Buckle Up, Part 3
A Clover Guild Story
By Ribombee-anon
Previous part: https://rentry.org/RibombeeBuckler2
Chapter 1: Rogue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4k_gW_0B_0 (BGM: Slinger’s Song)
Cooper and Testa said nothing. They warily eyed the mysterious Dewott who had appeared unexpectedly, having apparently eavesdropped for some unknown length of time. The otter now leaned against a tree trunk and crossed his arms, letting his black cloak flutter in the breeze, patiently waiting for Team Buckler to respond to his offer.
The sight of the Dewott reminded them of something, and both Cooper and Testa realized what it was at the same time: less than an hour before, during their tour of the guildhall, the duo had heard about an unfriendly Dewott who had caused problems for the Clover Guild. They had no way of knowing if this was the same Dewott, but they remained silent and skeptical. If the otter was annoyed by their critical looks, he didn’t show it.
As usual, Testa spoke before Cooper. Frowning at Dewott, she asked, “Okay, first of all, how long were you listening in on us?”
“Not long,” said the Dewott. “I saw you two come runnin’ outta the guildhall, and wondered what was up. I tracked you down and caught the end of your talk. I only heard you talkin’ about some money troubles, so I ain’t got all the context. But like I said, I might have a solution for you. Help me with a little job, and I’ll pay you. 750 up front and 750 later.”
“That’s not bad. Well, what do you think, partner? Should we hear him out?”
“I’m curious,” Cooper said quietly. “Go ahead, uh... should we just call you Dewott?”
The stranger’s eye twitched slightly. He seemed irritated at the sound of the name, but he nodded regardless. “Yeah. Whatever. That works. What are your names?”
“I’m Cooper. This is Testa. We’re a rescue team. And we’ve got experience.”
“So don’t pull a fast one on us,” Testa added.
“I wasn’t planning to,” said Dewott. “Here’s the thing. I used to have a partner, and we were best friends—the best friends you can imagine. We made a great team: me doin’ the fightin’ and him handlin’ the items. We traveled, earned good money, saw the world... seemed like nothin’ could go wrong. But one day, we had a huge argument. With that, he up and left me, and joined that guild over there.”
Dewott half-heartedly swept a hand towards the guildhall in the distance, barely visible between the trees surrounding the trio. “Like I said before, I saw you run outta the guildhall. So I was wonderin’, did you see my buddy while you were in there? He’s callin’ himself Toge now. He’s a Togetic with a bad stutter.”
“We did see him,” Cooper said. “But why were you watching the guildhall, anyway?”
Dewott reached into his cloak and withdrew a spyglass. “I’ve been keepin’ tabs on that place for a little bit,” he said.
“Sounds creepy,” said Testa.
“I get why you’d think that. But I don’t have nothin’ bad planned. All I wanna do is meet my pal again, just to talk with him. So I’ve just been gatherin’ info, waitin’ for an opening to make my move.”
“Why not just walk in and ask the guild if you can visit him?”
“Cuz they got a grudge against me for some reason. Dunno why, but they ain’t lettin’ me in. And they ain’t lettin’ Toge come out to meet me. He’s stuck in there whether he likes it or not, and I bet he doesn’t like it.”
“Are you sure?” asked Cooper. “He seemed to like his guildmates, based on what he said to us.”
“Maybe he acted that way, but I bet he likes me more. After everything we went through, ain’t no way he’d side with those losers over me. I think the only reason he teamed up with them is cuz our big argument got him all riled up. He wasn’t thinkin’ straight, and didn’t wanna be around me anymore, so he ran off and joined another group.”
Dewott looked back at the distant guildhall and sighed. “I know him. I know he really wants to stay with me, just like how I wanna stay with him. Ain’t like he betrayed me—I know he’s still my partner through and through. There’s still hope for us to get back together, especially now that I cooled off after our argument. I bet he cooled off too. Now’s the time to chat with him again and see if he wants to come back to me.”
Testa gave a slow nod. “I get what you’re saying. You want us to get him to come out here so you two can talk, since you’re not able to go in there and meet him yourself?”
“You got it. But you can’t tell him that I’m the one who sent for him. If you do, he might stay in, cuz he might still be mad at me. Plus, if any guild members overhear, they definitely won’t let him come out, cuz they don’t like me. Chances are, the only way he’ll come out is if it’s a surprise, get me?”
“I understand your logic,” said Cooper. “Where do you want to meet him?”
“Farther down the path runnin’ by this forest, there’s a round patch of dirt with some big stones standin’ up. Maybe ten minutes’ walk from the guild. Looks battle-damaged, like some fight went down. Dunno why it’s all messed up, but it’s a good landmark. So just bring my partner to that spot, and the second half of the payment’s yours. Any questions?”
“Yes: can we trust you?” Cooper asked, voicing the issue that was always looming in his mind around strangers. “How do we know you’re not planning to assassinate Toge and pin the blame on us?”
Dewott suddenly snarled and lowered his stance, as if preparing for a fight. “Hey, don’t even suggest that, pal,” he hissed. “I’d never hurt my partner, never! He’s the most important person in the world to me. And don’t you forget it.”
“S-sorry,” Cooper said. “I didn’t want to insult you or anything. And sorry if bringing up assassination was a bit... extreme. It’s just that... the guild members warned us about you. They said you were dangerous, and you hurt them. I just want to be sure you really are Toge’s friend. Toge seemed nice, so I don’t want him getting hurt.”
Dewott relaxed slightly. He now looked frustrated instead of outright angry. He rolled his eyes and grumbled, “I figured they’d tell you I’m the bad guy. I ain’t gonna lie: I did hurt some of them before. But it was self-defense. Did they go spinnin’ the story, tellin’ you I was some kinda evil rogue? No, they attacked first. I just wanted to talk with Toge, but that Chespin and Wooper took the first shot against me. So I did hurt them when I fought back. But Toge... I’d never dream of hurtin’ the poor guy, trust me. Just the thought of him gettin’ hurt makes me all antsy.”
Cooper did his best to study the stranger’s voice and body language as he spoke. As far as he could tell, Dewott was being honest, though he still refused to believe the otter entirely. Something about his story didn’t add up.
Cooper and Testa looked at each other with understanding in their eyes. “Can we talk it over?” Testa asked Dewott.
“Sure—call me when you made up your mind,” he said. He wandered off into the forest as Team Buckler huddled and whispered.
“I don’t really trust him,” said Cooper. “I get the feeling he honestly cares about Toge, but the guild members warned us about a Dewott who used to be Toge’s friend. This sounds like the guy.”
Testa nodded. “Yeah. Chespin made him sound pretty evil and insane. But now that we’ve talked with him, he seems reasonable to me. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding?”
“I’m not sure. But what I do know is that Toge seemed happy with the guild. I’m not confident we can trust Dewott’s side of the story.”
“Me neither. The guild members seemed so nice, and Toge honestly loved Team Cozy. I don’t think the guild would lie and try to keep Dewott away from his friend, or force Toge to stay in the guild against his will. I agree—I think Toge wants to be in the guild, despite what Dewott says.”
“But Dewott did offer a lot of money. That would solve our problems—we’d have plenty of money to get food and a place to sleep.”
Testa winked and nudged Cooper. “Sure, but joining the guild would solve that problem too, eh?”
Cooper shuddered and shook his head. “I’m still not ready for that. Not yet. Also, I know we talked about selling our items and then harvesting more in dungeons, but this is a much more secure option. Safer, too.”
Testa sighed, looking over in the direction Dewott had gone. He had gone out of view, giving the team some privacy. “What if he really does try to hurt Toge?“ she murmured.
“He might try it,” Cooper replied, “He could be tricking us. That’s why I think we should stay on the sidelines and step in if anything bad happens.”
“I think that’s a good idea. I’m not super comfortable leaving these two alone. So, we’ll accept the 750 Poke, bring Toge out here, and then... see what happens next.”
Their minds made up, Team Buckler called for Dewott. He emerged from behind a tree in the distance and jogged over. They told him their decision—leaving out the parts about distrusting him—and Dewott grinned.
“Great,” he said. “I knew you were the right, uh... people for the job. I’m sure this’ll work out. He’ll remember the good ol’ days, and how great of a team we were. He’ll leave that guild behind, and come back where he belongs. Now, wait right here—I’ll get my bag from my hideout and give you the advance.”
Dewott sprinted off faster than Cooper and Testa expected. He returned soon, now with a brown leather bag slung from his shoulder over his cloak. He opened it and began placing gold coins on a nearby rock. Testa went over and counted them, putting them into her own bag.
“That’s everything,” she said. “Thanks for the money. And we’ll get 750 more when we’re done?”
“Yep,” said Dewott. “And you don’t have to do it now. It’s gettin’ kinda late, and it’s almost time for dinner. If you wanna, we can wait till tomorrow morning. I’ll be hangin’ out at the stones all day, so come by whenever.”
“In that case, we’ll visit after breakfast,” said Cooper. “See you tomorrow.”
“Good luck. Remember not to tell my partner I sent you.”
With that, Dewott put up his hood and walked back the way he came, melting into the forest. Team Buckler watched him go, then left the woods and back onto the dirt path at the edge. They followed it back towards the guildhall and Capim Town. As they drew near the Clover Guild’s base, they stepped off into the grass, giving the guildhall a wide berth as they headed right for town.
They didn’t want to see the building. It only served to remind them of how they were about to put one of the guild’s members at risk for their own benefit.
* * *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii8WaX82eNk (BGM: Goodnight—Remix)
At first, it was easy for Cooper and Testa to forget about the future. They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening exploring the bustling town of Capim, which offered countless sights to see and places to visit. Along the way, they stopped by an establishment called Blue Claw Inn near the center to eat dinner and rent a room for the night. It was not yet sundown, so they went out on the town some more. They visited various shops, though they resisted the urge to spend their money on anything. The only exception was a Confuse Wand. Cooper always liked to have at least one handy, but Team Buckler had used their last wand in the dungeon they explored prior to being shifted to Giant Stone Meadow. Once they had the wand in Testa’s bag, he felt a bit more at ease.
However, as they continued their exploration of the town of ancient trees, their initial excitement and wonder wore off. A dark cloud grew over both of them. They murmured to each other and second-guessed the decision they made in the forest. Was it really safe to bring Toge to this Pokemon that claimed to be his best friend? What if the guild was right, and Dewott was truly a violent, insane rogue? Should they warn Toge about this, despite Dewott’s orders? Should they take the money and run, abandoning both Pokemon entirely?
They pushed down their concerns and decided not to renege on their deal. At the same time, they resolved to be extra vigilant when the meeting did occur. Hopefully, if it came down to it, they could stop any trouble before it began.
The sun sank down, and night fell at last. The blazing twilight sky faded into starlight, and the town lit up with the glow of gentle lanterns and a host of bioluminescent plantlife and fungi in myriad hues. It was a beautiful sight, and Team Buckler stayed out late, aimlessly roaming the town and sightseeing. They eventually climbed to the tops of the town’s titanic tree stumps, where a cool night breeze blew constantly. There, they found themselves atop one particularly tall tower, which was devoid of other Pokemon and offered an amazing view of the area. They sat together and gazed down at the town, as well as the vast bay reflecting the pale moonlight. Among the glistening water, they saw the dark shadows of sailing ships anchored off the coast, some of them speckled with the warm light of lanterns on board.
“This is...” Testa breathed. She struggled to say anything more, then chuckled and said, “Got no words.”
“That’s unusual,” Cooper said.
“Never imagined I’d see a town like this,” Testa said. “Baram Town’s windmills were cool, but this is a whole ’nother level. A whole town of trees, and all those lights are so beautiful. And that bay—I’d love to go swimming in it!”
Cooper and Testa smiled as they looked away from the town and bay, turning their eyes up to the sky above. Their expressions abruptly darkened. Now that they took a closer look, the moon was clearly wrong, and stars and constellations that they didn’t recognize shined in the black. The sky looked different from all the times they had viewed it from their homeland.
“I guess that just shows how far from home we are,” Cooper murmured, taking his eyes off the alien heavens. “Even the sky looks different.”
Testa squinted at the view above and gasped. “Actually, wait. Look closer. The moon’s not totally different—it’s just upside down!”
Cooper looked back up with wide eyes. “Oh, you’re right. Now that you mention it, I just remembered we’re in the opposite hemisphere now—the Air Continent is in the north, and now we’re on the Grass Continent in the south. That’s why it looks upside down.”
“Exactly. See? The moon is the same. We’re just looking at it from another angle. And the same’s true for the stars. There are still a few constellations I recognize. They’re in different places and kinda rotated around, but they’re still there.“
“Huh. I guess so. And if the sky is the same, then I guess that means... Actually, never mind. This is a bit too deep.”
“No, go ahead. What were you thinking?”
Cooper paused before replying, “Well, at first, it felt like a lot of things were going to be different now that we’re in a new world. And seeing the sky right now drove that point home, since it looked so strange at first. But now that we’ve looked more closely, the sky’s not so different after all. And I guess that can apply to other things too—just like the sky, I know some other things won’t change. There are still dungeons to explore. There are still Pokemon to save. And we still have each other.”
Testa laughed and put an arm around her partner. “Right! Good point, Booker. No matter what world we’re in, Team Buckler’s gonna keep fighting the good fight! No matter where we are, plenty of Pokemon need help, and we’re there to rescue them. Cuz we’re the shield...”
“...that saves those in need,” Cooper finished the slogan. He cringed only slightly. He rarely used Testa’s catchphrase for the team, but he felt a desire to say it this time. It was more than just a catchphrase now—it was a sign of their vow to stay together and keep rescuing Pokemon in this new world.
But even with that uplifting hope in his heart, Cooper felt unsure. Toge and Dewott lingered in his mind. Dewott was in need, desperate to reunite with his lost friend, so Team Buckler was sworn to help. But was this the correct choice? What were Dewott’s true intentions? Was he really as dangerous as the guild suggested? Would Toge really be interested in leaving the guild and returning to his old friend’s side? And if he refused, how would Dewott react?
Cooper tried not to think about it. There was nothing to be done now. The problem would be resolved tomorrow morning. For the time being, there was only one thing to do: enjoy some more quiet time with his best friend.
* * *
Chapter 2: Another Reunion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8QoJDjj0Jk (BGM: Origami King Cafe)
Following a somewhat fitful sleep at the inn, Cooper and Testa woke shortly after sunrise. Despite the relatively early hour, looking out of their room’s window showed that the town was becoming more busy by the minute. They ate a quick breakfast in the tavern downstairs before heading back to the guildhall on the outskirts of town. Cooper had not expected to return so soon. He could only hope the guild members would forgive his outburst and behavior, and his sudden departure.
As they left the busy town and drew closer to the Clover Guild’s base, they noticed the dark form of Percival standing guard, looming at the edge of the roof like a gargoyle. The giant bird swooped down to meet Team Buckler, landing before them with a strong gust of wind and a loud thud.
“You have returned,” he said. “I saw you run away yesterday. Are you quite alright?”
“Y-yes,” Cooper said. “I had a bit of an u-unexpected scare, but I’m feeling better now after talking with Testa. We wanted to visit the guildhall again. Also, there was something we wanted to talk to Toge about.”
“Very well,” said the Corviknight. “Visitors are always welcome at the hall, so you may enter. At this time, most of the guild members are eating breakfast in the mess hall. You might find Toge there.”
“Thanks!” said Testa. “See you later, Percival!”
Percival nodded and returned to his perch, while Testa led the way to the guildhall’s front door. The lobby was empty, but the mess hall was crowded and loud. The room contained a collection of differently-designed tables. They came in a variety of sizes and heights, and some even used a tiered design allowing Pokemon of multiple sizes to eat together. Almost every table was occupied. Cooper and Testa recognized all the guild members they had met yesterday, along with many they had not seen yet.
All the guild members noticed Team Buckler as they came in. The noise of their conversation briefly died down as they all stared at the newcomers. Some of them waved at the duo, and some began whispering among themselves. Cooper shied away as all eyes turned on him and Testa, but it didn’t last long. The guild members went back to their conversations, allowing these outsiders to join them in the mess hall without complaint.
Cooper and Testa stayed in place at the entrance as they scanned the room for Toge, or alternatively for Team Brave, their guides for the tour yesterday. They didn’t have to look for long. Sneasel and Toge were sitting on opposite sides of the same table, while Team Cozy sat beside Toge, and Booker sat on the table itself. They were all watching Team Buckler, and Sneasel waved them over.
Testa waved back, and she and Cooper went over to their table. As they came closer, they saw Toge, Wooper, and Chespin were eating small berry pancakes, hash browns, and seitan. Sneasel, being the only meat-eater in the group, additionally had some sort of meat patty—presumably sourced non-lethally from Slowpoke tails, Veluza filets, or the like. Uniquely, Booker had a couple blueberries and a glass vial about half as big as his whole body, filled with a yellow liquid. Despite its size, he could lift and drink it with ease—he was unexpectedly strong, likely due to his insect anatomy.
“Welcome back,” said Booker, smiling at Team Buckler. “It’s r-really nice to see you again. So, uh... are you feeling better, Cooper?”
“I am,” the Torchic said. “I’m still shaken after that incident yesterday, but I’ve been getting over it.“
“Does that mean you wanna give the tour another shot?” asked Sneasel. “Soon as we’re done eating, we can pick up right where we left off. Me and Booker were gonna take on some missions today, but I think Lliam would be fine with us putting that off till we finish the tour.”
“Thanks, but I’m not sure about doing that today,” said Cooper. “I definitely want to give it another try sometime, but we had something else to take care of today. Also, I, uh... wanted to apologize for my outburst in the lobby yesterday. I hope I didn’t startle you guys.”
“Oh, you d-don’t have to apologize,” said Booker. “I know having a secret revealed like that can be, well, scary.”
“Right... thank you. But speaking of which: Booker and Sneasel, you were the only guild members there, except for Totodile. Did you tell anyone else about the secret?”
“No,” said Booker. “Some people heard the yelling and came over to ask what was going on, but we only told them Totodile revealed something about your team that you wanted kept secret. And we asked Totodile not to tell anyone the truth either.”
“He was pretty hammered,” said Sneasel, “but still, he felt super bad for blabbing about your secret, so he promised not to tell. I bet he’ll do what we told him.”
From the other side of the table, Chespin nodded and added, “Yeah, I think those three are the only ones who know whatever your secret was.”
“Excluding the Makuhita,” Testa murmured. “But we can’t do anything to stop him.”
“Don’t worry about him,” Sneasel said. “I scared him straight. He ain’t gonna be spilling the beans, Buckler.”
“He also won’t be hiring anyone from the Clover Guild again,” Booker mumbled, idly tapping his vial. “Not after how you threatened him to keep quiet...”
Sneasel shrugged. “A good price to pay, I’d say.”
Chespin smirked, then said to Team Buckler, “One more thing about your secret. I wanted to mention: Booker and Sneasel didn’t say what it was, but they told everyone it was nothing bad. And we believe them.”
“You do?” asked Cooper.
“Sure we do!” Wooper said. “They’re our friends!”
“The guildmaster said the same sort of thing back when we met him,” Testa pointed out. “The guild’s diverse, so they have to trust each other if they want to stay together.”
“Speaking of staying together...” Sneasel said, patting an empty spot on the bench at her side. “C’mon, take a seat. We’ve got room.”
“Can outsiders sit in the mess hall?” asked Testa.
“Sure, but if a guild member shows up, they can take your seat. Also, if you want chow, you gotta pay for it.”
“We already ate—but that food sure looks good. Now I wish we’d skipped breakfast and came here to eat!”
“It really is good food,” said Booker. “We have a professional chef, actually. But I can’t eat his food too often. I need to watch what I eat, because of my species. That’s why I have this honey water.”
“I was wondering what that was,” Cooper said as he and Testa took their seats next to Sneasel.
She was eager to chat with them. Predictably, with Sneasel guiding the conversation, the topic focused on fighting and training. She was interested in learning about the combat prowess of an experienced team from another continent, and the powerful moves wielded by Cooper and Testa excited her—especially Testa’s Ice Beam. Team Buckler happily talked with her, recounting some adventures and difficult fights they went through during their time on the Air Continent. Sneasel was thoroughly impressed by their strength and teamwork. She hoped to spar with them, or even fight alongside them, someday.
As Teams Brave and Buckler chatted, Team Cozy and Toge continued eating, listening in on the conversation from across the table and occasionally joining in. Wooper had his usual friendly smile, and Chespin was helping his armless partner eat his breakfast by using his vines. However, Toge was casting odd looks at Team Buckler while he ate his meal. They tried not to let it bother them, but it made them continue to second-guess what they were about to do to him.
For a moment, they wondered if Toge somehow knew what they were planning. They recalled that Kris the Absol had predicted something and rushed off to warn Toge. But they had no idea what Kris had seen. Despite Kaiji’s insistence that Kris always made incorrect predictions, had he actually received an accurate vision of Toge meeting Dewott? Would the meeting really end in disaster and blood? Perhaps warning Toge, instead of keeping him in the dark, was all it would take to avert such an outcome. But they also blanched at the thought of betraying Dewott after making a promise to him.
They wanted to avoid the subject altogether. Fortunately, Toge seemed to feel the same way; he never brought up whatever Kris had told him, and he remained silent all throughout the breakfast.
As various guild members gradually began finishing their meals and trickling out of the mess hall, Cooper decided it was time to make their move and execute their plan, regardless of any misgivings. He braced himself and asked, “Excuse me, Toge?”
The Togetic gasped as if shaken out of deep thoughts. “O-oh? Y-yeah? What i-is it?”
“There was something Testa and I wanted to talk with you about. It has to do with the guild, but we wanted to talk about it in private. Is that okay?”
“P-private?”
“Yeah,” said Testa. “We can head outside and walk for a bit, and talk on the way. Not only that, we saw this weird-looking spot outside the guild while we were exploring the area yesterday. It’s got a lot of damaged rocks, like some battle happened there. We wanted to show it to you and ask if you know anything about it.”
“Um... could that be Smith’s old training grounds?” Booker suggested. “He told me and Sneasel about it once. It sounded like the place you’re describing.”
“Oh, I g-guess it c-could be that,” Toge said. “N-never been th-there. I k-kinda want to s-see it, though.”
“Then I guess this is a good chance to do it!” said Wooper.
“Y-yeah, I g-guess. B-but...” Toge trailed off, glanced at his guildmates, then sighed and looked back at Team Buckler. A change had come over him. He somehow seemed even more nervous now. His body shook, and his eyes kept darting between the Torchic and Squirtle. But he managed to overcome whatever was ailing him, and said, “I... I t-trust you. I think y-you’re g-good Poke-Pokemon. I’ll g-go with you, af-after e-eating.”
“That’s nice to hear,” said Testa with a smile. “I bet it’s a bit awkward to go out alone with some people you only just met, but it’ll be fine. We’ll wait for you outside. Take your time.”
Team Buckler prepared to leave, but Sneasel got their attention, saying, “Wait! Before you go, Totodile wanted to talk with you.”
“Oh, that’s right,” said Booker. “He’s over there.”
He gestured to a nearby table, where Team Misfits sat together. Totodile had been keeping an eye on Team Buckler since they arrived. Once Booker directed their attention over, Totodile finally got up and meandered over, as if trying to stall the inevitable apology. When he made it to Team Buckler, he rubbed the back of his head and looked away sheepishly.
“Look, Cooper,” he said, “I’m really sorry. I didn’t want to give away your secret like that. I know sorry doesn’t cut it, but still... I made a promise, and I broke it, because I got careless. I hope you can forgive me, and I hope we can still be friends—whether you join the guild or not.”
Cooper’s beak curved into a smile. “It’s... it’s okay. I know it was a mistake. And even though I had a little freakout, it didn’t result in a disaster. So I... I forgive you.”
He had to force the words out, but he truly meant it.
Totodile sighed in relief. “Great,” he said. “I felt terrible for messing up like that. I didn’t want to scare you. I just want everyone to be happy, man. Too much bad stuff in the world already, and I never want to add to it. Well, anyway, I’m glad I got that off my chest. See you around, Team Buckler!”
As Totodile went back to his table, Cooper looked over at Toge and said, “Okay, Toge. Like Testa said, we’ll wait for you outside. Thank you for coming out to chat with us.”
Toge nodded vigorously, and Team Buckler went to leave. Just as they went through the doorway and out into the lobby, Cooper stole a glance back. Curiously, he saw Toge leaning over the table, talking with his four guildmates in hushed voices. The topic of conversation was impossible to make out, given the noise in the mess hall. However, Cooper felt worried regardless. It made him doubt that Toge was being honest before, back when he said he trusted Team Buckler. Did he suspect—or know—they didn’t simply want to chat and visit a landmark? Was he consulting his guildmates about this?
These concerns filled his mind as he and Testa left the building and waited by the door. They only abated slightly as Toge joined them and they all began to walk along the dirt road at the edge of town, on their way to the strange stones.
* * *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWj0zD_VSOg (BGM: Skyloft Outskirts)
It was a warm, calm summer morning, and a decent time for a stroll. Grass and trees stood around them, with a clear blue sky above. The bustle of Capim Town was barely noticeable at this distance. Cooper finally managed to distract himself from his worry by taking in the peaceful surroundings, as well as talking with the Togetic.
Despite lying about the true purpose of this excursion, both he and Testa honestly did have some things they wanted to ask Toge. They inquired about his friendship with Team Cozy, and how he felt about his other guild members, as well as the guild as a whole. He managed to avoid lapsing into another rant at the mention of Team Cozy, and willingly gave answers to Team Buckler’s questions. As with his fellow guildmates, everything he said about the guild served to improve Team Buckler’s opinion of the guild.
This made them ever more nervous about lying to one of the guild members. And their fears only grew as they came closer and closer to their true destination: Dewott. Then Cooper and Testa would finally learn if they had made a mistake.
Ten minutes after leaving the guildhall, they reached the place they had been seeking. It was a round patch of dirt at the edge of the forest. Half of it merged into the fields on the Capim Town outskirts, while the other half was bordered by trees and tall boulders, forming a sort of barrier. The rocks were badly damaged, covered in countless gouges and scratches, mainly near their bases. The ground was heavily scarred as well; most notably, the center was marred by a large crater with a chunk of earth beside it, ripped out and cast aside like a mere pebble.
Testa let out a whistle, impressed by the carnage. “Looks like some horrible monster went to town here. Did a feral do this?”
“Sure looks like it,” Cooper said.
Toge looked around and shook his head. “N-no, this... By the l-look of it, B-Booker was right. Like he said-d, I th-think this-s is Smith’s t-training grounds... He’s n-not a monster. H-he’s one of th-the guild m-members. A Sk-Skorupi...”
“He has an interesting training regimen,” Cooper murmured as he examined the damaged rocks. “Well, anyway, glad we got that question answered. Although, there’s still...”
Cooper’s voice failed him, so Testa took over. “Toge, we have a confession: when we said we wanted to chat and ask you about this place, that was only partially true. We also brought you here because someone asked us to do it. He wanted to meet with you and talk with you about something.”
“Yeah, sorry,” said Cooper. “We would’ve told you the truth, but he told us not to let you know about this. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
“Um... I... O-oh...” Toge stammered. He shuddered and looked all around, spreading his small wings as if preparing to fly away at the first sign of trouble.
“Don’t worry,” said Testa gently. “Nothing bad is gonna happen. We wouldn’t do this if we thought you were gonna be hurt. If anything bad happens, we’ll protect you.”
“Th-thanks,” said Toge. “B-but, who w-wanted to...?”
In mid-sentence, he saw Dewott emerge from around a rock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfFyL4opwk0 (BGM: Bynn the Breaker)
Toge’s reaction was as sudden as it was violent. He stumbled back and screamed, “N-n-n-no! Y-you!? Get aw-way! St-stay back!
Toge’s wings fluttered, and he lifted off the ground. Dewott rushed at him, yelling, “Don’t let him get away!”
Testa froze up, but Cooper quickly hopped up and wrapped his talons around Toge’s leg, dragging him down just as he began to take off. Toge flailed, but Cooper held tight and anchored him to the ground, and Testa finally stepped in and firmly grabbed Toge’s arm. Toge continued to squirm and yelp incoherently.
“Careful with him!” Dewott snapped, still making his way over. “Don’t hurt him.”
Cooper and Testa loosened their grips a bit, while still holding the struggling Togetic tight.
“Please... settle down,” Testa said. “Toge, none of us are going to hurt you. It’s okay.”
“N-not ok-okay!” Toge yelled, finally able to force some words out. “L-lemme go! Help! Help! S-someone—”
Dewott finally reached Toge and covered his mouth with a hand. The Togetic froze. Breathing rapidly, he stared at his partner with wide, frantic, watery eyes. Cooper and Testa glared at Dewott and tensed up, prepared to defend Toge the moment Dewott made any wrong moves.
However, Dewott’s face showed nothing but kindness. A soft smile appeared on his face, and his eyes grew gentle. His voice was soothing and calm as he said to Toge, “Hey, chill out, partner. Just hear me out, okay? Please? Like she said, we won’t hurt you. I just wanna talk. Ain’t got nothin’ to worry about.”
Toge whimpered in reply. Testa and Cooper kept hold of Toge, but they glanced at each other with anxiety painted on their faces.
“Um... Dewott, are you sure you two are friends?” Cooper asked. “It seems like he doesn’t want to be here.”
“Of course we’re friends!” Dewott snapped. “And he does wanna see me again, I know it. He’s just... suppressin’ it. He’s confused. I know he prefers me over that guild. He’s gotta! Actually, partner... I’ve been thinkin’ about that more and more since we last met back at Serenity River. I was wonderin’ why you chose that stupid guild over me, and I figured it out. Ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome? That’s gotta be what this is. You just ain’t thinkin’ straight. Ain’t no way you actually wanna hang out with all those idiots instead of me.”
Toge squirmed and tried to talk, but the otter kept his mouth covered, muffling his cries. He leaned in close to Toge and whispered, “This ain’t our place, partner. We don’t belong here. We gotta get home. Don’t you miss home? Don’t you miss me? I’ve been so worried about you. Glad you’ve been stayin’ safe, but... I feel awful bein’ without my best friend. I can’t keep doin’ this. We’ve gotta get back together again.”
As Toge’s struggles weakened, Dewott uncovered his mouth at last, now tucking both arms away inside his cloak. “Sorry for muzzlin’ you like that,” he said, “but I didn’t wanna get interrupted. So... what do you think? You finally ready to come with me and get back where we belong?”
Toge seemed on the verge of tears, sniffling as he mumbled, “B-but I... I like... l-like it here... w-with th-the guild...”
“Nah, you don’t,” Dewott said in a firm yet gentle tone, like a parent reproaching a child. “You ain’t thinkin’ straight. I know you wanna come with me and get outta this place. That’s what you really want.”
“No, you... y-you’re wrong!”
“I know you, partner. I know this is what you want. Don’t lie to yourself.”
“I’m n-not,” Toge said, his face suddenly becoming serious. “I... I think-k I kn-know mys-self... I know myself better than you do!”
Nobody noticed his finger start waggling. But everyone saw Toge’s forehead glow purple. A beam of bright Psychic-type energy suddenly shot out and blasted Dewott in the face. He shouted in pain and stumbled back, clutching his head with one hand.
“What the hell, man!” he yelled. “What was that for?”
Toge was unable to form a coherent reply. His sudden burst of confidence had vanished as soon as his Metronome-based attack landed. He looked at Testa pleadingly. After a moment’s hesitation, she let go of Toge’s arm and got in between him and Dewott, forcing the injured otter to step back. Cooper watched the scene, still holding on to Toge’s leg and anchoring him to the ground. He was paralyzed with indecision and anxiety, as things were clearly going off the rails.
“Everyone stop!” Testa cried. “This is all wrong! This isn’t how friends are supposed to act! Dewott, if he’s really your friend, you should listen to what he wants. Don’t force him to do something he doesn’t wanna do. If he prefers being with the guild... don’t drag him away from it.”
“Outta my way, monster,” Dewott growled. He dropped the hand clutching his head, and his other hand emerged from his cloak, holding a scalchop.
This was a mistake. The instant Dewott drew his weapon, Cooper released Toge and jumped to the side so he had a clear shot at the rogue. He unleashed a Flamethrower in midair, engulfing most of Dewott’s body. The otter screamed and fell back, rolling on the ground and spraying water everywhere. Steam rose from him as the flames were rapidly extinguished, but not before damaging his black cloak and bag with some burn marks, holes, and tattered edges.
Cooper stood beside Testa, saying, “Toge... please g-get back to the guild. We’ll cover you.”
Toge’s wings shook. He failed to fly, too frightened to act.
Meanwhile, Dewott had recovered from the fiery attack. He put his scalchop away, rose shakily, and snarled at Team Buckler. “We had a deal, you two. You were gonna help me get my friend back! You’re gonna betray me now?”
“The deal was to reunite two friends,” said Cooper. “But it’s obvious you two aren’t friends. So the deal is over.”
“Don’t you dare,” Dewott growled. “Listen, I’ll pay you double if you stay with me. That’s 3000 gold total. You’re idiots if you don’t take that offer.”
“You’re an idiot if you think we’ll let you get away with this!” Testa yelled. “We’re gonna protect Toge from you! Don’t you know who we are? We’re a rescue team! Team Buckler! The shield that saves those in need!”
Dewott’s snarl faded. He replaced it with a cruel grin. “Alright,” he said quietly. “Fine. You’re callin’ off the deal? That works for me. Cuz now I ain’t gotta feel bad for what I’m about to do.”
His hand darted into his bag and pulled out a Petrify Orb, which he immediately threw at the ground. Toge tried to use Safeguard. He was too slow. A shockwave of blinding energy surged from the broken orb and washed over him and Team Buckler. Their muscles seized up instantly. They toppled over, stiff as logs.
Dewott laughed as he came over to the helpless trio. With the efficiency of an experienced thief, he quickly yanked off Cooper’s Detect Band and Testa’s Efficiency Bandanna, then rifled through Testa’s bag and put some of the more valuable items into his own bag. He then went to Toge and hoisted his former friend’s paralyzed body over his shoulders. Though Toge was only half a foot shorter than Dewott, he was extremely lightweight, so Dewott had no difficulty carrying him along.
He looked down at Team Buckler one last time and gave them both one kick to the head. “You savages really are retarded,” he said. And with one last laugh, he dashed away to the forest.
He didn’t get far before a shard of ice sliced his flank open.
* * *
Chapter 3: The Shield
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCQmQwKEEOM (BGM: A Proper Story)
Dewott grunted as the sneak attack cut him. He barely had time to stumble before a second Ice Shard grazed him in the same spot and brought him to his knees. He slumped and set Toge on the ground, then got up and spun around. Clutching his wound, he glared at whatever had attacked him.
He saw a Sneasel with a Ribombee peering out of her belt pouch, flanked by a Chespin and Wooper.
Dewott’s glare narrowed further. His dark eyes burned with rage, and his voice was low and dripping with hate. “You... You again...”
He stooped in front of Toge, shielding him from the guild members. They approached slowly, eying the rogue cautiously. Booker leaped out of the pouch and floated down, carrying a pair of Heal Seeds under his arms, then ran to help Team Buckler. As soon as her partner was out of her bag, Sneasel smirked at Dewott and began to flicker in and out of view. In the blink of an eye, she was on the other side of him, the tips of her claws painted red. Dewott gasped and staggered. Blood slowly leaked out from a pair of thin parallel cuts on his cheek, staining his fur. He held his cheek along with his flank, while Sneasel grinned at her bloody claws.
“Nice,” she purred. “Thought you’d see that Quick Attack coming, waterboy. Maybe you ain’t as tough as I thought.”
Dewott snarled. “You little bitc—”
Instantly, Sneasel summoned a long Ice Shard in her claws. “You sure you wanna finish that sentence? Now back away from Toge. Next time, I’ll cut deeper.”
“You ain’t gonna take him away from me. Not again. I can’t lose him!”
“We can’t lose him either!” Wooper cried. “He’s our friend! I know you two were partners, but you’ve gotta leave him alone! Please, just—”
“Shut your mouth, freak!” Dewott yelled, lunging at Wooper.
“Wooper, get down!” Chespin shouted. He jumped in front of Wooper, using his hard-shelled back to take the brunt of Dewott’s powerful punch. The instant the strike landed, Chespin spun and whipped both his vines at Dewott, aiming for the places where Sneasel had cut Dewott on his side and his face. He lashed Dewott repeatedly, forcing the rogue back and away from Toge—and towards Sneasel, who grinned wider and raised her claws as she waited for her chance.
Dewott tried to block the vines with his arms, and even grab them at times. But Chespin was too quick and relentless, and the Grass-type energy in the vines stung him badly as the appendages slammed against his existing wounds. In addition, Chespin’s hands began crackling with Electric-type power—if Dewott stayed close, he would be electrocuted. Grunting in pain, Dewott reluctantly retreated for now. He dodged one vine by rolling to the side, then scrambled away just as Sneasel stabbed at him with a claw. He backed up against a tall rock and scarfed down an Oran Berry from his bag, helping to heal the cuts and bruises caused by the guild members.
Dewott and Sneasel began a staredown, while Chespin and Wooper turned their attention to Toge. Dewott made one attempt to return to his partner, but Sneasel sent a shard of ice stabbing into the ground less than an inch before his foot, making him stop in place.
“You heard Wooper,” she said. “Leave him alone.”
“You’re the ones who oughta leave him alone!” Dewott yelled. “He’s my partner! Get your filthy monster hands off him!”
“He’s really your partner? Well, maybe you’re too braindead to know this, but partners ain’t supposed to petrify each other.”
“I didn’t have a choice! Team Buckler—those traitors—those bastards turned against me! They were gonna take him away unless I took him first!”
By this point, Booker had helped Team Buckler recover from their petrification. When they both stood again, Booker launched himself up with a Fairy Wind and landed on Testa’s shell as he had done in the guildhall lobby yesterday. Team Buckler and Sneasel came together, getting between Dewott and Toge. Booker jumped back into Sneasel’s pouch at the first opportunity.
With that, Team Brave and Team Buckler faced Dewott, guarding Team Cozy and the still-paralyzed Toge like a barricade. Dewott shuddered with rage, sometimes taking a small step ahead or to the side, but never making much progress. The guild members could practically see his mind racing as he tried to determine how to get back to Toge. As the standoff grew tenser, Cooper and Testa began to whisper to each other. They seemed to be scheming or arguing about something, but finally both nodded, having come to an agreement.
Testa reached into her bag and dug around a bit. She took out an object the size of her fist, wrapped in a white cloth and tied with a string. She undid the string and stuffed the cloth back in her bag, revealing what was inside: the Teleport Gem she had calibrated yesterday. It took the form of a blue angular crystal, and once it was in her hand, a ring of bright energy bearing a simple pattern of angled lines appeared and began to orbit the gem.
She turned and held it out to Chespin, while her partner and Team Brave kept an eye on Dewott. “Quick, use this,” she said.
“What is it?” asked Chespin, taking it in his hands.
“Teleporter. It’ll take you to the guild if you think about going over there. Get Toge to safety and get backup for us. We’ll keep Dewott occupied.”
“Are you sure?” asked Wooper. “What if he hurts you?”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Sneasel. “They’ve got me and Booker fighting with them. We’ll beat this loser together.”
“No,” said Cooper, looking up at Sneasel. “You’re going too.”
Sneasel stared down at him. “Huh? You’re kidding, right?”
Booker looked at the Torchic too, and began to ask if he was sure about this. But in that moment, nobody was looking at Dewott. Seizing the opportunity, he rushed forward. Though Booker was looking away, he sensed Dewott’s movements with his Aura power and yelped in fear. Cooper responded first. His head snapped back to Dewott and fired off another Flamethrower. The otter dodged and backed off, then started pacing impatiently, waiting for another perfect moment to strike.
Testa glared at Dewott, having learned not to take her eyes off him. Cooper frowned at the otter disapprovingly, then turned back to Sneasel and answered her question. “No, I’m not kidding. We want to fight him alone. We caused this mess, so we should be the ones to drive him off. Not only that...”
“We decided this could be a good test,” Testa said, still staring at the rogue Dewott. “We made a scene, ran away from the guild—but worst of all, we tricked Toge and almost let him get kidnapped by this psycho. We understand if the guild doesn’t like us anymore. But even after what we did, we want to know: do they care about us? Do they want to help us?”
“And most importantly, do they trust us?” Cooper added. “And in return, can we trust them to help us when we need it? We’ll be putting our lives on the line here—is the guild going to risk themselves too, all to give us the backup we need? That’s what this test is about.”
“Th-this is a bad idea,” Booker stammered, shying away deeper into the pouch. “B-but it sounds like you two w-want to do it. And back at breakfast, when we all talked, you did say you’re strong fighters. So, i-in that case... g-good luck.”
Sneasel sighed. “Alright, fine. You wanna do something risky, go ahead. I was hoping to fight this Dewott guy and see what he’s like, but... I guess I’ll do it some other day.”
“We’ll go get some backup for you guys,” Chespin said, holding the Teleport Gem tight. “You can count on us!”
“We’ll be back before you know it!” Wooper added.
Team Cozy moved Toge away, and Sneasel and Booker joined them, while Team Buckler stood their ground and kept blocking Dewott. When everyone was in position, Chespin closed his eyes and thought of the guildhall. A ring of green light surrounded him and this friends. It spun, and archaic symbols shined in the circle. Suddenly, the ground below them fell away, and they were standing on a disk of white light.
Dewott lunged one more time, screaming his partner’s true name: “Aled!”
Testa blasted him with Ice Beam, forcing him to fall back. But for the briefest of moments before that, right before the portal took the guild members away, Toge’s eyes met his partner’s. It was impossible to read the look in his gaze. Was Toge regretful or happy? Dewott would never know the answer.
The portal flashed blindingly and vanished without a trace. The five guild members were gone, leaving only Team Buckler and a very angry Dewott. But Dewott’s anger was such he didn’t even appear enraged. He was stoic and implacable on the outside, but Cooper and Testa could practically feel the fiery fury radiating from within him. That was even more frightening than if he had screamed and yelled and make his hatred plain.
“I guess there’s one good thing about all this,” he said in a quiet, flat, dead voice. “My buddy... poor guy always was a bit of a coward. Never a big fan of brutality. So at least he won’t have to watch me beat you two to a bloody pulp and rip your bodies apart piece by piece.”
Testa’s eyes went wide. “H-hang on,” she said. “No need to get so violent.”
Dewott ignored her and kept droning on. “Everything would’ve gone perfect if you two filthy animals hadn’t betrayed me. But I guess I can’t expect much from savages, huh? Never shoulda trusted you to begin with. Well, you made your choice, and now you’re gonna suffer for it. Cuz now it’s time for me to make my own choice...”
Dewott slid off his tattered black cloak and cast it aside. He drew his scalchops from his hips. Long blades of pale blue water sprang to life from the edges, humming faintly with power. He twirled them about and adopted a low stance, aiming his weapons at Team Buckler. A mad, fang-filled grin grew bigger and bigger on his face.
“Choice?” asked Cooper, his voice shaking. “W-what choice?”
“Time for me to choose what kinda death you’re gonna get,” Dewott said. “Here’s my pick: slow and painful.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lms3YECMU4 (BGM: The Stains of Time)
The ensuing duel was the fiercest one Team Buckler had ever known. They had fought countless feral Pokemon in their time as a rescue team. They had even battled—and bested—Legendary Pokemon. But the sheer mindless bloodlust and rage fueling Dewott’s strikes was something they had never seen. He swung his blades like an expert, using both in unison to unleash streams of attacks from very angle. He could also use Ice Beam like Testa, exhaling a blast of frigid energy to mix up his attacks. He knew Aqua Jet as well; with this, he could summon water around his feet, allowing him to elegantly skate around the battlefield, repositioning and evading as needed.
The vicious rogue went after Cooper first, hoping to strike down the frail Torchic before the sturdy Squirtle. Cooper was light and agile, but even he struggled to evade this onslaught—especially since Dewott had stolen his trusty Detect Band earlier. Dewott gave Cooper no chance to counterattack, and forced him on the defensive. Even so, Dewott repeatedly managed to blast him with icy wind, forming patches of frost and ice on his body. Worse, Dewott cut him over and over despite his best efforts to dodge. Each newly-opened wound released a hissing burst of steam and stung like a splash of scalding water. Cooper’s feathers were soon drenched in a mix of Dewott’s water and his own blood. Some of it dripped into his eyes as well, so he struggled to see.
In desperation, Cooper called on his knowledge of Low Kick and Shadow Claw to wreathe his talons in a mix of Fighting- and Ghost-type energy, creating a barrier to block and parry the moves instead of dodging. This plan failed—using his talons required him to balance on one leg or leap into the air where he was more vulnerable. He blocked some moves, but continued to take many hits. Pain was overwhelming him, but he kept defending with all his power, frantically searching for the slightest chance to strike back. He found none.
Meanwhile, Testa stood in place a short distance away and shot precisely-aimed Ice Beam and Scald attacks at the rogue. However, he was so fast that he dodged them all with ease, and his proximity to Cooper made it hard for her to attack without risking friendly fire. As she realized her support wasn’t doing much good, and Cooper was on his last legs already, she rushed into the fray. She jumped in between the two combatants and covered Cooper with her body, showing her back to Dewott right as the rogue stabbed at Cooper’s face. The blade bounced off her shell harmlessly. Dewott was undeterred. He unleashed a flurry of strikes against Testa’s shell, laughing the whole time.
Testa tried to strike him with her tail in a weak counterattack. He simply slashed it, making her withdraw it into her shell. Dewott focused on brutalizing Testa’s shell, but occasionally slashed at Testa’s limbs and head. She tucked in her chin in a feeble attempt to protect her head. His blades easily sliced through her scales and drew blood. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized how easily he could kill her. One full-power stab to her head would probably go right through. The only reason Dewott wasn’t going for a killing blow was due to his bloodlust—as he said before, he wanted to draw this fight out longer.
But as long as he was acting foolishly, they still had a chance, and they could use it.
“Bag...” Testa grunted to Cooper. “Hurry... Items?”
Dewott’s attacks had mostly cut through the strap of Testa’s bag. As she spoke, it finally broke loose and fell. Cooper ripped it open with his talons (barely avoiding scratching his badge pinned to it) and dumped all its contents onto the ground. Dewott had stolen the most valuable items, and nothing that remained was good for the heat of battle—except for the single Confuse Wand they had bought this morning. Cooper gasped. He had forgotten about it until now. This was the perfect time to use it.
Cooper grabbed it in his beak and squirmed out from under Testa. He swung his entire head, launching a ball of energy past his partner’s head and towards Dewott. It hit him dead-on. His eyes immediately flashed with light and grew cloudy. He stopped attacking and blinked rapidly.
In this short moment of confusion, Testa lurched backwards, slamming Dewott’s midsection with her shell. As he reeled, she spun on one foot and threw a wild haymaker at his left arm, her fist blazing orange with Fighting-type power. A loud crunch echoed off the stones. Dewott screamed and fell back, dropping his left scalchop as his left arm and hand went limp. He raised his right blade defensively while struggling to move his injured arm. It was still mobile, but only a little. The Brick Break had barely avoided shattering any bones, but it nearly crippled him regardless.
Instead of pressing the attack, Testa went for the items scattered on the ground. There were three Oran Berries, and she ate one while helping Cooper eat the other two. Cooper was still partially coated in frost, and his feathers were still soiled with his own blood, but at least his wounds were beginning to close up, and the pain was dying down. Additionally, Testa was able to clean his face a bit and help him see better, wiping off blood with the cloth that had been previously wrapped around the Teleport Gem.
Recovering from their damage, and feeling the start of a second wind, the partners stood together and faced Dewott. Like them, he was taking the chance to heal his injury, as well as his confusion, using items from his bag. He tested his arm and winced. He could move it again, but it hurt him.
“You’ve gotta do better than that,” he growled. He used Ice Beam on his opponents, forcing them to evade and back off. This gave him an opening to retrieve his dropped scalchop off from the ground. “Took you animals that long—all that work—just to get a hit on me? You shoulda run when you had the chance. Now you ain’t gettin’ outta here alive.”
Water surged around his feet, and he slowly slid left and right, ready to launch himself forward with Aqua Jet at any moment. Testa planted her feet, and Cooper stoked his inner flame to summon up all his Fire-type power. He knew he might be forced to use his concentrated Flamethrower again in order to beat this foe, just like he did with the Cryogonal yesterday. But he felt a sudden stabbing pain in his chest, and coughed out a burst of smoke as his flame faltered. Even with the Oran Berries helping him, he was too injured to charge up such a powerful move.
Team Buckler’s only hope was backup from the Clover Guild. The intense duel had been raging for minutes on end. If the guild members were planning to save them, they likely would have reached the battleground by now. Desperation in his eyes, Cooper looked in the direction of the guildhall. He dreaded the chance he might see nobody.
What he saw nearly brought a tear to his eye. The guild had arrived.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC85UAuq8e8 (BGM: Exploration Team Theme)
Cresting the nearest hill, a crowd of Pokemon were fast approaching along the dirt path. Sneasel and Booker led the charge, followed closely by a Combusken, Skorupi, Furret, Vulpix, Shinx, and all of Team Misfits. All eleven guild members wore clover-shaped badges that glinted in the morning sun.
Dewott looked over and gasped. His Aqua Jet faded, and he stumbled back. “Aw, crud,” he mumbled. “Took too long playin’ with you beasts. Time to end this!”
He turned back to Team Buckler and aimed both blades at them. Testa leaped in front of Cooper to protect him. Dewott crouched, ready to launch himself with Aqua Jet for one final attack.
Distracted with each other, the three fighters didn’t notice Booker hand Sneasel a certain wand with three parallel branches coming off it—a Pounce Wand. She swung it, sending a ball of light to the ground in between Dewott and Team Buckler. As soon as it hit, she teleported there and lunged at Dewott. He barely had time to cancel his attack and raise his arms to block her punch, which was immediately followed by Booker unleashing Fairy Wind from her pouch. He reeled from the double attack. Cooper and Testa blasted him with beams of water and flame before he could recover. The combined attack caused a steam explosion, sending Sneasel sliding back and throwing Dewott into a nearby rock. As he shakily got to his feet, Sneasel tossed down her wand and rushed in. She slashed wildly with her claws as the otter frantically parried with his shells.
“There we go!” Sneasel laughed. “Now it’s a fight! Show me what you got, waterboy!”
Dewott snarled at her and kept parrying, waiting for an opening. At one point, Sneasel struck with both hands at once from opposite sides. Dewott blocked them both and threw them aside, leaving Sneasel wide open. He blasted her point-blank with an Ice Beam. Booker hit him with Fairy Wind again, but it was weak enough that it didn’t stop him. Dewott stopped his attack and drew back a blade, preparing to stab at Sneasel.
“Get down!” a voice yelled from somewhere. Sneasel obeyed, and a glowing blue Aura Sphere soared over her head and slammed into Dewott’s unsuspecting face.
The attack sent the otter sprawling. He scrambled to his feet, using Aqua Jet to evade Sneasel’s claws and a barrage of fire and water from Team Buckler, as well as another flurry of Aura Sphere attacks coming from the Combusken. Meanwhile, the other guild members had finally reached the battleground, and now spread out to try and box Dewott in.
All in an instant, this fierce fight had become a hopelessly lost cause, and Dewott knew it. Still evading as best he could, he extinguished his blades of water and stuck his scalchops to his hips, then retrieved his cloak from where he had thrown it aside earlier. Though his strength was failing at this point, he managed to leap up onto the rocks at the edge of the dirt circle, eventually getting to a tall rock that nearly reached the canopy of the adjacent forest. He looked down on the gathered Pokemon and raised a hand.
“Alright, that’s it!” he yelled. “Ain’t no way I can beat all you freaks at once. Gotta back off for now. But you listen, and you listen good: I ain’t lettin’ you monsters get away with this. You stole my partner from me, y’hear me? I need him, and he needs me! I ain’t givin’ up! I’m gonna get him back if it’s the last thing I do!”
Sneasel began to make a snappy comeback, but Dewott leaped backward off the stone and vanished. Booker and the Combusken, both Aura-sensitive, sensed Dewott retreating deep into the woods at a rapid pace.
“Coward!” Sneasel yelled after him. “Get back here!”
“Wait,” said the Combusken, crossing his arms. “Let’s not chase him into the forest. It’s too dangerous in there. He could ambush us or split us up.”
Booker nodded. “Right. A-and we should check if T-Team Buckler’s okay. That’s more important.”
Some guild members stood guard, while others approached Cooper and Testa, asking if they needed any first aid. They were disturbed by the state of Testa’s shell, now viciously pitted and scarred all over. Cooper looked even worse, as he was still covered in blood and patches of frost. He insisted he appeared worse off than he actually was, and suggested everyone treat Testa first.
“No you don’t,” said Testa sternly. “You need help first. You’re doing better after the Oran Berries, but we’ve gotta get you to a doctor. The guildhall had a clinic, right?”
“Y-yes,” said Booker. “We can take you there.”
“Can you walk?” Sneasel asked Team Buckler. “Me and KFC could carry you guys back to the clinic.”
Cooper did his best to listen, but his mind was growing hazy. The adrenaline of the battle was wearing off, and pain was starting to sting him again. He felt lightheaded and faint. He sat and slumped against Testa’s side. He vaguely heard the guild members calling out to him and growing increasingly worried. Then he blacked out.
* * *
Chapter 4: Trust
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYSM_upZDYk (BGM: Aftermath)
Cooper awoke in a room that he could safely assume was the guildhall’s clinic. He lay in a soft bed, and Testa sat in another bed nearby. She didn’t have her bandanna and badge, but Cooper could see both items sitting on a nearby desk, along with a second badge—his own. The Teleport Gem was placed beside them as well. It was now dull blue, its power temporarily spent after warping the five guildmates to the guildhall earlier.
Testa was awake already, and speaking with an Audino in a nurse uniform. Sneasel stood off to the side, with Booker perched on her head. Cooper glanced down at himself and saw his feathers had apparently been washed, as he was now clean of any blood or frost. He also felt less pain than before.
Booker sensed the Torchic stirring, and called everyone’s attention to it.
“Cooper!” Testa cried. “You’re okay!”
“Y-yeah,” Cooper stammered. “Sorry. That fight took a lot out of me. How are you doing, Testa?”
The Squirtle said she was fine. She explained that after Cooper fainted, the Clover Guild members had carried both of them back to the guildhall, where they were treated and healed by the Audino Kina. Cooper was more badly injured than Testa, but both of them would make a full recovery. They would have to take it easy for a few days, though.
In addition, Sneasel told Team Buckler what happened after she, Booker, and Team Cozy had brought Toge back to the guildhall. As soon as they teleported in, they alerted everyone that Team Buckler was fighting Dewott and needed backup. Though some guild members had already departed to complete the day’s work, the remainder jumped into action immediately. They split into two groups: some guild members went with Team Brave to help Team Buckler in their fight, while the rest stayed behind with Team Cozy to protect the guildhall and guard Toge.
Cooper nodded and gave a small smile. “G-good. Thanks for the help. You had no reason to come out and fight for us. We gave you our Teleport Gem and let you escape. You could’ve locked yourselves up in the guildhall and let us deal with Dewott or die trying. But you really pulled through for us.”
“Exactly,” said Testa. “We were right to believe in you guys. Thank you so much. We really couldn’t have done it on our own. That Dewott was crazy strong.”
“And just plain crazy,” Sneasel said.
“He honestly believes he’s d-doing the right thing,” Booker remarked. “A-and that makes him especially dangerous. He can’t be reasoned with. So, uh... we all have to be extra, extra careful with him.”
“I’m glad we managed to save Toge from him,” said Testa. “Oh, speaking of which, how’s he doing?”
“He’s fine,” said Kina. “He’s in the waiting room with Chespin and Wooper. Would you like to talk with him?”
Cooper nodded and sat up in his cot. Kina opened the door to the next room and called for Team Cozy and Toge. The three of them entered the room, then Kina went into the waiting room and shut the door, giving everyone some privacy.
Toge avoided eye contact with Team Buckler and mumbled something incoherent. For a little while, that was the only sound.
Cooper finally sighed and said, “Toge, we’re so sorry.”
“Yeah,” Testa added, hanging her head in shame. “We should’ve told you the truth—we should’ve told you we were bringing you to meet Dewott. But he told us not to tell you, and... well, we didn’t think things would turn out the way they did. We never expected Dewott to act like that. You were right, Chespin. He really is bad news.”
“We met him after I ran out of the guildhall yesterday,” Cooper explained. “He told us he was misunderstood, and he only wanted to talk with you, Toge. He said he really cared about you, and we believed him. We thought it would be okay to let you two talk things over. We didn’t expect a big fight to break out.”
“And we’re sorry for dragging the rest of the guild into this, too,” Testa added. She looked at Teams Brave and Cozy apologetically. “Even though we made a huge mistake, and almost got Toge kidnapped... you guys still came out to help us. Like we said before, we can’t thank you enough.”
“And we can’t apologize enough, either. Please forgive us.”
Throughout their entire speech, Sneasel had crossed her arms and shut her eyes, considering their words. Booker fidgeted atop her head, and whispered something into her ear beside him. Chespin bit his lip, Wooper’s typical smile wavered, and Toge still averted his gaze, unable to look Team Buckler in the eye.
“I’m th-the one who sh-should apologize,” Toge said at last as he began fiddling with his hands.
“Huh?” asked Testa. “Why?”
“I th-think I should... t-take the b-blame. Kris... he w-warned me that-t something bad c-could happen if I w-went with you. But I d-didn’t want t-to believe it, and I d-didn’t w-want to b-bother you, or make it s-sound like I d-didn’t trust you... so I k-kept it to m-myself. If I j-just told you two ab-about it, we c-could’ve just sta-stayed-d in the g-guildhall and—”
Testa shook her head. “Don’t apologize, Toge! Seriously. You’re being too hard on yourself. You’re the victim here. Please don’t beat yourself up over it.”
“B-but I should’ve t-told you guys...” Toge continued, starting to mumble and lower his voice more. “And a-also, y-you shouldn’t apol-apologize to the guild. I should. I’m r-really sorry th-that so m-many guild m-members had t-to take th-the time to come out-t and help me. It’s... em-embarrassing...”
“Hang on, Toge,” said Cooper. “Testa’s right. Don’t feel bad about it. It’s my fault for making a bad choice and letting Dewott meet you.”
“It’s my fault too,” said Testa. “Not yours, Toge.”
Booker smiled at Toge and added, “Also, um... m-maybe you can try looking at this way: the fact that so many of our guildmates jumped at the chance to help you... doesn’t that prove we all care about you? Well, that’s what I think, at least.“
Toge finally looked up. Glancing between Booker, Testa, and Cooper, he finally gathered his courage and forced a smile. “O-okay,” he said. “I g-guess you’re r-right. And, T-Team Buckler, I... I f-f-forgive y-you.”
“You do?” asked Cooper. “Oh... thank you! That really means a lot to us.”
“Yeah, thanks, Toge!” Testa said, smiling widely. “I promise we’ll never do anything like that again. We’ll be more careful and honest with you from now on.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyMzLp80GyU (BGM: Daily Passing By)
Things seemed to be reaching a happy conclusion. But off to the side, Booker could sense that Toge was much more uncertain than he sounded. In his heart, he was deeply shaken. Trusting Team Buckler had led to a harrowing encounter. The only thing that prevented an utter disaster was Kris’ prediction. Even though these were usually wrong, and therefore ignored by almost everyone, the fact that this one seemed to vaguely reference Dewott had been enough to worry Toge. As such, he had decided to speak with Teams Brave and Cozy at breakfast and ask them to tail him and Team Buckler, just in case Dewott really did make an appearance.
If he had not done that, there would have been nobody to stop Dewott. Toge would have been dragged away, never to see the guild again. Booker was deeply disturbed by that possibility. He could safely assume Toge was even more frightened by it, along with the rest of the guild—especially Team Cozy, Toge’s closest friends.
In light of this, Booker guessed it would take some time for Toge to truly agree with his own words, and actually forgive Team Buckler for their mistake. But until then, he was apparently willing to put on a brave face and move forward. As far as Booker was concerned, that was good enough for now.
As Booker was deep in thought, so was Cooper. The Torchic spoke first. He looked at his partner and said, “Testa, I need to get your thoughts on something. It has to do with the big question.”
“The big—oh,” she said. “Right. The guild... Have you decided what we should do?”
“Well, I was thinking about everything we learned and saw during the tour, along with the way the guild saved us from Dewott. Like we talked about before, it’ll be harder to make a living independently than with the guild. Also, we just made a powerful enemy by angering that Dewott, so it’ll be dangerous for us to be by ourselves.”
Testa’s smile was growing. “I get it... so you’re saying you finally made up your mind?”
“Are you joining the guild?” asked Wooper, bouncing up and down, unable to contain his excitement.
“Hang on,” Cooper replied. “This is hard for me to say. I definitely still haven’t gotten over my trust issues—after being betrayed and suffering so much before, I can’t bring myself to trust anyone too easily. But nothing about the last two days has been easy. We’ve been through a lot and learned a lot, Testa. I think I’ve collected enough info to make an informed choice here, and I hope you can say the same.”
“Definitely,” she said. “I already made up my mind about what we should do: I think joining the guild is a good idea. But I’ll do whatever makes you most comfortable.”
“Then I think we’ll both be happy with my choice,” Cooper said, smiling along with his partner. “The Clover Guild has earned my trust. So, if nobody has any objections... I’d be happy to be a part of the Clover Guild.”
As soon as he said that, Testa hopped out of her cot and onto Cooper’s, giving him a big hug. He winced as her embrace made his pain flare up again, but he tried to ignore it. As always, her hug felt nice, and he leaned into it. Saying those words had lifted a weight off his chest, and though his heart fluttered with uncertainty, he forced that feeling down. This was the right choice.
Meanwhile, Sneasel grinned and nodded slowly in approval, careful not to throw Booker off her head. Booker smiled and sighed in relief, happy that this big uncertainty had been cleared up. Toge gave a weaker smile, willing to accept the decision and see where things went next. Wooper hopped up and down and cheered, while his partner’s reaction was more reserved.
“That’s good news,” said Chespin. “I’m glad you made up your mind. You’ll like it here, and we’ll keep you safe from Dewott. But you’ll have to talk with Lliam to make sure you can really join the guild.”
“Yeah,” said Booker. “But we... we do support you, and we’ll vouch for you both. So, um... Sneasel, should we take them to the guildmaster’s office now?”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Sneasel. “Cozy, Toge, you wanna come too?”
Toge shook his head. “I th-think I need t-to rest-t a bit m-more,” he said.
“That’s okay,” said Booker. “Please, take it easy. I know all that was stressful for you.”
“Yeah,” said Wooper. “How about we hang out at the garden? It’s real comfy there! It’ll cheer you right up!”
“I’m a b-bit af-afraid of g-going out... outside again,” Toge murmured. “B-but if you’re w-with me, a-and the g-guildhall’s c-close... it may b-be okay...”
“Sure,” said Chespin. “I know we’ll be safe there. And we can ask some other guildmates to come with us too, if you want. Safety in numbers.”
Toge nodded, and after stammering his farewell to Teams Buckler and Brave, he went with Team Cozy and left the room. Testa released Cooper from her embrace and slid off the cot. He followed, still wincing in pain. Testa helped keep him steady, and they began to follow Team Brave out of the clinic. Sneasel paused to collect Testa’s bandanna and the team’s two badges, along with the Teleport Gem. She helped Testa put her bandanna and badge back on, and stored Cooper’s badge and the gem in her pouch opposite Booker for now. With that, they left the clinic, waved goodbye to Kina, and went upstairs.
Team Misfits was resting in the lounge on the second floor, and Cooper and Testa paused to chat with them.
“All’s well that ends well, I suppose,” said Phanpy.
“I’m really glad things turned out okay,” said Totodile. “I was so worried when I saw you all bloody like that, Cooper. Feeling better?”
“I am now,” Cooper replied, “thanks to your Audino nurse.”
Torchic nodded. “Good. I’m happy we scared Dewott off without too much effort. If the four of us had to fight him...”
Cyndaquil shuddered. “Yeah. It wouldn’t have ended well. I only enjoy getting hurt when it’s consensual. And like we said back in the dungeon, we’re not the best at fighting, so...”
“We understand,” said Testa. “Thanks for coming out to help us. We appreciate it.”
The Pokemon all said goodbye, and Team Buckler followed Team Brave up to the guildmaster’s office. By now, Cooper noticed he had a smile on his face. His life was undergoing a big change now. He was on his way to join a guild and regain his ability to trust others. And much to his surprise, he didn’t fear this change in the slightest.
* * *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33V4xNvfTgY (BGM: Explorers of Sky—Top Menu)
As she had done yesterday, Sneasel knocked on the door to Lliam’s office and entered with her partner and Team Buckler. The Meowstic was sitting straight up in his chair with his hands clasped on his desk, watching Cooper and Testa intently. His calm and friendly demeanor from the previous meeting was replaced with a much more dour one. Cooper and Testa walked more slowly as they approached his desk. Cooper did his best to maintain his current surge of optimism, but it wavered under the withering glare of the guildmaster.
“H-hello sir—I mean, Lliam,” said Testa. “We wanted to talk with you about a few things.”
Lliam nodded. “Go on,” he said quietly.
Cooper glanced at Testa, then gulped and said, “Um... first, thank you for letting us use your clinic to be healed. Also, we wanted to apologize to you for what we did to Toge. We didn’t mean him any harm, but we made a mistake, and it almost caused a big problem. So, we’re very sorry.”
Lliam said nothing. Booker cleared his throat and said, “Um... i-if I may add something... Guildmaster, they talked with Toge, and he forgave them. It seems like he’s willing to let this, uh... incident... slide.”
“That’s right,” Sneasel added. “He’s cool with it. No hard feelings.”
Lliam listened to Team Brave, then briefly shut his eyes, collecting his thoughts before saying to Team Buckler, “Cooper, Testa... it’s true that you two almost made this guild suffer a huge loss. Ordinarily, I’d tell you two to leave and never come back. However... Toge vouched for you two.”
Cooper and Testa stared at Lliam. Together, they stammered, “H-he did?”
“Yes, he did~” Lliam said with a grin. “I stayed here to protect him and the guildhall while you two kept fighting Dewott, and during that time, he talked with me and let me know what happened at Smith’s training grounds. He said that you two stepped up to defend him when Dewott started to go too far, and even though you couldn’t stop Dewott from petrifying him, you still put up a fight—both of you. I should thank you for protecting one of my precious guild members~”
“Oh, um, y-you’re welcome,” said Testa. “That’s nice of Toge to support us like that! But we were just doing what any rescue team would do. We couldn’t sit back and let that crazy Dewott kidnap poor Toge. Especially since we’re the ones who put him in that situation.”
“The fact that you think that way is commendable,” said Lliam. “Even though you two and Toge barely knew each other, and Dewott was offering you money to help him capture Toge, you still put your lives on the line to fix your mistake and save a Pokemon in need. That’s impressive courage, Team Buckler—exactly the sort of thing we need in our guild, kyukyukyu~”
“Thanks, Lliam,” said Cooper. “Actually, funny you should mention that. There was actually something else we wanted to discuss with you. We decided we’d like to... um... join your guild. If that’s okay with you.”
Lliam laughed. “Ah, so you finally made up your mind~”
“Y-yes, I did. It was hard, but I think I’ve finally decided that I can trust the guild. Both Testa and I would love to stay with you all and work alongside you until we can get back home someday.”
“What do you think about that, Lliam?” asked Testa. “We’d understand if—”
“I have no objections,” the guildmaster said. “We can start the process to welcome you into the guild now.”
Testa gasped. She had not expected Lliam to accept their request so easily. “Awesome!” she said with a laugh. “Thank you so much! We won’t let you down, Lliam!”
Cooper shook and let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah. Thank you very much, sir. If the guild will be working with us and supporting us from now on, we’ll do our best to repay the favor. We’re an experienced team, so I think we can bring some good skills to the table. You won’t regret this.”
“I should hope not~” Lliam said. “On that topic, would you mind telling me a bit more about yourselves? I’d like to know more about your talents and experiences.”
Cooper hesitated. He was unsure if they should reveal the team’s secrets: his humanity, their time as a fugitive, the fact they originated from a parallel universe, and the way that his true name was shared with Booker the Ribombee. But the guild had earned his trust, and if he was going to be working with them, they deserved to know this information about him.
With some reluctance, and a bit of urging from Testa, Cooper admitted that he was a human. Booker and Sneasel had already heard this revelation yesterday, but it was news to Lliam, who took it without flinching. He had met so many humans-turned-Pokemon, meeting another one was no big surprise.
The duo then revealed their time as fugitives, in which they were betrayed by their friends in Pokemon Square, falsely accused of a crime, and chased all across the continent. They also clarified that this was the root of Cooper’s trust issues. Lliam nodded in understanding, while Booker frowned and hung his head.
“I’m s-so sorry to hear that,” he said. “People can just be... awful sometimes. I’m glad you two survived, and got your names cleared in the end.”
“But it’s kinda cool that you ran all the way across the whole continent,” Sneasel said. “You two are stronger than I thought. I mean, you said you were good fighters back at the mess hall, but escaping a bunch of Pokemon and other rescue teams like that is super impressive.”
“What other experiences have you two had?” asked Lliam. “Any interesting missions or dungeons? I’d love to learn more about how strong of a team you are~”
Team Buckler went into detail on various challenging rescue jobs they completed, as well as some tough dungeons they discovered and explored. Lliam listened to them with a smile on his face. But he did not register most of what they said, as his attention was focused on something else entirely: scanning their Auras.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcguHL_j6pw (BGM: Benevolent Spirit)
One of only four Aura-sensitive guild members, Lliam used his powers to scan each newcomer to the organization. And so, while Team Buckler was going on about their experiences on the Air Continent, Lliam focused his mind on Testa and analyzed her Aura. It was vibrant, shining with pink and yellow in almost equal measure, alongside some fuchsia. It gave Lliam the feeling of a sunny day, mixed with a smooth and sparkling river lined with beautiful flowers. He sensed no hostility or ill will from the Squirtle.
Satisfied, he turned his attention on Cooper. The Torchic’s Aura faded into view. Like Testa, his Aura did not seem hostile, but it felt oddly dull and faded like an old fabric. Lliam could assume this was due to the trauma Cooper had mentioned experienced. This made it a little challenging to deduce its exact colors, but as the Meowstic concentrated, they grew more saturated and came into full view.
Something was terribly wrong.
The Meowstic narrowed his eyes at the Torchic. Cooper stopped mid-sentence and stepped back, a sudden twinge of his old fear and anxiety lashing out at him. “Lliam, w-what’s wrong?” he stammered.
Testa and Team Brave looked at Lliam curiously—and nervously. The guildmaster ignored them all. He focused all his attention on scanning Cooper’s Aura deeper, trying to judge the precise ratio of each hue it contained. Then he looked over at Booker, giving the Ribombee the same treatment. He had already scanned Booker’s Aura many times before, and remembered what it was like. But he wanted to make sure he was remembering it right.
25% brown, a shade as subdued and quiet as its bearer. 35% aqua blue, symbolizing a studious and inquisitive mind. 40% mint green, a soft color for a gentle soul.
It was undeniable: the Auras of Cooper and Booker were completely identical.
“Impossible...” Lliam breathed.
“What?” asked Testa. “What’s wrong?”
Lliam took a deep breath before replying. “Sorry if I startled you four, but I sensed something surprising about you, Cooper: you and Booker have the exact same Aura.”
Everyone gasped. Booker immediately shut his eyes and exhaled deeply, entering a meditative state. After an extended pause, he gave a start and yelped, nearly toppling off Sneasel’s head in his surprise.
“I... I th-think you’re right, Lliam!” he said. “I sen-sense it too. But h-how?”
Booker looked down at the Torchic, then hopped off Sneasel’s head and floated down to the edge of Lliam’s desk to get closer to Cooper. “I never knew two people could have the same exact Aura...” he murmured. “Everyone’s Aura is unique. The only way we could have the same Aura is if we’re—“
“...The same person,” Cooper said breathlessly, finishing Booker’s sentence. His purple eyes had gone wide, and he stared at the Ribombee on the desk. Gears turned and puzzle pieces fell into place in his mind. The fact they had the same name, the fact they were both humans originally, the fact Booker’s personality was identical to Cooper’s before his time as a fugitive jaded him... and now the fact they had identical Auras, which should have been impossible. It was all making sense now.
“The same person?” Booker repeated. “That... th-that can’t be right. Can it?”
“It might be,” Cooper said. “Would you believe me if I said Cooper is just a fake name? Ask Team Misfits. They came up with the name. And as for my real name... believe it or not, it’s Booker.”
After giving Lliam, Sneasel, and the other Booker a chance to gasp, Cooper stared intently at the Ribombee and said, “This is actually what I wanted to ask you about earlier, but I never got around to it. The name isn’t not the only thing we have in common. I want to know how deep this goes, so I need you to answer this question: where were you born?”
Booker gulped, nervous about what this line of questioning would reveal. “Um... G-Georgia. On Earth. I’m a human like you—not sure I mentioned that before, but, uh...”
Cooper was unsurprised by Booker’s humanity, as he had learned that information from Team Misfits earlier. He was amazed by Booker’s home state, though. He murmured, “I... I’m from Georgia too.”
“Wow, really? W-what city are you from? I was born in—”
“Savannah, right?”
“Y-yeah? But how—”
“And you moved to Fresno, California when you were 5, along with your parents and baby brother.”
“H-h-how d-did you—what?” Booker squeaked.
“I know all that... because all that is true for me too.”
The room was dead silent for a long while. Then, quietly, and with identically shaky voices, Cooper and Booker talked more about their lives. They talked about the names of their family members, what schools they went to, what songs they enjoyed, what video games they played.
Everything matched.
Every detail about their personal lives was exactly alike. The only change occurred two years ago, when Booker the Torchic entered the Pokemon world, while Booker the Ribombee remained in the human world for another year and a half. As the two Bookers finally fell silent, an air of astonishment settled over the entire office.
“We... we must be the same person...” Booker mumbled. “That’s the only explanation. But... how?”
“I’m really confused here,” Sneasel said as she crossed her arms and frowned, looking back and forth between Cooper on the floor and Booker on the desk. “Look at you—you’re two different people! You can’t be one—”
“Alternate universes,” Testa said, covering her mouth with her hands. “That’s it!”
Cooper nodded. “Exactly. See, there’s another thing we didn’t tell you guys yet. Back in Giant Stone Meadow, when we were talking with Team Misfits, we realized the dungeon shift that brought us here didn’t just take us to another continent. It actually brought us into another universe entirely. It’s a lot like our old one, but with some differences. That proves there are at least two Pokemon worlds, and if there can be two of those, there can also be two human worlds, right? Both of us, both Bookers—we must have come from alternate versions of the human world.”
Booker stammered for a bit, but finally collected himself and said, “That sounds crazy, but it makes sense. I mean, before coming to this world, I didn’t believe alternate universes could exist. But after waking up here, I changed my mind. So I agree with your theory... um, other me. What do you think, Sneasel?”
She seemed distracted by something, and didn’t reply right away. But when she did, she shrugged and said, “I mean, I’m still confused. Each person’s gotta be unique, so I dunno how there can be two Bookers. But I trust you, partner. If you think it makes sense, I’ll go along with it. Having a second Booker will take some getting used to, but I bet we can be friends.”
“Sure,” said Cooper. “I can tell you and Booker are close. If you can befriend Booker once, you can do it again.”
Testa chuckled, while Lliam smiled at the four guildmates. “I also agree with your theory, Cooper,” he said quietly. “This is fascinating stuff. Team Buckler, do you believe we should tell the rest of the guild about this?”
The duo looked at each other briefly as they tried to decide how to respond. Testa spoke first: “If we’re going to be part of the guild, we should probably avoid keeping secrets. And I don’t think revealing this will cause us any harm.”
“I agree,” said Cooper. “W-well, I think having some secrets and privacy is still acceptable. But the fact we come from another world, and Booker and I are alternate versions of each other—we can tell people those pieces of info.”
Booker was only half-listening. Ever since the existence of alternate worlds was revealed, he had sensed a darkness in Sneasel’s Aura, and it was growing over time. He gently asked his partner what was wrong. She sighed.
“It’s just... Something you said is kinda bugging me, Cooper,” she said. “You said a dungeon shift brought you here from another world, right? Thing is, I also got dragged away from my home by a shift like that. That’s how I ended up here. So now I’m wondering: what if I got sent to another world too? I assumed I was still in the same world, just on another continent. But now, after what you said... I mean, it was already a real tall order to find a way home. But if I’m in another world now, it’ll be downright impossible. I’ll never see my tribe again...”
Sneasel looked away, hiding her face so nobody could see her sadness growing. But Booker and Lliam could sense it, and Cooper and Testa could easily guess how gloomy her face looked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwGoG_zynPk (BGM: Ending)
As a result, Team Buckler stepped forward. “We can help,” Cooper said.
“Yeah,” said Testa. “We want to find our way back to our own universe. So if it’s true that you’re in some alternate version of your original world, like us, then we have the same goal.”
“So we’ll work together. We promise. After all, that’s what guildmates do.”
“That’s what guild... mates...” Sneasel repeated in a murmur. She paused, sighed, and finally turned to look at Team Buckler. She was smiling now, and the black cloud had entirely faded from her Aura. “You’re right. Thanks. You two are cool. Glad to have you in the guild.”
“We’re glad too,” said Testa. “I’m looking forward to meeting everyone we haven’t met yet, and working with the guild!”
“And it’ll be interesting to have another me around,” said Cooper. “But I’m sure we’ll get along.”
“I hope so too,” said Booker.
“Seems like the four of you are getting along nicely already,” Lliam interjected. “Allow me to officially welcome you to the guild, Cooper and Testa! I’ll consult with you later, and we can schedule a meeting so you can talk to the guild about your secrets and discoveries. Also, Team Brave, can you show them to the storeroom and help them pick out badges?”
“Sure thing,” said Sneasel. She moved Booker off the desk and onto her head again, and stood ready to go.
“Wait,” said Cooper. “What about our old badges?”
“You can keep them, of course,” said Lliam. “You may even pin them alongside your new clover badges.”
“Cool,” said Testa. “I like our badges. Platinum Rank, y’know. I totally don’t wanna give them up.”
“Also,” asked Cooper, “do you guys have spare headbands and scarves in your storeroom? I’d like to get a new headband to replace the one Dewott stole.”
“I think a green one would look good on you,” said Testa. “Green, like a clover!”
Cooper chuckled. “Yeah, good idea. Oh, we need a new bag too. But we can buy one in town if we need to.”
“We’ve got tons of stuff down in the storeroom,” said Sneasel. “I bet you can find whatever you’re looking for.”
“I’m excited,” said Testa, rubbing her hands together and grinning. “A whole storeroom of items... I’ll spend all day looking at what you’ve got.”
“And we’ll be happy to show you around,” said Booker. “Let’s go.”
Sneasel led the way out of the room, and the four guildmates chatted in cheery voices, excited for the new experiences and adventures they would all have together.
* * *
Lliam watched them go with a smile on his face. As soon as they closed the door, his face grew serious. He turned his chair around to gaze out at the forest beyond the guildhall.
“Alternate universes...” he murmured. “Things are getting interesting. Rifts opening all around, dungeons undergoing massive shifts, and now parallel universes crossing over. There were already a lot of humans coming to this world, but now we even have humans from other versions of Earth. Come to think of it, I wonder if any other guild members came here from other Earths too. Just how many universes are involved here? Is all this leading up to something, or just a coincidence? Well, I guess only time will tell.”
The guildmaster sighed and turned his chair back around, resuming the work he had been doing before this meeting: reviewing Team Misfits’ report of Giant Stone Meadow. Progress was slow, however. His mind swam with thoughts brought on by Team Buckler and their story.
He couldn’t say exactly what lay in store for the Clover Guild. But everyone had made a vow at the guild’s founding nearly six months ago: the group would stay together and face whatever challenges arose. The guild members, new and old, were all growing stronger by the day. Supporting one another, working together... trusting each other.
The smile returned to Lliam’s face. No matter what happened, he knew one thing for sure: the Clover Guild would overcome.
The End