Dew Point
By Togetic Anon
Chapter 1: Nightmare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S08Orh9foo (BGM: Tremble as You Face Doom)
"Uraaaagh! Take THAT!"
A thunderclap pierces my ears, and my hair stands on end as an electric shock courses through my body. I'm sent flying backward as a punch connects directly with my face. As I tumble along the ground I can feel my muscles spasm due to the effect of the electricity. Eventually, I come to a stop, and I let out a groan as I try and claw myself back up, only to see my foe standing before me. The green and brown, bipedal hedgehog-like creature begins to ready another electrified punch, and I raise my arms to try and protect myself. However, my arms refuse to move, and I take another strike to the face. The force of the blow sends me into the air and this time I land on my back. The grass below me does little to cushion my impact, wracking my entire body with pain.
Forcing myself to fight through the agony my body is in, I attempt to reach into my bag, only to find that it's not there. Cursing under my breath, I sit up to see Aled standing next to my foe, holding my bag in his arms with a smirk. Another one of my enemies stands beside him, an armless, blue, axolotl-looking monster. I lean forward to try and get myself to stand up, only to falter and let out another cry of pain as I fall back onto the ground. I nearly gag as I hear Aled and my detestable assailants cheer, reveling in their victory.
"W-We... W-We did i-it! I-I can't b-believe it!"
"Hah! Nobody is a match for Team Cozy! Right, Wooper?"
"Yep! Now, what are we going to do with this guy? Oh! Why don't we skin him for his fur? We could make some cozy blankets with it!"
"Great idea! His fur is probably water-resistant, maybe we could even use it to make water beds!"
"D-Don't get a-ahead of yourselves. W-We still n-need to b-bring him t-to O-Officer M-Magnezone so th-they can e-execute h-him."
The three of them laugh, their voices becoming more distorted and ghoulish as they get closer to my helpless body. Before they can reach me, I hear something rustle through the foliage near us, which grabs the attention of Aled and the two monsters. My skin crawls as I hear the disturbingly familiar voice.
"So, you've managed to take down that Dewott. Impressive, members of the Clover Guild. However, the two of you have yet to eliminate the outlaw that is within your midst." I can tell from the voice alone that it's the leader of Team Shogun, the walking razorblade that nearly captured me and Aled before. "Turn over the Togetic or there will be consequences."
"N-Never! T-Team C-Cozy would n-never g-give me up... R-Right...?" Hearing the sudden fear in Aled's voice, I push myself up, to see that his two "friends" have already hightailed it out of there and left him behind. "Ch-Chespin? W-W-Wooper...? Wh-Where... Wh-Where d-d-did you g-g-go?! H-Help me!"
The leader of Team Shogun begins walking towards Aled, who's completely frozen in fear. "A shame. I thought Clover Guild would be above recruiting an outlaw. At least now I finally get to have my revenge." The monstrosity raises its arm-blade, preparing to cut down Aled! I try with all of my might to stand up, but my entire body refuses to move! I shake with a mix of anger and despair as I'm unable to do anything to help my partner!
"N-No, ST-STOP!" Aled jumps back, just barely dodging the monster's slash. Looking around with a panicked look in his eyes, suddenly Aled turns his gaze to me and starts running in my direction. "H-HELP ME! H-H-HELP-"
Aled screams for me, before getting cut off by the monster's slash. It slices him in the back, making him let out a cry that makes my blood run cold and boil over in fury at the same time. Powerless to do anything else, I close my eyes as Aled's wail pierces my skull. The grass under me and the sounds around me begin to fade out and become more warped until all of my senses are enveloped by a feeling of discordant noise that is suddenly shattered with a loud CRASH!
I jolt up, desperately looking around for Aled, before letting out a sigh.
"Another damn nightmare..." I spit onto the grass as I wipe the cold sweat from the top of my head. I scan the area around me, checking for any potential threats. The forest around me is quiet, and the small clearing I was sleeping in seems devoid of any hostiles. Rays of sunlight pierce through the leafy canopy above me, and from a quick look at the location of the sun, I deduce that it must be around midday.
"Overslept a bit... I should be glad nothin' ambushed me though." I pick up my bag and adjust my cloak as I start walking deeper into the forest. As my mind begins to break past its morning fog, familiar thoughts pop into my head. What's my plan for today? What's the status of my supplies? Should I make another attempt at saving Aled today? Should I try and gather more info on that guild? Should I just try and stay out of sight while watching Aled from afar? As these ideas bounce around in my head, I remember my most recent failed attempt at trying to rescue Aled. If only those two hadn't messed up the plan and betrayed me... But I suppose that's what I get for trusting some of those natives.
As I remember the fight near the guild, my left arm aches. I wince as I rub it with my other arm. Eating berries doesn't seem to remove the pain, the punch from that turtle-like monster must've fractured something. I'll have to get my revenge against her and her buddy the next time I run into them, but at least I was able to steal some of their stuff. I rummage through my bag as I walk, and I dig out the red cloth I stole from one of those traitors. If I remember correctly, this is a Detect Band, and it makes the wearer more evasive. I decide to wrap it around my head like a headband, and continue on through the forest.
My mind clears the moment I hear something rustle in a bush behind me. I keep my pace, not wanting to alert any potential attackers that I've noticed them. I hear a twig crack, followed by the sounds of something rushing through the brush behind me. Two of them, and they're about to ambush me... Now!
I spin around, and I catch my first attacker with a powerful lariat. I don't even have time to examine my foes before the other launches themselves at me with a flying kick. Smirking, I do a sidestep and grab their leg in mid-air, then use their momentum to spin them around, throwing them back in the direction they came. Now that both are downed and scrambling to get back up, I'm able to get a good look at them. They look like overgrown, bipedal chickens that for some reason seem to lack any wings. I've seen one of their species at that guild before, but these two don't seem to be wearing anything that looks like guildwear. I almost write them off as wild ferals before I notice one of them is carrying a bag. Now are they outlaws, or are they another exploration team with delusions of taking me down?
I step back from my recuperating foes and take a fighting stance, lifting my fists in front of my face, only to notice the fur on my arms has become blackened and singed. Guess I can assume these two will be able to use fire. I roll my eyes as I unsheathe my shells, disappointed I'm not able to use more of my martial art moves due to my opponent's burning bodies. I don't care for relying on these stupid gimmick moves, but I'll do what I must to win.
"Awright, GIVE ME A GOOD FIGHT!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZUbP8vZZrs (BGM: Battle - Humans, Demons, and...)
Both of them have gotten up now, and the one with a bag shoots a ball of flame at me from his beak. I dodge out of the way, but as the projectile passes by me I'm hit by a wave of heat. My eyes sting and water up, and through my blurry vision, I can just barely make out the other monster dashing towards me. The monster goes for a punch, and I duck under and perform a leg sweep, knocking the creature to the ground. I'm unable to follow up as the other one fires off another fiery blast, forcing me to back off and focus on dodging. The heat emanating from the fireball feels even warmer this time, as if the air around me is boiling. What the hell are these things? I've never fought any of these fire monsters with flames this strong!
Before the one with a bag can fire off another shot, I take a deep breath and shoot a beam of ice at it. It hits dead-on, but as the icy mist clears the monster looks completely unfazed! Are they so hot that any water-based attacks don't work on them!? Panicking, I open up my bag to grab an Escape Orb or Warp Seed, only to see that I'm all out. Damn! I have no choice but to try and fight them off!
The other one picks themselves up off the ground, and to my surprise actually speaks. "Aleph! Keep firing! Cut him off! Don't let him escape!"
"Understood, Vet!" Responds back the one with a bag. It fires off more fireballs at me, and my skin starts to burn as the forest around me begins to go up in flames.
Aleph and Vet? Weird names. They must've seen me digging through my bag for a potential escape option, so now they think I'm going to try to do a runner. Maybe I can use this to my advantage. I turn around, pretending that I'm about to run away, and right on cue I hear the one called Vet running behind me. I continue running straight ahead, directly towards a tree. Without slowing down, I jump into the air, pull up my legs, and brace myself as my feet connect with the tree trunk. The moment I land, I kick off and do a backflip over the monster chasing me, and I smash both of my shells into the creature's head as I fall back to the ground. I land on my feet, and the monster clutches their head as they turn around to face me, looking absolutely enraged.
Before I can even attempt a slash with one of my shells, I hear the one behind me shoot off another blast of flame. I instinctively dodge to the side to try and avoid it, but the one in front of me seizes this chance to leap at me with a flying kick. I'm only able to block it with my arms, and the monster's chicken-like foot bashes into me, sending me rolling across the now sizzling forest floor. I quickly pick myself up and see my foe running at me once again.
I can't keep this up. I can handle one of these beasts, but with the other keeping watch, ready to shoot me from afar? My options are too limited. I have enough supplies to last for a while, but they have supplies of their own... Dammit!
Just as I curse under my breath, I hear a crash behind me. Turning around, I see another one of those oversized chickens running at me!
"Oh hell, not ANOTHER-"
I'm cut off by this new challenger leaping right over me, allowing me to get a closer look. This creature has a long, red and white scarf, that is adorned with a clover-shaped badge that I know all too well. It's one of the members of the Clover Guild, and to my surprise he completely ignores me. The moment he lands from his jump, he continues dashing straight ahead, right towards the monsters I was just fighting. A soft, blue glow then envelops his fist as he punches the monster called Vet in the face, knocking them back.
The hell...? They're the same species, shouldn't they be on the same side? Maybe this one betrayed them to join the guild? Could that be related to why he doesn't seem to have fire powers? Ugh, I shouldn't be looking a gift horse in the mouth. I follow behind the guildmember, and jump over him. Grasping my shells, I spin in the air and follow up his attack on the fiend, slashing it across the chest. Specks of blood fly out from the tips of my shells, and a confident grin overtakes me as I continue my assault with more slashes. Predictably, the monster can't keep up with my expert swordplay, and soon the front of their torso and face are covered with cuts. The monster tries to deflect my slices, but through clever use of feints, I'm able to avoid their parries.
"Not so tough when yer fighting fair, huh? TAKE THIS!" I pull back my right fist and slam it into their face. I hear a sizzle and a crack as the creature is knocked to the ground, completely unconscious. My boiling bloodlust nearly overtakes me for a moment as I prepare to beat their helpless body into a pulp, but then I remember about the creature's partner. I rub my singed right hand as look around for my other foe, only to see that the guildmember has already defeated it, and is standing over their motionless body.
He made quick work of that, I must admit I'm impressed. Now what to do about him... Wait, he's one of the guildmembers that attacked me before! Guess there goes trying to trick him... Unless...
"Hey." I shout to the guildmember. He turns to face me, then immediately takes a fighting stance. In response, I sheathe my shells and take a step back. "Whoa, there. I know we've fought before, but even a man like me has to give thanks when someone saves my skin. Put 'er there!" I walk over and outstretch my hand. Now that I can see his face, I notice that he has a patch over one of his eyes. The scarfed monster looks at me with suspicion in his eye, not relaxing from his stance. He closes his eye for a moment as if he's deep in thought. Just as I'm about to consider using this chance for a sneak attack, he reopens his eye and steps towards me, and shakes my hand.
I pull him towards me and use my other hand to throw a punch towards his gut, only for him to catch it easily! Was I that obvious?
Before I can react, the guildmember throws me backward and returns to his previous fighting stance. "Your aura was a dead giveaway. Not like I'd ever trust you anyway after what you've done to the other guildmembers."
I stand up and dust myself off. "Your fault for stealing my partner away from me." I look around, and realize that the fires from earlier have died down, leaving behind charred trees and grass that let off small amounts of smoke.
The creature smirks. "Going to try running off again?"
"Only if you call more of your freak friends."
"Don't worry, I'll keep it fair." He takes one step forward. "Cause I know I won't need any extra help to defeat a shifty coward like you."
He needs to work on his insults. I should probably use this chance to run, but I haven't had the chance to enjoy a good, one-on-one scrap in a while. Wonder if I can convince him to make this fight a little more interesting? "Big talk for someone who has to rely on gimmicks to win. How about a true test of strength? No special powers, no items, just pure martial prowess." I put my scallops into my bag, then throw it onto the ground. "C'mon, can't you see I'm bein' honest with that... Aura power of yours?"
He closes his eye once again for a few moments. "... I accept."
I crack a smile as I throw off my cloak and Detect Band, and take my own fighting stance. "Perfect. Show me what you monsters can do!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIbZgecFGkg (BGM: KDD-0063)
I beckon for the guildmember to come forward with my hand, and he obliges, running straight at me. He goes for a leg sweep, which I effortlessly jump over, and I throw a right-handed punch toward his face as I land. He shifts his body to the side to dodge my punch, and he follows up with a flurry of jabs. I pull my fists up to my face in response, and bob and weave under his swipes. Every time I duck my head down, I take a step forward, forcing my foe to step back with each attempted punch. Next, I incorporate the momentum from my weaving into a horizontal punch, slamming the monster on the right side of his face. I continue with a punch from my other hand, once again utilizing the momentum from my weaves, seamlessly merging my defensive movements into offensive ones. My expert execution of the Dempsey Roll forces my opponent to put up their fists to block mine, but the power of my strikes knock his fists to the side, allowing me to sneak in even more successful hits.
Finally wising up to my strategy, the monster jumps backward to put distance between us. A small stream of blood falls from the side of his beak, which he quickly wipes away. I use the chance to dust off my hands and crack my knuckles. "Not so tough without yer special moves, huh? What was that you said before 'bout not needin' any extra help?"
The creature merely scoffs at me as he gets back into his fighting stance. I get back into mine, and the two of us begin circling each other. He's too spooked to go on the offensive now, guess I'll have to be the one to close the gap here. I advance towards him slowly, considering my plan of attack. I go for a low jab, which he easily dodges. I go for a few more swift jabs, trying to bait him into counterattacking, but he refuses to bite. Alright, looks like I'll have to get a little more fancy. Shifting my weight forward, I do a straight punch with my right arm that just barely misses the left side of his head, and then I throw my arm to the right, trying to slam the side of his head with a backhand maneuver. However, he somehow foresees my trick and ducks under it. Left wide open, he counters with a kick to my side, making me gasp in pain as I step back.
Irritated, I fight through the pain and attempt a few more feints, but all are unsuccessful. He predicts my every move, not falling for any of my feints, making it impossible for me to get a clean hit in. Even worse, he almost always counters with a hit of his own and refuses to attack me unless he has an absolutely safe opening to exploit. How the hell is he so hard to hit now? Just as my anger is about to overtake me, I notice a slight smirk on his face, which gives me my answer. The bastard must be using his aura power to read when I'm attempting a fake-out or a feint, damn cheater!
I take a step back and laugh. "I thought I said NO special powers?"
"You're just that easy to read."
"We'll see about that." I take a deep breath and try to calm my mind. I lunge forward, and begin a series of punches and kicks, no longer attempting to plan out my feints. My foe effortlessly dodges all of them, but that's no problem. My goal here now isn't to land any of these hits. It's to get lost in the heat of the battle, and let my mind become completely absorbed by the thrill of the fight. To make attacks become pure instinct, with no forethought attached to them. The guildmember catches onto my strategy and begins counterattacking to try and throw me off, but it's too late. I've fallen into the rhythm of the fight.
There's no hesitation or calculation in my attacks. My body moves from one punch, kick, sweep, jab, all seamlessly, all while narrowly avoiding the counters from my foe. Now it's just a game of how long until he slips up.
Our dance of dodges continues, and ever so slowly, I can see my opponent's attacks become more desperate and sloppy. Finally, he slips up and stumbles slightly as he sidesteps one of my punches, allowing me to land a clean strike on his shoulder with my right arm. I attempt to capitalize on his blunder with a flurry of blows, but he recovers fast enough to avoid all of them. Before long I'm back into the groove of battle, and we're back at our stalemate.
I can tell the battle of attrition is slowly wearing down my opponent. They're skilled, but they're clearly too young and don't have the endurance of someone who has gone through as much training as I have. They're going to slip up again, and this time, I won't be too slow on catching them. My face contorts into a wicked grin as I pick up the pace of my attacks, and I start to see my adversary get a panicked look in his eye. His left foot steps onto a loose rock, making him lose his balance, and leaving him open for a perfect blow from my left arm. While he tries to regain his balance, I reel back my left arm and let loose a wild haymaker right towards his face.
Wait...
My left arm?
"Gotcha!"
The monster avoids my punch by performing a cartwheel kick, lowering his head and thus leaving my arm wide open. Our expressions have swapped now that I realize I've fallen for his bait. My racing mind slows to a crawl as time itself seems to slow around me, and I can see my foe's leg getting closer and closer to my left arm. Then, in a split second, the only thing that fills my mind...
CRACK
... is pain.
"AAAAAUGH!"
The force of the kick completely decimates my arm and sends me doubling back. The pain paralyzes me, and before I know it there's another kick heading directly towards my face. It connects, knocking me off my feet and onto the forest floor. I can only let out a cry as I try to pick myself up, but the agony is too much, and I collapse. I turn my head to see that bastard approaching me, with a disgusting smirk on his face.
"As I said, you're just that easy to read, we can do this again once you've improved-"
The monster gets cut off by the sound of a muffled groan, and I painfully angle my head to look to the side to see that the two previously knocked-out monsters are starting to wake up. The guildmember stops walking towards me and looks past me, and I decide to use this chance to make my escape. Using the last of my energy, I kick with my legs, and water forms around them and my chest, shooting me across the ground. I aim for my bag, cloak, and Detect Band and scoop them up with my right hand as I flip around onto my back and hold the items on my chest. The two monsters I fought earlier have gotten up and the guildmember is completely distracted by fighting with them.
Well, no point staying around here any longer when I'm this beat up. I turn tail and retreat deeper into the forest, the sounds of fighting and battle cries slowly becoming more and more muffled the farther I run. Once I can't hear them anymore, I dash behind a tree and slump down against it. As the rush of adrenaline leaves my body, the pain slowly returns. The pain continues to increase, and my entire left arm feels like it's been hit by a freight train. I try and cradle it with my other arm, but merely touching makes it feel like a bullet just pierced it, making me let out a painful gasp.
My bag... I have to get something from my bag.
I dig into my bag with my right hand, trying to find an Oran Berry or a Reviver Seed. The world around me begins to fade, and the pain makes my breathing more labored.
Come on... Just... A bit...... More.......
I think I feel my hand wrap around a berry, but pain has overtaken even my sense of touch. Whatever I have grabbed I can no longer feel, and soon all feeling starts to leave my body. I can't black out here...
No... Please...
The last thing I feel is a light bump as my body falls over, and then the embrace of nothingness takes me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZEiCvTK_fY (BGM: Memory)
"Hold on kiddo, it shouldn't be much farther."
Lightning flashes and lights up the area around me, burning the rocky terrain into my vision for a few seconds. I'm holding Aled in my arms, trying to cover him with as much of my body as I can to stop the fierce winds and rain from touching him. I can just barely hear him eke out a quiet mumble under the sounds of the howling winds and thunderclaps. I keep my eyes looking down, making sure I don't step on a loose rock. I don't want to trip by accident and hurt Aled. While my body isn't affected by the rain or the slipperiness of the damp rock, the power of the winds makes it harder and harder to continue trudging up the mountain path.
"... I-I'm s-sorry you h-have to c-carry me... I-I w-was too r-reckless in th-that last f-fight..." Aled stutters out, raising his voice to break past the deafening winds.
"Nonsense, you were brilliant!" I say in a strained tone due to how much I'm exerting myself. "Sneaking into their bags mid-fight and usin' their own items, that was some quick thinkin'."
Aled lets out a barely audible sigh. "B-But... I-It let one of them g-get a g-good hit on m-my wings..."
I lower my gaze, taking a look at Aled. His wings are haphazardly bandaged up, and some small red splotches can be seen staining the rough brown fabric of the makeshift bandages. I avert my eyes as I feel my blood begin to boil. "... I'm sure they'll heal soon enough. We're not gonna get through every fight unscathed. You really shoulda let me rough 'em up a bit more for what they did to 'ya-"
"W-We've drawn enough h-heat already, a-and barely s-survived some o-of the t-teams chasing o-our bounty. Adding m-murder to o-our l-l-list of ch-charges w-would only s-send... M-More st-stronger teams a-after us..."
I let out a sigh of my own. "... Yeah, you were right to stop me from takin' things too far. At least we got some good stuff from 'em, you're better than me at pickin' marks these days."
"M-Maybe because I-I actually t-try and scope o-out what th-they're carrying instead o-of j-jumping anyone that l-looks strong..."
"Well, how else am I going to get stronger-AH!"
My ears ring and my eyes are blinded as a lightning strike hits the cliff just above us, and I quickly shield Aled with my body as I feel stones start slamming against my back.
Chapter 2: Healing
I wake up with a start, sitting up in my bed, only to instantly feel a wave of pain in my left arm. I lean back in my bed as I rub it to try and ease the pain. Wait a minute, my own bed? I look around and see that I'm in what looks like the living room of a small cottage. The bed I'm laying on has a nice soft layer of cotton as its mattress, and the main cover is a warm, pink blanket. Nearby, there's a small fireplace with a sizzling fire, giving some warmth to the room. Where am I? For a moment I almost think I'm back in the human world, only to notice my body is still in its cursed monstrous form.
Before I get any more time to ponder my current situation, I hear something walking down some nearby stairs. I look over, to see a large pink creature waddling towards me, wearing an apron. "Ah, you're finally up! I was worried you would be out for a few more days!" Says the creature with a mature but feminine voice. "How are you feeling?"
As she gets closer, I recognize her as a Clefable. I'll play it cool for now, I can decide if I want to rob her later. "My left arm still hurts like hell, but other than that I'm feelin' fine. I'm guessin' you found me and patched me up?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MX3eAsl_xM (BGM: Maya's Theme)
She nods with a warm smile. "Yep! Well, the patching up part. My old pal Debby was the one who found you. Oh, I just realized I forgot to introduce myself, how rude of me! You can just call me Melody." She walks up to my bedside and looks over me, and only now I realize my arms, chest, and head are covered with bandages. "Looks like your bandages held up, hopefully you won't need them for much longer. I'm afraid your arm will take a long while to fully recover though."
I try to lift my left arm again, only to be hit with another wave of pain. "... How long d'ya think it'll take to heal?"
"About a month, at least. Unless I'm able to get some better medical supplies."
Great. I'm going to be stuck here with this monster for a month. I could try and run off earlier, but with my arm in this condition, I won't be able to fight well enough to try and save Aled. I should be thankful this dumbass doesn't know I'm an outlaw, or that they're just too stupid to recognize me. "... Thanks for helpin' me out. Probably wouldn't've survived if that pal of yours didn't find me."
"Oh, don't worry about it! It's the least we can do to help a fellow Pokemon!" She says cheerfully as she moves to an end table next to my bed, which has a few berries and bottles on it.
My eye twitches in response to the monster implying I'm anything like her. "You're mighty kind. 'Fraid I haven't had the best experiences 'round these parts, if you couldn't already tell." I grab a glass of water on the nearby end table and take a sip.
She lets out a light chuckle. "It would be hard for me to not notice, considering you're an outlaw and all."
Wait, WHAT!? I do a spit-take, accidentally shooting a beam of water across the room, which only makes the monster laugh even harder. "How did you know-"
"Oh come on, your posters are all over every town. You have a preeeeetty big bounty on your head after you tried to attack that guild." She says, completely casually. "You're lucky Debby decided to bring you here instead of turning you in, she was busy making some deliveries and didn't want to waste time lugging you over to town. I've got a bunch of different friends I'm constantly keeping in contact with, I like to keep on top of the latest gossip." Seeing the baffled look on my face just makes her let out another soft chuckle. "Oh, you have nothing to be afraid about. I'm no tattletale. You're safe here."
A woman who likes to gossip saying she isn't a tattletale? Likely story. Her words seem oddly genuine though, and I don't know if that makes me more or less suspicious of her. I could probably take her easily in a fight, but if I'm being offered a safe place to recover I should probably take it. There's always the chance that this is some sort of trick, and I know I shouldn't trust these monsters... But can I really afford to go back into the wilderness again with my injuries and risk losing another fight?
I take a deep breath. "I hope you're tellin' the truth. Cuz if you aren't..." I say with a low growl, but my change in tone doesn't make the monster flinch in the slightest.
"Ooooh, what're you going to do? Slice me up with those shells of yours? By the way, I hope you don't mind that I took the time to clean them." She pulls out my shells from her apron pocket and places them on the end table. They look spotless. "Anyway, relax. I don't believe in turning over 'bad' pokemon to Officer Magnezone. I believe anyone who's in a bad place just needs a little help and nurturing in order to change their mindset."
"... I ain't no filthy monster like you."
The creature smirks. "What a treat, I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to meet a human. Berry and her husband would be running right over if they knew I was taking care of one... But I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy the attention, you seem like a loner type."
Bitch. "So you got a few screws loose or somethin'? Y'know even if you do somehow get me to change my ways, I'm still gonna be a wanted outlaw with a massive bounty on my head. And what's stopping me from just robbing you and runnin' off the moment I'm healthy?"
She shrugs. "Nothing, really. Do it if you want, I can always replace anything you steal."
"And what's stoppin' me from just killing you?"
"Well, your arm for one. All I'd have to do is get a good hit on that and you would be too crippled to fight. That, and I don't remember seeing murder on your list of charges. So I'll take my chances." She says in her same, casual tone as she turns away from me. "Anyway, you should get some rest. I'll wake you up when I finish breakfast." She waltzes over to the other side of the room, where she lights up a stove and starts getting out some cooking supplies.
The sounds of clanging pots and pans fill my ears as I lean back in my bed. Just who the hell does this creature think she is? I can't tell if she's incredibly bold or incredibly stupid, why should anyone show this much hospitality towards anyone they don't know, especially someone that has a bounty on my head like me? Is she just lonely or something? Is she trying to get me to feel like I'm indebted to her so she can try to guilt me into doing favors for her later?
I let out a sigh as I roll over on my side. I hate being stuck here and not knowing if Aled is safe. The moment my arm is good enough to move around again I'm getting the hell out of here and going back to coming up with a new plan to save him. That monster did say she keeps up with the local rumors, so I could ask her what's going on at that guild so I can get an idea of how Aled is doing.
I close my eyes and pretend to sleep, and eventually, I hear a sizzling sound coming from the kitchen area, which is soon followed by a familiar aroma I haven't smelled since coming to this world. Pancakes. I was expecting these monsters to cook up some disgusting food befitting of their appearances, but I guess some of them must have refined palettes. I open my eyes and sit up, to see the creature flipping pancakes in a frying pan. Nearby I spot a small wooden dining table setup with a square table and four chairs on each side, and sitting on one of those chairs is a little pink star-shaped monster I didn't notice before. Her child, maybe?
The creature that called herself Melody turns around from the stove, now carrying two plates with a full stack of pancakes on each one. She carefully places one of the plates in front of the star-shaped monster, which jumps up with glee as it grabs some utensils and starts devouring the pancakes. Then she starts walking over to me and places the other plate onto my lap. "Here you go! I've got syrup as well if you want it."
I stare at the slightly steaming pancakes, slightly dumbfounded. Why is this monster showing me so much hospitality? She's treating me as well as her own child. For a moment, the thought of this all being some elaborate trick to lull me into a false sense of security crosses my mind. What if these pancakes are-
"What, do you think they're poisoned or something?" She snickers. "They're gonna get cold if you keep giving them that ice-cold glare."
"... Sorry, just... Not really that hungry."
Unfortunately, my stomach disagrees and lets out a loud growl that makes her laugh even more. "I'll get the syrup." She walks to the kitchen counter and grabs a pitcher, then walks back over and pours some brown syrup on top of the pancakes. The goopy liquid slowly spreads across the top of the pancake, before dripping off the edges. It looks and smells just like the pancakes I would make back in the real world. Well, I'm going to have to eat at some point, might as well see if they taste like the ones back home too.
I cut myself a piece, and a rush of energy pulses through my body as the nostalgic taste of the pancakes melts in my mouth. They taste exactly like the ones I used to eat. Without thinking, I start devouring the pancakes with gusto. It's been so long since I've had a proper meal, ever since coming here I've had to subsist on fruits, berries, and whatever else me and Aled could steal off others. How did these monsters figure out the recipe to one of humanity's greatest creations? Maybe some human taught them, or perhaps pancakes are such a universal concept that every creature that gains some form of intelligence will create them one day.
It isn't long until I've annihilated the entire stack, and I lay back while letting out a loud burp. I look over to see the tiny monster staring at me from its chair. Once my eyes lock with it, it quickly turns around and looks away from me. Shifting my gaze, I spot the monster called Melody cleaning some of the pans in the kitchen. Feeling too lazy to call her over, I place my empty plate on the end table next to me and then roll over in my bed. As I close my eyes, my head is permeated by thoughts of how odd this entire situation is. Is this all some sort of weird dream? Did I end up dying after I passed out, and this is some sort of afterlife? Ugh, I'm overthinking things. This monster is just insane like the rest of them, only just insane in a different, helpful way. I still think this might be some sort of trick, and I don't like the idea of staying here for long, but I guess there's no harm in it if this is how I'm going to get treated every day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StjLCsfIbqQ (BGM: Silence)
The next few days are mostly the same as the first, I wake up, try to get out of bed, fail, eat, then go back to sleep. And that Melody creature has that same unwavering smile on her face every single day as she cares for me. On my third day, I finally get the strength to climb out of bed, but trying to walk with my crippled arm is impossible without a cast, so I'm only able to take a few steps away from my bed before I'm forced to retreat. Her seeing my pained look as I tried to support my gimp limb was one of the only times I ever saw that smile fade. The next morning, a makeshift cast was placed at my bedside. It's made out of some sort of green cloth, and the inside is cushioned with a light layer of cotton. As I struggle to put it on, the same old thought I've had since I first awoke here pops into my head again.
Why?
Why is she doing all of this for me?
Why would she treat a complete stranger, much less a known criminal, with this much kindness?
Why would she risk her own life, and the life of her own child, just to help out someone like me?
I just can't comprehend it at all. One's well-being and their own family should be above all else. Friends, colleagues, and especially strangers, are nothing but tools that should be exploited to improve the lives of you and your loved ones. If you get taken advantage of by someone else, that's your own damn fault. You weren't looking out for yourself or your own enough. That's how I lived in the real world, and how I've survived in this one. Everything I've ever done was to protect myself, or my family.
Is this monster just a fool? The more I try and make sense of her actions and motives the more confused I get. Maybe I should just stop thinking about it, I'll probably just leave and never see her again the moment I'm all healed up.
"Everything okay? You look like you've been deep in thought for a while. Is the cast not comfortable?"
"What? Oh... It's fine. Was just doing some thinkin'."
Her smile grows a little larger. "Glad it works! Took me a while to make it, I had some leftover cloth that my seamstress friend Leavanny made. Hopefully that should make it easier for you to walk around."
She sure has a lot of connections for someone who lives out on their own. "Might as well try it out, then." I climb out of bed, and due to the cast supporting my left arm, I'm able to easily get out without much issue. The cast is firm, but not tight enough to be uncomfortable. I'm unable to resist the urge to stretch my full body now that I finally have the chance to walk around, which only makes her have another quiet laughing fit. "What's so funny?"
"Just seeing a tough and grizzled outlaw stretch like that is an amusing sight."
I let out a low growl, and ignore her while I take a walk around the room. My limbs are all slightly sore from resting in bed for so long, and it feels liberating to finally be able to get up and move around again. I move to the window, and I'm greeted by a bright and sunny day outside, with only sparse clouds in the sky.
"Thinking about leaving already? I won't stop you." She says as she waltzes over next to me, gazing out the window herself. "I've packed up your bag next to your bed, and even patched up your cloak for you since it was looking pretty tattered. You can leave whenever you want."
I look back to my bed, and only just now notice that my cloak has been neatly folded up on the end of it. I go to get a better look and pick it up with my right hand, and see that its holes have all been sewn closed or patched up with square patches of slightly off-colored cloth. Once again I'm bewildered by her kindness.
"... Thanks, but I hope you don't mind me stayin' for a little while longer. I'd like for my arm 'ta heal up a bit more."
"I don't mind at all. If anything, it's enjoyable to have someone else to talk to around here."
Looks like my guess about her being lonely was right. Wonder if I can use that to my advantage. "It's certainly been a change of pace for me to have someone to chat with casually." I say as I sit down on the end of my bed.
"Must've been lonely for you out there, since you've lost that Togetic partner of yours."
How- Ah, right, she mentioned she knew about my attack on the guild earlier. Should've expected her to know about that. "... Yeah. I know one day I'll get him back. Then we're gonna get back home, to where both of us belong."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JePLWGD2uW8 (BGM: Distant Memory)
Melody sits next to me on the bed. "To the human world?"
I nod. "I built the perfect life for myself there. I had finally reached the goals I had been aiming for my entire life. But then one day..." My right fist clenches up. "All of it, everything I worked towards, gone. I'm in a completely different world."
Her smile disappears as she listens to me talk, and her expression changes to a solemn, yet understanding one. "I can't even imagine that... What did you do back when you were in the human world?"
Am I seriously telling a monster about this? Oh screw it, I guess there's no reason to hide anything. Being honest with her might make it easier for me to trick her later on anyway. "... Not sure if you folks have 'em in this world, but I was a businessman. Damn good one too, I took every risk imaginable to make sure all of the companies I ran would be as successful as possible."
"Were you as ruthless back then, too?"
I smirk. "Yeah, but in a different way. I might've ruined a few lives usin' some... underhanded tactics, but I always drew the line at murder. Hirin' hitmen to do dirty work for me just didn't seem very cost-effective anyway."
"But you must've made some enemies from doing stuff like that."
"I did. Cuz of that I also focused on makin' sure I was as strong as I could be, to protect myself, and to protect those who I care about. I've always been into martial arts since I was a kid, so I started practicing even harder to make sure I was in peak physical shape. That, and I always made sure I carried a weapon with me at all times." Without realizing it, my right hand instinctively hovers over where my missing right shell would usually be on my hip, and I quickly retract it before Melody notices.
She tilts her head curiously. "So you had people you cared about that you had to leave behind? Y'know, I thought you were a loner at first, but sounds like you had a nice wife or a family."
I scoff. "Yeah, I HAD a wife. She left me before I left that world, but I didn't mind. I never really cared for her much, and at that point, I had already gotten all that I could ever want out of her."
"You sure sound like you were a loving husband." She says sarcastically.
Cunt. "More lovin' than she was, at least. Anyway, the one person I did care about happened to come to this world with me, which I thought was a blessin' at first. But then we got attacked, and I quickly realized how unsafe this world was. That's when I decided I had to get back to the real world with him."
"You mean your Togetic friend?"
"Mhmm." I turn my gaze back to the window. "He's a little... special. I was always looking out for him back in our world. And here, I had to protect him. He was helpless when we first came here, and it wasn't 'til he evolved that he could really fight alongside me." I let out a sigh. "... But to be honest, I wonder if he would still be with me if he never evolved. Then he would've been forced to stay reliant on me."
"But the fact he wanted to fight alongside you showed that he cared. Why did he end up leaving you?"
I took a deep breath and recounted all of the events that had happened since my argument with Aled. I explained how he wanted to stay in this dangerous hellhole instead of coming back to the human world with me, and all of my failed attempts to get him back from that guild. Throughout it all, Melody listened intently, and her concern about my situation seemed genuine. As told my story, I couldn't help but come back to the same thoughts I've had time and time again since I've woken up in this bed. Why does she care so much? I'm not even a monster like she is, on the inside at least. And I've made it clear that I want nothing more than to leave this accursed world altogether, so why would she want to become friends with someone she most likely won't ever see again?
Once I had told everything, Melody just sat there next to me with her eyes closed, deep in thought. The question that had been burning in my mind for days couldn't be contained any longer, and I just had to get an answer from her. "Why are you doing all of this for me? I'm a human, and not only that, an outlaw who wants nothin' to do with this world. You'll be lucky if you ever hear about me again after I'm healed up enough to leave."
Melody gets up from the bed, still deep in thought. She finally opens her eyes, and once again I'm greeted by that familiar smile. "Don't know. I just like helping others, even if they aren't good Pokemon. Or in your case, a human."
"... You're insane."
She just laughs. "If being kind to others means I'm insane, then I'm fine with that. Anyway..." She claps her hands together. "... We've been chatting for so long that you should probably get some more rest, it's already evening."
"Ain't gonna say no to that." I say while letting out a yawn as I look at the setting sun through the window. "... Y'know, when I first woke up here I honestly thought that I was going to rob you blind the moment I was good enough to walk, but now I think I've come to understand Pokemon a bit better."
"Really? I'm glad my little show of kindness has had some effect on you."
"Me too." Now I'm just going to rob her blind the moment my arm is fully healed instead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yan1F5U63r8 (BGM: Orange colored Time)
The next few days are more of the same. I rest in bed while me and Melody chat, usually about my life or bits and pieces about hers. However, every time I attempt to inquire more about her own life, she usually quickly changes the conversation around to either being about me or some other topic. I suspect she doesn't fully trust me and is keeping as much of her past as secret as possible because of it, which I find odd considering how she DOES trust me enough to let me stay in her own house, with her young child no less. I wonder... Every parent likes talking about their kids, maybe I could bait her into talking more about herself that way.
"... By the way, what's the name of your little kiddo?" I ask as the two of us are eating delicious pancakes at the dinner table.
"Why the sudden interest?" Melody responds.
I shrug. "Dunno. Just curious."
"His name is Melo, he's my sweet little baby boy and the star of my life. He's a little shy though, not the biggest fan of strangers."
So completely unlike his parent. "Probably doesn't help he's scared of me cuz of how intimidating I am." I say as I shovel more of the pancakes into my mouth.
Melody stifles a small chuckle. "It's not that, he told me you seem pretty pathetic for an outlaw if you needed to be rescued by anyone."
I'm going to punt that little shit into the night sky. Then he'll really be the star of her life. "... Eh, typical of kids to say stupid stuff sometimes."
Melody laughs, but then her face is suddenly hit with a shocked expression. "Oh! I just realized I've never asked your name!"
Huh, she's right. Guess it must've never came up. Should I come up with a fake one...? Naw, might as well just be honest, even if it is kinda embarrassing...
"It's... uh... Dewey."
Melody smirks. "C'mon. What's your real name?"
"That IS my real name!" I growl back at her, slamming my fist onto the table.
Melody is completely unfazed by my outburst. "Dewey the human-turned-Dewott... pfffft... ahahahahhah!"
Should've just come up with a fake name...
The day goes on as usual, with the only main difference being my arm finally feeling like it's gotten better. I decide to remove the cast and start moving it around. It's still somewhat sore, and I wince a bit as I move it, but it's no longer giving me crippling pain. For a broken bone, it sure healed pretty fast. I guess that's just another advantage of this monstrous form. Now that I'm all healed up, I think it's time for me to plan my exit, but not before scoping out the house a bit to see if there's anything worth looting...
When I hear Melody walking down the stairs, I quickly put my cast back on and walk back over to my bed. Don't want to make her think I'm ready to leave already, best to make my exit as sudden as possible.
"Moving around already today?" Melody asks as she saunters over to the kitchen.
"Jus' wanted to do a bit of stretching." I say while faking a stretch. "Arm still ain't healed up yet, guess I'll be stayin' for a little while longer."
"Not a problem for me! As I've said before, you can stay as long as you like." Melody says as she starts preparing dinner.
I decide to get another good look around the cabin, scoping out any potential loot I can easily grab and take with me. My eyes are drawn to the top of the fireplace, where a large gold coin sits on a stand. Getting a closer look, I notice it has an imprint of what looks like a Clefairy. Under the imprint is a small inscription, which reads "For the mom I'd go to the moon and back for." I'm guessing she must have another kid that's already off on their own. A touching present, and a goodbye gift for me. I bet it'll get me a decent amount of money, enough for me to get back on my feet at least.
Melody notices my staring and walks over. "That coin was a gift from my daughter Fee. She went off to try and form an adventure team, but I think she mostly travels alone. She had that coin custom-made for me from a town in the Sand Continent. I haven't heard from her in a while though..." For the first time, I hear the usual cheerfulness in Melody's voice waver.
"Eh, I bet she's fine. If she could get ya' somethin' as nice as this, I bet she can handle herself. Plus, sometimes kids like doin' their own thing for a while." As I talk, a sudden thought pops into my head. The coin only referenced Melody, and not whoever the daughter's father is. And I haven't heard Melody mention anything about having a husband. Guess these monsters can have as many family issues as humans do. Or maybe the guy just got killed by another monster. Probably the latter. "Though... She might not be entirely safe if that continent has anyone like me on it."
"Really? Because I think she could handle outlaws that pass out in the middle of forests."
"... By stupidly healin' them up like you do?"
"Of course! I raise my kids to be as nice as they can be." She says with a proud tone in her voice.
"More like as naïve as you..." I say as I walk over back to my bed and flop down onto it. "Wake me up when dinner is done."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsfjfFjdnwo (BGM: It Can't Be...)
The rest of the day I plan my exit. Once I know both Melody and her kid are asleep, I'll sneak out and grab that coin and any other small valuables I can find. Then I'll just dash into the forest and look for the nearest town to pawn off everything at so I can get back to coming up with a plan to save Aled. That's all that matters. I don't care about this monster and their family, and why should I? I have someone I need to save.
I don't care.
It's her fault for being naive enough to try and help me.
I shouldn't feel bad about this.
She's just an insane monster with no sense of self-preservation for herself or her family.
Hell, maybe stealing from her will teach her a lesson. Make her less of an idiot so she can protect her family better.
Either way, it doesn't affect me. I'll never see her again once I'm gone.
No reason for me to care.
I sigh and roll over in my bed. It's time. I take a good look around the room while listening to make sure Melody and her kid aren't awake. The room is dark but empty, and the only sound I can hear is the wind blowing outside. I slowly and carefully climb out of bed and remove my cast, then equip my patched-up cloak and bag. Inside I find the supplies Melody mentioned earlier. I take out my Detect Band, and as I wrap it around my head, I notice a small amount of Poke in one of the bag's inner pockets. Pfft, did she think giving me some money would make it so I won't steal from her?
Muffling my laugh, I make my way to the fireplace, snatch the gold coin, and stuff it into my bag. I turn around to look for more stuff to steal, only to see Melody's little kid standing there.
"... Outta the way, kiddo."
"... So you really are going to steal from us?" The kid squeaks out in a near-whisper.
"Yep. Now move. I ain't got time for pipsqueaks."
The kid just stays there, staring at me silently. Rolling my eyes, I just walk past him. I look around the kitchen to see if there's anything to steal, only to hear the little brat walking up behind me. "So are all outlaws just evil like you?"
I clench my fist. "Kiddo, I'm just doing what I need to do to protect myself." Taking a deep breath, I turn to face the kid and look down at him. "... You shouldn't care about anyone but yourself and your own family, kiddo. Cuz everyone else is just out to protect their own hide. Trying to help anyone else is just a waste of time that will get you screwed over."
The kid just continues to stare at me in response, so I decide to just ignore him and walk towards the door. No point in trying to steal anything else if this kid could blow my cover. I discreetly open the door, careful to not make any noise, and take one last look at the inside of the house. The little guy is still just standing there, looking at me. Not wanting to delay my departure any longer, I shut the door, and escape into the night.
Once the cottage is out of sight, I lean my back against a tree as I look through my resupplied bag. Melody filled it with all of the essentials, berries, seeds, Poke, a map, and even a few orbs. Digging through, I find the coin I stole. I turn it over in my hand, and it glistens in the bright moonlight. Only now I realize I shouldn't have picked a day with a full moon to escape, it makes hiding in the darkness harder. But at least I don't think anyone spotted me, this cottage seems pretty far off from any towns. I take out the map to try and get my bearings, but I can't stop staring at the coin I took.
In the moonlight-covered night, its gold color has turned into a blue that turns white when the moonlight hits it. It's beautiful, but it probably won't fetch me an amazing amount of money. The imprint might increase the price though, the amount of effort that would've been required for it must've made it hard to get this coin made. Wonder if that daughter of hers had to go through a few messed up ones before she got it to look this good.
For some reason, as I keep mulling over the coin, a familiar memory pops back into my head...
"Ow!"
"S-Sorry!" Aled says as he squeezes some juice from an Oran Berry onto the wounds on my back. "Th-They're healing u-up a bit, b-but you're st-still banged up pretty bad..."
I sit up as Aled grabs some makeshift bandages out of our bag. "It's fine, kiddo. It doesn't hurt that bad anyway." I try and stretch to show my resilience, but it only makes a sudden wave of pain hit me, which makes me double over. Aled rushes over to me and grabs my chest.
"Y-You need to st-stay still! L-Let me get a-all of the b-bandages on you f-first b-before you go tr-trying to g-get up!"
"Heh, sorry about that." I sigh as Aled starts bandaging my wounds. "... I shoulda been the one fixin' you up today..."
"I-It's fine. I-I'm j-just glad y-y-you d-didn't e-end up g-getting... G-G-Getting... K-Ki-" I hear Aled let out a small sniffle, which makes my heart sink.
"Hey, you have THAT little faith in me?! C'mon, a couple rocks ain't gonna bring me down! If those livin' ones we fought couldn't kill me, then normal ones don't stand a chance!"
Aled's sniffle turns into a soft chuckle. "... Y-You're r-right. B-But I st-still think you sh-should be more careful.. Th-This cave was r-right next t-to you a-and you j-just decided to st-stand in place i-instead of r-running in h-here for cover?"
"It was dark and rainy. Water got into my eyes so I couldn't see well."
"B-But you're a w-water t-typ-"
Ignoring him, I get up as Aled finishes tending to the last of my wounds, and I stagger towards the entrance to the cave. The morning sun rises just above the nearby mountains and pierces through the now-dormant thunderclouds, sending rays of light throughout the mountain range. It's an awe-inspiring sight, and Aled lets out a small gasp as he walks up next to me. The both of us walk out of the cave and towards the edge of the cliff, where we sit down and enjoy the view.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6xZ-F3HuzM (BGM: Run Away, Fugitives)
"... B-Being on the r-run has its p-perks, s-sometimes." Aled says as he leans his head against my shoulder. "I-I c-can't b-believe we've m-made it so f-far t-together..."
I smile and grab Aled, which makes him let out a small surprised yelp as I pull him onto my lap and hug him close. "Hey, I told you I would protect you no matter what. We will get home safe, kiddo."
I can feel Aled relax as I hold him. "... W-We do m-make a pr-pretty good t-team... B-But we're st-still not a-any closer t-to finding a w-way home..."
"We'll find it eventually. Cuz there's nobody that's able to stop the two of us! No matter how many dungeons or teams we'll have to fight, we'll conquer 'em all!"
Aled cracks a smile. "Y-You're r-right, w-we can face down a-anything." Aled looks up across the horizon. "... I-It's w-weird, I'm s-sort of g-glad we w-woke up here t-together... I-It's been d-dangerous, b-but I've a-also f-feel like I-I... H-Have someone I-I can tr-trust for o-once..."
I can't stop myself from grinning at Aled's words. "I think the same, it's sure been one hell of an experience." However, my grin disappears as I reminisce about our lives back in the real world. "... Aled, I'm sorry."
Aled turns his head and looks up at me, puzzled. "H-Huh? Wh-Why?"
"For not being able to be with you like this at home. "
"... I-It's partially m-my fault too... I-I never made m-much of an effort t-to try and connect w-with you either..."
"Naw, it's completely my fault, kiddo. I shoulda done more..."
Aled looks back toward the morning sun. "... I-I think y-you've more th-than enough m-made up f-for it... A-And... U-U-Um..." Aled looks at his feet and squirms around a tiny bit as he attempts to stutter out what he's trying to say.
"Somethin' wrong?"
"... Th-Thanks for e-everything... A-And.. E-Erm..."
"... Yeah?"
"... I-I l-love you, Dad."
"Me too, son."
I'm snapped back to reality by the sound of an owl Pokemon hooting in the distance. Startled, I look around, only to find that I'm still all alone. I look back at the coin and turn it over in my hand again. Why am I even considering selling this? Sure, it might be valuable to some merchant, but to Melody it's priceless.
"Dammit!" I shout as I put the coin back into my bag and start dashing back towards the cottage. I'll go return it before she wakes up. It was completely stupid of me to even consider stealing stuff from her when she was so willing to just hand me stuff for free. It's more beneficial for me to keep her thinking I'm some reformed outlaw, especially since it'll give me a good place to hide out if I ever draw too much heat.
I look up through the forest trees and notice something odd in the night sky. A trail of smoke is slowly growing taller in the distance. Did she already wake up and light the fireplace? I continue running, but come to a stop when I see a red glow in the distance.
Who... What... How?! Why!? I take off in a sprint towards the cottage, running so fast that branches and foliage cut into me as I run by. Within seconds I'm at the edge of the forest, and my fears are confirmed.
The cottage is completely up in flames, and three figures stand in front of it, their long shadows flickering against the light of the blazing inferno.
And I recognize them.
Chapter 3: Returning Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am26CXu-2no (BGM: Plight!)
"Please stop resisting. You are only increasing your list of crimes."
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. All I see is a bunch of thugs masquerading as a rescue team!"
A large ball of dazzling pink light shoots from the burning house, knocking one of the figures down.
"For that, you are not only under arrest for aiding an outlaw, but now for assaulting a rescue team as well." The tallest figure dashes forward, and another, wider shadow dodges out of the way of its attack.
Not wanting to delay any longer, I unsheathe my shells and sprint towards them. As I get closer, the light from the fire illuminates the silhouettes, showing me the full forms of Melody and Team Shogun. Melody continues to dodge the Bisharp's attacks by jumping backward, and floating in the air as she fires off more spheres of energy from her palms, that narrowly miss the evasive Bisharp.
Seizing this chance, I leap through the air and attack the Bisharp from behind, but the monster turns around and deflects my shells with its arm, knocking me back through the air. I land on my feet and hurry over to Melody, who stands in the sizzling debris.
"You alright!?" I say as I keep a wary eye on my foes.
She looks shocked that I'm here. "... Yes, I'm fine."
The Bisharp and two Pawniards circle us, and we move to stand with our backs against each other.
The Bisharp crosses its arms. "It is nice that you revealed yourself, Dewott. Now we have definitive evidence that you were helped by this Clefable."
I scoff. "Ya' wrong there pal, I'm only here cuz I wanna humiliate you monsters even more. Never seen this 'gal in my life."
"Lying will get you nowhere. This is your last chance, turn yourself in now, or we will take you into custody by force."
I rub my chin. "Looks like you lot have already been usin' it already. Or didya just change jobs to demolition crew after me and my partner absolutely destroyed you?"
Bisharp's expression remains unchanged. "We use whatever means are necessary for the situation."
"So that meant burning my house down?!" Melody shouts.
"We simply believed this to be an empty hideout for this outlaw. We didn't know you were inhabiting it." The slightest hint of smugness can be heard in the Bisharp's voice.
Filthy liar... They burnt the place trying to bait me into coming back so they could get their revenge. Guess I'll have to finish the job this time to make sure they can never try an atrocious stunt like this ever again. I grip my shells, and instantly they hum as blades of water shoot out from their tips. "Well, are you ready for round two, you monsters?!"
"Negotiations have failed again. A shame." The Bisharp immediately lunges at me, and I parry its downward slash with one of my Razor Shells. As I'm about to counter, a bright, dazzling light shoots out from behind me, blinding the sides of my vision, but also completely dazing the Bisharp, forcing him to cover his eyes with his arm. I spin forward and slice the Bisharp's chest with both of my blades of water, and follow up by summoning water around my feet and using it to propel myself upward to do a backward flip kick right into the Bisharp's face. He stumbles back, allowing me a chance to glance back at Melody.
She's handling both of the Pawniards on her own, and easily slaps one out of the air as it leaps at her. Another rushes at her from behind, but she gracefully spins around and uppercuts it, her fist shining like a shooting star as a loud CLANG can be heard from the impact. Glad to know this girl can handle herself in a scrap even if she's a bit crazy.
Confident that she can handle herself, I turn back to the Bisharp, who's regained their balance. "Is that all you've got? C'mon, give me a good fight, razorhead!" I taunt as I beckon the Bisharp with one of my shells.
Unaffected by my taunt, the Bisharp waves their right arm horizontally, and suddenly two glowing blue swords are conjured behind him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60FJDw9qcFk (BGM: Ushiwaka's Dance)
"Let us dance. En garde."
Once again he lunges at me, but this time he slashes much earlier, and his swords follow up his slashes, greatly extending his attack range. I only just barely sidestep out of the way of one of the slashes, and I have to deflect the other with my shell. On impact, the sword of energy shatters, but the Bisharp simply waves their arm again and summons another. I make a stab at the monster's chest, but one of the swords flies in front of my blade, and parries my attack before shattering. Bisharp swings his remaining sword sideways, and I hop backward to try and avoid it, but the increased reach from the energy sword makes it slam into my side before I can block it, staggering me and giving me a piercing pain. The sword breaks apart on impact, and the Bisharp predictably summons another to keep up the pressure.
Realizing I'm out-ranged, I use my water powers to slide backward swiftly and skate across the burning wreckage surrounding us. Bisharp makes no attempt to follow, and instead fires his blades at me, each increasing in speed. I try and get in close to sneak in a slash of my own, but the monster always has another sword ready to ward me away with. The fight turns into a dance of me circling around the Bisharp, prodding for any potential openings, but to no avail. Getting fed up, I take a deep breath and feel my mouth freeze up as I shoot beams of ice toward my adversary. My attempts are in vain as the monster merely avoids all of them. I pick up the pace of both my strafing and my shots until eventually the Bisharp is forced to block one of my shots with his energy swords. The moment they're hit, they freeze over and hang in the air for a second, before falling and shattering on the ground.
So those things can be frozen, that's good to know- Wuh!?
A coil of grass suddenly entangles itself around my foot, halting my momentum and forcing me to slam face-first into the ground! I spit some dirt and debris out of my mouth, then hear that monster rushing towards me. Not having enough time to get up, I roll to the side, and the creature's fist slams into the ground in the spot where my head just was, creating a small crater in the ground. I scramble to stand up as the Bisharp pulls their arm out of the ground, and seconds later I'm assaulted by more slashes from his energy swords.
I can't keep up with this, I need to come up with a way to end this fight, and fast! As I try and think of a plan, I'm back to being on the defensive as a continual flurry of slices forces me to focus purely on parrying and blocking. I'm getting exhausted, and my blocks get sloppy, leading to some of the swords grazing my skin and cutting into me.
Come on, think, think! I can't lose here!
"You are outmatched. You cannot win this time." The Bisharp does a swift upward slash, knocking one of my shells out of my hand! I panic and grip my remaining shell with both hands, trying to block the follow-up by bringing the shell in front of my face, but the Bisharp lurches forward and bashes his head into me, stunning me and making my other shell fly out of my hands!
"It is over."
The Bisharp raises his arm and summons one last energy blade over his head.
So this is it, this is where I fall.
And it was all because I wanted to help some monster.
Aled...
"DON'T GIVE UP!"
A voice from behind me rouses me out of my stupor. I look up, and one of Melody's spheres of light bashes the Bisharp dead-on. The last energy sword falls as the Bisharp falters from the blow, and I realize this is my chance to end it all!
"Melody, follow me up!" I shout as I shoot a beam of ice straight towards the falling blade.
"On it!" Melody's body begins to glow, and she opens her chest towards the stars. A large golden-white orb of energy begins to form above all of us, with the markings of a moon. I snatch up the newly-formed blade of ice before it breaks on the ground, and do a running leap into the air. "CUT HIM DOWN!" Melody hollers as she fires off another blast to keep the Bisharp stunned.
I reach the floating orb of moonlight that Melody created and raise my blade high. The blade begins to shimmer against the bright stars and moonlight, and I bring my sword down right as I start falling. I cut right through the moon, and a rush of otherworldly energy flows into me as the sword slides through. The sword changes form, its cold, jagged frame shifts into that of a massive great sword! As I fall closer to the Bisharp, I raise my sword once again, and let out a battle cry as the monster looks up at me in horror!
"URAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
In under a second, I do a clean downward cleave as I land, followed by a horizontal slash right through my foe.
Standing behind the Bisharp, my magical blade slowly dissolves into light as I feel its weight leave my hands. Behind me, I hear a cry of pain, followed by the sound of a body collapsing onto the ground. I look up to see that the orb of light I cut through has turned into sparkling dust, that is now getting blown away by the wind of the night.
Now that the fight is finally over, only one thought crosses my mind.
Fuck that was cool.
As I bask in the afterglow of the battle, Melody rushes over to me with a bright smile on her face. "Glad to see all of that gloating wasn't just all talk!"
I smirk. "I told 'ya."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYSM_upZDYk (BGM: Aftermath)
The two Pawniards run over to their fallen master. I pickup my shells off the ground and take a step towards them, ready to finish them off, but Melody puts a hand on my shoulder. "Let them take him back. Don't add murder to your list of charges."
"You're soundin' like someone I know..." I sigh, and the creatures pick up their master and flee into the forest. "... Y'know, they're jus' gonna tell everyone I burnt the house down and that you've joined up with an outlaw."
To my shock, Melody laughs. "This isn't my first run-in with the law. Why do you think I was living all the way out here?"
Damn, I didn't think of that. She must've made some dangerous enemies if she wanted to live secluded like this. Wonder if it's connected to how well-informed she seems to be... As I ponder about Melody's past, I'm suddenly reminded of someone. "Wait, where's your kiddo?! Don't tell me those monsters-"
"He's fine, calm down! I had him hide in our basement." Melody says as she sifts through some of the smoldering wreckage. Most of the flames have died out, with only a few pieces of still sizzling debris. I shoot some water over the lingering flames in order to help Melody in her search. "Here!" She lifts up a trapdoor that was previously obscured by rubble, and little Melo pops right out of it, into his mother's arms. "Don't worry, it's all going to be okay..."
"Only if your definition of 'okay' is no longer havin' a house to sleep in..." I say while kicking some of the remains of the house with my foot.
"We have some friends we can stay with, and everything here is replaceable anyway."
"But a nice house like this... It must've taken ya' years to build and furnish it..." How can she so easily get over losing something she spent so much time and effort on?
"As I said, it's all replaceable, so no reason to worry about it. Oh, except..." Melody places Melo on the ground and once again starts digging through the rubble. "Where is it...? Please tell me it didn't get destroyed..."
Wha... Oh, she must be looking for that coin... I reach into my bag and turn over the coin in my hand.
It's about time I gave this back to her.
"Hey, Melody..." I walk up behind her, staring at the ground. "I... Uh... Think I found what yer lookin' for." She turns around and looks at me, and her eyes light up as I take the coin out of my bag.
"Oh! Thank you so much!" She grabs the coin out of my hand and raises it above her head. Her eyes seem to sparkle with joy as she stares at it. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't found it!"
Yeah, found. Let's go with that. "Well, you know us outlaws. We have an eye for findin' treasure." I see Melody's kiddo give me a sideways glance, but he looks away the moment I notice it. Hopefully the little tyke will be smart enough to keep his mouth shut. "So... What's your plan now? Hide out at your friend's places?"
Melody nods. "I'll probably have to leave the entire continent, Team Shogun can be pretty vengeful from what I've heard."
And just experienced, no doubt. A dark realization crosses my mind that makes my skin crawl. "... You probably should try and meet up with your daughter. Cuz if those guys know they can't take us down, they might try and mess with your kiddo as revenge." Aled...
Melody thinks for a second. "... You're not wrong, but I trust my daughter is strong enough to handle herself."
Well, if she's anything like her mother, then maybe I'm worrying over nothing. Christ, am I really worrying about someone else's family now? I'm getting soft. "Alright, suit yourself. I'm probably jus' gonna go back to what I usually do."
"Getting beat up and needing help from strangers?"
I turn around and start walking away from Melody and the remains of her house. "I'll see ya' around, Melody."
"Farewell, Dewey the Dewott!"
"... Just call me Dew."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8kZSSa1NUA (BGM: Violet Sky)
I stare into the stars as I once again continue my journey as an outlaw. As I try and think ahead to my next plan, my mind can't help but wander back to thinking about Melody. Why do I care so much about these creatures who aren't even human? Why did I risk my life to save her and her family? My own family is still in danger here, why did I do something so utterly foolish?
I guess I just didn't want to feel like I was indebted to one of these monsters.
... No, I can't lie to myself like that. I helped her because I didn't want to see her hurt.
Maybe it's just because I felt solidarity with a fellow parent. Or maybe being here long enough has finally drove me insane. Either way, I hope Melody and her family end up safe.
I wonder if the Pokemon Aled is with now are like Melody. Do they actually care for him? Has he just been lulled into a false sense of security there? They fought so hard to "protect" him, yet those two traitors were originally so willing to turn him in to me with just a little offer of cash... What would happen if Team Shogun showed up there? Would they show the same vigor against an actual team instead of an outlaw like me?
They wouldn't. They'd turn him in without a second thought.
Melody's the exception. If those Pokemon are nice to Aled now, they'll all turn on him the moment they find out he's an outlaw too. I bet those two comfort-loving freaks already have, probably spreading rumors about him...
All the more reason I need to keep up my fight. I can't let myself get complacent now, or let myself be tricked by this hellish world. Every second Aled is here is a second where he's in danger. We're not in the safe world I spent over 20 years building for myself and Aled. I need to get back there and make sure Aled comes back with me.
I'm not going to let Aled die here.
I'm keeping my promise.
We're going back to the real world.
No matter what it takes.
Me and my son are going home.