Sentimental Value

A Clover Guild Story
By Ribombee-anon

It was another busy morning in the guildhall’s dojo, and a decent-sized group of guild members had gathered in the room to work out and train. Like most days, I was there with my partner Sneasel; today, we were joined by Team Oracle, comprised of our good friends Charm the Charmander and her partner Natu. Sneasel and Charm were testing their ice and fire powers at the shooting range, while Natu and I sat close by, next to the wall. I had fallen deep in concentration as I studied my new Fairy Wind move, which I only learned in the last few weeks or so. In order to enhance my control of the move, I was trying to form the wind into a sphere and hold it there, but shaping it was harder than I expected. Natu, claiming he was already at maximum power, simply sat nearby and watched me with unblinking eyes.

Despite my best efforts, I was still unable to maintain the wind ball for more than a few seconds, especially when someone was staring at me. As it had done many times before, the orb began to wobble—and then it exploded in my face. I fell onto my back, almost banging my head against the wall.

Natu chuckled. “Maybe you should leave the wind stuff to the Flying-types.”

“I ca-can’t,” I said. It was hard to talk, since I was quite rattled from the explosion. “I need... I need to master Fairy Wind if I’m going to fly. It’s the only way I can g-get enough... lift, and control, in the air.”

“I’d offer advice, but I put most of my focus into my psychic powers, not air powers.” His beak stopped moving, but his voice continued, echoing in my mind. ‘And that’s why I can do this.’

His unexpected telepathy gave me a brief jolt of pain in my head, making me wince. ‘I wish you’d warn me before doing that,’ I thought at him as I sat up again.

‘Just trying to keep you on your toes. Well, Ribombee don’t have toes, but you know what I mean.’

I refocused on my move, and managed to hold it for longer this time. The air swirled around, imbued with Fairy-type energy that made it shimmer and sparkle with white and pink. Natu shuffled a bit closer to look at it.

‘Reminds me of this Wonder Orb I found one time,’ he said telepathically. ‘It looks a lot like the ball you’ve got here, all shiny and pink. It’s in my dorm right now.’

‘I think I remember seeing it when I visited before,’ I thought as my wind ball fell apart (thankfully not exploding this time). ‘You and Charm have a lot of stuff in your room, huh?’

‘Yeah... I don’t wanna throw any of it away, but we should probably organize sometime. Hey, wanna visit? I can show you what we’ve got, and tell you about it all.’

‘Right now? I guess—as long as you don’t ask me to help you clean up.’

“Dang, I was just about to do that,” Natu said out loud with a chuckle. He hopped up and flew over to Charm, saying, “Hey, Smokey! Booker and I are gonna swing by our dorm and hang out a bit. You don’t mind if I tell him about our knick-knacks, right?”

The Charmander turned away from the row of targets, small tendrils of smoke rising from her snout. “Sounds good,” she said with a smile. “Have fun, guys.”

Natu flew back to me, and I saw his eyes had already begun to glow. Before I could say anything, there was a flash of purple light, and I felt a strong tingly sensation all over my body, accompanied by a wave of vertigo. Thankfully, it was over in a moment. As my vision faded back in, I saw I was atop the desk in Team Oracle’s dorm.

“Just like I said with your telepathy,” I muttered, “I w-wish you’d warn me before you teleport me.”

“Hey, I’m a free spirit,” said Natu. “I can’t be contained. I do what I want.”

I rolled my eyes and glanced around the room. It was a one-person dorm like the one that Sneasel and I had; Natu was a bit bigger than me, but still small enough that a two-person dorm would be too big for him and Charm. Near one wall, a standard-issue pile of cotton served as a bed, topped with a leaf blanket and a pillow made of a leafy case stuffed with more cotton. This was for Charm, and a smaller bed, lacking a pillow, was set nearby for Natu’s use. Its cotton was mixed with a variety of twigs and sticks, fittingly resembling a bird’s nest. Aside from the beds, the dorm’s furniture included the desk on which we stood, as well as a dresser and two shelving units. One was stocked with books, and the other held a bunch of seemingly random objects. As Natu suggested earlier, it was indeed messy, though the rest of the room was relatively well-kept.

Natu flew over to the shelves, grabbed a pink glassy sphere in his talons, and flew back over. “Here’s the orb I mentioned,” he said, dropping it before me and holding it in place with a wing. “Pretty, huh?”

I sat down and stared into the sphere. It resembled a large marble, about half the size of my body. It seemed to be full of cloudy white and pink energy, and shimmered with a faint pale aura. Among the mist, a three-armed shape of darker pink slowly shifted and waved around, like streamers blowing in a three-way breeze. It was almost hypnotic, and simply looking at it seemed to improve my mood ever so slightly.

“It does look like my wind ball... in a way,” I said. “It’s an... Inviting Orb, right?”

“I think so,” said Natu. “You’ve studied items more than me, so I’d trust your guess.”

“It’s definitely an Inviting Orb,” I said, reaching out to touch its smooth surface. “Break it, and the mist will make people more... h-happy and friendly.”

“How? Does it mind control them?”

“N-no, I wouldn’t say that. But it... influences emotions, somehow.”

“Neat. Never used one of these, but sounds like it can be useful.”

The sudden gleam in his eye made me uncomfortable. “Natu, p-please don’t use it for a-any—”

“Anything bad?” Natu said, finishing my sentence. “Don’t worry, I won’t. And I definitely won’t use this specific one. Too special. See, I found it with my family when we were exploring a dungeon—Mystifying Forest. It was one of the first times we went into a dungeon together. We did it to collect resources for the village, not to do a mission or anything, but it was still fun for me. I kept this orb as a memento ever since.”

“That’s nice,” I said, looking over at the shelf. “So, um... are any of those other knick-knacks related to your family too?”

“A couple,” said Natu. “Lemme talk you through them.”

The bird began flying back and forth between the shelves and the desk, bringing me a collection of items. Weirdly-shaped rocks, scraps of paper with writing and drawings, seashells, simple wooden toys... all manner of clutter was soon strewn before me, and Natu had a backstory for each one. Many of them came from his childhood, growing up in a small village of Natu and Xatu not far from Capim. For example, the toys were all his favorites from his childhood, most of the drawings were sigils his parents had used to help him learn his psychic abilities, and the seashells were obtained while he and his girlfriend (now ex-girlfriend) played on the beach at Treasure Town. Other items came from his time in the Clover Guild, such as a wicker basket he and Charm both made for fun, or a little tiki-like wood carving they got as a gift for finishing a mission.

He eventually moved on to Charm’s possessions. The items were fewer in number, but just as varied as Natu’s. In particular, there were multiple branches of varying sizes and degrees of crookedness, each of which vaguely resembled a gun. Sure enough, according to Natu, Charm liked to collect them and pretend they were real revolvers and rifles—but he made me promise not to tell anyone, as she didn’t want this secret getting out.

It was interesting and entertaining to learn about all these mementos. But gradually, a strange sense of unease grew in me. I didn’t have much time to dwell on it or deduce exactly what it was, since the items kept coming and the conversation flowed with few pauses. Still, I couldn’t shake the sensation. What was it—melancholy? An odd sense of longing? I’d seen all these items when visiting Team Oracle’s dorm before, but I had no connection to these things...

I ignored that feeling and concentrated on listening to Natu’s explanations. When he finally showed off the last item, I smiled and said, “Thanks for taking the time to show me all this. It was neat.”

“Anytime,” said the bird. “It’s fun hanging out with you.”

I sheepishly thanked him as he began taking everything back to the shelf and putting it all away. It was no easy task. The desk had become distressingly cluttered, to the point where it resembled a junk heap with me sitting in the middle. It gave me flashbacks to the early days of the guild, when our storeroom almost immediately grew horrendously messy. Sadly, I was unable to help Natu clear the desk, due to my size and flightlessness. I apologized to Natu for this, but he said it was fine, and he could handle it himself.

As he cleaned up, we kept chatting about the items to pass the time. “Sounds like you and Charm have a lot of good memories attached to these things,” I said at one point.

“We sure do,” said Natu, grabbing the last item (a crooked branch) off the desk. As he turned to carry it back to the shelf, he continued, “Lots of sentimental value. It’s always nice to have stuff that reminds you of good times—and especially family, like that Inviting Orb I showed you. Hey, do you have anything like that in your dorm, Booker? Stuff that reminds you of your family?”

It took him a moment to realize his faux pas. When he did, he spun in midair to look at me and blurted out, “Oh, s-sorry! I was just making small talk... Kinda forgot you’re not actually from this world. And you didn’t bring any stuff with you when you came here, so... Sorry, dumb question. Forget I said anything.”

Natu turned and resumed carrying his current item back to the shelves. But it was too late. I couldn’t forget what he just said. It seemed to flip a switch in my head, causing memories to flood my mind. Good times, my family, the world I came from...

A bittersweet sensation painfully rolled over me. I now knew exactly why that odd feeling had been nagging me during this whole conversation, and I knew its name: homesickness.

Natu could sense my thoughts abruptly darken. He tossed the branch onto the shelf, then quickly flew back and landed in front of me. “You okay, Booker?” he asked. “Something wrong?”

“I just rem-remembered...” I stammered, trying and failing to resist the emotion welling up in me. “You’re right. I did have a l-lot of things-s that were s-special to me, and reminded me of time w-with my family—back when I was... human. But w-when I came to this world, I... lost it all... I lost... ev-everything...”

I teared up despite my best efforts. My throat tightened, and I choked up, bringing my stuttering to an end. I shuddered and looked away from Natu to hide my face, wiping my eyes with my scarf.

‘Trouble talking?’ Natu asked in my mind. Unlike usual, his voice was soft, and I didn’t get much of a headache from his telepathy. ‘Is it okay if I read your mind? We can talk that way, if you want.’

Though I was struggling to talk, my thoughts were still relatively clear. I began to focus my mind, using some tips on meditation I’d learned while trying to grow accustomed to my Pokemon body and learn Fairy Wind. It helped me calm down enough to start communicating with my mind. ‘Sorry... sorry, I’m just sad all of a sudden. Just remembering... my old life, and all the things I had. All the memories. Growing up in Georgia, moving to California... my friends, my schools... playing the flute... when I fractured my arm... the video games I used to play... my old virtual pet, and all the toys from my childhood... and my family. Playing with my brother, learning to drive with my dad, hearing my mom sing...’

Now even my thoughts were clouded in sadness. They became unreadable and muddy, and I gave up on trying to say or think anything more. All I did was sit hunched over, wiping tears from my eyes. After some hesitation, Natu sidled over to my side and put a wing around me. It bent my own wings a bit, but his soft feathers did help comfort me somewhat.

‘I’m sorry...’ I thought after composing myself some more. ‘I don’t want to cry, especially not in front of someone else, but—’

‘Hey, don’t apologize,’ Natu thought. ‘I get it. I can still visit my family anytime I want, and I still hang on to a lot of stuff from my younger years. But you, and the other humans... you guys had to leave it all behind and start over. I’ve never had to do that before, so I can’t say I really understand how it feels. But I have a vague idea of it, thanks to Smokey.’

‘Huh? Are you saying Smokey—er, I mean, Charm—gets sad about her past too? I thought she hated her old life.’

‘She does, but... it’s not that simple. Don’t tell her I told you this, but there have been times when she started thinking about everything she left behind in her old life, and she cried just like you, and I had to cheer her up. She’s usually happy that she could come here and start over, since her old life was such a dead end. Still, every so often, she remembers things she wishes she could’ve brought with her. No matter how bad your old life was, it can still hurt to leave parts of it behind.’

My tears were drying up by now, but hearing about my friend crying hit me with another pang of sadness, mixed with pity. I wiped my eyes one more time and thought, ‘Huh, I never knew Charm felt that way. Whenever we talked about it, she always said she didn’t regret leaving anything behind. I guess she was always putting on a brave face... I feel bad for her.’

‘Don’t get too sad. She does have regrets, but she totally prefers her new life. That’s what she always says—and I can read minds, so I know she’s telling the truth.’ He paused, then asked, ‘How about you? How do you feel about your new life?’

‘Can’t you just read my mind and find out?’

‘I could, but I’d only get a vague idea of how you feel. It’s better to hear you explain it in your own words. Or, your own thought-words, I guess.’

‘Well... I do like it here. I was shy and lonely as a human. A lot like Charm, actually, except I didn’t withdraw quite as much as she did. In this world, though, I’ve been able to make so many friends. You and Charm, of course, but also Gus, Kris, KFC, Chespin, Wooper... and especially Sneasel. Even though it wasn’t my choice, I’m glad I came here.’

‘That’s good to hear.’

‘Still, I am sad about losing everything I had. I just wish I could’ve taken some parts of my old life with me. In fact, this isn’t even the first time I’ve gotten sad and teared up over it.’

‘Understandable. But hey, look at it this way: you can always make new memories. I’m sure you’ve already started doing that, right? I mean, you’ve been here for, like, four months now. You’ve already started collecting new stuff that you’re attaching sentimental value to, right?’

He was correct—I had been adapting to my new life and trying to make the most of it so far, and I already had a small collection of mementos in my dorm. And that thought helped erase most of the remaining gloom lingering over me. Traces of melancholy remained, but I was able to push it down and ignore it for the most part.

‘You’re right,’ I thought. ‘Nothing can replace the life I lost... the family I lost... but I’ll always have the memories of them. And I can keep making new happy memories too. So... I think it’ll be okay.’

“That’s the spirit!” Natu said out loud, startling me. “Glad I could help cheer you up, Booker.”

“Y-yeah,” I said. “Thank you.”

Natu unfurled his wing from around me, bringing it against his side again. “Hey, I’ve got an idea,” he said. He flew back to the shelf and retrieved the Inviting Orb, then flew back over. He set it down on the desk and rolled it towards me, saying, “Here. I want you to have this.”

I stopped the orb and stared at Natu. “What? No, i-it’s yours—it’s something you got with your family. I can’t take it from you!”

I rolled it back, but Natu stopped it with a wing and sent it right back to me. “Ah, don’t worry,” he said. “I have other things to remember them by. I’m okay with you taking this. It’ll be a good way to remember this chat, and our friendship, and all that good stuff. I mean, all this started because your wind ball looked like this orb, so I think it’s a good memento.”

I hesitated before rolling the orb back to Natu one more time. “I really a-appreciate the gesture, but—”

“If you don’t take it, I’ll just teleport it into your room while you’re sleeping.”

I stammered, then gave up and sighed. “Alright, f-fine. I know you well enough to know you’re telling the truth. Looks like I have no choice, so... I’ll accept it. Thank you, Natu.”

The bird’s beak curved into a grin, and he lay a wing on the ball. “Sweet. I’ll go warp this to your dorm now. Then I’ll take you back to the dojo, and you can pick up your training again.”

Natu saluted with his wing, then teleported himself and the Inviting Orb away in a flash of light. Alone for now, I looked over at Team Oracle’s shelves and all the knick-knacks, a trove of sentimental value for the duo. Then I thought about my own collection. It was smaller than this, but that could change in the future. I’d spend more time hanging out and having adventures with Sneasel and all my other guildmates, and I’d collect more things to remember it all by. I smiled, looking forward to all the treasures and memories I’d gain in this new life.

Natu ruined the mood with a sudden teleport, appearing right in my face. I let out an embarrassingly high-pitched squeak of fear and fell onto my back. The bird laughed heartily.

“Gotcha!” he cried. “You should’ve seen the look on your face!”

I sat up with a frown, avoiding eye contact with Natu while rubbing the back of my head. This was one memory I’d like to forget.