A Ribombee’s Anniversary

A Clover Guild Story
By Ribombee-anon

Chapter 1: Point of Arrival

A familiar voice woke me.

“Booker? C’mon, time to get up.”

I groggily opened my eyes and met the gaze of my partner, Sneasel, looming above. I was out of sorts for a moment, but quickly remembered what was going on. We were on our way to complete a job in a mystery dungeon, and after chatting with Sneasel for a while, I’d decided to take a nap atop the pile of items in one of her belt pouches. Since she’d opened the flap and was waking me up, and she’d stopped walking, I assumed we’d reached our destination.

I let out a little squeaky yawn that made her giggle. “C’mon, five more minutes?” I asked.

“Sorry, no can do,” she said. “Up and at ’em, partner.”

“Why not? I let you sleep in late when you want to.”

“That’s cuz you’re too nice, ya big softie.”

“Well, you’ve got a point there... e-except for the ‘big’ part.”

“Heh, yeah. Anyway, time for you to get up. We’re almost to the dungeon. Besides, it’s been boring walking around on my own.”

My antennae drooped. “Oh... sorry. If you wanted me to stay awake so we could keep chatting, you could’ve just told me. I would’ve done it.”

“I know, but I didn’t wanna keep you up. I know you’ve been tired lately, so you need some extra rest. Still, you can’t sleep forever. That’s my job.”

We both chuckled. “Well, you deserve sleep more than me,” I said. “You work hard every day. Harder than I do. I always wish I could help you more, but—”

“Don’t sweat it,” Sneasel interrupted. “I’ve told you a million times, I’m cool with you playing support. It’s super helpful. On that note, you better get ready, cuz it’s almost dungeon time.”

I sat upright in the pouch and looked around. The landscape was largely unchanged from the earlier leg of our journey. Gentle green fields, hills, and forests surrounded us, painting the kind of peaceful picture characteristic of the Grass Continent. The sky was mostly cloudless, the sun was close to its peak, and a cool breeze was blowing. We were still on the same wide dirt road we originally followed out of Capim Town, but now I could see a fork in the distance ahead of us. A signpost pointed two ways, and a forest stood farther beyond it. Based on Sneasel’s comments, I could guess we had reached the large woodland that contained Oran Forest and Apple Woods.

Today’s task simply required us to visit the former area and retrieve a lost item. The mission was straightforward, and Oran Forest was a low-level dungeon. However, the mere thought of that place made my heart skip a beat. It was no ordinary dungeon for me or Sneasel. This was the place where we had met each other, exactly one year ago.

We took this job specifically for that purpose. We saw it posted on our guild’s job board yesterday, as if it were fate smiling on us. It was below our pay grade, but we didn’t care. The thought of revisiting this sentimental place was too appealing, and we decided to take this chance to walk down memory lane.

“Oran Forest again,” I murmured wistfully. “Hard to believe it’s been a whole year...”

“I know, right?” Sneasel said as she resumed walking. “Kinda hard to wrap my head around everything that happened since we were here last, but... I’m glad we’re still together.”

“Me too,” I said as I lay down again, my hands behind my head. My mind was already swimming with memories of what happened over the previous year—my first year in this new world.

I woke up one day in Oran Forest, mysteriously dragged out of the human world and transformed into a Ribombee. That sudden predicament overwhelmed me with confusion and anxiety, but I soon met Sneasel, who took pity on me and decided to help me escape the dungeon. We talked and bonded along the way, and supported each other as we admitted our mutual feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. We became friends as a result, and even after we got out of the dungeon, we chose to stick together.

We traveled to Capim Town and arrived the next day. Come nightfall, to our shock, we had a chance encounter with a large number of other individuals who were in the same situation as me: humans who had been changed into Pokemon and cast adrift in another world. Many of them had even befriended native Pokemon like I did, but they were still lost and confused. Once we learned we were all dealing with the same problems, we vowed to help each other.

And so, the Clover Guild was born.

One year later, the group was going strong. We’d completed countless missions, joined the Exploration Team Federation, and accepted many new transformed humans and native Pokemon into our ranks. And, of course, Sneasel and I were still partners. We’d grown much closer over time, through all the trials and triumphs, the bad times and the good. In fact, I believed we were more than just friends or partners at this point. We were—

“Zoning out again, Booker?” Sneasel asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I squeaked in surprise and nodded quickly, making her laugh.

“S-sorry,” I said. “I was just thinking about the last year, and the guild, and... w-well, us.”

“I getcha. That’s on my mind too...”

I sat upright again to check how close we were to our destination. We would enter the forest in moments. The trees were now looming before us like a wall, and the path ran onward among their trunks, while scattered green leaves fluttered towards us on the chilly breeze. It was a calm sight, but it did little to quell the nervousness welling up in me as I thought about what was waiting for us up ahead.

Unknown to Sneasel, the past wasn’t the only thing on my mind. I was planning something. I’d gotten Sneasel a present for our anniversary, and I intended to give it to her at the end of this dungeon. After we decided to visit Oran Forest, I’d asked some of our guildmates, Cooper and Testa of Team Buckler, to go ahead of us and wait in the final room to deliver the gift.

But as we drew closer to the big moment, I grew less confident. Was this present a good choice? Was it not cool enough for Sneasel? Though I felt good about it when I came up with the idea, now I wasn’t so sure, and I couldn’t stop myself from shivering as we entered the forest.

* * *

Chapter 2: Distraction

The dirt path wound into the woodland, and vibrant green foliage soon surrounded us on all sides. We passed a sign posted by the Exploration Team Federation warning about the dungeon ahead, but we didn’t stop to read it. Past the sign, tall grass began to encroach onto the winding path, and the bushes and trees grew denser to form solid walls on either side. Sneasel slowed her pace. Tree branches grew low, reaching out over the path and creating a ceiling with their intertwining boughs. The path became a dark tunnel, and it was impossible for me to see anything, though I bet Sneasel could see a little with her feline eyes. The only way I knew we were still moving onward was the swaying I felt as Sneasel walked.

And then, in the literal blink of an eye, the tunnel vanished. We both squinted our eyes at this unexpected return to the light as we took in our new surroundings. We were now in a strangely rectangular forest clearing. Many of the trees around us had large blue berries among their leaves, and red mushrooms were scattered around on the ground. The gentle cool breeze that had graced the plains continued in here, though the sky above was overcast and solid gray, unlike the outside world. Scattered birdsong filled the air, courtesy of unseen feral bird Pokemon. The edges of the room-like clearing were blocked off by walls of unnaturally dense foliage, like the barriers of the anomalous tunnel we passed through to get here. Said pathway had vanished entirely; though the room had several corridors branching off in multiple directions, none were the enclosed tunnel through which we had traveled.

Entering a mystery dungeon like this usually gave me a sense of unease. They combined the natural and unnatural in a way that still felt strange after all this time. My ability to sense Aura (like all Ribombee) made it even more noticeable, because dungeons always exuded an energy that simply felt wrong. As expected, the same disquiet welled up in me now. However, this time, it was mostly due to my concerns over how Sneasel would like her gift, rather than anything to do with the dungeon itself.

To my surprise, Sneasel seemed just as anxious as me, as suggested by the quaking of her voice and the way she began to fidget. “Feels g-good to be back,” she mumbled as she awkwardly tugged at her shimmering white scarf. “Yeah... R-real good... Hey, random question, but is it hot in here?”

“Not for me,” I said. “Is the scarf too warm?”

“It’s fine,” Sneasel said, perhaps too quickly. “I’ll be fine. Yeah... it’ll all be fine, nothing to worry about.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Wait, are you telling that to me, or—”

“Sorry, I’m just... I’m, uh, thinking back to our first time here—and the last year in general. A lot on my mind.”

“Oh. So, you’re overwhelmed by nostalgia, you mean?”

“Yeah, that’s gotta be it. Probably why I’m feeling weird right now...”

I nodded in understanding as Sneasel began walking through the dungeon. She’d been acting out of sorts for the last few weeks, for no discoverable reason. Her aloof and awkward behavior made me afraid that I’d done something to bother her, but she insisted it wasn’t my fault. Although I’d asked her several times if she wanted to talk with me about it, she said it was something she had to deal with herself. That just made me more worried, though. What could be bothering her so much that she refused to talk with her own partner about it?

Now I felt like I had the answer. Maybe she was just distracted by the upcoming anniversary and all the emotions it stirred up. She usually wasn’t the sentimental type, so I could believe she was just embarrassed by the way the anniversary was affecting her. The only way to know for sure was to ask her.

“Is that feeling of nostalgia is why you’ve been acting... different lately, as well?” I asked her.

Sneasel hesitated before replying with a silent nod.

I gave her a gentle pat on her side. “That’s perfectly understandable. The anniversary is on my mind too. But it’s nothing to be upset about. Nostalgia can be a good thing, if you’re thinking back to happy memories.”

“Guess so.”

“Thanks for letting me know how you’re feeling. And I know I’ve said this before, but never feel bad about telling me if something’s bothering you. It can be helpful to let it out and talk it over. Trust me, I know from experience.”

“Y-yeah,” Sneasel said, looking down at me. “Thanks. I’m just kinda worried about how I’ll perform. Hope I don’t get too distracted by...”

Her voice trailed off and she averted her gaze, focusing instead on looking out for enemies. I was quiet too for a little while, debating whether I should take my own advice and talk with Sneasel about my concerns over the upcoming present. After some consideration, I decided against it. I wanted to keep my plans a secret.

“I’m glad the thing that was bugging you was nothing serious,” I continued after a minute. “But... let’s be sure to focus on the mission for now, okay? Even if this is an easy dungeon, it’s important to stay safe. So... please be careful.”

“You don’t have to fuss over me,” Sneasel said.

“I know, b-but I want to.”

“Heh... Alright, I give you permission to fuss. But just a bit. Don’t—”

“Wait!” I said. Some sort of unseen presence was prodding my mind, giving me the uneasy sensation I got whenever an unfamiliar Aura entered my vicinity. “I feel like we’re being watched.”

Sneasel turned around. Sure enough, a feral Skiploom was floating towards us down the current corridor, using its flower propeller to catch the breeze. My partner hissed at the feral, and it hissed right back. Its petals glowed green as it prepared to shoot a beam of energy at us. At the same time, Sneasel and I got ready to counterattack. I threw up my hands and attempted to use Fairy Wind to disrupt the enemy, while Sneasel swiftly summoned a dart of ice to her hand.

The feral and Sneasel used their attacks simultaneously, but for some reason, mine didn’t manifest like theirs did. Though I tried to channel my energy to my hands like usual, my mind drifted away. Flashing before me, I saw random battles Sneasel and I had been through before, alongside other experiences that had nothing to do with the task at hand—especially the present waiting for Sneasel at the end of the dungeon. A little bolt of fear hit me as my concerns surged up again. As a result of all these distractions, my move failed, and I couldn’t intercept the enemy’s attack like I planned. To my surprise, Sneasel didn’t have much more success: she formed and threw her shard of ice, but it missed by a foot or two. In contrast, the Skiploom’s attack struck her right in the gut, just inches away from me. Sneasel stumbled and growled in frustration.

“A-are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m fine,” she snapped as she began forming another shard.

The Skiploom rushed towards us with its petals aglow. With a grunt of exertion, I gave Fairy Wind another try. Once again, my energy didn’t obey me. As for Sneasel, she was unable to block the incoming attack because her claws were occupied by preparing her attack, and it was taking her longer than usual. She tried to sidestep instead, but the feral swerved and crashed into her head, then followed up with another energy beam. It struck Sneasel in the head this time, and I could sense energy being drained from her and into the enemy.

My partner growled angrily and dropped her half-formed ice shard, forgoing any specific moves in favor of wild slashes with her claws. Though the feral backed up and avoided most of the cuts, it was too slow, and its underbelly was clipped once or twice. Sneasel capitalized by unleashing a jumping slash as it reeled, cutting a huge gash into the enemy. The Skiploom spasmed as black smoke spouted violently from the wound, and we watched as the artificial Pokemon spiraled to the ground, fading away into nothing as it fell.

“That was messy,” Sneasel grumbled, adjusting her scarf and armband.

“I’m sorry,” I said, staring at my shaky hands. “I had s-some trouble with Fairy Wind. I couldn’t use it. I just c-couldn’t focus. Sorry I couldn’t help you...”

“Well, we’re still alive, so don’t beat yourself up over it. I didn’t do so hot, either. Dunno how I missed that throw. Should’ve been easy. I bet it’s cuz my mind’s just too busy thinking about... stuff.”

“Do you n-need to rest for a bit? If you have a lot on your mind, meditation can help. I’ll watch for enemies if you do that.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. Meditation ain’t for me. I’ll just power on through this. No real risk in Oran Forest, after all. You can meditate if you want, though, if it’ll help you concentrate.”

“It’s a bit hard to meditate in the pouch. I get jostled around too much when you walk. But I may give it a try.”

We continued on our way, exploring and fighting as we looked for the lost item. To my dismay, it soon became obvious that we were both struggling today. Sneasel was absentminded, and she took quite a few telegraphed hits and even missed several attacks of her own. One time, she didn’t notice an obvious Caterpie, and it tripped her with String Shot, causing me and our items to tumble out of the pouch. Another time, she missed an Ice Shard on a Roselia, letting it set up Toxic Spikes—which Sneasel subsequently stepped on by accident. She flew into a rage and tore apart the feral, forcing me to intervene and help her calm down with some deep breaths (and a Pecha Berry to cure the poison). She still wasn’t back to normal, though, and her general irritation made her foolishly rush a Wurmple and attack it with her claws up close, despite the venomous spines on its body. We were lucky to have brought an extra Pecha Berry. I asked again if she wanted to rest or talk about things, in order to clear her mind and quell her frustration. She brushed me off.

Making things worse, I was having similar issues. In my mind, all manner of random memories kept popping up against my will—and even more prominent was my anxiety about the inevitable moment when I’d give my gift to Sneasel. For one thing, my inability to focus made it harder to detect the Aura of the dungeon’s feral Pokemon. No matter how hard I concentrated, the colors were practically invisible, far less vivid than usual. This made it difficult to detect when enemies were approaching or preparing attacks. In fact, I could barely sense Sneasel’s Aura, and she was right beside me. And when it came time to support my partner with the handful of moves I’d learned, the energy within me often ignored my command, just like when I failed to use Fairy Wind against that Skiploom. I even fumbled our items sometimes, either dropping them back into the pouch or down to the ground. As it became obvious that my mind was too overactive, I tried to meditate as we had discussed before, but it was impossible to calm my nerves with this dense fog of unease surrounding me.

The past and future were both working against me, making it impossible to ground myself in the present.

* * *

Halfway through the dungeon, during another troublesome battle, Sneasel slipped and fell on an Oran Berry that I dropped by accident. As soon as she recovered from the prat fall and slayed the feral, she glared down at me, making me shudder.

“You didn’t do that on purpose, did you?” she growled.

“O-of course not!” I cried. “I... I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just can’t think straight today. I’m... I’m so sorry...”

Sneasel’s expression softened, and she looked away. “I’m sorry too, Booker. Didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just frustrated by all this. But I can’t get too mad at you, cuz we’re both having the same problem, right? You said something like that a while back.”

“Y-yes... my mind is preoccupied thinking about the last year,” I said. It was halfway true, at least.

“Guess this is my cue to copy what you asked me earlier,” Sneasel said. “You wanna talk about it?”

My prior concerns about spoiling the surprise sprung up again, making me shake my head. “Thanks for the offer,” I said, “but I’ll try to take care of this by myself. If I change my mind, though, I’ll let you know.”

“Fair enough,” said Sneasel. She sounded disappointed. “Good luck with that. Hope we can both get ourselves together.”

I leaned up against her side and slouched sadly as Sneasel walked on. I couldn’t take any comfort in the fact that I wasn’t alone in my struggles. Instead, that just made me feel worse. If my partner wasn’t in the right frame of mind, that meant I had to work twice as hard to assist her. It was my job as both a partner and a friend... and I was utterly failing at that task, all because I couldn’t control my mind enough to eliminate my qualms and distractions. My only solace was that this dungeon was a safe one, and any mistakes here didn’t risk causing a catastrophe. But that wasn’t good enough to prevent me from feeling sick. I’d only feel good once this was all over.

This anniversary wasn’t turning out the way I’d hoped.

* * *

Chapter 3: Discussion

Spirits were low as we scoured the dungeon. We continued to have more difficulty than either of us expected, all because our minds were too unfocused. Sneasel’s mistakes made her increasingly frustrated, which made her mess up even more in a vicious cycle. It then extended to me: her distress, combined with my inability to help her, made me sink even deeper into sadness and distraction. I could only muster up half-hearted words of encouragement, and Sneasel didn’t seem interested in listening.

After many more sloppy battles, we trudged into a nearly-empty room, home only to an odd-looking cluster of leaves rising from the ground. I thought I felt a faint Aura signature rising from it, but I could have just been imagining it, especially since my powers were on the fritz today.

“Careful,” I said. “Could be a trap. I sense—”

“Whatever,” Sneasel mumbled. She glanced at the plant, growled at it, and idly kicked it as she passed by.

A dense cloud of yellow dust instantly burst from the leaves and engulfed Sneasel’s legs. Instinctively, I tried to use Safeguard, but I was far too slow. Sneasel cried out in surprise, and I felt her tense up and totter.

“M-my legs!” she yelled.

I gasped. “Sneasel!”

“Hold on!”

The cloud blew away in the breeze as Sneasel toppled over sideways onto the grassy ground. She held out her arms to catch herself, but she couldn’t get up again, as her legs refused to move. She sat on the ground with her legs straight out, putting one arm behind her back to prop herself up while raising the other to summon an Ice Shard. Thanks to her warning, I’d managed to stay in her pouch during the fall, and watched as the strange leaves shook and the plant beneath rose from the dirt. It was actually an Oddish. I deduced it had just used Stun Spore to paralyze my partner’s legs.

Sneasel snarled at the enemy. It was intimidated and rapidly hopped backward. She threw her Ice Shard at it, but due to her awkward position, she couldn’t throw well and the shard just hit a leaf instead of the enemy’s main body. The feral responded by spitting a glob of purple sludge onto Sneasel’s foot. It hissed as it hit her, making her wince.

“Booker, help me,” she grunted.

I froze up. Something about that plea and that pained tone struck me. I felt like a switch had been flicked in my head, and I finally laser-focused on one thing: helping Sneasel. It didn’t matter what kind of enemy we were facing, or what kind of concerns were yelling at me within my brain. I couldn’t let my anxiety get the better of me. There was no reason to be stuck thinking about the past or worrying about the future. Right now, all that mattered was that my partner needed my help, and I had to forget my fears and get the job done.

I grit my teeth and focused, remembering what I’d learned of Aura and its power. I felt the familiar warmth of my Aura welling up within my core like an internal flame. This time, I clung to it and refused to let it fade away. I raised my arms and tensed my body, willing the energy to flow into my hands as if a dam gate had been opened. My hands glowed with power, and at long last, I succeeded at summoning my attack. A pink orb of energy sparked to life between my hands, and as I threw my hands forward, the sphere shattered and unleashed a blast of biting, shimmering Fairy Wind.

The feral Oddish used Acid at the same time as me, but my small gale was just strong enough to blow the enemy’s attack aside so that it missed Sneasel and splattered on the grass. I called up more energy and fired another attack directly at the Oddish, but it petered out before reaching. The feral stomped the ground angrily, then leaned back and opened its mouth. Purple light shined from inside as it prepared to spit again.

Unable to hit it with my attack, I frantically dug into our items and pulled out a Tunnel Wand. This tool was sized and shaped somewhat like a giant rifle for me, and I’d used it as a weapon during missions before. I shouldered the wooden staff and concentrated. It responded to my thoughts and launched a beam of purple energy from the tip, piercing right through the Oddish’s body an instant before it could use its attack. The feral leaked black smoke and stumbled. A second shot brought it down.

The room fell silent again, save for distant birdsong. I stowed the wand away, sighed in relief, and climbed out of the pouch. Sneasel flopped backward onto the grass with a thud, not caring that some of our items tumbled out of the open pouch as she did so. She spread her arms out wide and let out a loud groan of profound annoyance.

“How do you feel?” I asked, though I knew the answer already.

Sneasel didn’t reply to me. She just kept staring up at the gray sky. I hurried over to her legs and feet to check on them and make sure they weren’t too badly damaged. There were still bits of yellow dust and purple sludge clinging to her gray fur, but it didn’t look like she was hurt too much, as the Oddish around here were weak Pokemon. I returned to our item pile, took an Oran Berry in my arms, and dropped it onto Sneasel’s limp hand. She glanced over, then brought it to her mouth to eat it in one bite before letting her arm fall back where it was.

“How about now? Feeling okay?” I asked.

Once again, she ignored me aside from snorting in frustration. To get her attention, I went over and grabbed the fur of her side to climb up onto her belly. She felt me climbing onto her, and finally decided to tilt her head and look at me.

“At least we’re safe now,” I said. “We didn’t bring any Cheri Berries, though, so we’ll have to wait for that paralysis to wear off. Is there anything I can do to help in the meantime?”

Sneasel hesitated, as if wondering whether she should even respond. She made up her mind before long, propping herself up on her elbows with a groan and frowning at me. For a while, we were both silent. Then she let out a long sigh.

“I hate Oddish now,” she said bluntly. “Thanks for the heal. Guess you should just keep an eye out for enemies for now. I can’t move my legs, but my arms are fine, so I can still fight if I need to. Just... not too well.”

Her face fell. “I’ve been fighting like garbage all day. Sorry about that, Booker. I just can’t get it together. I feel like an idiot, and I’m letting you down.”

“You’re not an idiot, Sneasel,” I said, patting my partner’s belly. “And I’m not disappointed in you—not one bit. You’re an expert fighter. One bad day won’t change that. Everyone has off days, right?”

“I know, but... I don’t like it. I wanna be in top shape all the time. Especially on a special day like today. But I’m just too distracted.”

“To be fair, I am too. Sorry for not being able to support you very well today. I’ll make it up to you on the next mission.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, shorty. Even if you’re having an off day like me, things are a lot better when we’re together. I know I’d be way more frustrated if you weren’t here.”

“Thanks, but... I just wish there was a way to fix our problems easily.”

After a pause, Sneasel shrugged. “Maybe we can try talking about it again. You said you didn’t wanna chat earlier, but you’d lemme know if you changed your mind. So... change your mind yet? I mean, we’re kinda stuck here till my legs wake up again, so we gotta pass the time somehow.”

I mumbled in uncertainty. Part of my mind was tugging me in the same direction as before, goading me to keep the present a secret. But thinking back to all the struggles my partner and I had dealt with in this dungeon, it had become obvious that we needed to do something about this problem before it caused a disaster. We had to help each other with our concerns and anxieties, even if it meant sacrificing the surprise. After all, maintaining the secret was less important than ensuring I could support my partner effectively.

“That may be a good idea,” I said, steeling myself. “See, th-the thing is... I have a secret that I’ve been really anxious about.”

“Ooh, interesting,” Sneasel said. “I love secrets.”

Wringing my bulbous hands, I continued: “Um... remember when I told you that I was distracted by thinking a-about the past? That’s part of the problem, but for the most part, I’m... thinking about the future. And by that, I mean... the next half hour or so. Because I was planning to give you a p-present at the end of the dungeon.”

Sneasel gave a start. “Huh? Really?”

“Y-yes. I asked a guildmate to take it here and wait at the last room for us. I’ve b-been really nervous about how you’ll like it. I want it to go over well, because this is a special day and all, but I’m still not sure how you’re going to like it. I can’t take my mind off it, and that’s the main reason why I haven’t been doing a good job.”

For a few more moments, Sneasel stared at me with wide eyes. Then she did something unexpected: she laughed. It was a hearty belly laugh, and her whole body shook so much that it nearly knocked me off of her. I had to grip her fur and buzz my wings to try and steady myself.

“W-wait!” I cried. “What’s so funny?”

“Sorry about that,” she said once she settled down. “That’s one helluva coincidence—I had the exact same idea as you! I was gonna give you something in the last room here, and I even got someone to help with it too!”

That was not what I expected to hear. My reaction was identical to hers: a brief bit of stunned silence that turned into mirth and laughter. “I guess we’re more alike than we thought, huh?” I said.

“Guess so. And I’ve been worrying about my present for you, too. That’s why I’ve been having trouble lately—along with that nostalgia I told you about before. I just didn’t wanna tell you about the present cuz it’s supposed to be a surprise. But I feel a bit better now that I let you know about it. How about you?”

“It’s better, but...”

“Still not totally confident? I get it. I’m still kinda shaken up too. But when you think about it, it’s a dumb thing for us to be worried about. I just know I’m gonna love whatever present you got me, no matter what. If it’s coming from you, it’ll be perfect.”

“Oh, th-thanks! That’s nice to hear... And honestly, I agree with you. It’s the thought that counts when it comes to gifts from friends, right? The important thing is that we’re thinking about each other.”

“Totally. Ain’t like we’re gonna break up over some bad presents, right? And I’m sure they ain’t gonna be bad presents anyway.”

I smiled and patted Sneasel’s belly again. “Thank you. I’m still a bit anxious, but... I always am. I definitely feel better now, and I think I’ll be able to focus better.”

“Me too,” said Sneasel. “How about we get on our way and see how it goes? I think my legs are better now.”

She looked past me and tried to move her once-paralyzed lower half. I turned around to watch, and saw her legs move again.

“Nice,” I said. “Ready to go when you are, partner.”

I slid off her side and got back into the pouch. Sneasel sat upright and rose into a crouch, then picked up the items that had spilled when she fell over. She handed them to me so I could return them to the pile beneath me, then she stood tall and resumed walking. She occasionally paused to shake a leg around, as if trying to throw off the lingering traces of the paralysis, but she soon stopped doing this as the status ailment faded completely. Physically, we were back in fighting shape. Hopefully, our minds were back to normal as well.

* * *

Soon, we passed through a corridor and into an empty room. I suddenly felt a presence to the side, like a faint mist out of the corner of my eye. It was an Aura, but it seemed to be more noticeable and saturated than those we’d encountered earlier in the dungeon. It was the same as I expected from a feral Pokemon, and I smiled as I realized my Aura-sensing ability was regaining its usual strength. I called Sneasel’s attention to the enemy, and she turned to face a Gloom emerging from a corridor.

“Here we go,” Sneasel said. “Let’s hope I don’t screw this up again...”

She began to raise her claws and enter a battle stance. As her claws came up past me, I leaned over the edge of the pouch and reached out to touch her right hand. She gasped and glanced down at me.

“You’ve got this,” I said with a smile, patting her claw.

She grinned, her fangs gleaming. “Y-yeah. I do. Especially when you’re with me.”

She raised her claws high, and mist formed around them, coalescing into a long shard of ice. She balanced it in her hand and took aim.

“Concentrate on the target,” I said. “Don’t worry about me, or anything else. But aim a bit to the right—the wind’s blowing left. And remember to breathe steadily and slowly.”

Sneasel did so. She waited until the Gloom crouched and began charging an attack of its own, then she stepped forward and tossed the dart. The sharp ice flew true and stabbed right into the Gloom’s eye. The feral froze up, fell to the side, and melted into smoke in moments.

I smiled. It looked like my partner was fighting fit again. I almost congratulated her on her throw, but sensed something else. It was another Aura, but stronger than usual, shining with a foggy light not far away. It wasn’t just a feral—it was an attack.

“Incoming!” I shouted. “Break left!”

Sneasel followed my order without question. She jumped just in time to dodge the incoming attack: a pair of pale blue energy crescents that kicked up a wind in their wake. Sneasel raised her claws and confronted the enemy, a Beautifly.

“It has range,” I said, hunkering down in the pouch. “Use Quick Attack to get close. Target a wing.”

“Hold on,” Sneasel warned me as she faintly glowed and shook with energy.

A second later, she darted forward in the blink of an eye, knocking me back with the g-force. Sneasel swiped her claws as she passed the enemy, tearing apart one of its wings. She slid to a stop and wheeled about, ready to keep fighting.

“Nice work,” I said. “Watch its counterattack.”

The feral hissed as it flailed its one good wing and tumbled erratically towards the ground. I sensed its Aura flare up as it summoned a flurry of purple energy needles. Dodging them all would be too hard, so I told Sneasel to freeze them. She held her hands out in front and called up a frigid blast of wind, like a stronger and colder version of my Fairy Wind. The Poison-type needles flew at us, but froze solid and slowed down as Sneasel’s Icy Wind engulfed them. They plummeted harmlessly to the ground and shattered on impact. Meanwhile, the Beautifly writhed on the ground and got to its feet. It flapped its one unharmed wing, trying to use Air Cutter like it did before.

“Put some more distance between us,” I suggested.

Sneasel backed away and formed another Ice Shard. I waited until I sensed the enemy’s Aura shine, signaling its impending attack, then I told Sneasel to dodge. She evaded a moment before the enemy unleashed its blades of Flying-type energy. Having dodged the attack, she took aim and threw her shard, slaying the enemy with a dart in the gut.

Sneasel exhaled deeply and smiled down at me. “We got our groove back, partner.”

I grinned back. And as I looked up at her, I noticed something else: I could once again detect Sneasel’s Aura with the usual amount of clarity. It was literally glowing with happiness.

* * *

Chapter 4: Bearing Gifts

The rest of the dungeon went smoothly. Once we reached the penultimate floor of Oran Forest, it didn’t take long to locate the item we’d come here to find. A light blue bow lay on the ground in the middle of a random room, seemingly guarded by a feral Caterpie. A single well-placed Ice Shard eliminated the artificial Pokemon, and Sneasel retrieved the item.

“Cute,” I said as she held it up.

“Lame,” Sneasel opined.

“You sure? Maybe you should try it on. The style may grow on you. We’re all alone, and I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“No way. It’d work a lot better on you, actually. How about I stick it on your head instead?”

“I don’t want to deprive you of the chance to try a new style. You can put it on. I don’t mind.”

My partner snickered and stowed it away in the belt pouch on her left hip, opposite me. “One of these days, when you’re taking another nap in the garden, I’m gonna stick a bow on your head without you noticing. Anyway, jokes aside, glad we got that job taken care of. Now all we gotta do is go to the last room and see what kinda presents we got each other, huh?”

“Yes. Good thing we already passed the stairs. I’ll guide you back to them.”

As we went on our way, Sneasel asked, “Wonder what the present is gonna be.”

“We’ll have to wait and find out,” I replied coyly.

“Alright, fine. I just hope the bow I got you is the right size—oops, did I say that out loud?”

“What a coincidence!” I said with a fake gasp. “I got you a cute bow too!”

After we both laughed, I added, “Just kidding. I didn’t get you a bow today. I’m saving that for your birthday.”

* * *

While we talked and joked around, Sneasel followed my directions to the stairs. Team Buckler would be waiting for us on the in the final room, bearing my gift for Sneasel. They’d be accompanied by whichever guildmate(s) my partner recruited to hold on to her gift for me. I was curious to see whom she’d called upon, but more curious to see how the gift exchange would go.

We soon located and climbed the stairs, and the world around us shifted as we were warped to the end of Oran Forest. Just like last time we were here, the room took the form of a large round forest clearing. A strange stone stairway stood in the middle, rising up and fading into a patch of roiling, abnormally low clouds. Beyond that misplaced cluster, the same overcast skies watched over everything.

There were no enemies around, and the room was quiet and calm. In the center, close to the stairs, sat the two members of Team Buckler. One of them was Cooper the human-turned-Torchic, my doppelganger from a parallel Earth, wearing his typical green headband. His partner, Testa the Squirtle, wore a red bandanna with a custom badge combining the Clover Guild emblem with the team’s old Platinum Badge. The pair had some books and papers with them, and Testa was writing something with a quill. Strangely, no other people were present. Where was the Pokemon my partner had asked for help? Maybe they left once they saw Team Buckler was already here, and they gave their item to Cooper and Testa for safekeeping.

As we entered the room, Team Buckler noticed us and got to their feet. Testa waved and ran over as fast as a Squirtle could, and the aloof Cooper followed her slowly.

“Heya!” Testa said in her usual cheerful tone. “Good to see you guys again! You made it through the dungeon! Congrats!”

“It was nothing,” said Sneasel. She looked around the room, as if she expected to see someone else here—most likely the person she’d asked to hold on to her present for me. “So, uh... how are you guys? Not too bored?”

“We’re doing good!” Testa said. “I’ve been working on my English lessons. Cooper’s a great teacher. I’m gonna learn the human language in no time!”

I nodded as I glanced around the room along with Sneasel. “Happy to hear that,” I said. “Hope it’s going well... So, um...”

“You look like you’re expecting something,” Testa noted.

“We probably shouldn’t keep them waiting,” Cooper said. Testa ran off to the stairway and went behind it, while Cooper looked at us and added, “Give us a second, please. Testa’s going to grab your presents for each other.”

It took a moment for his words to register. When they did, Sneasel and I both froze up.

“F-for each other?” I repeated.

“Wait... you have both our presents?” Sneasel asked. “Hold on—”

“Yeah!” Testa’s chipper voice came from behind the stairs. “I mean, why wouldn’t we? You both asked us to hold on to these things, right?”

“We both...” I murmured. Then I gasped as the realization fully dawned on me. “Sneasel, w-we both asked Team Buckler? I thought we asked different people!”

Sneasel slapped her forehead and laughed along with me. Even the normally stoic Cooper couldn’t resist cracking a smile. At the same time, Testa emerged from around the stairs, carrying some items with her.

“Surprise!” she said with a laugh. “You guys didn’t expect that, huh?”

“You came to us first, Booker,” the Torchic explained. “And a few hours later, Sneasel came and asked us for the same favor as you. We figured it was just a coincidence, but it was pretty amusing. Anyway... we’re happy that both you trust us enough to keep your presents secret and safe. That means a lot to us, and especially me. M-maybe that sounds silly, but... well, you know how much I value trust.”

By now, Testa had arrived at her partner’s side, and I could see the gathered items more clearly. One was my gift for Sneasel, a decent-sized rectangular object wrapped with paper and string, while Sneasel’s gift for me was unwrapped: a picnic basket. Testa also had a blanket draped over the top of her shell like a large cape, probably meant to accompany the basket. Cooper pulled the blanket off with his beak and laid it out with Sneasel’s help. Testa then placed the basket and wrapped gift in the middle.

“Here you go,” the Squirtle said. She and Cooper sat down on one side of the blanket, while I climbed out of the pouch so Sneasel and I could sit opposite them.

“That’s a very nice idea for a gift,” I said, gesturing at the picnic basket. “Now I know why you wanted to do this job around lunchtime.”

“Exactly,” said Sneasel. “I figured it’d be fun to hang out by ourselves and just... y’know, have a nice lunch together. Just the two of us, here where we met.”

“That’s such a cute idea,” Testa said. “I bet your present is gonna be cute too, Booker. You gotta let us know what it is later! I’ve been curious about it. But I didn’t take a peek, trust me.”

Cooper gave a weak but sincere smile to us both. “It’s nice to see you two thinking about each other like this. You’re a great pair, if you ask me. I’m glad we could help you both out. Happy anniversary to you two.”

“Thanks,” I said. “We r-really appreciate it. And if you want me and Sneasel to help you with anything in return, just let us know. We’d be happy to.”

“No biggie,” said Testa. “It’s what friends are for.”

“That’s true,” said Cooper. “We’re all friends at the guild. It’s... It’s still kind of hard for me to believe it. So many people all working together... Even me, with all my paranoia... We all found a place w-where we belong.”

“Like a h-home in the new world,” I said wistfully. “The guild really is home for us. And... I’m glad I can share it with you three, a-and everyone else.”

“Me too!” said Testa. She sidled over to Cooper and put an arm around him, pulling him close. “Even though we weren’t there for the Gathering, we’re glad you guys welcomed us in. And we’re so happy we met you guys. This guild rocks!”

Sneasel snorted in a mocking way, getting all our attention. She was smirking, and shook her head. “This is so sappy and dumb,” she said.

“C’mon, don’t kill the mood!” Testa whined.

“Hey, I never said it was bad to be sappy and dumb,” Sneasel said. “It’s silly, sure, but you guys ain’t wrong. I was all alone for so long after that shift threw me away from the Island, so joining the guild was a big deal. Met a whole lotta friends—and best of all, you, Booker.”

She reached down and patted my head. I flinched instinctively, but I still smiled and reached up to pat her claws in return. Testa and Cooper smiled at us again, then leaned into each other briefly before ending their side hug.

“It was nice talking with you guys,” said Testa, “but I think our work here is done. We’re gonna head back to the guild and do some more work on this English lesson stuff, so you two can get some private time.”

“Do you need us for anything else?” Cooper asked.

“I think we’re good,” said Sneasel. “Thanks for helping us out.”

“We’re grateful,” I said. “See you later, at the guildhall.”

Testa waved at us, and Cooper nodded. They stood together as Testa placed a hand on her badge. With a flash of light, they vanished.

* * *

As the light faded and our friends left us, Sneasel looked down at me. “Now we’re all alone... kinda intimate, huh?” she said with a wink.

I gulped, and she laughed in response.

“Relax, I’m just messing around,” she said, though I saw her smile falter and sensed a strange light creep into her Aura. It passed in a moment, and she continued, “A-anyway, guess we should do the whole gift exchange now, huh? Hope you don’t mind if we start with the picnic, cuz I’m kinda hungry.”

To emphasize the point, her stomach growled, making us both laugh as she opened the basket and arranged the contents on the blanket. She’d packed some berries that the both of us could eat, along with jerky and fresh mangoes for herself and a pouch of ambrosia made from the pollen of various flowers for me. There was also a bottle that I assumed was some sort of alcoholic beverage, but when I saw the label, I realized my mistake with a gasp.

“W-Wonder Gummi Juice?” I stammered. “This is really valuable!”

“I know, right?” Sneasel said. “But it’s so worth it. I knew I had to get one for our anniversary. Even brought a thimble so you can drink it more easily.”

“You thought of everything,” I said with a grin as Sneasel finished taking out the food and drinks. She poured out some of the rare juice into the small metal thimble and handed it to me, keeping the bottle in her claws. I held up the thimble in both hands and clinked it against the bottom of the bottle.

“Cheers,” I said. “Here’s to us.”

“We had a great year,” Sneasel said. “Hope the next one is just as good, too.”

We both took a sip. As soon as the drink touched my tongue, I jumped. The Wonder Gummi Juice was almost beyond description. It didn’t just taste incredible, containing a vibrant and delicious mix of every fruit flavor imaginable, it filled my body with vigor and even a strange kind of buzz, despite not being alcoholic at all. Sneasel whistled as she took her drink, and didn’t hesitate to take another swig.

“This stuff is awesome!” she said. “This is my first time having it, but it’s the best drink I’ve ever had! We gotta get more of this sometime!”

“I agree,” I said, rapidly finishing off my thimble. Sneasel gave me a refill, and I took another delectable sip before reluctantly setting the thimble down. I didn’t want to wait too long to unveil my gift. I gestured over at it, asking, “Would you like to open your present now?”

“Well, only if you insist,” Sneasel said jokingly.

She corked the bottle and set it down, then wiped her claws on the blanket... and in the blink of an eye, she snatched up the present, tore the paper and string off, and threw the scraps away. I giggled at her enthusiasm. In a matter of moments, she held my gift in her hands: a large book. The cover had a somewhat crude drawing of a Ribombee and Sneasel in ink, and a title written twice: in English and the Pokemon language.

“‘Team Brave... Year One’?” she read out loud. She looked at me with a gasp. “H-hey, wait a sec. I recognize your handwriting. D-did you make this book yourself?”

“I did,” I said. I noticed my heart start racing as the big moment finally arrived, but I took another deep breath and forced myself to not give in to my fear.

Sneasel set the book down on the blanket and carefully opened it. I walked over and stood beside the book so I could read along with her. One of the first pages was a table of contents.

She looked through the list. “There’s chapters called ‘A Ribombee’s Arrival’... ‘The Echo Chamber’... ‘Slingshot’... ‘Learning to Fly’... ‘Gone’... ‘The Shine of a Sneasel’s Gem’... w-what’s all this?”

Nervous though I was, I couldn’t resist smiling. “It’s our story,” I said. “I’ve been working on this f-for a long time. It’s basically a journal, w-with entries about all our adventures together, a-and even some drawings. I’m not the best artist, but... I did my best. I just wanted to k-keep a sort of record of everything we’ve been through, so we c-can look back at it anytime we want.”

In stunned silence, Sneasel began skimming through the handwritten and hand-drawn pages of the book, staring wide-eyed at what I’d created. It wasn’t an exhaustive list of all our experiences, and each entry was more like a page from a diary than a proper story, but it was like a treasure trove of memories. Personally, I was proud of how it all turned out. But I still was unsure how Sneasel would feel about it. This was highly sentimental, and not as “cool” as the kind of things she usually enjoyed. Still, thinking back to the talk we had earlier, I managed to repress my fears and wish for the best.

“I h-hope you like it,” I said quietly as she reached the end of her quick glance through the book’s contents.

Sneasel flipped back to the cover and stared wordlessly at the drawing I’d made of us. I watched her face, trying to determine what she was thinking. Her blank expression and total silence made my fears rise up again with each passing second. My legs felt weak, and I even began to feel queasy. She really didn’t like this gift, did she? I made a terrible mistake and ruined our anniversary, didn’t I?

All of a sudden, Sneasel sniffed, as if holding back tears. Her lip quivered, and to my surprise, her eyes began to water.

“This is... Th-this is the...” she stammered. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her arm, and looked over at me with a shaky smile. “Booker, this is the b-best present I’ve ever gotten.”

I gasped. I couldn’t say anything for a few moments, but finally managed to blurt out, “Y-you like it?”

“Of course! I love it! This is so s-special... Such a cool idea! I knew I was gonna like whatever present you got me, but I didn’t know it was gonna be this awesome!”

I sighed in relief as my anxiety began to fade, as if the sun was rising after a long night. I sat down heavily as my legs gave out. “Okay, g-good... I was so afraid you’d think it was too sappy. I know how you feel about stuff like that, so I was worried you’d hate it...”

“I usually don’t like it, but I make an exception if you’re involved. For some reason, I just like how... innocent and honest you are. Part of your charm, I guess.”

“M-my charm...? Th-thanks,” I said, looking away sheepishly.

She snickered and gave me another pat on the head. “You did a great job. I’m gonna treasure this thing for the rest of my life, believe me.”

I felt the remnants of my anxiety vanish from my heart as she said that. Despite all my worries, this trip to Oran Forest had a happy ending after all.

With both our gifts revealed, we sat together and ate our special lunch while reading through the book. Sneasel propped it up against the empty basket so we could both look at it more easily. She also made sure to keep one hand clean so she could flip through the pages without getting the precious book dirty.

We ate, chatted, and laughed as we enjoyed the picnic and took a trip down memory lane. Unlike earlier in the dungeon, when these kinds of thoughts were an unwanted and unbidden distraction, now we embraced them. Our meeting here in Oran Forest, our attempts to build a slingshot together, the harrowing quest we took at the Thunder Dome to earn the guild a spot in the Federation, the hot summer days when we hung out and shared sorbet in town... and the day we vowed to stay together even if we found a way to return to our respective homelands. These were just some of the memories that returned to our minds as we reviewed our first year together.

I couldn’t stop smiling. But I didn’t want to stop either. I was just too happy. This last year had truly been the best year of my life.

* * *

Chapter 5: Partners

I lost track of time as we had our picnic and read our story there in the heart of Oran Forest. It was such a relaxing, comforting atmosphere, I never wanted it to end.

Eventually, the overcast sky began to clear, and blue sky and warm sunlight spilled through the gaps in the gray clouds, reminding us of the passage of time. By then, we’d finished eating and flipped through the entire book, but Sneasel said she was looking forward to rereading it whenever she wanted to remember the good old days. For now, we decided to simply watch the breaking clouds and hang out a bit longer before returning to the guildhall and delivering our client’s lost item.

So, for a while longer, we lounged there on the blanket and enjoyed each other’s presence. We lay with our hands under our heads and the tops of our heads together, my antennae nearly brushing against Sneasel’s fur, as we both stared up at the partly cloudy sky. It seemed like the perfect end to this trip of ours.

However, I soon noticed something amiss. Sneasel’s Aura was beginning to shift, its usual strong red now invaded by the shuddering colors of anxiety. At first, I was unsure if I was sensing it right, so I concentrated more to confirm it. Sneasel truly was worried about something, but I couldn’t imagine what it could be. We’d reached the end of the dungeon, overcome whatever struggles we had along the way, and finished our gift exchange. What could still be bothering her?

I waited to see if she would bring it up, or if she would get over it on her own. When the frightened hues in her Aura only grew brighter, I decided to intervene.

“Um... Sneasel, is something wrong?” I asked.

Sneasel gasped. “Um, I, uh... I don’t really, um...”

“It’s okay,” I said. “Take some deep breaths. It’s just the two of us here. If you want to talk about it, feel free. Remember, like earlier, it can be helpful.”

“I dunno about that,” Sneasel said, her voice oddly unsteady. “See, remember when we talked about how I was nervous about giving you a gift? Well, the picnic wasn’t the only gift I had for you. Th-there’s one more thing I wanna give you. B-but I dunno if it’s a good idea... I’ve been super nervous about this. I’ve been doing my best to ignore it, but now that I got everything else out of the way, I can’t s-stop thinking about this one last thing. I’ve been on my mind for a while. To be honest, this is the real reason I’ve been acting so weird these last few weeks.”

“Oh! So, it wasn’t just because of anniversary nostalgia, then... W-what’s wrong? You don’t have to be afraid of anything. I’m here for you.”

“Th-that’s why I’m afraid,” Sneasel whispered.

That nearly jolted me upright. I tilted my head back towards Sneasel. I was unable to see her face well from this angle, but I saw her ear tilt in a display of fear as she continued talking in a quiet, shaky voice.

“Afraid that this isn’t a good idea... Afraid of what you’re gonna think of me after I do it... Afraid, cuz I’ve n-never done this before... Afraid of being r-rejected...”

“Rejected?” I repeated. “Sneasel, what are you talking about? I’d never reject you! Don’t ever worry about that. It’s perfectly fine. Whatever you’re planning, it’ll turn out okay. I think you should just go for it.”

I sensed Sneasel’s emotions shift again. Her nervousness was fading slightly, but it was still there, and it was now accompanied by... pink? Wait, if I remembered correctly, that color meant—

I heard Sneasel inhale and exhale deeply, then felt things shake around as she shifted. She rolled over, crossed her arms under her chest, and propped herself up. Her head was now looming above me, taking up most of my view, with her face upside down from my perspective. I gasped as I noticed she was blushing, so fiercely that the pink glow was plainly visible through the gray fur of her cheeks.

“S-Sneasel...?” I squeaked nervously.

She bit her lip and looked away sheepishly. For a few moments, neither of us did anything. Sneasel was clearly steeling herself for something, and I was too anxious to do anything but watch her.

Then my partner looked back down at me, lowered her head, puckered her lips, and gave me my first kiss.

The world froze as her huge, soft lips touched my forehead. It felt like an electric shock jolted me, and a wave of warmth came after it, flowing all throughout my paralyzed body. My heart skipped a couple beats, and then fluttered madly, while my breath hitched. I stared up, unblinking, as Sneasel raised her head again. She looked down at me, a gentle smile on her blushing face.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do that,” she murmured softly.

I was unable to do anything but squeak wordlessly.

“A-are you okay?” she asked after a few seconds, some genuine concern creeping into her voice. “I didn’t break you, did I?”

I gulped, and with all my strength, managed to regain control of my body. I shook my head as a broad smile grew on my face.

“I’m fine,” I whispered. “Th-that was... W-wow, that w-was...”

My voice trailed off. I couldn’t find words to describe how amazing that moment felt. Instead, I just let my goofy smile do the talking. Sneasel giggled and moved one arm, bringing a claw over to gently stroke my head and play with my antennae. She let out a sigh of relief, her cool mango-scented breath washing over me.

“Sounds like it went better than I thought it would,” she said. “Th-that was the first time I’ve ever kissed anyone. I hope I did it right, cuz I really dunno what I’m doing here...”

“I’ve never k-kissed anyone either,” I admitted quietly. “Or g-gotten kissed either. But I... I liked that... It was nice. Really nice. Th-thank you...”

“Sorry if it came outta nowhere, but I felt like at this point, I just had to do it. For a long time now, I’ve been feeling like you’re... w-way more than just my best friend. Whenever we’re together, even if we’re not doing anything special, I just get so... happy.”

I knew exactly how she felt. I felt the same way, after all. But I was so overwhelmed by what was happening, I said nothing and just listened to the comforting sound of my partner’s voice.

“I love knowing you’re there for me,” she continued, “and you’ve always got my back, even when I get upset or when I’m having trouble. I’ve been wanting to tell you how I really feel, but I’ve never been good at being honest and lovey-dovey, and I’ve got no experience with this sorta thing, so I’ve felt super awkward about it. But I can’t ignore it anymore. I gotta be brave and tell you what I think—no, what I know for sure. And what I know is... I love you, Booker. I love you so much.”

Those three magic words changed everything. It felt like the remaining clouds vanished from the sky, and the sun lit everything up even brighter than ever before. It felt like Sneasel’s gems caught that light and shined a brilliant gold, making my entire life more colorful and amazing, all because I heard her say that she loved me.

All at once, I knew what I had to say and do. My mind was still reeling from this whole experience—more than it had ever reeled before—but I willed myself to stand up and face Sneasel. She lowered her head to rest her chin on her forearms and crossed her eyes to look at me past her snout.

“S-Sneasel...” I whispered. “Your gems... shine like the sun.”

She gave a little gasp. We both knew what my statement meant: her people complimented the shininess of each other’s gems as a courtship ritual, an expression of love. And to prove the point, I stepped forward and kissed her upper lip.

The instant my lips touched hers, I sensed a surge of emotion from her. It was stunningly vibrant, the brightest flare I’d ever seen from her Aura. Every color was bright and cheerful, and pure joy and excitement radiated from her. Seconds later, I ended my kiss and stepped back. Sneasel’s red eyes were wide, and she stared at me breathlessly as her blush grew even more intense.

“I... I love you too, Sneasel,” I said. “I love you... w-with all my heart. I started realizing that more and more o-over the last year, but I was never brave enough to a-admit it before. But you... You taught me how to be brave. You taught me so much, and helped me so much. You p-protected me when I was in trouble, and you picked me up when I felt worthless. You kept pushing me to get stronger and improve myself... I never would’ve come this far on my own. You’re the best partner I could ever ask for. A-and that’s why I love you.”

I was amazed that I managed to voice my thoughts as clearly as I did, as overcome with emotion as I was. But after so many months of these feelings welling up within me, I knew I had to ignore my racing heart and put them into words.

After a long pause, Sneasel murmured, “I was hoping you’d say that to me someday... So, y-you really mean it, huh?”

“Absolutely,” I said.

Her smile grew, and she began giggling with joy. “I’m so, so glad we feel the same way. I wanted to confess before, but I was scared I was gonna screw everything up and make you hate me, so I wanted to take it slow. There was that time I took a chance with the mistletoe back on Midwinter, but... I ended up feeling kinda bad about it. I know you said you didn’t mind it, but I still thought I was jumping ahead too much, if that makes sense.”

“It makes perfect sense. I was afraid of taking risks too. You made me feel happy and safe, and made every day wonderful. But I didn’t think my love needed to put it into words. I thought it was enough for us to just... be together, without confessing anything. But now that I’ve said how I feel, I’ve changed my mind. I think it’s a lot better to know for sure that... we love each other.”

“You’re right. This is the best I’ve felt in... well, forever. C’mere, you.”

Sneasel moved one hand behind me, pulling me to her soft cheek and nuzzling me. I spread out my arms to approximate a hug and nuzzled her back.

“Happy anniversary, Booker,” she whispered.

“Happy anniversary, Sneasel,” I replied.

I didn’t know for sure what lay in store for us in the next year or beyond. But that didn’t matter, because I was aglow with the warm sense of undying hope. As long as I had Sneasel with me, I knew the future would shine as bright as my girlfriend’s golden gems.