The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:4 NIV
Chris Christodoulou's Risk of Rain 2
“Well, farewell!” The hisuian typhlosion known as Ikarus said to me with an awkward smile and an equally awkward wave. Wanting to remove myself from his presence as soon as possible, I silently returned the gesture before hurriedly walking past the open door to the alchemy room and towards the room next-door that had been assigned to us.
The image of him seemingly thrusting into a dreepy with loud moans emanating from the room was one I hoped would rapidly leave my mind.
Yep, the little I heard was right when I told people we were stuck down here; that guy is really weird. I suppose something about being transformed into the cyndaquil line really brings out the worst in people… or is it that the perverted people get transformed into that? Hmm, quite the conundrum.
I looked at the large and thick wooden door. There was a small, hastily-tied rope attached to the handle for my team to use to manipulate it, something I really hate doing despite being forced to be quadrupedal. While the rest of my teammates didn’t seem to mind on account of it being a fact of life for them, I still was human, meaning I would refuse to put my mouth on random objects just to get around.
While I would normally stand up on my hind legs and balance myself with my tail to clumsily grab the handle and throw the door open, that was if the door opened towards me. Entering the room, where the door opened inwards, required only a simple push.
I pawed it open and glanced inside, but not before a small rush of cool air met me, caressing my face and making me instinctually move my webbed “ears” ever so slightly.
I know that’s because of the Articuno feather tied around Pirth’s neck, but Althi being a glaceon certainly doesn’t help with that, I’m sure.
It was already late at night so it wasn’t surprising to find Pirth across the room, lying down very deer-like on a massive blanket Toge had provided us, with Althi already curled up by his fluffy underside. Arimis, still in the disguise she never rid herself of, was nestled in a small blanket right beside the door. Aside from that, the room was quite bare save for the bags strewn about.
I’d really like to get some decorations here, I thought as I said my hello and walked towards Pirth, lying down on the expansive and thick blanket that covered the floor.
While I was aware that the guild had beds, they were all too big for Pirth, so Chespin and his partner, Wooper, helped to make a custom blanket extra-filled with cotton, which was undoubtedly comfortable and perfect for covering the back half of the room for Pirth to rest on.
And while it probably could’ve been possible to move some beds to the basement, I was just fine resting on Pirth. In fact, just thinking about lying down and being enveloped by his admittedly majestic winter coat that was silky-smooth was enough to make me yawn.
Just be sure to not mention that I basically sleep in a dog-pile, I reminded myself. When I mentioned this at first, I got a strange look for having admitted to doing so. I suppose the other humans kept to themselves as they normally would, but I hadn’t known that when I first arrived at Wigglytuff’s Guild a month ago.
I, however, didn’t care. It was comfortable, so while I would be sure to not let others know I slept in a dog pile, I would certainly indulge in the heavily bliss of Pirth’s coat which – although it emanated cold from the feather nestled beneath – somehow made it all the more serene.
I let out another involuntarily yawn as I slumped against Pirth and readjusted myself for comfort.
“So,” Althi said, “how was your day, ďAlin?”
My first thought immediately turned to where I had just come from and why I felt so tired: the dojo. Namely, me trying to learn how to effectively use water gun. I recalled what Garchomp had told us about feeling a sort of energy surge within us and using that into moves, and I was surprised to have found that came somewhat naturally.
I say somewhat because, while I was able to use it, the feeling of using the move and the power I envisioned were far from what I initially anticipated.
There I was standing on all fours, myself steeled and looking at the training dummy with determination. It was quite fortunate that no one in this Guild seemed to be interested in training since I would’ve hated to learn in front of others.
I felt an energy sort of buildup within me when I willed myself to use the move, a slow swelling from deep within that quickly reverberated from my “center” – I don’t know any better way to describe it – to my paws and all the way to my tail, travelling there in what felt like both a slow wave and an instant.
I recalled thinking to myself that this must’ve been the “aura” Ari had mentioned earlier.
The wave of energy – aura – rebounded from the end points in my body, feeling as if they gathered something within me, and returned back to my “center.” It coalesced into what I could best describe as a sphere with a roaring surface, the energy it beheld rapidly building up before making its way up my chest, past my forelegs, and into my throat.
A huge stream of water burst from my mouth, the force of it having forced my jaw almost entirely open. The stream flew across the room and doused the dummy, but didn’t knock it over. In fact, although it had some pressure, I just felt that the attack was weak, and I didn’t know why.
Regardless, the feeling – although it’d be tempting to call it analogous to throwing up – was not wholly unpleasant, just… foreign. I had figured that the more I’d do it the less strange it’d feel, and after practicing many times until exhaustion, I did feel comfortable (enough) to call it a day.
“Well ďAlin?” Althi asked, breaking me out of the recollection.
“Oh,” I said to Althi, being sure to look directly at her as she lie beside me, the two of us comfortably nestled on Pirth’s fur. “Well I learned how to use water gun, but that was somewhat dull. The more interesting part of the day was when I went shopping!”
“Oh, that’s what you and Arimis did while Pirth and I went to the outskirts?”
“Yep! It was just a walk through Capim Town, and I wanted to get something… stylish? That’s why I had Arimis come along.”
I wouldn’t necessarily say I have much of a sense of style.
“ďAlin and Pirth are both boys, which means they need us to go and tell them how to dress!” declared Althi.
Arimis looked at me to see if this was true, and I just let out a laugh. “I didn’t know the first thing about fashion as a human, and Pirth is literally blind. I think Althi’s assessment of needing a woman’s touch is true.”
The room, however, went silent., and Althi shifted a bit.
D- did I say something..?
Althi broke the quiet, speaking slowly as if she were choosing here words carefully. “It’s kind of easy to forget you’re human, ďAlin.”
“W- what do you mean, Althi?” I managed to say, accompanied my the thought of, ah, that’s what I said.
“I mean that this Guild is… weird. I’m not totally comfortable here. Even our next-door neighbor is a creep. Pirth told me he heard him screwing a dreepy just before you came in.
“Yeah, he is kind of weird.”
If I might interject, I have managed to unlock some of the minds of the Guildmembers here. And while it certainly wasn’t the most polite thing to do, I did use extrasensory on him.
Now she had the entire room’s interest; mine included.
“And?” we all asked her in unison.
The rumors are false. He seems like a nice pokemon.
Pirth spoke up. “I don’t know… I heard what I heard, Arimis.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so either. He probably thinks he did nothing wrong,” said Althi.
“Y’know, I’ve got to agree with Pirth and Althi here. He seemed nice and that Linoone guy liked him, but maybe he’s just got pity on him? He’s got a reputation tied to that Cyndaquil, and I’m sure we all remember just how uncomfortable he made us.”
The members of Team Eevee collectively shivered, and it was not because of the cold.
Althi continued. “And even the regular pokemon here seem to have been affected by humans, like that Wooper saying human things. It’s… uncanny.”
Althi’s words hung in the air for a moment, where the tone of disdain mixed with discomfort made me unable to figure out a way to address that. Although I knew she felt more comfortable with me now – I was practically shoulder-to-shoulder to her while we were curled against Pirth – it was clear to her I was the exception, not the rule. Not good for a guild filled with former humans.
Just like with me, she needs time. Same with Arimis; she just needs time.
“Well, back to the shopping,” I began, trying to move us away from this line of thinking. “Arimis and I went to Capim Town Square, right?
Arimis, sensing what I was doing, promptly responded with a correct.
“Well Althi, there was an Ariados there, and I decided to browse around to see what textiles they had.”
“Textiles?” asked Pirth.
“Uhm, clothes. Like your blindfold and my bandana. Anyways, I wanted to get a custom order. I mean, hell, we have a ton of money we didn’t have to report to the Wigglytuff Guild for that egregious 90% tax rate, and I intend to keep it under wraps here as well.
“Anyways, I always thought capes and cloaks were badass, and I sort of needed something to keep me warm considering that this is an extremely cold team.”
“Are you getting sick of me?” asked Althi with a sly grin plastered on her face. “Here I was thinking you liked the cold~.”
I let out an innocent laugh. “Oh, I most certainly do, but you combined with our team’s Articuno feather? The thing that literally radiates cold 24/7? Me enjoying a little chill doesn’t mean I have to freeze to death”
After a sarcastic roll of the eyes from Althi, I continue. “Well, I explained what I needed to the tailor: something to keep me warm, but breathable. Preferably white, and a cloak.”
“And what did you end up deciding on?”
“Oh well-”
The feathers of a rephshek. It's our name for what ďAlin called a… ‘hisuian braviary?’
“‘His-u-i-an?’ ďAlin you just made that word up.”
“Look,” I said, trying to defend myself, “for some reason I’ve lost some memories on the fringes of importance, including pokemon names. I do however, know that one.”
“But why rephshek feathers?” asked Althi.
Yes, ďAlin, why do you seem so very interested in birds~? I heard a playful voice in my mind coo.
I blushed as Cory entered my mind, but I regained focus and answered. “I just like them. I thought they were fascinating… well before I joined Team Eevee, and that hasn’t changed.”
“Anyways Arimis, apparently the ‘rephshek’ feathers are known for their insulation and protection against the cold. Plus they felt really good, so it was a no brainer.”
But that’s not all.
“Right. Well considering this is a lifetime purchase, I decided to go all out. So I got a symbol engraved over the feathers as well as a ‘renewal’ warranty so that any feathers that do fall off can be replaced.”
And… came the thought, a hint of pride being withheld poorly enough for me to feel it.
“Ah, that’s right. Well, as you know, Arimis here has the ability to read aura.”
Not particularly, well, projected Arimis, but the blush on her face was clear for all but Pirth to see.
“Yes, it was great. I got my aura read, well, at the very least I got a color.”
It was a serene, crystal-clear aqua blue. I know there were other colors but I could focus only on that one.
“Well it was a great reading regardless since it let me choose a ‘bow-aura’ to embed. I had some lackluster training today so it’s my hope this will help at some point. Ariados just let me know that this would take a few weeks since it’s a custom order. And while I initially decided on a cape, I wound up going for a half-cape, half-toga sort of thing."
“What’s a toga?” aksed Pirth.
“It’s a- well it’s- like a half-on robe? That’s what I got – a cape that’s supposed to be half-on my body. Sounded pretty cool if you ask me, and it cut down on the cost.”
“Speaking of the cost,” said Althi. “It sounds pretty expensive; exotic feathers, embedded bow, custom design? I know we got a lot of bounty money, but it covered all of it.”
I shot a glance at Arimis and she looked at me.
I tell her we got an Explorer’s discount?
Correct.
And I mention I showed Ariados the Team Eevee badge that still has ‘Wigglytuff’s Guild’ etched onto it and how she assumed we were a part of it?
You’re free to leave the last part out.
And what about Ariados saying she wouldn’t have accepted installations of payments if we had been a part of the Clover Guild which was well-known for its plethora of outstanding debts?
Omit that without a doubt.
As per Arimis’ advice I explained what was necessary to Pirth and Althi for them to get the picture, then quickly moved on to explain that I had gone to the dojo while Arimis rested.
All three seemed satisfied, but now I was curious as to what they had done, so I opened my mouth and spoke.
Chris Christodoulou's Arctic Oscillation
“Well, I know you two went out to catch some snow in the outskirts of Capim Town, right? How’d that go?” I hear ďAlin say.
His voice comes from below my majestic and ornate Arceus-given horns, from my chest where he is one of the two bodies nestled in my glorious blessed winter coat.
I feel Althi, the cooler of the two and the one closer to my head, readjust herself, presumably to see me speak. I hear a small pacing and a tug of a blanket across the floor – Arimis is likely stretching herself.
“Well,” I say, turning my head down towards where Althi is by instinct, “it rained, not snowed.”
Oh, is that so? How unfortunate, what happened?
Arimis. I can tell by the serene and gentle tone paired with the sort of strangeness it has when appearing within my head. It was definitely weird at first to have yet another voice in my head, but I quickly learned to distinguish hers from my own. And Arceus’.
Right Arceus?
THAT IS CORRECT MY MOST BLESSED SUPER-LEAFEON.
Sweet.
I return, however, to Arimis’ question, and consider it.
Perhaps it’d be best to time-travel to better explain what went wrong. Shall I invoke Dialga, Arceus?
GO AHEAD, PIRTH. YOU KNOW YOU NEEDN’T ASK.
Awesome! And it’s just a formality; I was going to do it whether you let me or not.
I begin to invoke Dialga in my mind, second to Arceus only after myself, first of the super-leafeon species, and my surroundings begin to shift.
The crackle of the fire nearby slowly gives way to the whistling of the wind that pressed against my mane, its warmth now a cool breeze from the North Wind that soothes me and feels just so right.
The comfort of the cotton blanket I lie on fades, and now my hooves were crunching over the moist, squishy turf of the Grass Continent, its coziness a distant memory as I treaded over the steep hills of the Capim Town outskirts.
The relaxed breaths of ďAlin and Althi pressed against me are carried away, and now my ears caught the heavy breathing of Althi beside me as we climbed, the hill towering over us and beholding the rumble of clouds above.
I felt myself – both in the past and present – don a wide grin; I just knew that Arceus’ third favorite was out there seething that I am more adept at time-travelling than him; I was now firmly in the past.
As we walked over the field, I heard Althi give out a heavy sigh. It wasn’t one of labored breathing, but instead the one I had long ago recognized, a deep exhale of frustration that things didn’t seem to be going her way.
I heard where her own little paws were making their little noises on the moist grass and I placed a hoof where I anticipated she would be next. Sure enough, I feel her walk into my hoof.
“Yes, Pirth?” Her voice becomes a degree louder as she moves her head from facing forwards to facing me.
“What’s wrong, Althi? I thought it was going to snow.” I said.
Althi merely grumbled. “Well, I thought so too. So did everyone in Capim Town yesterday, but today was warmer than expected. I know there was supposed to be a big snowfall over here just outside of town, but judging on what’s over the horizon, it’s rain.”
A silence enveloped us, and I managed to hear, carried over the winds of a faraway swathe of noise. Rain. My heart sunk a tiny bit. I had been looking forward to playing with Althi in the snow like we had every winter before, but paired with the exploring in Air continent and the climate of Capim Town, it seemed unlikely.
“Wasn’t there a big blizzard a bit before Midwinter? Right here in Capim Town?”
Althi took in a breath and quickly exhaled. As expected, she spoke with a tone of finality. “That’s not normally the case. It was Rift-caused apparently. Some members away didn’t get to experience it since they were out exploring, but I saw the other espeon talking about it to their blaziken partner.”
Now Althi grumbled. “It wasn’t like I could read the lips of the blaziken though. I don’t know if the espeon is human or not, but all the pokemon in the Guild acted strange…”
Althi’s words floated around me, dancing with the question of uncertainty as the north wind carried the smell of petrichor over, a telltale sign that indeed there would be no snow today.
“I mean, it’s not all bad… do you remember that team we first met when we first arrived? Petal-Purr?”
The quick breath Althi took told me “yes.”
“Well Althi, I used to think that lycanroc was Arceus’ favorite pokemon aside from eevees, but I think I’m mistaken! That skitty had walked up to me and recognized the glorious antlers I had been given. Even though she had the accent you told me about where locals called me a ‘sawsbuck’ instead of a super-leafeon, she quickly made up for it by climbing all over my horns!”
“She… climbed on your horns?”
“Exactly! She skitted onto my back and said how cool it was that I was blind and still able to be an explorer, she said I have such a wonderful lush mane, and she dangled and hopped around my antlers!
“And guess what? She even mentioned wanting to go frolic! You know, prance around in the field! I told her we couldn’t since I was going to enjoy the snow with you, but that we could soon. It was so fun I had actually forgotten to mention the dangers of deerling and sawsbuck to her!”
“Really?” asked Althi, the surprise in her voice impossible to miss.
“Yep!” I said with a hearty smile.
Arceus, right that Shelby the skitty is right behind the members of Team Eevee for your scales of cosmic justice?
WELL I WOUDN’T ACTUALLY SAY THAT YOUR TEAM IS REALLY-
Nah, you’re wrong.
As I told Arcues what an absolute loser he was for not putting Shelby directly behind Team Eevee in the Cosmic Scale of Everything Important Where Deerling and Sawsbuck are Barely Better Than Giratina, Althi had stood in silence. I made note of this and, when I heard the symphony of the distant gentle rain become louder, I made Arcues shut up and spoke.
“Althi, should we go back? I can hear the rain get closer, and I’m sure you can see it. Come on, it’ll snow another day, I’m sure.”
“Will it Pirth? It’s tropical here, and that blizzard was an anomaly.”
“Well, I heard it’s going to be a rainy winter! I’m sure at some point that’ll combine with a cold front from the north and we’ll have snow! I know you want to play in it as much as I do…”
“It’s not even that Pirth, it’s just… here. How can I feel comfortable with the fact that not only are we side-by-side with humans we don’t even know, but they’re having an influence on all those pokemon.”
“Doesn’t ďAlin have an effect on us? A good one?”
Althi let’s in a deep breath, and as we walk back toward Capim Town, I hear the pace of her legs quicken ever so slightly. “He’s different, you know? He saved us. He made promises to me, to us. He wouldn’t lie.”
Althi continued. “Don’t you remember Weavile? He lied straight to our faces. Human trickery combined with dark-type lies are the perfect combination. How am I supposed to sleep knowing there’s a sneasel in our very guild that’s been living with humans for almost two years?”
“I don’t think all dark types are bad, Althi. Remember that poochenya, Pochi? He liked my grand winter coat.”
“Pirth, you trust me?” Althi said with a bit of pain in her voice.
“Althi, you already know the answer,” I said with as much of my heart as I could muster.
“Then trust me when I say that you’re too young to remember. All dark types are the same. I got complicit in forgetting that, and then Weavile went and killed Garchomp and almost got us. I won’t let that happen again; I won’t let Garchomp’s death be in vain.
“He wanted us to be stronger, and here I am, evolved. He said to do what is right, and here we are as a team trying to do good in the world and help our fellow mons. He told us to learn from mistakes, and here we are, remembering how Weavile backstabbed us. I won’t let us get tricked again, Pirth. Dark types… influenced by or being human… they’re..."
Althi lets out a tired sigh, the truth of the words she speaks imbued within them. "...they're all the same.”
We continued to walk and although our pace quickened the rain still caught up.
It was far from torrential, just a light pitter-patter that hit the rocks we passed in a soothing way, the whooshing of the wind through the trees singing a song of nature I had learned to appreciate.
Althi, however, let out a defeated sigh, and by the way her voice wavered I knew that the frustration she felt couldn't be contained. At least with me she felt comfortable enough to let it out.
The light rain fell upon us and she just said, with such tiredness it hurt to hear from my dear sister, “I just wish it would snow.”
I find myself back in the present, the scenery of the heat of the fire, comfort of the blanket, and the two nestled eevee against me resting and enjoying my majestic super-leafeon body given by Arceus Himself.
I relay the essential parts of the story, all that which was mine to tell; the forecast, the seasons, and the mystery of future snowfall. The feeling Althi had, though, was hers to tell.
She should, I think, right?
RIGHT AGAIN, PIRTH.
I let out a snort and, making sure to say her name with emphasis, I speak.
“Althi,” I see Pirth’s mouth say with a flair of exaggeration, “is there anything else I missed?”
He wants me to talk about that, I realize. Pirth was many things, but subtle was not one of them. Or maybe it was just because I knew him for his entire life that I could so easily read him.
I wait for a moment and tell myself to go back to that moment on the hill, where the rain was fast approaching us. But as I return to my memory, I go back further, much much further.
I focused on the words I had told Pirth, how he was so young he couldn’t have possibly remembered, and go back to where everything began.
Chris Christodoulou's Coalescence
I sighed and looked outside the glass window, overlooking the light snowfall peppering the ground. The “play area” of the orphanage, surrounded by the towering trees signature of the far southern Grass Continent, loomed overhead. The trees’ verdant green foliage had long since disappeared, first having been burnt into a fiery orange before losing color altogether and falling away to the ground like ash, only to be swept away by the winter wind and buried under the white snow that dominated the scenery.
Normally there’d be no one outside, although the conditions were far from adverse. No, the main reason is because the fireplace was always crowded around this time, and the best spot – on the rug right in front of the fire able to best capture the warmth – was always hotly contested, so it was difficult to warm up after being in the snow, leaving you to suffer from a lingering chill that would keep you up through the long, already-frigid night.
But, without fail there were always exceptions. Every year – myself included five years ago – the newly-hatched pokemon would have their fun experiencing snow for the first time. That was yesterday, so fewer still were outside, and the caretakers had since turned their attention on the pokemon inside, attending to them and passing out the old and squishy pomeg berries – one for each day from Midwinter up to the New Year – to everyone they had missed in the morning.
I was a fan of having one each and every day, since they gave us that many and it was nice to wake up and have something to look forward to, a minor break from the drab oats sprinkled with whatever berry was most abundant at that time. Most others, however, ate them all at once, if not for a lack of self-control, then to avoid having them taken by others.
The few newly-hatched that had the same idea as myself often learned the harsh reality of being stuck in an orphanage in a poor village far from places like Treasure Town. The deerling outside was no exception.
Zeezee the zorua and Mimi the grey meowth were there, surrounding it and moving their mouths as the shiny deerling looked at them with confusion clearly plastered onto its face.
What dumb names, I thought as I looked on. It was tradition to name yourself here since you had no one else to give you the honor and many believed – myself included – that it raised the chances of you getting adopted since it made you more special. I can’t quite remember why I chose Althi, but it was definitely better than what most pokemon did by repeating the first syllable of their name or a minor variation of it, like those two idiots outside.
I continued to watch, not caring too much. After all, the little deerling was shiny, the pink lines between the somewhat lighter brown of the coat and the pink flower barely blooming on its head despite the season making it so much more special than the rest of us. There was no doubt that the families that couldn’t lay an egg come spring would adopt it, throwing the rest of us to the side. That was why Zeezee and Mimi probably decided this deerling was a good target, since the other pokemon wouldn’t care either that some mon guaranteed to leave this place had just one bad winter.
But, as I watched, I noticed Zeezee moving her mouth in wildly different ways, using what others told me to be her auditory illusions. And yet, although such illusions fooled no one with a working set of eyes, this deerling was glancing around wildly, its head looking every which way even though it was plain to see that Zeezee was making the voices with a sharp grin.
Then, I caught a glimpse of the deerling’s eyes as Zeezee must’ve conjured up a voice between the deerling and the orphanage to continue confusing it, and I saw a dull and washed out grey instead of the typical amber brown I had seen on other deerling. The eyes, even though they were turned straight towards me and presumably the false voice, instead looked at neither and saw nothing.
Oh.
A pang of guilt hit me as the grey eyes lingered for a second longer before Zeezee made another strange movement of her mouth and the deerling, the only emotion present on its grey, almost-lifeless eyes a flash of anxiety, hurriedly looked to another random direction.
I turned back to the fireplace to see almost all the other orphans sitting around it. They had said it crackled and popped, but I didn’t know what that meant. What I did know was that I was the only eevee that had been here for more than two years.
After all, who wants to raise a pokemon they can’t even talk to?
And there was the deerling outside, who even though it was shiny, had eyes which had the same hue as those long-dead leaves that remained buried under snow. Alone. Forgotten.
I always wondered why a shiny was dropped off here, after all.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment. Wondering. Thinking. I didn’t fall back to my imagination of joining a rescue team and going on great adventures, but what instead crossed my mind was having a perfect conversation with incoming pokemon looking to adopt, only to turn away for just a moment only to turn back and see them confused. I’d say, “ I didn’t ignore you, I just can’t hear” and the rest would be history; they’d leave with someone else.
I opened them back up only to be met by the deerling’s eyes once more, the deerling whose name I didn’t even bother to learn, its eyes glancing past me once again, though this time with a small wavering droplet of water that started to form on the edge as the anxiety on its face grew into despair.
I took another breath and stood up and began to walk to the door, every step on the cold wooden floor getting a bit colder and colder as I walked away from the fireplace and towards the unsealed door whose opening on the bottom let the cold air into the orphanage.
I saw out of the corner of my eye Miss Dangoro look towards me and I saw the words form on her lips, “where po you think you’re going, Althi?”
Whenever Miss Dangoro had her mouth turn into a “P” shape, she meant it to go into a “D” shape, and vice versa. This was something that made learning to lip read much much harder, but I was able to persevere. The name Miss Dangoro, however, stuck for all the pokemon here.
“Outside,” I said plainly.
I saw her look up and glance towards the scene outside, but instead of a look of concern a look of vindication flashed before her face. She knew how shinies, the few times they ever appeared here, were the first to go.
“Well, pon’t be too mean to the peerling,” Miss Dangoro said with a small grin, the bit of grass in her mouth rising towards the ceiling that leaked one too many times.
A pit formed in my stomach. She knew the deerling was getting bullied, and this was the caretaker’s response? Now I knew what I had to do.
I pawed open the door and the cold air rushed over me. Even though I couldn’t hear, I already knew there was a chorus of voices yelling at me to close the door. I quickly stepped onto the snow, the cold shooting up my foreleg with a sharp bite. I then pushed the door back to shut it before turning back to the three pokemon in the middle of the play area, the black grey and brown of the three being the only droplets of color on an otherwise pristine canvas.
I don’t think I could ever be a glaceon, I reminded myself as I stepped with my other paw forward again, then again and again, slowly but surely making my way to the trio as I felt the cold not only shoot up my leg with every step, but start to pepper my ears and back as the snow continued to fall.
Mimi was busy laughing as she held her crossed arms, so it was Zeezee who first noticed me with the side of her eye, her mouth making the same shapes though each time with slightly different variations of how her lips were shaped, the words “give them the pomeg berries” repeating over and over as the deerling looked around at seemingly nothing.
“Leave the baby alone, Zee,” I said.
This caught the attention of Mimi, who looked at me and scowled.
“What, you want his berries for yourself, Althi? Too bad.”
My mind flared to images of Miss Dangoro and these two, all of them being such nasty creatures to this deerling. I recalled what all three shared in common and said with a growl, “do you think I’m like you? I’m not. I don’t want berries, I want you to leave him alone.”
I saw how the deerling had looked at me, my voice seeming to be an anchor for him to find harbor in against the crashing cacophony of false voices tormenting him. Zeezee saw this, too, and stopped before turning to me with a snarl.
“Shut up, Althi, the berries are ours. Besides, look at him. It’s not like he’s going to be here long, blind or not,” said Zeezee with a grin before a moment of realization struck her. “Oh, so that’s why you want to help him… because he’s as retarded as you.”
I’m not retarded, I’m disabled, I thought, biting my tongue hard enough to almost draw blood so not say it, not wanting to give into their bait. After a moment, I just grinned.
“Yeah, Zeezee. I can’t help that your ugly face can’t disguise yourself as something other than a stupid zorua so someone can adopt you. All you can do is make lame voices.”
“Who’re you calling unadoptable?” interjected Mimi. “You’ve been here longer than the two of us, do you even hear yourself? Ohhh sorry Althi. I’ll just turn away from you next time so I don’t hurt your feelings.”
Anger started to rise within me, a heat that fought off the cold radiating off my fur, I lept on the meowth and gave a small bite, the cool fur of Mimi sinking between my teeth. I pressed down, enough to get a nasty taste of her but not enough to draw blood which would get me in a lot of trouble.
Then I felt a pain shoot up my side as Zeezee leapt onto me and pushed me off Mimi. I tumbled into the snow and was surrounded by white, pulled myself up to see Zeezee now standing between me and Mimi, who I saw push down the deerling into the snow.
With her mouth forming a laugh, Mimi picked up a little bag that the deerling had apparently been protecting, the one that the caretakers had given us which held all the pomeg berries. She began to saunter away and called out Zeezee’s attention.
Zeezee looked at me and let out a half-smile, half-snarl. “Well, have fun with your retarded brother, Althi.” She then started moving her lips again, and I saw that the deerling had begun to turn around wildly again.
“Cut it, Zeezee. You and Mimi got the berries. Just go.”
The zorua’s glee from the deerling’s torment disappeared from her lips and their false words, and her mouth just turned into a frown. She looked back at me, the blue eyes she had had no beauty to them, just an ugly and dull blue that betrayed her nasty inner self. ”Whatever, Althi.”
She and Mimi walked inside, their paws leaving small indents on the snow that would soon be covered up as it continued to fall from the sky. Mimi opened the door and Zeezee put a paw in, turned around and stuck her tongue out at me, and then entered, shutting the door behind her.
I looked back at the deerling that had managed to sit up, but was moving its legs around wildly overturning the snow all around it.
“Hi,” I said.
I saw him move his mouth, but barely, and I couldn’t make out what he said.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I need you to look at me when you speak. Or… look in the direction of my voice. I can’t hear. I’m… deaf.”
He then cocked its head to try to triangulate my position before it turned to me and said, “Hi! Y-you’re Althi right?”
“I am…”
He looked at me with the same dull eyes, a frown plastered on his face. “C-could you help me look for my little baggie, Althi? M-miss Dangoro gave me some berries for the winter a-and I think I dropped it when that crowd of pokemon were t-telling me to give it to them.”
I let out a sigh and saw my breath in the cold air, the little cloud that formed wafting up and slowly fading into nothing.
“Those… bullies. They took it, I’m sorry. And it wasn’t a crowd of pokemon. Just a meowth and a tricky little zorua who was using voice illusions. You can’t trust them.”
A frown appeared on the deerling’s face, and it appeared lost in thought. I decided to break the silence and asked, “what’s your name?”
With a sniffle, I saw the deerling look towards me and say, “M-miss Dangoro said I was a peerling. So like everyone else, I gave myself a name.”
“And what’s that name, little baby?”
“Peepee.”
Bad. That needs to change now.
“Uh, well ‘Peepee,’ how about we choose something else?”
“B-but I… I don’t know. I like it. Maybe just shorten it to ‘Pee’?
That’s WORSE.
An image appeared in my mind, Zeezee’s lips forming the words of ‘brother’ being all I could see. “How about you take part of my name? Like brother and sister?”
Chris Christodoulou's Lacrimosum
“B-brother and sister?” Peepee asked with confusion.
“Y-yeah! You know, I can’t hear, you can’t see. We have the same… issues.”
A smile began to replace the frown on the deerling’s face. “A sister…? So, should my name be… er… Pialthi?”
“Uh, let’s just have the “th” sound, huh? Doesn’t that seem cool?”
“Pith?”
Oh, that still sounds like ‘piss.’ Think, Althi, think.
“Uhm, how about ‘Pirth?’ Does that sound better? I really like it~,” I said with what I thought was singsong.
After a moment of conflicting emotion splattered onto the deerling’s face, he quickly leapt up with a grin, his stubby tail wagging. “Pirth! Amazing! And you’re my sister!”
I couldn't help but let out a small giggle. “Sure, sure, I’m your sister.”
Pirth just smiled at me. “Does that mean I’m an eevee like you Althi?”
“Well Pirth I meant more figurati-”
“I didn’t like the way they called me a deerling.”
“Oh well Pirth I-”
“An ugly deerling that doesn’t deserve any berries,” said Pirth, his smile disappearing and being replaced by a frown.
“You really need to-”
The frown worsened and tears started to form on Pirth’s grey eyes. “A stupid deerling that should just kill himself and give them all the berries and is worthless and no one would adopt and-”
Well, one little white lie can’t hurt, right?
“It’s okay Pirth! You are an eevee! Like me!”
The tears almost instantly stopped and he smiled again. “Really? But they called me shiny too…”
“Well, nothing wrong with being shiny, it makes you extra special! They’re just jealous, is all. You’re just an extra-special shiny… eevee.”
I could see the gears grind as Pirth was lost in thought for a moment. “But I thought I was a grass type? I know because I can feel better in the sun, and there’s a flower on my head.”
“Uh well…” I said, taking a moment to think before an idea finally sprung into my mind. I started to press my forelegs into the cold snow, pushing all the way to the ground where I felt chunks of soil press against my paws, moving them across the surface and overturning snow while doing so until I came across a small pebble. I stuck both my paws into the snow and pulled it out, aimed it, and threw it right at Pirth’s head. It made a resounding CLUNK.
Oh, a bit harder than I meant. Hopefully I didn’t cause any brain damage.
“Ow! What was that?”
Time to enact the plan.
“That was a leaf stone! Don’t you feel different?”
“I- uh…”
I got tufts of snow and threw them onto his head, caking Pirth in snow as he remained confused.
Hopefully Prith doesn’t realize that this is how a glaceon would probably evolve…
I did this for about thirty seconds. By the time I was done, my paws were thoroughly numb from the cold snow, and I was tired from gathering it in my paws and throwing it overhead onto the deerling that, being newly-hatched, was half my size.
I stopped and waited a moment before declaring, hoping to sound more confident than I really was, “Pirth! You’re a leafeon! You evolved!”.
Pirth’s mouth was unmoving for a moment. “I- I evolved! I’m a leafeon! And in front of my sister too! Yay!"
The smile that appeared on his face shone brighter than the snow around him. He began to dance around in the snow, laughing and cheering that he finally had a sister and evolved and was extra-special. Like a, well, deerling prancing around, Pirth leapt up and down, over and over while giggling and cheering.
I sat down and watched, and I felt a smile form on my lips and he hopped around the snow, the shiny brown fur of his winter coat throwing up specks of white that fell on him. Pirth’s grey eyes, even though they were as colorless as before, did nonetheless seem – and I always noticed it since – to have a bit of a vibrance to them. Suddenly, the snow didn’t feel as cold as it once did.
We sat on the rug right in front of the fire, letting the heat overtake us both. It took me most of my favors I had owed plus all but my two last berries to buy my way to the rug so that we could both warm up. I figured I’d save them for New Years, to share one with my new companion.
I was on my side, letting my belly gather up all the heat. Well, to the best of my ability, since Pirth had positioned himself there, curled up into a little ball, basking in the warmth of the fire.
I closed my eyes and relaxed for a moment, letting the warmth slowly make its way up from my paws to my legs, inching up minute by minute until it reached my spine, and I was finally fully warm.
I felt a hoof tap my belly. I raised my head and looked at Pirth. “Yes, Pirth? I’m looking at you so you can speak.”
I saw his tail involuntarily wag at his new name. “Althi… thank you. I’m really happy to have a sister.”
“Of course.”
“And to not be a retarded deerling.”
I’ll make sure that this doesn’t get out of hand, I told myself, quite confident in that claim.
“You’re deaf, and that means you can’t hear?”
“That’s right, Pirth.”
A frown appeared on his face, and I asked him what was wrong.
“It’s just, well, you have a really beautiful voice. It’s a shame that you can’t hear it.”
I let out a small sigh. What did sound even mean? I’ve felt vibrations before, but they’d be in the ear? It just didn’t make any sense to me. “It’s okay Pirth. I can live with it.”
“I… I don’t have any problem not seeing either. I’m glad to be your sister. I just… well, I guess if there’s one thing I wish I could see, it would be you. I can only imagine that such a beautiful voice can come from just a beautiful face.”
If there was any frost left in my body, at those words it melted away. “Thank you, Pirth. You’re too sweet.” I told myself right then and there that I would make sure to protect this little baby however best I could. To make sure he got to a family that would be worthy of such a kind soul.
“Althi, I’m tired.”
“It’s okay Pirth, fall asleep here. I can carry you to bed later.”
“C-can you sing me a lullaby?”
I felt myself blush. “I- I can’t sing Pirth. I barely feel confident talking…”
“Why? You do have such a pretty voice,” I could hear him barely whisper.
I took a deep breath in. If any pokemon deserves anything, it’d be Pirth.
“Will me humming be okay?”
Pirth smiled and nodded before laying back down on the rug, his head nestled between my forelegs. I could feel the rise and fall of his body with every breath he took.
I closed my eyes, making sure that the pokemon around me would cease to exist save for precious little Pirth who was nestled between my legs, his little hooves pressed against the tops of my paws.
I paused for a moment, still unsure. But, after inhaling deeply, I took a leap of faith and used the voice I couldn’t hear.
I started to hum:
Maria Papageorgiou & Chris Christodoulou's Coalescence Returns
I closed my eyes harder, making sure I could blot out all the light and judgemental stares from other pokemon, enveloping myself in darkness so that only I and Pirth remained, the only sensations remaining being the soft comfort from the aged wooloo rug beneath me and the heat radiating towards me from the fire that warmed me. It felt odd, to make noise for no purpose but to make noise, but I pressed on.
I hummed for Pirth, and I could feel him reposition himself between my forelegs, pushing himself against the tuft of hair on my chest and burying his face into it.
I felt him take in a deep breath, then let out an even deeper exhale, a relaxed sigh. A sign of tired contentment, of peace.
I continued, the focus on my tight eyes shifting instead to feeling Pirth’s body rise and fall, slowly and rhythmically as it went and began to shallow out.
Pirth quickly fell asleep, and even though there was no point, I continued to hum. I figured he could hear me as he drifted off into blissful rest. Perhaps it would let him have a sweet and serene dream, well-deserved for the poor deerling. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to hear this hum and remember me long after he was adopted and found a new family. So I continued to hum.
For my newly-found brother, who I didn’t know how long I would have him beside me, I continued to hum.
I find myself now back in the room in the basement of the Clover Guild, nestled in a fully-grown Pirth’s fur.
It’s hard to believe he’s grown this much, I think, and that we’ve gotten so far. That I've been able to have him by my side.
I mull over the thoughts, the memories, and decide to not share. I know Althi and ďAlin would fight back, that they wouldn't understand. So why bother? Why have to feel like the outcast for knowing what some pokemon are capable of, especially under the influence of humans beside ďAlin?
As long as Pirth had my back and he knew, at the very least that was what mattered. I could protect ďAlin and Arimis from them too, even if they didn’t want me to. It was what Garchomp would’ve wanted.
“No, Pirth,” I say, “I think you got it all.”
I turn towards Arimis, who is looking intently at me with her piercing eyes.
I wonder why she doesn’t ever come lie with us? I wonder if there’s something I can do to make her feel more comfortable?
I know she has a tough shell to crack, but I feel like I’ve been getting there. I think she even knows the real deal with the dark-types too; she always escapes to her own thoughts when I mention them. I personally think she’s just taking ďAlin’s side so he’s not arguing alone. I know Arimis is selfless like that.
Maybe we can all knock some sense into ďAlin so he can be aware of the danger he somehow doesn’t see, I think. Well, another time and place for that. Right now I just want Arimis, who’s sleeping all by her lonesome, to at least feel included; like a part of the team.
I open my mouth and, with a genuine smile, speak.
Chris Christodoulou's Into the Doldrums
“And how was your day, Arimis?” I hear Althi ask me, a smile forming on her face.
I look at her and try to recall what had happened today, wondering if there was anything of note aside from what ďAlin mentioned already paired with the fact I had already slept for many hours prior.
My thoughts turn away from shopping and to my rest, back to the dream – nay, a memory, for a dream would imply some variation, some working aspect of my own mind, whereas what appeared before me during my sleep was nigh identical to what I had experienced – I had about Eeveelution Forest a little more than week prior.
A week? Even then it feels like a lifetime…
I close my eyes to better picture the scene in my head.
The large looming mountain beyond first appeared on the horizon before they are flanked by sky, the colors beginning to barely accumulate the signature orange of the sun preparing to descend into the depths of the world to make way for its sister the moon.
Closer still were the forest looming over the cratered valley, and closer still were the trees that stood within, each different tree having some unique attribute to it, and beneath it a myriad mix of the respective eeveelutions and eevees, all delighting in the wonderful aura they had some intangible, unreachable connection towards.
Not I. I had gone to the Psychic Tree as per Althi’s insistence, careful to not arouse any suspicion from her. I approached, and, knowing my illusion was without flaws, nodded to the various espeon.
They communicated psychically, and although extrasensory required some… “setup” to communicate, psychic required none, and I said my hellos and conversed, letting them do all the work of communication.
Almost immediately I felt like an imposter. They exchanged their experiences as an eevee and what led them to becoming espeon. I thought nothing other than that I was never an eevee to begin with.
They discussed how wonderful it was to bask in the sun, almost akin to their leafeon kin. I struggled to remain awake, as I was bound to the night.
They pressed themselves against the orchid-colored roots of the Psychic Tree, expressing their emotions in mentalic waves of contentedness and serenity as to how right the tree felt. As night came and I was able to finally rest, I leaned myself against the root, hoping desperately to feel something, perhaps some psychic emanation telling me I was accepted, welcome, anything to soothe myself.
I felt only a root like any other. Nonetheless, I managed to rest despite feeling more energetic than before.
Day then came, and I woke up groggily. I was asked how I slept, how was the dream that so many of them had come for and found in comfort here?
I walked back towards the center circle without offering any response.
I open my eyes to see my teammates, ďAlin and Althi staring intently at me, both nestled firmly beside each other in the warm coat of Pirth, whose ears told me he was awaiting a response even though it would come through extrasensory.
As ďAlin had said, I accompanied him to purchase his cloak. Then while he trained, I came in and slept. Here we are now.
ďAlin looks at me with a slightly quizzical look, and although he seems to know something was on my mind, he says nothing, nor can I detect him outright thinking my name in his mind, so I do not enter.
Althi, too, seems to make note that I am in a sour mood, and she gives me a look of concern. “Well Arimis, if there’s ever something you need from us, just say so.”
Althi closes her eyes and rests her head back into Pirth’s thick winter coat, but not before taking a moment’s hesitation, choosing her words very carefully. “And, you know, Arimis, you’re always welcome to join us, especially if you’re having trouble sleeping. Pirth is very comfortable.”
At this Pirth lets out a proud smile, but I instead sigh. I am fine, Althi, though I appreciate offer.
I would if I could, I think to myself alone.
Alone.
I let the word simmer for a moment. I am in a room full of the people I would call the closest I ever had to friends, with ďAlin even calling me by the name I had longed to use. And yet I am as alone as ever.
Althi, I hear the callout from within ďAlin’s mind. Are you alright?
You are more than capable of knowing the answer, I respond.
Did I do something wrong? I-
No, and I am sorry for being short with you and the rest of the team; I wasn’t thinking about today. I was simply reminiscing on Eeveelution Forest. How I told you I didn’t belong.
No overt thoughts from ďAlin’s mind, simply him thinking things in an indecipherable manner. Then he thinks, but you belong here with us Ari.
He says this as he looks at me, his eyes barely peeking out from the tufts of Pirth’s fur.
Then I look at myself, who is curled up in a blanket and holding my tail. I am across the room from them.
Alone.
Unable to lean on Pirth and bask in the comfort of physical contact I so deeply desire.
Unable to awaken beside ďAlin – perhaps the one pokemon who seemed to not care what I am – who isn’t even a pokemon.
No, I must watch as ďAlin, a manifestation of myth despite myself being in a guild of many such creatures, was so easily able to overcome his intrinsic nature and Althi’s disdain for them and be beside our companions.
He seems to notice the pain spread upon the face of my illusion and, though I feel a thought begin to form within his mind – no doubt directed at me – I push against it and exit while simultaneously closing my eyes.
I am loath to admit to myself I feel for him envy. Envy that he can belong so effortlessly and I cannot. It is not his fault, I know, which makes the feeling all the worse.
I let out a silent breath of frustration. I shouldn’t hold my misgivings against him. He should inspire me, not serve as a reminder of my own failure. That’s why I found my self so drawn to him at first; he was a being in disguise, like myself, trying to navigate this world trapped in a body that wasn’t his own. Still, his thought of, ”but you belong here with us Ari” echoes in my mind.
Unable to completely remove from my mind all the unwarranted enmity – something I immediately regret – I project my final thought of the night to him.
I wish I could believe that to be so, ďAlin. Goodnight.
Chris Christodoulou's A Glacier Eventually Farts
I wake up, once again in the middle of the night.
Still, my circadian rhythm is awry. Truly, I hope in due time I can adjust.
Still, I feel wide awake, and there is no point in mulling about with the other sleepers, at least not now. I use extrasensory to caress over ďAlin’s mind and sense he is perhaps an hour away from entering the dreaming phase of his sleep.
I can return to ensure he has pleasant dreams. I have time to watch the stars.
I silently get up and, unlike ďAlin’s clumsy self, I maintain the silence that had befallen the underground of the Clover Guild. I use my mouth to tug on the rope tied to the door handle to open it.
I then step through the small crack I made and use the rope to almost entirely shut it, making sure to leave it open enough so I can re-enter silently.
I step out to the basement and walk through the hallway lit by the unnatural flames I had seen wreathed around Ikarus’ neck. His doing, no doubt.
As I weave through the various shelves meticulously organized, I wind up before the stairs. I silently make my way up and, although I would have believed myself to be alone, I come across a figure standing between me and the doorway.
I can’t communicate with it; I had barely unlocked the mind of Ikarus and a few other guild members within the past few days, and this figure is evidently not one of them.
They take a step towards me and I hear a somewhat wet dragging sound reverberate through the first floor. Now I admit to myself I am unnerved.
I try to figure out who this strange creature is. I use extrasensory to at least grasp their mind, to feel its complexity and structure to perhaps know… yes, it differs from the shape of minds of most pokemon; it is a human-turned-pokemon before me.
How strange, I admit to myself, that the whispered myths from back home on Mist have echoes of truth to them…
Another step, and I wait. Then another, with more of that wet, sickly dragging sound. And infally, appearing close enough to see in the dark is a smeargle with its eyes closed and tail leaving a trail of paint across the floor.
Ross… well at the very least he is getting some sleep tonight. I, however, am as restless as ever.
Ross passes by me with the trail of neon green – loud and bright even in the darkest hours of night – and continues slowly strutting to whatever destination his feet take him too.
My mind flashes to the trubbish and joltik pair – Maxi and Maddi – that served as the lead janitorial team here. We didn’t meet them when we first arrived, but we met them shortly thereafter while getting ourselves acclimated to the Guild. Although a trubbish was a strange choice for a janitor, the choice seemed to fit the guild almost perfectly.
As I step over the still-fresh paint trail and walk outside of the Guild Hall, I let my mind return to Maxi and Maddi.
The duo did seem exceptionally kind-hearted despite such a menial job. I can only imagine how underappreciated they might be, especially considering that paint trail. Nor do the snide remarks they receive help, I’m sure.
I recall when we first met them and sigh. ďAlin and Althi both had shared a glance of judgemental incredulity, and I find myself worryingly reminded as to how alike the two are, how by sheer luck ďAlin didn’t seem to mind me being what I am.
As I make my way to the docks as I had the previous two nights – I’ve been unable to get a full night of rest since our arrival, a fact that has most certainly not been aided by the random fits of drunken laughs that manage to echo all the way down to the basement – I feel the wet coalescence of dew against my paws. I let my mind wander aimlessly.
Before I know it, I am at the docks, the gentle crash of the waves against the shore, the only sound breaking through the otherwise quiet night.
I look up to the heavens to find a star-studded empyrean. Although it is vastly different from the one I had seen when I lived much of my life in Mist then Air, the beauty is still not lost on me. I still love to watch the stars and behold the majesty of creation.
I bask in the studded lights craning my neck skyward more and more until I manage to see the star that had appeared. As I gaze towards the firmament, the waters of space it withheld teeming in the night sky, I turn towards the star that I can now recognize on sight; Garchomp’s star. It represents above all Garchomp’s belief in us and his noble sacrifice of his life in exchange for ours, and as I watch it my thoughts run amok. I hear myself think in his voice at times, too, and I don’t know which thoughts seem to be mine or his.
Can I tell Althi what I really am?
No, you know she would react.
Should I have hid this at all?
To have been rejected from the Wigglytuff Guild to have never met ďAlin? To have been denied help back in Air when I ran away from my father in Mist?
I wish I wasn’t me. I wish I were an actual espeon, not some fraud.
Do you not recall what ďAlin told you, the night after you revealed yourself to him?
How could I forget? That it doesn’t matter what I am, we’re all made of stardust. The very thing that had danced along the night sky when you, O star, first appeared. We are all one and the same, and it didn’t matter who I was, he cared about that admixture of stardust all the same.
And yet still you cannot accept yourself?
I break from the thoughts. I turn my gaze away from Garchomp’s star and back towards the waves lapping at the edge of the dock.
I look down into the sea.
It is quite a funny thing. Zorua and zoroark are able to disguise themselves perfectly, the illusion of light working even on themselves at all times. When I look at my forelegs, I see not the paws of a zorua but that of an espeon.
But, a zorua can always recognize her own face. It’s impossible to not. You might fool yourself with a quick glance at your legs, but you see right through your disguise when you see your own face.
As I look into the almost-still waters of that quiet night, I see myself for who I really am, whether I wish to or not.
I don’t see an espeon, so much as I might desperately wish to, no matter how much a clawing of despair deep within might rise and beg of me to please, please, to just this once see what I want to be. No, I see a sad, weak zorua looking back at me, carrying the sins of my father of being a trickster. A thief. An outlaw. And now, my own sin, added to the list.
A liar. Straight to the faces of those that would call me a friend.
I feel my illusion shimmer. I know what I am, and even if ďAlin can accept me, I cannot accept myself. I can’t be like my father.
A single droplet of water falls to the sea. It creates a ripple that, should it travel far enough, might circle the world and return back to the shores of Capim Town where I now sit, the ripple now a gargantuan wave, a tsunami powerful enough to wash away the world and my woes alike.
Art by a Random Anon
I awoke to the sound of a knock at the door. Groggily, I pulled myself from the silky and voluminous white of Pirth’s winter coat I had nestled my head into the night before – by God was that comfort like no other – and stood up, with Pirth stirring behind me.
I took a step or two into the middle of the room and, stretching my forelegs, splayed them out before me, and raised my tail in a full-body stretch from a long and fulfilling rest.
I know I must look exactly like a dog stretching, and although I resisted doing so initially, the first time I gave in it felt so good I realized there was no going back. So I felt only a slight twinge of embarrassment before I finished and proceeded to the door.
I looked at it. Then at my paws. Which had no opposable thumbs.
Damn, I hate this though, I thought as I bit onto the rope attached to the door handle and pulled. I’d use my paws, but I quickly learned that such a feat was only possible when I was fully dexterous.
Being woken up unexpectedly was not one of those moments, so I pulled harder until the door fully opened. I took a step back to see who it was, but not before catching Althi and Arimis both looking at the door – the two still unmoving from their resting spots – alongside Pirth whose head was raised and ears alert.
I saw what I recalled relearning was a mareep: Macom, the Guild’s cartographer.
“Good morning, ďAlin and Team Eevee.”
Tired grumbles from Althi and Pirth joined my own greeting, and I then asked, “how can we help you, Macom?”
“Guildmaster Lliam is requesting your team at his office, and he asked me to come get you.”
Immediately the mood in the room shifted from a lax curiosity to a surprised tension.
“I- is everything alright?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s not really anything to worry about, just something we could use your help on. ”
Oh, thank God, I think before turning to Althi. A look of surprise crossed her face upon seeing Macom’s words, but it quickly disappeared and was replaced with one of stoic firmness.
“Alright, give us a moment and we’ll be right there,” she tells him, with an air of authority in her voice,
We quickly gathered our belongings, everyone save Arimis getting their badge and pinning it to the small standard-issue explorer bags we had received from our time at Wigglytuff’s. But they remained mostly empty, as it was quickly established that the two larger bags saddled around Pirth – who was more than happy to be the mule of Team Eevee –would be where we would put most supplies save for the most essential.
While Althi tied the bandana around her neck and readjusted Pirth’s blindfold, I pulled up the bandanna tied around my upper left foreleg, making sure to place a filling – albeit admittedly not my favorite – pecha berry inside. Arimis, wearing nothing – I wondered if she wore the badge attached to something under the illusion? – stood at attention.
Once we were all ready, we met Macom who was waiting outside of our room’s door, who then said quite plainly “follow me.”
Chris Christodoulou's 屋根の漏り(Yane No Mori)
As the mareep quietly walked through the storage area, making sure to step over a neon green line on the floor that I would’ve sworn wasn’t there the previous day, we followed him all the way up the stairs.
As I was ascending, I noticed out of the corner of my eye Ikarus looking at us from his laboratory which is next-door to our shoddy room. Then I see Arimis wave and smile at him.
“Arimis,” I whisper, “can you not? Us living down here for some reason is already bad as-is. Being friendly with the Guild’s pervert is going to serve us any better.”
Arimis looks at me with a hint of anger in her eyes. ďAlin, I already mentioned to you those rumors are false. I’d really wish you wouldn’t be so judgemental.
We continued to walk up the stairs, the wood creaking mostly under Pirth’s heavy hooves who was walking in front of us, and I took a moment before responding, giving the quadrupedal equivalent of a shrug.
“I can’t help it, I’m just a judgemental person. If I don’t know you, I’m cautious. Ikarus seemed nice when we met him on New Years, but I’m pretty sure I ran into him screwing one of those dreepy.”
...I believe he is rather unlucky when it comes to unintentionally making innuendos. I can read minds given time, and he really doesn’t seem bad.
“Well, whatever. I’m not really one for second chances, Arimis; I have my beliefs and I stick with them.”
A moment of silence elapsed between us as we climbed yet another flight of stairs, the bright white light from the rapidly-rising sun replacing the ethereal glow of Ikarus’ torches in the basement. It was a moment before I heard Arimis in my head once more, accompanied by a pressing feeling for me to respond mentally as well.
So why did you give me a second chance?
My reply was swift. Ari, don’t you remember what I told you after we saw the stars?
Of course I do, ďAlin; I hold it dear within my heart.
Then you know there was no second chance to give; you’ve always been you, illusion or not.
Before I was able to continue, I found myself alongside the rest of Team Eevee standing before the door to the Guildmaster’s office.
Macom pawed the door open, and we entered.
"How can we help you, Guildmaster?” asked Althi. “Do you have our transfer papers ready for us?”
Lliam the meowstic Guildmaster of the Clover Guild only let out a sheepish smile. “Well, I asked for you specifically because it’s not yet done. The Federation is a bit of a stickler when it comes to paperwork for the guild, kyukyukyu~.”
I glanced at the stacks of papers stacked on both sides of his desk, parted in the middle so that he might see us.
In fact, I am pretty sure he could part the ocean if it meant not doing paperwork based off what I’ve seen.
Lliam shot me a glance as if he heard what I thought – my mind did feel strange for a quick second, but that was a vastly different feeling to Ari’s ability – and continued.
“Well, I actually need a team that isn’t officially registered with the Federation for the task I have in mind.”
We were all silent, and I was the first to speak up. “Llia- er, Guildmaster.”
“Lliam is fine, ďAlin.”
“Llaim, are you talking about… black ops? I know we were trained by Garchomp, but I don’t think we’re anywhere near ready for that kind of thing.”
He let out a chortle and his eyes flickered with delight. “You’re so clever, ďAlin~.”
His words hung in the air a bit too long for my own comfort before he pulled out a paper and slid it towards us.
It was in English. My teammates, who started to hover over my shoulders despite being unable to know what it said – including Pirth, really? – asked in unison for me to read it.
I shot a questioning glance at Lliam, who nodded. I read:
DREW PEACOCK’S MANIFESTO & NEW YEARS RESOLUTION.
Firstly, fuck all of this. When I was isekai’d here, I honestly thought I’d be drowning in mad waifumon puss, especially considering that I’m ranked OU by smogon. I mean, I’m fucking amazing. Versatile as shit. I can hit like a truck with a special attacking set with specs, pivot around like a monster with u-turn while supporting these retarded Clover Guildmates with screens and status. I can even set up and become an absolute monster with dragon dance for super strong dragon darts. But what do I get instead of some generic ammo for dragon darts? Seven retard dreepy that ruin everything.
When I first got here I went to a dungeon. No big deal, right? I’m fucking awesome, I can handle myself. Well, I get Wrath attacking every single feral and waking them up. I walked through a Kecleon shop and Avarice stole an orb and made me get my ass handed to me. I got fucking blacklisted from everywhere. Lust makes any attempts at flirting quickly run away, except for that perv Cyndaquil. Not into guys, sorry not sorry homo..
Gluttony eats what little food I do get. Sloth is a lazy fuck who does nothing, but that’s probably for the better. Envy just berates me and says how everyone else is better than me. And Pride? He’s the absolute worst. He just watches me. Judging me. What a joke. They should all an hero themselves.
And guess what? The one time I’m able to get rid of them and have Ikarus babysit them, and I find a fine lopunny to swoon, you know what she says? “I would probably finish too fast.” Like, since when do pokemon with a god-tier speed stat get discriminated like this?
And when I told the stupid fucks here that I can hit both sides of the spectrum – you know, physical, special, when I’m trying to partner up – they start calling me they/them because I’m “on a spectrum” and “I have dreepy so it’s ‘grammatically correct.’” FUCK YOU ALL. ESPECIALLY COOMERQUIL.
This place sucks. Instead of a partner I can bang, I get the seven pains-in-my-ass that just berate me constantly.
Well, to whatever sick fuck put me here: fuck you. My life isn’t a joke. It’s not some sick punchline in whatever crappy AO3 fanfic you’re writing. I don’t need the dreepy. I’m a fucking dragon. A pseudo. I can go handle anything on my own just fine.
So, for my New Years Resolution, I’m leaving the dreepy behind. I don’t need them; Ikarus can take care of them since I don’t know who else will. He’s like the only decent guy at this crappy guild since everyone would just laugh at my head being unable to fit through doors or tell me off for “ruining the aesthetic” of Clover Guild, whatever that meant.
Anyways, I’m going to make a name for myself, me and my high BST. I’m going to enter a dungeon no one has ever done solo so I can finally leave this retarded guild and save the world like I’m supposed to.
I’m going to Checkered Chasm. Solo. First ever to do it. So this is my official ‘fuck you’ to the retards at Clover. When I make it big and become a hero and bang a crap ton of waifumons, you shitters will be the first faces I rub it into.
I stopped reading the paper.
“What does that even mean?” whispered Pirth.
“Pirth, I’ll be honest with you, I have absolutely no clue what in high hell this guy was talking about.”
We all – except Pirth, obviously – looked at Lliam. “So Drew, that dragapult we met when we first came here, he needs rescuing?”
“He’s dead,” Lliam said flatly.
All of Team Eevee – myself included – let out a surprised “what?!”
Lliam, with an unusual air of seriousness, gestured to the mareep beside him and said, “I’ll have him explain.”
We all turned to Macom, the Clover Guild’s foremost cartographer.
“I’ll be honest, firstly I have no clue how Drew found out about Checkered Chasm; it’s really not on the maps since it’s not a typical mystery dungeon. That’s also the main reason why we know he’s dead: he went in by himself.”
“W- what do you mean?” asked Althi.
Macom’s tail light flashed in some pattern that stood out to me as being somewhat familiar, but I was unable to recall where exactly I had seen it before.
“Checkered Chasm is the antipode of a dungeon on the Mist Continent. Sh-”
Shattered Summit.
Everyone but Macom turned to look at Arimis, and this caused her to lightly blush.
Well, I come from Mist. There’s no more religious continent in the world than Mist, you should know… though I should say I was never an adherent of the Outlandic religions, I just knew of them.
“Y’know, we never really had anyone make note of the religions here, I’ll be sure to have you help us out with that sometime~,” chortled Llaim with a smile.
“Hold on, so what does this have to do with Checkered Chasm and Drew?” I asked.
Allow me to explain, came the thought with pride reverberating in my mind, Outlandic legend says that, after pokemon inhabited the world, the firstborn of Mew, the Great Dragon, was set to be an advisor. The Great Dragon lived in a mountain near western Mist, but as pokemon began to fight each other Truth and Ideals, the Great Dragon couldn’t bear it anymore. The conflict split the Great Dragon into two and left a remnant. When this happened, the mountain the Great Dragon resided on also split into two. Hence we have Shattered Summit, where Reshiram and Zekrom reside.
Arimis continued, but not without shooting a glare at me, already having anticipated what I was going to ask. This relates to Checkered Chasm, ďAlin, because when Shattered Summit formed, on the opposite side of the world Checkered Chasm must’ve opened as a sort of aftershock, right?
At this she glanced at Macom, who hadn't heard anything and was wondering why we had all lapsed into silence. I explained what Arimis had had said, Macom nodded in assent.
...so that must mean that Checkered Chasm is some sort of duality between Truth and Ideals, then?
Macom gave a look of surprise to Arimis. “I’m pretty impressed you were able to derive all that from your own folklore back on Mist; after this, I think it’d be best to have you share your knowledge about the religions here…”
He paused for a moment, and his tail light flashed a few more times before he continued. “Well, as for the specifics of Checkered Chasm. Like you said, it’s supposed to be a mixture of Truth and Ideals. From what little the Federation has told us, the first half seems to be a regular Mystery Dungeon, but there’s a midpoint where the party splits off evenly, half going to a Cave of Ideals and the other half a Cave of Truths.
“So what’s the problem then?”
“The cave splits up the party evenly. If you go alone, it splits you evenly.”
I was stunned. “Are you telling me Drew got split into two?”
“Yes.”
“So if he’s absolutely dead, why would we go in to bother trying to rescue him?”
Lliam spoke up next. “Well you see, Drew left the dreepy behind, and Ikarus told us that they seem depressed. He thinks they can’t sleep without Drew’s horns so we’re asking you to go and retrieve them.”
“Why us?”
“Welllll, this needs to be done without Federation knowledge. While Exploration Teams losing members on the field isn’t anything new, seven dreepy without a parent and severely depressed are. As you might see, I am a little behind on paperwork, kyukyukyu~.”
“Well, the last thing we need is the Federation coming down and sending in Egg Protection Services against us for neglect, which would lead to an audit, which would lead to even more paperwork. If you do this, I’d be able to make sure your team is officially part of the Clover Guild, of course taking into account typical delays in processing and delivery hehe~.”
“Alright, I understand. You need us to go in since we’re not recognized yet. But how do we know what’s what?”
Macom spoke up once again, speaking carefully and seemingly eyeing us intensely as he did so. “I recommended to Lliam that we have a cartographer and researcher accompany you since Checkered Chasm is not on most maps and you would need to be able to identify whatever horn fragments of Drew’s remain. Fortunately, I know a team that suits this mission perfectly.
“And who might that be?” I asked.
Macom hesitated for a second, studying me carefully before saying, “Some of our best: Team Brave.”
Immediately I knew who he was talking about: the Ribombee and Sneasel team.
He must’ve noticed my response to hearing about them back on New Year’s Eve… I thought as I glanced at Lliam, who also seemed vaguely amused at my reaction.
I have no problem with them, but… I looked at Althi and Pirth, they probably would. I should tell them-
“Team Brave?! They sound awesome! I look forward to meeting whoever is cool enough to have snagged that name from the Federation! Right Althi?”
Althi appeared excited at the prospect of leading a mission, a somewhat surprising shift from her more somber attitude the previous night. “‘Some of the best?’ They sound worthy of working beside Team Eevee! Let’s do it, especially if it means we can finally get transferred; I’d be happy to start going on faraway expeditions!”
With a clap of his hands, Lliam said, “great! I am so happy to hear that~! I thought you would’ve said yes so I already arranged for your transportation. I took the liberty of chartering an extra Corviknight on account of Pirth’s… size. So just head on outside and you’ll be on your way to retrieve the dragapult horns and officially join the Clover Guild in no time!"
Althi and Pirth, smiles on their faces, turned around and began to walk to the door. Arimis and I, shock on our faces, were both unable to have said anything. We share a look of concern at the prospect of what might come.
As Pirth and Althi were about to step out of the room into the well-lit third floor common space, Lliam began to speak, but quickly stopped himself and switched to psychic so that Althi might hear.
The voice entered my head akin to how Arimis’ did, but while so similar was simultaneously strikingly different.
And be sure to tell Booker and Sneasel I say thanks for helping~!
Pirth and Althi both stopped at the door. Pirth immediately grew a look of concern on his face, and his ears flicked as Althi took in a deep breath. She turned around and looked back past us, directly at the Guildmaster. A snarl formed on her lips as she growled. “Sneasel?”
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