yell snaps Elm into action, and he begins casting another Will-O-Wisp as the Gardevoir is distracted by Sneasel's attacks. "Hah! Your half-rate ice gimmicks are NOTHING compared to my REAL magic-AAAAAHHH!" Elm's fireball reached the outlaw's top hat and set it on fire! She quickly takes off her hat and flails it around, trying to put out the flame. "NO! THIS WAS MY BEST HAT!"
I have to stifle a laugh as I try and remain focused. (Perfect! Her cockiness made her stop reading Elm's mind and let him get a shot in! And now she's probably too emotional to focus!) I quickly grab a Blast Seed from my bag and lob it at the ignited pokemon, and she turns around just in time to see the seed smash into her face! The force of the blast sends the outlaw flying into the cave wall with a large cracking sound. The crystal wall behind her cracks, and the crystals that encase the room finally cease their colorful light show, instead illuminating the room with a dim white glow. (Looks like her lighting budget just ran out, but thankfully we still have a full pyrotechnics budget!) I start to grab another Blast Seed, but then I see Sneasel strut up to the recovering outlaw.
She scoffs as the outlaw stands back up. "Is your little show over yet? All of your tricks don't seem to be working out. No need to erase our memory, cuz your show is so forgettable we won't even remember it."
"Y-You... YOU BITCH!" The outlaw lunges forward towards Sneasel, performing wild flurries of punches and kicks, which Sneasel all dodges effortlessly. "YOU HALF-RATE PERFORMER! YOU RUINED MY SHOW, YOUR ACT BELONGS ON A SIDESHOW, NOT MY STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!" She furiously starts slashing with her wand like it's a sword, which only makes Sneasel smirk as she deflects the swipes with her claws.
As Sneasel distracts the outlaw, Elm closes in on her. "I'm sorry, but your show is canceled!" Elm pulls his arm back, and thrusts forward with his wand. A dark shadow forms under Elm and quickly moves towards Sneasel and the Gardevoir, and Sneasel deftly moves out of its way. "Time for you to exit stage left!" Elm lifts up his wand vigorously, and the shadow rises from the ground and uppercuts the outlaw! She smashes into the ceiling, cracking it, which makes tiny crystals start to rain down as she plummets back down to the floor. Before she can hit the ground, Sneasel pounces, and slashes her in the chest. The power of the blow sends the outlaw rolling along the ground, before she slows to a halt. She lies face down on the ground, motionless.
With a grunt, the outlaw stirs and tries lifting herself back up, but is only able to lift up her head before her battered body collapses. "Damn you..."
We all surround her, and Sneasel kneels down in front of the outlaw's head. "Alright, now tell us where you've hidden everything you've stolen. Or..." Sneasel brings her claw right under the Gardevoir's chin, and forces the outlaw to look her in the eyes. "... We're gonna make our next trick an outlaw disappearing act."
The Gardevoir's face contorts in anger. "You... I... WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b_7kq9CdPI
The outlaw suddenly starts bawling and slamming her arms and legs into the ground, throwing a tantrum as if she were a child. All four of us are bewildered by this change in demeanor. "YOU... RUINED MY ENTIRE ACT!!! I JUST W-WANTED TO... sniff BECOME A W-WELL KNOWN OUTLAW TH-THAT PEOPLE WOULD F-FEAR... W-WITH A COOL GIMMICK..."
"... If you wanted people to know who you were, why did you erase the memories of teams you encountered, then?" Booker asks.
"B-BECAUSE I K-KEPT MESSING UP MY P-PERFORMANCE..." The outlaw gasps outs between sobs. "I sniff KEPT B-BOTCHING IT, READING TH-THOUGHTS AND MEMORIES WRONG... POKEMON W-WOULD ESCAPE MY PSYCHIC TRAPS... S-SO I HAD TO ERASE THEIR MEMORIES, I-I COULDN'T LET RUMORS OF M-ME BEING A BAD sniff MAGICIAN GET OUT!"
All four of us look at each other, all equally dumbfounded. "So all of this... Really was meant to be some kind of elaborate magic show?!" Elm yells at the crying outlaw.
"Y-YES! TH-THE POINT W-WAS TO M-MAKE A PERFORMANCE SO GREAT TEAMS WOULD HAVE N-NO CHOICE BUT TO sniff ADMIT I DESERVED THEIR MONEY AND LOOT AND GIVE IT U-UP TO ME W-WILLINGLY! sob"
(... This is completely absurd. We came here to defeat an outlaw, not console a petulant child.) I let out a sigh. "B-But you did st-steal f-from teams you f-fought against. Wh-Where's wh-what you st-stole?"
The outlaw tosses her partially burned hat at me, and a small bag falls out of it. Its contents jingle as I pick it up, and I look inside to see that it's full of a meager amount of coins. Sneasel and Elm look over my shoulders to get a peek inside. "... That's it?" Sneasel asks doubtfully. "You've gotta be hiding more loot somewhere."
The outlaw wipes her eyes. "N-No... That's all of it. sniff I spent all of the money I st-stole to sniff have this hat and wand custom-made... I-I wasn't planning on stealing f-from people originally, b-but no one seems to like my shows..."
"I WONDER WHY!" All four of us shout in unison, making the outlaw go back to sobbing loudly.
"You invade people's privacy! How did you ever think people would ever PAY you for what you've done?!" Booker says angrily.
"sniff I-I thought... People might become b-better friends if they s-saw their real t-thoughts of each other... A-And they would be so happy that they would give me a reward for d-deepening their friendship..."
(... I don't know what's worse, if this is just an excuse she made on the spot, or if this is her actual reasoning.) I sigh and bring my hand to my head. (She... She has to be lying, right? There's no way someone would go to these lengths just to scam people when she could've just robbed them much more easily.) "Wh-Why didn't y-you just t-try and r-run a normal m-magic sh-show?"
"sniff You don't g-get it, I-I can't stoop to the level of a lowly street performer! sniff" The Gardevoir slowly picks herself off the ground and adjusts herself so she's sitting up. "I-I had to make myself sniff seem like a cool villain! Th-That way the volunteers would have the motivation to work together e-even if they d-didn't like what thoughts I revealed!"
"So then... Didn't this go exactly to your plan? We overcame your little show and beat you." Sneasel says bluntly.
"Ah... sniff Err... W-Well... I-It WAS going to plan, until I couldn't read that one's mind!" The outlaw points at me with a bitter look in her eyes. "S-So I made up what I-I thought would spice up the show... A-And then you somehow got past my psychic binds and ended the act early!"
Sneasel smirks. "Heh, I guess you couldn't account for our little buddy Toge having a human superpower called au-"
"COUGH, A-Ahem, y-you couldn't acc-count f-for m-me having d-done training to... P-Protect my m-mind from psychic types." I stutter out as Sneasel looks irritated that I interrupted her. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Elm looking away, most likely trying to stifle his laughter again. "S-So what w-was your-r o-original pl-plan? Wh-What were y-you going t-to do if I-I hadn't cr-cr-crashed your sh-show?"
"Well, I would've created some sniff psychic projections for you t-to fight, and if you h-had beaten them while still working as a t-team, I-I would've congratulated you and let you go... A-And have asked for a small donation." She says while fiddling with her wand. "B-But none of my performances ever go that far. They always ended with my volunteers trying to fight me, s-so I had to fight back and then erase their memories! And take their stuff so I could fund better performances!" She sighs. "... O-Okay, it was wrong to do that... B-But I didn't want to really hurt anyone!"
(Yet she was perfectly fine with mentally traumatizing a lot of innocent pokemon... Well, she did erase their memories of her shows in the end, which I guess... Might be a good thing?) "Y-Your intent d-doesn't matter. Y-You st-still hurt and stole fr-from innocent p-pokemon. Y-You're coming with u-us. I-If you c-come w-willingly and ad-dmit to y-your crimes, you m-might get off w-with a light p-punishment."
The outlaw looks down at the crystal floor, staring at a reflection of her face. "sniff... Alright. I'll come willingly." She stands up and dusts herself off. "... But the moment I get out, I'm going back to working on making the perfect performance. I won't give up my dreams of taking the role of the perfect villain for high-ranking exploration teams!" She strikes a pose with her wand and charred hat, and all we can do is roll our eyes and facepalm.
"Well, I suppose it's good to have a goal! Just try not to hurt any more innocent pokemon. Maybe you could focus on doing your shows on outlaws instead?" Booker asks.
The Gardevoir shakes her head. "Eh, never felt like I was fit for a leading role. Playing the heel is much more fun. But I won't steal from anyone anymore, a perfect show like mine should only be funded in perfect, honorable, and legal ways."
"That's... Good, I think?" Says Booker with an unsure tone. "Well, Sneasel? I think we've been in this cave long enough."
Sneasel nods and grabs a rope from her bag. "Arms down. Don't try anything funny." The outlaw reluctantly brings her arms down to her sides and Sneasel ties her up. "There. Now follow close to us."
We start escorting her out of the cave. Sneasel walks directly behind the outlaw, keeping a claw on her back. Elm and I follow behind. (I certainly didn't expect this job to turn out like this. I just hope we never have to run into this outlaw again, I wouldn't want any other guildmembers to have to go through what we did.) Now that I have some quiet time to process the day, a realization hits me. (... Hang on. The Guildmaster could read my mind perfectly. Why did this outlaw have trouble then? Is Lliam just better at reading minds? Or maybe... Lliam has aura powers, and he was reading my aura? He is pretty mysterious... I guess I'll have to ask him about this sometime.)
We finally make our way out of the cave and start our trek back to Capim town with the outlaw in tow.
(Well, that was an eventful day.)
I flop onto my bed and just lay there, too lazy to even pull my blanket over me. After we returned to town, we delivered the outlaw to Officer Magnezone without any issues. The outlaw promised to work off all of the money she had stolen so she could repay her victims, and Magnezone said she shouldn't be in custody too long if she makes up for her crimes. I just wonder how long it'll be until we start hearing rumors of a flashy outlaw trapping adventuring teams again...
I let out a yawn as I roll over onto my back. However, I'm roused by a voice coming from my door. I sit up to see a sad-looking Elm floating through my doorway. "Hey, Toge..." Elm said sheepishly.
(Huh? What's got him down? He looked fine when we all returned the guild.) "Wh-What's wrong?"
He floats over to me and sighs. "... I... Uh, didn't know you were actually... Y'know. I just feel bad for making fun of you and pulling pranks on you in the past..."
(Oh, this.) I roll my eyes and stand up. "S-So you th-thought it was o-okay to do wh-when you j-just th-thought I was a n-normal w-weirdo?"
"Y-Yeah... I'm sorry! So, so sorry!" He slams his head into the ground and grovels in front of me. "Ishouldn'thaveevermadefunofyou-"
I cut him off with a chuckle. "Q-Quit it, E-Elm. I-I don't want you t-to treat me a-any different. I-I find it m-more annoying wh-when people w-walk on eggshells a-around me j-just because they k-know I'm a-an autist."
Elm lifts up his head. "Really?"
I nod. "Really. I-I want you to just t-treat me as you a-always have. I-It's honestly r-refreshing to h-have a fr-friend like you th-that... Th-That treats me l-like a n-normal... Fr-Friend..." For some reason, my vision starts to get blurry. (Am I... Crying? But why?)
Elm floats even closer. "Are you okay?! Did I say something wrong?"
"I-I... D-Don't know..." Tears start streaming out of my eyes. "I-I guess... I-I'm just n-not u-used to h-having s-someone I c-c-con... C-Considered a true fr-friend l-like y-you, Elm." (I haven't really ever had someone like that in my life... Team Cozy are good friends, but I consider them so far above me... Dewott's always treated me like a child... But Elm is the first person I feel like I've been on equal footing with.)
Some tears begin to form on the bottom of Elm's eye sockets. "Come on man... You're gonna make me cry too." He wipes his eye sockets. "Don't worry. I'll still prank you just like any other guildmember."
I wipe my own eyes. "Th-Thank y-you... And I-I'll always th-think of y-you as one o-of my b-best fr-friends. W-Well, j-just as long as y-you never do o-one thing."
"And what's that?"
"Never r-reveal Team Cozy's secret."