Chapter 11: Bravery and Foolishness
"Th-this isn't right, brother! You have been a mighty protector, but you are no king! You cannot do this to our neighbors- to our friends," Darumaka yelled in spite of his trembling voice.
"You dare to question me?" Darmanitan howled, unable to believe the impudence. "I've defended the village for a thousand nights while you've slept safely in your bed. A hundred great foes have fallen before me. What foe have you faced?"
Darumaka whimpered meekly in return.
"That's right. So how dare a coward like you argue when I say that I know what's best for our people?"
The crowd shuddered at Darmanitan's yelling. Their once lauded hero had become an icon of fear. No one could challenge his might, and no one could question his will.
But one seldom heard voice called out from the sea of faces. The croaking voice of the strange human.
"He's facing you, who has felled a hundred great foes."
Murmurs ran through the crowd. A brief moment of lucidity overtook Darmanitan's rage as he looked into Darumaka's eyes. Had that resolution always been there?
~ The 14th Tale, The Hero Tyrant
"And Claydol told me you were the only water type in town, so... That's where we met," Rex concluded his story with a stretched-out yawn.
It wasn't like Rex to open up so much to a stranger, but telling Wimpod the story of how he'd landed here had served a practical purpose. Two, actually. For one it kept his head focused on something other than sleep. With every step he took he was one step closer to finally taking a nap, and his drooping eyelids could sense that.
The other was distracting Wimpod from his own neurosis. Whenever Rex stopped talking for a bit, the bug started twitching and muttering to himself. His eyes would shift from side to side like he was plotting an escape route. And inevitably Rex would have to speak up again, just to stop him from bolting.
That said, he'd had to gloss over the details about the spirit. Wimpod was wincing at the slightest mention of trouble, so the spirit and his threats would surely send him packing. They were nearly to the town now, and once they arrived he could pawn the coward off on someone else.
"That's all very- uhm- well it's very- brave of you," Wimpod stumbled out. "So we're- we're, uh... what are we planning to do when we ah... get there, yes? How exactly am I supposed to- to help them?" Wimpod asked.
Rex shrugged. "I'm sure they'll find something you can do. You can make water, yeah?"
"I- well- technically, yes..."
"Can probably help them prepare water then. I mean ideally someone will catch this guy before he lights the whole place up, but I imagine they're gonna take precautions."
"Right, some buckets. Just... filling some buckets... like... no danger at all. Perfectly normal..." Wimpod muttered to himself.
Rex just sighed. Bringing Wimpod along was probably pointless, but at least he could say he'd tried.
Wimpod continued to grow more visibly anxious as they walked, but Rex's will was spent. They were coming up on the village now. The bug could live with his own disordered thoughts for a bit.
Just like last time, Rex didn't see the village until he was already inside it. Only then did the faint specks of color begin to reveal themselves. Then in an instant he saw it all. The many shrine-like buildings hiding amongst the trees, and the unusual species moving quietly along narrow, subtle paths.
Wimpod suddenly cringed, seeing through the illusion himself. He glanced around at each building like they might grow legs and step on him. He huddled a bit closer to Rex.
Rex ignored him and just kept marching forward. He was so close now...
Sunlight pierced the trees ahead... He stepped out into meadow and basked in the sun's rays. Even closed, his frills emitted a pleasant tingle. Maybe he could sunbathe and sleep at the same time? The thought put a huge smile on his face.
But not yet. He still had a few steps left to take.
From the meadow he could see Leafeon's farm clearly. He dragged himself over and followed the winding path straight up to the door. He motioned to start knocking on the doorframe and then stopped himself. Right. His claws were too small.
"Hey uh... " a massive yawn cut him short. "Leafeon?" he called in.
No one answered.
With no energy left for manners, Rex pushed past the curtain and stepped into their home.
"Anyone hoooome?" he called. He peeked his head into the kitchen. No one. He yelled again up the stairs. No one.
"Uh- this guy... Er, Leafeon. His- his kid went missing, right? I had thought you said that. What if- what if he's out looking for him? Or uhm... maybe just out in the fields? If he's not looking for him, then I- I guess there'd be a reason for that, right? He wouldn't just be home?" Wimpod spoke up from the doorway.
Rex groaned. Great. Hide and seek with Leafeon. Just what he needed right now. "Let's check the fields. Guy is apparently a workaholic."
Rex pushed past Wimpod and stepped back outside, the bug awkwardly following behind. He set down the same row of crops he'd been working in a few days earlier. The farmer couldn't have gotten too far.
"Leafeon? Leafeon, are you here?" he yelled at the top of his little lungs as he walked, drained of any subtlety. Wimpod clamped his eyes tight at the noise.
After a moment, someone shouted back. Honing his eyes, he picked out Leafeon camouflaged among the crops and stumbled over.
Leafeon looked... worse for wear. The tiredness in his eyes had grown into visible debilitation. His fur was caked with dirt, some fresh and some dried. He was dragging a crate full of carrots towards them. He dropped it and acknowledged them with a nod.
"Helioptile," he said flatly in a voice too empty for cordiality.
"Hey. Came to give an emergency message," Rex mumbled out in an equally dead tone. "You heard about the whole spirit thing, right?"
Emotion stirred in Leafeon's eyes for just a moment. Then they faded to numbness once more. "Yes... Dusk and Spritz are out searching for... Dusk was going to ask Roselia for help. I'd assumed you were with them."
"Nope. Got tired of Bristle treating me like shit and walked out," Rex explained. Leafeon nodded with curt approval. "Joined up with Team Pride for a bit. Oh yeah, dunno if you knew about them- Jade Crest team that was in Flak Grotto. Anyways, we went looking for the spirit guy and found him. He kicked our asses. But he said he was gonna burn the meadow down tomorrow. So I uhm... " Rex couldn't resist another yawn. "I've been walking since last night to get here and tell you that. So uh... yeah."
Rex let out a sigh after finishing his warning. He looked at Leafeon and prayed the famer would just dismiss him, so he could finally go rest.
For a moment, it seemed like Leafeon would remain stoic. But fear cracked his facade.
"I- Thank you. I will..." he muttered. He turned his head down pensively and ground his teeth. "Dusk and Spritz are still out... "
"So uh, you good to alert the proper authorities, or whatever?" Rex asked impatiently. "I've uh... been awake for like almost a day and a half now. I need to sleep before I die."
Leafeon nodded without looking at him. "I'll alert the elder. And then... get someone to find Dusk and Spritz..." he mumbled more to himself than Rex.
"Cool, alright then, thanks!" Rex waved all too eagerly and then turned to leave.
"Uh... W-wait!" Wimpod's voice squeaked out. Leafeon turned in surprise, noticing him for the first time. "What- am um... What can I do? You know... if I can- if I can do anything at all..." his voice shrank.
Leafeon look at Wimpod curiously, and then glanced at Rex for explanation.
"He's a water-type. Figured he could help if stuff goes south."
"But... he's a Wimpod," Leafeon stated confusedly, staring at him blankly.
"I'm sorry," Wimpod said instinctively. "I'll- I'll do what I can. I hope... that's okay... I can uhm... fill buckets?" he offered lamely.
Leafeon looked at him quizzically. Then with a defeated sigh he relented. "Okay, sure. We can find something like that, I guess. Just let me know when you leave." He turned to Rex again. "Alright, I'll go alert the elder. Take your rest. When you wake up, the elder can tell you what we're doing."
The instant he was dismissed, Rex waved and scampered away. After getting that taste of sunlight before, he wasn't sleeping anywhere else. Not like he needed a bed right now anyways; he was tired enough to sleep on jagged rocks.
What was that about what "we're" doing, anyways? Why was he doing anything? He'd gotten bullied, beaten, and burnt out for this. And he didn't have a thing to do with any of it. As far as he was concerned, he had every right to go grab a berry juice from Quagsire's cafe and stay far away from this mess.
But of course, the voice was involved... If he left, he'd lose his only lead. And you know what, that damned... whatever it was... probably knew that! He was being egged on. Spurred right into getting involved. Because what other option did he have? Give up? Never figure out why he was a lizard in a strange world?
His bitter mood lifted the moment he stepped into the sunlight again. Well, for just a short bit of time, none of this would matter. He found a patch of soft grass and popped his frills open. The moment he did he instinctively let out a pleased sigh. He'd needed this more than he'd even known.
He fell onto his back, frills open wide, and shut his eyes with a huge smile on his face.
Bristle was not in a good mood.
No spirit. No Drapion. And no sleep.
And based on whatever was going on in Flak Grotto, she wouldn't be getting any soon.
They'd returned to the village to find Claydol in the long alley, instructing a small crowd of rock and ground types. Marowak leaning casually on his club. Rhyhorn and Sandshrew listening attentively. Dedenne stood apart as the sole type exception, holding a big sack behind him and twitching anxiously as Claydol spoke.
"This appears to be the full collection of volunteers. Should anyone know of a missing volunteer, please alert me now," Claydol instructed the group.
A Sandshrew threw a small claw into the air. "Graveler is still getting ready, sir!" he reported formally, like a school-kid addressing his teacher.
Claydol nodded. "Affirmative. We will wait for his arrival. I thank you again for gathering on short notice. Even if nothing happens, the Pokémon of Solemn Meadow will appreciate this display of solidarity."
The entire crowd winced as Bristle's shrill voice interrupted. "What's going on here?" she demanded. Umbreon stepped up behind her, glancing apologetically to the crowd.
Claydol eyed her silently for a moment, appraising whether to answer. "There has been an arson threat against Solemn Meadow. Dated for tomorrow. We are preparing a firefighting force to assist if anything comes to pass."
Bristle's tired eyes lit up. "An arson threat? By the spirit?" she asked hopefully.
Claydol's head clicked to the side as he examined her curiously. "Helioptile made mention of a spirit, yes."
Helioptile?! Didn't he run off? Why was he still involved in this? Couldn't he at least muster the grace to stay out of her way?
But whatever, that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she'd been given a second chance. One more opportunity to set things straight.
In iconic fashion, she puffed her chest and patted it boldly with her bud. "Very well! I will make for Solemn Meadow post-haste and catch this so-called 'spirit' in the act. There's no fire to fear if I apprehend him before he can start one!"
The small crowd stared at her doubtfully. Most of them turned back to Claydol for further instruction, dismissing her entirely.
"Good luck with that..." Rhyhorn muttered sarcastically, earning a few snickers.
"As a grass-type, I don't think you're the best for that. But if you come with us you could probably help with preparation?" Sandshrew offered.
Bristle scoffed. "Oh, whatever. I'll show you. Don't be surprised when you get there and there's nothing to do. Let's get moving quick, Umbreon."
Bristle turned to see Umbreon staring blankly at the murals. "This is a nightmare..." she muttered. "Mumble missing... Mumble kidnapped... Our home, burning... every time I think we've hit rock bottom... And all because I didn't keep an eye on him..." she scrunched her face, tears in her eyes.
Umbreon had been having quite a rough few days, hadn't she? Bristle had almost forgotten that in all of the frenzy. But she could imagine how the fox felt... everything crashing down all at once, and all because of a simple mistake.
Bristle respectfully waited a few moments before prodding her again. "There's nothing to be worried about, Umbreon. I'm going to stop them, and return your son. But we have to get moving. We need to stop them before it starts."
Umbreon turned and looked her straight in the eyes. Umbreon's eyes looked so tired... so empty. She was at her limit. Bristle was exhausted too, but she was made for this. She'd spent her life learning to keep moving. Umbreon hadn't.
"I think... I think it's best if I stay back," she sniffed, face dripping with guilt. "At this point, I'm useless. I haven't slept in days. I've been too worried, and being awake all day hasn't helped either. I- I hate myself for it. This is my fault. But I can't fix my mistake like this."
"You're- you're just giving up?" Bristle asked incredulously.
Umbreon shook her head. "No. Never. But if I catch a quick rest until their firefighting group heads out, and then move with them at a slower pace, I'll probably be more useful when I get there. Then maybe... maybe I can do something other than just follow you around," she lamented.
That... sounded a lot like giving up. Bristle couldn't imagine telling a client she'd stopped searching for them to take a nap at a critical moment. And Umbreon had even more of a responsibility to her son! But there was no point arguing with tired civilians.
"Very well," Bristle said curtly. "In all likelihood, when I see you again the threat will have been dealt with."
Umbreon nodded. "I hope so." After a moment's pause, Umbreon added. "Thank you, Roselia. This has been... rough. But you've really given this your all. So... thanks for that."
Bristle nodded, and patted her chest again. "That's my duty. I'm..." Bristle squirmed a bit. "I'm sorry I haven't gotten it done faster."
"It's- okay..." Umbreon whispered, tears forming again. "I need to go sleep. Claydol?" she called over to the innkeeper, who had resumed instructing the crowd.
"I am present," he called back.
"Wake me up when you're leaving," she asked, shaking off her tears and yawning. She crawled over into the shadow of the chasm walls and curled up.
"Very well. I will see if any of our volunteers are willing to carry you, so that you may rest on the trip."
Umbreon muttered her thanks and shut her eyes. He breathing quickly sank into a restful rhythm as she fell asleep instantly.
"And Roselia. I suspect you are departing immediately." Claydol added, his torso rotating to face her. She nodded in affirmation. "Helioptile has already sent advance notice. Please assure he arrived."
Bristle scowled but nodded. She'd make sure they knew- but she cared less about whether or not Helioptile had got there in one piece. She wasn't wasting any precious time she could spend hunting their spirit.
Without so much as a farewell, Bristle turned and made her way for Solemn Meadow. She slipped a vine into her bag and wrenched out a Chesto berry. She took one big chomp, and threw the rest fruit to the ground as the magic faded from it. It wouldn't take away the exhaustion, but at the very least it would keep her from falling asleep.
Rex felt something nudging against his side. He rolled over and did his best to ignore it. Sleep... sleep was nice...
"Um- Mr. Helioptile... are you- are you good to wake up now? Mr.?" a voice whimpered nearby.
Noooooo. No no no.
"I'm- I'm really sorry... But uhm... Leafeon said to see if you were ready to get up... and I uhm-"
Rex felt something tugging at his tail. That got him up quick. He shot upright with a growl, snatching his own tail away from whatever was touching it. His eyes sharpened to see Wimpod, already ten feet away and shivering at his sudden outburst.
"Don't touch my tail," he glared angrily at the bug. Realizing Wimpod was about to bolt, he quickly softened his expression. "But what do you need?"
"R-right. Leafeon t-told me to see if you were ready to uhm- wake up. He figured you- you wouldn't want to sleep too long, so you could help prepare."
Rex glared at no one in particular. A wrong assumption, but he wasn't going to say that out loud. But now that he was awake, he could hardly go back to sleep, could he?
Rex stood up with a yawn. He was still tired, but it was a manageable tired for now. The sun was on the other size of the of the sky now, so he'd probably gotten only a few hours of sleep. "Alright, what am I supposed to do?"
Wimpod skittered closer, finally coming down from Rex's growling. "W-well uhm, I think he told you to find the elder when you were up... I've been- I've been uhm... just exchanging messages... is all... But they'll probably have something more important for you."
Rex nodded. "Okay, and where is this elder guy?" He finally dropped his tail, eyeing Wimpod as he did as if the bug was going to rush up and touch it.
"I- I can show you where to find him," Wimpod nodded eagerly. "He's uh- he's very uhm... nice..."
To Rex's surprise, Wimpod didn't lead him right back to town. He wasn't confident the bug actually knew where he was going, given the grass was taller than him in some spots, but he kept quiet as Wimpod led him along the perimeter of the meadow itself. And to his surprise, they arrived at a large shrine along the edge.
The shrine blended seamlessly into the treeline, which explained why he'd never noticed it. The log pillars were spaced in perfect harmony with the trees around it, and the darkened interior gave the illusion that the far wall was just another row of trees. The green accents perfectly matched the hues of the canopy over them. If he looked away, even a little bit, it would blend back into the forest. And yet somehow, looking right at it, it popped right out amid the surroundings.
Out front, Rex could see two figures. A deer with twisted yellow horns was conversing with... Euuughhh...
Rex was prepared to turn around and walk away that moment, but just his luck he caught the deer's gaze. His head sank as he begrudgingly approached the deer, casting Bristle a cold glare for acknowledgement.
"Helioptile. I am glad to see you up. And Wimpod, thank you for bringing him," the deer addressed them. His voice was soft and friendly but had a commanding air. And his gaze with stern and rigid. Rex wasn't quite sure how Pokémon aged but going by the creak in his voice and his graying fur Rex assumed he was quite old. "I am elder Stantler, though you may just call me Oak." Oak bowed his head respectfully to Rex, who mimicked the motion as best he could. "I'll be with you in just one moment."
Bristle emitted a low growl towards Rex before returning her attention to the elder. "I mainly just came by to assure you were informed of the threat. But clearly Helioptile accomplished that before taking a beauty nap. So now I'm going to go find this spirit before they cause any more trouble."
"Hmm, and how do you intend to do that? Most of the village's fliers are already out searching. Did you have another plan?" Oak questioned respectfully.
Bristle snarled. "I'll figure something out. I'll search on my own, and if any of your fliers catch sight of anything, tell them to inform me."
Oak raised his head and stared into the air with faux pensiveness. A gentle smile formed on his face. "Well, if you go off into the woods alone, how will they be able to pass the message to you?"
Bristle grew more agitated. Even for her, Rex could tell something was off. She looked like a time bomb, ready to explode at the first person who crossed her.
"Isn't it their job to find people?" she snapped. "I'm not trying to hide from them. I'm not trying to hide from anyone. So shouldn't I be easy to find?"
Rex checked behind him to see Wimpod slowly slinking away. A quick reassuring look stopped his retreat, but he still refused to come closer again.
Oak looked down at Bristle with his sternness returning, but a pitying expression. "My dear, it's quite clear to me that you're on the edge of collapse. I understand you want to prove yourself, but-"
"Prove myself?" she hissed. "This- this isn't about proving myself. I don't need to prove-" she cut herself short and stared down with a stunned expression. "You are responsible for this village, aren't you? I think you of all people should be concerned with resolving this problem as quickly and efficiently as possible," she continued in a more restrained tone.
Oak slowly knelt down, bringing his head closer to her height, and gave her another gentle smile. "My dear, allow me to tell you a secret. All of this noise and energy... this air of unrest... it is nothing more than theatrics. There is no spirit of Flak Mountain. If I had not heard of them, my predecessors would have. This whole affair is the product of a particularly malicious prank. The 'threat' we face is by all odds no more than a single fire-type. Hazardous to a wooded hamlet like ours, yes, but a problem young Vaporeon alone could likely handle.
"Truth is, the young folk have an energy that's often woefully underutilized around here. This is the most excitement they've seen in months. I fear that those who have never seen a forest fire for themselves before may almost wish the threat is true. So I'm indulging that energy. Even if it's all for nothing, it's a bit of excitement and a good chance to bond as a community."
Rex swore Bristle's eye was twitching. "A prank? The multiple forest fires, missing child, and threat of mass arson is a prank?"
Oak's eyes sharpened.
"Yeah uh, probably worth noting that said spirit also took out all of Team Pride. I don't think this is something that should be dismissed," Rex chipped in. As much as he hated agreeing with Bristle, it had to be said. But that momentary kinship was killed by the smug satisfaction in her eyes at hearing Team Pride had failed.
Oak stood up suddenly and stared at them both in alarm. "Please clarify- how is little Eevee related to this? And you say they 'took out' Team Pride?"
"We believe Eevee was abducted by the spirit. We were tracking him and lost his trail where the spirit's initial warning was found. We later found his possessions on Flak Mountain shortly after encountering the spirit," Bristle reported.
"I went with Team Pride to try and track the spirit on Flak Mountain," Rex spoke up in turn. He ignored the glare Bristle was casting him, silently calling him a traitor. "He jumped us all under a smokescreen and was able to take the four of us. We think he had help though."
Rex cringed internally, for the first time realizing how much information they'd been omitting. He'd been exhausted this morning when he'd passed on the warning. But had no one ever informed this guy that a village kid had been abducted? He'd assumed Umbreon would.
Oak's demeanor had shifted significantly. The firmness had overpowered the gentleness. "I see. I'm afraid I was... woefully ignorant of the situation. We are lucky I had encouraged preparedness measures nonetheless."
"Then you understand now why I have to begin searching, post-haste?" Bristle asked impatiently.
But Oak only shook his head. "To the contrary my dear, it seems wiser than ever that you stay and rest. Even ignoring your presumed type disadvantage, the opponent seems exceptionally powerful and you may be outnumbered. I have no doubts you're quite a competent delver, but even the best can't win a fight like that."
Bristle pouted, barely holding back a tantrum. "You haven't met the best. I have."
Oak sighed in defeat. "I am sorry, little one. But I will not endanger any of my own people, or yourself, by sending any of my fliers back into the woods to find you once the threat is located."
For a moment Bristle looked like she'd tackle the elder. Several vines peeked malevolently from her buds and licked at the air like snakes. But after a moment she regained her composure, and the vines retracted.
"Fine. Fine. I'll just do it on my own. As usual," she muttered. She gave the elder a shallow bow and Rex a murderous look as farewell, and then set off for the far end of the meadow. The duo watched in awkward silence as she vanished into the distant tree line.
As soon as she was gone the air began to clear.
"My apologies dear," Oak addressed Rex with a slight bow. "And little one, please come back," he called over Rex's head.
Muttering, Wimpod scuttled back over to them. Rex had no idea when he'd left, but it seemed he'd watched the latter half of the conversation from afar.
"I'm quite proud of you, little one," Oak looked down at Wimpod with a gentle smile. "You may have retreated, but you stuck around."
Wimpod's eyes lit up with appreciation. Rex wasn't sure "not running too far" was an accomplishment to be praised, but... not his problem.
Rex saw the elder sneak a nervous glance towards the tree line again before turning back to him. "I hope the young delver is okay. She's always been... dedicated," he commented hesitantly.
Rex gave an indifferent shrug. Maybe she'd get eaten by a bear. A super Pokémon bear that spat acid, or something. He was done letting it be his problem.
"Well, thank you for waiting," Oak continued with a sigh. "You're young Wimpod's friend, yes? The one who brought the warning?"
Rex's mouth was half open to say 'no' when he noticed the bug's starry-eyed glare. Hell if he'd be the one to crush it. "Yeah," he relented.
The deer bowed his head. "Thank you. I'm told it was a difficult trek."
"Yeah, well, it was nothing. Now that I'm up I uh, figured I should come ask how I could help out," he muttered.
Oak raised his head up to the sky and ground his hoof pensively a bit as he considered. "Well, what abilities do you know? Anything for cutting, or digging?"
Rex held up a tiny claw with an unamused look. "Not likely."
Oak nodded and returned his gaze down to him. "Truth be told, you're probably best suited to keep watch then. Most of our preparations are in forming a burn-safe barrier. If someone were to sneak in and start a fire inside that barrier... our best defenses would be useless. But as you can imagine, it's hard to watch who enters our village. Someone could enter from any side, and there's not much visibility with all the trees. So I've been having folks keep watch all around the edges."
Rex nodded with a yawn and a stretch. "Alright." Something easy and indirect like keeping watch. That was the best job he could have asked for.
The Stantler turned to Wimpod. "You remember where Eldegoss was stationed, yes?"
Wimpod nodded rapidly, a feeble motion that shook his entire body like a wave.
"Good. You two can go relieve her. Tell her to come back to me."
Wimpod shriveled a bit. "G-guard duty? I- I don't think that's... that might not be the best idea. If something-"
Oak cut him off with a smile. "Don't worry. If anything happens, you can run. In fact, I want you to run. Run away as fast as you can and come warn me. But Helioptile still seems quite tired. I imagine the company will be good for him."
With a whimper, Wimpod nodded again.
Dismissed for duty, Rex and Wimpod set out back towards the village proper. Unlike this morning, Wimpod led the way. But his newfound direction didn't seem to have done much for his confidence. His eyes were still darting back and forth at every building and Pokémon they passed.
As they entered the tree line again and walked through the village proper, Rex saw exactly what the elder had been talking about. The Pokémon of Solemn Meadow had a renewed energy about them. The last time he'd been here the Pokémon had been quiet and dawdling, easily missed among the trees. Now they were speaking loudly, and all moving with haste. A wandering mess of vines pushed past them, carrying two buckets of water in tow. Further off into the woods, he could see a stout figure with a wooden body chopping down branches with sharpened leaves. The small village was suddenly teeming with activity.
Wimpod led him through all of the bustle, back towards the path to Flak Grotto. They hit the edge of the village and Rex caught sight of the perimeter they were preparing. A shallow trench, no more than a foot deep that crossed the road and snaked off into the woods. The trees poking over it had been trimmed to prevent flames from leaping between them. Discarded branches littered the ground.
Rex didn't know the first thing about fire safety, but it looked... kind of pitiful. Was this shallow line in the dirt enough to stop a serious fire, or was this the best they could muster?
A small figure sat on a tree trunk overlooking the path, humming a cheery tune. Their skin was leafy and green, betraying their typing, and a large orb of cotton expanded out from the back of their head.
"Uh- uhm, Eldegoss?" Wimpod spoke up. "We were- uh, we're supposed to relieve you."
"Hmm?" they hummed, turning to face the duo. "Oh, already? I was quite enjoying being away from all the noise..."
"S-sorry..." Wimpod shrank back, refusing to meet her eye.
She tilted her head curiously. "Why are you apologizing? I'll tell the elder what I think of all this noise myself," she said with a smile.
"Sorry..." Wimpod repeated with a mutter.
Eldegoss hopped up and slowly floated down to the ground. With a friendly nod to Rex, she made back for the village, freeing up her post.
As soon as she'd left, Rex took her place on the treestump, lying on his belly and coiling his tail up beside him. It was... surreal just how quickly he'd gotten used to this. How normal his new body had become was weirder than the body itself at this point. Sure, his muscle memory would trick him from time to time, and it was weird as hell if he thought about it. But it should have been the weirdest thing ever all the time, and it just... wasn't.
It was at this point that Rex noticed Wimpod staring at him. He had to squint to see that the bug had dropped the final few centimeters down to the ground. He supposed that was the closest thing to "sitting" that the bug had.
"What are you looking at?" he asked casually.
"S-sorry..." Wimpod instantly broke his gaze and looked away. "I just- I haven't had a friend before. I thought- I thought when I moved to Flak Grotto I was- I thought I was doing what I had to. To be strong. But I guess I didn't really do anything. If you hadn't come by this morning, then I- I wouldn't have ever left my hole. I'm still... I'm still not doing enough. I know I'm not. I just can't. I can't. But... at least I'm closer."
Rex yawned. Great. Somehow he'd charmed the neurotic bug. He really did keep picking winners. At least the guy was harmless. Bit of a screwball, but having someone to talk to was nice.
He responded. "I uh, I don't know what exactly it is you're dealing with. But I mean, it seems to me like you've done more than enough? Not for nothing, but you don't live here. Unless I'm missing something, you're just doing this out of the goodness of your heart. Beggars can't be choosers, eh?"
Wimpod's eyes lit up a bit. "Well- I suppose. But I'm still... you said- you said you fought the spirit, right? This guy who everyone's so worried about?" he asked eagerly.
"'Fought' might be a bit generous," Rex grimaced. "We got our asses handed to us on a silver platter."
"Oh... he's- he's that strong?" Wimpod's panicked look returned as he rose onto his little legs, ready to bolt.
Rex shook his head. "Calm down there. He's not here. And I'm fairly sure it was his partner in crime that was doing most of the heavy lifting anyways."
Wimpod steeled himself and settled back down. "R-right. Sorry. Well I think- I think it's super brave that you rushed all the way down here after that. I uhm... I could see you were still really exhausted and all. I could- I could never do that. You had to make me come, after all... That's- that's what I mean, I guess..."
Was- was this bug idolizing him? Everything he'd done, he'd done out of obligation. And frankly, he was only making a half-assed effort to hide that.
"I hardly made you do anything," Rex snorted. "I tried leaving and you kept calling after me. Seems like you wanted me to make you."
Wimpod stepped back anxiously. "I- I didn't- I... I'm sorry!" he cried. He started squirming frantically.
"Why do you keep apologizing? You haven't done anything!" Rex finally sat up, half from frustration and half from concern.
"Be-because you hate me! No, you don't! I know you don't. Do you hate me? You're not going to hurt me. I know you're not going to hurt me! It's a trick, it's all a trick!" he continued to flail his head back and forth, making his entire body undulate like he was spasming.
"Dude are you okay?! I'm not going to hurt you, I promise!" Rex threw his hands into the air disarmingly.
After a moment Wimpod settled down and let out a heavy exhale. His eyes looked emptily down at the ground right beneath them.
"I'll never make it..." he whispered.
"You uh... want to elaborate?" Rex asked in a hushed tone. He was statue still with his hands in the air. Who knew what slight movement could throw the bug back into a frenzy.
"One- one in fifteen. That's- that's what they tell us. Only one in fifteen Wimpod evolve. The rest of us- the rest live our whole lives like this. Hidden in cracks and crevices, safe from the terrifying light of the sun, and the monsters beneath it.
"I thought- I thought if I just... left it all behind. If I could just leave the cove where my clutch was hatched. If I could- could go somewhere far away. That would make me different. That would make me the one in- one in fifteen.
"B-but look at me! I'm no different than any of them! I'm still so- so terrified. Terrified of things I know aren't real! The only difference is- is I keep making myself face these fears. But they're still there, eating away at me..."
Rex slowly lowered his hands, considering his next words carefully. "How many other members of your uh... 'clutch' left the cove?"
Wimpod didn't look at him as he answered, watery eyes still pointed downwards. "J-just me, I think."
"And uh, how big was your clutch?"
"Twenty six. Twenty six terrified little children," he answered promptly with a sniffle.
"Then it sounds like you're more than one in fifteen? I uhm, I don't know a lot about this evolving thing. But I'm assuming it's not just... random? I'm assuming it's something you work towards? In which case, it sounds like you've done more than anyone else to earn it."
"Then why am I still like this? Why do I still just- just want to crawl up in my hole and hide? Why is it so hard for me to just... help people? Everyone's on edge, and I just know. I know that the second things go wrong, I'm gonna run away. I know and I hate it and I can't change it."
Rex slowly stepped down from the stump and tiptoed over to the bug, lowering down on all fours to look him in the face. Wimpod tensed, and Rex could see the fear in his eyes.
"I don't think that's true. That you just want to hide. I gave you that chance this morning and you chose to come along. The fact that you hate feeling this way means that you don't want to hide."
Wimpod broke his gaze again. "I- I guess so. But that doesn't change anything for me... I still can't be strong, when it matters."
Rex stood up and backed away, realizing his closeness was just making Wimpod more uncomfortable.
"Well, you were impressed with me, right? Look at what I'm doing to help now. Keeping watch, just like you. Maybe it's not fighting a spirit or travelling day and night, but it's just as necessary to keeping everyone safe. And you're doing it."
Wimpod was quiet for a minute, before finally looking up at him again. "You're- you're right. I can- I can do better. Or maybe I can't. I don't know, I don't know... But- I'm doing something. I'm doing something, right?" Wimpod twisted his head to look up at him, eyes pleading for reassurance.
Rex nodded. "Yep. I probably would have fallen asleep on that log five minutes ago without you here. Then the spirit might have snuck in and cooked us all. But I didn't cause you're here."
Wimpod made his odd, undulating nod again and looked away. "Right. Yes, I'm doing it. I'm doing- I'm doing well," he muttered to himself.
Rex hopped back up on his stump and turned away to conceal a smile. Alright, that felt a bit good. That was the first time since rescuing Sewaddle that he felt like he'd actually accomplished something.
And he understood Wimpod a bit better now. That insistence on helping with all of this, even though none of it was his problem... It was all in service of making himself feel useful. All for that confidence boost. That was something Rex could process.
They sat in relative silence for a while, broken only by shouting from the village and Wimpod's constant murmurs to himself. But before long, Rex heard voices approaching down the path and rose to alert. Motions among the trees eventually became clear, as he saw a procession of nearly a dozen Pokémon approaching.
He recognized the leader immediately: Claydol. Directly behind him was a rugged, rhino-like creature in a heavy stone armor, with Umbreon resting on its back. Dedenne eagerly hopped by his side. Past them were a few of the earthen Pokémon he'd seen hanging around Flak Grotto. A round stone golem, embedded with chunks of iron and a yellow stone. A bipedal creature wearing a skull on its head and wielding a bone like a club. A clay figure like Claydol, but smaller, tan, and thankfully possessing only two eyes.
And past all of them, the three figures Rex was most relieved to see. Team Pride weren't looking their best, but it seemed their serious wounds had fully sealed up during the day. Deci dropped down onto Xew's head to wave a wing towards him.
"Helioptile. It is good to see you. I have brought an aid force, as discussed," Claydol greeted him as the front of the procession approached.
"Ah, Helioptile! Goodto seeyou! Have you been monitoring yourcharge since we lastspoke?" Dedenne hopped up onto the stump, getting uncomfortably close to Rex's face.
"Yes, I've been keeping an eye on it," Rex grunted, backing as far away as he could. "Would you mind giving me some personal space?"
Dedenne hopped down as quickly as he'd hopped up and scampered off to harass the golem instead.
"Hey, hey, hey! Look who it is!" Ego ran up with a grin. "Woke up and half thought you'd abandoned us in the woods," he said with a laugh.
Xew approached with Deci on his head and gave Rex an appreciative nod, nearly throwing the bat off. "I see you were successful. Thank you. I hope you've gotten some rest since?"
Rex smiled and yawned. "Not nearly enough, but yeah. Glad to see you guys are up and moving again."
Ego scoffed. "Please, it'll take more than that to keep us down right now. We've been trying to get promoted for the past four months. With no other Crest teams to help out with this one, this is our big chance! And after that cheap ambush, it's personal!"
Deci fluttered over to Ego and smacked his face with a wing, earning little more than a flinch. "Stay focused! That's not what this is about! We're here to help people."
"Well yeah, that part is implied!" Ego protested.
Rex smiled again. He really was glad to see them okay. They were the only people here he actually considered friends.
But his smile didn't last long. Something about that thought made him uncomfortable. Why did that make him so uneasy?
"Well, as much as I'd love to catch up, we need to get to work," Ego explained. He looked down at the pitiful fire trench and snorted. "They clearly didn't have any Pokémon for digging. I think this squad can patch that sorry job up nicely."
"Affirmative. Our group will likely be more suited to digging entrenchments and putting out fires should anything happen. We shall work with the village elder to assign responsibilities," Claydol explained, getting the group back in order.
Ego nodded. "Sounds good to us. We'll catch you later Rex!"
Team Pride took off on their own ahead of the rest of the group as they prepared to move again. Rex was about to turn his attention away from them when he noticed Umbreon slowly climbing down from the back of the rhino-creature.
"Hey, Umbreon!" he called out to her compulsively, regretting it instantly. She turned to him with a groggy look and gave him a slight bow in greeting.
"Did you have any luck with, uh... eh..." Her empty expression gave him all the answer he needed. "Right. I'm uh, I'm sure we'll find him once we clear all of this up," he offered lamely. It was an obviously empty promise. If they hadn't found the kid yet and given what he'd heard Bristle say... Things were not looking good.
He turned away and awkwardly evaded looking at the Flak Grotto procession as they headed into the village proper, leaving him alone again with... where was Wimpod?
After a moment, the bug slinked out from behind a tree. Catching Rex's gaze, he muttered a meek apology.
An uneasy feeling pervaded the forest. As though even the ferals could sense that danger was approaching. Bristle was the noisiest thing in the woods at this point, weaving between bushes and weeds and she pushed aimlessly onwards. Daylight was slowly fading above the canopy. In just an hour, night would fall. And she'd be alone, in the dark, and in the middle of nowhere.
Some small part of her was pleading that she turn back. Get some sleep in the village and be prepared for whatever may come tomorrow. But she'd long since learned to ignore that part of her. It was right- for any normal person, that would be wise. This was dangerous, and no normal person could do this on so little sleep.
But she wasn't supposed to be normal, was she? She was meant to go above and beyond.
This was her final chance. Once a fire broke out, she'd be useless. There was nothing she could do to help fight it. But if the spirit stuck to their threat, she had until morning. She just had to find him.
She slipped under the branches of a bush, its prickly limbs scraping harmlessly against her own leafy skin. Behind it was another cluster of bushes, all towering several feet above her.
How was she supposed to find him like this? An entire forest to search, and she was lucky to have ten feet of visibility. The fliers had it good. They could see it all from above. If that blasted elder had just agreed to alert her... Everything was obstacles, as always.
But she'd promised not to complain about that anymore. No matter what the obstacles were, she'd just... deal with it. That was what it meant to be legendary, right? That was what landed you in the storybooks.
Still, her birthright had never kicked in to save her before. If she just kept walking she'd probably wander all night and be miles away, lost and forgotten by the time the spirit actually attacked.
Scowling, she pulled up alongside a tall tree and slumped against its trunk.
She probably knew more than anyone about the spirit at this point. There had to be some kind of hint.
She knew that the spirit had been running around the forest for a few days now, lighting up random fires. At some point he ran into Eevee, razed the kid's den, left the warning, and then vanished with him in tow. Drapion had mentioned they teleported in and out, so that explained the lack of a trail.
Drapion... the monster knew something else about them that he hadn't wanted to reveal. She was confident about that. Oh, how she would have loved to beat it out of the murderous psycho.
And the toys... why would the spirit take Eevee's stuff along with him? None of it had looked particularly valuable. Unless...
She sank to the ground and groaned. Of course. The spirit hadn't abducted the kid. The stupid runt had run away. Tagged along with an interesting looking stranger cause mommy and daddy didn't pay him enough attention. Great.
The only good news was that, if she was right, Eevee was probably okay. At least for now. Who knew how long it would be before the criminal betrayed the kid? She needed to move fast.
So they'd teleported out after being found. Where did they go? It could be anywhere. Searching the forest could be an entirely pointless endeavor. They could be a miles away.
No, that wasn't true. Even the strongest psychics had limits on their teleportation. They were almost surely still in the woods. But that barely narrowed it down. They could be hiding up in the branches of any tree for a two mile radius. There were hundreds of hiding places in these woods.
Hundreds of hiding places... but she knew one that the spirit definitely knew about. Eevee's old den. It would keep them out of sight from the fliers, and the scorched earth would be free from ferals. It would be a bold move, but that seemed in character.
Bristle's grin grew wider the more she thought about it. This was it. She'd sleuthed it out. The spirit had taken Eevee back to his old den for the night. She'd get the drop on them while they slept and take the spirit out before it could teleport away.
What kind of Pokémon was the spirit, anyways? Clearly a fire-type. And the teleportation meant it was almost definitely a psychic-type... Her encyclopedic knowledge of foes immediately turned up 'Delphox'. But that couldn't be right... Delphox couldn't teleport, could they?
It hardly mattered. She'd have all of her answers and more soon enough. She turned her head to the sky. Just a bit of daylight left. If she estimated how far she'd walked in this direction and remembered the route they'd taken last time she could put all her spatial reasoning practice from dungeons to use and head straight there. And thanks to the massive, scorched scar around it, she had a good margin of error.
She rose onto tired legs once again and reached into her bag. She pulled out her last Chesto berry and took an eager bite. It was time to win this. She set off, chewing her berry and humming a battle tune.
As she'd hoped, Bristle's dungeoneering experience didn't fail her. She was able to find the towering oak that once held Eevee's den before the sun set. She'd used her vines to pull herself up into the blackened branches of a dying tree, just a bit out of sight. The ash and crisped pieces of its bark clung to her. But she didn't care one bit.
She just had to stay quiet and wait. The spirit needed to be rested for tomorrow. An hour after sunset he'd surely be sleeping. That was when she'd jump him.
A tiny voice in her head tugged at her mental ear. Reminding her that she had no idea he was even in there. She might be setting this whole trap down on an empty den. Or the spirit could be nocturnal, eagerly waiting to burn her to a crisp the moment she poked her head in there.
She hushed that voice. If she was in the wrong place, it was over anyways. She'd be too late to fix her mistake. So she had to have faith. This was going to work. Her story would finally begin.
She broke her own thoughts with a yawn. The Chesto wasn't enough to stave off this much sleep deprivation. It would be so easy to just fall asleep on this branch...
No, not yet. Soon, but not yet. She began snapping her own vines quietly against her face, the sting keeping her awake.
Eventually the time came. The sun had long since set, and the moon was taking its rightful place in the sky. Its illumination gave her just enough light to see her surroundings.
She coiled her vines around the branch and quietly lowered herself down to the ground. She crept forward, taking great care not to make any noise. But it was impossible to avoid the gentle crunch of ashes under her feet. Hopefully the spirit wasn't a light sleeper.
She snuck past the destroyed crop plot and pulled herself against the side of the tree. She dipped her head forward and peeked into the den. A victorious cheer filled her heart as she saw the shadowy figure resting within.
She'd been right! Not only had she found them, but she'd caught them vulnerable! She was actually going to do this!
She focused her eyes, trying to make out the shape of the spirit. Quadrupedal, medium size, thick fur. That large shape under it was... a tail. A Flareon! Of course, the perfect arsonist!
Then she froze. A Flareon? Was that-
Her eyes darted desperately around the den, searching in vain for any other figure. The spirit- the spirit had forced Eevee to evolve into a Flareon, right? There was another. There had to be!
In a panic, she burst into the den. In a single second she had a vine coiled around all four legs, his tail, and two around his neck.
"Wha?!" the Flareon cried out in alarm as he jolted awake.
Bristle contracted her vines, knocking him onto his side and dragging him up to her by his neck.
"Flareon! You're Umbreon and Leafeons' kid, aren't you?" she demanded angrily.
Flareon's eyes flashed with realization what was happening.
"I- uh- I'm..." he stuttered in a confused panic. "N-no! I am the spirit- the spirit of Flak Mountain!" he shouted with utter uncertainty.
"No..." Bristle's vines relaxed a bit as her spirit sank. "This has all been you, hasn't it?"
Flareon only gulped in response, a guilt-ridden look in his eyes.
"You idiot!" Bristle screamed.
Two more vines shot out from her buds to slap the restrained child's face. He yelped at the sting, lowering his head and refusing to look her in the eyes.
"I have spent the past three days running myself ragged to find you and take down the spirit. And you've been running away from us this entire time? And the spirit. The spirit isn't even real! Everything I've put into this. It's wasted!" she angrily shouted and stomped her foot.
Flareon continued whimpering, still unable to meet her eye.
Her rage cooled for a moment and she looked down at him with bitter cold. "Was this all just a game to you? Dozens of Pokémon looking for you. Your family having a breakdown. The whole village in a panic. And all of my time wasted. Well, I hope you had fun. I hope you had enough fun to last you a few years in a cell!" she snarled.
Flareon finally looked up at her, eyes flooded with tears. But behind the waterworks wasn't any fear. It was guilt. Pure guilt.
"I'm- I'm sorry," he muttered weakly.
"Sorry? SORRY?" she let out a bitter laugh. "You don't even know what sorry means yet."
Before he could respond, a loud cracking noise interrupted the exchange from outside. Bristle braced, waiting for it to pass. Probably just a charred branch breaking off. Some artifact of the stupid child's path of destruction. But after a few moments the sound of splitting wood continued to creak loudly through the air.
Bristle gave the Flareon a nasty look. "Stay put, unless you want to make the trip back unconscious. I'd say I don't want to fight a kid, but at the moment it would be a lie."
Flareon gulped again and nodded solemnly.
She released her hold on him, drawing every vine back into her bud to defend her from whatever awaited outside.
Glancing an eye back to make sure Flareon didn't attack her from behind, she climbed over the roots and out of the den. The sound was all around her now. And the source was obvious.
The countless trees around the glade were all moving. Twisting and writhing like snakes as their branches stretched closer and coiled around one another, forming tangles of blackened and brittle wood. All making that same awful cracking noise. All linking together and forming a massive, eldritch wall that enclosed the glade.
Bristle stared at this in disbelief. What was she even looking at? What could even do something like this? Some powerful grass type?
Then the trees began to glow. Tiny flecks of orange popped into existence as charred bark chipped off the branches rapidly, revealing a burning light within. Within seconds the entire wall of twisted trees around her was flickering with the telltale glow of embers.
Bristle realized what was happening moments before the branches shot out and dragged her into another quadrant of the newly born mystery dungeon.
