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Bonus Chapter

"Be her friend, that is all I wish for"

The wooden door emitted a loud creak as Blue nudged it open with his foot. As he walked into Mismagius and Brin's abode, a cold gust of wind followed him inside, sending a shiver down his spine. He shook his head and took a deep breath, enduring the chill as he strode into the house. Once he was completely inside, he stretched out his right leg and slammed the door closed.

He made sure not to step on any of the scattered books and other assorted objects littering all over the floor of the house as he made his way over to the long – extinguished fireplace. He stared at the blackened logs lying at the base of the hearth with his mouth curled into a frown. Without the flame crackling in the fireplace, the inside of the home was just as cold as the forest outside.

"Allow me, my dear."

Blue turned around at the sound of Mismagius' voice behind him. The cloaked Pokémon hovered past the burdened Riolu and stopped in front of the cold hearth. With a wide sweep of her cloak, Mismagius conjured up five, blue – colored fireballs around her. The messy house was illuminated by a pale, azure light as Mismagius manipulated the five burning orbs to move toward the fireplace.

"Woah..." Blue watched in awe as the slow fireballs moved one – by – one across his vision. His eyes glittered with excitement as they tracked their movement around the hearth. Mismagius let out an amused chuckle at Blue's enthusiasm as she made the fireballs dance, circling around the inert logs. Flickers of blue flame scattered out of the hearth as they fused into one, large fireball. Then, Mismagius dropped it.

Fwoosh!

The instant the fireball touched the logs, a great orange flame erupted inside of the fireplace, enveloping the inside of the house with a glorious warm glow. Blue let out a content sigh as he felt his chilled body begin to heat back up thanks to the fire.

"Thanks, Mismagius," he said, smiling up at the cloaked Pokémon above him. Mismagius turned toward him and returned his smile.

"There's no reason to thank me," she fluffed the fur on Blue's head as she swooped over to her favorite rocking chair. Mismagius turned around and draped her ethereal body over it. Her gaze traveled over to the Riolu. An amused chuckle escaped her mouth as she watched the boy just stand in front of the fire, still carrying his heavy burden without a single hint of exhaustion.

"My, are you not tired at all, Blue?"

Blue turned his head toward Mismagius, who was pointing at him with the hem of her cloak. He followed the direction where her cloak was pointing, and found himself staring at his own arms. The edges of his lips curled up into a smile as he shook his head.

"No, I'm fine." He said, shaking his head.

Carried on his back, and cradled in his arms, are the two sleeping girls: Fée and Brin. The young Eevee was snoring away in his arms, with her head lying against his chest as if it were a pillow. The Braixen, on the other hand, was hugging onto his back. Her delicate white arms were circled around his neck, while her head laid against his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Mismagius said, covering her face as she stared at the curious sight in front of her, "You had to carry them all the way from the grove. At the very least, I'm sure your muscles must be a bit sore from all that walking."

"You know, I thought I would be too." Blue said as he knelt on the ground. "But I feel like I'm filled with energy. It's strange."

He placed his paw atop one of the poufs on the floor, gauging the temperature. Once he was satisfied with its warmth, he placed his sleeping partner on top of it. Then, he leaned back and slid the sleeping Brin off his back. He held onto the Braixen's shoulders and gently moved her over to Fée's side, letting the two girls lean against each other as they slept.

Once he was sure the two of them were comfortable, Blue stood up and took a few steps back. He smiled as Mismagius hovered past him, levitating a thick blanket in front of her. She swooped down in front of the girls and draped the blanket over them, tucking the two of them in together.

Mismagius turned around and took ahold of Blue's paw with her cloak. She lead him over to one of the poufs and set him down. Another blanket appeared in the air and swirled itself around the Riolu. Blue caught it with his paws and threw it over his body. He snuggled into the warm cloth, feeling content and happy.

"Full of energy, you say?" Mismagius chuckled as Blue let out a loud yawn. He rubbed his eyes as he gave her a sheepish smile.

"Well, maybe not entirely full," Blue said, smiling, "but full enough to be able to stay up for just a bit longer."

"If that's the case," Mismagius chuckled as she hovered over to the side of the fireplace, where the small, cast – iron pot hung on a hook. She picked it up and brought it over to the fireplace. "how about I heat you up some soup while you provide this old Pokémon some company?"

"I'd love to," Blue replied, smiling up at the specter. "I wouldn't mind the soup either, Mismagius."

"Hm, hm," chuckling, Mismagius lowered a ladle into the pot and stirred it as she smiled at the swaddled up Riolu, "I appreciate it, my dear."

Blue stared at the pot as it began to bubble from the fire. Through the blanket, he scratched his nose and said, "Mismagius, do you mind if I ask you something weird?"

"Something weird? Whatever could it be, I wonder?"

"Erm, well..." Blue felt his gaze wander away from the pot and over to the snoozing Braixen. "It's about Brin."

"My daughter?" Mismagius turned around and looked at Blue. A smile appeared on her face as she watched him nod slowly.

"Does Brin, uh, does she..."

"No, she doesn't have anyone in particular she likes yet, my dear." Mismagius winked at Blue, "Though, if you're interested in her... I'm sure she wouldn't mind indulging you."

"I see..." Blue held his chin with his paw as he mulled over Mismagius' answer. Then, something popped into Blue's mind, making his eyes fly wide open and his cheeks flush red. "N – no, that wasn't what I meant to ask!" He stammered, shaking his head and gaping at the chuckling specter.

"It wasn't? What a shame." Mismagius sighed in disappointment as she shook her head.

Flustered, Blue wrapped his blanket tighter around himself as he averted his eyes from Brin. In an almost dismissive fashion, Mismagius flicked her cloak at Blue and said in a lofty tone, "Well then, what is it that you wanted to ask about then?"

"I just wanted to know if Brin..." Blue paused and shook the blush from his face before continuing, "I mean, your daughter had any relation with the Panacea."

"The Panacea..." Mismagius' mouth curled up into a sly smile, "now why would you think my daughter has a connection with it?"

Blue looked down. His right foot was poking out from underneath his blanket. Lifting it up, he wiggled his toes as he gazed at his now – uninjured leg.

"When that explosion hit me, I thought I was done for. I couldn't move a thing. My head, my arms, and my legs were all paralyzed from the impact." He leaned his head back and sighed at the ceiling. "I couldn't move. I couldn't stand, and I couldn't even speak. Even when Brin was crying in front of me, I couldn't even comfort her."

"But then, something strange happened." Blue held out his paw in front of his face and clenched it, "Before I fainted, I saw Brin do something weird." His head turned toward the sleeping Braixen, "She had her arms held out, and her entire body was cloaked in some sort of bright, golden light."

"A golden light, you say?"

Blue nodded, "The next thing I knew, I was back awake. My body was completely healed. Not a single cut, bruise or burn on my fur at all." He shook his head, "At first, I couldn't believe it. Not only was I healed, I felt better than ever. It was like some kind of fire was burning inside of me, bringing strength into my body."

"Poetic, Blue," Mismagius chuckled as she hovered back to the fireplace. She lifted the lid off the pot and made a ladle appear beside her in a puff of purple smoke, along with a bowl and a spoon. She dipped the ladle inside of the pot and swirled it around, "perhaps you should write a book."

"Heh," Blue grinned as he scratched his nose, "I'd have to learn how to read and write first."

"You seem like a smart boy. I'm sure you'll pick up the basics fast." Mismagius pointed at the Fée with her ladle, "Especially with a partner as bright as Fée."

Blue smiled as he nodded in agreement, "Yeah, Fée's leagues smarter than I am." He let out a chuckle and wrapped his blanket tighter around himself, "The only things I know how to do are how to punch and how to kick. Everything else is a complete blank."

"Don't be so harsh on yourself, my dear," Mismagius scolded. She sent Blue a stern glare as she scooped up a bowlful of steaming soup. "if it wasn't for your combat prowess, then how would you have driven away those two cretins?"

"It wasn't just because of my prowess," Blue said as he accepted the warm bowl and spoon from Mismagius. "if Brin hadn't helped me then, I don't know what I would've done." He looked up from his soup and gave Mismagius a wry smile, "Well – knowing me – I probably would've forced myself to stand and fight anyway. I didn't want those two to hurt Brin."

"Is that so?" Mismagius chuckled while Blue busied himself with his bowl. She tapped the side of the pot with her ladle and commented, "Then my daughter made the correct choice in placing her trust in you, Blue."

"Mm?" A curious look appeared on Blue's face as he glanced up at Mismagius, his cheeks filled with soup. Mismagius waved her cloak at him, gesturing for him to swallow first before speaking.

Taking Mismagius' advice, Blue gulped down what was in his mouth. A pleasurable shiver went through his body as the hot, sweet – flavored broth began to warm him up from inside. The Riolu took a deep breath and patted his belly. With a sweep of her cloak, Mismagius made her ladle vanish in a puff of purple. She hovered over to where the two snoozing girls were and lowered herself behind Brin.

"Blue," Mismagius spoke in a soft voice as she brushed the fur on Brin's head. She turned toward Blue and smiled at him, "I'm sure you're already quite aware by now of the true identity of the Panacea."

"I had my suspicions," Blue muttered, putting his bowl down on the floor, "but I'm still not really sure about it."

"Then, why don't you give it your best guess?" Mismagius chuckled and wrapped her cloak around the sleeping Braixen, "Though... I will warn you now that there will be a penalty if you guess wrong, my dear."

"A penalty?"

Mismagius nodded, smirking, "If you get it wrong... you'll have to do a small favor for me. Will you accept that?"

Blue folded his arms underneath the blanket and tilted his head to the side. He mulled over her words for a moment.

"Alright," his lips curled up into a smile as he threw his blanket off of him. The Riolu stood up and tapped his chest with his fist, "I'll agree to that."

"My, you're so bold..." Mismagius smiled back at Blue. Letting go of her daughter, the specter levitated back into the air and said, "let's hear it then."

Blue scratched his cheek and closed his eyes. In his mind, he began to piece together the puzzle regarding the identity of the Panacea. He recalled the conversation Fée and Mismagius had earlier today, as well as the stunned look on Brin's face when she heard them talking about the Panacea back at the clearing. His paw went to his chest, feeling the warm flame flickering inside. There was no doubt in his mind that this flame was a gift to him from Brin. But... what is it? How did he get it? That was the answer he was seeking.

The image of Brin standing before him, arms outstretched and covered in a radiant glow resurfaced inside his memory. Right before he lost his grip on his consciousness, that was the last thing he saw. So then, what was that light? A beautiful glow... a wondrous warmth...

"Could it be..." Blue's eyes opened slowly as he turned his head toward his side. His eyes fell upon the sleeping Braixen in front of him as he uttered his answer, "could it be that Brin... could she be the Panacea?"

"Hm... what a shame..."

Blue's gaze snapped toward Mismagius, who was shaking her head with a dejected look on her face. She held her cloak out and rubbed the top of Brin's head as she smiled at the confused – looking Riolu.

"A shame?" Blue uttered, "Did I get it wrong?"

Mismagius shook her head, still smiling, "It's a shame because you're right, my dear." She let out an amused giggle as Blue's look of confusion intensified. "It's a shame because now, I cannot ask you to take my daughter as your bride, my dear."

"Eh?!" Blue's eyes shot wide as he took a stunned step backward. He glanced down at his paws, then at Brin, before finally resting his astonished gaze on the chuckling specter above them. "W – what do you mean by bride?"

"My, there's no need to act so surprised," Mismagius floated past the heads of the girls and rested herself beside the shocked Riolu. She raised her cloak and patted him on the shoulder, giggling, "I was only partially joking, my dear."

Before Blue could say another word, Mismagius muffled his mouth with her cloak. "All jokes aside," she said as her previous jovial expression became hard, and serious, "do you now understand why we live in such a far – flung place? Alone and separated from society?"

"Mmph," Blue made a muted noise and tilted his head to the side.

"Brin's power is incredible. Yet, with such a great power, it comes with a drawback." Mismagius let go of Blue's mouth and sighed, "You've experienced it firsthand, you should know just how miraculous this power is."

"It's miraculous alright," Blue muttered, rubbing his right leg with his arm, "with my leg like this, I can hardly believe it was badly poisoned just a few days ago. It was like it never happened."

"I don't claim to know everything about Brin's Panacea – no, far from that – in truth, I don't know anything about it. That power is something that only Brin can understand, and it is up to her if she wishes to divulge her knowledge about it. All I can tell you about it is what I've seen."

The Riolu rubbed his chin as he glanced over to Brin, "You said that there was a drawback." He turned back to Mismagius, "What did you mean by that?"

A sigh came from the specter as she floated over to her rocking chair. She draped herself atop the rickety, wooden thing and said, "Have you wondered why my dear daughter fell asleep while we were walking home?"

"No, I haven't," Blue said, shaking his head, "I just assumed she was tired after what happened today."

"Would you mind looking at her right leg for me?" Mismagius muttered, glancing at the sleeping girls across from her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Blue's flustered expression and smiled.

"Calm down, my dear. Just pull up the blanket a bit. There's no need for you to touch her." She chuckled and held her cloak over her mouth. "Though, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to take a little pe–"

"Aaagh!" Blue interrupted Mismagius' comment by shouting loudly. Both Fée and Brin grumbled in their sleep, evidently annoyed by the noise. Giggling, Mismagius rocked her chair back and forth, amused by Blue's nervousness.

Grumbling, Blue trudged over to the girls and knelt before Brin. He ignored the giggles coming from the rocking chair behind him and reached out for the blanket. Both girls squirmed as Blue lifted it up a tad, letting a little warmth escape their huddle. Taking great pains not to see more than necessary, Blue looked down at Brin's black – furred legs.

He gasped.

"W – why?" Blue dropped the blanket and scrambled away as fast as he could. He turned toward Mismagius, his face pale and his eyes wide. "How?"

"Do you understand now?" Mismagius said in a cool, quiet voice, "The drawback of Brin's power?"

Blue nodded silently at Mismagius. A sick feeling began to well up in his gut as he glanced down at his own legs. He felt his face curl into a scowl, and his eyes narrowed in self – loathing.

"My, Fée was right." Mismagius covered her face as she chuckled at the anger brewing inside of the Riolu, "You really are quite a stubborn boy."

"What do you mean?" Blue said, his voice coming out harsher than he intended.

"Just before we left the house, Fée mentioned to me that you would most likely refuse to be cured by Brin if you knew the side effects so her power." She let out another chuckle and added, "Even if it meant living with one leg for the rest of your life."

"W – well... I might've," taken aback by her words, Blue glanced down at his paws with a nervous expression on his face, "how I can I let Brin take on that sort of pain for me? That's..." His shook his head and steeled his expression. He looked up at Mismagius, frowning, "No, I can't. I won't let someone else get hurt for my sake."

Blue held out his arms in front of him and said in a loud voice, "Mismagius, is there anyway to reverse the treatment? I can't let Brin suffer my pain for me!"

"As far as I know, there isn't a way to take back what she has given." Mismagius murmured, shaking her head. "However... "

Mismagius lifted herself off her rocking chair and floated over in front of Blue. She reached out with her cloak and held it beside his cheek. Blue's eyes traveled over to his right, wondering what she was about do to.

Pap!

"Geh!" Blue sprung back, his face throbbing with a stinging pain. He clutched his reddening cheek with his paws and stared at Mismagius, stupefied.

"Don't be a fool, Blue." The specter raised up her cloak again, making Blue stare at it with a wary eye. However, instead of another slap, she began to rub his face gently.

"What do you mean?" Blue stared at Mismagius, utterly bewildered by what she meant.

Mismagius smiled as she grabbed Blue's cheeks, squeezing both sides of his face together. "Understand that it was my daughter's decision to help you, Blue." She said as she made his head turn toward Brin, "If she was the one who gave you the gift of healing, then you should accept it."

"But that doesn't mean anything!" Blue grumbled, trying to turn his head back to Mismagius, "Now she's the one with the scars on her leg! How can I accept that?"

"Hm, hm..." Mismagius chuckled as she let go of Blue's face. Her cloaked body drifted over to Brin's side. She turned toward the seething Riolu and smiled. "My, what I wouldn't give to have such an honest one like you as my son."

"I wish for you to not fret, my dear." her cloak reached down and patted Brin on her head. "For you see, Brin's condition isn't quite as bad as you might think."

Smiling, Mismagius lifted up Brin's blanket once more. Blue, despite still feeling hesitant, couldn't help but glance down at the Braixen's injured leg. In his mind, he expected to see the disgusting, terrible wounds that had covered his legs but a few hours ago. However...

"Wha... wait a minute...!"

Instead of horrid scars, there were faint, red – colored markings covering her leg. At a glance, it was easy to mistake them for real wounds. But upon closer inspection, Blue realized that they weren't actual cuts and bruises. Rather, it looked more like someone had spilled a few dollops of red paint on her fur instead.

"What is that?" Blue muttered as he stared at the odd markings on her leg.

"When Brin uses her powers, there is an interesting side effect to it. This is one of them." Mismagius let go of the blanket and tucked Brin's leg back inside. "Although I don't understand the exact specifics behind the Panacea, I do hold a few theories about it."

"Such as?"

Mismagius held up her cloak and pointed into the air, "The first of which is that Brin becomes excessively tired after using her powers, no matter how small the wound she cures."

"The second," Mismagius' cloak fell down, gesturing toward Brin, "is that whenever she cures somebody. Those strange markings appear on her body, mimicking the wounds she healed."

"And do those markings harm her?"

The specter shook her head, "As far as I know, no." Mismagiush held up her cloak and said, "However, I believe that those markings is the reason behind Brin falling asleep every time she uses the Panacea."

"Ah! I get it!" Blue clapped his paws together as something clicked inside of his mind, "She falls asleep because she needs to recover from using her power, right?"

"That may be the case, my dear," Mismagius chuckled as his beaming face, "but again, I don't know the exact specifics. And to be honest with you, I don't particularly wish to."

"Eh?" Blue tilted his head to the side as he folded his arms across the chest, "Why not?"

"I don't wish for my daughter to have this power, Blue," Mismagius murmured as she hovered over to Blue's side, "if anything, I wish for her to live a normal life. Just like you and Fée."

"Just like... us?"

Mismagius nodded, "It was because of her power that we've lived in this forest for so long. If I were to have her go around, using her power for everyone that asked for it, how would you think her life would be like?"

Blue's head lowered as he folded his arms across his chest, "...she would be sleeping all the time, recovering..."

"That's right, and that's why I believe... it would be better if no one knew about her power." Mismagius sighed and said, "If she could live like a normal girl without having to worry about people begging her to heal them, demanding her to use the Panacea..."

Blue gaped at Mismagius, confused, "H – hold on, what do you mean by that?"

Mismagius smiled and nudged Blue in the cheek, "It's not something you need to be worried about, my dear." She chuckled and added, "Trust me."

"Alright," Blue nodded, but his face still showed signs of concern.

"Blue," Mismagius patted Blue in the back with her cloak, grabbing his attention, "do you mind hearing out one more thing from this old Pokémon?"

"Sure," Blue nodded, smiling back at the ghost, "what is it, Mismagius?"

"It's just a favor– no, don't worry. It's not about that." Mismagius chuckled at the sudden change of expression of the Riolu's face at the mention of the word 'favor.' She gave him a playful poke in the cheek again and said, "Well, it's something along those lines. Just not that extreme."

"T – then, what is it?" Blue said, feeling flustered.

"Hm... how do I phrase this?" Mismagius covered her face with her cloak and pondered for a moment.

Then, after a few seconds of silence, she turned toward him and said, "Blue. Tomorrow morning, I want you and Fée to take my daughter and I with you back to Treasure Town."

"You want to come with us?" Blue tilted his head at the ghost, who nodded back at him. He folded his arms across his chest, mulling over her words, "But... why?"

Mismagius sighed as she draped Blue's blanket back around his shoulders. She tucked the edges of the soft cloth around his body, making sure he was nice and warm before giving him a little smile.

"My dear Brin deserves much more out of life than just living here in this forest with naught but an aging ghost and Oro for company." Her gaze flitted over to her daughter, "If possible, I would like for her to experience the outside world. The frontier, as you'd call it."

"But," Blue poked out his paw from inside of his blanket and pointed at Brin, "aren't you afraid that someone would demand or beg her for her Panacea power? Like you said before."

"True, that is one of my biggest fears," Mismagius' faced crinkled as she turned back to Blue, "but... I know one thing. One very important thing that alleviates my fear."

"What is it?"

With a quiet giggle, Mismagius took Blue's outstretched paw into the folds of her cloak and lifted it up to her face.

"It's that she will have two wonderful friends that would protect her." Mismagius gazed into Blue's red eyes, her expression filled with love and affection. "I will not demand you to marry my daughter, nor beg you to become my son, but I implore you... Blue."

She took the back of his paw up to her lips and kissed it.

"Be her friend, that is all I wish for."

Having given Blue her request, Mismagius released her grasp on the Riolu's paw. Blue, stunned, let his paw flop back to his side as he mulled over her words. A moment of silence passed before Blue made up his mind. A smile cracked on his blue face as he nodded at the nervous specter hovering before him.

"Of course I will."

A tender smile appeared on Mismagius' face as she hovered over to Blue. She threw her cloak wide and pulled Blue into a warm hug. As she cried tears of gratitude into his shoulder, she whispered into his ear.

"Thank you, Blue."