Cocoa Cargo

I nuzzle into my bedding trying to hold onto the last moments of peaceful slumber. After a few seconds of lying contented, I raise my head from my bed while taking a deep breath in, followed by a deep, satisfied exhale as I stretch my limbs out.

“That must have been the best sleep I’ve had since I’ve gotten to this place,” I think to myself. “It’s a shame I have to get up now…”

I finally open my eyes and take a look around. Some empty bottles and a few half-eaten berries lie in the grass around my lean-to. Nobody else seems to be around.

I guess I must have fallen asleep during the party. Seems like the Misfits went back to their dorm room…

The party I had last night with Team Misfits was the most fun I’ve had since I’ve turned into a Pokémon. Normally I’m not much for partying, but after the adventure we had together, I felt relaxed enough around them to let loose. We drank and partied long into the night, until the exhaustion from the mission that day caught up to me and I decided to lie down in my bed. I must have nodded off not long after I lied down.

The alcohol last night was better than I expected, but with how large I am I barely felt the effects. It’s for the best—I’m not much of a drinker anyway. I’d much prefer something like a nice, sweet, hot chocolate anyways.

Finally, I rise up from my prone position. I stretch my wings and my neck out to get the last bit of sleepiness out of my system. Taking a look at the sky, I see nothing but the gray expanse of an overcast sky. Finally, luck seems to be on my side! From the location of the bright spot in the dull stretch of clouds, it seems to be a little bit before noon.

Woah, this must be the latest I’ve slept in! Even on overcast days, I usually wake up around sunrise. I guess we must have stayed up pretty late last night!

Not wanting to waste anymore of the fortuitous weather, I leave the redundant cover of my lean-to and make my way towards the west side of the guild for a late breakfast.
Feeling light in spirits (and since nobody is around), I soon find myself humming a little morning wake up tune.

“Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, hm hm hm hmmmmmm, hm hm hm hmmmm, hmm hmm hmm hmmmmmmm!”

After the short walk, I arrive at the mess hall’s window. I stick my head through like usual—I'm not as embarrassed about it as I used to be, though I still feel a bit awkward about it. I look around the dining hall, which is mostly empty, save for a few fellow late risers catching a belated breakfast. Thankfully, the basket the guild’s chef leaves for me by the window was still full of food, untouched by my guildmates. I begin to dig in and it’s… pretty plain, as usual. A few types of berries and some apples. It tastes good enough, but I wish I could have something different, maybe something richer tasting? At least there’s some Pecha berries in the mix here to slightly satiate my sweet tooth.

I continue to eat my meal when suddenly a delectable aroma hits my nostrils. It’s familiar, but it feels like a long time since I’ve smelled whatever this is… What could it be?

I raise my head from the basket and start looking around, turning every which way to try to get a track on the origin of the appetizing scent. As I point myself in the direction of the kitchen, the intensity of the aroma strengthens.

Inhaling deeply, I close my eyes as a contented smile finds its way onto my face. My eyes still shut, I begin wracking my brain trying to place a finger on what it is I’m smelling. It’s sweet, but it doesn’t smell quite like the fruit or berries that my diet has consisted of these past months. Whatever it is is tantalizing, mouth-watering, delicious… I really want some of it!

I’m brought back to reality as I hear a loud clang from the kitchen. Through the door frame to the kitchen, a small metal pot rolls into the dining hall before circling to a stop. Coming through after it is a lone Munchlax, wearing both an apron and a frustrated expression.

That’s the guild chef, isn’t it? That smell must be coming from whatever he’s cooking.

I begin to speak up when it dawns on me that I don’t actually remember the chef’s name. I had met him shortly after I had joined the guild. He set up the whole basket at the window arrangement with me after I incurred his wrath after breaking some chairs and a table designed for Pokémon much smaller than me. I haven’t spoken to him since that day, which was months ago by this point.

Still curious as to what he may be preparing, I call out: “Hey, Chef… Munchlax?”

Pot now in hand, the Munchlax faces me, his eyebrows furrowed. He sets the pot back down on the floor before angrily stomping over towards me.

“Chef Munchlax!? CHEF MUNCHLAX!? My name is Beast Winchester, not ‘Chef Munchlax’, and you will do well to refer to me as such!”

I raise my head in recoil. “Woah, woah, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any disrespect, uh, Beast Winchester. I just didn’t know your name is all.”

Beast’s expression softens, but remains stern. “Just Beast is fine. We have met before, have we not, and yet you do not recall my name?”

I avert my glance in embarrassment. “W-well, it’s been so long since we met, and we haven’t talked at all since then…”

I blink blankly a few times before looking back at Beast with an accusatory look. “Wait a second, do you even know my name?”

Beast’s expression widens before he looks down at the ground, placing his hand on the back of his head. “Wh-what? Of course I do, what do you take me for?” After a pause, he looks up from the floor, and looks me right in the eyes. “Your name is………. Tropius, is it not?”

My head droops down as I close my eyes and let out a defeated sigh. “You’re lucky that’s right.”

Beast raises his head in triumph. “Luck had nothing to do with it.” His expression soon turns dour again. “Why did you call me over here anyway? Are you going to field ignorant complaints like so many of your other guildmates?”

“What? No, I-”

“You come and dine so late into the morning, all at your leisure, whereas I have to wake up before the sun even rises to prepare breakfast for everyone, including your basket that I set out specifically for you over here! Do you know how much work goes into cooking for this many Pokémon!? More work than you’ve ever likely done in your life, you layabout! I still have much more work to attend to tod-”

Frustrated, I interrupt. “Listen, I’m not here to complain or anything. In fact, I’m grateful that you go through the trouble to put this basket of food here just for me. I just wanted to ask what you are cooking in the kitchen, because I could smell whatever it is from all the way over here.”

Beast’s expression softens but remains stern. “Apologies. Today has been particularly taxing. As for what I am cooking, I am currently baking a chocolate lava cake for a…” He looks up as he tries to find the words. “ …Private function this afternoon.”

My face lights up. Chocolate!? I haven’t had any since I’ve transformed. It was my favorite treat when I was still a human—especially hot chocolate. I didn’t even know it was something I could get in this world!

“Chocolate? You have chocolate?”

Beast raises an eyebrow. “Of course I have chocolate. I’m a five-star chef, even if my current position belittles that title.”

“Five-star chef?” I reply, raising an eyebrow of my own. I look down at my half-eaten meal, consisting of nothing but raw apples and berries. “If you say so…”

“What was that!?” Beast snaps.

Looking back up towards Beast, I reply, “O-oh, nothing. But, if you have chocolate, would it be possible for you to make me some hot chocolate then? I can’t even remember the last time I’ve had some...”

Beast’s expression hardens before he explodes into a tirade. “Oh, the gall you have! Did you not hear how much work I already have on my plate!? It would take thirty… no, fifty times the normal amount of ingredients to prepare one serving for someone as large as you, and cocoa does not come cheap! I do not have time to waste on making hot cocoa for a layabout, let alone one this large! I have enough headaches between preparing meals for you gluttons, my function this afternoon, and the courier bailing on me!”

My expression widens as I hear that last bit. “The courier bailed on you? Courier for what?”

“For the guild’s larder, what else would it be for? The Guildmaster orders all the food that you ravenous heathens eat, which then gets delivered here. Our usual courier service wasn’t able to deliver cargo so massive today—something about already having a large delivery to fill. The alternative one the Guildmaster decided to use, who claimed to be able to handle it, is now suddenly refusing to deliver it. The food is just going to rot down at the docks at this rate.”

“Too large?” I question, looking off in thought. Large… Oh, that’s it!

Looking back towards Beast, I reply “Y’know, I could probably bring the delivery to the guild for you.”

Beast raises an eyebrow. “You, alone? Do you have any idea how large of a shipment this is?”

I gesture towards my body using my head. “Do you have any idea how large I am? I’m sure whatever the size of the shipment is, I can handle it. Plus, it seems like you don’t have any other options for getting the food to the guild.”

Beast rubs his chin in contemplation. “...This is true.” A minor smile finds its way onto his face. “In that case, your help would be much appreciated.”

“Of course!” I grin back at him. “I want something in return, though.”

Beast lets out a huff. “And what would that be?”

“If I’m going to haul all this food up here, I want a nice hot chocolate for my troubles. And a good amount too, for someone of my size!”

Beast groans. “Do you have any idea how much of my chocolate supply I would have to use up for such a request? I have too many other things to attend to today anyways, no way!”

Slightly raising my head and closing my eyes, I do my best to bait him.

“Alright, I guess you don’t need my help then. I’ll just go back to eating my meal here. Good luck figuring something out.”

Over the course of a few seconds, Beast’s frown slowly intensifies into an angry scowl.
“Gaaaaaahhhhh, fine! I will make your blasted hot cocoa!”

I can’t help but light up when Beast relents. “Really? You will?”

Beast looks away briefly, waving his hand in the air dismissively. “Yes, yes, I will prepare your ridiculous request for you. But I expect the full delivery completed by sunset, or you will not receive a drop!”

“Thank you, Beast! I’m sure I can handle it.” I reply with a grin. “Where do I need to go to pick the delivery up, anyways?”

“Go down to the Capim docks. I do not know who the contact is, as typically the food is delivered here. However, I am sure you will be able to find them if you ask around. Tell them that the Clover Guild sent you and you should not have any issues.”

I nod at Beast. “Alright. I’ll head down to the docks after I finish eating my breakfast.”

Beast turns around and starts making his way back towards the kitchen. “Yes, yes, very well. But remember, have it here by sunset, or no cocoa!” Beast rounds the corner into the kitchen, and I resume eating my meal.

----------------------------

After an uneventful ten minutes or so, I finish eating my food and depart from the dining hall window. I’m appreciative of the overcast weather as I freely make my way towards the front of the guild. There’s a bitter chill in the air thanks to the cloudy skies, but the cold is not enough to dampen my positive mood. After all, I’m able to maneuver around without needing to hop between shady trees or buildings, and soon enough I’ll have plenty of delicious hot chocolate to warm my insides.

After a short walk, I reach the guild's entrance, then head down the path that leads towards Capim Town. As I walk towards town, I crane my head around and see that nobody is nearby. With stomach full and morale high, I can’t help but sing a tune.

Oh, how you triiiiied to cut me down to siiiIIIIiize
Tellin’ dirty liiiIIIIiies to my friends
But my own father, said give her up don’t bother
The world isn’t comin’ to an end

Walk like a maaaaan! Talk like a maaaaan!
Walk like a man, my sooooOOOOOoooooOOOOON
No woman’s wooooooorth crawlin’ on the eaaaaarrrrrth
So walk like a man, my sooooooooOOOOOON

Now approaching town, I finish my solitary serenade. I quickly look around again to reaffirm nobody was around to hear me. Thankfully, I’m the only person right now on the road between town and the Clover Guild.

Capim Town seems as busy as ever, its many grounded roads and bridges overhead teeming with Pokémon of all sorts, going about their business. Carefully, I navigate my way towards the center of town, my head arced low and forward, so I can keep an eye out for small Pokémon on the path ahead of me that I otherwise could not see. Some Pokémon that I pass on the road stare at me as I travel by… I hope I don’t look too silly.

Arriving now in the center of town, I raise my head up and take a look around. The town square bustles with even more activity and liveliness than the roads leading into it. Different shops and residential buildings adorned with signs bearing the Pokémon script line the perimeter, residents pouring in and out of them. I rarely come into town since there’s little I can do in it, but I’m always impressed by just how vibrant it is, between its verdant wooden buildings and its wide and colorful assortment of citizens.

Having now had a chance to look around from the town’s center, I get a move on and head down towards the shoreline. From the town square, it’s a quick and relatively simple trek, and before long I arrive at the docks of Capim Town.

The marina, if you can even call it that, is quite small. A few wooden docks jut out into the ocean from the shoreline. The gentle breeze carries the smell of the salty sea through the cool air. A Lapras rests at one of the docks, seemingly taking a nap, perhaps due to a lack of patrons. A distance from the shore, a stone brick wall serves as a storage area for any cargo moving through the tiny port. In it, many crates of different sizes rest a comfortable distance away from the water’s edge, seemingly grouped together based on what boxes belong to what cargo delivery. A few Pokémon mill about near the boxes, dock workers if I had to guess.

It’s only now that I process that I don’t know who to speak to about the order, since Beast didn’t know either. I instinctively let out a frustrated sigh. Great. Looks like I’ll need to go ask around to see who has it.

I walk towards the first dock worker I see, a Machoke, who is carrying a large crate in his hands.

“Hey, um… I’m here to pick up an order for the Clover Guild. Would you know who I’m supposed to see about that?”

The Machoke grunts as he places the crate he was carrying down near some other cargo boxes. “Mate, they just pay me to move boxes. I don’t know nothin’ about what’s in ‘em, or whose they are. I just move ‘em.”

“...ou….sa…cl…g…d?”

“O-oh. Sorry. I’ll leave you to it, then.” I say to Machoke as he resumes his work without missing a beat.

“...oi!....own…er…!”

I sheepishly look around at the other Pokémon around. They all seem to be moving boxes as well, like Machoke. Is everyone here just a dock worker? Surely someone around here has to…

Wait a second, what’s that smell? There’s something else in the air besides the salty brine of the ocean. It’s… sweet? Where’s it coming from?

I begin inhaling deeply in different directions trying to pick up on the scent. It seems like it’s… beneath me?

“Finally! Took ya long enough to look down, eh?”

A slimy looking red and green creature with what looks to be two eyes and a tail protruding out from the main body stares up at me, parked only a short distance from my feet. I crane my head down to try to get more eye-level with the Pokémon, which I can now recognize as a Dipplin.

“Whoa, you startled me! I didn’t… uh…
Um…”

The aroma emanating from the small Pokémon becomes stronger as I place my head closer. The scent is… is… absolutely tantalizing. It smells so sweet, sweeter than anything I’ve ever smelled in my life… but it’s not so cloying as to turn me away from its intoxicating allure… It’s unfathomably heavenly… I… I’ve got to have some… I need-

“Oi oi, watch the drool, bub!”

I snap from my sugary stupor as the wyrm calls out to me. Once again conscious of what I’m doing, I realize that my head is lowered closer to the ground and I'm leaning in towards the Dipplin. My mouth is agape and my chin is… wet with drool.

“O-o-o-oh my lord, I am so s-sorry!” I cry out, backing away from my near-victim. “I-I don’t know what came over me there.” I say, hanging my head low, trying to hide my face which is now hot with embarrassment.

With how often people bother me for my neck fruit, I know what it’s like firsthand to be reduced to simple grocery produce. It’s incredibly frustrating and belittling, but here I am drooling other another Pokémon like they’re nothing more than a berry growing on a tree. I feel like the world’s biggest hypocrite…

The Dipplin, seemingly noticing my somber demeanor, sticks his head out of his apple to get closer to me. “Eh, it’s alright. My syrup is designed to do that to people, Bug and Grass-types especially can’t seem to help ‘emselves. It’s no sweat, lotsa good folk end up like that when they catch a whiff for the first time.”

I look up to match the Dipplin’s gaze, still frowning. “If you say so… I’m sorry, people act this sort of way around me and my neck fruit, so I feel especially bad about doing this sorta thing to you. Your… erm…” I hesitate, cringing at what I’m about to say. “Aroma… was just so alluring…”

The wyrm pokes even further out of his apple, and smiles widely. “Hey hey! So you know what it’s like! I’m sure you’ve had good folk ask you for one of them bananas, haven’t ya? So you shouldn’t beat yourself up too hard about it. At least you didn't lick me.” The little dragon shudders. “I still get nightmares ‘bout those guys sometimes…”

“Well, I guess that is true.” I say as I look up, taking consideration of his words. I return my gaze back towards him and say “I do feel a bit better about this ordeal now, thank you.” After a brief pause to reflect on this situation, I ask the tiny wyrm, “ Um, who are you, anyways? Why were you trying to get my attention before?”

He smiles and then bows his head. “Ah, I nearly forgot my manners. Our name is Dipplin.”

“Nice to meet you. My name’s, uh, Tropius.” I tilt my head questioningly. “Wait a second, our name?”

Dipplin smiles and nods. “Yup! Lotsa people don’t know, but we Dipplin are actually comprised of two wyrms. That tail stickin’ out ain’t mine, it’s my brotha’s!”

“Oh, I see,” I say, raising an eyebrow and arching my head to get a better look at the tail. After a slight pause, I look back at Dipplin and ask, “Is he alright in there?”

“Oh yeah, ‘e’s fine. He’s real shy, prefers to stay inside the apple. But enough about us, let’s get onto business. You said you was from the Clover Guild, didn’tcha?”

“That’s right! Are you the contact for the food delivery?”

“Sure am!” Dipplin raises his head out of his apple, and looks up with a smug grin. “Been in this business for many a year, deliverin’ large amounts of food for organizations like the one you belong to. In fact, you guys are one of our best customers! I understand that the Pelipper Post Office was supposed to make the delivery, but it seems those birdbrains underestimated how much weight the order is. Apparently they’re unable to haul such a large detail.” He rolls his eyes and shakes his head while looking down.

I tilt my head. “Well, guess that’s why I’m here now. ”

Turning his attention back towards me, Dipplin replies, “Yeah, as soon as I heard the Pelippers bailed, I reckoned one of you Clover people would head on down to collect the delivery. Though, it’s almost noon now, and these here crates are gonna take a while to move on up to that guild.”

I shoot a questioning look. “Wait, crates? As in multiple?”

Dipplin nods. “Yessir, this here is a huge delivery. Lot of mouths to feed at the guild, as I understand it. Good thing they sent one as big as you down to carry these crates up. Follow me, and I’ll show you over to ‘em.”

Dipplin dips back into his apple, and whispers something. The tail coming from the apple starts pushing, and Dipplin starts slithering off. I follow his slow approach to a pile of rather large wooden crates.

The main wyrm whispers something once again to his brother, and then stops. He emerges from his apple and turns towards me.

“Welp, this is it!”

My attention turns towards the group of wooden crates besides the strange, synergistic Pokémon. There’s a good few of them, around eight that I can see, and they’re all huge by Pokémon, or even human standards. They all vary in their exact size, but it looks like their smallest length in any one dimension is around four feet, though it’s hard to estimate. Fortunately, all the boxes seem to be smaller than me, so it shouldn’t be too hard for me to move the delivery to the guild, whichever crates of the bunch it ends up being.

“So which of these crates are for the guild?”

“Heh, good joke!” Dipplin lets out a chuckle.

“Joke?” A look of concern creeps onto my face. “This can’t all be part of the delivery, can it?”

Dipplin beams back, “Of course it is! Your group sure must eat a lot of food. I imagine you especially, big fella!”

Realizing the massive workload in front of me, my head and wings droop in despair. “This… is a lot more than I was expecting. How am I gonna move all this to the guild before the day’s over? These boxes are huge!”

“You’re a big guy, ain’tcha?” I shudder upon hearing that phrase. “I’m sure someone as big as you can haul all this before the moon rises, no problem! Have some faith!”

Dipplin has a point, I shouldn’t be so quick to doubt myself. “Well… If you think I can do it, then I’ll give it my best shot,” I say, giving Dipplin a nod.

“Hehey, that’s the spirit!” Dipplin chimes.

I walk closer to one of the boxes and inspect it from all different angles. I lower my head to the ground next to it, intending to somehow pick it up, but quickly realize how futile it would be to try.

I look at Dipplin, confused. “Umm… How am I supposed to get these onto my back?”

Dipplin lets out a chuckle. “Heh, I’ve got that covered.” He turns his head and looks around a bit, before letting out a high pitched whistle.

“Oi, Machoke, git over here!”

The Machoke from earlier turns his attention from the crate he was carrying to Dipplin. He lets out a frustrated grunt, and after placing down the crate he was carrying, walks over to the two of us.

“Whaddaya want, mate?” Machoke’s expression was humorless, as though we were about to waste his time.

“We need ya to load these here crates onto Tropius’s back so he can move ‘em on up to the guild.”

Machoke sizes me up with piercing eyes. Does he really need to examine me like this? I try to make eye contact with him, but his gaze is unnerving and being inspected like this is embarrassing, so I look at the ground to try not to think about it. There’s silence for a few seconds, before finally I hear, “Alright.”

Machoke steps up to the nearby pile and effortlessly picks up a crate. He moves over to my side and says, “Lie down.”

Did I hear him right? I crane my head around to look at him. “Wh-what?”

“Lie down so I can get the crate on your back.”

“Oh! Um...”

I hesitate for a moment. This whole ordeal is making me feel like some dumb beast of burden. Sigh… I guess I just have to swallow my pride for now.

Lying down, I crane my head to watch Machoke once more. He lifts the crate onto me, and immediately I can feel it bend my wing out of shape. My wings, especially the bases, are somewhat sensitive, and I don’t like it when they get messed with. Usually it doesn’t hurt, but it feels wrong, like when a hat pushes your hair the wrong way.

“Careful back there with the wings!” I bark at the Machoke.

Machoke grunts. “Not enough space back here to avoid pressing your wings down. You’re just gonna have to deal with it, mate.”

I let out a sigh. “Fine, just try not to crush them.”

Machoke doesn’t make any apparent recognition of my request and continues with his work. With the box now on my back, he throws a rope over the top of it and walks around to my other side.

“Stand up”, he commands. I comply, shooting an indignant look away from his gaze. The box feels surprisingly light for how big it is. With how big it is, surely it weighs at least a few hundred pounds… Am I really that strong now?

Machoke then gets down on his knees, and then reaches underneath me. As soon as he does so, I feel something rub up against my undercarriage!

“H-hey!” I snarl out, turning my head back towards him with a scowl. “What’re you…”

Ignoring my outburst, he stands back up, both ends of the rope in hand. He raises an eyebrow at me.

“O-oh.” I avert his gaze once again, the heat rising in my cheeks an indicator of how silly I feel for thinking what I was there. The time I spent with Cyndaquil the past couple days may have warped my perception…

I feel the rope tighten against my body as Machoke ties a knot in it to secure the crate to me. He briefly inspects his work, then shakes the crate to confirm. He nods, then says “All set,” as he walks off towards the rest of the crates and leans up against one.

I arc my neck towards my back and inspect Machoke’s work. The crate looks and feels snugly fitted to my body, but is that small rope really enough to keep it where it is? I shake myself a little bit to test. The crate jostles with me as my body sways, and I feel the friction of the rope shifting against my stomach, but the crate remains secure despite the motion.

Gingerly, I begin walking, and still the box remains in place. The weight of the crate doesn’t impede my movement as much as I would have expected either. I try a more exaggerated walking motion to see if any sort of misstep or wrong motion will dislodge the crate. It jostles slightly, but, with reasonable movement, it doesn’t seem to be at any risk of coming loose in transit. I’m honestly pretty surprised and a bit mortified at how natural it feels to have all that weight in my back, even if my wings feel a bit smooshed.

I crane my head to face Dipplin, and I can’t help but crack a smile. “It seems good to me. I think this will work!”

Dipplin smiles back. “Perfect! You should get a move on up towards the guild now then. Me and Machoke will be here until sunset, so we’ll get you loaded with more crates when you come back.”

I nod at Dipplin, then carefully make my way out of the marina, back into Capim Town.

----------------------------

Capim Town’s bustle hasn’t changed in the short time I was at the docks, but it’s harder to navigate now due to the cargo I’m carrying. Normally, I need to keep my head low so I can keep a close look out below me to avoid any accidental trampling. But now, if I move my head down, the cargo I’m carrying feels loose, like it might fall off. So, I have to keep my neck raised and steady as part of the balancing act, but I need to tilt my head down to look at the ground in front of me. This may be the worst and only instance of nerd neck ever in the Pokémon world. Thankfully, I’m able to manage all this, but the extra stress of potentially dropping the delivery on top of the usual anxiety that a walk through town brings makes this more mentally taxing than normal.

I continue towards the guild in this manner for a few minutes, taking great care not to allow my cargo to topple over. Most of the other Pokémon on the road are obliging, moving out of the way to make room for me to pass, though it makes me feel self-conscious of how much of the path I’m taking up. A chill hangs in the air, causing me to shiver slightly as I move forward on the path through town. Overcast skies are nice so I can move around freely without needing to manage my sun intake, but given that I’m a Grass Pokémon that’s meant to live in warm, tropical climates, the cool atmosphere on top of the limited sunlight leaves me feeling doubly drained. I’ve gotten used to it by now… but it makes me wish I was somewhere hotter right now.

Speaking of hot, that hot chocolate I’m doing all this for is going to be so good… Hot chocolate is my favorite treat, especially on chilly days like this. One of my fondest memories as a kid was coming in from a long day of playing out in the snow. When it was finally time to head back inside, my mom would have a nice cup of hot chocolate full of little marshmallows ready for me to warm up with…

…Mom… I wonder how she’s do-

“OH SHIT!”

I’m snapped from my thoughts as I quickly look down at the source of the outcry. Right in the path of where I’m about to step, a small, insect-looking Pokémon stands, with terror in his eyes. I hastily redirect my foot to the right, narrowly avoiding stomping the tiny bug! But in doing so I jostle the cargo on my back to the side, its weight causing me to lose balance! I immediately try to throw any of my weight that I can to the left, without moving where my feet are currently located, to prevent myself or the cargo from toppling over. The cargo continues to press its weight towards my right… but eventually, thanks to my effort, it doesn’t fall over and I’m able to rebalance it in the center of my back. Phew…

With extra caution to my surroundings, I back away from my current position and look down to see a silverfish-looking Pokémon. Horrified, I reply,

“Oh god, I’m sorry! I didn’t see you there!”

Once the arthropod realizes he’s no longer in any danger, he stops trembling and returns his front legs back to the ground. He backs up a bit himself, then angles his eyes’ gaze upwards, looking sterner than he did just a moment ago. Now that he’s not directly under me, I’m able to see him better and discern that he is a Wimpod.

“Watch where you’re going, you big lout!” Wimpod chastises angrily. “If that had gone any differently, I could have died!”

…He’s right. I can’t believe I came so close to stomping him! I angle my now shame-filled head down even more sharply. “I-I’m sorry. I… got lost in my thoughts there. I’m normally way more cautious to avoid trampling someone by accident…”

Wimpod’s expression softens. “Well, it’s not a big deal. It’s my bad anyway for getting in your path.”

His words do little to lift my mood, but I appreciate his effort. “Well, I’m sorry anyway. I have to be more careful in the future.”

I look towards the sky and determine that it’s slightly past noon. If I want to get all the cargo delivered to the guild in time while maintaining a careful pace through town, I can’t afford to waste much time.

I turn my attention back towards Wimpod, who hasn’t moved from his spot. “Well, um, I’ve got to get going. I’m on a time limit to deliver this crate.”

“Uh, alright then. Good luck with that.”

Wimpod continues to stand in the same spot. I don’t move an inch from my spot either for about ten seconds, before I decide to say something.

“Um… Perhaps you should move first? So we don’t have a repeat of earlier?”

“O-oh! Right.” Wimpod, without looking away from me, sidesteps towards the edge of the road in a somewhat exaggerated manner. He reaches the edge, pauses as though he doubts that I will wait for him to move out of the way, then quickly scuttles away down the road behind me.

The silver arthropod now safely out of the way, I let out a deep sigh of relief. That could have gone better… I feel like I just narrowly avoided getting into a car crash. At least the cargo and, more importantly, Wimpod weren’t harmed. I’ll have to take more caution not to get distracted, especially with the crate on my back.

The rest of my trek to the guild is, thankfully, uneventful. The rope and the box hold well, even as I travel on the incline up towards the guild, though the angle the incline sets me at causes the crate to pull uncomfortably on my wings. It doesn’t quite hurt, but it’s irksome enough to get me to move a little bit faster. After a brief climb, I reach the top of the hill and see the entrance of the Clover Guild.

As I make my way towards the entrance, I realize: Beast ALSO neglected to tell me where exactly to bring the delivery. It’s already a squeeze for me to get through the doorway normally. With the cargo on my back, there’s no way it’s going to happen.

I let out a sigh. I’ll have to go ask Beast where he wants me to put this stupid crate.

A couple of minutes of walking later, I arrive at the mess hall’s window. I have to take a wide stance before I stick my head in through the window, since moving my neck causes the box to feel unbalanced. I probably look silly, but… it’d be tragic if it fell off me now, especially if it causes me to tip over as well, while my head is stuck through the window.

I poke my head in. The mess hall is at about half capacity, its tables varyingly populated with guild members. At one table sits a partially miscolored Wooper, a contented-looking Politoed, and a scowling Corphish with scars on his face. At another table I see a Mareep alone at a table while he looks over some parchment. I crane my head to the right side, away from the kitchen, and spy two kinds of Growlithe—the one with the messier hair seems to be sloppily enjoying a bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce while his well-groomed counterpart looks away in embarrassment.

Wait a second. Spaghetti and tomato sauce? I look around and notice that most of the patrons of the dining hall seem to be eating spaghetti as well.

What the hell! Everyone else gets an actual meal of real food while I’ve been stuck with a diet of berries and apples for months!? Am I just an animal to these people? How have I not noticed this before? Was I too embarrassed to look around at the others in the mess hall for too long before now?

I let out a sigh as I deflate. I’ll have to talk to Beast about this another time, I’m unlikely to get him to start serving me real food on top of getting my hot chocolate today. Though, speaking of Beast, he doesn’t seem to be anywhere in the dining room. I turn my attention towards the kitchen. I don’t spot Beast there either, and there doesn't seem to be any signs of activity within.

“Hey, uh, Beast? Beast! Are you there!?” I call out towards the kitchen, praying that he’s there and able to hear me.

After about ten seconds, I hear the sounds of shuffling coming from the kitchen, and soon after a groggy looking Numel walks over to me.

“Can you stop yelling, man?” the tired looking camel moans. “Some of us are trying to sleep.”

“Sleep? What are you doing sleeping in the kitchen?”

“Uh, what else would I be doing in there?” the dopey looking Numel replies. “Beast doesn’t allow me to touch, like, anything.”

“That doesn’t really…” I shake my head in confusion. “Whatever, is Beast around?”

“Nah, he’s not here right now.” The Numel absent-mindedly looks off to the side. “I think he said he had to bring some sorta cake somewhere and that I was too stupid to do it or something… I dunno, I wasn’t really paying attention.”

I let out a sigh. “Do you at least work for Beast or with him or something?”

“Uhh…” The Numel’s expression goes blank as though he’s thinking incredibly hard about the question I just asked him. “I guess.”

He guesses? What kind of response is that? This guy certainly isn’t playing with a full stack of cards…I’d better just get to the point.

“Well… I have a food delivery here for him, but I can’t fit it through the main entrance. Do you have any idea where I could bring this thing?”

“I dunno, man. Beast keeps all the food downstairs. Maybe you can bring it there.”

I give him a puzzled look, struggling to hide my frustration. “But I can’t fit inside in the first place. How am I going to bring this crate downstairs?

“Beats me, man. I’ve never seen anyone deliver the food myself, so I dunno where they bring it.”

Ugh, this guy is useless!

“Urgh, alright, whatever. I’ll go figure it out myself.” I begin to pull my head out through the window, when suddenly the Numel calls out, “Wait!”

I stop and look back at him. “What?”

“Can I get one of those bananas, dude? I haven’t had any lunch yet.”

“…………”

I glare intensely at the moron for a few moments before taking my leave without saying anything. There’s no point wasting my breath on this worthless dumbass.

After my anger passes, I aimlessly wander towards the guild’s entrance, trying to think of where I could possibly bring the delivery. There has to be somewhere I can bring this. Obviously Beast has placed orders before to fill the larder, there has to be somewhere I can fit this box. But what if he usually doesn’t order in bulk?

…Hmm, no. For all the people the guild has to feed, it wouldn’t make sense not to order in bulk. Besides, I think I remember Dipplin saying earlier that the guild is one of his best customers, so he’s sold crates like this to us before. And if that’s the case, the other couriers would be in the same boat that I am now. That idiot Numel said that the food is stored downstairs, most likely in the guild’s basement where the larder would be. So there’s gotta be some other entrance to the basement where I can bring this crate… but where?

………Oh! I know!

----------------------------

After a short stroll towards the east side of the guild, I arrive at the guild’s garden. It’s rather small for someone of my stature, but I enjoy coming here to relax under the shade of the trees here on sunny days. There’s something about all the pampered plants that is very soothing to me…

However, my actual destination isn’t the garden, as much as I’d love to take a load off among the flora. I look further eastwards towards an oddly shaped mound coming out of the ground. In my time lazing around the garden, I had taken notice of it and the path that leads up to it, but had never given it much thought. But having now stopped and thought about it… it’s strange that such an unassuming lump of dirt and grass has a trail at all.

I carefully cut through the garden and shortcut through the grass to the dirt pathway that leads up to the small hill. After a somewhat slow treading, I reach the path and turn towards the mound only to find a tunnel boring through it, propped up by numerous wooden supports. The entrance itself is adorned with a large arch with a sign on top with the guild’s logo and the word “CLOVER” in both English and Pokémon script (at least, I assume it translates to Clover). From what I can tell, the shaft seems to angle downwards into the earth and towards the guild to the west.

This tunnel must lead down into the guild’s basement storage! I have to say, I feel a little proud I managed to figure this out, given how little help that stupid Numel was.

But… how am I gonna bring the food down to the basement? The burrow is quite spacious; I could maybe squeeze through it in a pinch if I really had to, but I definitely can’t fit with this crate on my back.

I walk up as close as I can to the tunnel and stick my head in. My neck isn’t long enough for me to see around the bend, unfortunately. Not sure of what else I can do, I call out, “Hey! Is anyone down there? I need a hand out here!”

Retracting my head from the burrow, I back up and patiently wait for about a minute. Given the lack of a response, I approach the shaft once more and stick my head in.

“HEY!!!”, I shout, trying to be louder this time. “I need some help, I’m outside this tunnel! Is anyone there!?”

I retreat once more from the tunnel, feeling a bit anxious. What am I gonna do if nobody comes? I can’t just leave the crate here, someone could tamper with it, or thieves could ransack it. Can I even get it off without toppling over or crushing my already mangled wings? Is there anyone else I can get help from? This cargo is starting to-

“Yeah… yeah… I heard you the first time…”

I look down at the tunnel’s entrance and spy a rather tired looking Skiddo staring up at me.

I lower my head down to the leafy goat’s eye level. “Who are you?”

“Me? I’m Skiddo. Who are you, and why are you yelling down the tunnel here? I was trying to take a nap before you started shouting.” He glares accusingly.

“Oh, sorry about that. My name is, uhh, Tropius. I live at the guild here like I’m hoping you do, and I have this delivery full of food for Beast.” I briefly move my head up towards the box as if to point at it, before moving back down to meet Skiddo’s gaze. “I think I’m supposed to bring it to the basement, but I couldn’t fit through the front door with it. I’m assuming this tunnel goes down to the basement?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Skiddo nods. “This tunnel does lead down to the basement, and the larder where we store all the food is also down there. So why are you yelling at me down the tunnel exactly?”

I stare blankly at Skiddo for a few moments. “I… can’t fit down this tunnel either.”

Skiddo steps towards the side of the path, then stares up at the top of the box. He then looks towards the top of the arch. He repeats this a few times, likely trying to confirm what I just told him. He then plainly lets out an “Oh.”

I glance around awkwardly a couple times, before turning my attention back towards Skiddo. “I don’t suppose you could help me out here, could you?”

Skiddo rolls his head to the side. “Well… I guess that is my job as the guild’s cargo transporter. But you caught me in the middle of a nap, and I could really use the shut-eye…”

I look at him pleadingly. “C’mon, I’m in a bind here. I’ve been carrying this box for like… an hour. My wings don’t agree with this thing, help me out.” I make my best effort to wiggle my mashed wings, but they can barely move at all, crushed beneath the weight of the cargo.

Skiddo lets out an exasperated sigh. He looks back at me with a hint of sympathy now in his eyes. “Alright, alright, fine. I know what it’s like to have to haul heavy things all over the place, I’ll move this crate to the larder for you.”

“Oh thank goodness,” I reply, letting out a huge sigh of my own.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t mention it. But, uh…” Skiddo walks over to my side, sizing me and the cargo up. He nestles one of his horns underneath the rope binding the box to my person and gingerly pulls back on it. The rope and box don’t give way much to his effort. Skiddo removes his horn from in between my side and the rope, and takes a few steps back. “How exactly are we gonna get this off your back? My vines can’t reach high enough to untie the rope, and aren’t that dexterous anyway.”

“Oh! Um… Good question.” I awkwardly look around, as if the solution to our problem is somehow waiting nearby.

Skiddo looks up in thought for a moment, before heading back towards the tunnel. “Stay right there. I’ll be right back.”

He continues down the earthy corridor, and rounds the corner out of my sight. A couple of minutes later, Skiddo returns, this time with a comparatively wide cart in tow. Fluttering through the air above him is a rather small, white, winged Pokémon that I quickly identify as a Togetic. He has a nervous looking disposition, is wearing a light blue scarf, and has a bandage on the side of his head.

Hmm, he looks familiar. Didn’t I just talk with a Togetic the other day?

………Oh. Right. This is the guy who started ranting at me endlessly about how amazing Chespin’s team is and how the Misfits are a bunch of degenerates. I hope he doesn’t mind that I walked off in the middle of that…

The Togetic flutters forwards from the tunnel, and his gaze catches mine. I think he remembers who I am, since he suddenly gets an uncomfortable look on his face. “O-o-oh. H-hello.”

“Um… Hi there.” We both make eye contact for a moment, but he quickly looks away, causing me to do the same. A frigid pause hangs in the air as the wind picks up for a moment.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Skiddo turning his head towards each of us repeatedly, a confused grimace on his face. He stays silent, however. I guess I’ll have to be the one to break the ice here…

“Hey, um… I’m sorry for walking off while you were talking the other day. I, uh…” I look around awkwardly, trying to find the best way to phrase my apology. “...was worried about finding some help for the job in time.”

“N-no, n-no, I sh-should be the o-one a-apologizing. I shouldn’t h-have g-gone off about T-Team Misfits l-like I did. I h-heard the f-five of y-you m-managed to c-complete your m-mission y-yesterday… Th-that’s really i-impressive c-considering y-you w-were SADDLED with those DEGENERATE-” The Togetic’s expression begins to work itself from timid to aggressively confident, but he suddenly lets out an “Oh!” and calms back down. “S-sorry…”

I can’t help but glare a bit when he blurts out ‘degenerate’, but given the Misfits’ (that is to say, Cyndaquil’s) behavior, I let it slide. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad we cleared the air.” He seems to relax a little bit upon hearing this.

There’s another pause. This time, the fluttering, stuttering Pokémon is the one to break the silence. “I-I-I don’t th-think w-we’ve been p-properly introduced. M-my n-name is T-Toge.” With an uncertain smile on his face, he gingerly extends an arm towards me.

“My name’s Tropius, it’s nice to formally meet you, Toge.” I stare at his nubby hand. “Uh, I don’t have anything I can really shake your hand with.”

“O-o-o-oh, s-sorry.” He pulls his arm away, anxiously placing it and his other equally stubby arm just under his chin.

“Don’t worry about it, you’re not the first person to do it.” I quickly curve my neck back to look at the cargo on my back, then l turn back towards Toge with an inquisitive expression. “So, are you here to help with this delivery?”

Toge nods. “Y-y-yup. I’m n-not v-very strong, b-but I can at l-least untie the r-rope.”

“Yeah,” Skiddo interjects, “and I brought this cart over to load the crate onto. Just make sure that you don’t miss when you slide the box off, because we’re not going to be able to lift it up once it’s off your back.”

I take a deep breath, the possibility of failure unnerving me slightly. “I’ll try my best, but I don’t know how much control I’ll have of where it goes once the ropes untied.”

Toge raises one of his arms and then points it at the crate. “I-I'm may n-not b-be s-strong, b-but I’ll d-do what I c-can to g-guide it onto t-the c-cart. J-Just d-do your b-best.”

I nod at Toge. Skiddo positions the cart on my right side, then retreats to a safe distance away. Toge then hovers over to the top of the box, and after about thirty seconds, he somehow manages to untie the knot despite his lack of fingers. He carefully pulls the rope away—the box no longer presses against me as tightly as it did before. Rope now out of the picture, Toge positions himself over the crate, ready to guide it towards the cart.

“O-OK. All s-set.”

I take a deep breath to mentally prepare myself. Slowly, I start lowering my right side down. I feel the crate shift accordingly, but this causes it pull on my wings. It hurts like pulling hair does, and I start wincing at the pain. It slides slightly towards the right, but after shifting just a bit it sticks and moves no more. I can’t go any lower on my right side, so I do my best to raise my left. However, with my stubby limbs, my efforts barely make any sort of difference, though the resulting extra bit of incline does cause it to pull on my wings even more.

“Urngh!” I cry out. My poor wings… They’re really starting to hurt.

Toge hears my groan, and flies towards the back right corner of the box. He grabs onto it and starts pulling it towards the cart as hard as he can if his facial expression is anything to go off of. It seems to lean a bit more, but the crate’s weight seems to be too much. It continues to pull on my battered wings…

URRRGGGGHH! This is really starting to piss me off! My poor wings don’t deserve any of this! ENOUGH!

Powered by frustration, I furiously crane my head around towards the left side of the crate and start pushing it with all my might! The stress it places on my neck is taxing, but anything is better than my wings getting anymore mangled than they are! I push, and push, and push, and the crate starts to tilt more, and more, and more, until finally…

It falls off my side and lands onto the cart with a loud creak. Immediately, I feel relief on my back and, more importantly, my wings, though they still sting from being compressed and pulled on.

Relieved of my burden, I go prone on the ground and let out a deep, satisfied sigh. “Thank god that’s finally off my wings. It was beginning to feel like the circulation was getting cut off…”

Toge flutters over to the cart and inspects the crate. “G-good, the c-crate seems o-okay and we m-m-managed to l-land it in t-the c-cart.”

The danger of being crushed now gone, Skiddo approaches the now loaded cart. “Phew, I was worried I was gonna have to push this thing down the tunnel with my head. Nice work. Uhh… are you OK?”

Without moving, I look up at Skiddo. “Yeah... I’m just a bit tired after hauling that crate up from the docks. Not to mention my wings sting a bit from having that crate on them.” Still lying down, I curve my neck up so I can get a look at my wings. They seem to be alright, but they look slightly bent out of shape, like when you crumple up a piece of paper and then unfurl it again. The stinging sensation is slowly fading, which I take as a sign that they’ll be alright.

Turning my attention now to Skiddo, I say, “I hate to tell you this, but there’s more crates I have to deliver. Could I ask you and Toge to help me with those ones as well?”

Skiddo, who is now being hitched in by Toge at the front of the cart, lets out a huff and rolls his eyes. “Fine. Just call down the tunnel like before when you have another delivery, I guess.” He glances back at the cart, and then continues, “Do you wanna use the cart for the other crates, though? Might be easier that way.”

I stare emptily at the Skiddo-cart ensemble. Though it’s not exact, the combination of Skiddo and the cart appears shockingly close to a horse-drawn carriage. Even though I’m already being reduced to a beast of burden, I don’t want to let my human dignity slip even more by pulling a cart around like I’m a horse. At least if I carry it on my back, that’s no different than a human carrying a heavy box in both their arms, right? And the cart could get stuck somewhere in town or have issues of its own that I’m not considering.

…I am worried about my wings, though. They’re feeling better now, but… can they keep taking this sort of abuse? I’m much more durable as I am now than when I was a human, of course, but my wings are the most delicate part of me (besides my fruit). Is it worth risking damage to them just to preserve what little pride I have left?

“Uh… well?”

I snap from my inner dilemma to see that Skiddo is staring at me expectantly. “O-oh! Um…”
I deliberate for just a moment more before giving him an answer.

“...Let me see how I feel after the next crate.”

Skiddo raises an eyebrow. “Um… okay?”

I pick myself up from the ground and shake myself to try to get some of the dirt off of my stomach, neck and wings. “Thank you again, both of you.”

“N-no p-problem, T-Tropius,” Toge says. “G-Glad we could h-help.”

Skiddo and Toge begin making their way down the tunnel, cart and crate now in tow. Mirroring them, I turn around to head back towards the Capim Docks to continue my hauling duty.

----------------------------

Over the next couple of hours, I carry three more crates to Skiddo and Toge, each delivery continuing in a manner similar to the first. It gets a bit easier each time as everyone involved becomes more experienced with the process, though the stares I get walking through town don't get any less uncomfortable. At least my wings got less scuffed up with each delivery, so I felt confident enough to avoid using Skiddo’s cart. It makes me wonder if my wings are becoming more durable or if I’m simply growing more adept at carrying and manipulating weight resting on them.

I approach the guild carrying what is now the fifth crate. The wear of walking through town with several hundred pounds of weight on my back is starting to take its toll on me, as I’m moving more lethargically than I was earlier today. I reach the top of the hill leading up to the guild and pause for a moment to catch my breath. I wonder how much time I have left to get the last of the crates delivered?

By the position of the sun’s light shining through the clouds above, it seems like I have just a few more hours before the sun sets. I should be over halfway done once I deliver this crate, so I take a deep breath both to regain my stamina and to ready myself for the home stretch.

“Hoot! You’re sure haulin’ a mighty large load there, big fella!”

I glance down at the road below to see a Delibird looking up at me. She wears a blue hat with some sort of logo on it and bears a rather cheerful demeanor. She holds a package in her right flipper and her tail bag’s end in the other.

“Um… I guess?” I awkwardly reply.

She steps to the left side of the road and looks me up and down, then moves to the right and repeats the process. Her examination of me causes me to squirm uncomfortably. Does she need to size me up like this?

“Don’t be bashful, hon! Bein’ able to lift all that weight’s gotta be real useful! I’m sure whatever delivery service you work for’s real lucky to have ya!”

I raise an eyebrow. “Delivery service? I don’t work for a delivery service.”

As soon as I finish my sentence, the small penguin in front of me suddenly perks up even more. “Is that so?” She lets go of her tail bag and gives a little salute. “In that case, my name’s Debby, of Delibird Deliveries, nice to meetcha, hon!”

Taken by surprise by her energy, I take a small step back. “Uhh… Hi Debby. Err… My name is Tropius.”

She shoots me a warm smile. “Glad to meetcha, hon!”

I look at the crate on my back for a moment, before turning my attention back towards Debby. “What exactly is Delibird Deliveries? I’ve never heard of it before.”

She motions forward with her flipper as though she’s giving me a thumbs up. “I’m glad y’all asked! We’re the premier mailing service here in Capim Town, owned by yours truly! Packages, letters, you name it, we deliver it!” She doffs her cap at me. “I’m sure you’ve seen a Pokémon or two around town and wearing our trademark hat!”

I look up in thought. “Um, I think I’ve seen Pokémon with a hat like that running around town before. But, you said something about being the premier mailing service? I thought Pelippers were the main delivery Pokémon.”

As she makes a swatting motion with her flipper, her smile fades. “Ah, hoot. Those Pelippers are notoriously shoddy couriers. Always losing mail or failing to make promised deliveries. It’s a miracle they get anythin’ delivered at all!”

“I didn’t know they were so… unreliable.” I say, trying to appease Debby. I get the feeling she’s just trash talking her competition, but considering that I’m carrying all this food up to the guild because they failed to do their job, she might be right after all.

“They’re as unreliable as they come!” She looks up at me now with a grin on her beak. “But you look like a pretty reliable ‘mon yourself, hon! Y’all ever consider a job in the delivery business? We could really use a strong ‘mon like you, we don’t got a lot of heavy lifters!”

I kick the dirt anxiously with one of my front feet. “Um, well-”

Before I can say anything, Debby interrupts. “Oh, sorry, but I just remembered—I gotta jet, hon! Lots of time-sensitive deliveries to make!” She motions with the package she’s carrying and with her free flipper, she picks up her tail bag’s end. “If you’re interested in makin’ some extra cash part time, come visit our office sometime!” She shoots one final smile and nods at me, then walks around me to continue with her delivery duties.

What a strange encounter… I’m not sure how to feel about Debby. It’s nice that she offered work and complimented me, but I get the feeling she just needs someone to haul heavy stuff around like an ox. I guess it is something I can do if I’m ever strapped for cash, but it’s upsetting that she seems to just see me as a useful pack animal...

...Well, it’s not worth worrying about right now. There’s still more crates to deliver before sunset, or this will all have been for nothing. Having sufficiently regained my stamina, I continue on towards the guild cargo tunnel.

----------------------------

Having now finished seven deliveries to the guild, I arrive back at the Capim Town docks. The sun is starting to hang low in the sky, there isn’t much longer until it sets. The temperature has been slowly dropping too, worsening the chill in the air. Mercifully, I believe this crate will be the last I need to deliver. With only the return trip to the guild left, I should be able to make the delivery with just a bit of time left over!

Spirits feeling high and delicious hot chocolate in my sights, I confidently stroll up to Dipplin, who is hanging out by the last box in the pile I’ve been taking from.

“Hey hey!” Dipplin greets. “You’re making good time on these deliveries!’

Normally, I’d feel wary at such a compliment, but coming from my fellow fruit friend, I can’t help but feel a little flattered. “R-really?” Even if I’m not into lifting crates like this, it’s always nice to be told you’re doing a good job.

“Yeah! There’s still some sunlight left in the day, and yer on yer last box here! Let’s get Machoke over here and…” Dipplin’s head pops out of his apple, and he squints at some Pokémon script near the bottom of the box. “Oh!”

I lower my head down, getting eye level with Dipplin. “What’s up?” I side eye the writing on the crate, unable to read the native Pokémon text.

He frowns. “This box ain’t one of mine.”

My heart skips a beat. “Wh-wh-what? This box isn’t yours? Does that mean the other boxes weren’t either!?”

Dipplin shakes his head. “Nah, those were all mine. I been keeping an eye out as you been takin’ ‘em. That’s how I realized this one ain’t part of the order.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I was worried I had moved the wrong crates…” I turn my head towards Dipplin and ask with a hopeful smile, “So does that mean that I’m all done here?”

He lets out a chuckle. “Nah, there’s one more crate still, it just got misplaced. You didn’t think you’d get off that easy, didja?”

Looking away, I frown, letting out a small huff. “Maybe…”

Dipplin lifts himself a bit further out of his apple, and starts looking all around the marina. He stops once he faces the ocean, where Machoke has just finished loading a crate onto a Lapras docked near the shoreline.

“Oi, Machoke. Machoke!”

Machoke’s usual scowl intensifies when he hears Dipplin call his name. He motions dismissively to the Lapras as a farewell, then walks over to the two of us.

“Whaddya want now? Nearly quittin’ time.”

“You put one ‘uh Spinda’s crates in with mine!” He motions with his head towards the writing on the box. “Where’d you put my last crate?”

Machoke leans down to confirm Dipplin’s accusation. “Must’ve gotten 'em swapped. Wait here.” He then picks up the box and walks towards the other end of the marina.

“Heh, sorry ‘bout that!” Dipplin exclaims, shooting a friendly smile. “With all the crates and cargo that move through the port, there’s bound to be a mixup or two!”

“It’s alright,” I reply, moving my head down once more to be eye level with Dipplin. “I’m just glad this is the last box.” I loosen up my wings in a manner similar to a human rolling their shoulders, flapping them a bit as I do so. “My wings don’t agree with all the heavy cargo weighing down on them.”

Dipplin nods. “Yeah, I hear ya. But at least this’ll be the last crate you’ll hafta move. Then the only weight your wings will have to worry about is carrying yourself through the air!” He lets out a laugh.

I give a half-hearted chuckle in response. “Heheh… yeah…” I embarrassedly look away from Dipplin. I really need to solve this whole flying thing already…

“Look alive.”

I turn around and see Machoke carrying a giant wooden crate. He holds it over his head, its perimeter too large to wrap his arms around. He moves slowly, moving one step at a time, seemingly struggling to balance something this big. He takes a few more paces forward, involuntarily stomping loudly with each lurch forward. He pauses for a moment, a deeper look of concentration on his face. After a few seconds, he grunts loudly and drops it down on the ground as gently as he can, though it still lands with a loud and sickening thud.

“Hoouuufff… there.”

Now that Machoke’s placed the box down, I can more accurately assess the vessel before me. It’s the largest wooden container I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s almost twice as big as the boxes I transported before it, its top almost reaching up to the bottom of my bananas. It’s wider than I am by a couple feet on each side.

Suddenly, realization sets in. Oh no. No no no no no. My wings go limp in disbelief as they twinge with pain in anticipation. No no no no. Please tell me this isn’t the box.

“Ah, there it is!” Dipplin exclaims. He inches towards the crate and motions towards some Pokémon script near the bottom of the box. “This here crate’s mine!”

“Dipplin…” I continue to stare at the crate, mesmerized by its size and the herculean task it presents. “You can’t possibly expect me to be able to carry something this big.”

Dipplin tilts his head at me. “Why wouldn’t I? You done a great job so far, I’m sure someone as big as you can handle this, no problem!”

Does everyone just look at me and see a U-Haul or something!? Good god, there’s not a chance I’m gonna be able to lift this behemoth all the way through town! I’m sore and tired as it is from all the other crates I’ve delivered today… and now this apple expects me to haul this too!?

I grimace at Dipplin, exasperated. “You gotta be joking! It’s gotta weigh at least two tons! I mean, just look at the size of it, it’s even larger than I am! Why is this box even so big anyways?”

Dipplin shrugs “Sometimes it’s easier to fill up one huge crate instead of a buncha smaller ones. The dock workers like Machoke got no problem moving around heavy things like this, after all!”

I stare at the crate more, in disbelief of what I’m hearing and being asked to do. This is ridiculous! Trying to move this crate would be incredibly dangerous! If I end up buckling under its weight, I could be seriously hurt… is it worth even trying to move something this huge?

As I continue to ponder my dilemma, a cold wind picks up once more. I shiver as the chill hits, my listless wings feeling the full brunt as the gust causes them to flow about in its frigid embrace. It’s been cold all day thanks to the overcast sky, and now that the sun is close to setting, it’s gotten even colder. Its bitter chill is almost too much for a tropical Pokémon like myself…

I let out a deep sigh, hanging my head low in checkmate. I hope Beast’s hot chocolate really is five-star.

“...Alright. Fine. Load it up onto me.”

Dipplin bears a large grin, then lets out a high pitched whistle. Machoke rolls his eyes, then lifts the giant crate up once more. I lower myself down as far as I can without going prone and close my eyes, fraught with anticipation. Waiting for the box to land on my back is driving me crazy with anxiety–it’s like waiting for the nurse to finally stick the needle in your arm. Seconds that feel like minutes pass and…

The crate lands on my back, the force causing me to exhale involuntarily. Instantly, my legs start to buckle from the weight of the gigantic cargo on my back. My wings, which up until this point merely felt uncomfortable from the pressure of the crates, now cry out in pain as this wooden behemoth makes its best effort to turn them into lawn clippings. The crate is so large that its top extends past the peak of my head, and I’m forced to use my neck as an arm of sorts to cup the crate. Slowly, and with great struggle, I manage to stand myself up from my lowered position.

“See! Told ya you could do it!” Dipplin beams, though I can barely see him and I’m not at leisure to get a better view of him.

Dipplin’s positivity does little to help my mood. In fact, his can-do attitude in combination with the fact that he hasn’t lifted a thing all day is starting to piss me off. Can he not see how much I’m struggling here!?

I bite my tongue, eking out a “Y-yeah…”

Machoke quickly ties several ropes to secure the extra large package to my person, then walks off to take care of the last bit of work of the day. Taking a deep, labored breath, I ready myself to move the heavy load. I lift my front right foot and immediately feel the strain on my other three feet. Quickly, I move it forward and place it down, resulting in a loud, involuntary stomp. I repeat this in sequence with my other three feet, and after a rather laborious ten seconds, I’ve taken my first full step forward.

After my initial lurch, I’m able to pick up the pace a bit, but progress is slow—about half the speed I was able to carry crates at before, but with five times the effort. As I stomp through the marina, the weight of my cargo shifts about, the rope binding it to me pulling heavily on my sides and stomach.

Eventually, and with great effort, I make it out of the marina. I linger motionlessly for a moment at the edge of Capim Town, trying to catch any sort of respite I can before I trudge through town. But with how crushingly heavy the cargo is, I only grow more tired each second I stand idly, the throbbing ache in my wings a reminder of the strain I’m placing on myself. Even standing still, simply having to bear the weight of this crate is a drain on my energy—I need to keep moving.

----------------------------

I begin my trek through Capim Town proper. Moving through town is always a pain due to my size, but it’s nightmarish with this huge crate I’m towing. Each lurch forward I make is arduous and slow, my loud stomping an indicator of just how much weight I’m moving. The only saving grace is that the streets are thankfully less populated with sunset nearing. But even with less Pokémon on the road… I’m turning more heads than usual. I hate drawing attention to myself like this, why does everyone have to look at me?

…I just need to focus on getting this last crate delivered. Continuing my struggle towards the guild, I do my best to ignore the stares of passersby. However, it isn’t long until I hear laughter. Unable to move my neck or head, I shift my eyes’ gaze towards the source and see a Nuzleaf giggling, though as soon as I look at him, he suppresses it and coyly looks away from me.

This guy... he was clearly laughing at me! But why? Am I really such a bizarre sight? I mean, I know I must look silly right now, even more so than usual, but there’s nothing strange or weird about me or what I’m doing, right?

He’s… he’s just a jerk. There’s nothing wrong with me, I learned that yesterday.

…But even though I tell myself that… it still hurts to think about his laughter. I just have to try to put it out of my mind…

Halfway through town now, I continue to trudge on. However, it’s getting tougher with each step. The crate on my back is oppressively heavy and the air bitterly cold. The only reason I’m still moving forward is the hot chocolate waiting for me… But my energy is being sapped, especially as I notice more and more Pokémon staring at me as I pass. It’s getting harder to catch my breath…

As I inch closer towards the guild, I start to hear murmurs from the other Pokémon on the road. My eyes dart back and forth in a panic—I can’t tell what they’re saying. Are… are they talking about me?

No, no, I’m sure I’m just overthinking it… right? I’m sure they’re all talking about their own lives. There’s no reason for them to be talking about me… It doesn’t matter if they’re talking about me, I’m just doing a job, there’s nothing wrong with that. This is just exhaustion getting to me. I just need to-

“Hahahahahaha!”

Another laugh? But… I can’t let them…

…No… They really are talking about me…. Saying things about me, horrible things… That laugh confirmed it. I can only imagine what they’re actually saying…

“He’s as big as a house, and he still struggles to carry a simple box?”

“Look at this worthless sack of lard. All he does is take up space on the road.”

“Why's this guy walking along the road? Is he too much of a gimp to fly?”

“His foliage looks so wilted it’s pathetic. It’s a miracle this guy is alive at all.”

“The only thing this freak is useful for is the fruit around his neck. I’m surprised nobody’s picked this idiot clean already.”

I stop in my tracks, and I can feel my heart rate beat faster and faster. Why does everyone have to look at me, say such horrible things about me? What am I doing wrong? Does nobody else know how tired, how exhausted, how strained I am? My wings are killing me, but nobody cares… Am I just some sort of useful freak to everyone? Dipplin, Beast, Debby… They all talk nice when they see what I can do for them, but it’s all sweet talk. They… they just want to use me to move goddamn boxes around, like I’m some stupid ass horse or oxen. What’s next, they’re gonna saddle me up and feed me carrots? Pet my head and tell me what a good boy I am, before shoving me outside and pointing me towards my doghouse of a lean-to?

…I shouldn’t care what they think… I know that, but… it still stings…

…Why… why do I still care what they think? I thought I knew better now… What's wrong with me?

…Did I do something to deserve this… Surely I had to have done something…

…I’m so tired… I can’t… I can’t take any more…

My front right leg finally buckles from the stress placed on it, causing me to partially collapse on the road. Everyone on the road stops to gawk at me like I’m a car accident. I hear more murmurs… they won’t stop saying those horrible things about me. I can’t stand all these eyes on me. My heart’s racing so fast, it feels like it might explode.

This all feels eerily familiar…

...............

Oh no.

With ragged, desperate breaths, I point my head towards the sky. I can barely see the low hanging sun’s light poking through the gray clouds covering the sky.

No… NO! NO NO NO! Did I overexert myself? Could I have burned up all my solar power hauling these crates around in this shady weather? I thought I’d be fine–clouds have never been an issue before! I thought I’d be OK! Please, please, I can’t have a repeat of yesterday. I can’t handle that again, not now, not with everyone staring at me…

Breath… my breathing… Don’t take my breath again…

Please, god, don’t take it away again, please…

...............

“Woah, are you alright? That crate you're carrying is massive, can you get up?”

“...Too many… people… I can’t… breathe…”

“Oh! Hey, hey! Give him space, you guys! Get outta here, nothing to see here!
…Take a deep breath, everything’s gonna be fine.”

Complying with the unknown voice’s instructions, I take a deep breath… my lungs fill with air and…

...............

It feels… normal?

I continue to take deep, rhythmic breaths… and I can feel the normal relief of breathing after rigorous exercise.

I’m… okay?

I raise my gaze up from the ground. Most others on the road have dispersed, and in front of me is a long and sleek Pokémon with brown dashes weaving through his white fur. He looks rather cheerful, and wears a familiar blue cap and carries a messenger bag; this is clearly a Linoone.

“Hey, there you go! Are you feeling alright now?”

“I… don’t know…” I reply raggedly.

“Take it easy,” the Linoone encourages. “That fall looked rough, so don’t push yourself until you’re ready!”

I shake my head. “It’s just… too much… It’s all… too much…“

He frowns. “That box does look really heavy… I’m sure it’s not easy to lug around that kind of weight. But you’re a strong looking guy, I know you’re able to do it!”

I shake my head again. “No… I can’t. I thought I was better now… But clearly I’m not… now there’s no way… I’ll make it in time… I’m never gonna make it...”

“Woah, a time limit? On something that big?” He reels slightly, but then comes closer to me. “I’m a mailmon myself, the fastest on the continent! But even I know that when you carry a detail this big, it’s a marathon, not a race. Take it from me, I hate to keep people waiting… but with a task like this, if you rush, you’ll end up hurting yourself, and then it’ll take even longer! It’ll be tough no matter what, but take your time, and in the end I know you’ll get that package to where it needs to be!”

………

It takes time… to get to where I need to be…

………

I look at the Linoone. “...I think I understand.”

He smiles at me. “Great! Just take it at your own pace and you’ll get this package to where it needs to be. Are you feeling any better now?”

Having regained some stamina, I rise from my kneeling position and, paradoxically, it feels easier than it did back at the docks. “Yeah, I think so.”

He beams a toothy grin back at me. “Good! I’m glad to see you back on your feet after that tumble.”

He quickly looks at the road behind me, then looks back at me.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay, but I’ve gotta run now to finish my final mission for the day. This is Solid Linoone signing off, good luck with your delivery!” The Linoone gives a small salute, then dashes off, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Slowly, the pain and physical stress of carrying the giant crate seep back in as my emotions subdue. Feeling mentally collected once more, I turn towards the guild, resolute in finally finishing this tumultuous day.

----------------------------

The remaining journey through town isn’t easy, but the Linoone’s words of wisdom has given me a minor second wind. The crate continues to dig into my wings and strain my already exhausted muscles, and Pokémon continue to stare as I pass by, but I do my best and manage to get through the rest of town without further incident, urged on by the auburn hue of the clouds above.

The trek up the hill to the guild doesn’t present much more of a challenge—the incline isn’t particularly steep, though it does make the crate pull tightly on my stomach via the ropes. My undercarriage hasn’t suffered any abuse today though, so I’m able to tough it out. My wings normally hurt more when climbing up the hill, but at this point they’re too compressed for the incline to allow for any further crushing.

After a couple of minutes, I reach the top of the hill and spy the entrance of the guild. Seeing how close I am to finally finishing, I keep on going despite my body screaming to stop.

I head right, off the path, stomping involuntarily with each step, leaving somewhat deep footsteps in the grassy dirt. Soon enough, I see it: the tunnel mound. My goal, salvation, rest, chocolate—in just a moment it will all be within reach!

All that remains between it and myself is the garden and a patch of grass. I shouldn’t cut through the garden in such a clumsy state… but exhaustion is setting in again. I don’t think I can move for much longer—the minute I save cutting directly through is worth it to lower the risk of collapse.

Taking my shortcut of collateral damage, I do what little I can muster to avoid flattening any flowers or the other well-cared-for plants, but my efforts are in vain as I feel various flora trampled beneath my feet. The gardener will be mad at me if she finds out I did it, but with how tired I am, it’s not worth worrying about right now. I make it through the garden, haphazardly stomp through the grass leading up to the dirt path, and finally, finally, make it to the tunnel entrance, barely any orange left in the sky above.

I made it. I’m finally done. I got this insanely heavy box all the way here. No more deliveries. No more stares as I walk through town. No more crushed wings. I’m done!

As relief pours over me, I can’t help but chuckle. I start laughing more and more, working myself up into a full blown laughing fit. I bet I look like a psycho laughing like this, but at this point I don’t care. After the day I’ve had, I’m so happy to be done with it.

Slowly, as the feeling passes, so too does my laughter. Weariness sets in for good—my energy is all spent. Slowly, I list towards my right until… the crate and I topple over with a very loud thud.

Shit. Falling over isn’t good. My right wings feel about the same even after that tumble (which is to say they hurt like hell), but I can’t tell if the crate is alright. My body is too tired to move at this point, but I still have the strength to move my neck around. I wriggle my neck along the dirt like a snake until I can see the crate, which thankfully appears to still be in one piece.

I let out a half-relieved sigh, the pain in my right wings still throbbing. Suddenly though, I hear frantic footsteps running up the tunnel.

“HEY! What was that sound out– woah.”

From the corner of my vision, I see Skiddo emerging from the tunnel. He stares at the giant crate, mesmerized by its sheer size for a few moments, before he looks to its side at me.

“Oh, damn! Are you alright!?”

I lethargically move my head off the dirt, getting eye level with Skiddo. “My wings… it’s… crushing them…” I motion with my head towards my wings, compressed beneath the box.

“Oh! Um…” He looks frantically between me and the crate. “Wait here, I need to get Toge to help with the ropes!”

He quickly disappears back down the tunnel, and I’m left alone outside in the growing chill of the encroaching moonlight.

A long couple of minutes later, Skiddo returns with Toge fluttering above him. He looks shocked when he sees my situation.

“W-w-wow! Th-that b-box is h-huge! L-let me unt-tie those r-ropes!”

He floats towards the ropes’ knots and unties each of them one by one. Once he’s finished, he tries to tug on one to remove it from the situation, but it, like the others, is partially stuck under the weight of the crate.

Unable to remove the ropes, Toge chooses to lay them all straight as best as he can. Having now rested up a bit while toppled over in the dirt, I make an effort to stand up, but my right wings are pinned underneath the crate, preventing me from getting upright. No matter how I squirm, I can’t get my wings out from underneath the crate—trying to free myself only enhances the already searing pain in my wings.

I stop my struggle, flopping back down onto the ground. “I can’t get free, my wings are pinned...”

Skiddo frowns, then inspects my wings and the crate. “Hmm… I don’t think there’s anyone in the guild who’s strong enough to lift this crate up. We might have to ask someone else for help to get you unpinned.”

I curve my neck up off the ground to look at Skiddo better, exasperated. “Y-you’re kidding! It’s night time, who are you gonna find to help me now!? I don’t wanna be stuck here all night, it’s c-cold out! Plus, I haven’t eaten since this morning!” My stomach rumbles, as if on cue.

Stressed out by Skiddo’s judgment, I frantically try to struggle my right wings out from under the crate, but my efforts remain fruitless. After a few more seconds of painful pulling, I give up again.

Toge floats down and lands on the ground. He walks around the crate, examining it, then moves in more closely to look at where my wings are bound. He starts to reach for my wing, but stops once his hand gets close, pulling it back away hastily. He pauses for a moment, lost in thought.

“U-umm, Sk-Skiddo… C-could you m-maybe p-push the crate off of Tr-Tropius?”

Skiddo sucks on his teeth. “Uh, maybe? I’ve never had to move something this big before, let alone without the cart… I’m not sure if I could. Besides, if we just push it off it might damage your wings more.”

My wings are already feeling pretty mangled after carrying these accursed crates all day, so I doubt they can get much worse. On top of that, if I don’t get free now, I doubt Beast is going to give me my hot chocolate. “Give it a try at least, please! You just have to move it enough for me to get free.” I look at Skiddo, desperation surely in my eyes.

Looking upwards and shaking his head, Skiddo lets out a sigh. “Alright, alright, fine. I should at least give it an attempt.”

I nod at Skiddo. “Thank you! I’ll do what I can, too.”

Skiddo nods back, then aligns himself with the center of the crate on the side facing the tunnel. He takes a deep breath, then starts pushing on the crate as hard as he can, grunting as he digs his hooves into the ground. I can feel the crate shift as he does so, but it doesn’t move much.

I crane my neck around, positioning my head on the same side as Skiddo. I point my head down, press it up against the crate, and start pushing with whatever might I can muster. At first, the crate still doesn’t move, but after a few moments, it starts to give way to our efforts. It slowly rotates on its corner, as if it was part of a revolving door. As it shifts, the pain in my wings flares up. They’re already pretty beat up though, so it merely causes me to wince.

As the box rotates, it pulls more and more on my wings. I make an effort to stiffen my damaged wings, tugging my body away from the box as I do so, doing my best to resist the box’s pull. Slowly, but surely, I feel cool air on more and more of my wings as they gradually become more free. Eventually… I manage to pull the last bit of my wings out from under the weight of the crate!

There’s some recoil once I pull free, but I quickly find my balance. I laugh a little bit once it hits me that I’m actually free now, but not nearly as hard as I did before.

“Oh, thank goodness that’s over.” I look over at Skiddo, who’s panting and resting on his haunches. “Thanks, Skiddo.”

He gives a tired smile, wordlessly raising a hoof as if to salute.

Toge jumps back into the air, and flutters over to me. “I-I’m g-glad you’re o-okay now, Tr-Tropius. H-how’re your w-wings?”

I crane my head around to inspect my wings. They already feel much better, but they look pretty mangled, even more so than earlier today. I stretch all four of my wings, and while it feels satisfying, it comes with a burning pain, and I wince once again. I quickly put them in as comfortable of a resting position as I can… Hopefully they will be fine with some time to heal.

“They’ll be alright, I think… They just need some time to recover.”

Toge sighs in relief, then briefly looks backwards at his own wings. “Th-that’s g-good. I kn-know I’d h-hate it if m-my w-wings got c-c-crushed l-like th-that..."

Now that I’m independent from the crate, I realize it’s too large to fit down the storage tunnel! If it was just a bit smaller, it might be able to squeeze down the tunnel somehow, but with where its top side corners lie, there’s no way it’ll be able to fit down the tunnel.

I look over at Skiddo, who’s still recovering from his exhaustion. “Um, Skiddo… The tunnel's too small for this crate."

He looks bewildered for a moment, then looks between the crate and the tunnel entrance to confirm. He lets out an exaggerated, frustrated groan. “God damnit.”

I frown, feeling bad about the situation I’ve forced onto him. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

He shakes his head, then looks up at me. “No… there’s not much you’d be able to do anyway. Me and Toge’ll figure out how to deal with this.”

I sheepishly look away, feeling guilty. “Sorry…”

“D-don’t w-worry ab-bout it… we’ve d-dealt w-with s-s-situations like th-this b-before…” Toge says. He looks towards the guild, continuing, “You sh-should g-grab d-dinner before t-the m-mess h-hall closes, y-you’ve h-had a l-long d-day I’m s-sure.”

I don’t feel right leaving this burden on them, but after today I am tired and hungry. Besides, my hot chocolate is waiting for me!

“Yeah, I am pretty exhausted. I guess I’ll go and get some food.” I nod towards each of them with a warm smile. “Thanks, both of you. I would have been screwed without your help.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t mention it,” Skiddo groans, obviously annoyed.

“N-no p-problem. B-bye, Tr-Tropius!” He waves me farewell as I walk off back towards the guild.

----------------------------

My walk to the guild is a comparatively relaxing stroll. The sun has finally set, all traces of orange gone from the sky, some twilight from the crescent moon poking through the clouds above. The air’s brisk chill has intensified into a prodding cold—the warmth of my cotton bed and my hard earned hot chocolate will fix that.

I walk around the garden, oblivious of any damage I may have caused it thanks to the darkness of the night. I feel a little guilty for crushing any flowers I may have, but what I’m feeling now more than anything, even more than the pain and exhaustion of the day, is a tingling, giddy excitement. I know it’s silly to get this way over a simple serving of hot chocolate, but with how long it’s been since I’ve had it, let alone any chocolate, I can’t help but feel this way! I’m so happy, I start humming an appropriate night time theme.

“HMMmmhmmm…. Hmmm hmmmmmmmnHMMM… HM HMMMM hmmm… HMMM hmmmm HMMMM! HMmmmmmmmhmmm… Hm HM HM hm HM hm… hm Hmmm…”

In no time at all, I arrive at the dining hall’s window, and I stick my head in. The mess hall is at peak hour, nearly full to the brim of guild members. Seems like just after sunset is when most Pokémon choose to go grab their dinner, which seems to be some sort of chili tonight… I still need to speak to Beast about that in the future.

Speaking of Beast, where is he? I look all around the mess hall, but I can’t seem to spot him anywhere. I look towards the kitchen, but it doesn’t seem like anyone’s there either.

“Beast? Beast? Are you there, Beast?” I call out towards the kitchen. There doesn’t seem to be any response.

I frown, but it’s not a big deal. I bet he’s just down in storage, inspecting the delivery or something like that. He’ll probably turn up soon enough—in the meantime, I may as well eat the usual dinner of apples and berries that he’s put out for me.

Time passes as I eat my meal, and the dining hall slowly loses its bustle as others finish meals of their own. Periodically, I look around and call out for Beast, but there’s still no sign of him. As my basket’s food depletes, so do my spirits. Where is he? I thought he would have come to speak to me before preparing the hot chocolate, or that he’d be in the kitchen now making it…

As I eat the last berry in the basket, I take one more look around the mess hall. It’s nearly cleared out by now, only a few guild members remain eating, none of them Beast. I stretch my neck in as far as it can go to get my head as close as I can to the kitchen, and call out one more time. “BBBBBEEEEAAASSSSSTTTTT!!!!”

…There’s no response, but some of the remaining guild members shoot me annoyed looks. I look towards them sheepishly. “Sorry…”

Feeling defeated, I pull my head from the window and let out a deep, dejected sigh, then make my way towards my lean-to.

I can’t believe it… where could he be? Is it just taking a long time to make? Though, he’d be able to hear me from the kitchen if that was the case, wouldn’t it? Maybe he just can’t make it tonight because he’s so busy? But… I think he’d at least tell me if that were the case, right?

Did… did I not make it in time? I know I cut it a bit close with that last box, but I figured if he saw the size of it, he’d understand. Even if I was too late, he’d probably tell me off to my face or something.

Maybe… maybe this was his plan the whole time. He’d get me to make the delivery for him, then screw me out his end of the bargain. I’m too big to go inside and hunt him down, so he took advantage of me. It wouldn’t surprise me, he seemed to have a low opinion of me if our conversation this morning is anything to go off of.

I let out a deep huff. That uppity grump of a chef used me, he really did see me as nothing but a damn mule. I did all that work, nearly broke myself physically and mentally, and all I wanted in return was some simple hot chocolate… and I can’t even get that. I know I shouldn’t let it affect me, but… It’s hard not to when he’s screwing me out of the fruits of my labor.

Finally, I reach my lean-to. Before I settle in, I stretch my neck and legs, the exhaustion of the day wearing heavily on them. I flex my wings out one more time, but it stings to do so. My poor wings… they didn’t deserve this.

I don’t want to think about this awful day anymore. Immediately plopping down onto my cotton bed, I close my eyes, nuzzling into the bedding and myself to try to fight the cold as best as I can. All I can feel now is the aching of my body and wings, the frigid breeze drifting through the air, carrying the scent of chocolate on it…

Wait a second. Chocolate?

Beast and the Numel from earlier round the corner, transporting a rather large bowl on the Numel’s back.

“Careful, Ronald!” Beast scolds. “I did not spend the last hour preparing this just so you could spill it out onto the grass!”

The two carefully meander over towards my lean-to. I don’t rise up, but I raise my head up to look at them better.

I tilt my head. “Beast? What are you doing back here?”

“Bringing you the hot cocoa we agreed upon this morning, what does it look like?” He and the Numel finish their calculated stroll, placing themselves right in front of my lean-to.

A bit bewildered, I reply, “I’m… surprised to see you delivering it to me. I couldn’t find you, so I thought…”

Beast raises an eyebrow. “You thought I would renege on our deal? I would never stoop so low! Making gourmet hot cocoa such as this is just difficult and time consuming, especially considering how few vessels I have that are suitable to prepare an order large enough for someone such as yourself. When I finally finished preparing it, I checked the dining hall for you, but you were not there. That is when I noticed your basket of food was empty, so I figured you had turned in for the day. So I decided to make a delivery of my own.”

Beast motions near Ronald’s face to get his attention, then points down. The Numel obliges with a roll of the eyes, and lowers himself closer to the ground. Beast carefully picks up the bowl by its rim, and places it down in front of my bed. Ronald opens his mouth to say something, but Beast glares at him. Ronald rolls his eyes again, then walks away.

I lean my head in to inspect the hot chocolate. Its aroma is heavenly and rich… richer than anything I’ve ever had as a human (though it makes me wonder if that has to do with its quality or being a Tropius). Within the brown embrace of the chocolate, I see bits of light blue and light green floating around.

“What are those little things bobbing around?”

He makes a swirling motion with his hand. “I hear that humans put something called marshmallows in hot cocoa. I do not know what those are exactly, but I know they are sweet and chewy. I chopped up some Grass and Sky Gummis and put them in as a substitute.”

This hot chocolate… it’s just like the ones my mom would give me on cold days when I was a little kid, even down to the marshmallows. The fact that he went through the trouble… after I chalked him up as a swindler…

My lip starts to quiver, and I feel tears start to form in my eyes. I’m feeling all choked up…

I shake my head and blink to try to collect myself. I look down at Beast. “Beast, I… I don’t know what to say.”

Beast smiles a little bit. “Then do not say anything. You bailed me out of a tough situation today, delivering those crates. With how big they all were, you most certainly have earned this. So please, just enjoy the hot chocolate.” He steps aside, and motions towards the steaming bowl of hot chocolate on the grass.

With great anticipation, I lean my head slowly down towards the bowl, I take a sip, and…

…This is the greatest thing I have ever tasted in my life. The rich chocolate is sweet but not overwhelmingly so, heated to the perfect temperature to warm but not burn. The makeshift marshmallow Gummis add texture to what would otherwise be a plain liquid drink. The Gummis themselves are so delicious… each one tastes divine and reinvigorates my tired muscles. The warmth of the hot chocolate travels down my long neck until it reaches my stomach, providing a gentle, nurturing heat that fights against the bitter chill of the night air. My entire body, neck, and wings are relaxed by the sensation, and I can’t help but smile deeply. I go in for more of the ambrosia lying in front of me, each gulp a reminder of how blessed I am to partake in its delights.

…Earlier, when I collapsed, I was so stressed out with everybody looking at me and what they might be thinking. But, now that I lie here, relaxed by this nurturing hot chocolate... I think I was even more worried that I still cared about what others thought of me. After my adventure with Team Misfits, I thought I knew better but… it seems like I couldn’t help it.

But thinking back to what that Linoone said earlier… He meant what he said literally, but it made me realize that I can’t change how others make me feel overnight. Even if I know it in my head, changing what my heart feels takes time. It won’t be easy… but one day I’ll get there.

My nose runs a bit as I feel tears forming in my eyes again. With a sniff and a blink, I turn away from my thoughts and the hot chocolate to look at Beast.

“Th-thank you Beast. This h-hot chocolate is the best I’ve ever had… If you ever need help again in the future moving boxes around or anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Beast chuckles. “I doubt that I would need your help again like I did today, but I will keep your offer in mind.” He looks down at the ground briefly, then looks back at me with a bit of a side-glance.

“You know, there is one other thing you could help me with, however.”

In between sips of the hot chocolate, I reply, “Anything, name it.”

“There is this recipe I’ve been working on…” he says, scratching his chin, continuing to side-eye me. “However, it requires a particular kind of fruit. Would you be able to spare me one of your bananas?”

I raise my head from the bowl of hot chocolate, contented with its glowing warmth.

“Not if your life depended on it.”