The Great Bulk Part 17: Safety at Last

Refuge

Dealing with everything after that encounter with Lombre was rough. The one shot he did land on Assy went through her leg, bone and all. The doctor in Grainfield said that she was lucky her kind were able to heal faster and better from such injuries, and told us that we'd find better treatment in Capim. A larger town meant more opportunities.

I carried my partner all the way there, and as I did, I thought about how it all ended up. Was it wrong of me to let Lombre go? I could've ended his life, and it would've been justified, as he was trying to do the same to us. Yet, for one simple reason, I refrained:

I was losing my temper. I made a promise not to let my rage control me many years ago, and breaking his arm was already enough of a slip-up. If I killed him with those emotions ruling me, that oath would've been broken. It was something I took gravely seriously. If I lose myself, then what is there left of me? My old body's already gone! Even though it may be selfish, I needed to keep ahold of my values.

When we finally arrived, something dawned upon me. "Hey, how are we supposed to pay for your medical bills?" I asked Asana. "We were lucky that Clefairy treated bandit attacks for free."

"Actually, she called Lombre "worse than a bandit", Makuhita," she replied weakly. "I do have one idea, but it'll be a gamble."

"A gamble's better than nothing," I reassured her. "What did you have in mind?"

"There's a Guild here, remember?" She reminded me. "I don't know how good their medical services will be, but we'd probably get access to treatment if we joined. I hate the thought of doing so, but it's our best bet for both our security and getting my broken leg sorted out."

"Why don't you want to join?" I questioned.

"The Grass Continent is firmly in the Federation's grip," my companion responded. "So, the place we'll be going to is likely under their control. That fact is likely meaningless to you, but to me, it's like gulping down a bottle filled with poison. It's necessary in our case, but it won't be anywhere near pleasant."

I nodded, taking her opinion into consideration, and began asking for directions. The hollowed-out trees that dominated the town reminded me a bit of the skyscrapers back home, even if they weren't as tall. It made me feel kind of nostalgic, and among these buildings, we eventually found our destination. Everyone who I asked for directions spoke of this place with disgust, dread, confusion, or annoyance, but I put those thoughts aside for the moment.

The logo emblazened on the building gave me a sense of deja vu. I stepped through the entrance, still carrying Asana, and what I witnessed was odd.

A Flareon was shouting in the face of a Cyndaquil, all the while a Totodile watched, guzzling something from one of many bottles on his person.

"For the last time, fuck off!" The Flareon screamed. "How many times do we have to do this? It doesn't matter if I maul you or if I tell you I'm not a faggot, but you still insist! Do you have amnesia, or are you just that stubborn?"

"If at first you don't succeed, try again," the Cyndaquil replied earnestly. "You could change your mind eventually, who knows?"

I tuned out the still-brewing argument and walked over to the Totodile, whose breath clearly smelled of alcohol. "My partner and I are here to sign up for this Guild," I told him. "Who do I speak to?"

"Huh? What's that?" They responded, their speech sounding slurred. "Sign-ups? I dunno! Maybe I'll remember who to talk to once I'm a few more bottles in."

"I'm not in the mood to wait, so I'll see you later," I said, leaving the odd scene to play out in its entirety. I navigated the place, bumbling around and quickly finding my way in what appeared to be some sort of dojo. A few Pokemon were here, but the one that stuck out the most was a Combusken with an eyepath. I snickered as I mentally compared him to Assy. Maybe he is, or used to be cocky like she used to be?

I walked up to him and waved. "Hey, we're here to sign up for the Guild, who do I talk to?" I asked.

His singular eye scrutinized the two of us, almost as if he was sizing us up. An uncomfortable silence grew, only for him to break it. "Oh, another human," he remarked dismissively. "The Guildmaster's office is on the third floor, it's easy to find."

"Wait, what'd you say?" I blurted out. Somehow, this man figured out my secret after only a brief exchange of words! I needed to cover it up fast! "I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm a Pokemon, not some weird foreign organism! This body is 100% natural, and-"

"Makuhita, quit making an ass out of yourself!" Asana interrupted. "Calm down and listen to me. This may sound ludicrous, but you aren't the only human here. For some inexplicable reason, there's dozens here, if my Aura sensing isn't tricking me somehow. I don't get how the Sand Continent can have a drought of them for generations only for a whole platoon to show up here out of nowhere, but that's exactly what happened!"

She took a few deep breaths, calming herself down. Her singular eye stared into the Pokemon in front of us, a weak smile forming on her face. "I know you're capable of the same feats I can do. It's the only way I know that you could pick up on my partner's identity so quickly," she deduced. "His Aura does bear similarity to the others here, but on another note, I've never had a colleague before. This might just make working with the Federation worth it."

The Combusken lowered his guard slightly, nodding at her statement. "It isn't often I see anyone who has any prior knowledge on the subject," he stated. "I've mostly just had to deal with students."

"As much as I want to stay here and exchange knowledge, we need to get our affairs in order," my partner responded. "I'll definitely come back here at some later date. Let's move on out." I did as Asana requested, carrying her out of the area and making my way towards a winding set of stairs.

With each step, we drew closer to a new beginning. We might not be heroes in this new land, but I didn't care. I never did my actions expecting fame or riches. All I ever wanted was to do the right thing and have just enough to keep us afloat. All the other stuff was just a side effect of what we were up to.

I finally made it up the flight of stairs and found the entrance to the Guildmaster's office. I felt a sense of foreboding, but frankly, I've stared far scarier things in the face. I knocked on the door, and waited for a reply.After a couple of minutes, a voice rang out from behind it. "Come on in," they said, the entrance opening to reveal a Meowstic. This was incredibly awkward.

I knew they had gender differences, but I couldn't remember what they were! I stood there awkwardly, trying to figure out what they were, only for Assy to break the ice. "Hello, sir," she greeted. "We're here to join your guild. We've had an extremely long journey, and we require refuge." Sir? I guess they're a guy, then. I've gotta remember to thank my partner later for saving me some embarassment.

"In that case, come inside," the Guildmaster responded. "I've got seats for the both of you, so that'll be one weight off your shoulders, right?" We followed him inside and took our seats, with Asana's posture looking far better than mine. "So, first off, what are your names, what is your team name, and where did you come from?" The enigmatic Meowstic asked.

"Well, I'm a human, so the answer to "where I come from" depends on if you mean where I'm from in my world, or where I woke up," I said. "I'm Makuhita. I'm from Chicago originally, but I woke up in the Thirsty Desert, on the Sand Continent. I was literally plopped down in the middle of nowhere with no food or water, and if it weren't for my buddy here, my bones would've been buried in the sand by now."

"That is objectively true," my companion added. "I'm Asana. I come from the Sand Continent's agricultural belt. We're Team Yin-Yang; we were bounty hunters before the incident that brought us here."

"Wait a minute, the Sand Continent?" The Meowstic questioned, looking both surprised and intrigued. "That's the first time I've heard of a human awakening somewhere that isn't the Continent we're on now. The scope of the phenomenon is even bigger than I first thought." He scribbled some notes down on a piece of paper, directing his attention back to us a few moments later. "I'm Lliam. Tell me, what brought you all here?"

"It started when we captured one of the Sand Continent's most prolific caravan bandits," my partner began to explain. "They called him "Cacturne the Unbreakable". We worked with his ex-wife to do so, and she convinced him to surrender. However, his partner believes that she snitched on him many years ago, and that the entire thing was a setup. He swore to kill us both, and he has nearly succeeded at least three times. We had to flee the Sand Continent after the first attempt."

"Assy, that isn't even the strangest part," I reminded her. "Don't you remember what happened to that ship we were on? Even you couldn't figure out how he did that!"

"That's right," she muttered, being reminded of that event. "He somehow latched onto the ship we boarded for multiple days without surfacing for air, then sank it. There's a chance he may have killed the captain of that vessel, who had gone after him. His Aura sputtered out as we were sailing towards land on one of the lifeboats."

Lliam sighed and shook his head, the look in his eyes indicating that this situation seemed all too familiar to him. "You're not the first here to be hunted," he revealed. "Can I get a description of your pursuer? If he followed you here, everyone needs to know what he looks like for the sake of their safety. Plus, vigilance is a virute, you know."

"He's a Lombre, and he's kinda lanky," I told him. "He isn't the type to engage someone directly unless he's reasonably sure he can win, has set up a trap beforehand, or feels pressured. He's a good sniper, quick on his feet, is devilishly clever, and his water attacks can pierce through flesh like a bullet."

"You forgot a few details," Asana added. "He's middle-aged, and he has a scar running down most of his left arm. He also isn't above using hostages or causing potentially lethal collateral damage."

"I see," the Guildmaster responded. "They're clearly very dangerous. If you don't jump at the chance to capture him yourself, explorers around the Grass Continent will be hounding him at every hour of the day after information about him circulates. With increased danger comes greater rewards, although there is one last topic we need to discuss. You do know we're affiliated with the Federation, right? Most of the people here dislike them, but seeing as you said you were from the Sand Continent, I thought it would be a good idea to let you know. I'm aware that relations between their organization and your people aren't the best, although I haven't had a chance to study the specifics as to why. I was told that it would be best to conceal our affiliation if we were to ever send guild members there."

"I was aware that it was a possibility that we'd wind up at a Federation-backed guild the moment we made our mind up," my partner stated with confidence. "Sadly, we either have to work here or remain vulnerable to Lombre's predations. Also, whoever told you to keep your mouth shut was right. Many of the more reputable bounty hunters will refuse to work with "Federation puppets", and I've heard reports of the more scummy ones attacking them outright. "

"That's good to know," the Meowstic said. "You can start working here whenever Asana is done recovering from her leg injury."

"I'm comfortable with working alone for a while," I replied. "We need the money, and I don't wanna be a leech."

"It's nice to have a work ethic, but don't burn yourself out!" Lliam warned. "Go get your leg checked out, then rest. You'll need it. The clinic's down on the first floor, by the dojo."

"Frankly, we do need rest," Asana responded. "Makuhita, please escort me."

"I've got you," I said, scooping her up in my arms. We found our way to the clinic and got Assy checked out, and to my surprise, the news was good!

Thanks to her body's natural regenerative prowess, it'd take weeks rather than months for her to recover. The nurse was even so kind as to put the leg in a cast instead of a splint, and give my partner a better set of crutches. The one back in Grainfield did give some to us, but I just carried her around because it was quicker.

After Asana was done getting treated, I found a room for the two of us and set her on one of the beds. It looked quite fancy, with a blanket and everything. Just how rich were these guys?"

"This bed is made up of a strange substance, but it is quite comfortable," Assy remarked. "I feel like I could hibernate through the winter here." She trailed off as she said that final remark, falling asleep in a matter of seconds. She must've been exhausted!

I hopped into my own bed and joined her, recharging my batteries before I would awaken to a world of new possibilities.