"Increase the number of requests in the board (the apprentices keep complaining about the lack of variety), help Mienshao with managing the paperwork (like always), get in contact with nearby teams (if any), finish assignment with the expedition society (Dedenne won't shut up about it), volunteer to patrol outside the walls of the city (my feet could use the exercise!), tell Axel to stop singing at night (seriously, I'm all for experimental music, but that's just screaming. I wonder how Snow can take it?)"
-Sardar Cinderace of the Odyssey guild, Notes for the day.
The night was eerily quiet in the Oasis Village. No pokémon dared to leave their homes, and most merely choose to sleep it off. Paradoxically, the wind was howling loudly, drifting sand and the shining stars above being the only inhabitants of the dark and cold outside. Usually, the winds wouldn't be nearly as strong, but most pokémon already noticed the ever crazier weather.
Inside a simplistic hut in the village, three pokémon innocently unaware of the outside were all sitting on the two beds the house had. A pichu in one of them, while a jangmo-o and a togepi, both looking spent, rested in the other. They were playfully huddled together, sharing stories.
"And then, when I turned around" -the jangmo-o lifts her frontal clawed paws dramatically- "Their hand was inches from my snout, burning with a dark aura! They were ready to-"
"Ah-haI knew they were the b-bad guy!" Lawrence declares, interrupting her all of a sudden, pointing triumphantly at the dragon type pokémon.
"No you didn't! It was a surprise!" Mirari rebutted, her paws still dramatically frozen in the air.
"Yeah I d-did! Seriously, he is like, the most generic evil guy possible!" The togepi continued, pointing at the dragon. "He was giving major evil vibes since the beginning!"
"N-No he wasn't!" Mirari tried to counter. "They seemed like a perfectly fine and kind pokémon!"
"No they didn't! W-Who uses a creepy black trench coat in the middle of the d-desert!? In the DAY!?" He hurriedly said, chastising the dragon. "That is such a red flag! Why'd y-you even talk to that guy!? He d-didn't even respond!"
"I told ya already, I was looking for you! And he looked cool, so I assumed he was an explorer! I kinda felt safe around him..." The jangmo-o kept staring down at the togepi, before they could continue, a third voice spoke.
"Felt safe around a guy that's dressed l-like something you'd see out of those books we probably can't read?"
"That's… strangely specific, but at the same time not specific at all! Huh!"
"Okay, okay… What happened next?" Pichu asked, defusing the 'argument', making the two look at her. Mirari proceeds with her tale.
"Well… Mama came in the last second! And she saved me!" The dragon makes an exaggerated movement with her claws, before dropping them with a smile.
"That's a relief but… What that strange pokémon wanted with you, after all?" Pichu couldn't help but ponder.
"And where is miss Kommo-o anyway? S-She hasn't returned yet…!" Lawrence gulped at the thought of something bad happening to their only guardian.
"I'm sure she's okay! Mama is very strong!" Mirari nodded, always with her positive smile. "And about that pokémon… I honestly dunno! Maybe he was just a bully that wanted to pick on me or something!"
"That's… Not a very compelling motive." The togepi said, unimpressed.
"But it is a valid one." Pichu retorted, shrugging.
"U-Ugh… Just thinking about it gives me the creeps!" The togepi closes his eyes and hugs his little shell armor, shivering a little, "I don't know what's worse! Him having a bad reason for attacking Mirari, or none at all!"
Mirari answers the male's worries with a dismissive yawn, stretching her scalie body a bit, "Well. It doesn't really matter now. Mama's gonna take care of that." The female jangmo-o shakes her head, her eyes half closed, "Uf, after that mess, I feel like I could sleep forever…"
Pichu mimics the dragon's actions, yawning cutely herself, putting her little paw on her mouth, "Hm… It is getting quite late. I should go home…"
"You could stay here. Walking to your house at this hour must be a p-pain!" Lawrence invites her with a smile.
"That's a wonderful idea, Lawry! Then tomorrow we can play right away, Pichu!" Mirari grins and nods, thinking of fun post wake up activities.
"I don't really have class, so I guess it's alright…" She gulps and looks away, somewhat embarrassed, "there are only two beds, though. I prefer not to be a bother…"
"Oh, don't worry! I can sleep with Lawry! He's already here with me anyway." The little dragon happily nudges the small fairy with her big, heart shaped head scale, "He makes for a pretty good pillow, as it turns out!" She playfully teases.
"I'll accept it. But only because you make for a fine, i-if a bit scaly, blanket!" He fires back at her just as playfully, pushing her away as was the norm between them.
"Ah-hah! I knew you liked when I made ya sleep with me!" Mirari beamed and giggled at him.
The togepi huffed and looked away, "Hm! It was either learning to l-like it, or l-living in everlasting ago-"
He couldn't really finish his sentence due to a large jangmo-o overpowering him, nuzzling the poor togepi whilst pinning him down against the straw bed, "It's nice to know you like it so much! You can always sleep with me whenever you want!"
The flustered Lawrence clearly tried to rebut, but his words were muffled by the large body on top of him. He did seem like he was trying to hug her back with his little arms though.
Pichu could only silently stare at the scene, with a smile. "Are you sure you don't know each other since birth?" She interrupted the duo once more, "It does seem quite hard to believe you've met not that long ago."
Mirari, as always, was the first to reply, pulling her head away from the fairy type's diminutive form. "Oh! Erm. Lawry's like… Really fun to have around… Erm… And stuff!" For the first time in a while, the grey scales of the dragon type turned a little red. Not truly answering anything.
"Didn't know you were actually capable of blushing. Guess you really did miss me." He jokingly replied.
"Shush! I'm still mad at you for leaving me all alone and worried!"
"So you d-demonstrate your frustration with... compliments and hugs?"
"W-Well, I told you already, I was very worried too! Thought you fainted inside another crater in the middle of the desert or something!"
"You wished I fainted on your bed so you c-could lay your big scaly head on my… egg...shell…chest… stomach...?"
"See! That's what I mean!" For what felt like the millionth time this night, the Pichu interrupted the duo once more, "If I wasn't here, I feel like you could keep talking for hours! It's quite amusing!"
The duo opened their mouths to argue back, but they really couldn't. They knew that they surely talked for more than a few hours before, especially when they were still in bandages, and would no problem do it more times if they weren't interrupted.
"Mirari is a good speaker, I guess. S-She surely can keep a conversation interesting."
"I know right!" She wholeheartedly agreed, as if they were speaking of another pokémon entirely, "I like your reactions though! Never expected such a tiny fairy like you to have so much snark, Lawry!"
"You think I'm snarky? I wouldn't really call myself Thaaa-" Lawrence soon found his argument being interrupted by a yawn, exhaustion catching up to him.
"My, we really stretched that chat, haven't we?" Pichu commented before yawning as well.
"I needed that! But I could stay up if I really wan-" Mirari was barely able to speak, before collapsing on the straw bed, clearly burning more stamina than she actually had.
"Why you- This has to be intentional!" Pitifully the togepi tried to push away the big head that was now on top of him, his meek slaps barely being felt at all.
Pichu could only giggle at the sight, "You did say she made for a fine blanket. Hope you were speaking the truth!"
"Oh Hah-hah. Very f-funny."
"Cheer up! We'll go see Elder Crustle tomorrow, he must know a thing or two of that pendant of yours."
"That's right… At least I have something to look forward to… other t-than…"
Strange and loud snorting and grunting could be heard coming from the fallen dragon on top of him.
"...Those."
"I like to sleep with sounds. Makes it seem I'm not alone."
"But you aren't! We'll be here with y-you!"
Lawrence said that in a very honest way, but he couldn't quite fathom the impact those few words actually had on the electric mouse. Her heart skipping a beat. Pichu could only bury her face in the nest and smile widely, successfully hiding away from the unaware fairy.
"So don't ever compliment Mirari's snores, ok? Trust me, s-she might go out of her way t-to practice them if she finds out they are a 'good quality' of hers. Don't ask me how I know." His comical response mixed with his gentle honesty just made the electric type chuckled louder than before.
"Goodnight, Pichu! Thanks for everything today. We'll continue tomorrow. Sleep well!" He managed to utter, slowly falling to sleep, much like Mirari.
"Bye Lawrence. Thank you…" She whispered to herself, shyly smiling to the sleeping fairy under the snoring dragoness.
She pressed her paw against her chest.
She couldn't remember the last time she slept in the dark. Ever since that fateful day in her house, her dreams have only been filled with light.
Why did it feel like her heart was beating faster? In a strangely soothing way too…
Chapter VII: Introspection
-Outskirts of the village-
Clang. Clang. Clang.
A lonesome figure slowly walked through the sands. Braving the elements was the easy part, what was really bothering her were her thoughts.
They were possible scenarios, most of them filled with dread and loss.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Kommo-o considered her scales a blessing, but she had to admit they could be a bit much sometimes. Especially when her body was badly bruised, her stamina was nonexistent and she had to carry her possibly broken arm with her other claws.
At least, she thought, the small droplets of blood that fell from her snout to the ground were quickly covered by the endless streams of sand.
The big dragon often had a plan for everything. She prided herself in her organization and ability to make a guideline for every situation, no matter how unlikely or impossible the situation may seem.
But never in her most paranoid dreams she could ever prepare for what happened. Her past coming back to haunt her in such a horrible and sudden way… And the fault belongs entirely to the hu-
No. She couldn't think like that.
He was just a small, defenseless child that could barely muster enough strength to hurt a joltik.
He was just an amnesiac pawn in a much bigger, much deadlier game.
And above all, he provided the joy she, as a failed parent, could never give to her little one.
Perhaps it was time of letting go after all. Even sooner than expected.
So much for a smooth trip. She had to stockpile some more supplies. Finish the letter… Explain the situation...
She could see her house. Her vision was getting blurry.
Body was feeling numb all over. Started to stumble and gasp loudly.
Had to stay awake.
Couldn't sleep.
Had to make breakfast for hatchlings.
Couldn't sleep.
Had to kiss them goodnight.
Couldn't sleep.
Had to wish them a good day.
Clang Clang Clang
Had to protect them.
Couldn't sleep.
Didn't want to worry them.
Couldn't… Die…
Had one last thing to do.
As a member of her former team.
By her oath.
As Kommo-o.
As a mother.
She squeezed her arm.
She felt her eyes closing.
Her consciousness was fading.
She braced for it.
Her body started feeling numb.
Her heart was slow.
Clang… Clang….
Then as soon as she felt she was going to give in, she mercilessly twisted and turned her injured arm, her body getting paralyzed by the sharp pain.
A small tear formed in her eye as she bit her tongue, trying to avoid screaming. Sending only muffled grunts of agony.
She then viciously twisted her arm one more time with her healthy one, locking the broken bones in place, and quickly grabbing her scarf to bandage it and keep them there.
The kommo-o didn't even notice, but she was on her knees, her legs failing from the pain alone. The single tear falling and quickly being buried by the sands below.
The adult's desperate breathing and fast beating heart were a relief. Turns out, when everything else fails, pain sure is one way of keeping yourself conscious. That and sheer maternal worry.
This crude method of fixing her injury would have to do for now. At least until she could get a number of sitrus berries and some potent ointments. That cursed thing had aimed straight for her arm once more, trying to disable her from fighting back.
That creature was strong and It was getting closer and closer to what it wanted.
But after this encounter, she finally had a plan.
-?, Sand Continent-
Often, it was unheard of ice type pokémon ever daring to go to the sand continent, let alone making their living there.
The climate was, as one would expect, not very hospitable at first glance. The dreaded sun scorching mercilessly every inch of the giant wasteland, even the few parts that weren't all out deserts weren't safe from Solgaleo's tyranny.
Not only that, the lack of reliable water sources and great distance in between settlements was of great worry as well. Especially when you were a member of the pokémon type that needed the most strict form of internal temperature regulation to properly function.
But for the yellow eyed sneasel that silently crossed the desert, this was all nonsense. Victimism, he believed.
He called these harsh deserts his home for Arceus knows how long, and never once did he complain. Besides, there's always the mountains or the more green area up north.
But he believed the deserts of the Sand Continent were the true test of a pokémon. Only the strong thrive in this hellish maze of sand. Only those with might truly dominate those dunes, and become true survivors. True predators.
To him, the many negatives that came from living in the sand continent were far outmatched by the positives.
Besides, not many places in the world one could find a more pleasant night time than here.
Ironic how such a hot place in the day could become so frigid during the night. Sneasel couldn't help but lift his head up to the starry sky, feeling the insanely cold breeze licking his dark blue fur, and his red feathers while the stars above reflected on his bright yellow eyes.
And besides, nothing was more fulfilling than when he, an ice and dark type, came back with a complete task.
The look of shock on their faces when they saw that he took down an outlaw twice his size, most likely with some type advantage and infinitely more at home in the sands… Hah, he couldn't help but laugh at the thought alone.
He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the thrill of the hunt either. Stalking his prey through days or even weeks through the harsh deserts was like a game to him.
A game, of course, he refused to lose. Much like everything else.
One of the many perks that comes with living on this giant rock: Dead or Alive posters.
Ah, how he loved those.
Whilst in most other continents you were limited to bringing an outlaw back alive, though of course not necessarily unharmed, at the risk of not being rewarded by the authorities, in the Sand Continent you had the option to take the more…
...Messy approach.
Not for all criminals of course! Only the ones most other pokémon wouldn't really miss.
Like this bozo he was hunting. Annoying bitch. Always on the move, likes to burrow underground for cover. She travels in a group too, apparently. It's easier to find them hiding in the night. Wanted for thievery, robbery, extortion, conspiracy to murder,violence against young pokémon… The list goes on.
Despite the lower rewards and the overall bad looks a dead target often gets you, the sneasel just couldn't bring himself to care. If he had the option, it would be stupid not to use it, right?
And hey, this dead or alive thing is only available in some cities too! Arceus knows some pokémon are faaaaaar too concerned with the feelings of criminals… Perhaps that shows their own corrupt morality.
But again, who was he to judge? Morality is overrated anyway. The ones in power choose what's 'moral' and what's 'immoral'.
That's why he liked to think of himself as a very moral pokémon. Or at least he hoped to become one.
Those topics on his mind were nothing new to him, but when you traveled alone for days to no end, sometimes having those moments of introspection really helped to keep your sanity in check.
Though the sneasel's thoughts were soon interrupted by a presence he failed to notice sneaking up on him.
"Well, well… what do we have here?" Came a deep, growly voice from behind him.
The sneasel could immediately feel sharp, deadly claws touching his back, ready to cut him in half any minute, "A lost little ice type. Don't you know the mist continent is the other way, icicle head?" The sneasel rolled his yellow eyes, lifting his claws in a surrendering pose. 'Ugh. Gonna be one of those assholes, huh?'
He used the corner of his eyes to barely see a krokorok smirking evilly from behind him, examining his catch and trying his best to intimidate him. Honestly, he wasn't impressed. Just your average grunt that did the scouting for the pack.
"Nothing to say, eh? Guess I'll have to do the talking!" He thrusts his claws inside the smaller pokémon a bit more, dangerously close to drawing blood. "Hand over all your valuables and I might consider not giving your guts a moonbath."
The robber grabbed Sneasel's explorer bag with his free claws, waiting for him to hand it over.
"Sure. But you seem to have dropped something." Was the first thing the ice pokémon said to the krokorok, without a single hint of emotion in his words.
"Huh? Stop messing with me! I'll skin you alive! My claws can slash through anything!"
"I'm just saying. Might be a bit hard for you to carry my things…" The sneasel calmly faked trying to reason with him, only to suddenly spin his body around.
Easily he freed himself from the bag he carried and the ground type's claws in less than a millisecond, his icy-cold claws picking the momentum generated by his movement to swipe straight at the criminal's left wrist, cutting his hand clean off, forcing him to drop the bag he tried to rob.
"...Without your hand." He completed with a sadistic smirk, his yellow eyes shining creepily under the moonlight.
The krokorok was in shock. His brain barely had enough time to process the pain, let alone what just happened. He could only take a step back and clutch the bloody stump that once was his deadly clawed hand, ice growing on the wound.
As soon as the grunt was going to react, he felt something piercing his throat. An icy, three clawed spike was now impaling his neck. His own prized hand. Frozen.
He couldn't even scream to warn the others.
The last he saw in life was the sneasel he tried to rob on the air in a kicking position, apparently right after he launched his claw like an arrow straight on his neck.
Just like that, with a thud, the thug was no more. Sneasel just rolled his eyes, wiped the blood off both his claws and face, then grabbed his now sand-bathed bag with that same unamused expression.
"You weren't kidding."
-Mirari's House-
More often than not, her dreams were pleasant. She often pretended to be in scenarios she read on stories, or sometimes she dreamt of being in seemingly impossible places, exploring her absurd surroundings with glee.
She especially loved the ones where she pictured a gigantic mountain. And she was standing victoriously on top. She enjoyed drawing that scenario in particular, her mother even criticized her for drawing the same thing over and over again instead of doing something more productive.
Though today, as if the day wasn't stressful enough, her dreams refused to cooperate. She had lost count of how many times she had fallen asleep, only to be awoken moments later, thanks to the endless streams of bad dreams.
After she came back home, her heart never stopped racing for the entirety of the night. She was surprised Lawrence didn't notice her fast paced heartbeat. Maybe he did. One more uncertainty to add to her list. She managed to keep it together by talking and being social, until it literally consumed all energy she had.
These last few days, she had felt more and more things she previously thought she'd never feel. Fear. Worry. Powerlessness.
And today, after what happened in the desert, Mirari's mind had been in overdrive.
She honestly thought she was a goner for a moment there. She thought she had actually lost Lawrence, and she thought that the strange pokémon was friendly… she was wrong in every single one. She disliked being wrong. But she was still happy everything turned out okay…
Through her fear and insecurity still lingered on. Like a weight she couldn't remove. She needed affection now more than ever, her mother often left her starved of it enough as it is.
She refused to tell the others because it would just bother them…. Okay, fine. She didn't tell them also because otherwise she would seem weak.
She just hoped her mother would be okay.
She hoped Pichu liked being around her.
She hoped Lawrence wouldn't mind giving her hugs or sleeping with her.
She hoped he would keep talking to her.
She wished she stopped having those damn nightmares and would just sleep alrea-
"Hey…"
Wha- Was her mind playing tricks on her? Had Mirari fallen asleep at last?
"Mirari… You awake?"
The dragoness slowly opened her weary red eyes, only seeing the ceiling of her simplistic house.
"See, you were shifting a lot. Usually when w-we sleep together you stay still…" Lawrence explained before even being asked. "Plus, your snores weren't slowly eating away my soul."
"Ah… I guess you're right. I'm sorry. Did I wake you up… with my silence?" Mirari said with a hint of melancholy.
"Oh, it's fine. I wasn't that sleepy anyway."
"You don't have to lie, y'know. You're bad at it."
"Y-Yeah… Well, it's hard not to wake up when your 'awesome dragon muscles' keep moving on top of me, hahah…"
The jangmo-o moves her head away from the small togepi, curled into a ball, with her eyes staring at his, her much bigger face inches from his, both feeling each other's breath.
Lawrence stared at the much bigger pokémon with a worried expression, "Are you okay? That's usually the part when you say either something endearing or boastful..."
"Not feeling like it…" Was all she said, in a hushed tone, very uncharacteristic of the dragon.
"Tell me what's wrong. Please. You're w-worrying me."
The dragon gulped and turned her gaze away from the small fairy, thankful for her faint blushes to be shrouded in a blanket of darkness. "It's… nothing, really. Everything's fine."
"You are terrible at lying as well."
"N-No I'm not…" Mirari gulped, her heart beating a little faster.
"Was it something I did? Something I've said?" He questioned and pressed onward, still trying to be mindful and avoid being pushy.
"No…"
"Was it the desert? What happened there?"
"No."
"Um… I-Is it something with miss Kommo-o…?"
"oN."
"What?"
"'No', but backwards. My tongue was getting tired of saying it."
Lawrence rolled his eyes and facepalmed.
"Okay, I get the hint…You have something on your mind and you'd rather not talk about it." He sighed. The sight of him clearly going out of his comfort zone to try and reach out for her made the dragon feel sad, but she didn't waver. She didn't want to bother him with her selfish, annoying negative thoughts.
Nor did she want to show that much vulnerability. Least not now she was feeling far too stressed…
"I… I really don't know what to say, I don't think I'm good with those emotional things like you are…" That was an entirely genuine compliment, with no hint of sarcasm or joke involved. Damn these fairies and their silver tongues! She was feeling the weight of guilt increasing, begging her to just be genuine and speak her mind like she always does, even if it would hurt her pride…
"B-But I can feel you're sad… worried… I don't like seeing you like that…" Would it be so wrong if she spoke what she thought to him? Would it really be more negative if she entrusted him with her worries? Would he really think less of her if she, for once, showed vulnerability… Like she did on that cave with sableye when it was collapsing,
She couldn't help but scoff at her own weakness at that point, almost killing them both. Yet another thing that haunted her.
"S-So… I'll try and do something about it!" He smiled as he looked at her. Mirari soon looked back at him, their eyes meeting.
"Hm?"
"What was that um… Thing I had to do because I lost our little bet?"
"Bet? Oh, you mean that super-duper stealth training thingie?"
"Yes. I never did pay the forfeit now, did I?"
"Your point being?" The jangmo-o truly had no idea where this was going, but she was curious.
"... I could sing to t-try and soothe you into s-sleep…" He gulped, clearly very nervous and insecure about the offer, but still making it to the dragon.
The fact that she just stared at him with a completely neutral expression, still processing what the whole thing meant, "...What?"
"Oh, y-you heard me… It's stupid, b-but I don't know what else to do…"
And there he was again. Pushing himself far from his comfort zone once more. Was he really that concerned with her?
"...You know you don't have to. It's fine. I'm fine, really."
"Sure you are. Well, I-I'm not a good singer. At all. S-So I'm sorry if I just give you more nightmares with the horrible s-sounds I'll produce." He seemed to close his eyes, deep in thought. As if searching for anything that could aid him in this situation. A memory of something that was long locked away.
Lawrence was completely lost. He was terrible at improvising, but seeing his first and dearest friend so down, so… unlike herself inspired him to try and do something. Even if it could backfire horribly and instead of soothing her, he'd make her laugh at how bad it was.
As long as she wasn't down, it would still count as a victory for him.
Ironically, the only song that came to mind was the one she helped him remember all those days ago, when they first met on that crater.
Funny how a girl he met not that long ago, as Pichu accurately put it, made such an impression on him. That's the effect of suddenly waking up being amnesiac, in the wrong body and in a world he believed impossible, he supposed.
Still, he never thought he would offer to do something so embarrassing. Ugh, this reminded him of one of those damn musicals he loathed. How ironic life can be…
Well. Time to stop delaying the inevitable. God, this will suck.
"My tea's gone cold and I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all…" The little fairy started singing surprisingly fluently, much to the surprise of them both.
"The morning rain clouds up my window, and I can't see at all…" His pacing was slow, savoring each word with his sweet tone. Though his hesitation could be felt by the jangmo-o.
"And even if I could it'd all be grey, but your picture on my wall," he kept going, even closing his eyes as to not look into Mirari's. Little did Lawrence know, but she was transfixed on the melody.
"It reminds me that it's not so bad, it's not so bad…" He finished, gulping and opening his tiny eyes, only to see Mirari's half closed.
"That… wasn't so bad. Didn't know togepi could learn sing…" She said between yawns, now feeling much less stressed, even a bit light headed actually. "It really helped…"
"That's good to hear. Being sad doesn't suit you." He smiled at her, she immediately smiled back.
Lawrence then felt a little clawed paw grab his stumpy arm, pulling him in a very strange, yet quite warm scaly hug. His head pressed against her body, as her head wearily touched his, "Thanks, Lawry. Really." She muttered, in her now sleepy and serene tone, yawning loudly before continuing, "Never heard… That one before."
"It's from the human world… I quite like it." He yawned back, her sleepy mood was infectious, "I remembered some of the lyrics when we first met…"
"There you go again with that human talk…" She rolled her eyes, too tired to properly argue back.
"You really don't believe me, d-do you…?"
"..."
"Mirari… we're friends, right?"
"Of course we are, Lawry…"
"But don't friends s-support and believe in one another?"
"Mhm…"
"T-Then why don't you…?"
He cut himself short as the unmistakable sounds of her snores took over the silent home. Lawrence's body was pressed against Mirari's still. Yet instead of peaceful comfort, doubt and sadness overtook his mind. Especially as his thoughts drifted to the many questions he still had about himself. About the future, present and past.
And the fact his closest and first friend didn't believe him only boosted his negativity.
-Oasis Village, Residential Area-
Clang… Clang… Clang….
Pain was stabbing at every inch of her body.
The cold, gentle breeze of the desert only reminded her of the bruises and blood that painted her prized scales, whom were both dancing and singing with the wind without a care.
The sand that drifted aimlessly acted as little pebbles that were hurled at her injured body.
And yet, despite her pitiful state, Kommo-o was victorious in her mission.
She rested her clawed hand on the front door of her house. Its rough and tough texture soothing her stressed mind. The walk towards her home had felt like painful years, even if it took mere minutes.
Looking back to the now darkened desert behind her, she could see her trail of blood being covered by the nightly sands. Good, it would mean that tomorrow, the other villagers wouldn't be too worried about a crimson path that led to her home. The less questions they asked, the better.
With her injured arm still hanging painfully, her bones barely held together by the scarf, the dragon type had to let go of her home and start holding it once more with her good arm, if only to ease a bit of the sharp pain the bruised member still caused.
Entering her house, the first thing she heard was the gentle (yet quite loud) snoring of her daughter. The little dragon seemed to be having pleasant dreams. She could tell just by looking at the hatchling's expression, her calm breathing soothed Kommo-o, who gave one of her rare smiles at the sight.
Though she couldn't help but get a little sour as she saw the small togepi Mirari seemed to be clutching for dear life.
She knew it was irrational, she knew it was very childish of her and she knew it was highly unhealthy… But Kommo-o felt anger when she stared at Lawrence.
Anger at him for making her have to fight for her life.
Indignation at him for disturbing the peaceful life she fought fang and claw to give Mirari.
Kommo-o resented him for the danger he put her precious daughter in by just existing.
She hated him. If that creature wanted him… Then perhaps...
A small glow of pure energy started materializing on her good hand, as it clenched into a fist.
Maybe… She and Mirari could still live their quiet life… If she just…
The glow quickly expanded, turning into an orb of aura.
Perhaps it would be quite merciful of her… For all of them... To get rid of him…
Kill the human…
She lifted her arm, pointing straight at him, the glow darkening, turning a reddish purple.
"Miss Kommo-o…?"
As soon as she heard that sweet voice, she snapped out of it. The energy dissipated from her clawed palm, and she suddenly was her again.
Kommo-o turned around to see a Pichu, whose expression could only be described as one of pure horror.
Stoic as ever, the dragon merely managed to utter a very raspy "Didn't know… You were here… Slept… Well?"
Pichu could easily detect the weariness and the sadness on the big pokémon's voice. Not only that, but even whilst cloaked by the darkness, the petit mouse knew she was badly injured. The scent of blood and the sound of it gently dripping on the floor was unmistakable.
What sealed the deal to her was the sight of Kommo-o almost falling, barely catching herself with her good arm. The large dragon was struggling to remain awake, now on her knees.
Pichu immediately ran off, trying desperately to catch her. Her small arms barely able to hold the big dragon's middle claw, yet the electric type still tried in vain.
The sound of her clanging scales and her grunts of pain, plus all the rest of the commotion made the both the fairy and dragon wake up from their cuddled sleep.
Only to have the same horrified expression as the pichu.
"MOM!" Mirari was the first to act between the duo, dashing to try and do… something. The jangmo-o herself was unsure what.
Lawrence was stunned at the sight, still groggy from sleep, he seemed to have awakened to find a nightmare before him.
"Healing… Berries… In the kitchen… Big bag on the right… Go…" She muttered, eyes closed shut, head lowered.
The two females ran off immediately there, while Lawrence remained frozen, completely unsure what was happening still. He eventually mustered the will to take a step and leave the straw bed/nest, approaching the big adult and closing his eyes, trying to use that strange healing power he seemed to have.
"I'm… Sorry…" The adult whispered.
"E-Excuse me…?"
"I'm sorry…" She repeated, voice dripping with sorrow.
"For w-what, miss Kommo-o?" Lawrence looked up at her, his stumpy arms touching her leg as she kept breathing heavily and struggling to not faint.
"Waking… you up…" She muttered, "And trying to hurt you…"
Her mind kept repeating that scene. She kept remembering charging her aura, ready to attack the poor child… And maybe even hit her own as a result. Those whispers were masked as her own feelings, but they felt twisted. Corrupt. Alien.
Terror fuelled her when she pondered what she could have done in that moment of weakness. What sort of otherworldly force had compelled her to do such a heinous and out of character act? What sort of vile sorcery was at play here?
The togepi's hands shone a bright color, piercing the darkness all around them, and slowly healing the adult. Though it was far from enough to properly mend her, it acted as more of a painkiller than anything.
"U-Um, don't worry about it, miss!" The togepi interrupted her train of thought, "I w-wasn't really sleeping anyway…" The still distressed fairy tried to soothe her, naively believing her half truths.
The kommo-o let out another little smile, just on the corner of her snout. She could never blame nor hurt such an innocent hatchling, it would go against everything she once fought for.
The sight of the togepi hugging her leg, plus how he and her daughter were sleeping together just moments ago managed to reenergize Kommo-o. The life dew was far too weak, but it was if the fairy could somehow soothe her heart. She heard something of the sort relating to this particular species of pokémon.
"Little one…" She started, with her ever so strict natural tone, "You do... need to work your deception skills a bit."
Lawrence tilted his head, then sweatdropped when he noticed her playful tone and expression. It was very easy to miss those cues on this big, expressionless scaly pokémon.
"You're not… the first to tell me, actually." He couldn't help but smile slightly as well.
Suddenly, the two young pokémon came to the adult and the fairy, both carrying as many berries as they possibly could, immediately giving them to the big dragoness with haste. "WHY DIDN'T YOU EAT THOSE WHEN YOU GOT BACK!?" Barked Mirari, in her ever so emotional voice.
"AreyouokayI'msorryIdidn'tknowthatpokémonwasacreepohArceusyou'rehurt!" The quadruped female squeaked at a breakneck speed, surprising everyone but her mother.
"Breathe, child." Commanded the kommo-o, noticing the extremely distressed state the jangmo-o was.
"Miss Kommo-o, we must patch up your wounds Immediately! I read on that book you gave me that-"
"A-Am I helping miss? I'm not sure I-I'm doing anything, maybe I could do more b-by-"
"OhmyArceuspleasetellmeyou'llbeokaymamaIpromiseI'lldothedishesandstudyallday-"
The three children were all loudly trying to talk to her, and as such talking over one another, clearly all wanting to help or do something their own way. Kommo-o had her eyes closed, merely picking up one of sitrus berries and biting it. The healing juices quickly doing their magic. Though it would still take much more, it was a start. The hatchlings' loud ramblings continued all around her, yet her mind was focused on something else entirely.
She had to plan their route. For them to survive, they had to go to the big city. It would be a matter of time until that creature decided to throw caution to the wind and enter the village. Or worse…
She looked out her window. Outside, one would only see darkness and sand. But to her trained eye, she could make out a shape outside. Far away. It's cloak drifting with the wind, it's red eyes glowing under its hood. Both silently taunting and stalking the inhabitants of the hut.
It wanted the human. And, as today's events let very clear, it wanted Mirari too.
A/N: This chapter is quite funny, because it wasn't really meant to be! Some context: The lack of updates was due to my pc exploding and me losing a lotta time trying to get it back. Though thankfully, I have! And while in the process of catching up, I decided to create this quick chapter as a small "introspection" for each character! (Save for Pichu, she'll have her moment on the next one...) It seemed you guys liked the interaction of the characters, so I guess a more slow and character centric chapter like this one would be of your liking! This one has a bunch of dialogue- so it's a good training for my writting, I guess! Forgive me for the waaaaaay too slow progress, but as I said before I don't plan on fading away anytime soon! Happy 2021 everybody! Thanks for the reviews and the support once more! I promise things will get faster in the coming chapters, if that's an issue!
