The Taste of Freedom

By Nido Fren

After the first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the window, Pochi slowly awoke his senses from yesterday's hectic afternoon. As his sight got used to the low light, he found his new partner in a deep slumber.

The memories of their dangerous encounter still lingered in his mind, drawing comfort from the fact they made it through unscathed. It was their first day as part of the Guild. He could not help but move his tail from side to side in anticipation.

It had been a long day yesterday, and his partner's eyes were sparkling with joy upon seeing their new room and bed yesterday, so Pochi decided not to wake her up yet.

Feeling the rumbling of hunger in his belly, Pochi picked up his newly obtained backpack and guild symbol, which he attached to the front of the bag.
He closed the door quietly and went to the pantry to grab breakfast for both of them.

Upon arriving at the pantry, he saw an Oshawott grabbing some apples and stuffing them into his bag.
Pochi cleared his throat and entered the room.

"Good morning!" Pochi approached the Pokemon with a friendly wag of his tail.

"Good morn–oh, a new face!" Oshawott exclaimed in surprise. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Augustus, but my friends call me Gus."

"I'm Pochi, nice to meet you, Gus! My partner and I just joined yesterday."

"Welcome to the Clover Guild! Don't push yourselves too hard, okay?"

"We won't, thanks, Gus! Do you know of any good swimming spots around? We came from Treasure Town so I'm not very familiar with the local landmarks."

With a cheerful glint in his eyes, Gus excitedly responded to Pochi's question. "You should try the docks, it's my favorite spot. The sound of the waves crashing on the shoreline is soothing and invigorating, you will love it!"

"Sounds like fun! Do you know of any other places?" Pochi inquired.

The two Pokemon shared some small talk for a while, and then each went their way, holding their breakfast. Pochi went upstairs to the room they were assigned and entered silently to not wake Nida up. She was already awake, munching on some apples.

"Morning." She mumbled with her mouth full of food, while slowly reaching for another apple that was in a basket by the bed.

"Good morning Nida, let's do our best today! Wait, where did you get breakfast? I was just by the pantry and didn't see you there."

"Oh! They were by a window in the dining hall, and I didn't want them to spoil." A muffled rant could be heard downstairs. Pochi assumed it was normal behavior of the Clover Guild, and paid no mind to it, with a big smile on his face as he listened to his partner. The screaming only got louder, and more people joined in, awakened by the verbal onslaught being delivered at the Diner Hall. "Looks like this guild is quite lively, right Pochi?" Nida said as she got comfy on the cotton bed.

"I could get used to this." Pochi's face was beaming with joy. "Do you want to go explore the town around? We could buy some basic equipment and items too!"

"I think I'll pass, I just want to stay in bed like this all day," Nida said while cleaning her claws on the bed, planning to take a quick nap.

"Your loss, I heard there are some good food carts in the Town Squa—" Pochi could not end the sentence and Nida was already waiting by the door, jumping in anticipation.

They left their assigned room behind and started descending the stairs to the ground floor. 2 Pokemon were arguing about missing breakfast. One was a huge Tropius that could barely fit inside the building. It seemed to be discussing with a Munchlax, which seemed to be the guild cook by the apron it was wearing. There were some Pokemon in between the two trying to defuse the situation while holding them from starting a fight. A Makuhita was holding the cook from hitting Tropius with its roller pin, and opposite to them, a Combusken was doing its best to defuse the situation while pushing Tropius back.

"I dare you to step into my kitchen, I'll make a banana split out of you!" The Munchlax shouted while swinging the air with its rolling pin.

Nida realized this was because of the basket she had taken minutes ago. "Let's not get involved Pochi, looks like they have it under control, haha!" She said in a nervous tone while guiding her partner outside the Guild.

Both Pokemon left the guild and started walking to the center of Capim Town. It was a beautiful morning and there was still some morning dew on the flowers that grew on the side of the road. A fresh morning breeze blew in the direction of the opening shops around town as if inviting them to check out all the different items and equipment on display. Pochi knew precisely what he needed, remembering his past encounter with that trap, so he aimed directly at a shop selling Pecha berries. Nida was still drowsy, and could barely keep up with her partner's pace. She sat on a little bench and started munching on a gummi she found in someone's bag, while Pochi was doing some shopping. In the corner of her eyes, behind some crates, was a big chest.

"Can't hurt to take a quick peek right? Pochi is busy and there doesn't seem to be anyone guarding it." Nida thought to herself.

She kept watch for a minute, checking for guards and anyone working close to it, waiting for a moment to inspect its contents. When she was about to make her move, a shadow closed in, and started rummaging through the chest, then darted out of the area!

"Darn it, too slow!" Nida ran behind the figure, past the chest, and started chasing the thief. A shopkeeper noticed the open chest and saw her running into the forest.

"Help me, I'm being robbed!" A Marril screamed. Pochi immediately heard this and ran to the Pokemon, who pointed in the direction of the criminal, describing it only as a blue Pokemon, as it couldn't identify the species. Pochi took a quick sniff of the chest and started tracking the faint smell that was disappearing in the direction Marill pointed. The chase was on. The scent guided him through the woods, and across a small river, where he could see some recent footprints. It looked like it was from two Pokemon. This was going to be hard without his partner, but it was his only chance to track the smell while it was fresh, so he decided to find the culprit's hideout and then call for backup. The odor was not as strong now, which forced him to slow down. He continued into an Apricorn woodland that was in blooming season.

Unfortunately, he had no time to smell the flowers today. The stolen item's smell guided him out of the forest onto a cliff that ended abruptly. The sea was now in front of him, and a steep descent separated this hill from the beach. He started the slow descent, where he could see a small hut by a natural rock formation. A hop, skip and a jump later, he found himself sneaking behind the hideout, where the scent ended. A little window by the side of the mud hut was opening slowly, and he could see a Pokemon start climbing out of it, hidden in the shadows. Pochi could see this obscured figure drop something on the floor, and then jump down from the window, landing on the sand. Pochi jumped on the suspect and pinned them to the floor.

“Stop right there criminal scum!" Pochi shouted.

“Hey get off me, I'm working here!” The Pokemon shook in place. She stared at Pochi and they both screamed in unison.

“What are YOU doing here?"

Pochi rolled to the side, and let his partner get to her senses.

“I was just tracking the scent of an item that was just stolen from the market plaza. How did you get here so fast, Nida?”

“I was uh…I saw the thief commit the act and ran behind him! Yes, that's what happened!” Nida answered nervously while picking up the item that was on the ground. “Now how about we get this back to its owner and ask him for a nice reward?” She showed the item to Pochi. It was a crimson-colored seed with purple spots. Its scent matched the one he sensed at the chest in Capim Town. "It's been a long time since I've seen one of these. They may give us a lot of money!" The Nidorina exclaimed, thinking of all the food she was going to buy. Pochi seemed uninterested in the possible reward.

“We still have to catch the thief, Nida, we can't just walk out of here just like that!”

Nida stored the seed again and replied in a relaxed tone. “Oh, the sleep seed should still be in effect! I threw one inside the hut before stealing back the item. "Should we go get him?” She pointed to the mud hut behind them.

Suddenly, Pochi felt a drop of water fall on his nose. Some clouds were forming in the sky, obscuring the sun. “Rain, at this time of day? It was just clear a second ago!"

"Let's just go get this chump and go home. I'm starving!”

“Nida, we just had breakfast." Pochi stared at her in disapproval. "But you are right, we have work to do. Follow me.” The duo circled the hut and took positions outside the door. A strong wind quickly joined the rain, and a loud boom announced an approaching storm. Pochi tackled the door and Nida followed her partner inside. "Police, don't move!” Pochi ordered, but there was no one inside.

“That's strange. It was sleeping on the floor a minute ago!"

“Weird…and I can't smell anything either," Pochi said as he scanned the room with his snout. “We should inform them about this place to the Police Station, and–”

Suggested BGM: https://youtu.be/HfeJWdJdI7k?t=29

“Pochi, we have to get out of here," Nida said in a severe tone.

“Yes, as I was saying, we should go back and make a report to the Sheriff, then–” Nida held Pochi's face with both hands.

“Pochi, listen to me. We are in danger. Look!”

Pochi looked through the window, and the beach was nowhere to be seen. It was replaced by a violent curtain of sand that extended in every direction, flinging small rocks and dust into the hut. The rain transformed into a monsoon, lightning was striking all around the hideout, booming into the ground and leaving sand formations that reached one or two meters towards the sky. A blurry figure was standing amidst the storm, patiently waiting, about 10 meters away from the hideout, where the beach would have been if it wasn't for the low visibility.

"Let's do this Pochi. There is no turning back from this.” Nida looked at Pochi with determination, preparing herself for a fight. She stepped into the sandstorm as her back spikes extended.

"I'll do my best!” Pochi was visibly anxious but nodded at his partner and followed her lead into the storm. The pain was immediate, they had to finish this quickly. Nida started digging down while Pochi charged ahead and quickly took a bite out of the villain, aiming for its head. As soon as Pochi landed on his target, a cloud of blue smoke formed inside his jaws. Pochi realized his mistake as he started feeling drowsy and fell asleep on the sand. Nida dug upwards, striking her target, which did not seem to react to her attack, as it was a substitute! She was immediately hit in the face with a Poison Jab while in mid-air, blowing her to the ground with a loud thud. The substitute broke down, with an asleep Pochi by its side. A slim Toxicroak revealed itself from inside the sandstorm, standing now between her and Pochi, a satisfied look in its eyes.

"Thanks for the sleep seed, it came in handy." the Toxicroak said. He was wearing eye protection, probably expecting this kind of weather condition. "Looks like that didn't hurt much. Mind if I change tactics?" The crook's fists boomed in a yellow spark while he jumped at an impressive speed toward Nida, doing a barrage of punches that she could barely keep up with. She tried blocking each Thunderpunch with her own Rock Smashes, each hit making her recoil in shock. The lack of a clear sight made landing a counterattack impossible. Both Pokemon stood in front of each other trading blow after blow, Toxicroak’s Fists crackling with electricity on each jab, ramping up the barrage as Nida started to lose stamina.
When she realized she could not hold it for much longer, Nida used her legs to dig down and lower her head a bit, dodging a direct hit. Seizing the opportunity, she delivered a direct hit on Toxicroak's temple, shattering the ground beneath her and sending her opponent backwards. Toxicroak spit out some blood. His wound was quickly covered in dirt from the sandstorm, which was getting stronger by the second. He brushed the wound with his forearm, and jumped towards Nida, assaulting her with relentless speed. After blocking the next flurry of blows, she started to feel slower, which led to Toxicroak landing a thunderous fist on her face, leaving her half deaf and completely paralyzed on the floor.
Pochi woke up to the rumbling, not able to see anything due to the sandstorm, but could still smell both his partner and the thief. Nida tried to scream for Pochi, but no words would come out. Her eyes could barely see Toxicroak walking towards her, wielding thunder in its fists. Nida's ears were ringing, and she could barely move around. She patted her bag. The stolen seed was still in there, taunting her for not eating it as soon as she realized the danger. Nida laid motionless on the cold, coarse sand. Each gasp came with great effort, her chest beating in a shallow, erratic rhythm. A wave of helplessness washed over her as her limbs refused to obey her desperate commands. The beach seemed to blur around her, the world becoming a distant haze as her consciousness wavered between fleeting moments of clarity.

Toxicroak rushed to her, but as it was about to land a final Thunderpunch, it felt a sharp pain in its ears, forcing him to recoil in surprise and cover its face and ears, losing concentration for a moment.

“Stay BACK!” Pochi roared.

Toxicroak was stopped in his tracks, recoiling in fear, for he had been found out. Pochi had stepped in the middle, a menacing gleam in its red eyes. His hackles were pointed up, and his teeth were in full display. An unsettling aura surrounded him. Its snarls carried a mixture of frustration and aggression, as it seemed ready to fight to the very end. After a brief moment, Toxicroak came back to its senses and grinned in anticipation of the coming beatdown it was about to deliver.

“So be it, let's dance." The amphibian Pokemon prepared a Poison Jab and lunged at Pochi. Relying only on his sense of smell to navigate the sandstorm, Pochi reacted swiftly, sensing the venomous aura coming from its fist and dodging just in time, blowing sand everywhere as he sidestepped. He used this moment to insert his claw into the sand and attack Toxicroak with a Mud Slap, finding its target and making it scream in annoyance, as its goggles were utterly stuck with grime now. Pochi needed to search his bag to execute his next move, so he tried to buy some time by taunting Toxicroak.

"Your next line will be: You brat, how can you see me?" Pochi said in a smug tone, bamboozling his opponent.

“YOU BRAT! H-how can you see me?… Ah!" Toxicroak screamed and gasped in surprise at his opponent's ability to predict him. Pochi did not give the criminal a moment to clean himself before searching for a blast seed in his bag and putting it in his mouth. He bit on Toxicroak’s face. The sharp fangs found their mark and as the jaws clenched on the Seed, an explosion followed coming from inside Pochi’s mouth, blasting both Pokemon in opposite directions. Pochi stood up, battered by the reckless strategy he had employed, and felt the rain ceasing, and saw the clouds dispersing. The battle was over. Toxicroak laid on the floor completely unconscious, its face black from the explosion. The sun was breaking through the now fleeting clouds.

“Nida! Are you alright? Please eat this!” Pochi rummaged through his bag while running to his partner on the floor, who was severely hurt from the recent fight.

“He got me huh Pochi? Thanks for coming through. I would be dead if you didn't follow me over here.” Nida was completely beaten up, her body covered in bruises and small patches of electrical burns.

Snivelling, Pochi wiped his snout with the back of his paw, gasping out between running tears “I'm just happy we are both okay. I was so scared!”

“You didn't seem scared to me, but whatever Pochi, you saved my life, that's all that matters. Now give me something to eat, I'm starving here!” She tried to play it off and laugh for a bit, trying to help her partner calm down. Pochi split an oran berry in two and gave it to Nida, who could feel the pain leave her body, allowing her to sit up, and reach for more berries in Pochi's bag.

"It was just a bunch of showmanship and dirty tricks. I only won because you left him weak enough". Pochi sighed in relief, sitting on the sand to eat with his partner. They took a minute to recover. The smell of petrichor mixed with the calming sound of waves crashing helped to relax their bodies as they recovered from the fight. Next, they handcuffed the Toxicroak, dragging it to Capim Town to be investigated. On the way there, Nida started speaking.

“Pochi, we have to talk."

“I'm all ears, Nida. What's on your mind?” Pochi perked up his ears, smiling at his partner.

“Listen, I told you that I followed Toxicroak over here because I saw him the moment he stole something from the town square, that's why I was here earlier than you” Pochi nodded. “The truth is, I was about to steal that item before Toxicroak did. I just could not resist it! It's ingrained in my head, an entire lifestyle I can't seem to leave behind!" Her voice started to crack as she continued. "I stole breakfast at the guild, I continued at the Town Square, and trying to get what was in that chest, I almost got us both killed! I'm so sorry Pochi. Please forgive me!” She had watery eyes, fearing the worst.
Pochi kept walking in silence. They kept dragging the criminal for a minute before Pochi opened his mouth. For Nida, it felt like hours.

"Thanks, Nida. We will have to work on that, but you still did the right thing. If you weren't that attentive I would have come alone. It could have been a disaster, don't you think?” Pochi replied, a warm expression on his face. "I did not expect you to be an angel, after all, and helping you stop committing petty theft is my job! I just want you to apologize to everyone tomorrow, especially to the Pokemon you stole breakfast from, okay?"

As the news of Nida’s swift pardon reaches her ears, an overwhelming rush of emotion washes over her. Tears of pure happiness well up in her eyes, and her heart feels like it's bursting with joy.

"F-for real?"

The weight of uncertainty and fear that she was carrying lifted, and were replaced by a sense of relief and gratefulness. She hugged Pochi, realizing this was the start of a new chapter in her life, one filled with hope and freedom, things she could only dream of in the past.

***

On the way to Capim Town, Pochi remembered something important.
“Hey Nida, what was in that chest all this time?"

“Here you go." She searched her bag and gave it to her partner. "It's a Violent Seed."

“Aren't these illegal? Where would a normal shopkeeper get one of these anyway?” Pochi inspected the seed with curiosity.

“Honestly these days I don't know. My old gang used to deal with these, but when we realized they were too dangerous to keep around we stopped working with them. They can be quite addictive, and tend to make Pokemon go crazy in the long run."

Pochi inspected the item and then stored it in his bag. “We should check on this shop tomorrow. We can't have this kind of product going around."

"I concur, but let's rest for now, Pochi. It's been a long day." Having left the criminal at the Police Station, they both went to the Blue Claw Inn to have a drink. They entered the building and sat in front of the bar. “First round is on me!" Nida gestured to Crabrawler, who started preparing drinks at the sign.

“Nothing like cold Berry Juice after a hard day's work,” Said Pochi as he relaxed. "Why don't you tell me about your old gang Nida? How did you end up teaming with them?"

"Well, I have lived with them all my life. Blaine found me as an egg and kept me alive during my childhood. He used to be a good man, you know? Before getting engaged."

"So he adopted you and raised you as his child? How did it get to its current state?"

"Rosa happened. They fell in love and married, but everything went to grime one day when Blaine got badly injured at work. He worked as a courier and got assaulted when delivering precious cargo. He could not fly for months and was held responsible for the items lost, so we were in deep debt. Blaine started drinking, and Rosa was leeching off Blaine, so it didn't take long before the entire family lived off whatever we could steal. Nida chugged the next drink in one go and let out a sigh of relief. "But it wasn't enough, Rosa wanted more, even when Blaine could fly again, she convinced him to stay on this path, she planted the idea that they could get whatever they wanted".

"All of this and you were still a Nidoran?" Pochi asked for another round with a paw movement, as he listened attentively.

"Yes, and it got a lot worse the day I evolved. That day was the day I stopped being their daughter." She was now visibly gloomy, her usually relaxed demeanor nowhere to be seen. "Ever since that day, I have been just a digger. They never bothered to teach me how to defend myself."

"So you have been digging, breaking rocks, and doing the heavy lifting for them since then, am I right?"

"Yes, that's how I earned the everyday bread."

"I'm sorry."

"It is what it is, it was obvious I was nothing more than a mere tool for their monetary schemes at this point." She thanked the bartender for the refill and resumed. "When they finally hit it big, they left me to rot." She clenched her fist and looked Pochi straight in the face. "I want to catch them, even if it's the last thing I do."

Pochi nodded in agreement. "I'm with you all the way, Nida. We'll track them down and bring them to justice". They chugged their drinks.

"And what about your family Pochi? I've been talking all night, tell me about yourself."

"Another round over here bartender!" Pochi swiftly evaded the question.

"Ah come on!"

"Maybe another day." Pochi smiled at her, as his glass was being refilled.

"Ok, OK, I'll ask something else..have you checked out any of the girls at the guild yet?" Nida asked in a teasing tone.

Pochi spurted some Berry Juice out of his nostrils. His face completely blushed. "W-what? No, of course not! Leave me alone!"

They both stayed for a couple more rounds, having fun and sharing stories of their past adventures. A friendship was born amid the bar's chatter and clinking glasses.