Summer Festival — The Prize

A Clover Guild Story
By Ribombee-anon

Chapter 1: The Festival

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBbMFMSj1B0 (BGM: Fireworks - Animal Crossing New Horizons)

I always looked forward to festival days back home. Everyone in the tribe would get together to celebrate the yearly harvest, the birth and death of famous old chieftains, the power of the gods, all kinds of stuff. We’d do games and activities, and there’d be singing and dancing and music and good food. Everyone looked forward to festivals, whether you were a little kit or a gray old Weavile. People here in Capim Town felt the same way. They had a totally different culture than the Stone Tribe, but I guess no matter where you are in the world, everyone loves a good party.

But today’s summer festival was different. Instead of the usual fun and excitement, this one had a different vibe, more... anxious. Like everyone was worried something would go wrong. I felt it too. But it made sense, y’know. After all, there was a lot riding on it.

The Clover Guild didn’t even plan this festival till a week ago, and we were only doing it cuz we had to. Long story short, some guild members broke a fancy new outdoor stage in town, and people got pissed. We never had the best rep with folks around here to begin with, and I guess this was the last straw. To stop everyone from rioting, we had to agree to set up a festival for the town as an apology, and people seemed to like that idea.

We’d spent the last week organizing the event, and the big day was finally here. We put a bunch of stalls and tents and a stage in a field outside of town, and now that it was a little bit after sunrise, everyone was doing their last-minute setup—including me and Booker. Our guildmate Tropius shot down my original idea for a game (“Pin the Banana on the Tropius”), but we got another idea from a different guildmate, Kaiji the Gray Meowth. He said it’d be cool if we made a shooting gallery where I made ice darts that people could toss at targets, and Booker and I thought that sounded neat, so we claimed a spot at the edge of the event space to set up our game. We put it there so missed darts would go away from the crowds and not hit anyone. I thought that was dumb. The added risk of getting nailed would add excitement to the event, right? And it’d teach people to always be on their toes! But everyone disagreed with me, especially Booker, so I got overruled.

I’d gotten good at using Ice Shard, especially with some advice and tips from Booker and other guild members. I could make them quickly now, and in a special shape so they’d fly through the air better, so they’d be nice darts for this game. To make sure I didn’t run out of energy, we got a little lockbox with a stash of elixirs. Of course, we also needed targets for people to throw the darts at, so we borrowed some hay bales and a bunch of target papers from the guild’s dojo, then lined them up and painted a few lines on the grass to tell people how far back they should stand to throw. Species that couldn’t throw so well would stand closer, and species that could throw better stood farther back.

And the best part: the prizes. We got a long table and stocked it with a bunch of dolls, plushies, and wooden figurines from some shops in town. The wood carvings were cool, but Booker was more interested in the plushies. He thought they all them looked super cute, and he fawned over them. Meh. I was never a big fan of that sort of thing. It was super embarrassing to go around and buy all this cutesy stuff—I got my reputation to think of, y’know—but I convinced everyone that Booker was actually the one who wanted them, which wasn’t a total lie. That shifted all the embarrassment over to him, but he put up with it pretty well.

Speaking of Booker... I heard a quiet yawn coming from the prize table. It almost seemed like one of the toys made that sound, but I knew better. My partner and best buddy was chilling out over there, mixed in somewhere with all that junk.

I was painting another line on the grass, and stopped to look over at the table. “Dozing off, dude?” I chuckled.

A tiny little Ribombee came stumbling out from the crowd of toys, and leaned up against a wooden Pikachu doll that stood a bit taller than him. He looked at me for a second, then rubbed the back of his head and looked away.

“Sorry, Sneasel,” Booker said, kinda slurring his words. “I’m just really tired f-from all this work...”

I gave him a nod. A week ago, he volunteered to organize this whole event, and he got put in charge (mainly cuz nobody else wanted to do it). But even though Booker had a team of volunteers helping him out, there was a buttload of work to do. He had to stay up late and get up early all week, so he was really drowsy. I’d been helping him de-stress, and I convinced him to get a little extra sleep last night, but still, this was probably the most exhausted I’d ever seen him. I’d have to get him another jar of royal jelly as a treat soon.

“You deserve to relax now,” I told him. “Everyone is gonna love the festival. You did a great job, partner.”

He yawned again. “Th-thanks. I just wish I could... stay awake and e-enjoy the... fruits of my labor... and make sure everything is g-going smoothly.”

Giving him a pat on the head, I said, “Like I told you last night, I’m sure everything is gonna go fine. How about taking a nap for now? Festival doesn’t start for, what, two more hours? When you wake up, we’ll get some food for you, and we can take a walk around the place to see how things are going. Actually, might as well take a few breaks all throughout the day. Sound good?”

“Sounds... good,” said Booker.

“Enjoy the nap, sleepyhead.”

He smiled and went wandering around the table a bit, looking for a spot to rest. He decided to sit and slump against a soft Absol plush, probably cuz it reminded him of his good friend Kris. I guess this doll was a comfy pillow. He was snoozing in under a minute. He sure fit in, looking just like another toy. Except... cuter. I know I said I didn’t like cute things, but... c’mon, I had to make an exception for my partner. If I was Cassie or Pika or Furret, I would’ve made some really embarrassing noises because of how adorable my little buddy looked cuddling up to that plush toy. But I was tougher than those girls, so the embarrassing noises stayed in my mind.

I smirked and glanced around. Nobody was watching. Our stall was out of the way, and all the other guild members were in the distance, busy setting up their stalls or chatting. Quickly, before anyone looked our way, I went over and gave Booker a quick kiss on top of his head. His antennae twitched around, and he smiled a bit in his sleep.

I grinned. “Sweet dreams, buddy. We’ll have some fun when you wake up.”

* * *

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSbCUWDdhnI (BGM: Fireworks - Animal Crossing New Leaf)

I finished setting up the stall and spent a bit of time practicing with my ice. I had to make sure the shards were all identical so the game would be fair for everyone and nobody would get mad at us. Some guildmates came over every now and then to pass the time and chat (quietly, once I pointed out my sleeping partner to them). Everyone was still nervous about whether the festival would go well. A botched event would really screw our reputation, after all. Still, people couldn’t help but get kinda excited as the time came closer, and I felt the same way.

Before we knew it, it was 9 AM, and the festival started. All kinds of Pokemon came pouring in and wandered all over the field, checking out the stalls and attractions. The crowd was pretty noisy, but Booker was so tired that he slept right through it. That was good, cuz we got lots of people stopping by our stand. On top of being good practice for using Ice Shard, it was also a chance to practice my people skills. Over the last few days, Booker found some time to teach me to be friendly with everyone who came over. I think he called it “good customer service”. I thought it sounded dumb, but he said it was best not to give these people any more reason to hate us, and that definitely made sense. I wasn’t the cuddliest Pokemon, and I felt pretty awkward being all nice and stuff, but I did my best based on the pointers Booker gave me. I put on a warm smile, gave out tips for throwing the darts, cheered people up if they missed, blah blah blah. I think people started to ease up as they saw how friendly I was being, and they were all pretty amazed at all the sweet ice darts I was able to summon on such quick notice.

Folks enjoyed playing the game, and they also liked the prizes we had on our table. Everyone loves a good plush to cuddle, or a nice wooden figure to display or play with, I guess. People usually didn’t notice Booker right away, and when they did, they always awkwardly asked about him. They were never sure if he was a toy or a Pokemon. I laughed and told them he wasn’t a prize. Not for them, at least. The only one who was gonna take him home was me, obviously.

All in all, I felt like I was doing a good job of teaching those folks that the Clover Guild ain’t all bad. Actually, some people told me exactly that. The festival had only been running for, like, an hour, but basically everyone said they were enjoying things so far. I even recognized some people who came by our stall, cuz Booker and I did missions for them in the past, and they thanked us again for helping them out. I wished Booker was awake to hear the compliments. Every time people praised him, he’d blush and shy away, and it was always fun to watch him and tease him over it.

Anyway, long story short, my mood was pretty good. I should’ve known things couldn’t go so well forever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nsximjmyYo (BGM: A Little Kerfuffle - Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon)

I was checking on Booker, who was still fast asleep, when I heard a gruff voice yelling, “Hey, these darts don’t work!”

I looked over. The guy I just gave three darts to—a Pignite—was staring at me with a big frown.

“What’s wrong, pal?” I asked, trying to still sound friendly.

“Don’t play dumb. I threw all three perfectly at the middle of that target, and they all veered off at the last second! Are you trying to trick me?”

“No,” I said, resisting the urge to sneer at him. “Maybe you just threw it wrong. Don’t tense up, and don’t forget your follow-through. And—”

“Don’t patronize me, guild member. I’ve played darts before, and I’m good at it. This game is rigged, I know it!”

“Wanna go again? I can make as many shards as you want. Take your time, look them over. If you think it’s shaped wrong, I’ll just make a replacement.”

“No. I’m not playing your rigged game anymore. You should be ashamed.”

“Look, buddy, I ain’t rigging nothing,” I said, pointing a claw at his ugly mug. “Plenty of people won already. Maybe your body heat’s melting the ice and making them fly wrong. That ain’t outta the question.”

“What, because I’m Fire-type?”

“No, because you’re a fat tub of lard. Actually, maybe melting isn’t the problem—maybe it’s just your gravity pulling the darts off course.”

Booker taught me denser things have more gravity. And you couldn’t get much denser than this obnoxious blob here. Guess I struck a nerve, cuz he started fuming.

“I’m surprised you even know what gravity is, you dirty tribal,” he said in a mocking tone.

“I know plenty—wait, how do you know I’m tribal?”

“Well, aside from your stench, I’ve heard enough gossip around town to know what you are.”

“Hey, my fur’s scruffy, but I keep myself nice and clean. If you’re smelling anything, it’s gotta be you. Speaking of, do me a favor and stay downwind of me, ’kay?”

He broke eye contact with me and looked past me. I figured he was trying to come up with a comeback to that sick burn I just gave him. He finally snorted and locked eyes with me again, saying, “Real funny, you savage. Instead of making jokes, shouldn’t you be off devouring innocent Pokemon and sacrificing children?”

“Shouldn’t YOU be off devouring a 500-course buffet, you ugly meatball?”

We spent a little while throwing insults back and forth. I knew it was wrong, but it sure was fun. We only stopped when we heard wings and saw a shadow fall over us. I instinctively raised my claws and crouched, and me and the fatso looked up. A huge Corviknight was swooping down at us, and I realized he was Percival, one of my guildmates. He was running security for the event, and he was spending most of his time flying over the festival grounds and looking for trouble. The giant bird landed heavily next to us and glared at us both with his red eyes. I knew him well enough to not get scared of him, but Pignite backed off. That made me smirk.

“What seems to be the problem?” Percival asked.

“Th-this game is rigged!” Pignite quickly yelled.

“Is not!” I yelled back.

“Please remain calm,” said the bird. “Perhaps there is a simple misunderstanding. There is no need to raise voices or succumb to anger. As the leader of our proud security team, I will be happy to mediate this issue!”

“Oh, shut up,” said Pignite. “I know you. You’re with the guild. You won’t give me a fair shake.”

“I can assure you I—”

“Just give me my money back. And while you’re at it, I demand compensation for all this time I’m wasting, and all those terrible things this cat called me.”

“Hey, you started it!” I shouted.

“Insults will solve nothing,” said Percival. “Sneasel, please refund this gentlemon 1.5 times what he paid.”

Grumbling, I dug into our coin box where we kept the cash that people paid to play our dart game. It took me a little bit to figure out how many coins Tubby deserved. I always hated math. Booker was probably still asleep, and I didn’t wanna wake him up to ask for help. I got it in the end, though—at least, I thought I did—and tossed some coins at Pignite.

He looked at the money and nodded. “Surprised you know how to count,” he said.

I hissed at him. Percival stepped between us and loomed over Pignite.

“Sir, I must kindly request you refrain from instigating another argument!” Percival said.

“A-alright,” Pignite said quickly.

“Thank you. If you suspect more games are rigged, please contact me instead of taking out your anger on the guild members running the games. And Sneasel, if I hear more complaints about your game, I will have to investigate.”

“Sure, fine,” I said. “Got nothing to hide. Some people just suck at throwing.”

Pignite sneered at me and stomped off, a bit of smoke coming from his snout. “Filthy, savage, human guild...” the fatso mumbled, just loud enough for me to hear.

Without thinking, I summoned a dart of ice in my claws, and my eyes focused on the back of his head. A giant black wing swept in front of me, covering my view. I looked up at Percival, and we stared at each other for a couple seconds. He looked mad, and I bet I looked the same too.

“Do not do something you will regret, Sneasel,” said Percival quietly.

I sighed. “Hate to admit it, but you got a point. This festival’s supposed to get us on good terms with the town again. Besides, Booker would cry if he found out I impaled someone. Guess Tubby is getting off easy. For now.”

I turned to the targets, and chucked my ice dart over there instead of at the butterball’s head. I got a bullseye.

“Rigged, my butt,” I grumbled. “Hope that jerk didn’t wake up Booker.”

I looked over at the plushie table. And I looked. And I kept looking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmYPxdQpwpQ (BGM: Suspense - Ace Attorney)

It took a bit for my brain to catch up with what my eyes were seeing. Booker was supposed to be right here. I could see the exact Absol plush he’d been sleeping with. But now... he was gone.

“...B-Booker?”

I only asked it in a whisper, cuz I was too stunned to speak up. I finally forced my legs to move, and I circled the table, my eyes darting all over. I still didn’t see him. I shoved the prizes around and knocked some off the table, not caring that people were staring at me. I looked under the table and in the grass around our stall. Percival asked what was wrong, but I barely heard him. My heart skipped some beats, and my stomach twisted in knots. He was gone.

“Booker?” I yelled. “Where’d you go? C’mon, this ain’t funny! Quit hiding!”

I knew he wasn’t really hiding. He had no reason to hide from me. But I just didn’t wanna admit that he wasn’t here anymore. Still, that was obviously the truth. He was gone.

“Booker is missing?” asked Percival.

“He should be right here!” I shouted, my voice cracking.

There was no way Booker would wander off without telling me... assuming he left by choice. And if he didn’t leave by choice, then that could only mean one thing. The thought made me snarl and clench my fists tightly.

Someone stole Booker.

* * *

Chapter 2: The Search

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LEX6IeCGXw (BGM: Berry Big Circus Piano - Ace Attorney: Justice for All)

Well, I couldn’t just stand around and gawk. My boyfriend was out there, and I had to get him back. I had no clue where he was or who took him, but I’d never find out just by standing around here.

“I gotta go look for him—now!” I said. “What if he got taken by a crook, or a bully, or some stupid kid? He could get hurt!”

“Your concerns are warranted,” said Percival. “I shall assist you from the air. My eyesight is powerful. Assuming he is in the open, I shall find him and retrieve him. If you wish, you may search from ground level simultaneously.”

“I... dunno what that word means, but if you want me to look around for him myself, that’s cool. I was gonna do that anyway. Thanks, big guy.”

“Please do not call me that.”

The giant bird took off, almost knocking me over with the wind from his wings. After getting steady again, I turned and ran, ready to scour the entire festival grounds till I found my partner. I only got a couple steps before running into a Pokemon that had been right behind me. I didn’t see him, and I tripped over him and faceplanted. Trust me, I would’ve caught myself if I wasn’t distracted worrying about Booker.

“Hey, watch it!” I yelled.

“You watch it!” shouted a voice I recognized.

I rolled over and sat up, taking a look at who got in my way. It was actually a guild member: Kiyo, the White Vulpix. I must’ve knocked him over when I tripped over him, cuz he was sprawled on the ground an inch from my feet. He groaned and sat up, adjusting his beige cap and scowling at me. He probably thought he looked intimidating, but he was almost as cute as Booker. That, plus the fact we were on pretty good terms, meant I didn’t get too mad at him for tripping me up.

“Oh, it’s you,” I said. “Sorry. You alright?”

“I’m fine—but now I look like a friggin’ urchin with all this dust on me,” he said as he brushed off his vest and sat up on his haunches. “Whatever. Look, I came over because I heard yelling. What’s going on?”

That snapped me back to the problem. “Booker’s gone, and I think someone took him. I gotta find him and make sure he’s okay!”

I jumped to my feet, but Kiyo got in my way again, fanning out his tails. “Someone took him?” he repeated. “Seriously? Please tell me you’ve got a plan for the search.”

“Nope. I mean, Percival said he was gonna look from the air, and I’m gonna look around down here. Can’t waste time making a big ol’ plan.”

“Bad idea. Plans are important. It doesn’t matter what you’re looking for, stomping off blindly isn’t gonna do you any favors. I have spare time now—don’t need to do my show until later—so maybe I can help you real quick.”

I looked down at him and crossed my arms. “Outta my way.”

He reared up on his back legs and awkwardly crossed his front legs, trying to match me. He was still shorter than me. “Stop being ridiculous! It’ll only take a second to talk it over and organize your facts so you can make a plan. And another thing: are you sure you want to go running off with your stall unattended? That’s just asking for a wise guy to come along and take everything, especially when this spot is off on the edge of the festival.”

He nodded at the stall behind me, and I glanced back. As if Kiyo planned it, a delinquent-looking Scraggy with a red bandanna around his head was sneaking up on the pile of prizes. As soon as I bared my fangs at him, he gulped and scurried off.

“Why didn’t you get a chest or something to protect your prizes in case you ever had to leave the stall?” Kiyo asked, rolling his eyes. “I can get one for you later, but for the time being, I’ll guard this spot while you’re gone. In return, let me help you make a plan.”

“Fine,” I groaned.

“Good,” said Kiyo. “Booker’s... kinda my buddy too, so I just want to make sure you can find him quick.”

“Thanks,” I said quietly. I sat down in front of our prize table, and Kiyo sat next to me. I started making ice shards and dumping them on the grass between us.

The fox watched the pile. “What are you doing?”

“Think you can keep these chilled?” I asked him. “Might as well stockpile some, so people can play the game till I come back. I just hope they don’t melt too much.”

Kiyo nodded and swept his fluffy tails over the ice shards. I kept tossing shards into that giant clump of white fur as we talked.

“You’ll be wasting time if you just run around aimlessly,” said the fox. “You got any leads? First off, where’d you see Booker last?”

“He was taking a nap right here,” I said, pointing at our table, “with all those plushies and carvings. Maybe someone thought he was just another toy, and that’s why they took him.”

I thought I saw a little smirk appear on Kiyo’s face, like he was holding in a chuckle, but it was pretty subtle. Maybe it was just me.

“Well, at least you know where he was before you lost him,” said the fox. “When was this?”

“Not long ago. Like, five minutes at most. I was keeping a good eye on him for the most part, but there was one time I looked away, and when I checked again, he was gone.”

“What distracted you?”

“Got in a...” I hesitated and sighed. “Got in a retarded argument. Shouldn’t’ve done that.”

“Happens to the best of us. Except Bean. He never gets in arguments, cuz he never raises his voice.”

“He has a voice?”

“Just because he’s quiet, that doesn’t mean he’s mute. Anyway... did anyone else see whoever might’ve taken Booker?”

I shrugged. “I dunno.”

“Come on, think. Did you notice anyone who was looking at that prize table during the argument?”

“Uh... Percival came over and stopped the fight, but he didn’t say anything about a thief. Guess whoever took Booker must’ve come by earlier, when it was just me and that tub of lard—”

Then it hit me.

“Wait!” I shouted. “The fatty was looking the other way!”

“Who?”

“The guy I was arguing with—that Pignite! He was looking at me, and I bet he was focused on me, but he must’ve seen whatever was behind me too, right? And I had my back turned to the prizes, so maybe he spotted who took Booker! All I gotta do is find him again and he’ll tell me who he saw!”

“Well, there you go!” Kiyo smirked. “Told you it’d be helpful to talk things over. But are you sure that ‘fatty’ is gonna hear you out? If you were pissed at each other before, then—”

“I’ll make him hear me out. Thanks, Kiyo. Gotta go!”

The White Vulpix held up a paw. “Just one more thing! I’m pretty sure I saw a Pignite on the south side earlier. Dunno if he’s the one you’re after, but might as well check over there first. And... good luck finding Booker.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr-60Rnsp0A (BGM: The Fun Fair - Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance)

Leaving Kiyo to watch my stall, I hopped up and ran off. There sure were a bunch of Pokemon roaming around, big and small, young and old. The festival brought a huge crowd, way bigger than any festival back home, but pretty much on par with a couple I’d been in since coming to Capim. There were so many Pokemon that it was kinda overwhelming, but the Pignite was so fat I could see him from the other side of town, so hopefully it wouldn’t be too hard to find him.

As I dove into the crowd and wandered around, I figured I might as well ask random Pokemon if they’d seen a Pignite or Ribombee. Most of them just ignored me and hurried on by. A few shrugged or said no. I kinda got the feeling they were brushing me off just cuz I had my badge on my armband, showing I was a guild member. Once that idea crossed my mind, I unpinned the badge and hid it in a belt pouch. Couldn’t tell if people were more willing to hear me out after I did that, but it was worth a shot. I’d do anything to boost my chance of getting help.

Over time, I bumped into a handful of Pokemon that recognized me from the dart game earlier. They were nicer than anyone else in the crowd, and they were eager to help. None of them had seen Booker since spotting him in the prize pile, but they said they’d let security know if they saw a lost Ribombee. Not only that, a couple of these Pokemon said they’d seen a Pignite, and they gave me directions to help pin down where he was. I always made sure to thank these guys a bunch. I guess that “good customer service” thing was paying off.

The festival grounds were pretty big and busy, and Kiyo’s original directions weren’t accurate anymore (probably cuz Pignite was moving around and checking out all the attractions), but the festival attendees pointed me right... eventually. After searching around for a while, I finally found the fatso having a big dumb tantrum at Team Cozy’s stall. Wooper was off to the side and looked pretty anxious, but Chespin was just crossing his arms and shrugging at Pignite.

“I dunno what to tell you,” said Chespin. “The game ain’t rigged.”

“I know it is!” said Pignite. “How can you stand there and lie to my face?”

I looked over at Team Cozy’s setup. They had a few different games on offer. I saw a stack of bottles and an unsteady-looking ladder, and Chespin held a couple playing cards in his paws. I hadn’t played any of these games before, but I bet I’d ace them all on the first try.

“There’s no way I have bad enough luck to lose your game every single time!” the fatty yelled. “All I have to do is pick the right card, but I can’t win a single round! You’re stacking your deck!”

“There are only two cards,” said Chespin flatly. “That ain’t a deck.”

“Yeah, right—only two cards. You must be hiding more cards somewhere and somehow swapping them out so I always get the wrong one! Maybe you have a psychic buddy teleporting the cards around... Whatever’s going on, there’s something fishy here!”

I was sick of his whining. I walked up to Pignite, ready to interrupt and talk with him. Wooper noticed me and smiled, probably happy to have a distraction from the argument. “Hey Sneasel!” he said.

Chespin looked my way and nodded at me. Pignite spun around and narrowed his eyes.

“Oh crud, not you again,” he mumbled.

“That ain’t a friendly way to say hello,” I said. “Listen, I hate to say it, but I need your help. Like, I really really need your help. Just gotta ask one question, that’s all.”

“I’m not interested in talking with a savage like you,” he said. He looked at Chespin again and loomed over him, pointing a claw in his face. “And I won’t waste any time with your rigged games. I’m reporting this stall to security.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLsuL3bLXkQ (BGM: A Little Kerfuffle (Piano Cover) - Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon)

Pignite stormed off, and I waved bye to Team Cozy before chasing him. “Just hear me out, alright?” I said. “Back when we were, uh... arguing, some Pokemon came up behind me and I’m pretty sure they took my partner away. You were facing them, so what’d you see?”

“Leave me alone,” he said, not even looking back. “Unless you want me to call security on you too, for harassment.”

“I ain’t harassing you! It’s an easy question!”

“Why should I help you?”

“Cuz it’s the right thing to do, ain’t it? Also, I promise I’ll never call you fat again if you help me. Pretty great deal, right?”

Pignite turned around and crossed his arms, grumbling, “Since when do you clover freaks care about doing the right thing? I used to tolerate your sorry excuse for a guild, but I’ve gotten more and more annoyed with you all. That Meowth scammed me with those stupid ‘loot boxes’ of his, that bigot Chespin said horrible things to my Vanillite friend, and I’m convinced you’re sheltering criminals! In fact, I know you are! Your Nidorina tried to steal my wallet just the other day! Your entire guild is trash!”

I couldn’t resist snarling and growling at him. “Nobody calls my friends trash,” I hissed.

“What are you going to do about it?” he asked mockingly.

“If you don’t answer my question, you’re gonna find out—the hard way.”

“Oh, you mean you’ll attack me? First of all, I’d wipe the floor with you. Second of all, I know you’re a stupid tribal, but are you seriously dumb enough to start a fight with all these people watching?”

I glanced around. Some of the crowd was staring at us, and I suddenly realized black mist was forming around my claws. I didn’t mean to do that—I was calling up dark energy without even thinking about it, like my hands had a mind of their own. I gasped and shook them, getting rid of the shadows that were piling up.

“You really are a savage,” Pignite said. “I’m not helping a psychopath like you. Get someone else’s help.”

He walked off. I reached out for him, but my legs refused to move. I wanted to keep chasing him, or yell at him to stop, but I just totally locked up as I thought about how retarded I was. Why’d I have to lose my cool like that? I mean, sure, I didn’t attack the guy, but I came close. I wish I didn’t get mad so easily and screw up my chance at getting help. Booker could be in danger, and right now, this pile of lard was my only way forward. I hated to do it, but to save my partner, I had to... apologize. Ugh.

I grit my teeth and clenched my fists. “Pignite!” I shouted. “I’m sorry!”

He stopped. I walked up to him, and he turned just enough to look back at me.

“S-sorry for being an idiot,” I said. “Sorry for insulting you. I ain’t too good at keeping my anger under control, alright? But this is important, not just for me, but for my partner. He’s my best friend. I really care about him, and... I just need to know if he’s okay. Can you help me find him? Please?”

Pignite turned around all the way, and we had a staring contest. I hoped I was convincing enough, but I was worried he was gonna turn around and walk away at any moment. I started planning what else I could do to make him talk—maybe he’d help me if I gave him food? Scratch that, he definitely didn’t need any more of that.

Before I could come up with another idea, Pignite asked me, “So, he’s not just your coworker, he’s your best friend?”

I nodded instantly. “Yeah! My best friend ever.”

“He’s the little yellow bug, right?”

“That’s him. A Ribombee. His name’s Booker.”

“I recognize that name. I’ve never really heard anything bad about him, unlike a lot of other people in that dump of a guild.” I noticed a change come over Pignite. Kinda hard to explain, but it was like he cooled off a bit. He sighed and grumbled, “I guess it’s not fair to screw over another guy just because of what happened between you and me. Alright... I’ll tell you what I saw. But I’m doing this for that bug’s benefit, not yours.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUEvGBUER-w (BGM: Investigation Opening 2004 - Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations)

I gasped and nodded again, even more strongly. “Yeah, sure, whatever!” I said, stepping closer. “Just tell me what you know!”

Pignite backed off before replying. “I saw who snuck up when we were arguing. They stood at the prize table for a bit and then left. That’s probably who took your partner.”

“What kinda Pokemon were they?”

“I was getting to that part. I don’t know the species. They had a black cloak, or maybe they were just black-colored. And they had a mask that looked like some sort of canine Pokemon. Also, they were a bit bigger than you or me. That’s all I know.”

“Where did they go?”

“Back towards the main part of the festival. I haven’t seen them again.”

“Well, at least they didn’t run into town or the wilds,” I said, thinking out loud. “If they’re still around here... there’s still a chance to catch up. But if they’re hiding Booker in their cloak, Percival won’t see him... He can keep an eye out for a Pokemon with a cloak, though. Ain’t too many of those around in the summertime. I’ll flag him down and let him know!”

“Whatever. When you’re done, let me talk to him.”

“Huh? Oh, right. You were gonna whine about Chespin’s stall. Still wanna do that? Ain’t gonna cut him any slack?”

“Of course not! It’s obviously rigged, and that’s just wrong! It was all luck-based, and because I lost so much, I’m convinced he did something tricky to cheat me out of my money. And by the way, I haven’t forgotten about you and your darts. Your game isn’t totally in the clear either.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re still hung up on that? Seriously?”

Pignite stuttered for a bit before finally letting out a big sigh. “Look, you still haven’t convinced me. Although... at this point, after thinking about it more, I guess it’s possible the darts only acted strangely because they were made of ice, not because of any trickery. But I still think it was most likely rigged.”

Oh, come on. I really wanted to dive back into another argument with him, and prove he was wrong once and for all. But I had a more important thing to worry about right now. “Believe whatever you want,” I said, frowning at him. “As for me, I’m gonna put it behind me. Thanks for the info. Hopefully it’ll help me track down my partner. Now, gimme a sec and I’ll call Percival.”

Before the festival started, all the guildmembers were given red flags we could use to signal Percival. I took mine out of my belt pouch and waved it above my head. Pignite and I looked up, scanning the sky for the boss of security. There were more than a few birds in the air, but the biggest was Percival, so he was easy to spot. The Corviknight noticed us and dived towards us, landing in an empty spot between two stalls nearby. We went over to him, and I told him about what I learned and what I wanted him to do.

The bird seemed pretty excited. He was looking forward to hunting down a real kidnapper. He held out a wing and patted me on the back—way too hard—and started rattling off some heroic speech about how justice would be served, and he would capture the evildoer and rescue our guildmate in distress.

“Okay,” I said flatly. “Good luck with that. I’ll keep looking around by myself in the meantime. Oh, and this guy has something to tell you, so I’ll leave you to it.”

I walked away, searching high and low for the mystery mon. I asked people if they’d seen a Pokemon with a dark cloak and canine mask, and some people mentioned seeing something like that, but nobody could give me directions. I bet Percival would have an easier time, seeing everything from up in the air. I wished I could fly like that so I could find Booker quicker. I had to make do with my own two legs... and my determination.

* * *

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEkEvvs8a3k (BGM: Foreboding Forest (Piano Cover) - Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon)

Imagine my frustration when all my searching turned up nothing. Whoever this kidnapper was, they were clearly still around here, cuz people kept telling me they’d seen a Pokemon with a cloak and mask recently. But no matter who I asked and where I looked, I couldn’t spot the mystery mon. Sometimes I glanced up and saw Percival just flying around. Guess he wasn’t making any progress with spotting the culprit either. This unknown Pokemon must’ve been really stealthy.

As I wandered around, I couldn’t take my mind off Booker. Where was he? Who took him? Most importantly, was he okay? I never wanted to coddle and smother him, but I did want him to be safe. I was never the kinda girl to confess my feelings easily, but I had to admit Booker’s safety had always been a huge fear of mine ever since we first teamed up. To be fair, he could mostly handle himself nowadays cuz of all the training he did and all the experience he got. But he was still just as tiny as always, and definitely not the strongest guy around. Plus, he was a total softie. I liked that about him, but it meant he could get in trouble super easily, especially if I wasn’t there to watch over him.

I hated not knowing where he was or how he was doing... Well, it was possible he was fine. Maybe the kidnapper was actually just a thief, and assumed Booker was a toy cuz he was small and wasn’t moving. Maybe they didn’t mean to flat-out kidnap someone. If that was the case, then the Pokemon who took him probably wouldn’t hurt him. Maybe they’d even apologize and let him go if he promised not to squeal to security about all the theft stuff.

But if it really was a kidnapper... what were they planning to do to Booker? Was he gonna get hurt? Was he already hurt? Was he suffering, panicking, calling my name... begging me to come save him, even though he knew I couldn’t hear him...? Or even worse, was the kidnapper really rotten and evil... and Booker was... already...

Crud, I was gonna cry. I ducked into an empty spot between two big tents and plopped down on the grass, slouching and wiping my eyes with my arm. There were lots of Pokemon around, but I hoped none of them saw me start to break down.

I sniffed and grit my teeth. I was stronger than this. I had to be tough for Booker. No point obsessing over the worst-case scenario. I needed to focus and find him ASAP, cuz every minute—every second—I wasted gave that kidnapper more of a chance to hurt him. I still didn’t know how realistic my fears were, but I wasn’t gonna take any chances at all.

I slapped myself with my claws and tried to concentrate. How could I find him? The kidnapper was too sneaky. I’d never track them down just by looking. I had to come up with another plan.

I wished I had sensing powers like Booker. That would’ve made everything so much easier. A Ribombee like him could feel the Aura inside every Pokemon, and my partner had gotten great at that skill after practicing so much with his teacher, KFC. The Combusken was an awesome Aura user too, and—

Oh. Wait.

I jumped up and started sprinting, nearly bowling over some Pokemon in the way. They yelled at me. I ignored them. Only one thing mattered right now: finding Booker’s trainer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbuOmF7OECc (BGM: Fortune Teller - Twilight Princess)

Good thing I remembered where his spot was. He’d set up a small purple tent with a big sign advertising his Aura services. The inside was sorta dark, and had a round table with a purple cloth on it. Sitting on top was a glowing yellow crystal ball, but looking closer, I was pretty sure it was just a random Wonder Orb. Dunno what kind it was. If Booker had been with me, he’d recognize it right away... Anyway, there were cushions on the floor on this side of the table, and on the other side, KFC was sitting down. The one-eyed Combusken had a weird sort of white cloth wrapped around his head, forming a ball like a Bouffalant’s hairdo. Normally, I would’ve made fun of it, but I was in no mood for jokes.

“Welcome to the—oh, hello, Sneasel,” KFC said. “Can I help you?”

“Find Booker!” I said, slamming my claws down on his table and leaning into his face. “Now!”

He jumped just a little. “Hold on. He’s missing? Please take a deep breath and tell me what happened.”

I really didn’t wanna spend time doing that, but I also knew better than to argue with KFC. Also, I remembered how talking with Kiyo earlier was helpful, so I did what KFC told me. I let him know that Booker got kidnapped by someone with a cloak and a canine mask, but I was having no luck finding the mystery mon, so I was hoping he could sense where Booker was and point me in the right direction. I probably talked too fast, but KFC got the gist.

“I’m always happy to help a friend,” he said. “I can sense a distinct Aura signature within a certain radius, even with a large number of other Pokemon in the area. And it should be even easier for me to locate Booker’s Aura. I’m very familiar with how it looks because of how much time we’ve spent together, and on top of that, his Aura is unusually strong thanks to all his training. Assuming he hasn’t been carried too far away, I’ll find him. Please wait a bit.”

KFC shut his eye and put his hands on his thighs. He breathed deeply, just like Booker did whenever he meditated. I sat down on a cushion opposite KFC and watched him for a few minutes. Long minutes. The longest minutes ever. I started getting antsy. I couldn’t sit still. Why was this so slow? I snarled and rapped my claws on the table.

“Silence,” KFC snapped instantly. He didn’t open his eye. I put my hands on my lap and sighed, and then shut up. I didn’t stop shaking though.

The wait was killing me. Just as I was about to yell at KFC for taking so long, he opened his eye and said, “I think I have him.”

I gasped and jumped up from my seat. “You do? Where is he?!”

“His Aura is close by, and not moving. Surrounded by a lot of other non-moving Auras. Most likely inside a tent or at an attraction. Leave my tent and go left about... 50 feet, and look around that area. But I also—wait!”

I’d already run outta the tent. I didn’t care about what KFC was yelling about. It probably wasn’t important. I was about to find my partner again, and I didn’t wanna wait for anything.

* * *

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN1eW7Bh0m0 (BGM: Fortune Teller - Shenmue II)

Pretty sure I’d never been more disappointed than I was right then.

I was back in KFC’s tent, slouching on the same cushion, frowning at the Combusken as he shook his head.

“You should’ve waited,” he said. “I wasn’t done talking yet.”

“Yeah, whatever,” I said. “If you wanted me to stay, you should’ve been more forceful.”

“I certainly could have, but you know how Lliam views violence between guild members. What did you find?”

“Cooper,” I said, snarling the name.

Cooper the Torchic, part of Team Buckler, had the exact same Aura as Booker. Normally, this was impossible, but the two of them had a... special connection. It was a long story. But I guess that was why KFC thought he sensed Booker when it was actually just Cooper.

The Torchic, his Squirtle partner Testa, and our guildmate Tybo the Skitty were all putting on a performance in the tent I visited. They’d hung up a big square of fabric with a lamp behind it, and they had these puppets that they held up between the cloth and light, so the shadows got cast on the fabric. They moved the shadow puppets around and did all sorts of voices, and they were acting out some kinda story for an audience sitting on the other side of the cloth. I didn’t get what the story was about exactly, but it had two Pokemon meeting an Absol in a snowy forest. I only hung around in the tent long enough to recognize Cooper’s voice, which was basically the same as Booker’s, except lower.

I normally had no problem with Cooper’s voice. But in that moment, it just about made my rage boil over. I wanted to scream and rip the entire tent to shreds. Of course, I had a feeling everyone would get mad if I did that, so I took out my anger by stomping and grumbling all the way back to KFC’s tent. We were back at square one, and I’d wasted even more time.

“Cooper? I thought so,” said KFC. He sounded frustrated. “I believed I sensed Booker’s Aura, but it was duller than usual, and I also felt Testa nearby. I suspected it was Cooper, but you left before I could warn you. Oh well. I’ll scan again.”

KFC closed his eye and took on that same meditation pose he did before. His face looked more scrunched up, though, like he was focusing more. Maybe he was upset that he sensed Cooper and misled me, and he was trying extra hard to find the right person now and fix that mistake. That made sense. KFC really hated to screw up or fail. His second attempt at scanning was still taking a while, though, and I quickly found myself shuffling around in my seat and wringing my hands. I eventually put my elbows on the table and propped up my chin in my palms and sighed. The Combusken furrowed his brow more but didn’t react. I sighed deeper, and his eye shot open.

“Again, I need you to be quiet while I scan,” he said.

“I can’t!” I shouted. I lifted my chin from my hands and let my arms flop loudly on the table. “I can’t settle down! I’m fidgety, and worried, and angry, and... and... I’m scared.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdZ3821-k8Y (BGM: Nightfall - Shenmue)

My voice shook as I said that. KFC tilted his head to the side a bit, and I looked away from him. I couldn’t look him in the eye.

“Scared?” he repeated.

“Don’t rub it in...”

“I’m not. I’m just surprised to hear someone like you admit something like that.”

“Yeah, w-well, me too. But I trust you, and... I like you. We’ve trained a lot together, and you’ve helped Booker a lot, so I feel like I can admit how I’m feeling. And you can’t blame me for being antsy, right? I’ve always been worried about Booker. Remember back when he started learning to fly, and he kept getting in trouble when I wasn’t there to help him?”

“Of course.”

“I felt awful back then, and I still feel that way whenever this kinda thing happens. I just... I didn’t want this festival to turn out this way. I just wanna know if Booker’s safe.”

“As do I. He’s my star pupil, after all. But I have faith in him. Capim Town is less dangerous than a dungeon, and—”

“This town ain’t all sunshine and rainbows,” I snapped. “I lived in the slums before joining the guild, and lemme tell you, that place has got some real bastards. What if one of those people is the culprit? If Booker got kidnapped by—”

“I understand your concerns,” KFC interrupted. “But we’ve both witnessed his growth over the last year and a half. It makes me proud to be his teacher. With the way he can fly and fight and use Aura now, I believe he can protect himself if he needs to. But he won’t need to. I’ll find him, and you’ll go and rescue him.”

“Can we really do that? At this rate, I... I just...”

“Why not? I’ve sensed his Aura before, and I’ll do it again. As for you, you’ve protected and saved him countless times before, and today will be no different. You’re strong, Sneasel. I know you are. Time for you to show that strength again.”

His beak curved into a confident smirk. It was kinda infectious, and I smiled back at him. I really did mess up by letting Booker get taken, but there was still hope to get him back. KFC was the kind of guy to only say something if he really meant it, so if he thought I could save my partner... I believed him. And I believed in my own strength. I could do this.

“Y-yeah,” I said. “We’ve got this. Let’s save Booker.”

* * *

Chapter 3: The Troublemaker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZC5CslHyXo (BGM: Berry Big Circus - Ace Attorney: Justice for All)

When I ran out of KFC’s tent, I had a spring in my step. The Combusken had sensed Booker’s Aura—and this time, he was sure he got the right guy, cuz it was in a totally different spot than Cooper, and it was as bright as Booker’s should’ve been. Apparently, he was near the stage now. My heart skipped a beat or two as I got ready to confront that thief and find Booker again.

As I ran, weaving between all the festival attendees, I thought back to what happened over the last hour—was it really that long? Just about. On my way to the stage, I passed a sundial (we set up a few of those around the area so people could keep track of time), and it said it was about 10:45 now. Anyway, I started thinking back to what had happened so far. All morning, I’d been getting help from people: Percival, Kiyo, KFC, even that Pignite... they all supported me, and I only got as far as I did cuz of them. But now, I was in the home stretch, and I couldn’t rely on anyone. I didn’t have time to round up people to help me face this kidnapper. That was a bit of a problem, cuz according to KFC, the mystery mon’s Aura seemed pretty strong. But if he thought that was gonna make me hesitate, he had another thing coming. Even if Moltres Herself kidnapped Booker, I’d take him back.

I reached the stage in record time. The wooden platform wasn’t as big or as fancy as the Blue Claw Inn’s was before it got wrecked, but it did the job. It had a big cloth hanging up in the back, and stairs going up onto the stage from either side. The whole thing was elevated with a small space underneath. This spot was a bit outside the main festival area, and there weren’t any stalls or attractions here, so it was kind of a quieter place. Things were gonna get louder when the events started, like that big concert later on, but it was chill for now, with some people hanging out and relaxing in front of the stage.

I looked around and still didn’t see the kidnapper. But I knew they had to be close, and there weren’t many places to hide. I crouched and couldn’t spot them in the space under the stage, so... how about behind? I went around the stage to see what was hidden behind that big curtain in the back. There was a lot of junk here, mostly left over from all the construction work over the last week: boxes, planks, ropes, and fabric and stuff.

But I also heard something. My ear stood straight up and tilted. Someone was giggling, and mixed in with that noise was a voice. His voice.

My heart raced. It was time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfCPQ_sS0eg (BGM: Shrine Ruins Chase - Monster Hunter Rise)

As quietly as I could, I clambered up onto a tall row of stacked boxes that was twice my height. Up there on that wall, I could look over the backstage area better. And after all this time, I found who I was looking for. Sure took long enough.

Standing among all the junk was a weird Pokemon wearing a black cloak and a Zoroark mask. I had no idea what species they were, but they were bulkier and taller than me. They were probably a Grass-type, cuz multiple vines came out from inside the cloak... and Booker was caught in their grip.

One vine was wrapped around my partner’s legs and waist, holding him up in front of the Pokemon’s mask-covered face, and two other vines were prodding his face and fiddling with his wings and antennae. I heard girly giggling coming from the mystery Pokemon, and Booker was stuttering and trying to talk to it—or her, judging by her voice.

Time to save the day. I crossed my arms and shouted down, “He doesn’t belong to you!”

Both of them gasped and looked up at me. I grinned. I bet I looked so cool, standing high up on that wall.

Booker gasped. “S-Sneasel!”

I jumped down and landed near the mystery mon, putting the stage on the opposite side to try and box her in. I raised my claws and let icy fog form around them. I wanted to rush in and stab her, but I was worried about hurting Booker by accident. It looked like he was okay right now, so I held back a bit.

I glared into the fake eyes of the Zoroark mask and bared my fangs with a sharp hiss, growling, “Put. Him. Down.”

The kidnapper didn’t respond. Guess she was frozen with fear. I didn’t blame her.

Booker looked at the Pokemon and said, “Please do w-what she says. We don’t want to hurt you. Right, Sneasel?”

“I dunno about that,” I said. “I really wanna rip you a new one, thief. So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll let my partner go. NOW!”

I roared the last word, making the mystery mon flinch. I smirked and took a step forward. The kidnapper backed up, bumping against some planks leaning up against the rear of the stage platform. I saw the vine around Booker start curling, and he grunted and squirmed. She was tightening her grip. Big mistake.

I summoned shards of ice around my claws and launched them in the direction of the cloaked mon. I intentionally missed. I still didn’t wanna throw any attacks anywhere near Booker, so I aimed at the ground between us and to either side of the kidnapper. This was just intimidation, showing her what I could do. They stabbed into the ground like throwing knives, and the troublemaker yelped in fear. Guess she really was Grass-type after all, and she wasn’t a fan of my ice.

In fact, she hated it so much that she ran away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPHSTrjsXPU (BGM: Frost Islands Chase - Monster Hunter Rise)

In the blink of an eye, she spun and hopped on a stack of boxes. She jumped off, toppling the crates onto me. I rolled to the side as they came crashing down, then I gave chase. The kidnapper was sprinting across the field outside the festival grounds, heading for the forest at the edge. Her cloak was billowing behind her, and I heard Booker’s screams fading away as he was carried off.

“Don’t worry, Booker!” I shouted. “I’m coming!”

As the mystery mon ran, she started to leave behind weird glowing green footprints. They were hard to spot among the grass. I guessed it was some kinda trap, so I made sure not to step on them. It didn’t help. I thought I was at a safe distance, but they flashed and shot thin little vines at me. They wrapped around my legs and tripped me up, and I had to hold out my arms to stop myself from faceplanting. I got up again and tried to move, but the tendrils were really strong and held me in place. Making things worse, they started pulsing, and I felt myself getting weak and tired.

“Leech Seed,” I snarled. I slashed the vines with my claws, careful not to nick myself. Even though they had a tight grip, they were thin enough to cut through easily. I was free again, but the mystery mon was farther away now, and I’d lost some energy. She’d have to do more than that to stop me, though. I still had plenty strength left to run. I sprinted ahead, giving those footprints a much wider berth. I wasn’t gonna fall for the same trick twice.

The thief got to the forest, her black cloak blending in with the shadows. Good thing I was a huntress—I’d tracked enemies and prey in tougher spots than this, both on the Island and here on the Grass Continent. I kept up the chase and started sniffing the air and flicking my ear around. I could hear movement, and I picked up the familiar sweet scent of Booker. The forest was overgrown and tough to navigate, but I could still track the troublemaker without seeing her.

We ran for a few minutes. I was panting, but I felt a thrill. I hadn’t been in a chase like this for a while. I leaped over bushes and rocks, vaulted over fallen logs, jumped up and kicked off tree trunks, swung on branches with my claws... I loved this kind of thing. It would’ve been more fun if Booker wasn’t in trouble. I had to focus on him.

All of a sudden, the chase came to a grinding halt. The trees thinned a little, and up ahead, I saw the troublemaker again. She was standing in front of a big dirt slope, with dense bushes on either side. She screwed up. She was boxed in.

She had her back turned, probably trying to figure out if she could climb the steep hill. I stopped running and crossed my arms, standing some distance behind her.

I heard Booker’s voice, even though I couldn’t see him. The cloaked mon was still holding him in front of her, but my partner could sense me. Or maybe he just heard me panting. “Sneasel? Y-you’re here!” he cried.

“Sure am, partner,” I said. “Don’t worry—I’ve got this. This is your last warning, thief. End of the road. Gimme the little guy, right now.”

“P-please listen to her,” Booker said. “Let’s not fight. I don’t want a-any of us to get hurt.”

The cloaked Pokemon didn’t do anything. I waited and listened. After a little bit, she hunched forward, and I heard something shuffling.

Booker asked her, “What are you doing? Is that... another mask? W-why are you switching masks?”

The kidnapper stood upright again. Then her cloak fluttered, and a big spiked club came straight out the right side, its grip held tightly by a vine. She twirled and raised the club high. Then it lit on fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7QviM4oplU (BGM: Frost Islands Battle - Monster Hunter Rise)

I gasped and hopped back. If there was one thing I hated—well, I hated a lot of things, but fire was up near the top.

The cloaked thief slowly turned around. She’d swapped her Zoroark mask for a new one: some kind of scary red face that didn’t look like any Pokemon I’d ever seen before. Two vines stuck out from under her cloak, one still holding Booker, the other wielding her club. Booker was squirming and buzzing his wings, looking up at her masked face.

“Stop!” he shouted at her. “Don’t do it! Just l-listen to her! I promise, it’ll be okay! I won’t let my partner hurt you, a-as long as you let me go!”

She hesitated for a bit. This really was her last chance. But I guess she didn’t trust us enough. She pulled Booker into her cloak, hiding him inside the darkness. I heard his yelps and grunts from inside as he kept struggling, but the troublemaker wasn’t gonna let him go. Not without a fight.

She skipped forward, swinging her club around before slamming it down onto the dirt a dozen feet ahead of me. It shook the ground, and the spot right under me glowed red. I dove and rolled away as a big pillar of fire shot up where I’d been standing. I made an ice dart in my claws to counterattack, but then I remembered Booker. I couldn’t get carried away. He was in her cloak, and I might hit him. I had to focus on dodging for now and figure something out.

I used Quick Attack and dashed away as the kidnapper charged at me and swung her club at my head. She overswung and spun around, but used her momentum to face me again. She swung at the air, throwing some bouncing fireballs from the end of her weapon. I avoided them, and they hopped past me and fizzled out, but I noticed they were starting little fires wherever they went. I exhaled strongly, using Icy Wind to put out the flames while still keeping an eye on the enemy. She was surprisingly fast and strong, and she swung her club like an expert, sometimes attacking me head-on, sometimes summoning flame to use ranged moves. All her fire attacks were especially obnoxious, cuz I had to keep stopping to deal with the flames. I didn’t want them to grow out of control and get in my way, and I wasn’t too keen on repeating the mistake Team Misfits made with Apple Woods last year.

The whole time we fought, the kidnapper kept prancing, skipping, and even giggling. She was having fun, like this was all just a big game. Lucky bastard. If only Booker wasn’t caught in the middle of this. Then I’d be able to let loose and have fun along with her. But right now, I just had to keep evading and putting out fires. And the longer this went on, the bigger chance I—or worse, Booker—could get hurt somehow, not to mention the bigger chance the fires would get too crazy for me to handle. I had to stop this fight ASAP. But how? There had to be some way to get Booker out of here, or to attack the thief while making sure my buddy wouldn’t get hit as cola... called... colloidal damage. But I was never good at figuring things out and making plans. That was Booker’s deal.

And he proved that again today. Something started glowing pink inside the mystery mon’s cloak. She stopped attacking and looked down. Then she blew up.

Well, kind of. There was a big blast of pink fairy energy from inside her cloak, kicking up a huge wind, and the kidnapper was blown off her feet. Her cloak was thrown open, and her red mask flew off, but she kept her grip on her club. As for Booker... he was free! He was glowing pink, and I realized he’d just unleashed an attack of his own. The vine around him had been shredded, and he was left hanging in the air, buzzing his wings to hover—but only for a second. He drifted down to the ground, breathing heavily. That burst must’ve taken a lot out of him.

Without thinking twice, I sprinted over and snatched him in my claws. Hugging him tight against my chest, I snarled at the thief. She was still on her back, and flailed her legs before hopping to her feet again. She glared at us, and Booker and I finally got a look at her face without any mask on: she was orange and had big bright eyes, but I’d never seen her species before. She brandished her club, but then gasped and felt her bare face with a vine. She started shaking. Guess she didn’t enjoy letting people see what she looked like.

She was frozen for a sec. Then she sprinted off to the side and into the forest. Just like that, she was gone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysycGEHWQXs (BGM: Quest Complete - Monster Hunter Rise)

Booker gasped. “Wait!” he yelled after the kidnapper. “Come back! Y-you forgot your mask!”

I glanced over my shoulder. The red mask was on the ground behind me. Nice. If I ran into that Pokemon again, at least I wouldn’t have to deal with any more fire attacks. I waited to see if the mystery mon would listen to Booker, but it quickly became obvious she wasn’t gonna come back. Good riddance.

Booker seemed disappointed, and went kinda limp in my grasp. “Thank you... s-so much for saving me, Sneasel,” he said quietly.

I grinned down at him. “No biggie. I’ll never leave you hanging, partner. Did that jerk hurt you?”

“No. I’m okay...”

“Good. But you seem sorta bummed.”

“Sorry... I was just picking up that Pokemon’s stress,” he said. That made sense—Ribombee could sense other people’s emotions, and it sometimes affected them. This same kinda thing had happened to Booker before. He kept talking, asking me, “Can you p-please get her mask? We should turn it in to security for safekeeping. M-maybe we should also ask them to find that Pokemon again and give it back to her.”

That was a surprise. “Wait, what? Really?”

“Yes—as long as they ensure she’s no longer a threat, that is. She may be a thief, b-but I don’t want us to steal her own mask from her.”

“I dunno about that. Ain’t you worried she’ll use it to get revenge on us?”

“If we keep it from her, that would be even more risky. She might come back for it and... r-rampage at the festival, trying to find it. It’s best if we ask the security team to give it back peacefully. That should p-placate her... I hope. Not to mention, I was trying to be nice to her the whole time I was with her, because I didn’t want any... ill will to form between us. Hopefully she’ll remember my k-kindness and leave us alone.”

I shook my head. “I don’t feel too good about this, but I guess you got a point. Kinda. I’ll listen to you.”

I put Booker in one of the pouches on my belt, and I smiled as he nestled in and let out a relaxed sigh. He looked so comfy. And he deserved it after what he just went through. I went over and grabbed the dropped mask, taking a closer look at it before tilting it down so Booker could see it too.

“It’s b-beautiful,” said Booker with wide eyes. “Those crystals look familiar. I wonder if they’re... Tera Crystals?”

“Could be,” said Sneasel. “Those are rare, right?”

“Yes, very rare. This mask is valuable... and d-dangerous. I wonder if the thief has any other masks with these crystals... If she does, th-that’s all the more reason to give this back a-and avoid making her angry. Be careful with that mask, okay?”

I nodded. Tucking the mask against my side tightly with an arm, I started heading back to the forest edge. It seemed like everything was over, and I was just about to let myself relax when I felt Booker fidget inside my pouch and groan quietly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbQrYomCG1M (BGM: The Blinded Forest - Ori and the Blind Forest)

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I sense something...” he said.

“Aura?”

“Yes, but it’s... strong, and strange somehow...”

I put a protective hand over my belt pouch and Booker, and looked all around. Something in the distance caught my eye, and I glared at it. I saw a figure, but I couldn’t make out what species it was. There was too much darkness and plantlife in the way. All I could tell was that some part of it was flashing in different colors. I didn’t like the look of it.

I felt Booker push his head up against my palm as he peeked out of the pouch. He made a little squeak. “That’s it!”

“That’s what you sensed?” I asked. “What is it?”

“I don’t know, but... w-we need to get out of—whoa!”

He didn’t even have time to finish that sentence before I started sprinting away. “You ain’t gotta tell me twice!” I said. “I already saved your little butt once. No way am I gonna let you get stolen or hurt again!”

I ran as hard as I could, just like when I’d chased the kidnapper. Except this time, I wasn’t trying to track anything. I just wanted to get away. Gonna be honest, part of me kinda stung when I thought about it that way. Running was for cowards. At least, that’s what I always thought, before meeting Booker. He taught me that I didn’t need to fight everything to be brave. And besides, at that moment, I couldn’t care less about my reputation. I just wanted to keep Booker safe.

And we were safe. That glowing thing didn’t chase us, and if it did, I outran it. After a minute of sprinting and dodging and weaving through the forest, Booker told me he couldn’t sense that weird figure anymore. I slowed down and started panting, and I finally took my hand off the top of the pouch. Booker looked up at me from inside, and we smiled at each other. It felt so good to see his smile again. It never failed to cheer me up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paYzXR9XXgI (BGM: The Ancestral Trees - Ori and the Blind Forest)

Keeping the mask under one arm, I lifted my other arm and held my palm up in front of me. Booker was familiar with that signal. He fluttered his wings, zipped up out of the pouch, and sat in my hand.

“So, you said you’re not hurt?” I asked, looking him over. “Not even a little?”

“I’m fine, really,” he said. “I didn’t sense anything d-dark in that Pokemon’s Aura.”

I started walking. “That’s good. We’re lucky she wasn’t as bad as some people are.”

Booker nodded and shuddered a bit. I curled a claw to pet his head, and he relaxed.

“So, if she didn’t hurt you, what did she do?” I asked him.

“N-nothing much,” he replied. “I remember falling asleep with our plushies, then I woke up b-being held in that Pokemon’s vines. I think she assumed I was a... t-toy, so she stole me, then she carried me around for a while... then finally hid behind the stage to take a closer look at me. And when she did, I guess she accidentally woke me up, and she was surprised to see I was alive. She started giggling and playing w-with me using her vines. I tried talking to her and asking who she was, and why she t-took me, but... she didn’t say anything. I assumed she was mute, but I kept trying to talk with her... and after a few minutes, you arrived.”

“Really glad I wasn’t too late.” Smirking, I asked, “So, how was my entrance? Did I look cool?”

“You always look cool. B-but yes, you were extra cool up there on that wall of boxes.”

“Sweet. Well, when we turn in this mask, we probably also should tell the security team there’s a thief on the loose.”

“We can do that. Although, I feel like she isn’t a m-major threat. I got the impression she was just a p-playful child... because of how she sounded and acted. But no matter her age, she is breaking the law by stealing, so sh-she should be stopped.”

“Wish we knew what Pokemon she was, so we could give a better description to the guards. Guess they’ll have to settle for ‘Grass-type with orange face and club’... unless you know what she was.”

“N-no, surprisingly. Her face didn’t look familiar... But m-maybe Mustel’s heard about her. His book describes a lot of Pokemon in it.”

I nodded at him, and I kept walking and carrying him along. We were quiet for a bit. We just enjoyed each other’s company, watching the foliage and flowers and dappled sunlight of the peaceful forest, and listening to the warm wind shaking all the leaves and branches above us. This was nice for unwinding after the stress we just went through. I felt my worries melting away now that Booker was back. I promised myself I’d never lose him again.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Prize

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOXExYfgsnI (BGM: On the Beach at Dusk - Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers)

After walking in the woods for a minute or so, Booker got curious about what he missed while he was asleep. I started by going over my experiences running the dart game and how I put his advice about good customer service to use. Then I explained how I searched around and got help from different people once I realized he was gone. But I didn’t tell him why I failed to notice him getting stolen in the first place. I didn’t wanna talk about that. Unfortunately, once I was done explaining stuff, Booker asked me how he got taken in the first place. I’d hoped he wouldn’t do that, but I couldn’t bring myself to hide it from him now that he was asking about it directly.

“It’s embarrassing,” I said. “I got distracted by something really stupid.”

“Sneasel, you don’t have to worry about e-embarrassment with me. I’ll never mock you, or hate you, or anything. You can tell me what happened. It’s okay.”

He was right. Out of all people in the world, my partner was the one guy I knew I could always be honest with. I sighed and admitted how I let my anger get the better of me again, and I got in a big argument with a Pignite, and that made me miss the kidnapping. Booker listened silently and nodded.

“I see,” he said. He gave me a sympathetic look and gently rubbed my claws with his little hands. “D-don’t beat yourself up over that. You worked hard and did a great job fixing your mistake, and y-you realize that you made a mistake too. That’s important for self-improvement.”

“But I ain’t improving fast enough, am I? You just got flat-out kidnapped because of me! I know you think that thief wasn’t a bad Pokemon, but just imagine if she was bad! There are a lot of rough people in this town, y’know. You easily could’ve been carried off by someone who really did wanna hurt you. And if you got hurt cuz I screwed up, I’d... I dunno what I’d do.”

“You’d solve the problem. Th-that’s what you would do.”

“Some problems can’t be solved,” I muttered as I grit my teeth. “You know I hate it when you’re in trouble and I ain’t there to save you. And it’s even worse if you’re in trouble cuz of something I did.”

“I understand, but... don’t forget, I was able to g-get free of that Pokemon myself. I could have used my Fairy Wind any time. I just wanted to wait, b-because I hoped things could be solved without violence.”

Typical Booker, always trying to be nice to everyone. Even to someone who literally was kidnapping him.

“A-anyway,” he continued, “my point is... I don’t want you to stress over me. I’m not helpless—not anymore.”

“Yeah. I know. KFC said the same thing when I talked to him earlier. But still, I’m just bummed. This whole mess was all my fault. I wish I wasn’t such an idiot, and I wish I didn’t get mad so easy. I wish... I was a better partner.”

Booker stood up on my palm and put on a serious face. I stopped walking and looked down at him. “Sneasel,” he said, “first of all, y-you’re not an idiot, okay? And second... you do more than I could ever ask for. You’re the greatest partner ever. A-and the greatest... g-girlfriend ever, too.”

I felt myself starting to blush a bit from his cheesy compliments, but I bet my fur hid it. “You’ve said that before, but after what just happened, I dunno about that...”

“I’m being honest! No matter what, I a-appreciate you, and... I love you.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS7es9r61kQ (BGM: At the End of the Day (Remastered) - Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers)

I felt my cheeks get even hotter. Dang it. I always got flustered when he caught me off guard with his lovely-dovey stuff.

I looked away from Booker, partially cuz the mere sight of him would probably make me blush even more, partially cuz I was embarrassed from those sincere compliments of his... and partially cuz I didn’t know if I believed what he said. I mean, what kinda girlfriend let her boyfriend get kidnapped right under her nose? Did he honestly still love me after I made such a dangerous mistake?

I heard Booker take a deep breath. Then I heard his wings buzz, felt his weight leave my hand... and noticed something soft press against my cheek. I gasped and froze up, and I almost dropped the red mask. My heart fluttered as I heard a tiny “smooch”, and when I looked over, Booker was floating away from my head, smiling nervously and wringing his little hands. He was blushing along with me. I lightly put a claw where his lips had touched my cheek, and I stared at him.

“D-do you believe me now?” he asked quietly.

A couple long seconds later, I broke eye contact again. I smirked and scoffed and tugged at my scarf. I wanted to play it cool, but I was shaking with happiness. At this point, I knew for sure Booker could see the pink color through my cheek fur.

“W-was that really the best way to p-prove it?” I asked with a chuckle that sounded more awkward than I planned. “A k-kiss?”

“I think so,” Booker said. “S-sorry if that was too forward, but... I had to snap you out of this somehow...”

I finally braced myself and took a good look at him again. A smile grew in my face. I reached up to gently toy with his antennae as he hovered in front of me. He flinched, but smiled back at me.

“Well... it definitely did the trick,” I said. “Actually, I feel even better now than I did before. If you still love me, and you still trust me, then that’s all I need to hear.”

“I’ll always love you,” said Booker. “A-and always trust you, too. I’m happy you feel better now! So... are you ready to head back?”

“Sure thing, partner. We got a festival to enjoy—together.”

With that, Booker hovered in front of me, leading the way as we hurried back to the hustle and bustle of the festival grounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2jIWOt9Ok4 (BGM: Harvest Festival - New Super Lucky’s Tale)

First, we met with Mustel and Serpes from the security team to warn them about the thief. We also gave them her dropped mask and asked them to hand it back to her. They agreed to give it a shot. Booker, being Booker, asked them to go easy on the troublemaker. But disappointingly, when we told Mustel what the kidnapper looked like, he didn’t think she sounded familiar. Oh well. Guess that species wasn’t in his book yet. Maybe we’d learn her identity another day. I also thought about bringing up the flashing thing we saw in the forest, but it was kinda far away from the festival, so I bet it wasn’t gonna be a problem. Best to not worry the security team with unimportant stuff, right?

After Mustel and Serpes left, we noticed Percival flying overhead, and I flagged him down to let him know our little crisis was over. He was a mix of happy and sad, and when Booker asked why he felt upset, Percival said it was cuz he got distracted dealing with other security problems, so he wasn’t able to search for Booker as much as he wanted to. Booker told him not to worry about it, and Percival thanked him and congratulated me for finding my partner. The big guy even said I’d make a good guard, and suggested I join the security team if the guild did another festival someday. I wasn’t so sure about that. But then he told me I’d get a shiny badge and a cool hat if I joined, and I was sold. Booker giggled at that.

Percival flew off, and Booker and I swung by KFC’s tent to tell him the good news. We told him about the chase and the battle, and he congratulated me on how I caught and fought the kidnapper, while also giving Booker a (gentle) pat on the back for using that big burst attack to fend her off in the end. After we checked in with him, we finally went back to our dart game stall. Kiyo was still there, and he’d already run out of the darts I made for him earlier. He looked super bored at first, but he perked up when we came over. As much as he tried to hide it, I spotted a little smile on his face when he saw Booker was safe and sound.

We thanked Kiyo for his help, and he promised he’d bring over a spare lockbox or a chest that we could use to store our prizes next time we had to leave. That way, we could explore the festival without getting someone to watch the stall for us. We were looking forward to that—we were gonna stay here and let people play our game for a bit longer, then we’d take a break and check out all the activities, and then we’d keep alternating between running the stall and wandering around the festival throughout the day. Not a bad way for me and my buddy to unwind and spend some quality time together.

As we settled in again, though, Booker noticed something weird about the box we were using to store money. Before the event, we wrote our game’s price of admission on a paper and leaned it up against the front of the box. Now the paper was lying on the table next to the box, and something about it looked off.

Booker hovered over and landed on the table, looking at the paper. “Did this fall over, Kiyo? Wait a second... Um... M-maybe it’s just me, but did the price go up?”

Booker picked up the paper and turned it around. The original price in Booker’s clean, neat writing was on the other side. It looked like someone removed the paper and flipped it over, and scribbled a higher price on the back side. I could guess who did it. I looked over at Kiyo and raised a brow at him, but the sneaky little fox just shrugged.

“What’s wrong with earning more money?” he asked. “I’m doing you two a favor.”

“I’m worried p-people will be upset if we raise the price,” Booker murmured, looking at Kiyo. “I think we should change the... Wait, I think y-you have something caught in your—”

“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about,” Kiyo said. But the fact he cut Booker off made it obvious he was hiding something.

I looked closer. Something orange was just barely sticking out of his tails. I smirked and used Quick Attack to dash over, yanking it out of his fur. Kiyo shouted in anger, but I hopped away from him and looked at what I’d grabbed. It was...

“A Fletchling plushie?” I muttered.

“D-did you steal that from our stall?” Booker asked Kiyo, sounding kinda shocked.

“Uh... no,” the White Vulpix replied. “I earned it, okay? I got bored and played the dart game while you were gone, so I figured I deserved a prize. Got a problem with that?”

I looked at the plush in my claws. It was the same size as the real deal, and looked exactly like Kiyo’s partner Bean—even down to the dark, unblinking, weirdly hypnotic eyes. I put two and two together and laughed.

“Aw, this is adorable, Kiyo,” I teased the fox. “You wanted to get a cute little doll of your partner? You’re gonna snuggle and cuddle with this plush every night, aren’t you?”

Kiyo’s cheeks turned blue (guess that was his version of blushing) and he shook his head. “Sh-shut up! No! It’s a... Obviously, it’s a present for Cassie! You know she loves stuff like this!”

I looked over at Booker, unable to stop grinning. He gave me a knowing smile and nodded at Kiyo.

“Okay,” said Booker. “I understand. Y-you can take it, Kiyo. To be honest... you deserve a reward for helping w-with the stall while Sneasel was looking for me. Thank you very much for your help.”

I tossed the plushie at Kiyo, and he caught it in his mouth. He nodded at us and scurried off, that blue blush still on his face. I chuckled, and Booker let out a little giggle along with me.

“Plushies are appealing,” said Booker, “for a lot of people... e-even people you wouldn’t expect to enjoy them.”

“Guess that mystery mon thought the same way,” I said, looking over at our prize table. “I can see why she wanted to steal one of these. Looking at them again, even I gotta admit they’re cute. And if you were the one she chose to steal... Guess that makes you the cutest prize of all.”

Just like I planned, Booker instantly got all sheepish from that compliment. He started fidgeting and mumbling something, and I laughed at his reaction. But what I said was totally honest. You’re gonna have to forgive me for getting all sappy on you here at the end, but... Booker meant the world to me. Meeting him and partnering with him was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life, and the last year and a half had been a blast. The time we spent together, the adventures we went on, the help and support we gave each other, the laughter and love we shared every day... all of that was like a prize, and it was the best prize I’d ever earned.

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