Hello everyone! This is my first time posting on the website. I've lurked around and finally found the time to create a story of my own. I know that it might not be perfect, but I'll try my best to achieve that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Rated T for intimacy and slight language.
My meeting with love was involuntary and unexpected.
I could remember the first day I saw him: an average Marshtomp whose smile and attitude complimented each other perfectly. At the time, I had no initial interest in love so much to the point that I thought I didn't need it. How this Marshtomp had managed to calm the hesitations of my heart remains a mystery me, but it didn't matter now that we were together.
"Hey, Dewy. Wake up! Get off your lazy butt and come on! Today's the day!"
I grumbled, waved my paw towards the door, and shoved my head against a pillow; I had another restless night for who knows what reason and needed to catch up on my sleep. Apparently, Blu, Team Riptide's honorable, Prinplup leader with a fitting golden badge on his flipper and a golden scarf on his neck to match, would have none of it and threatened to peck me if it came to that. I've felt his pecking before; It was not pleasant. At that, I groggily stretched my arms and scratched my belly. Blu was standing by my front door, impatiently tapping his foot.
"Blu, give me some time to get ready. You know I don't like going out without fixing myself up," I said in slurred phrases.
He rolled his eyes. I tried my best to get dressed faster than normal, I really did, but it still took me around 30 minutes to prepare, compared to 40 minutes on regular days. It seemed like an achievement to me, but according to Blu, it wasn't even much of an improvement. He says that I took 10 minutes just to get out of bed, but I remained doubtful. I thought that he just wanted something to blame for our supposed tardiness. It was going to be a big day for Team Riptide, after all, and stress brought the worst out of Blu.
I grabbed my scarf from under my bed and quickly put it around my arm. I'm really ticklish at my neck, so I reckoned that my arm would be the next best place to put it. Not to Blu, though. He always disapproves of my fashion choices, but then again, I hate his too. We're so very different that it's a surprise that we're friends. He was always the serious one, always following the standards and norms of the time,including the scarf-on-the-neck issue, while I could honestly care less about what the norms were. Additionally, It would be wrong to say that he had no sense of humor; he definitely cracked jokes from time to time... at my expense, but I've gotten used to it. I even throw my own back at him, though we both know that we're joking with each other.
Seeing that everything is in order except for my messy fur which could be put off until later, I grabbed my light blue backpack and walked outside towards town. Blu closed the door behind me, made sure it was locked, and swiftly caught up with me. We continued walking at a regular pace. I may have taken a while to get ready, but the town wasn't that far from my house. Blu just liked getting there early, but he could live without.
"You know, if I hadn't met you before and someone described how you get ready in the morning, I'd think you were a girl," Blu said, frustrated.
"You know, if you actually did more to prepare than just jump in your pond for your bath in the morning, maybe you'd actually get a girl," I responded.
"Ouch." He sniffed his feathers. "It's not like I stink or anything. You sure?"
"Damn right I'm sure." I decided to leave it at that to get to the business at hand. "So anyways, did anybody respond to that notice we put on the bulletin board last week? I assume so since you bothered to wake me up today." I asked.
Blu reached behind him inside his navy blue backpack and pulled out some envelopes. Three to be exact.
"Well, these are all the ones we've gotten so far. I found these two the day after we posted it and this one just yesterday," he said, raising them up for me to open. I grabbed them and began reading the headings on the envelope. "They all look promising and they fit all our requirements so I-"
"What were they again?"
"Don't you ever pay attention? Look at it in the envelope. It's on the form that we attached to our post."
I opened the first enveloped and emptied it into my hand. Sorting through the papers until I came across the one I was looking for, I read the requirements out loud.
"'Must be a water type. Any water types that have a secondary type are allowed.' Okay, that one's a no brainer."
Team Riptide, if one couldn't tell by the name, was dedicated to specializing in water types. Although it meant that places like Mt. Thunder were a nightmare for our team, it also meant that places like Mt. Blaze would be a cinch when you consider our typing. We were a master of one trade rather than a jack of all, and it served Blu and me rather well. The only problem was that we would need an extra teammate soon, especially since we learned about the Magma Cavern. We were told that a legendary Pokémon, Groudon, once resided there but was expertly subdued by an extraordinary rescue team a long time ago. Many people in town told stories of that unique rescue team and how one of their members was indeed a human who was turned into a Pokémon. I still couldn't believe it and the fact that they've told us that that same rescue team had the privilege of exploring a tower made of clouds to save the Pokémon world from a falling star doesn't help neither. Regardless of whether those stories were true or not, that was our team's goal. We would surpass, or certainly come close to, that rescue team.
I looked over the rest of the paper, searching for more. Surprised to see none, I turned it around. Still nothing.
"Is that the only requirement?" I asked doubtfully.
"Yep."
"Are you serious? No personality requirements? IQ requirements? None?"
"Nope."
"Oh my gosh, what if the applicants are psychopaths?"
"I'm pretty sure we won't have psychopathic Pokémon that want to join a rescue team. You're just being paranoid."
"Paranoid? But Granbull says-"
"Granbull's an old geezer. He's known for making stuff up too. Geez, I thought you were better than that," Blu said dismissively. "I do admit that I should've put at least some IQ requirements, but that can be fixed with a few gummies."
I remained quiet, wanting to show no sign of defeat against his logic, and continued to look through the papers.
"A Feebas? Seriously? You're considering a Feebas? You should've just written a sorry-you're-to-ugly note back to him. He's as weak as a Metapod too!" I stormed.
"Do you even know what Feebas evolves into?!" Blu snapped back at me. I honestly didn't know, and I didn't want to know. I knew what was coming next. Unarguable facts that proved my defeat once again. I decided to take the shameful path and try to lie.
"Of course. They get uglier, don't they?" I said as matter-of-factly as I could.
"You're dumb, you know that? Milotic, Feebas' evolution for those that don't know," Blu began while gesturing to a non-existent crowd, "is considered the most beautiful Pokémon in the world by some. Its power increases immensely to make up for its sub par pre-evolution."
I inched away from Blu, ashamed and embarrassed.
"Psh, whatever," I said, trying unsuccessfully to salvage what little dignity I could.
Our gripes over the applicants continued on until we finally reached town. The familiar sights and sounds of the bustling complex of shops and residences were more than enough to suppress our quarreling We decide to do a little shopping before making our way to the Pelipper Post Office and stocked up on some well-needed orbs and apples. We even had the money to spare to buy a TM for me: Water Pulse. I couldn't wait to try it out; blasting enemies from miles away would be fun. However, we still had our business at the Pelipper Post Office, so we began to make our way there, running into friends, faces, and friendly faces along the way to Pokémon Square.
"Blu! Dewy! So glad to see you two!" The two of us looked around and spotted Ludicolo waving at us from a distance. I looked to Blu for approval before making my way across the square.
"I'll be at the Pelipper Post Office, so just go there when you're finished socializing." I nodded and walked towards Ludicolo, who was sitting along Granbull. The two of them gave me warm greetings and told me to pull up a chair so that we could catch up. Blu and I hadn't been in town ever since last week when we posted our recruitment notice, so it was a shame that Blu refused to join. I gladly obliged and chose the old rocking chair that I always loved sitting in.
"So Dewy. How's your recruitment going? You get any takers?" Ludicolo asked. I settled comfortably in the chair before replying.
"Yep. Three to be exact. An Azumarill, a Marshtomp, and a Feebas." Granbull's eyes grew at the mention of Feebas.
"A Feebas? Really?" he asked in disbelief.
"I know right? It's stupid!" I exclaimed, thinking that I finally had somebody on my side for once.
"On the contrary, not at all! If you guys accept Feebas, I can't wait to see Milotic once it evolves!" Granbull said excitedly.
"Just accept Feebas and be done with it."
"W-what?! But Feebas is so weak and we need somebody that can fend for himself when we go to the Magma Cavern!" I explained.
"But-" Granbull began before Ludicolo placed his hand on Granbull's shoulder.
"It's their decision. Besides, I agree with Dewy. They are at the level of exploring much harder dungeons while Feebas needs supervision before it evolves. It would've been nicer if Dewy's team were of a novice level so they could gain experience together at an equal level, but that's not the case here."
I smiled at Ludicolo, thankful that somebody was indeed on my side.
Then, out of the blue, Ludicolo asked the question that I dreaded hearing from anybody.
"So off-topic now. Do you have a girlfriend yet, Dewy? I bet you do! A handsome Dewott like you's got to have the girls lining up for you!" he exclaimed to Granbull.
I blushed. Hard.
"Wait! We weren't even talking about that!"
"So you do? Tell me her name!"
"N-no! I'm not interested in girls," I said quickly.
"So you're-"
"I'm not gay neither! Honestly, I haven't met anybody that I can call mine yet. Maybe I'm just not meant for love. I'm fine with Blu and our rescue team and that's all I need!"
Ludicolo and Granbull eyed each other doubtfully.
"I should be going now. Blu's probably tapping his foot impatiently at the bulletin board," I said, dismissing myself.
"Okay, have fun. And good luck with your love life!" Granbull joked. The two older Pokémon burst into a laughing fit as I excused myself from the rocker and ran in the direction of the Pelipper Post Office.
I ran through the second half of town, quickly weaving through crowds of Pokémon as I hurried to meet up with Blu. I found the clearing that led to the post office and saw Blu sitting on the grass next to the board along with another Pokémon, a Marshtomp. I approached the two but not without consequence.
"And here comes the social butterfly."
The Marshtomp snickered then waved to me, much to my surprise. That was probably the first time anybody's laughed at one of Blu's remarks.
"Hiya! I'm Macky," he said as he rose to shake my hand eagerly. I didn't even have time to say no, but it wasn't like I was going to reject his offer anyways, so I obliged.
"I'm Dewy." I said back.
"I know. Blu's told a me a lot about you."
"Did he?" I eyed Blu suspiciously. All I got in return was a stare. "What exactly did he say?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Well, he's told me about your morning routine and how it takes you an hour just to get ready. Come to think of it, that's all he's been talking about. I guess he's just been ranting." He laughed light-heartedly. "Not like it's bad or anything."
Embarrassed, I turn my attention to Blu, expecting some news about the other two expected candidates. As if he read my mind, he shook his head disappointingly. I guess we would have to work with what we had, even if we didn't have much choice in the matter.
"So Macky, how's your experience with rescuing in general?" I asked, trying my best to sound serious and professional.
"Oh, we're starting? Okay. Well, I've had a few weeks experience. It's not much, but I'm able to fend for myself." Blu seemed taken back by his reply. I took note of it and continued.
"What happened to your last team?" This question was more out of curiosity than anything.
"I don't really like to talk about it. It's kind of personal," he said. His cheery tone diminished at his response, and immediately, I felt bad for being too nosy.
"I u-understand. Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it. Nothing I can do about it now."
There was a moment of silence.
"I guess we're done here, then." I didn't really finish with my questions, but I didn't want to stray too far into his seemingly troubling past.
"Really? That's it? Then you'll consider me for your team?" His eyes and mouth shaped themselves into the cheeriest expression I've ever seen.
"Of course. We'll tell you when we're ready to decide."
To match his joyous expression, he drew me into a hug. At an instant, I felt violated; nobody had ever hugged me before besides my parents, but that was a long time ago. I went along with it though and left him to his business while I had the breath squeezed out of me. His embrace must've lasted an eternity because I was gasping for breath when he finally put me down. Blu helped me to my feet and shook Macky's hand.
"We'll be seeing you later, then. I've already made my decision and would be glad to have you on our team. It's up to Dewy now. If you're lucky and he doesn't spend too much time thinking about his unkempt fur, maybe you'll get your answer now," he said sarcastically.
Blu's response pretty much forced me to make a decision right then and there. Macky's eyes lit up once more and stared at me with an anticipating smile on his face.
"O-oh okay. I guess so. Welcome to the team, Macky." It wasn't like I had a choice. He was the only candidate after all, and another teammate was necessary if we wanted to explore the Magma Cavern. Not that Macky wasn't promising, but I felt as if we had no elbow room.
My internal bickering was interrupted by another killer hug from Macky. Why couldn't he hug Blu? Blu just smirked at me as I had my breath squeezed out for the second time today.
"I won't disappoint you guys!" he exclaimed. "Except I..."
"You what?" I questioned. Would he reveal a fatal flaw?
"I-I need a place to stay."
"What about a fr-"
"No friend areas."
"Why not?!" I asked. I hoped Macky wasn't one of those Pokémon that expected a house for each member. We didn't have the funds for that kind of accommodation. Yet.
"Again, i-it's personal. Just know that I can't go back to my friend area." his grieving tone had resurfaced.
"No problem," Blu said cooly. "You can stay with Dewy. He has an extra bed and everything."
I glared at Blu, but of course, he was unaffected by my attempt at intimidation.
"Really? Can I stay with you?" His face formed a much-to-similar expression, prompting me to choose my words wisely lest I wanted to get hugged to death again.
"Su-"
I didn't even have time to react. He had me in his clutches again. Did I even have an extra bed? I remembered some times when Blu had slept over at my house. Did he sleep in an extra bed? I couldn't quite remember, especially with Macky squeezing me. I was sure I had one somewhere. I'd just have to find it.
"Can you let me go?" I gasped.
"Oh. Sorry." He put me back down on the ground. If he was going to be my roommate, I was going to have a hard time with his hugging. I wasn't the hugging type but he was, and that created all sorts of complications in my head. Maybe only one in reality, but I was still trying to get used to the fact of sharing my house with another Pokémon. I would have to make food for two. What if Macky snored? I was a sensitive sleeper and awoke to any minuscule noise that happened to reach my ears.
"Okay then. We'll take a break from rescuing tomorrow so that we can get acquainted," Blu said. "Bring something to eat Dewy. No apples or gummies, though. Cook something! We'll meet back here and I'll bring the blanket."
"What do I cook?"
"Something."
"Gee thanks," I said sarcastically.
"No problem. Always glad to help a friend. I'll be at my house if you two need anything. In the meantime, show Macky around town and your house too." Blu began to walk off, leaving the two of us alone.
"Wait! What will you be doing?" I called out after him.
"Writing angry letters to these other two who didn't show up." he yelled back.
I sighed. I wasn't really one to give a tour.
"You're from around here, right?"
"Yeah, I've been living with my parents near Pokémon Square ever since the... incident, but they've told me I need to find a place of my own at my age. I haven't been able to get a solid job not because of my lack of skill but because pretty much anything that requires labor has already been taken. So I figured to just join a rescue team if I'm not going to have a stable income."
"Is that why you started rescuing?" I began walking away from the post office and towards town. Macky followed suit as he walked side by side with me.
"Pretty much. I figured out that seeing those grateful faces on the clients' faces is also rewarding in its own way, though."
"Same with me!"
"What about Blu? He never really introduced himself to me." he asked curiously.
"He tends to keep to himself. Oh, before I forget, do you really need a tour of the town? You did say that you were from here." I was hoping for a chance to escape my responsibilities, and thankfully, he said that it was fine if we just headed straight for my house.
"Cool! I'm not good at giving tours anyways." Macky laughed, and soon enough, we found ourselves in front of my modest house.
I walked inside with Macky following close behind and begin my search for the second bed that I was supposed to have. I had a separate room for storage and found the bed, a twin-sized mattress that was covered in dust. Afraid to offend him, I offered to take the smaller bed and let him have mine. It didn't really matter to me, but I knew I would soon miss the comfort of my fluffy pillows and warm blanket. Macky accepted, offering to help find some pillows and a blanket for myself. We found some average, not-too-dirty pillows after minutes of digging and a large enough blanket that would suffice for the time being.
"Wow. I hope that you'll be fine and that the weather will be bearable. I feel like I'm intruding."
There was a noticable difference in our beds; His was much more inviting than mine, but I figured mine was enough to get me through cold nights.
"You can sleep with me if you'd like," He laughed shortly after.
"N-no thanks. I'm fine." Did he really just say that? I began questioning the sexuality of our new teammate. Not like it was serious, but I couldn't help myself. The hugs earlier that day, and now this? I knew it was wrong to judge and quickly banished any lingering thoughts of the subject. I was a horrible person if I let something as trivial as sexuality get in the way of the bond we would need to forge to work effectively.
"Suit yourself. I'm going to take a nap. I'm exhausted." He threw the covers on himself, and after listening in for a few minutes, I heard no signs of snoring, thankful that fortune was in my favor at least once.
I walked over to my bed and flopped on my side. I stared at the clock on my wall. It was 3:30, meaning I could probably get 3 hours of sleep before I had to prepare dinner.
As I mulled it over in bed, my eyes closed and soon enough, I was having culinary nightmares.
A new roommate, teammate, and friend.
I could only hope that things would work out perfectly, but judging by the recent events, I doubted it.
This was going to be a tough start.
Thanks for reading! Any reviews would be appreciated. Also if it wouldn't be too much to ask, would anybody mind beta-reading the upcoming chapters to my story? If I want to improve, I'd like to take any step possible to polish my writing, so an extra pair of eyes would be wonderful!
Thanks again!