Previous days
An Overelming Week
Day 6 – Willow Whispers
I was gently coaxed out of sleep by the early morning sunlight peeking through the gaps in the curtains, prompting me to let out a yawn and rub my eyes.
(I’ve been waking up so full of energy here. I wonder if it is because of this new body.)
(Well, I guess that not going to bed at 2 a.m. helps too…)
I stretched my arms, put on my headband, and left my room to head to the mess hall. After a light breakfast of five pancakes, I pondered what I would do that day,
(Alright, today I should aim for another morning of intense training. I had some progress with Will-o-Wisp yesterday, so let’s keep at it.)
I entered the dojo, which turned out to be empty that morning, and resumed my attempts at making my Will-o-Wisp look like an actual attack.
(Let’s see… Light up a flame. Get into position. Imagine energy being channeled from my metaphorical heart into my hands. Imagine it fueling the flame in my hand. Finally, thrust my arms forward while pushing the energy away!)
The result was the same weak flame as my last attempts on the previous day, but this time I managed to perform it without closing my eyes. I performed it a couple more times with no improvement, so I concluded it was time to try something different.
(Hmm… Do I really have to make this H*douken pose? Let’s try without it.)
I placed both of my hands right in front of my face, with my palms facing each other as if I was about to assume a praying position, and with the flame positioned between them. I repeated the process of channeling energy into my hands and thrust them forward to push the flame away.
Fwoosh
It worked. The flame produced had the same intensity as the one before, giving me a small comfort in knowing I wouldn’t have to make that awkward pose anymore. Following that, I performed the move about a dozen times, but there was no further improvement. It was clear that I would have to try something different.
(Maybe there’s a problem in my visualization. I guess thinking about metaphorical heart and veins is way too vague.)
(Let’s see… So far the two methods that had the best results were this one, where the flame is stronger but only lasts an instant, and the other method is…)
I imagined my right hand as a match and swiped it against my left arm to produce a small flame, following it up by imagining my right arm as a torch to increase the size of the flame.
(This second method results in a constant flame, but it is not as strong as the first method and the flame is constantly flickering like it could go out at any second. It’s unstable.)
(Hmm… What if I combine both methods?)
While staring at the flickering purple flame in my hand, I imagined energy coming out of a metaphorical heart and being channeled into my hand-torch to feed the flame. The intensity of the flame doubled, but the flame went out after only a second.
(Damn, I thought I was onto something there.)
I sighed in frustration and sat on a nearby bench, spending almost half an hour thinking about what else I could try. However, no good ideas popped up.
(Ugh, this isn’t going anywhere. And I’ll also have to think about what I can try with Shadow Sneak.)
Despite motivating myself to train so that I could mitigate the problems with my move usage, I had yet to see any kind of noticeable progress. The insecurities that were born after that mission with Gus started to resurface.
(I haven’t been able to get Will-o-Wisp to work at all… And my Shadow Sneak still takes too long to perform and is easy to dodge…)
(What if I am never able to make significant progress? At the rate things are going I’ll end up just like... before...)
I shook my head. (No! I’ve only done two days of training, so it’s still too early to give up!)
(I guess continuing to train before I figure what else I can try would just result in me wasting all my energy and getting depressed…)
(Alright then, I’ll come back to train later. In the meantime I’ll try to think about what else I can try.)
I left the dojo while thinking about what I could do for the day and ended up deciding to have a walk through Capim again. I went back to my room to fetch my money and left the guildhall, heading towards Capim’s downtown.
…
Capim’s downtown was bustling as expected. With different species walking around, most of them shopping for ingredients. While exploring the town, my sight was drawn to…
(Oh, this street with several stalls lined up. That’s nice.)
I started going from stall to stall to look through their wares, but I stopped when I noticed that the far end of the street was focused on food stalls.
(Street food! I wonder what sort of stuff will be here~.)
I skipped all the regular stalls to go straight to the food ones and began looking through what they were selling. All while making calculations on how much of each food item I could purchase.
(Pickled Slowpoke tails? Eeeeh… Nope. But it’s interesting that they do have this as meat here.)
(Sandwiches! The different berry fillings make them so colorful.)
(Skewered mushrooms grilled and coated in sauce. Oh man, those smell delicious! I should try one now while I- Huh?)
“A-Ah…”
I stopped in my tracks when I glanced at a stall on a corner, which was selling a food item that immediately caught my attention. My sight was set on the stall, and I dashed towards my target, all while my mouth watered and my hands trembled.
I stopped in front of the stall, staring at an Ambipom behind the counter. I recomposed myself and pointed at the product on the counter while asking, “Excuse me. By any chance, is that… Chocolate?!”
The monkey with purple fur gave me a weird look due to how I was acting, but he put that aside and answered, “Why, yes. That is chocolate. From your surprise at seeing it, I’m assuming-.“
(Chocolate…)
“- that you’re not from the Grass Continent. Chocolate used to be only found in dungeons, and it-.“
(CHOCOLAAAAAATE!)
“-was so rare that there are stories of an island community having a huge fight over a single bar. But nowadays-.“
(CHOCOLAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE!!!)
“-people learned how to cultivate cacao and process it into chocolate. My family has been producing these for a-.“
CLANK
The Ambipon’s lecture was cut short by the loud metallic sound of me slamming a bunch of coins on top of the counter and shouting, “Shut up and take my money! Now give me the chocolate!”
He was startled by the sudden slamming, but quickly recomposed himself and complied. “Y-Yes sir!”
He counted the money (because I sure didn't) and handed me my change, then used his tail-hands to wrap a chocolate bar in a big leaf and handed it to me. In a similar fashion to chocolate bars in the human world, it was segmented into eight squares.
I broke off a single square and put the piece in my mouth, but instead of chewing I let it dance in my mouth while it slowly melted and coated my tongue with its blissful goodness. From the notable presence of the cacao’s natural bitterness, I could tell it was good-quality chocolate with a high percentage of cacao in its composition.
I resisted the urge to much down on the chocolate, especially since it was a tad less affordable than I hoped. Instead, I took my sweet time savoring my treat bit by bit while sporting a blissful expression that earned me weird looks from the Ambipom and a few people passing by, but I was too entranced to care.
…
(Aaaah… That really hit the spot! I wasn’t aware I was missing chocolate that much. I’m tempted to buy another bar or other foods around here, but I think I should hold back on blowing the rest of my money. Who knows if I’ll end up finding something even more enticing and expensive?)
I continued my stroll around Capim, but soon after that I heard a voice coming from my right.
“Hey, I remember you!”
I turned around to see the owner of the unfamiliar voice. It was a Totodile wearing a bandolier containing amber-colored bottles, and beside him were a Torchic and a Phanpy. Their badges confirming that all three were members of the Clover Guild.
I remembered seeing the Torchic and the Phanpy in the dojo a couple of days ago, but I didn’t recall ever seeing the Totodile before, so I asked, “Uh, have we met before?”
“I saw you on the night you came to the guild. You looked so distressed hahaha!”
(Oh God. Is that night’s mental shutdown what people remember me for?)
“Oh… Yeah, I was feeling very overwhelmed that night haha…” I said while casting sideway glances out of embarrassment. From the cheerful tone of his laughter, I could tell that he wasn’t saying it to mock me, but it was still an awkward memory.
Having seemingly noticed my self-consciousness, the Torchic said, “Totodile, you’re making the poor guy feel embarrassed.”
“Whoops, sorry about that! So, what’s your name?”
Feeling glad for the subject change, I immediately answered, “It’s Elm. Nice to meet you.”
The Phanpy stepped forward to do the introductions. “Nice to meet you, Elm. We’re Team Misfits. Just call us Phanpy, Totodile, and Torchic…”
(That sure is a curious name for a team, and I guess that naming yourself after your species is the norm here.)
Using his trunk to point towards his back, Phanpy continued, “…And this is Cyndaquil. But he is out cold right now.”
I looked at Phanpy’s back and sure enough there was a Cyndaquil lying on top of him. The very “devil” I met the previous day.
Gritting my teeth to contain my disdain, I said, “Oh, I’ve met him yesterday.”
Torchic sighed and replied, “I don’t know what he said to you, but we apologize for it.”
Not wanting to go into detail on my “exchange” with Cyndaquil, I tried to steer the conversation by asking, “What happened to him?”
Totodile pulled one of the bottles from his bandolier and started drinking from it while Torchic shook her head and answered, “He tried to flirt with a wild Medicham, who answered by hitting him with a Thunder Punch to the groin, and-”
I flinched upon imagining what that would feel like. “Damn! No wonder he is out of commission. I feel bad for him.”
Phanpy interjected while putting his trunk on his forehead to replicate a facepalm, “No, he actually enjoyed it. Then the excitement made him approach a nearby wild Vileplume and ask if he could… uh… ‘Have a taste of her sweet, sweet nectar’.”
Totodile finished his drink and continued, “And then she blasted his face with a full dose of Stun Spores. Can you believe this guy?! Bwahahahaha!”
“Okay, I no longer feel bad for him.”
Totodile’s hearty laughter drew my attention to him, which made me notice the familiar scent of booze. My eyes went wide as I realized all those bottles in the bandolier were alcohol. Between processing Cyndaquil’s story and hearing Totodile’s laughter while he was getting drunk, I started having an idea of why Team Misfits had that name.
He took another swig from his bottle and continued, “Say, we are on our way to have some drinks at the Blue Claw Inn. Do you want to join us?”
“But you are already drinking.”
“This is just a warmup!”
(Blue Claw Inn? That name sounds familiar. Anyway, should I join them…?)
(I’m not much of a drinker but drinking with fellow guildmates sounds like it could be interesting. Alright, let’s socialize!)
“Sure, sounds like fun! Thanks for the invite.”
Pleased with my answer, Totodile grinned. “Great! The inn is only a couple of blocks away, so just follow us.”
Phanpy excused himself by saying, “I’ll meet you guys there later. I’ll take Cyndaquil to the guild infirmary first.”
“Is he gonna be okay?”
Torchic answered, “Yes, we already gave him a Cheri berry, so he just needs rest under observation. He’s more resilient than he looks.”
Phanpy sighed, “Kina won’t be pleased, so I have to talk to her first.” Then, he left walking towards the guild.
…
After a short walk, me, Totodile and Torchic reached the Blue Claw Inn. Upon entering it, I took a moment to scan the place.
The first floor was occupied by a tavern, with a Pokémon who looked like a purple crab with blue claws standing behind a wooden counter serving drinks to guests. On the opposite side of the floor was a stage. A flight of stairs led to what I assumed was the “inn” portion of the building. The feature that drew my attention the most however was the wide range of sizes and heights for the tables and chairs to accommodate for the different builds of Pokémon species.
Prompted by Totodile, we moved to sit at some stools by the counter. Without Torchic asking, Totodile helped her get on top of a stool, which let me know this was a normal routine for them.
I looked over the drinks menu, but my unfamiliarity with some of the names and flavors of this world’s ingredients led to indecision, so I had to ask for suggestions from Torchic and Totodile. In the end I ordered an Oran berry cocktail.
Instead of watching the crab Pokémon prepare our drinks, I turned around to look at the stage. It was empty since it was still early for shows, but the reason I was looking at it is because I remembered why the name Blue Claw Inn sounded familiar.
It was the very same inn from the story I heard from Gus, Booker and Sneasel. The inn where the fateful encounter during Meloetta’s show happened, which led to the foundation of the Clover guild.
(So this is where everything began…)
Despite the stage being empty, I began imagining the scene from the story playing before my eyes. Meloetta singing a human song, Gus commenting on that, the ensuing chaos from all the humans realizing there were other humans among them.
At that moment, I couldn’t help but think about what would have happened if that encounter hadn’t happened. Would the guild still have been founded anyway? Would all the humans have gone their separate ways with some of them hiding their human identity for the rest of their lives? Where would I be at that moment if the guild hadn’t been founded? Would I still be hanging around that small settlement I found right after I came to this world?
My daydreaming and ponderation were interrupted by the bartender placing our drinks on the counter. Surprisingly, my cocktail was cold despite my assumed lack of fridges in this world. I was tempted to ask how he kept the drinks cold, but decided to do it later and took a sip from my drink.
It tasted similar to an orange and lime cocktail from the human world, which was curious to me due to the blue coloration of the drink coming from the Oran. On my side Totodile was downing a bottle of beer while Torchic was drinking apple juice with the help of a straw.
Taking initiative in the conversation, I asked, “So, how did the four of you Team Misfits end up at the Clover guild?”
Torchic and Totodile exchanged glances and began recounting their story while I continued to sip on my drink. I was surprised to learn that not only the Wigglytuff Guild existed here, but several of our guild’s members were staying there before the foundation of the guild. Totodile also blabbed about how the team accidentally burnt down Apple Woods.
“Damn, what a disaster! How did Chatot react to the news?”
Torchic answered, “Let’s just say that he is still mad at us, and at the whole guild too. He even came with Alakazam to give the guild that stupid test.”
“Stupid test?”
“Right, you weren’t here yet. What happened is…”
They began recounting the events that led to the Clover guild being formally considered an official guild, which involved a dangerous test from the Federation where teams had to seal rifts in dungeons. I finished my drink in the middle of the story, so I ordered another cocktail, but with different berries.
“Wow, to think all this happened not long before I woke up in this world…”
“I just wish I was there to see Alakazam and Chatot’s look of surprise when they realized out team passed the test!” Shouted Totodile while laughing.
Torchic then turned to me and asked, “So, what’s your story?”
I took a couple of seconds to think about how to structure the events that led me to joining the guild (and to think about which parts to omit). With a basic outline planned, I began.
“Well… It was nothing exceptional. I just woke up under a tree in the middle of a field then I-“
Right at the start of my story, a familiar sensation spread through my body, prompting me to pause and put my hands on the sides of my face. It was the buzz of the alcohol kicking in.
Seeing my pause, Torchic asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Oh sorry. It’s just that the alcohol is kicking in. Back when I was a human my face would lose sensibility when that happened, so I instinctively put my hands on my face.”
“Not much of a drinker? You’ve barely even started!” Blurted Totodile while putting down his fourth bottle of beer down.
(Your standards are not normal, you know!)
Resisting the urge to say what was on my mind, I continued, “Well, I was a very light drinker. Just a couple of glasses of beer and I would get buzzed. And if I went past that I would go crazy. One time I even had a blackout and could barely remember anything I did while I was drunk, imagine that haha!”
Totodile laughed while Torchic cocked her head. “Then shouldn’t you stop drinking now?”
“Hey, this is my first time trying alcohol from here, so I want to enjoy it. And besides, I am no longer human, and I have a different body now. So surely I am no longer that weak to alco-“
Slamming my hand on the table to contain my laughter, I shouted, “And then I was like ‘SHORY*KEEEEN’ and punched the hell out of that rock!!! My mind was all like ‘I just punched shit! With my MOTHERFUCKING shadow!’ HAHAHA!!!”
Phanpy had just entered the inn and witnessed my outburst. He quickly approached Torchic and Totodile.
“What in the world happened to him?!”
Torchic shook her head. “Don’t look at us. We had no idea it would only take two drinks for him to get like that.”
“♫ When he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip. Big iron on his hiiiiiiiiiiiiiip ♫.”
Having just finished singing together, Totodile and I exchanged laughs.
“Hey Totodile. You-“ hic “-know what you should try someday? Filling your mouth with booze and then spitting that shit at a flame to form a flamethrower, just like-“ hic “-those circus performers. I bet that would be funny as fuck!”
Slamming my hand on the counter while covering it with my tears, I continued, “…And all that made me feel like shit! I couldn’t stop hating myself! Waaaaaaaaah!”
Feeling second-hand embarrassment from the bartender and the other customers looking at me, Phanpy approached me and pulled the cup out of my hand.
“O-Okay Elm, I think it is time to call it a day. Come on, I will bring you back to the guild.”
“T-The worst part is that-“ sob “-I thought things would change after being brought to this world. BUT NOTHING CHANGED! I- I AM STILL USELESS! WAAAAAAAAAH!!!”
“Y-Yeah, that’s rough. Now just hop on my back!”
“Mrgh…”
A sharp pain in my forehead prompted me to remove my blanket and lift myself off my bed. I clutched my head and fought against the grogginess. After struggling to open my eyes, I saw that I was back in my room.
(Ugh… my head. What happened? Why am I in my room…?)
As the fog in my mind cleared up, I realized that I only had fragments of memories of the events that happened in the past couple of hours. I pieced them together as much as I could, but there were still many holes. As I went through each memory fragment, embarrassment overtook me.
(Oh GOD! I can’t believe I did all that fucking embarrassing stuff! Now they must think I’m some kind of junkie!)
I buried my face on my pillow and screamed as hard as I could. But the action caused the pain in my forehead to flare out.
(ACK! Stupid hangover…)
(Ugh, I’ll just take another nap and agonize over the embarrassment later.)
I laid on my bed again and covered myself before taking a nap.
“…”
Well… I tried to take a nap.
“…”
(Geez, the room is too bright for my dumb hungover self. These curtains don’t block the window enough, so plenty of light still comes through. It also doesn’t help that some of the noise in the guild is making its way into my room.)
That was my first time being in my room in the middle of the afternoon, so until that point I hadn’t noticed that the window faced west. This meant that my room was subjected to the full blast from the afternoon sun.
I got up and had a look around my very empty room to see if there was anything I could do about the brightness. But it only had a desk with a lantern and my bags (which weren’t big enough to cover the gaps in the curtain), my bed, an empty large chest, and the Switcher Wand leaning against the chest.
(Hmm… Maybe the storeroom has a tarp or something else I can use to fully cover the window.)
With a goal in mind, I left my room and went to the storeroom.
…
Upon entering the storeroom, I was greeted by the familiar sight of an absolute mess of hoarded junk scattered around. I searched for a couple of minutes, sifting through the piles of stuff and unlabeled boxes, but couldn’t find anything I could use on the window. Frustrated at the mess, I took a short break from my dumpster dive to look around the room while thinking about my options.
(I guess I could just use my blanket to cover the window…)
That was when I spotted a familiar object on a wall.
(Ah, right. The mirror where “Elm” was born…)
I moved to the front of the mirror to have a look at my reflection, which was clearer since the room was more illuminated compared to the night where I first saw the mirror. I moved around to get another good look at the anatomy of this new body, moving limbs around and touching the weird protrusion on top of my head where my headband was tied.
But what drew my attention the most was the red orb that acted as my eyes. It swayed behind my mask on my command, while emitting a faint glow. I imagined myself partially closing my eyes and I saw the orb losing its glow as my vision dimmed.
(You know, I’ve been wondering about this. Is it some kind of gem? Is it hard, or soft?)
(Should I try touching it?)
I pondered over that question for a bit, then decided to try carefully touching it.
(Oh well, what’s the worst that could happen?)
Looking at the mirror, I carefully moved my right hand towards my orb. When my hand went past the eye socket of my mask, I hesitated. After all, I was doing the equivalent of poking my own eye. But my curiosity outweighed my hesitation, so I decided to press on.
“GAH!”
The moment the tip of my hand made contact with the orb, my whole body trembled. It felt like the shock I used to get when I hit my elbow in that one spot, but on my entire body. I fell on the floor, trembling from the shock.
(Holy shit…)
I took a moment to recover, then got up and stared at my reflection again. Thankfully, the orb was intact and nothing about it had changed. I let out a sigh of relief, but then a question popped in my mind.
(To have this overwhelming sensation over my entire body just from touching the orb… Could it be that this orb is my “core”?)
(Wait, does that mean I am like a Lich now? With this orb being my “phylactery”? Nah, I might be a ghost now, but I doubt I am undead. I feel too alive for that and I remember KFC telling me that Ghost-types are still living beings.)
(But certainly, my internal anatomy is different from a mammal’s. Well, duh! But I guess that it means this theory of the orb being my “core” isn’t far-fetched…)
(Wait, would this mean that “I” am actually the orb instead of the ghost I’m seeing on the mirror?)
Clutching my head, I thought, (Am… Am I just a red orb that is piloting an empty husk?!)
Thankfully, any possible existential dread from that line of thought was avoided due to me remembering, (Oh wait, that is no different from a brain in a body. Nevermind!)
(Anyway, note to self: do NOT let any attacks hit my eyes. I have a feeling something bad would happen if this orb were to be damaged. I better treat it as if it were my brain or my heart.)
Putting an end to the self-discovery session, I continued my search for something to block the light from the window. Eventually, I found a large sheet.
(Alright! This should work.)
I headed towards the exit, moving in front of the mirror again for one last look. That was when I thought, (You know, I wonder why a mirror in perfect condition was left here like trash. You would think that someone would have taken it to their room by now, or to one of the public rooms in the guild.)
(No, really. Why would they just leave this mirror here? It’s not like it is ugly or dirty. Is it some kind of cursed mirror?)
“Pffft. Good one. Cursed mirrors…”
I giggled at my silly thought and continued to head towards the exit.
(…But what if it IS a cursed mirror?)
“…”
(Calm down! Even if it is a cursed mirror, it’s not like I did anything weird in front of it so far. I mean, the only things I did were touching myself, looking at my own reflection for extended amounts of time, and doing an entire… speech and self-transformation moment… in the middle of the night…)
(Oh shit! I DID weird stuff in front of the mirror!)
(Oh God. What if 7 days after doing weird stuff a ghost comes out of the mirror and goes after you todragyouintothemirrordimensionofeternalsufferingand-ACK)
The messy train of thought caused my headache to act up again.
(Stop being ridiculous! It’s just a simple mirror that was left here for whatever reason! Besides, only an irresponsible person would leave a cursed mirror here without any kind of warning, and this guild is very-)
“…”
(Fuck! The people in this guild would totally just leave a cursed mirror here without any kind of warning!)
(Okay, calm down! Ghosts aren’t real and- oh wait, I am a ghost.)
“Ugh…”
(Okay…Let’s just use this linen to cover the mirror. Surely that will stop any curses from coming out! Yeah, it will! I have to believe!)
As fast as I could, I covered the mirror with the linen and returned to my room, phasing through the floor and walls instead of using doors and stairs.
…
(Welp, that was a bust. Guess I’ll just have to bear with the light. Stupid headache…)
In hopes of reducing the annoyance of the brightness, I repositioned my bed and lied on my side so that my back would face the window.
While waiting for sleep to come, I was facing the empty chest in my room. It was made of mostly wood and looked just like what someone would picture when thinking of a “generic dungeon chest”.
As I looked at the chest, it stirred up an old memory of my childhood. Back then, my parents’ bed had a big chest in front of it where they stored the blankets and pillows. Sometimes, I liked going inside the chest and staying there playing my Game B*y in the dark with the help of a light accessory for it. Lying on top of pillows and blankets while playing in the dark was quite cozy, although I couldn’t leave the chest fully closed since I had to leave a gap for airflow.
Revisiting that fond memory bought a smile to my face.
(Those were the good times…)
(You know, this chest is bigger than me, so I bet I could do the same thing with it.)
(Nah, what am I? A child?)
I got up and moved towards the chest.
(Eh, adulthood is overrated. Besides, it has been less than a week since I was “born” in this world, so I still count as a child!)
I opened the chest, made sure that the inside was clean, then padded the bottom of the chest with the cotton bedding and put my pillow and blanket inside.
(Now that I think about it, I could have covered my face with the blanket to solve the light problem since I no longer have to breathe. I’m such a dumbass.)
Satisfied with my work, I entered the chest and closed the lid. The interior was very dark aside from the faint glow of my eyes, and the walls of the chest also muffled the faint chaotic sounds from the guild that made it into my room.
Lying in the darkness, I felt my entire body relaxing, and a sense of peace overtook me despite the hangover-induced headache still being present.
(Wow… This is pretty much a coffin, but it is very cozy.)
(Actually, I think this is even cozier than the regular bed I was using. I wonder why…)
(Oh right, I am a "creature of darkness" and all that stuff. I guess it makes sense that a dark place would be more comfortable.)
Yawn
(I guess I will… sleep here… from now on…)
Soon after lying in my “coffin”, sleep came to me.
…
Yawn
Opening my eyes, I was greeted by darkness.
(Hmm? Is it night already?)
I tried stretching my arms, but they hit the lid of the chest.
(Oh right, I slept inside the chest.)
I pushed the lid open and left the chest. Looking at the window, I saw that there was still plenty of light coming through the gaps in the curtains. I opened them and looked at the position of the sun, determining that it was close to the beginning of sunset. The hangover headache was still present, but thankfully it had subsided enough that I could mostly ignore it.
(Phew, that was a great nap. I’m glad I am feeling better now.)
(Hmm… What should I do for the rest of the day?)
While pondering that question, I went back to the chest to close the lid. The action caused the Switcher Wand leaning against it to fall on the floor with a dull clatter. I picked it up and sat down beside the chest to think about my next activities.
(Maybe I should go back to training? But throughout the day I had no new ideas of what I could try to get Will-o-Wisp to work.)
(I also have to apologize to Team Misfits for the trouble I caused. And I can’t even remember all of it!)
(Ugh, I’ll leave that for another day. I’m still too embarrassed to show my face to them, and the remainder of this headache won’t help either.)
I sighed and looked at the wand while thinking about what to do, admiring its look. Not long after, I started moving my hands across it to examine it better.
(This wand is quite weird. It was generated in a dungeon and has a natural look to it, yet it looks like the work of an artisan. Even the leaf at the end is weird, it has the texture and feel of a regular leaf, yet it won’t tear.)
I got up and did some practice swings with the wand out of curiosity, being careful to not accidentally activate its effect.
(It feels easy to swing around, but there is some density to it. It also feels sturdy, so it is not going to break easily. Actually, I don’t know if these wands can even break. I’m guessing it could be used as a blunt weapon if I wanted.)
I took more practice swings with the wand as if it were a baseball bat, then moved on to waving it around as if I were preparing a spell.
(Now that I think about it, I’m holding a literal magic wand. Man, child me would have gone crazy if he had gotten his hands on this!)
My mind was flooded by childhood memories of finding a long stick while walking around and pretending it was a sword or a wand. Like many other kids, I loved playing video games and watching anime and cartoons after school, then mimicking the characters while playing. One of my favorites at the time was a magical girl anime about a moon princess fighting evil by moonlight and winning love by daylight.
My favorite parts of the show were definitely the finishing moves. I loved the choreography and flashy animations used for them. Despite being stock footage that was used in every single episode, I was always pumped when they started playing, no matter how many times I watched them. Sometimes, when a finishing move animation started playing and no one else was in the room, I would grab a nearby long object like a ruler and mimic the choreography along with the character.
(Those were the times. Hard to believe that over two decades have gone by since then…)
Taking another look at the wand, an urge came to me.
(Oh, what the hell. I’m already playing like a child anyway. Besides, no one is looking!)
I began recalling one of the attacks and the sequence of movements it involved, which wasn’t hard since I did it so much as a child that the movements were still ingrained in my memory. Once I was ready, I began performing the movements.
(Begin with the wand pointed up, my right hand holding the base while my left rests at the top.)
(Move it down so that it points ahead of me, then slowly spin my body in a 360° clockwise spin and raise the wand so that is high up.)
Not long after I began, I got so absorbed into it that I began humming the song used for the attack. I couldn’t see my own face, but I’m sure it sported a smile similar to the ones I would make when doing this as a child.
(Swing it from right to left.)
(Do a left to right swing that continues into a slow 720° clockwise spin, then end it by striking a pose with my arms crossed, the wand pointing to my left and my left arm pointing to the right.)
(Swing it from left to right.)
“Moon…”
(Swing it from right to left.)
“Pr*ncess…”
(Point it high up, then do a swing from right to left that continues into a vertical circle until the wand is right in front of me pointing ahead.)
“Halation!”
At that moment, I was so absorbed by the play that my mind imagined a projectile being fired from the wand. And the projectile that my mind imagined was…
Fwoosh
“ACK!”
A jet of purple flame came out from the tip of the flame. It only lasted a second but was big enough to cover about 2 meters ahead of me. The flames hit the wall, but thankfully they didn’t char or set it on fire. The shock from seeing the sudden jet caused me to release the wand, which fell on the floor with a dull clatter. I stood there in silence, trying to process what had just happened.
(That… That was easily my best Will-o-Wisp so far. But I wasn’t even trying to use the move! Just… what happened here? Why was this Will-o-Wisp much better than my previous attempts…?)
While trying to find an answer, I looked at the wand lying on the floor and my mind formed a frightening hypothesis.
“Oh no…”
(No no no NO NO!!!)
(There’s no FUCKING way that doing magical girl crap is the key to using Will-o-Wisp! PLEASE, I don’t wanna have to do this just to be able to attack!)
(OH GOD! I CAN ALREADY IMAGINE WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THAT IS THE CASE!)
>Going after an outlaw Houndoom
>Spot him. Time to get ready
>Grab my Clover badge and shout my transformation line
>”Magix Clover Power, ELM FLASH!”
>One-minute-long transformation sequence just to make a headband and a Switcher Wand appear
>Confront the outlaw by shouting, “Stop right there criminal scum!”
>Asks who the fuck I am
>Strike poses while shouting, ”I am Cure Dusk! In the name of the dead, I will punish you!”
>He laughs at me and charges, closing the distance before I can ready an attack
>Hits me and knocks me down. About to finish me off
>Get saved by a purple fireball hitting him
>Look behind me to see who saved me
>”Wah, it’s Tuxedo Yamask!”
>”Cure Dusk, do not give up. Believe in-”
“NOOOOO-” SLAP
The absurd scene playing in my mind was so embarrassing that I couldn’t even finish imagining it. I slapped myself to regain my composure.
(Calm down! I don’t know for sure yet if the magical girl stuff is the key.)
“…”
(I have to test this. For the sake of my sanity.)
…
With the Switcher Wand in hand, I made my way to the outskirts of Capim in search of a desolate spot to experiment with. No way I would perform magical girl movements in the dojo with other people watching. I eventually found a secluded spot behind some boulders at a beach, which was good since the lack of vegetation meant no risk of accidentally causing wildfires.
(Okay, first off let’s see if doing the whole choreography is necessary.)
I pointed the want forward and shouted, “Moon Pr*ncess Halation!”
Nothing happened, which wasn’t surprising.
(Dammit. Guess I should replicate exactly what I did in my room.)
I began meticulously repeating the moves I did for the attack, being laser-focused into making sure all movements were correct. At the end, I imagined purple flames coming out of the wand.
“Moon… Pr*ncess… Halation!”
Nothing happened, which was surprising.
(What the hell?! I did the same thing I did in my room! Why didn’t it work this time?)
(Let’s see, what was different this time? The scenery? Nah, that can’t be it. Can’t be lack of energy either, as I feel fine. Then what…?)
(Was it because I didn’t hum the song this time? Could be, but that sounds stupid, so I want to think of other possibilities first! How did the first time go again? I was reminiscing childhood memories, then I started doing- OH!)
(Could it be? In my room I was really into it, having fun with a vivid childhood memory playing in my mind. But here I was entirely focused on the movements, like someone reading instructions.)
“A vivid memory…”
I recalled Lliam’s theory on how my moves work.
“It seems to me that your moves require a lot of visualization in order to work. You mentioned having to think of your shadow as a third arm connected to your right one, and you even throw actual punches to move your shadow. What is that, if not visualization?”
Wanting to test that, I readied the wand again and redid the whole choreography focusing on my childhood memories and having fun just like when I was a kid. The only differences were that I didn’t hum the song and didn’t shout an attack name.
Fwoosh
It worked. A jet of purple flame with about the same size as the one I shot in my room came out from the tip of the wand.
(Yes! Glad that humming a song and shouting attack names isn’t needed. Guess the visualization theory is pretty much confirmed now.)
(That being said, the flame is much bigger now, but it is hard to call this an improvement from yesterday’s attempts. The flame only lasts a second, it takes like a whole minute of dancing around, and I need to hold this-)
(Actually, do I even need this Switcher Wand?)
I set the wand aside and redid the choreography empty-handed. Only a small puff of smoke came out of my hands.
(Dammit. Maybe if I do it with a regular stick?)
Looking around, I spotted a branch that was washed away on the sand. I grabbed it and tried again, but only a small purple flame the size of a golf ball came out of the tip of the branch.
(I don’t get it. Why does it work better with the Switcher Wand? All it does is let me switch places with someone, and I’m not even activating the effect! Sure it is a magic wand and all, but its effect has nothing to do with fire and- )
(Wait… Magic wand…?)
Once more, I remembered the visualization theory.
(Is it just because was holding a literal magic wand, and my mind acknowledges it as one? If someone were to get their hands on a magic wand it would be normal to think it would enhance your magical abilities. Even if it doesn’t actually do that, the person holding it would think so at first. At least that is how I see it.)
(So… could it be that the Switcher Wand works better because my mind sees it as a magic wand and that enhances my visualizations? That… is certainly possible. I have to test this! But how?)
(I know! I’ll try the swiping method with the wand instead of the tip of my hand.)
Looking at the wand, I imagine the tip as the head of a match, then swiped it against my left arm. A small purple flame was produced, but it was only a couple of centimeters bigger than the ones I could make with the tip of my hand.
(Dammit! I thought the result would be much better than this…)
I sighed and looked at the small flame on the Switcher Wand. It hovered close to the tip of the wand, but showed no signs of burning it, further reinforcing the wand’s magical properties.
(It kinda looks like a torch. That reminds me, didn’t I try imagining my arm as a torch instead of a match before? It didn’t work, but maybe with this wand…)
I focused on the wand and the purple flame hovering above it, then imagined it as a torch. The flame surged and grew to the size one would expect from a torch’s flame.
“Yes!”
I waved the wand around to check if the flame was stable and confirmed that it was.
(I see… It’s not just about it being a magical wand. Holding an actual object with weight makes it much easier to imagine it as a torch when compared to when I tried to do it with my arm!)
I did a fist-pump with my left hand to celebrate, but the success caused my excitement to soar, and that left me wanting more.
(I feel like I can push this even further. I want to make a giant flame! Let’s see… Using what I have learned about the Switcher Wand and applying it to something I was trying before gave me good results, so I should try it with other things I was trying before!)
My first thought was the training session I did with KFC, where he taught me about aura and aura expression. I closed my eyes and recalled his instructions.
With the flame still burning on the tip of the wand, I imagined a heart pumping energy to my arm, then the energy travelling through my hand and gathering in the wand. Finally, I pulled the wand back and thrusted it forward, imagining the energy being expelled.
Disappointingly, the flame only surged about a meter before going out completely. The failure was frustrating since I felt like I was close to performing the move properly. Sighing, I sat down on a nearby rock to think.
(Bollocks. Guess it is still hard to imagine a heart when I don’t know what mine looks like, if I even have one to begin with...)
Listening to the waves, I thought back on everything I had learned about myself and Will-o-Wisp up to that point: The need for visualizations; the swiping match motion to light up a small flame; KFC’s explanation on aura and how I do have it in me; his instructions on how to channel aura; how the Switcher Wand aided me in visualizations; how the orb inside me is-
(Hold on, I do have an equivalent of a heart: the orb! This might be the final piece of this puzzle!)
Getting up, I readied the wand and closed my eyes. Once again, I thought about everything I had learned up to that point and then decided to use everything at once. I focused and began the attempt.
(Imagine energy being pumped out from the orb inside me, travelling through my right arm and hand to gather on the Switcher Wand… Imagine the tip of the wand as a match, then swipe it against my arm… The moment the wand makes contact with my arm, imagine all the energy gathered inside it being expelled to ignite the sparks and form a big flame on a torch!)
FWOOOOOOOSH
A bright purple flame surged from the wand, like a bonfire hovering on top of it. I stared at it for what seemed like an hour, admiring the eerie purple glow and warmth of the flame.
“I… I did it…”
In my excitement, I grabbed the wand with both hands and raised it before shouting to the ocean, “I DID IT!!!”
Calming down, I lowered the wand and stared at the flame again. However, my admiration was cut short when I realized something.
(Uh… How do I throw this thing?)
Indeed, creating the flame was just half of Will-o-Wisp. I still had to figure out how to turn it into a projectile like a fireball.
Facing the ocean, for my first attempt I raised the wand with the flame and swung it downwards. During the swing, I imagined the flame detaching from the wand.
The idea worked somewhat as the flame was released from the wand like a fireball, but the speed of the projectile and the distance covered left much to be desired. Despite the impressive intensity of the flame, it felt like throwing a ping-pong ball as it lazily hovered until it hit the sea and fizzled. Being used to failed attempts by that point, I didn’t let it get to me and thought about what to try next.
Thinking of the flame as a fireball and seeing how it was released from the wand gave me the idea of trying to pick it up. I repeated the process of lighting up the flame and carefully placed my left hand between the flame and the wand, with my palm facing the flame. Then, I lifted my hand while imagining the flame as a ball. The flame gently hovered over my hand rather than the wand, showing that the idea worked, and giving me another idea.
(Guess it is time to put my limited experience with sports into use.)
I gently tossed the fireball above me and imagined my wand as a tennis racket. When the fireball began descending, I hit it with the wand as hard as I could in a vertical downwards swing. The fireball soared above the ocean like a tennis ball at full power, eventually falling into the water and fizzling out into a glorious splash of droplets and steam. I had done it. I had finally completed Will-o-Wisp as an attack.
After another session of shouting to the ocean to celebrate, I spent some time experimenting with it. I learned that when I let go of the wand, the flame remained on top of it without going out, which made sense since torches don’t go out if someone stops holding them. I also learned that I could make the flame hover in place after detaching it from the wand, and I used that to shoot fireballs with sideway swings instead of vertical ones.
I wanted to practice more since I felt like the move was still lacking in accuracy, but with the sunset marking the approaching end of the afternoon, it was almost time to wrap up for the day. However, there was one last thing I wanted to figure out before going back.
(I wonder if I can use this wand to improve Shadow Sneak too. Let’s see, to use Shadow Sneak I imagine my shadow as an extension of me, like a third arm, and throw a straight punch to propel it forward, followed by an uppercut to make the shadow surge from the ground and hit the target. The biggest problem is that the shadow doesn’t go as fast as I hoped, making it easy to dodge. This means I probably have to replace the punch motion with something else, but what…?)
While I was thinking about what to try, my gaze was fixed at my shadow. At the time, all shadows were elongated thanks to sun setting on the horizon, so when I saw the stretched shadow of the wand in my hand the first thing that came to my mind was…
(Maybe a spear?)
Holding the Switcher Wand on my right hand with the pointy end facing forward, I recoiled my arm in preparation for a thrust. Then, I imagined the wand as a spear and my shadow as an extension of me and thrust the wand forward, aiming at a nearby boulder.
It worked as my shadow shot ahead at almost double the speed it used to. With my arm still thrusted, I watched the shadow arrive under the boulder, then flicked my wrist to rotate the wand 90° so that the pointy end was pointed up and raised my arm as fast as I could. The shadow shot up from the ground below the boulder, hitting and launching it up.
Not only was the shadow faster, but my previous punching method also involved recoiling my arm after the punch to then launch a second one, so the wrist-flick method was faster due to not requiring recoiling my arm.
I had done it again. Shadow Sneak was improved. Sure, I was still slower than other Pokémon when using moves, but this was a big upgrade. And most importantly, it gave me hope.
“I… I can do this now… I am not useless anymore…”
For the third time that afternoon, I shouted at the ocean.
“I AM NOT USELESS ANYMORE!”
I was afraid of not ever being able to catch up to others in combat capabilities, of being stuck at the bottom. Much like the waves hitting the shore and washing debris away, a wave of relief hit me and washed my insecurities away along with my fears of being inept in this second life. A single tear of joy dripped out of my eye socket and fell on the Switcher Wand, the tool that allowed this breakthrough.
The sunset was about to end, and I spotted storm clouds approaching, so it was time to head back to the guild.
…
Upon returning to the guild, I left the Switcher Wand in my room and had a quick shower before heading to the mess hall for dinner. That night’s meal consisted of vegetable stew and buttered baked potatoes. While enjoying my food, I heard a rumbling sound coming from outside and looked at a nearby window, seeing that it had started to rain.
Between the satisfaction from the day’s breakthroughs, the delicious meal, and the soothing sound of the rain, I was so satisfied that I began humming a song while enjoying my meal. My spirits were high despite the group sitting at the table behind me having a loud and heated discussion over whatever the hell “glowies”, “troons” and “schizos” are.
I’ve always loved rain (when I get to stay indoors) and that was the first time it rained since I came to this world, so after finishing my meal I immediately went back to my room and watched the rain through the window. Due to the dense vegetation of Capim the scent of the rain had a noticeable earthy tone to it.
I spent about an hour watching the rain and listening to its sounds while fiddling with my Switcher Wand and thinking about the events of the day.
(Man, what a day. I still can’t believe I got shitfaced and caused trouble for Team Misfits. I can’t remember everything I did while drunk, so I hope I didn’t do anything too outrageous. Ugh, I’ll have to apologize to them… eventually.)
(On the other hand, I’ve learned so much today: Chocolate exists here; my eye orb is the center of my being; I sleep better inside dark and cramped spaces like a chest; and most importantly…)
I looked at the Switcher Wand I was holding. (Using a wand greatly improves my visualizations to perform moves because of the weight and feel of holding an object, and because of me perceiving it as a magical wand.)
(I was worried about being forever “crippled” in move usage, but thanks to today’s breakthrough all those worries have vanished. Sure, it is still far from perfect as my moves are still slower when compared to others’, the new visualizations are more complex and might be hard to do in the heat of battle, and I still have to work on the accuracy of Will-o-Wisp, but now I have high hopes!)
I lifted the wand high up and said, “And it is all thanks to you! I should give you a name. Perhaps Spruce? Or maybe Willow?”
“Nah, just kidding. I’m not that far gone, at least not yet. Still, thank you, Switcher Wand.”
Rumble
The rain intensified into a storm and I could hear distant thunder, so I decided it was time to end the day. Still holding the wand, I entered the big chest, which still contained the bedding, pillow and blanket, then closed the lid.
Submerged in the darkness, I hugged the wand while thinking about what other possibilities it could open for me in my move usage. I didn’t go far since the confines of the chest were just as comfortable as they were during my afternoon nap and the soothing sounds of rain were further boosting that coziness, so it only took a couple of minutes for me to be lulled into slumber.
[To be continued in Day 7]