Chapter 5 - Reverence
I spent the rest of my second semester feeling like I was going to lose my mind. Even though I stopped my treks up in the trees, the town has turned itself upside down on its search for the vigilante. Maybe I'm exaggerating, maybe I'm not. One thing I know for sure is that the local newspaper isn't really helping to stop it. Their speculations mysterious Pokémon could be almost always makes in on the front page. Their publications are probably the reason why nearly everyone I pass by in the forest is looking skywards. Any member of my species of a masculine persuasion is eyed with suspicion. Obviously, it's not to the point of prejudice, more like to the point of veneration or something, but it's kind of uncomfortable when everyone keeps looking over their shoulders at you.
This town-wide crackdown is not only driving me crazy, but also affecting me on a personal level. Joy squints at me more than she already does, and just being near Mabel makes me tense up. Listening to her fawn over my unknown alias is more awkward than the first time she came to cry about her romantic mishaps. Even if she was actually talking about someone else, does she ever realize how weird it is for me - a guy - to listen to her detailed fantasies?
"Doesn't this hero sound like such a dreamboat? I even had a dream about him last night! We were alone together on the beach and we started making out and everything. Oh... I really wish I could meet him again..."
"Mabel, you're umm... getting a little too excited again..."
"Oh! Sorry! I was just thinking out loud."
"Could you... maybe... you know, be more aware of who you're saying this to? Don't you have your other gal friends to talk to?"
"Hey, I said I was sorry! It was an accident! It's not my fault this guy is a total hunk!"
"*Sigh*..."
I keep picturing the moment when Mabel finds out, if she ever does. Will we still be friends? Will she hate me? Will things ever be the same? I just can't bear to lose her friendship over some silly misunderstanding. Honestly, what did I do to deserve being put in such an unusual situation?
Flynn seems like he's the only one who's been keeping a cool head about it all. Despite everyone acting like they're on a witch hunt, he seems more concerned about his own affairs. For some reason, no matter how many times I tell him the girls are coming over, he has yet to fulfill his promise to at least be in the same room with Joy. Trying to figure out what he sees in her is impossible. How can he act like a beacon of manliness when other women are around, but not around Joy? If I didn't know any better, I'd say Flynn's setting himself up for one big disappointment.
Unless, there is something I'm missing, and if I am, she's really good at hiding it.
Until that bipolar Flareon makes up his mind, I can do nothing but pray that everything will blow over soon. Trying anything would only accelerate the process of me getting compromised. All I can do is wait, and watch as my paranoia rises bit by bit. Over the course of the past month, that little newsgirl has appeared at my doorstep more times than I can count, and each time I feel like she's getting closer to unveiling the truth. I'm worried that my little diversions can only buy me time for so long. Dedicating myself to relaxation and laboring in my garden are probably the only things keeping me from going over the edge. It takes my stress away, but not all. I still find myself jumping at my own shadow or at the sound of rustling leaves whenever a breeze goes by.
Saying that I'm troubled doesn't even come close to describing how I feel. I don't care if everyone if singing tales of the hero's exploits and reveling in their deeds, because some are apparently looking to pick a fight and "try this guy out for size". What can I do? I can't even hurt a fly if I had to! Nevermind trying to sneak in a quick knockout punch like before, they never saw it coming, but these guys most certainly will! What'll happen if they find out? What if they want to kill me? What if-
"Boo!"
My heart stopped for a second, and I recoiled so hard that I fell off my hammock that I was trying to nap on. Laughter followed right after, I picked my head up from the grass to see Mabel grinning ear to ear.
"Hah! Works everytime!" She snickered. "Oh Milo, don't ever change."
For a moment, I thought it was the reporter again, and relief coursed through me when that wasn't the case. Though seeing Mabel again so soon isn't exactly that much better. "Mabel, what the heck!? What do you want?"
"Listen, I have a plan to find this mysterious hero! It's totally fool-proof!"
Oh, this should be good.
I got up and dusted myself off. "What is it?"
"Okay, so you know how this guy only shows up when someone's in trouble, right?"
"... Right."
"So what if I, hypothetically, were to put myself in a dangerous situation?"
I raised a brow. "Do you know how crazy that sounds? There hasn't been any new sightings of this guy ever since he saved you. What if he doesn't show up?"
"Relax, I'm not actually gonna hang from the edge of a cliff or something. It's just has to be believable enough." She waved a dismissive paw in my face. "Besides, it's worth a try."
"Okay so, why are you telling me this?"
"Why do you think?" She countered before suddenly tossing me a camera, it was so out of the blue that I almost failed to catch it. "I want you to come with me. I need you to hide somewhere and snap a picture of this guy!"
I fumbled the black device, trying to figure out how to turn the thing on. "Umm… why do you need a picture? Are you going to publicize it?"
"Not exactly..."She suddenly began to exhibit a bashful posture, along with the faintest shade of pink appearing on her cheeks. "I have a few things in mind..."
My eyes narrowed when I found her tone to be a bit unsettling. "... Okay... well, I don't think I'm the right 'mon for the job."
"What are you talking about? We're Leafeons, remember? There are tons of things in this forest that we can use as camouflage!"
"No, I'm uhh… I'm really busy today. I have to study for an exam soon."
"What exam? We just had one yesterday!"
I started to feel a little a sweaty. Can't she just get the memo that I couldn't be bothered right now? "Yeah but… I just wanna… get a headstart on the next one and all that." I handed the camera back to her. I was never able to find the "on" button, but she doesn't need to know that.
The Leafeon groaned and turned around in a sarcastic manner. "Fiiiiine, I'll just go ask Joy or something."
"Wait, are you going to do it now?"
"Of course I am! Why wait?"
A dreadful feeling welled up inside me, and I stared blankly at her figure as she padded towards the Cradily campus. Whatever she's thinking, it probably won't end well. Mabel is just enough of a scatterbrain to get herself hurt somehow, especially when she's all caught up on something like this, and I can't have that on my conscious. I had the urge to personally make sure that nothing goes wrong, without her knowing, of course. If I wanted to keep a watchful eye on her, I would need to keep us isolated so we don't attract too much attention. I know of one secluded spot in the forest where no one typically goes, so I called out to her before she was out of earshot. I casually pointed to my right and told her that I've heard strange noises at night over there, which thankfully convinced her to conduct her experiment there when I said it must be nearby his secret hideout.
Once I was sure she was gone, I finished up garden duty and went back inside. I fished my scarf out of my drawer and wrapped it around my neck. Despite all the trouble it's caused me, I still felt a surge of courage pulsate throughout my body as I put it on. It was almost… euphoric.
I can't believe I'm doing this.
Mabel and her assistant arrived at the lonely spot shortly after I did. I shrouded myself atop a tree at the edge of the grotto, which had a small pond with a large stump along its banks. Only a handful of Pokémon knew about this area, and those that do rarely show up since it's kind of swampy.
Turns out that Joy wasn't too eager to join in on Mabel's shenanigans, and probably decided to sit this one out. That Sylveon from way back had volunteered instead. I was never able to get her name, but neither have I ever been acquainted with Mabel's other friends, aside from the terrifying Espeon, and that was only by coincidence. The fairy-type eeveelution tried her best to hide in a bush, but I don't think she was aware that her tall pink ears were sticking out from the top of the shrub, not to mention that the sunlight was glinting off the lens of the camera. It was quite the hilarious display of clumsiness.
No wonder she and Mabel are friends. They make an adorable duo.
I watched with amusement as Mabel proceeded to cannon-ball into the pond and shout as she pretended to drown, fake-stabbed herself with a stick, and, after a considerably long episode of back-and-forth arguing, had her buddy come out of her hiding spot and try to strangle her with her ribbon-like feelers. Even as she did so, the Sylveon continued to complain that she didn't want to look like the "bad guy" out of fear that the hero may take her as the villain and attack her. It was hard not to at least smile at the childish spectacle. A few rebellious chuckles managed to escape from my throat, but my scarf helped muffle the noise.
My free source of entertainment soon turned into one of horror when I saw an Eevee with a pink cap waltz up to them. The blessing that was my distance between them became an inconvenience as I could not hear what they were saying. I didn't dare try to get up close to eavesdrop, just in case that Eevee happened to have a third eye on the back of her head or something. She was probably just interviewing them, so it likely wouldn't be that important anyway. My safest bet would be to back away slowly and retreat. I'm sure Mabel will be fine as long as her friend was there, even if they're both total ditz's.
I took every leap from one branch to the other with extreme caution. One wrong step could-
*SNAP*
My day's second attempt on giving me a heart attack began when I happened to step on a weak treelimb and caused it to break. I landed on my rump as I hit the ground. If those girls couldn't hear the "thud" I made from the impact, then I can be very sure that they heard my scream during my fall. When I got up to rub my precious behind, I could already hear three sets of footsteps moving in on my location. I dove into a bush without thinking, and I made especially sure my ears weren't sticking out.
"I could've sworn I heard something here." I heard Mabel say.
"Shush! Not so loud!" The reporter hissed in her distinctively high-pitched voice. "Whoever made that sound might still be around."
"Wait… I think I smell something…" Mabel said. She sniffed as she inched closer and closer to my hiding spot. "Strange… this scent is kinda familiar..."
I couldn't see anything through the dense bush I was in, but I could sense that Mabel was mere centimeters away from me. My heart was pounding so hard that I wondered if she could hear it.
Crap… it's now or never!
I flew out of the bush and bolted off in a random direction. I ran as if my life depended on it, and in some ways, it was.
"Oh my god it's him!" The Eevee shrieked. "Wait! Come back!"
"Stella, quick! Take a picture!"
"W-Wait! W-What button do I press?"
"Stella!"
After sprinting for a solid minute or two in a direction that was anywhere but towards my house, I hid behind a thick tree and panted heavily as I peeked my head out to see if I was being followed. I considered going up in the canopies again, but that would be too expected. There was no sign of them, but I stayed where I was for a half-hour to make extra sure. The thought of chasing after me must've never crossed their minds, which is surprising, but I'm not going to complain. After determining that I was safe, I hurried my way back home.
I'm never doing that again.
That's it, no more being a ninja for me! I've had enough close calls to last a lifetime! I crammed my scarf deep into my drawer and vowed to never take it out again. It was fun while it lasted, but my poor heart can't take anymore of this. I reclined onto my sofa and covered my eyes with a sigh. I might've just reset the timer on when everyone calms down about this whole ordeal, now that that reporter has seen the hero for the first time.
She didn't recognize me right? Right?
Why of all times did I have to fall at that exact moment? That's easily one of the worst times for something like that to happen! I was just trying to make sure Mabel didn't impale herself on a rock, and this is how karma decides to repay me?
I exhaled when I noticed my growing frustration. I need to calm down before I go off on a tangent and make things worse. A good nap might just be what I need. I underestimated how tired I was, and I ended up sleeping through the entire afternoon and night.
Flynn came to visit me while I was watering my plants the next morning. His face looked grim, so this definitely wasn't going to be one of our happy-go-lucky exchanges. For once, I decided to start.
"You don't look happy."
"Yeah, I don't." He deadpanned.
"Well, you didn't just come here to tell me that, right?"
"Yeah man, you see, I've been hearing things. Be real with me here."
The way he said those words made ears perked up from alarm and I looked at him with wide eyes. Crap, did that Eevee find out who I was? Has the news spread like wildfire while I was asleep?
"Uhh… is this about Joy or…?" I asked in a shaky voice.
"Of course dude. What else would I be talking about?"
My body loosened back up. Yesterday might have given me the jitters, but it's probably unhealthy for me to jump to conclusions so quickly. It won't end well if I act suspicious in front of the wrong Pokémon. "So… did something happen?"
"No, but apparently she's going to go study abroad this summer."
"So what? It's not like she's transferring to a another school."
"Yeah but, I'm not going to see her all summer! This puts a huge ass dent in all my plans." He said solemnly, unaware of the fact that he was hugging his bushy tail for comfort.
"By 'plans', do you mean hiding in your house whenever she and Mabel come over?"
"That's why I'm here, I'm gonna show up this time. You have to tell me the next time you guys are hanging out. Promise me."
"Okay okay, I will. You know I've always been telling you anyway." I sighed. "Why are you so worked up about this? You've been able to survive all of last year without seeing her."
"I have been seeing her last year, dude, always from afar." He turned to look at the sunny sky. "Whenever I feel down in the dumps, a glimpse of her is all I need to give me the strength to go on. And how can I do that when she's gone for the next few months?"
"Whoa, I didn't think you were that into her."
"Yeah well, I am." He glared. "So it would mean a lot to me if you do this for me."
"I just said I will, didn't I?" I replied innocently. His composure was admittedly a little frightening to me, but I was more confounded at the fact that he was capable of being so sentimental. "I'll be sure to keep an eye out, okay?"
"Yeah, thanks man." He rested a paw on my shoulder before walking off towards town. I watched him disappear until he was gone, slightly awed at what just transpired.
For the rest of the day I waited for Mabel to bust through my door and start talking about yesterday for so long that her head might fall off, or my ears would start bleeding, whichever comes first. In fact, I expected her to wake me up during my long power nap, and it was a pleasant surprise when she didn't. I seized the opportunity to relax and take in the sunlight whenever I could, but deep down I was waiting for her to sneak up on me. Still, she never made an appearance, so I went to bed with a clean state of mind. The next day was the last day of the weekend, which is when Mabel and Joy always come to hang out. I took care of my daily chores and patiently waited for them to arrive, but again, they never did. Perhaps they were busy with their own things today? I enjoyed the freedom of having the whole weekend to myself, as it certainly helped with my sanity, given all that's been happening as of late, but I have to admit that I was a bit lonely without them.
Have I always been so used to their company?
I realized that the little reporter also hasn't showed up to press me at all either. Could it be that I'm finally in the clear? Was she satisfied with all the information she had gathered? Did she think I was someone else? It might be too optimistic, but those thoughts alone made me giddy. I guess it was actually a good thing to let them catch a glimpse of me, even if it did cut a few years off my lifespan. Hopefully, once that girl stops feeding information to the press, everyone will calm down after a while. I allowed these happy thoughts lull me to sleep that night.
I awoke to the sound of incessant knocking on my door. I wiped my eyes before looking at my bedside clock. The hour-hand had just about reached the midnight mark. Who could be up so late?
"Mister? Hey mister! Are you there?" A squeaky voice echoed throughout my house.
I splashed some water onto my face before going to answer the door, where I was immediately blinded by a brilliant flash of light once the door had opened all the way, and then the sensation of something furry brushing past me followed soon after. When I could finally see again, the first thing I noticed was that there was a tiny crowd of Pokémon in front of me, and I recognized them all to be members of this friendly neighborhood, except for Flynn, but he's a pretty heavy sleeper so that's to be expected. Mabel and her Sylveon companion were also among them. They all looked like they were holding their breath as they stared at me.
"Uhh… hey guys… what are you all doing here?" I said with a shaky voice.
They didn't answer, and their expressions of disbelief remained unchanged. The unnerving silence was broken when I heard sounds of ransacking going on behind me. I turned around to see another individual who has been notably absent recently. The Eevee slowly padded around my abode, hanging her head low so she could sniff for a scent trail. She eventually reached a specific drawer of mine and stood up on her hind legs to slide it open, then started rifling through its contents, digging up and throwing papers and other random items behind her as she did so. My confusion quickly morphed into a panic attack.
"H-Hey! You can't just do that in somebody's home!" I yelled.
Before I could close the distance between us, she had already found what she was looking for. She held up my beloved scarf in a victorious fashion, and jumped up so high in the air that her pink hat almost came off. "Aha! I knew it! I knew you were him, mister!" She said with pride.
I stopped dead in my tracks with my mouth ajar. My utter bewilderment left me unable to move, forcing me to watch as my worst nightmares were about to come true.
Collective gasps were produced by the small congregation outside when the little girl galloped out into the assembly, presenting my prized garment will a satisfied grin.
"I should have known it was you all this time! I gave you the benefit of doubt, but it was you all along, mister!" She smiled an innocent smile before pulling out her notepad out of her fluffy collar, flipped to a page with a bunch of scribbles, and showed it to me. "I didn't want to believe you were lying to me at first, but none of what you said matched up with your neighbors." She flipped to the next page. "Then you made the mistake of being lured over by your friend here." She pointed to the Leafeon in the crowd behind her, who looked like she just saw a ghost.
I wasn't but okay.
"She said she smelled berries right before you fled, and you were the first Pokémon that came to mind!" The little Eevee became so excited that she was bobbing up and down. "You're the only one around here that grows a garden, but everyone that knew you didn't believe me when I said you were the hero, so here I am to prove how right I am!"
She had explained her entire process of exposing me, and as good as her detective skills were, I was still too much in a state of shock and denial to react to a thing she said. I looked up just in time to see Mabel's face flare up to the point where she could be mistaken for a fire-type. She screamed before she started to wildly scamper away, dragging her friend along with her.
"W-w-wait! Mabel!" The Sylveon cried. "W-Where are we going!?"
Not even a comedic spectacle like that could knock me out of my astonishment.
This isn't happening! This is all a bad dream! I need to wake up!
"Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mister! You're gonna be famous once this story hits the shelves!" The girl yipped with delight.
I stood as still as stone as the ecstatic reporter dropped my scarf in front of me, snapped a second picture with another blinding flash of her camera, and then skipped off into the dark woods while humming a cheery tune. It was like she didn't just humiliate someone seconds ago.
My disorientation at what was happening continued to rise until my mind and awareness of what is going on around me went completely blank. When I came back to my senses, the rest of the onlookers had already gone back into their homes, but there were still lights shining out from their windows. Were they still watching me?
I went back into my dwelling and quietly shut the door behind me. My emotions felt dulled, like I had lost the will to do anything. I laid down on my bed and stared at my clock. Roughly ten minutes had passed, and that was all it took for my life to start crumbling before me. After a long period of staring at the ceiling, I started to tremble uncontrollably. Even when I pulled my blankets over me and squeezed my eyes shut to try to go back to sleep, I still couldn't stop shivering.
Thanks so much for reading! Remember that I'm always happy to read your reviews!
