Learning to Fly
Chapter 1: Flightless
A Clover Guild Story
By Ribombee-anon
Ever since awakening in this world of civilized Pokemon, I had been bothered by several unanswered questions.
Why did I transform from a human into a tiny Ribombee? Why did so many other humans also turn into various Pokemon and appear here, around Capim Town? Was there any way for us to return to Earth? Why couldn’t I use any Pokemon moves?
But the most painful question was this: why was I still flightless?
Although I had a minor fear of heights, I’d also always had that very human desire to fly free as a bird. Now that I had a new body with a pair of lovely gossamer wings, it should have been a dream come true. But the universe seemed determined to taunt me, because I was completely unable to use my wings for their intended purpose. That said, I actually had been able to control my wings to a small extent for the first few days of my new life, but I lost that ability quickly. Perhaps I had only been able to move them due to instincts taking over in that stressful time, back when I was still in shock after being torn from my home and my family and sent to this strange new world. Whatever the reason, that brief allowance of control was a thing of the past. Now, in the rare cases where I managed to move my wings through sheer willpower, I could manage nothing more than the faintest of twitches, pitiful and weak.
Weak. I hated feeling weak. I was sick of being unable to get around on my own. I was sick of people staring as I rode on my partner Sneasel’s head instead of flying. I was sick of strangers asking if my wings were broken. I was sick of being useless.
Even so, I was unable to deal with it right away, since an avalanche of other things had stolen my attention shortly after my arrival in the new world. I had to spend a week or two getting situated and adjusting to my new life, during which I met my fellow transformed humans. We formed a group called the Clover Guild, then worked together to set up a guildhall where we and our new native Pokemon friends could live and work together. It certainly felt good to have guildmates, but being timid, I never wanted to bother them and ask them for help with my wings. It was a problem I preferred to handle myself.
As I settled into the guild, and my desire to fly refused to die down, I finally began experimenting with my wings during my spare time. The process was arduous. It felt like there was some sort of barrier in my mind that blocked me from sensing and accessing the muscles in my new body. My wings seemed as though they were paralyzed, and moving them even the slightest amount required immense effort and focus. Despite my dream of flying, it was difficult to stay motivated under the weight of so much failure. By the end of the first month, my enthusiasm was struggling to stay afloat. I could barely work up the energy or the motivation to keep trying. The days where I practiced soon became outnumbered by the days where I didn’t bother at all.
One morning, after eating a quick breakfast, I forced myself to go through the usual motions on the desk in my guildhall dorm. I shared the room with Sneasel, but she had left to help Guildmaster Lliam with a small task. So much the better; I hated the idea of anyone seeing my struggles, even my partner.
As I always did, I concentrated on my wings and did my best to move them around. I visualized them fluttering effortlessly and smoothly. Nothing happened. I looked down at my body and tried to feel where my rearranged muscles were. I could feel nothing. I told my wings to move, begged them, ordered them, yelled at them. They refused to move.
It was the same old song and dance, but for some reason, this was the day where my frustration finally reached the boiling point. I stomped and screamed in rage. I jumped all around the desk, desperately flapping my arms along with my wings. I knew it wouldn’t work. I knew I was making a fool of myself. But after all this time, I was willing to try anything. And I thought nobody was watching me.
I sensed a presence. I froze, then spun to face the doorway. The door was now open, and Sneasel was standing there, holding back laughter.
My new insect body didn’t allow me to blush. But if I was physically able to do so, my face surely would have turned beet red by now. I stood there, weak in the knees, as my partner walked into the room with a big smirk on her face. I couldn’t look her in the eye. She sat on the floor cushion in front of the desk and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the edge.
“Still at it, huh, partner?” she asked. “I don’t think flailing your arms around like a crazy guy is gonna do anything, though.”
“I know!” I screamed. Both of us were surprised at my uncharacteristic outburst. But I kept going: “I hate it! I hate this so much! Why is this happening? Why can’t I figure this out? ...W-what’s wrong with me?”
My voice cracked and faltered. I fell to my knees and hung my head, crushed under a mountain of self-pity. Nothing I did was working. My wings would stay broken forever. I was a failure.
Suddenly, something gently brushed the top of my head. I flinched. It felt nice, although my antennae tingled as they were flattened down. I looked up again. Sneasel was giving me a reassuring pat on the head. Her smirk had vanished completely, replaced by a serious stare.
“Nothing’s wrong with you, Booker,” she said softly. “Nothing. You’re a human, and humans can’t fly, right? So you never learned how to use wings, and you ain’t got instincts for it. It makes sense you can’t fly. Now, if you figured it out right way, then I’d call you weird. But if it’s hard for you, that’s okay.”
I reached up and lay a hand on Sneasel’s claws. “Thanks,” I said. “That makes me feel better... kind of.”
As Sneasel moved her hand off my head, I looked back at my wings and tensed up my body, grunting in frustration. My wings feebly fluttered in response. I muttered, “I just... can’t wrap my head around how to use these things. And if I can’t figure it out, they’re useless.”
“Not really,” Sneasel said. “You can use them to float down from high spots, right?”
“Yeah. I can do that, but...”
“Exactly. See? And floating is just one step away from flying. Doesn’t sound so bad when you think of it like that, huh? I’m sure you’ll figure this out somehow. I mean, you’re not gonna give up, are you? Back in the forest, back when we met, you promised me you’d get stronger. And I’m gonna hold you to it, partner.”
“You’re right,” I said. Sneasel and I originally bonded because of our shared desire to get stronger, and she had always kept me motivated. Today was no different. I buried my anxiety and stood up.
“You’re right,” I said again. “I’ll find some way to fix this. I won’t be flightless forever. Or, at least, I hope not. But obviously, trying to do this on my own isn’t working. I need to find someone who can help.”
“Don’t look at me,” Sneasel said. “I don’t know anything about flying.”
“I know. We’ll need to find a flying Pokemon. I hate to bother other people and ask for help, but I don’t think I have any other option.”
I paused and thought about my guildmates, and the Pokemon affiliated with the guild. “Let’s see... flying Pokemon... Natu is the first that comes to mind. He’s Charm’s partner. Is he here?”
Sneasel shook her head. “I bumped into Charm yesterday, and she said she and Natu were heading out on a couple missions today. We can wait till tomorrow and talk to him when they get back.”
“I’d rather not wait,” I said. “The sooner I can get started on this, the better.”
“Then how about we talk to Archie? She’s a guildmate, and she lives just at the edge of town. We can swing by and see if she can help.”
“Archie the Archeops? Uh... I don’t want to sound rude... but she’s not a good flyer. Not her fault, though—her species just can’t fly well. So I don’t think I’d be able to learn much from her. It would be better to talk to a skilled flyer.”
“Good point. But I think Natu and Archie are our only flying guildmates. How about outsiders?”
“Well, there’s a Vibrava who showed up at the guildhall before, but I only saw him once or twice, and I don’t know anything about him. And there’s the Noivern, Bullet. He’s not a guild member, but I think he could help me if we could find him. Do you know where he lives, or where he is right now?”
“Nope,” said Sneasel. “We could ask around and track him down, but he’s probably out on a mission with his girlfriend, like usual.”
“The Indeedee? She’s not his girlfriend—according to Bullet, anyway. But that’s beside the point. Any other flyers you can think of?”
“Well, there’s plenty of flying Pokemon in town. Maybe we can head out and ask them. And I’ve been here longer than you, so I can probably give you some ideas about who’s best to ask.”
A certain Pokemon popped up in my mind. “Actually,” I said, “now that you mention it, I have one idea. Let’s head out into town.”
Sneasel nodded, then hunched down and rested her chin on the edge of the desk, letting me clamber up her face and sit at my usual spot atop her head.
“Who’d you have in mind?” she asked.
I hesitated. My idea seemed good to me, but I had a feeling Sneasel would dislike it. “I’ll... tell you when we get going,” I said.
I felt Sneasel shift as she shrugged. “Alright, fine,” she said. “Guess it’ll be a surprise.”
She stood up and went for the door, but I tapped her head to stop her. “Sneasel,” I said, “thanks for helping me. And thanks for the kind words earlier, too. It means a lot to me. This flying problem is really tough, so... I’m glad you’re with me.”
“Don’t mention it,” she replied. “I’m sick of watching you get all depressed cuz of your wings. I can’t stand seeing you like that. So helping you’s gonna be good for us both.”
That made me smile as Sneasel left our dorm and brought me out into the bustling Capim Town.
Originally published 4-19-23
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