Learning to Fly
Chapter 9: Bug and Bird
A Clover Guild Story
By Ribombee-anon
Previous part: https://rentry.org/RibombeeFly8
The storm ended at last. The sunshine was warm, and a brilliant rainbow arched in the distance as Sneasel and I walked to the meadow. My partner held me in one paw, since the top of her head was soaked. Although my vantage point was a little lower than normal, I could still gaze out over the vast and vibrant blanket of flowers surrounding us. They glistened with raindrops on their petals and leaves, and my antennae waved about as the enticing floral scents washed over me. I felt the last remnants of my anxiety fading away.
We gathered some flowers and returned to Capim Town by noon. The morning sun had dried Sneasel’s fur while we traveled, so I’d returned to my seat atop her head. In her claws, Sneasel carried a haphazard bouquet of bright flowers. Some Pokemon looked at us as we passed, and a handful smirked at the sight of a tough Sneasel carrying a bunch of pretty flowers, but they always averted their eyes when she snarled at them.
“I never thought I’d say this,” Sneasel grumbled, “but I hope we find Taillow soon. The sooner I get these stupid flowers outta my claws, the better.”
After looking around for a while, we found Taillow at a road lined with shops. She was sitting atop an awning and tweeting a cheerful wordless melody, while the Floragato shopkeeper standing directly below plugged his ears in annoyance. The music didn’t irritate me, but I did feel something else: fear. The sight and sound of the bird made my chest feel tight. She was at a safe distance, but at any moment, she could take flight and attack—no, she wouldn’t. I couldn’t let myself cave in to that fear. Even if it took all my energy, I refused to give up.
Taillow’s singing abruptly ceased when she saw us approaching. Her eyes went wide, and she fluttered her wings and prepared to fly away.
“Wait!” Sneasel yelled. “Booker wants to talk!”
The bird froze with her wings spread wide. “H-he does?” she asked. “Really?”
I took a deep breath to try to calm my racing heart, and I stood up on Sneasel’s head. As my eyes met those of the bird that terrified me yesterday, my legs felt like jelly. A voice in my head told me to run and hide and never look at Taillow again... but I forced a smile onto my face and slightly raised a shaky arm to greet the bird. That was the most I could do, and it took no small amount of effort to do it. Taillow perked up as she saw my attempt to greet her.
“Follow us,” Sneasel told the bird. “Let’s get outta the road.”
I allowed my legs to give out as my partner started walking to an alleyway. Taillow came after us. Sneasel leaned up against a wall on one side, and the bird landed on a crate opposite us.
“Um... hey, guys,” Taillow said. “Sorry for acting like I was gonna bail on you. I figured you guys were still upset and didn’t wanna see me again. But if Booker’s down to talk again, that’s great! I was worried he was scared of me, but looks like you’re over it now! You were waving at me and everything. I’m really—”
“Shut up,” said Sneasel. “Listen, I... I’ll let Booker do the talking. This was his idea.”
“Y-yes...” I said, my voice barely audible. I cleared my throat and tried again, loud enough for the bird to hear. “Taillow, I... I’m sorry about yesterday. I d-didn’t want to be so s-scared of you. I just... lost control of myself for a minute. I know you’re nice, and I already forgave you for... w-what happened when we flew together. Believe me, I don’t hate you. So, I j-just wanted to apologize for how I acted. And I hope this present will m-make up for it.”
Sneasel, on cue, went over and carelessly dropped her flowers in front of Taillow. The bird’s eyes went wide as she looked down at them.
“Wait, these are for me?” she asked.
“We got these from a meadow outside of town,” Sneasel explained. “Booker’s idea. He thinks you’re into flowers.”
Taillow hopped up and down, chirping cheerily. “I am! I love flowers! Oh my goodness, these look so pretty! And you made a special trip just to get them for me? Aww, thank you!” She buried her beak among the flowers to take in their pleasant scent. “I love the present, Booker! I’m super grateful you still like me.”
Taillow looked up at us with bright eyes. As I got another look at her beak, I noticed there was now a little blue mark on it—I forgot to warn her that these flowers could stain easily. She just laughed when I told her about it, and she said she’d wash it off later. She then proceeded to dip her beak into the pile again.
I chuckled at that. In fact, I felt elated. Was Taillow’s genial personality just that infectious? No, not quite. I remembered what I’d learned yesterday: as a Ribombee, I could sense other people’s emotions, and that could influence how I felt. Taillow’s dismay yesterday made me depressed, but in turn, her current joy made me cheerful and content. And as her happiness lifted the darkness that had fallen over me, I noticed another change: I didn’t feel afraid of her anymore. She was a friendly, harmless Pokemon who loved flowers just like I did. She was not someone to fear.
Before I could let that feeling slip away, I decided to prove it to myself by approaching Taillow of my own accord. I jumped off Sneasel’s head and floated down to the crate, standing across from Taillow on the other side of the flower pile. She looked at me, and although my heart skipped a beat, I breathed deeply and stood my ground.
“I’m v-very glad you like the flowers,” I said.
“I love them! You’re the best, Booker!” Taillow paused and cocked her head to the side. “But... I was wondering about something. You said you didn’t wanna be afraid of me yesterday, so why’d you get frightened in the first place? Was it something I said? I sure hope not. Sorry if this is, like, too personal of a question, but when my friends are feeling bad, I wanna know why.”
My current surge of happiness faltered as I thought about the answer to this question. I braced myself before replying, “It was just an... instinctive thing. You’re a bird, a-and I’m a bug, so... I guess part of me was afraid you’d hurt me, o-or even... um... eat me.”
Taillow nearly fell off the crate in her surprise. “W-what?! You’re afraid I’ll eat you? Are you nuts? I’d never eat another Pokemon—especially not you! You’re so nice!”
“Th-thanks,” I mumbled sheepishly. “But, still... I couldn’t help it. I’ve been, uh... going through some stuff lately. And I’ve noticed my instincts are getting stronger. So I think that’s w-what happened here.”
Taillow put a wing to her chin, as if in thought. “Huh. That is pretty weird. But I hope things work out for you! Just remember: we can control our instincts. We’re smarter than those mean old feral Pokemon. I believe in you, Booker.”
“Thanks,” I said again. “I’ll do my best...”
Taillow’s eyes seemed to light up, as if she just remembered something. “Hey, did you two ever hear of Team Tasty?”
“Oh! Yes, I have,” I replied. “The Wurmple and Swellow?”
“Never heard of them,” Sneasel said flatly.
“Really? They’re, like, my favorite exploration team ever!” Taillow cried. Much to Sneasel’s dismay, the bird launched into a long-winded ramble of the team’s history and various escapades, but I found the stories interesting—not least because the duo’s combat style (a weak bug supporting a glass cannon) reminded me of myself and Sneasel.
“And here’s the craziest thing,” Taillow said eventually. “Even though they ended up becoming a great team, they had a rocky start. Y’know why? It’s cuz Wurmple was afraid that Swellow was gonna eat him! All because they were a bug and bird—just like you and me, Booker! That’s why Wurmple came up with the name ‘Team Tasty’! Haha! But even though Wurmple’s instincts made him all scared like that, he still became best friends with Swellow.”
I’d heard the basic story of Team Tasty before, but it had a very different meaning now. “Oh, s-so that’s why you told me about them,” I said. “You want their story to inspire me?”
“You got it! Well, it’s also cuz I love those two explorers, and I’ll take any chance to tell their story. But you can totally learn something from Team Tasty, Booker. You can do great things too. All you gotta do is be brave, and don’t let any instincts hold you back! You and Wurmple had the same kinda fear, but if he could overcome it, I know you can too!”
That was uplifting. “Thanks for the encouragement, Taillow,” I said. “I a-appreciate the support. Sneasel has been very supportive too.”
“Aww, that’s sweet!” said Taillow. “Her and I don’t see eye to eye, but I’m glad you two get along so great.”
“Me too,” I said, both wistful and a bit embarrassed.
“Me three,” said Sneasel, patting my head.
Taillow giggled as she watched us. “Booker, Sneasel, I hope you two stay together,” she said. “You’re a really cute couple.”
Sneasel and I both froze. I stared at the bird, and my partner yelled, “WHAT?”
Laughing, Taillow gathered up her gift of flowers and flew off. “Thanks again for the present!” she sang. “See you soon!”
Sneasel stammered and clenched her fists. “W-we’re not a couple,” she grumbled.
But I could sense the joy hidden beneath her flustered exterior, and that made me smile.
* * *
The peaceful waterfall poured into the gently rippling pond. The sun shined in the clear sky. On a flat stone in the middle of the water, a Combusken and a Ribombee sat side by side.
Here at our meditative waterfall pond, I’d just finished telling my trainer about the events of the last few weeks and my struggles against my instincts. I’d already told him a bit about my concerns during our previous meditation sessions, but never in this much detail. It felt embarrassing to admit how fearful and fragile I was, but it was also a relief to confess everything to someone besides my partner. At this point, I deeply trusted my trainer, and I felt like he deserved to know what his student had been going through.
“You’ve had a hard few weeks,” KFC said.
I sighed. “I certainly have. But I feel like I can see the light at th-the end of the tunnel now. It was a big turning point when I talked with Sneasel at the tree yesterday.”
KFC turned his eyes to the waterfall. “It’s unfortunate that you still react so strongly to getting wet. I can adjust our training to help you handle that fear—and your other concerns too.”
“That would be a good idea. By the way, I j-just wanted to say that I’m... very grateful for all the help you’ve given me with my training. I couldn’t have come this far without you.”
KFC looked down at me and gave a small smile. “I’m very glad to hear that. For that matter, I couldn’t ask for a better student. You’ve followed my instructions, stayed motivated, and made great progress. It’s been a joy to watch you grow.”
I returned the smile and mumbled a shy “Thank you”. Though I felt too self-conscious to admit it openly, it was clear that I’d improved a lot. There was no question that I’d become much more athletic than I ever had in my life—both my lives, for that matter.
“This has been a good experience for myself, as well,” said KFC. “I’ve learned some things, like how to better explain new topics to a novice, or how to speak to people more confidently and help them correct their mistakes. That’s not to say you’ve made a lot of mistakes, of course. You’ve made some, but like I’ve told you before, mistakes help you learn. Speaking of learning... at this point, I believe you’ve almost completed the first phase of your training.”
I gasped. “Y-you don’t mean—”
“Before you get too excited, I want to double check,” he said, holding out a hand above me. I sat motionless, looking at his looming hand as it glowed faintly. I felt energy swirling around it and enveloping me as well. He had been checking my Aura like this almost every day, so we both were well aware of how I was progressing. Just as we’d hoped, I was indeed balancing my Aura and adapting to my new body over time.
“Yes, you’re very close,” KFC said, moving his hand back to his lap. “In a couple weeks, at most, I think we can take the final step of this phase. I’ll give you a test, and if you can complete it, you’ll be able to use Fairy Wind.”
My heart fluttered along with my wings. “Th-that’s great!” I cried, but I did have one concern. “What will that test be like?”
KFC hesitated for a moment before replying, “It will be... a challenge. That’s all I’ll say. So make sure you continue training diligently.”
That wasn’t the best answer, but I wasn’t too bothered. If my trainer wanted to keep the test a secret, I trusted his judgment. He gave me a reassuring nod and looked at the waterfall again, taking a deep breath and resuming his meditation. I tried to join him, but it took a while for me to calm myself and clear my mind.
The road hadn’t been easy, but I’d made it this far. I’d trained hard and battled my own fears and shortcomings—with plenty of help from my friends, of course. And now I’d arrived here at an enormous milestone. Whatever my trainer had planned for me, I’d face it... and the winds of change would blow.
To be continued...
”Learning to Fly” homepage: https://rentry.org/RibombeeFly My homepage: https://rentry.org/RibombeeHomepage Clover Guild homepage: https://cloverguild.com