Chapter 20 - Asking Why
Ziggy was not a happy Buizel.
The moderately heavy rain continued to pour around him as he sat in the courtyard. He had no idea how long he had been out here. Time tended to lose its meaning when he was out relaxing in the rain. The downpour itself was as enjoyable as they always were. The wonderful feeling of the raindrops on his fur, the droning sound, the crisp smell of fresh rain. Truly there was nothing better in the whole world.
Unfortunately, Ziggy was simply too upset for it to help. After his encounter with the three cubs and their irrationally angry mother, he had returned to the guild building absolutely steaming. That's when the rain had started, and it was the only thing that brought him a feeling of salvation. He had stormed right out to the courtyard and had been there since.
Ziggy just stared down at the flat rock he was sitting on. He wasn't sure, but he felt like he hadn't even moved a muscle in hours. The endless cascade of raindrops perfectly disguised the many tears that had been shed on this rock.
He couldn't fully explain it. Ziggy was pissed off. For some reason this incident had set something off in him. Something about it had made him really angry. So angry that he had been moved to frustrated tears once he had made it to the courtyard. It was only the calming feeling of the rain that kept him from pounding his fists onto anything within sight and stomping around like a Rhyperior with a tack in his rear-end.
The rain always made him feel better. It always did. Even when he was feeling the worst, when the most horrible things had been done to him, the rain still made him feel better. The fact that it wasn't now only proved just how upset he was, and that was terrifying to him.
His brain was so muddled that he didn't have the motivation to do anything except sit there and stew in his own emotions. He idly wondered if he had missed dinner, and grimly realized that he hadn't even noticed if he was hungry or not.
Ziggy heard the sound of the courtyard door opening, bringing him back down to the real world a little. Sparks was coming to check on him, he figured. He'd probably been out here for too long and Sparks was starting to worry about him. "Oh, hey…" he said turning to look at the door, "Sorry I was-"
All of his words fell away when he saw that it wasn't Sparks at the door. Instead, a familiar Lucario was standing under the awning and looking over at him, who smiled and waved at him.
"D-Dante?"
The Lucario stepped out into the courtyard, not seeming to care about the rain. Ziggy realized that he wasn't wearing his little cape thing, probably so that it wouldn't get wet. He still wore that impressive sheathed sword around his waist though. "Hello again, my friend," Dante said as he approached, "Good to see you."
Ziggy stared up at the approaching Lucario in disbelief. "Oh my gosh, it's…it's really you!" he babbled. Dante had left to go on another journey months ago, or so Ziggy had been told the last time he had seen him.
"I just arrived a few minutes ago," he explained, "Sparks told me I might find you out here. He said you were upset about something, and I can see that is certainly the case."
"Wh…" Ziggy blushed a little in embarrassment, "Uh…Kinda, I guess…"
Dante smiled sympathetically. "Would you mind if I joined you?"
Ziggy looked up at him in surprise. "What, here? In…the rain? …With me?"
"I see that you are meditating out here in the rain. I do not want to bother you if you do not wish to be disturbed."
"Oh, no. N-no, not at all. I don't mind." He paused, and then asked, "…'Meditating'?"
Dante moved in and sat down on the rock next to Ziggy, sitting cross-legged with his forepaws on his knees. He looked out across the courtyard and said, "There are many, many different forms of meditation. Truly, almost anything can be a form of meditation if it connects with you. I know very well the calming and healing properties of sitting under the rain in quiet solitude." He then chuckled and added, "This form of meditation does not connect with me personally. I always tend to get distracted by the feeling of my wet fur. But I see its merits and I do not mind being out here with you."
Ziggy looked up at the much taller Pokémon sitting next to him. Dante had his eyes closed and a small, serene smile on his muzzle. Seeing Dante was already starting to lift his spirits a little. "But…What're you doing here?" Ziggy asked.
"Nihilego," Dante answered, opening one eye to look down at Ziggy, "As soon as I heard about its appearance, I high-tailed it back here."
"Ohhh…" Ziggy said as a brief shiver ran up his spine at the memory of the weird creature. It had been a little while since it had shown up.
"If it reappears here, I felt that my presence may be helpful… I had heard tell of how dangerous it was. At the very least, I am to discuss the matter with some Pokémon in this city."
Ziggy eyed Dante's sword again. He pictured a scenario where the Nihilego appeared again but with Dante standing between himself and the creature, brandishing his sword and bravely defending the helpless little Buizel.
"But, there is no need to worry about that now," Dante then said, "For now, you can just consider me a visitor once more." He flashed Ziggy a quick smile.
"Yeah…I-it's really nice to see you again," Ziggy said.
For a moment, there was silence but for the sound of the rain. It didn't seem like it was going to be letting up any time soon, which was just fine in Ziggy's eyes. Despite the nice surprise of getting to see Dante again, Ziggy still felt really miffed. It felt like it was going to take a lot of rain for him to fully calm down.
"So, what's wrong?" Dante asked gently.
Ziggy flinched, as if he had been swatted in the head. He glanced away and murmured, "It's nothing…"
"Ziggy, Sparks is getting worried about you being out here for so long."
That caused the Buizel to deflate a little. He certainly didn't want to make anybody worry, especially not Sparks. He had been out here for so long feeling no desire to talk to anybody, and he still wasn't fully sure why.
"I'm angry…" he admitted.
Dante chuckled softly. "I could tell that much. What are you angry about?"
Ziggy stewed in frustration for a moment, not wanting to relive the moment that had started this all. Eventually though, he relented and told Dante what had happened with the Simisage.
"Oh dear…" Dante said, sounding genuinely upset after hearing Ziggy's story, "Well, that is certainly no good. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. That's unacceptable behaviour on her part."
"Mnn…" Ziggy grumbled. He was now looking down again, glaring at the rock beneath him as if it had somehow wronged him. Retelling the story had gotten him riled up again.
"But…" Dante continued, "you are not sure why you are angry now. Correct? Sadly, from what Sparks has told me, you are no stranger to incidents like that. You have been experiencing them your whole life. But they have never made you feel this way before, and it feels confusing."
Ziggy just stared at the rock, wide-eyed. Dante had basically just described exactly how he was feeling. How had he done that? How had he known? Ziggy finally turned his gaze back up to Dante and met his eyes. "Y-yeah…" he said.
Dante gave him a sympathetic smile. "It's okay to be angry, Ziggy. It happens to all of us from time to time."
"It's not fair…" Ziggy mumbled.
"I know it's not."
"No, it really isn't!" Ziggy continued, raising his voice a little, "Why are things like this? Why are Pokémon like that? What did I do? What did I do to any of them?"
"I could not tell you…"
"I'm a different colour. So friggin' what?! Meowstic come in different colours! Shellos and Gastrodon come in different colours! Deerling change colour all the time! Why don't strangers get angry at Akash? And…A-and Vivillon! I mean, come on!"
Dante looked down at him sagely, a rather pitying look on his face. "It is because those colour variations are common," he answered, "There's hundreds, thousands, of blue Shellos and Gastrodon out there. Half of the Meowstic are a different colour than the other half. Shiny Pokémon, though, are rare."
Ziggy pouted and said, "Well that's just dumb."
"Pokémon are scared of things they don't understand, or things that are new to them. A lot of Pokémon, especially ones living in Radiant City, have likely never seen a Shiny before. Who knows? Perhaps if the specific mutation were a little more common, things wouldn't be so bad."
Ziggy looked up at Dante in shock. "…'Mutation'? D…Did you just call me a mutant?"
Dante's eyes opened wide and he held up his paws defensively. "Oh, no. No, no, I would never. It's just a scientific term that describes the specific gene you have that makes your fur different."
"Oh…"
"Sorry," Dante apologized, "That was perhaps a poor word choice on my part. You are most certainly not a 'mutant', Ziggy."
"Tsk…Everybody else thinks so…" Ziggy just went back to staring down at the rock he was sitting on, and there was silence between them for a moment. The rain continued to fall around them. Ziggy started worrying that he was making Dante sit out in the rain just for his own benefit, but Dante hadn't voiced any displeasure.
"…Why do they always try to hurt me?" Ziggy murmured.
"Try not to exaggerate, Ziggy, or you'll end up believing yourself. The Simisage tried to attack you, but they don't all do so, do they?"
"…I guess not…"
"Your feelings are fair, though. It often gets more and more difficult for me to believe that there is good in all Pokémon." Dante chuckled wryly.
"Why do they have to hurt me when I haven't even done anything…?" Ziggy bemoaned, "I mean, with the Machamp it made sense. I stole from him. But…th-those Ground-Types in the alley…and this Simisage. They wanted to hurt me. Just because my fur is gold."
Dante didn't reply.
Tears started to form in Ziggy's eyes. "I was trying to help! I was just trying to help!" he said, his voice raising even more until the point that he shouted the last word. "Her kids lost their ball and I brought it back! I was trying to be nice! I was trying to help…"
He jumped slightly when he felt Dante lay a paw across his shoulder, causing him to look up at the Lucario. "Regardless of what she tried to do to you," Dante spoke, "You should still feel good about helping those cubs out. It was a very thoughtful thing to do."
Ziggy sniffled. "I…I know…"
"And from what Sparks has told me in his letters, you have been helping out here at the guild quite a bit. More and more with each passing day, I hear."
"I…" Ziggy sighed and looked down again. "I like helping the guild…"
"That's good!"
"But I don't like having to help them…"
"Ah. Hm…" Dante was quiet for a moment, and then said, "Well, there are a couple of ways to look at that. For one, you're not actually part of the guild, so… if someone's treating you badly when you're trying to help, you can just stop helping them. Though, that also means you're not helping the guildmembers either, so it depends on what the situation is…"
Ziggy shook his head. "I want…to help my friends. If I can…" He sighed, and added, "Because they've all helped me so much…"
"But, also…" Dante continued, "Helping somebody even in the face of them being ungrateful to you is a sign of inner strength. Admiration and gratitude is nice, of course, and it can sting when you do not get it, but in the end it all boils down to your own actions. The things you do to help Pokémon; to make things better for others. Besides, at the end of the day the guildmembers definitely appreciate what you do."
With a sigh, Ziggy's shoulders slumped. "It's just so hard… I'm so scared all the time, and I just imagine them saying or doing mean stuff before they even actually do it. It makes me so sad…and I guess mad too, now. It's stupid and it makes me not want to go outside anymore. Makes me want to just stay in here forever with the only Pokémon in the world who actually like me. It's too hard to be 'different' out there…"
The rain continued to fall as silence fell between the two. Ziggy felt bad about himself. It should have been a happy occasion that Dante came back to visit, but Ziggy was just making the both of them miserable by whining about his problems. He let out another heavy sigh, realizing that at least he didn't feel angry anymore.
Now he just felt depressed.
"Ziggy…" Dante finally spoke up, "You may not believe it, but…I know more about what you're going through than you might think."
The Buizel looked up at Dante in confusion.
"To an extent, anyway," he clarified, and then continued, "When I was younger… When I was a Riolu… When I first joined the guild, I was different than everybody around me. I was strange, I felt like I didn't fit in. I felt like nobody really understood me, and I didn't understand anybody else. For a while, I felt really alone…and scared of the world around me."
"…R-really…?" Ziggy murmured, staring up wide-eyed.
"For the longest time," Dante continued, "I only had one friend. One really close friend who was by my side all the time, day and night, through thick and thin. She didn't care that I was strange and didn't fit in. She could see past all of that to see the real me underneath. I think you, Ziggy, have experienced something similar with Sparks."
Ziggy glanced away for a brief moment, but didn't say anything. He looked back up at Dante when the Lucario continued.
"It was hard for me to feel like I belonged anywhere, even if I was a full-fledged member of the guild. Even if my partner and I were among the top ranked in the entire guild. Even if she and I…Well, let's just say we did some amazing things. But it hurts when you feel alone, when you feel like you don't belong. Even with her by my side, I still felt so alone and disliked by others. She actually needed to hammer into my thick skull that I wasn't alone, and there were more Pokémon who accepted me than I realized…"
"You said you were in this guild when you were younger…right?"
"Yes, I was here. Working in this very building under a different guildmaster." Dante chuckled. "Believe it or not, Sparks and I did not really connect when I first got here. It was a while before we started becoming friends."
Ziggy was quiet as he digested this information. "Wow…" he murmured softly.
"Now, I am by no means saying my experiences were exactly like what you are going through," Dante clarified, "I know, from what Sparks has told me, you've been through… a lot worse." Dante cleared his throat before continuing. "But one of the important things I had to learn was that I could always rely on those who were close to me, no matter what went wrong."
"Sparks…" Ziggy muttered. He thought about the Raichu, and realized just how long he had shut himself out here alone without even saying a word to him. Ziggy winced when he thought about how worried Sparks must have gotten in all of that time.
"That…" Dante added, "And also that the world isn't the fairest place sometimes, but you can't let it defeat you. Better days will only come if you really want them to. Only if you feel like you can stand up to the very same world that's trying to beat you down." Ziggy looked up at the Lucario and saw he was glancing off to the side. "I know that's exactly what Sparks went through…"
Ziggy didn't get it at first, but then realized that Dante was talking about Sparks' PTSD. The Raichu had said before that things had been extremely tough for him after 'the event', and it had taken a while to get to where he was now.
"But…How…?" Ziggy murmured, but his question died on his tongue. Thoughts started swirling around that mixed up his focus. Suddenly he wasn't sure exactly which questions were the ones he truly needed answers to. He looked up at Dante again, only to see that he was still looking off to the side. Ziggy leaned forward and followed his gaze, noticing that Dante was looking at the glass door leading back inside of the guild.
Sparks was standing there, inside and leaning against the glass, looking out at them worriedly. Ziggy gasped softly, and then felt his heart fracture. Poor Sparks. Ziggy realized that he had been being a bad friend.
"I'm, uh…I'm gonna go back inside now," he said to Dante. The Lucario looked down at him, and Ziggy asked, "Could…we keep talking about this? Later?"
"It would be my pleasure. I will be staying here for a while this time," Dante replied with a nod.
"Thanks… It's really nice to see you again. It's…nice talking with you."
Dante chuckled. "Same to you, Ziggy. Same to you."
Ziggy then nodded in thanks and stood up. He stepped away from Dante and shook a bit of the excess water off of his fur. He would still need a towel before going inside, however. Once he was as dry as he could possibly get himself, he walked over to the doors where the Raichu was waiting. Sparks smiled in relief and gave him a little wave, which Ziggy returned. As soon as he got towelled off, Ziggy would tell Sparks everything that had just happened.
The next day, Sparks was sitting in the common room munching on some snacks he had acquired for lunch. Most everybody was gone for the day, out of the building and doing work. He wasn't alone, though, as Dante was sitting nearby. He was reading from a huge collection of newspapers from various different dates, all gathered from the library.
"'Afternoon, Sparks." The Raichu looked up to see Carmen walk into the room, carrying and studying her clipboard as she usually did. She looked up and saw Dante was present as well and said, "Good afternoon to you as well, Dante."
"Good day, guildmaster," Dante replied jovially.
"Everything alright?" she then asked, addressing Sparks.
"Ahhhh, sort of…Kind of…" he answered, "He's in his room reading."
"Mmm…" Carmen nodded thoughtfully. "He should still try to get one or two chores in if he can."
"I know. I'll ask him later."
"Just if he can, Sparks. Don't push him if he's not up to it."
Sparks sighed wistfully. He reached for his cup of coffee and took a sip, feeling the warm liquid as if it were seeping through his veins.
"Dante, do you need anything else?" Carmen asked the Lucario.
"No, thank you. These are plenty," he said, indicating the newspapers.
"All right. Just let me know, okay? I just dropped by to tell you your room is set up."
"Ooh! Bunk bed with Raz?"
Sparks snickered. "I don't go within 10 metres of bunk beds."
The two chuckled, and then Carmen departed leaving them both alone. Sparks took another sip of coffee, and then slid down along the table to sit a little closer to Dante. He looked over the Lucario's shoulder, seeing that he was looking at the same newspaper that had first reported on the appearance of the Nihilego.
"Crazy stuff, huh?" Sparks remarked.
"Troubling…" he replied.
"Mmm…"
Dante put down the newspapers and turned to look at Sparks. "If I didn't know my own life, I would say I didn't believe it."
"No kidding…"
"You know that I went through a lot of crazy stuff right before I evolved," he continued, "but…even so, it was all within the realm of understanding. Cause and effect were known and understood. This is something else..."
"Well," Sparks offered, "At least it hasn't shown itself again since that incident in the park…"
Dante just glanced off to the side and growled softly.
"…What do you plan to do now that you're here in the city?" Sparks asked him.
"I'm not sure," Dante admitted, "Mostly, I just want to be here if it shows up again. Both to study it, and to defend against it if necessary."
Sparks nodded. "Your sword would have kept it at bay while keeping the rest of us at a safe distance, since it doesn't conduct electricity."
"Electric-Type…" Dante murmured, looking back at the newspapers again, "Possibly more…"
"What if it doesn't show up again? How long do you think you'll stick around?"
Dante remained silent and didn't answer.
"Dante?"
"I don't know Sparks," he said in a low voice, without looking up, "I just have a bad feeling about all this…"
Sparks, halfway through another sip of coffee, felt a shiver run up his spine. He looked over at Dante worriedly. He slowly lowered his cup back to the table.
"Is anybody studying this?" Dante asked him, "Like, specifically?"
"Uhh…I don't think so. Mostly because there's not much to study except eyewitness reports and a few blurry photographs."
"Somebody probably should be…" Dante murmured, "Bring Pokémon of different types down to the park to see if they can pick up on anything. Especially Psychic-types…"
"Sparks?"
The Raichu lifted his head and looked towards the voice. He saw Kandice sticking her head in through the door and looking at him. "Yeah?"
"Can I borrow you for a minute?" the Audino asked.
"Sure," he said. He then addressed Dante and said, "You look busy anyway. I'll leave you alone." To Sparks' concern, Dante looked as if he hadn't even heard him. He frowned and considered saying something, but thought better of it and simply walked over to Kandice. He followed her out into the main hall, which was quiet and deserted.
"Is Ziggy okay?" she asked him once they were alone.
"I think so…" he said, "I dunno, I guess it depends on your definition of 'okay'. He seemed to be in better spirits than yesterday, but he also seemed a little…" Sparks paused to think of the right word.
"A little what?"
"…Distant? Lost in thought?"
"Oh, I see…" Kandice said softly, "Poor kid seems like he's going through a lot in his head…"
"I was so pissed off when I heard what happened to him. A mother, of all Pokémon, nearly assaulting him right in front of her cub. Ugh, I shouldn't have let him go out without me."
"Sparks, don't beat yourself up. Javier kept him safe."
Rubbing his temples in frustration, Sparks sighed. "I'm starting to wonder if it really is a good idea for Ziggy to even be in this city…"
"I don't know, Sparks. There's pros and cons to both, even if you take us, his friends, out of the equation. I don't think it's a question of where Ziggy lives, but simply who he lives with."
"He's still coming to talk to you, right?" Sparks asked.
"Mhm," she said with a nod, "I try to do my best, though I'm certainly no licensed psychologist…"
"You still know more about it than any of us, and he trusts you. But yeah, it seems like something's still really bothering him and he's not really talking about it with anybody."
"Well," Kandice said, "You let him know that he can come talk to me at any time. He doesn't have to wait for our biweekly appointment."
"Will do," Sparks said with a nod.
"Guys!"
"Ngh…What, Kona?" Sparks groaned, "It's too early to be shouting like that." The half-awake Raichu was still cradling his first cup of coffee, and the common room was filled with Pokémon who were just waking up and awaiting breakfast.
The Dewott dashed in from the doorway, directly to the table. "Guys, look!" he exclaimed, tossing a fresh newspaper onto the table in front of everyone.
Sparks' eyes grew wide when he saw the front page of the paper. There was no mistaking what was in the picture, and the caption only confirmed it.
Second sighting of Nihilego west of the city.
"No…!" Sparks grabbed the paper roughly and held it up closer, as if looking more closely would somehow change what was written. The image taking up about half of the front page was a blurry, rather dark image of the fields to the west of the city. In the middle, unfocused but unmistakable, was Nihilego.
"It came back?" Lupe asked worriedly.
"When?" Shay exclaimed.
Sparks quickly scanned the front page for details. "Last night," he read, "Just before sunset."
"We're just learning about this now?" Jules blurted out in disbelief.
"Why wasn't the guild called?" Lupe added.
"Only one group of Pokémon saw it," Sparks said as he flipped to the second page and continued to read the story, "It disappeared before they could do anything more than get this picture. The police wanted to make sure it wasn't a hoax before they got us involved, it looks like. Seems like it wasn't, though."
"Ah, it's in the paper already?"
Everybody looked up to see Carmen walk through the door. She had a serious look on her face.
"Carmen!" Sparks exclaimed, "The Nihilego-"
"I know, Sparks," she said, holding up a paw to quiet him. She strode over to them and then said, "A few officers came to visit in the middle of the night. I spoke with them, begrudgingly. They were watching the area and were going to alert us if it reappeared, but it didn't. There was no reason to wake all of you up."
As Carmen approached and looked over Sparks' shoulder to read the paper, everybody else turned their attention back to him. So, he started reading again. "It looks like nothing much happened this time," he said, "Nobody was around when it showed up, nobody got hurt, and nothing got damaged. Not even any trees. If the bystanders hadn't noticed it at the last minute, nobody would have known about it…"
"Well, that's a bit of a relief at least…" Kona commented.
"Speak for yourself!" Lupe remarked, "I was hoping that thing would never, ever come back again!"
"She's got a point," Carmen said grimly, "Now we know it has the capability to return, and it wasn't just a one-time event."
"…Maybe it's just a two-time event?" Shay murmured.
Sparks was silent for a moment as he read the last of the story. "Somebody should go get Dante," was all he said afterwards.
"On it!" Kona chirped, and then immediately ran into the dorms.
Sparks lifted his head and regarded the concerned looks of everybody else in the room. The only ones from the active team not present were Kandice, Liz and Danika, who were all in their respective work places. He was glad that Ziggy wasn't here and was still sleeping.
Dante showed up only a few minutes later. Sparks knew that while Dante was a lot of amazing things, an early riser was not one of them. The fact that he looked alert and wide awake showed just how concerned he was to hear this news. Dante strode right over to the table without even saying good morning to anyone and practically snatched the paper right out of Sparks' paws.
For about a minute, Dante just stood there and silently read the newspaper. There was a grim, concerned look in his expression. When he was done, Dante tossed the paper back onto the table. "I'm going there," he announced.
"Wh- Huh?" Sparks murmured.
"To where it appeared. I'm going there right now." Before anyone could say anything else, Dante turned and started to head for the door. Sparks noticed that he was already wearing his sword and scabbard, making him idly wonder if Dante slept while wearing it.
"Dante, wait!" Carmen called after him.
Sparks almost expected Dante to ignore her and just keep walking; that's how serious he looked. However, he did stop and turn back to look at her.
"You should at least take one of us with you," she said to him, "That way you'll have a comm link to us with their badge."
Dante considered this for a brief moment and then nodded. "Smart thinking," he conceded.
"Can…Can I go with him?"
Everybody turned to look at the one who had spoken up. Rico was looking over at Dante with big, star-struck eyes, and then turned to look up at Carmen with a hopeful, pleading look. "Please?" he added.
Carmen glanced over at Dante, who nodded in response. Rico stifled a quiet gasp while Carmen turned back to him. "Okay, go with him Rico."
"Really?" he blurted out like an excited cub.
"Yes, but don't do anything reckless! You are accompanying him strictly for communication purposes. If something goes wrong, and especially if that thing shows up again, don't get into a fight. Call for backup!"
Rico grinned eagerly and nodded. "Yes, guildmaster! Absolutely!" He then quickly scrambled to get up from the table and ran over to where Dante was waiting.
The Lucario looked down at him. "You will not be able to keep up with me," he observed matter-of-factly, "You should ride on my shoulders."
"Wh-!" Rico nearly tripped over his own paws. "Really?"
Dante didn't answer, but simply turned and faced away from Rico. He squatted down just slightly, and Rico didn't waste any time in jumping up and climbing onto Dante's shoulders. He situated himself with his hind legs around Dante's neck. The Riolu looked like stars were dancing in his eyes.
"Be careful out there, Rico!" Terry called out, "Don't hurt yourself! Be safe!"
As Dante started heading out the door, Rico didn't say anything in response. It was almost as if he hadn't even heard the Eevee's words. He just kept that same awestruck expression the whole time until the pair were through the door and out of sight.
A somewhat poignant silence fell upon the room. Sparks turned to look at Terry in concern.
The Eevee was frozen in place, his mouth half open. For a moment he just stared at the doorway that the two Pokémon had just disappeared through. Then, finally, he let out a soft chuckle and smiled demurely. "He's such a fan of Dante…" he said.
"Terry…" Sparks murmured.
"Can't wait to see him when he gets back." Terry then cleared his throat and said, "So, uh, anyway… Should we be concerned about…this?" He gestured to the newspaper with one of his paws.
"Maybe? Maybe not?" Carmen helpfully replied.
Jules leaned in on the table and spoke up. "We can't just let it show up out of nowhere without any warning. What if it gives somebody else amnesia? Or worse?"
Sparks stole a glance at Terry, and noticed the Eevee cringing just a little.
"But why does it just…go away after a couple minutes?" Lupe asked.
"Yeah, at least it's not sticking around for long…" Carmen agreed.
"We just have to be careful…"
Everybody turned to look at Sparks. "Huh?" a few guildmembers piped up.
Sparks gave each one of them a serious look. "We just have to pay attention to our surroundings. There's a pretty loud 'crack' sound when it shows up, so if you hear it then just be on the lookout and try to get away from it."
"What?" Jules retorted, "You mean we can't do anything about it?"
"Not right now," Sparks said as he shook his head, "We don't know enough about it. Hopefully Dante can find something useful while he's out there. For now, we just have to treat it kind of like a natural event. Y'know, like a tree falling over. It can be dangerous, but we just have to be smart about it." He then looked over at Carmen and asked her, "Do you think you could get the paper to run something like that? A message to Radiant City citizens to do all that?"
"Probably," she said with a nod, "A lot of the city has eyes on us right now. We 'fix' things, after all, and a lot of Pokémon are expecting us to 'fix' this. I'm sure the papers would be more than happy to print something."
"Do you think we should try to capture it?" Tora asked.
Sparks looked over at the Pidgeot. "To what end?"
"It doesn't stick around long enough for us to understand anything about it," she observed, "And, if we capture it then it can't do any more damage to anyone…"
"Do you think it's the same one?" Lupe asked, "Or…is it another Nihilego?"
The room was silent for a moment. "…I hadn't considered that," Sparks said in an even voice. The uncomfortable silence continued as Sparks looked at all of his companions. Each one wore a concerned look, either looking at the newspaper or staring off in thought.
The sound of a door opening behind them was what finally broke the silence. Sparks turned over his shoulder and saw that it was the door leading to the dorms that had opened.
"Um…Good morning, everybody…" Ziggy murmured softly.
"Oh. Hey, Zig. Good morning," Sparks greeted him, trying to put a little pep back into his voice.
Ziggy yawned loudly and then shook his head afterwards. He looked up at Sparks, and Sparks could see that he looked groggy. Like he hadn't gotten much sleep last night.
"Come on over and join us, bud," he said and gestured to Ziggy with his paw. At the same time, he lifted his tail and, without looking behind him, used it to point aggressively at the newspaper. Out the corner of his eye, Sparks saw Carmen move in and collect the paper off the table before Ziggy could see it.
It was almost nighttime by the time Dante and Rico returned.
"So…nothing? Nothing whatsoever?" Sparks asked.
"Nothing…" Dante murmured.
It was a quiet night, a calmness that did not befit the anxiety slowly growing within the guild. Sparks had taken a page out of Ziggy's book and was sitting out in the courtyard with Dante to talk with him. The only difference being that it wasn't raining.
"We got to the spot where it had shown up," Dante said, "Even confirmed the location with a copy of the newspaper and a local's help. Couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Not a single thing…"
"You were out there for a really long time," Sparks observed.
"I was trying to be thorough…"
Sparks sighed and looked up at the sky. Dusk was falling and some of the stars were starting to show up. It was a little chilly, but not enough to bother Sparks. Besides the excitement with the newspaper in the morning, nothing much had happened that day. Everybody had gone off to do jobs, despite some feeling a bit nervous about the Nihilego, and Sparks had spent the day with Ziggy.
"I was sure there had to be something…" Dante said, "Something that others might overlook."
Sparks looked at him and nodded. "I figured you'd be all over that," he mentioned, "But still nothing?"
"Ugh…" Dante sighed, "Maybe it was just too late. Maybe there would have been something if I had shown up within a couple hours."
"There wasn't much to notice after our encounter with it, besides some damaged trees. Jules stayed there for a few hours after we left, and he didn't notice anything. Still, though, you have a knack for seeing things that others can't…"
"Mm…"
A moment of silence passed, and Sparks leaned back on his paws to look up at the stars again. He still didn't really know what to think about this mysterious new creature. His curiosity and his anxieties about it were clashing in his head.
"Well…" Dante said resignedly, "I asked Carmen to tell me immediately if it shows up again, instead of waiting until morning. I need to see this thing with my own eyes before I can figure out anything about it. Before I can come up with a plan to…keep everybody safe."
"Heh, well I'm not worried about that," Sparks said, trying to lighten the mood, "Keeping Pokémon safe is what you're best at. We all know that. The whole world knows that…" He grinned at Dante and chuckled, but saw that Dante still wore a grim look on his face. Sparks' smile fell and he looked away. Silence reigned for another minute or two.
"I'm glad you came back," Sparks said.
"Hm?"
"I feel safer when you're here…"
Dante didn't say anything at first. Then, eventually, Sparks heard him chuckle softly. "Do you remember…All those years ago…A certain Pikachu who once said the exact opposite of that?"
"H-Hey, c'mon now," Sparks retorted, his cheeks burning slightly, "I was young and stupid back then."
Dante laughed louder. "It matters not. Things worked out in the end…They always tend to do so…"
"So, how has our young shiny friend been doing?"
Sparks started slightly, as he had been reclining on the couch and staring off into space. It was three days later, and the guild had been quiet and uneventful since the shocking newspaper. Sparks rolled his head to the side and saw Dante standing next to the couch.
"Huh? Ziggy?" Sparks said as Dante took a seat next to him.
"I haven't seen him around much lately."
"Ah…Yeah. Something's still bothering him."
"Still the same issue?" Dante asked.
"I'm not completely sure. He hadn't been in much of a talkative mood…" Sparks thought about it for a moment and then added, "He doesn't seem upset. He just seems…troubled."
"Ah, truly?" Dante remarked, "Well that is at least marginally better."
"Is it?"
"It means his mind is working," Dante replied with a little grin, "The gears are turning."
Sparks explained to Dante how Ziggy had been quiet, moreso than usual, and kind of distant over the past couple of days. The Buizel seemed to want to spend more time alone and often found himself distracted.
"I think he is stuck," Dante said afterwards.
Sparks gave him a look. "'Stuck'?"
Dante nodded. "He is between two very important points in his life…Two very notable steps in his own personal journey. He's just a little bit stuck in between them. We all go through something like that at least once in our lives…"
"Huh…" Sparks furrowed his brow and thought about Dante's explanation. It did kind of make sense, at least from an outsider's perspective. After a few moments, he sat up straighter and said, "I'm going to go try and talk to him."
"Sure," Dante said, "Just be gentle. You know if something is stuck, being forceful will just get it stuck worse."
"I'm always gentle with Ziggy," Sparks replied, "For better or for worse…"
Sparks politely excused himself from Dante's company and immediately headed for the dorm rooms. At the moment, Ziggy was holed up in his room having completed his daily chores. Sparks hadn't thought too much of it since, as he had said, Ziggy didn't seem upset.
He knocked on the door to the Buizel's room. "Come in…" a quiet voice said from inside. Sparks then used his badge to open the door and stepped inside. He found Ziggy sitting on his bedding, staring up in the general direction of the window high up on the wall. He didn't even regard Sparks' entry.
"Hey, buddy," Sparks greeted him, "Everything okay?"
"I guess…" Ziggy answered. He paused, and then said, "I dunno…"
"Seems like there's something on your mind," he said, "Like somethin's eating away at you. Anything you wanna talk about?"
Ziggy was silent and didn't reply. He did turn and look at Sparks with an emotionless expression, but then went back to looking out the window a moment later.
"Buddy…You can talk to me about anything you want. You know that, right? I'm here for you…"
This seemed to have a bit of an effect on the stoic Buizel. He was quiet for a few more moments and then finally admitted, "I'm just…thinking about stuff…"
"Oh yeah?" Sparks said as he went over and sat next to Ziggy on the bed, "Well, thinking about stuff is good. Anything in particular?"
"Just kinda…thinking about what happened… Y'know, with the cubs and the Simisage."
"Mhm…" Sparks replied patiently, letting the Buizel talk at his own pace.
"I dunno, I guess I just realized how…stupid it was…"
Sparks blinked, not expecting that particular answer.
"Just so dumb… That's the thanks I get for trying to help somebody…" he muttered, "That and about a thousand other dumb, stupid stuff because of my dumb, stupid fur. I just…" Ziggy then sighed, and Sparks could hear just a hint of frustration. "I hate it… Javier protected me from getting hurt so I wasn't really scared about what happened, but instead I got angry about it…"
"Yeah…" Sparks agreed, "It's not good either way you look at it…"
Ziggy cast his gaze downwards and just stared at the floor while he continued talking. "I guess…I kinda just thought back…to all the times I've been so afraid. I was afraid of so much, and I guess I still am. I feel a lot better than before, but… It sucks, Sparks. It sucks always being afraid. And Pokémon like her are why I'm always afraid…"
"Oh, I know. I know, bud," Sparks said, "I mean, you were maybe more anxious than was necessary, but your fears do come from a justified place. I don't think anybody blames you for being nervous."
"That's why I was mad…"
"Hm?"
Ziggy looked up at Sparks with a sad expression. "I was mad because Pokémon like her keep making me scared…"
Sparks looked into Ziggy's eyes and said, "Oh. Ohhhh, I see…"
"You were right, Sparks," Ziggy said.
"About what?"
"When I first came here…You were always telling me that not every Pokémon out there hates me because of my fur colour. You kept trying to convince me that I didn't need to be scared of everybody because a lot of Pokémon just don't care. And you're right…"
Sparks wasn't sure how to respond. It was true that he had been trying to hammer home that message to Ziggy for a long while and he was happy to see Ziggy acknowledge the truth, but why did he seem so upset to be saying it?
"But…" Ziggy eventually continued, "Some of them are angry Simisage, Graveler, Sandslash or Clefable…"
"Wh…?" Sparks murmured, and then he realized what Ziggy was saying. Another puzzle piece fit into place in his mind. "Oh…Oh, I hadn't even thought about it in that way…"
"I have to be scared of everybody…" Ziggy muttered in a miserable tone, "Because they might, just might, try to hurt me like they did…"
"Ah…Ziggy, you're r-"
"And I hate it!" Ziggy suddenly shouted, catching Sparks completely off guard. "It sucks! Why does it have to be like this? Why can't I feel safe just walking on the street or trying to freaking help somebody?"
"I…"
Ziggy threw his head into his paws and immediately started weeping. "I don't want to be scared of everyone anymore!" he wailed, "I'm nice! I'm friendly! Aren't I?"
"Oh, Zig, of course you are," Sparks said as he scooped the distraught Buizel into a hug, "You're very nice and friendly. Anyone who's smart enough to stop acting stupid and actually get to know you is sure to like who you really are. You're a wonderful Pokémon, Ziggy."
"I just…I don't know what to do…" Ziggy whimpered, "I'm trying to get away from the life I had before…but this life seems just as hard sometimes…"
Sparks sighed. He rubbed the Buizel's back a little to try and get him to calm down. "You're right, Ziggy. It's not fair, is it? It's not fair at all. I wish I could just stop all of the injustice right now…"
"Ngh…" Ziggy grumbled, his tears already starting to subside, "Sorry, Sparks…"
"Don't apologize for your feelings, Ziggy. I've told you this a thousand times."
"I want to change…" Ziggy continued, "but I just don't feel like I can. Feels like I'm just useless, taking up space, because how am I gonna be able to do anything with my life like this?"
"Ziggy," Sparks said, a little more firmly, "You are a very special Pokémon. There's a reason that you're still here, living and sleeping in what is usually an area reserved only for elite members of the Rescue Society. I didn't expect to still be in your company all these months later, but I am and I certainly don't regret it. Nobody here does. You've become a really great friend to all of us, Ziggy. You've wriggled your way into our hearts, and we all care about you. We're worried about you, yet we also want to see you succeed."
Ziggy didn't say anything. He remained in Sparks' embrace and wiped the tears from his cheeks.
"This was supposed to be a temporary home for you," Sparks continued, "Just…a place you could stay so we could get you off of the streets. But, y'know, more and more…I'm starting to think that the guild is your home."
With a sniffle, Ziggy looked up at Sparks. His eyes wide and curious, despite the few stray tears that remained. "Huh…?"
"Everybody has a place in this world," Sparks said, "I think yours might be right here. With us."
"Y…You think so…?" Ziggy murmured warily.
Sparks smiled compassionately at him. "I think you fit in just fine, don't you?"
Ziggy glanced away for a moment as a look of deep thought passed over his features. "But…But Rescue Society Pokémon are supposed to be brave and strong. I'm not either of those…"
"No, no, no," Sparks said, shaking his head, "Those are traits we appreciate, sure, but you don't have to be brave and strong to be a part of the guild. Danika isn't strong and she probably wouldn't label herself as 'brave', but she's here and she's an elite member." Sparks paused for a moment, and then laughed awkwardly. "Not to put Danika under the spotlight or anything. That's just an example."
Ziggy looked conflicted. "But…"
"Members of the Rescue Society, above all else," Sparks said, "are supposed to be helpful. That is the trait that links all of us together; every single Pokémon in this whole building. We all like to help others. That is entirely what the Rescue Society is all about. We 'rescue' those who are in need of assistance."
For a brief moment, a flash of emotion appeared on Ziggy's face. It disappeared a moment later, and Ziggy just continued to look up at Sparks with his inquisitive eyes.
"You like helping others," Sparks observed, "It's honestly one of the most surprising things I've learned about you. Not so much the fact that you're helpful, but just how helpful you are. That trip you took down into the depths to rescue a Nidoran cub is evidence enough of that."
Ziggy's voice was quiet and wavering when he finally replied. "Y…You really th-think so…?"
Sparks smiled warmly and said, "Am I wrong?"
For a moment, Ziggy glanced away as if giving the notion some thought. "You're right…" he eventually said, "You're right, Sparks…" He looked back up at Sparks and continued, saying, "The more time I spend here, the more I realize it. I…I do want to help others. I really do. I feel like, i-if it's possible for me to help, I should, and I will…"
"That's great," Sparks said, "That's a wonderful thing about you."
Ziggy didn't seem very upbeat after giving his answer, though. To Sparks' confusion, there was sadness in his eyes still. "I…I just…" the Buizel murmured.
"What?"
"I feel like…I have to…"
Confusion growing, Sparks tilted his head and said, "What? What do you mean by that?"
"I want to help others," Ziggy said softly, "because…because nobody…ever helped me."
Sparks' eyes went wide.
"For years and years and years…nobody ever helped me. Not once. I was on my own, completely." Fresh tears welled up in the Buizel's eyes. "Do you know what that's like? Going through every single day by yourself, with nobody there to help you? Nobody to support you? Nobody to…l-love you?"
"Z…Ziggy…"
Ziggy clenched his eyes shut as tears streamed down his cheeks once again. "I have to do what I can…I have to help others, because… I don't want anybody to ever go through what I've gone through…" He sniffled and wiped some tears away. "I want to give them what I never got…"
Sparks could only stare at the distraught Buizel for a few moments. Ziggy's words had touched his heart, and he could feel tears of his own starting to build. He had known for a while that Ziggy had a helpful bone somewhere in his body, but he had no idea it ran this deep. After trying multiple times to come up with something to say, he eventually just shook his head and hugged the Buizel again.
Ziggy wept softly into Sparks' embrace. "S-so…it hurts…when I'm treated so badly when I try to help…"
"I get it, Ziggy," Sparks said, "I truly get it. When someone tries to attack you because of your fur, it leaves more than just a physical scar. It punctures way more deeply into you than anyone else could possibly realize."
"Sparks…" Ziggy moaned softly, "I'm sorry…I'm not good enough to help…"
"No, Ziggy, you're wonderful. That was the most wonderful thing I've ever heard any Pokémon say. Ziggy, you have a big, big heart, and that's something you should never let go of. Honestly, hearing all of that just makes me want to help you even more than before. That's the closest thing you've ever told me to a dream, Ziggy, and it's a really great one."
Finally, Ziggy hugged Sparks back. "I want to help, Sparks," he said, "but I'm not strong enough…"
"Ziggy, I just told you that you don't have to be strong-"
"No, I know," Ziggy interjected, "But…You gotta be at least a little bit strong, right? At some point, being really weak just gets in the way…"
"Ah…Hm…" Sparks murmured, "I…suppose that's fair." When Ziggy sighed in resignation, Sparks added, "But, that doesn't mean it's something you can't change."
"…I…" Ziggy whispered, though his words died before they could come out.
"You've already changed a lot, Ziggy. And all for the better! You are capable of change. You are capable of becoming a better, stronger Pokémon."
Again, Ziggy was silent for a few moments before answering. "I…guess you're right…" he said, a pensive look on his face. He looked off in thought for a moment, and then grumbled softly. "Javier saved me," he said, "He protected me. And, well…I just keep thinking about what would've happened if Javier hadn't been there…"
"Mmm… That is a valid fear, yes."
"Javier is really fast and strong!" Ziggy said, switching over to a slightly more upbeat tone for a moment, "I had no idea."
Sparks chuckled. "There's a lot about Javier that he doesn't like others to see about who he is. He's a really private Pokémon."
"I just realized I never really properly thanked him," Ziggy said with a cringe, "I should go do that after…"
"I'm sure he would appreciate that."
"But yeah, anyway… I just keep asking, what if he had walked too far ahead and couldn't get back in time. Would I have gotten hit? Or worse? Would I have gotten hurt? Could I run away fast enough?"
Sparks glanced down at the Buizel and saw him twiddling his forepaws. He looked lost and thoughtful, but also quite worried.
"Well…" Sparks spoke up after a moment, "Maybe you should think about training with Angelo…"
Ziggy's gaze shot right back up to Sparks. "C…Combat training?" he blurted.
"No…Well, I mean, yes that is what Angelo does, but I was thinking more along the lines of just pure self-defence. Maybe learn a few low-level Pokémon Moves that could help keep attackers at bay without really hurting anybody. You'd be surprised how effective a weak Water Gun can be…"
"Oh gosh…" Ziggy murmured, looking unsure about the prospect, "I mean…M-maybe? I guess you're right, it would be good to learn how to defend myself, but…I-I dunno…"
Sparks reached over and patted Ziggy on his shoulders. "I think it'd be a good idea. And I know Angelo looks scary sometimes, but he's actually really nice and he just wants to help, like the rest of us. He won't take things too far if you don't want him to. He'll just teach you whatever you want to learn."
"Umm…" Ziggy murmured indecisively, "I…I guess I could give it a try."
"Sure! It might make you feel a bit braver about yourself. That can go a long way."
Ziggy then looked up at Sparks with nervous eyes and asked, "Can, uh… C-can you come with me, Sparks?"
Sparks' supportive smile faded away. He shook his head and said, "Sorry, Ziggy. I can't."
"Why not?" Ziggy asked, frowning.
Sparks just averted his gaze and tried to hide the dark look on his face.
A moment later, Ziggy gasped. "Oh! Oh, right…right…because it's fighti-"
"Yes," Sparks said, cutting him off abruptly.
Ziggy shrank back. "I'm sorry…"
"It's fine," Sparks said, closing his eyes and shaking his head to clear his mind. "Sorry, bud. I'd like to, but…I can't. I've never seen anybody's training with Angelo. But he's a good Pokémon. Seriously, he is."
"M-maybe I'll ask Kona…"
Sparks' smile returned and he said, "Sure! That sounds nice. I'm sure he'd be happy to join when he can find the time."
"Okay…" Ziggy audibly gulped. "Okay, then…I'll give it a try."
"Good to hear. I really think it'll help your self-confidence."
Ziggy was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again. "Do…you really think I…'belong' here?"
"Of course," Sparks said compassionately, "We're here to support you. We want to see you succeed. And I think sticking around here will lead you down that path."
Fresh tears welled up in Ziggy's eyes once again. "No-one's ever said that to me before…"
"That you belong somewhere?"
Ziggy simply nodded and wiped away his tears.
"You're one of us, Ziggy," Sparks said, "Regardless of the definition, you are one of us, Ziggy."
"Thank you…" Ziggy whispered, looking like he was overcome with emotion, "Th-thank you…" He took a shuddering breath and then said, "And…you know what?"
"Hm?" Sparks replied. He glanced down at Ziggy, and was briefly shocked when he saw Ziggy's expression. Despite the tears still being there, Ziggy wore an uncharacteristically determined look.
"I'm gonna do my best!"