Ross Tries To Train
I'd spent a lot of time reflecting on what had happened to me after I got lost in the mystery dungeon and how close I'd come to dying. My heart would start to pound and my chest would tighten whenever I recalled the things I'd seen there - the bluish-gray guy who attacked me, the swarm of bees which had attacked me, the LITERAL GHOST which had... attacked me. On retrospect I'd spent a lot of time getting attacked.
After letting despair and self pity consume me for a while, I realised that I couldn't just sit and do nothing - I'd ended up in that dungeon after sleepwalking, and who knew when that would happen again. I got extremely lucky last time, but I didn't fancy my chances doing that a second time without being more prepared. I had to learn how to fight.
Of course, it's one thing to say that I want to learn how to fight, and another thing actually doing it. I was stuck in an extremely unfamiliar world and in an extremely unfamiliar body, so even if I knew how to fight as a human that knowledge wouldn't take me very far here. I decided to seek out help - there were a lot of others here at the guild, I was sure SOMEONE would be able to at least tell me how to get started.
(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7vxyduwKz0)
I ended up running into two of my guild mates almost immediately after that - I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking and almost bumped into what I can only describe as a fusion between a weasel and cat with some wicked claws. Perched on the weasel-cat's head was a tiny bug - a bee, I'd guess. I apologized profusely and introduced myself to the pair.
"I-I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention and I-"
I was cut off by the weasel-cat. "You're fine Ross, calm down."
"You know my name?" I asked, confused. I hadn't really interacted with much of the guild - just a few people here and there I'd happened to run into.
"I think by this point most people are aware of you - you've been leaving your mark, heh." The weasel-cat let out a chuckle, and by this point I had an idea of why.
I looked down anyway.
I was dragging my tail again.
I grumbled and stuffed it back into the loop of my belt, which elicited another chuckle from the weasel-cat. The small bee chimed in saying, "Don't be mean, Sneasel!"
"Yeah, sorry. We're heading off to the Dojo, so we'll see you around dude." The weasel-cat waved me off and turned to walk away with the bee perched on its head still.
Before I could think I blurted out, "Can I come with you?"
The weasel-cat turned around, a smile spreading on its face. "Sure! I could use a sparring partner!"
The implications of "sparring partner" rattled through my mind and stirred up my nerves, but I pushed it down as best I could and followed behind the pair. As we walked toward the Dojo we chatted for a bit and I learned their names - the weasel-cat was called Sneasel, and the bee was called Booker. I learned that Booker is what's known as a 'Ribombee', and like me used to be human, that Sneasel is what's known as a 'Sneasel' - A lot of the natives don't have very creative names. Looking at Booker stirred some complex feelings in me - I couldn't help but feel bad thinking about his situation. I don't think I'd be able to deal with being that small. Then I started feeling a bit grateful that I'm not that small, then I started feeling like an asshole for feeling grateful. I stopped thinking after I realised I'd been staring at Booker for an uncomfortably long time.
Eventually we reached our destination - a room I didn't ever expect to enter. The Dojo. The room had some assorted weights and other equipment dotted around, as well as a section in the far side of the room where some targets were lined up almost like a shooting range. I saw KFC lifting some weights in the corner. Seeing him dredged up bad memories - even if at the time I was understandably not thinking straight, I still wasn't very proud of how I'd acted around him when he found me, and I hadn't gotten around to apologizing to him yet.
As I was dwelling on that, a voice called out and snapped me back to reality. "You ready to start?". I looked up to see Sneasel standing in the center of a circle that was marked on the floor, stretching her arms and rolling her shoulders. Booker was sitting on top of one of the dummies strewn around. After Sneasel finished stretching, she settled into a loose stance and stared me down.
I brought my fists up to my face and assumed my best approximation of a stance in return. This elicited a chuckle from Sneasel, who said "What's with that stance? Did you learn to fight from a Hitmonchan?"
Booker chimed in next. "Oh! Do you know how to box, Ross?"
Sneasel's ears perked up and I could hear the excitement dripping from her voice. "Is that a human fighting style? Finally!"
"What's a Hitmonchan?" I asked, before replying to Booker. "Uh, I don't really know what I'm doing, I've just seen people do this in movies..."
The disappointment from Sneasel was palpable. "Oh... well, whatever, let's see what you've got!" she said, before lurching forward and dashing toward me.
(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lvdmh0DcmA)
I barely managed to duck out of the way of Sneasel's claw, which carved through the air where my head was previously. Two more swipes flew toward me which I also barely managed to scramble away from. I'd dropped all pretence of trying to fight back at this point and was entirely focused on survival.
The force I'd put into dodging was enough to knock me off balance, so I used the momentum to roll down and away to create distance between us, before getting back onto my feet as quickly as I could. I felt a chill in the air as I got back up, and I looked up to see her poised menacingly in front of me, with a trio of icicles littering her palm. She quickly launched all three toward me, and I spun to try avoid them, before bracing for the worst. I felt a prick as something cold glanced off my arm, and I instinctively reeled back clutching it.
I could barely register Booker's voice calling out to me. "Are you alright?"
After a second, I hesitantly opened my eyes and stole a glance at my arm - it was marred with the tiniest of scratches. It dawned on me at that point that my arm didn't actually hurt as bad as I'd expect it to for being struck by ice. It hurt a hell of a lot less than getting kicked at least.
"I-I'm fine..." I said out loud, mostly to reassure myself rather than anyone else.
"He's fine, see? I'm not gonna seriously hurt him, don't worry. Plus, we've got berries in case I get carried away, Booker." said Sneasel, before she turned back to address me. "I thought this was a sparring match, but you've barely done anything. Show me what you can do!" she said, before beckoning me forward with her right claw.
I started to protest, saying "But I don't know what I can-" before a familiar feeling started to well up within me. I'd felt the same way when I encountered that ghost in the dungeon - I'd become blinded by rage and before I'd realised what was happening I'd beaten the thing to death with a stick.
I started to wonder if this was just a thing Pokemon could do to each other, before deciding that there's no way it would work a sec-
I was pissed.
I was going to kick Sneasel's ass.
Before I could even comprehend what I was doing, I'd already run forward screaming and flailing my arms in Sneasel's general direction. For some reason, my masterful onslaught was completely ineffectual against Sneasel, who was able to duck and dodge every one of my attacks with ease.
"That's more like it! Guess that taunt did the trick, huh?" gloated Sneasel, continuing to weave away from the barrage of limp punches and kicks I was throwing out. The words didn't register to me at all though - only one thought was able to keep its place in my head. I had to win this fight.
I scanned around quickly for anything that I could use to sway the fight in my favor - nothing in my immediate surroundings, and my effort was quickly rewarded by a backhanded slap to the head from Sneasel that sent me spiralling toward the ground. Sheer grit and determination allowed me to land quickly on my feet, and I used the momentum to spring back toward Sneasel. Without even thinking about it I'd unfastened my fanny pack and begun lashing it wildly in Sneasel's direction - my use of an improvised whip seemed to catch her off guard, and she quickly stepped back and went on the defensive.
Not wanting to let this opportunity go to waste, I pressed forward and continued my unrelenting barrage. I couldn't tell if my "attacks" were effective or not, but I could see Booker averting his gaze in the corner of my eye, so I assumed I was doing SOMETHING right.
That assumption wouldn't carry me for much longer though - after a few seconds my "whip" got tangled around one of Sneasel's claws, and she quickly yanked it out of my grip and launched it across the room, sending me sprawling onto the ground at her feet. As I scrambled to get back up to my feet, I felt a quick rush of air blast past me and I found myself tumbling across the floor away from Sneasel.
As I pulled myself back up to my feet, I struggled to comprehend what had just happened - I'd definitely just been attacked by Sneasel, but I hadn't seen her move. I'd unconsciously grabbed my tail as I stood back up, and brandished it in front of me. I wasn't sure why exactly, but something felt natural about standing like this.
"Do that again." I commanded.
Sneasel shrugged and rolled her shoulders, before cracking her neck and resuming her stance. "If you're sure."
Now that I wasn't scrambling on the ground, I was in a better position to understand her attack a bit better - Sneasel appeared to disappear, only to reappear in front of me instantaneously. With incredible speed, she let loose another swipe at me before reappearing at her original position as quickly as she'd arrived. I barely had time to react before I found myself skidding back from the force, although thankfully this time I was able to stay upright. It wasn't a painful blow by any means, but the swiftness of the strike caught me by surprise.
A strange sensation washed over me, and when I glanced back up at Sneasel I saw her shaking some paint off of her claw. One of her attacks must've clipped my tail.
That strange feeling began to intensify. I looked down and examined my tail - the typical verdant hue had been completely replaced by a bright white glow.
The strange feeling reached a fever pitch, and my body began to move autonomously, as if guided by some sort of instinct. I found myself flying across the room with unnatural haste and planting a fist right in Sneasel's gut, before quickly returning to my original position.
"Sneasel! Are you okay?" cried out Booker. Panic started to set in at hearing Booker's cry, and I began to worry I'd seriously injured Sneasel. Expecting the worst, I trepidatiously looked over at her, and to my surprise she wasn't dead. She was doubled over on one knee clutching her chest, but the most shocking thing was that she was smiling?
"Heh... I didn't expect that from you, Ross. Good one!" she panted, before getting back onto her feet and dusting herself off. She didn't seem annoyed that I'd hurt her. On the contrary, she seemed almost proud.
I didn't feel proud though. At this point any anger I was feeling had subsided, and all that was left to fill its place was an overwhelming feeling of guilt and discomfort.
"I did that? I... did that..." I muttered to no one in particular, before it all became to much for me.
"I-I'm sorry, I have to go."
I sprinted out of the dojo as quickly as I could, leaving behind an extremely confused Booker and Sneasel.
(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hs1P2eSv0o)
I didn't know how long I'd been curled up in my room for. Time had no meaning to me any more. The events of the day were stuck on loop in my head.
I'd been in a fight. I hurt Sneasel. I did some sort of weird, unnatural attack.
That last one stung the most. Moving like that wasn't normal. Nothing about this situation was normal! I wasn't supposed to be getting into fights, I wasn't supposed to be able to move that quickly, I wasn't supposed to be some weird dog thing!
The more I dwelled on how inhuman I felt, the more I started to dwell on how much I'd changed, and that terrified me. The way I'd grabbed my tail and the way I'd somehow copied Sneasel's attack felt completely natural to me, and I couldn't reconcile that thought no matter how much I poured over it. It felt like something I'd practised my entire life - why was that? Had more than just my body changed? Was I still me? I still didn't recognise the face that stared back at me in the mirror, but the thought that one day I might be able to call it my own sent shivers down my spine.
I'd had enough. I just wanted to go back home - I wanted to wake up in my own bed, and go back to my own life. I rolled over onto my bed and forced my eyes shut, trying as hard as I could to wake up from this nightmare. All the energy I could muster was focused entirely on trying to manifest home.
In an instant, all the emotions I'd been feeling crashed into me like a wave, and it felt as if I'd been thrown overboard.
I cried.
The tears were flowing and I was completely powerless to stop them. My shoulders shuddered and my chest heaved as I shed tears for everything I'd lost, and for everything I was set to lose.
"You okay dude?"
I didn't even think to question where the voice was coming from, but I managed to eke out a response. "I-I just want to be normal again...". My voice cracked as I spoke, and my throat continued to tighten as I quivered.
"What do you mean? You're a normal type!" the voice replied, chuckling to itself slightly.
I opened my eyes and looked up to see what was talking to me - stood in front of me was a floating skull with a black cloak billowing behind it. Stationed behind its eye sockets was a glowing orb which seemed to move around as the creature looked around.
This was exactly what I needed right now - another literal fucking ghost messing with me. I let out a scream and started scrambling away from it, and in response it rolled its eyes... eye? and retorted, "Yeah, I know, lame pun, that's on me. But seriously though, you seem pretty worked up. What's wrong?"
It dawned on me at this point that unlike the previous ghost I'd encountered, this one wasn't trying to attack me. On the contrary, it seemed friendly, and was making an effort to actually communicate. I stole a glance upward and noticed the headband tied around its... head, I assume. It was adorned with the same badge that everyone around here wore - marking this ghost's status as a member of the Clover Guild. As one of my guild mates.
I was mortified.
Quickly clearing my throat, I sat up straight and rubbed the tears from my eyes, before addressing my new companion. "S-sorry about that, I'm uh, not doing so great right now." My voice cracked as I continued. "Everything here's too different and I'm struggling to keep up with it and I'm worried that I'm changing and-"
I was cut off by the ghost speaking up. "And? Is that a bad thing?"
"Huh?" was the only response I could muster up.
(music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cys21Mq-Os)
The ghost continued. "You seem kinda caught up on the whole change thing, but everybody changes. I'll give you that the whole isekai thing is a bit drastic, but everyone's constantly changing. Even me, heheh."
"But what if I change too much? What if I change so much that I'm not me any more?" I asked, my voice quivering as the words escaped my mouth.
"How would that work? You'd still be you, right? Even if you, oh I dunno, suddenly turned into a dog with a paintbrush for a tail and had superpowers, you'd still be you."
The ghost's words struck a chord with me, and I started to understand where it was coming from. I'm still me. I'll always be me, even if I'm different. I'd been focusing so much on how different everything was that I'd started to spiral, keeping myself completely ignorant to all the good that I'd seen since arriving here - even if they were strange creatures to me, I'd found some odd, but wonderful people here. And Capim Town was a very nice place to have a residence in. And that wonderful, otherworldly song I'd heard in the forest...
Another tear dropped from my eye, and I rubbed it away, a smile starting to creep its way onto my face. "Thanks... you have no idea how much I needed to hear that. Honestly, I don't think I could thank you enough."
"No problem! You're Ross, right? I'm Elm" said Elm, extending one of his hands for a handshake.
I reached out to reciprocate, but as my hand collided with his it phased right through it, which elicited a snort from Elm. "Pffthaha, sorry, I couldn't resist!"
I rolled my eyes back at him, before saying, "It's fine..."
Suddenly it dawned on me that we were in my room. Where I'd gone to be by myself. Alone. Without company. So why was Elm here exactly?
I decided to ask. "So uhh, why'd you come into my room anyway, Elm?"
I'm not sure how exactly, but a sheepish look spread over Elm's face, and he stammered. "Uhh, hey what's that behind you!"
I turned around. There was nothing behind me.
I turned back to face Elm. He'd vanished.
Flopping back onto my bed, I couldn't help but laugh. I'd just had a mental breakdown and was given a pep talk by a ghost. What a ridiculous thought to mull over! But it happened. And it was exactly what I needed, somehow. So much had changed, and it was out of my control. I'd fare a lot better if I learned to accept things as they were now and go with the flow, instead of getting hung up on how different everything was. Even if I change, I'm still me.
That thought comforted me, and I felt myself relaxing and starting to fall asleep. As I was starting to doze off though, I remembered something important - Booker and Sneasel. That's right, I was with them before my freak out. I should go let them know I'm okay.
I begrudgingly got out of bed, and exited my room. To my surprise, Sneasel was leaning against the opposite wall with her arms crossed, and Booker was perched comfortably on her head.
"Ross, are you okay?" asked Booker, the concern in his voice immediately apparent.
"Yeah, I'm good now." I replied. "Thanks. Had a lot on my mind I had to get out of my system, but I'm good now. I'm still me."
"I'm glad to hear that!" Booker continued, "With the way you ran out of the Dojo earlier we were both really worried about you. Especially Sneasel"
"Yeah uhh, sorry if I went too far back there, Ross. I can get a bit carried away sometimes." said Sneasel apologetically.
Hearing the two of them sounding so worried over me made me feel worse for running out on them like that. "Please don't apologize, you two haven't done anything wrong. If anything I should be thanking you! Even if it did get cut short I did learn a little from our quick sparring match, and it pushed me to get through some bad stuff I'd been overthinking, so thank you both!"
Sneasel flashed a grin at me. "Heh, if that's the case then you're welcome. When's the rematch?"
"Uhh, maybe another time..."