Chapter 19: Bristle's Memory - A Growing Rose
Budew's life began, as all Pokémons' did, in a flash of light and sound.
The cracks expanded rapidly down her egg until the shell shattered, leaving only the formless core of light within. That light stretched like putty, forming stubby legs, a round body, and two coiled tendrils which shielded the infantile bud within.
A wave of entirely new sights and sounds washed over her. The swirling, earthen greens and browns that moved all around her. The heavy, lumbering steps of the beast far below. The faint sensation of the light wind against her body. Her own little feet kicking through the air beneath her.
She took it all in with wonder, a bewildered gape on her newborn face.
A squeal of joy brought her awestruck eyes down. She was dangling in the air, as if flying, held up by the vines of the Pokémon below.
Mom.
She knew that instinctually. And she knew that mom was good.
Budew smiled for the first time, her fickle mind forgetting all the other novelties around her as she stared at her mother's gleeful face.
"She's here! She's finally here!" her mom yelled excitedly, twirling the child around.
Budew didn't know what this all meant, but she could tell that mom was happy. So she giggled excitedly and kicked her feet faster as she flew through the air.
"Let her down! Let her down, so I can see, dear!" Another voice croaked eagerly from far beneath her.
She looked down to see just how far they were from the ground. Beneath her mom was a huuuuge Pokémon! And they were both riding on its back!
As her mom lowered her close to the ground, dangling her in front of the beast's face, Budew understood immediately.
Dad.
Dad was good too!
She gave him a huge smile. And to her elation, several of the creases in his face faded to return a smile just as big.
"Look at you! Such a beautiful little girl," he doted, bearing the proudest sparkle in his eyes. "Thorn, get the escape orb so we can hold her properly."
In response, the vines holding her by his face coiled back, bringing Budew into her mom's soft bouquets. Her mom continued to stare at her with the biggest smile, inspecting every bit of her.
"Nah. We're like two quadrants off. I still can't believe she actually hatched in the dungeon!"
At that, Budew's eyes explored the world beyond her parents for the first time. They were surrounded by a jungle, dense with heavy foliage, which she liked. Her dad waded through a sea of grass so high that his face was nearly covered. And twining, towering trees formed dense boundaries and a thick canopy above.
Further off in the distance, she could see these trees waving around like they were being blown by the wind, the canopy rustling in turn. She didn't like that.
She also realized that they weren't alone. A creature with an enormous maw hovered towards them, loose vines dangling in the air beneath it, and a piercing light in its eyes.
She really didn't like that. She huddled tighter into her mom's bouquets.
But the vines holding her shoved her out. They carried her through the air, straight towards the creature. Budew cried out and flailed her feet in a panic as the monster slowly hovered closer, jaw stretching back as it opened its enormous mouth.
"No, no- not yet, dear!" her mom called down to her dad in a hushed tone.
His eyes rolled up to her uneasily. "Dear? What are you doing?"
"Little bud! Come on, let your little vine out," her mom encouraged her, "Give him your best hit! I'm right here for you!"
Her dad looked unhappy now... But her mom looked so eager.
Budew didn't know how, but when she tried to do as her mom told her, the little coils which protected her bud unfurled, letting a tiny vine peep out. She could move it around, stretch it out. She could interact with anything and everything in the world around her. It was amazing.
But her mom still had one thing in mind. "That's right dear! Just like that! Longer, now! Stretch it out as long as you can and smack that Carnivine!" she cheered.
"Thorn, dear..." her dad muttered.
Budew flailed and squirmed, but she could barely move in her mom's iron grasp. Even when she stretched out her vine and tried to pull herself free, she couldn't budge. As the monster hovered only feet away, reaching out for her ravenously, she did the only thing she could.
Just like her mom wanted, she swung the vine towards it, slapping the feeble whip across its face. The attack did nothing to the monster. But her mom was ecstatic.
A much thicker, stronger vine flung out from behind Budew's head, nearly smacking the creature's head off of its body. As Budew quivered, it melted away, its liquid remains seeping into the ground.
The vines carrying Budew spun her around to face her mother once again. Another proud, overjoyed smile met her.
That had been so scary... But her mom was happy. She looked so, so happy. Shouldn't Budew be happy too? That smile meant everything was good, didn't it?
That was what her instincts told her. So Budew's tears dried up, and slowly she smiled again too.
"You took your egg into a mystery dungeon?" the big green lizard hissed.
His anger scared Budew- instinct alone was enough to tell her that angry was bad.
Her mom rolled her eyes and cast her head to the side dismissively. "Riddle Jungle. With the two of us there. It was about as safe as the city streets," she scoffed.
"I- you- I don't care! What if something went wrong? What if you lost her? She could have hatched alone in a mystery dungeon!" the lizard yelled.
His office had been at the very top of a huge castle, above a colorful city. The room was spacious and well-kept. A massive window made up most of the far wall, granting a breathtaking view of the city below. In front of it was a large desk, and orderly bookshelves to the sides. The rest of the room was left open, save for a soft, vibrant rug and a handful of mats for visitors.
Budew didn't understand much of it, but she loved the bright colors and lively atmosphere around the castle.
The lizard huffed and pulled himself around the desk, still glaring at her mom. After the glower had sunk in, he leaned in close to examine Budew in more detail.
"Hey there, lil' bud," he said softly, forcing his angry expression to relax. "I hope things weren't too scary for you. I'm Mr. Sceptile, okay?" He ran a claw softly down her back.
Sceptile stood up straight and gave her dad a disappointed look. "I expect this out of her, but seriously, Brutus? You too?"
Her dad let out a heavy sigh, enough to shake her mom on his back, and Budew in turn. "I told her it was a bad idea. But... ", he deflected his gaze away from Sceptile before continuing, "she's right that it wasn't all that dangerous."
Sceptile groaned. "Sometimes you two make me wonder if I'm the crazy one."
Her mom still looked frustrated that her grand reveal had been glossed over in favor of the lecture. "If you're done worrying about nothing, I'll say again: she hatched in a mystery dungeon!"
Sceptile stared blankly back at her. "Okay?"
Her mom smacked her free bouquet against her dad's back frustratedly and put on a pout. "We're some of the highest-ranked delvers in Trespis, and our daughter was just born in a dungeon. Does that not seem like fate to you?" Budew's mom twirled her around and stared deep into her face again, a ravenous pining in her eyes.
"I'm telling you now- our little seedling will be the greatest delver in Trespis one day. No- the greatest in the world! The stars are already aligned!" She squealed in glee at her own fantasy. Then she cast a mischievous look to Sceptile. "You'd better watch out- she's going to take your job one day."
"I'm quivering." He snorted. He stepped back behind his desk and the documents on top seemed to recapture his focus. "Now, did you two actually need something, or did you just come to show off?"
"Mainly the latter," her mom snickered. "But there is one other thing. We want to reserve one of the training fields."
Sceptile raised an eye. "And... why are you in my office for that, rather than downstairs at the registration desk?"
Her mom hesitated, contemplating how to best sell the idea. "We want a... longer term reservation. Our little bud has a big shadow to fill, and she's going to need a lot of training. Now that she's here, we're going to be working with her regularly." She held Budew tight.
"Thorn, she's not even a day old. I'm all for starting training early, but don't you think you're firing a bit quick here?"
"The earlier you start, the deeper it sinks in! Besides, she likes it. She took a good swing at a Carnivine in the dungeon and had the biggest smile!" Thorn practically squirmed with joy.
"You let her fight an apparition?!" Sceptile gasped.
"I was holding her the entire time," she reassured him. "If anything, the fact that she was so eager for action just proves my point. She's going places."
Sceptile groaned and sank his face into his claws. "Setting aside how irresponsible that was, I can't give you two an entire training field. There's enough arguments over them to begin with. And you two holding one reserved indefinitely isn't going to help with your reputation. Or the poor girl's."
"Weeeeell, there is one other reason..." her mom started, swinging her legs from her mate's back in a toying manner. "You should have seen the looks she was getting on the way up here. People are already fascinated with her. Once she gets a bit of training under her skin, well..."
She raised Budew up high in the air on long vines, flying high above the room's occupants. Budew giggled and kicked her feet excitedly. "She's going to be a star!" her mom proclaimed with a huge, toothy grin. "And people will want to come see her practice. It's going to cause problems if we don't have our own field, and people are crowding around to watch."
Sceptile scoffed. But as thoughts raced behind his eyes, his skepticism seemed to loosen. His eyes turned towards Budew again, dissecting her curiously.
Finally, he let out a sigh. "I'll admit, I'm a bit curious about her myself. But while it's a fun thought, this is little more than mysticism. Hardly destiny."
He broke gaze with Budew finally, to her relief, and sat cross-legged behind his desk.
"But admittedly, there are some in the Crest who are a bit more superstitious, and I'd like the girl to have some space. I can't give you an entire field, but…"- He paused hesitantly- "If you two insist on training her right away, you have permission to use my private courtyard. I hardly need nor deserve the entire thing to myself, anyways. If anyone tries to come in, shoo them out. Let the girl have some privacy as she learns."
His eyes sharpened and honed directly in on Budew's mom. "And I will remind you, Thorn, that you are training an infant. I'd be hypocritical to disallow it, as others have done it before, but I know this is because of your own excitement. Don't overdo it."
But her mom was too busy reveling in the victory to pay him much mind. She redrew Budew quickly and hugged her tight. "Thanks a bundle!" She smiled down at her mate. "Let's get started right away!"
Budew's dad cast Sceptile a grateful look, and Sceptile gave back a glare with a clear message: "Keep her under control." With a subtle nod, he lumbered out of the room, mate and daughter in tow.
Budew didn't entirely understand what happened here. Her mom and Sceptile had disagreed. But then they got along? And now they were all getting something good!
That was good, so Budew smiled again.
Budew dove to the left, rolling clumsily through the dirt as a thick vine smacked down where she'd once stood.
She'd learned fast to fear that sound. If her mom's vines licked her, the sting was two-fold. The hit hurt a bit, but that tinge of a frown on her mom's face was just as bad.
They'd spent all day, every day for the past week in the guildmaster's courtyard, training rigorously. The place was lovely, surrounded by the colorful castle walls and filled by a lush garden that surrounded the open center field. The trees and flowers resonated with something instinctual in Budew, and always made her smile. But she didn't have much time to focus on those.
Budew stumbled back up to her feet and locked eyes with her mother. As soon as she did, the next whip came out and she was diving to the ground once again.
"Try to stay on your feet, dear!" Her mom called over to her as she stood up again.
Budew nodded, and the next vine swung towards her. She leapt aside, but her stubby feet were still clumsy. She faceplanted, with no limbs to catch herself. A moment after she hit the ground, she felt a vine tap gently on her back. She'd been hit.
"Dodging isn't worth much if you leave yourself vulnerable right after," her mother explained. "Come on, up now."
Frowning a bit, Budew pulled herself upright once more.
"Ready? Remember: dodging is useless if you fall over. You have to stay on your feet!"
She nodded heartily. She had to get it right this time, so her mom would smile again.
Her mom wound a vine back far, giving Budew ample time to get ready. Then with a thud, she slammed into the dirt.
Budew stumbled to the side, wobbling back and forth as she ever-so-narrowly held her balance. The instant she settled, her eyes shot over to her mom. And just as she hoped, her mom was smiling. Budew beamed back at her.
"Nice job, little bud," her dad croaked proudly from his resting place beneath a tall tree. His eyes shifted towards her mother and he motioned his heavy head towards one of the courtyard windows. "We've got company."
In the windowsill, an Emolga was watching them practice, starry-eyed. He bore a rookie badge proudly on his chest. But as soon as they all turned to look at him, he froze up, caught in the act.
"Keep gawking, rookie!" her mom called over to him with an eerie smile. "You might learn something from her!"
The color drained from Emolga's face, and he nodded meekly. His eyes shot back to Budew, watching the child curiously.
"Thorn dear, we're supposed to be keeping this private," her dad muttered, even his grumble booming. He looked up at the Emolga and croaked, "Private training. You shouldn't be here."
The little mouse winced at the beast's scolding. He muttered a feeble apology and hopped down from the sill, disappearing back into the halls.
Her mom cast her father a disappointed look. "Oh come now, there's no need to chase them off like that. They just want to see the little star-in-the-making."
"They will," he reassured her. His own long vines coiled out and scooped Budew off her feet, to a happy laugh. He plopped her down on top of his head and smiled up at her. "Just let her find her feet first."
Sunken Shoals Quadrant 1
The waves swirled around them like whirlpools, the sea parting to form an elaborate maze of sandbars that stretched a mile off of the coast. The waves would only settle down as they approached, cementing the narrow paths of Sunken Shoals into a singular form. The result was a constant crashing of waves that somehow landed pleasantly on the ears.
Budew looked up at her mom nervously. All alone already? She'd never even entered a dungeon since the day she hatched, just two months ago. The maze of paths around her seemed peaceful enough, but...
Her dad seemed to share her apprehensions. He tilted his head questioningly at his mate. "Really? We're letting her do it alone already? Team Sunblade didn't bring little Chikorita into her first one until she was three."
"Yeah," her mom answered, lounging herself comfortably against his flower. "And when's the last time you heard about Chikorita?"
Sensing that wasn't a sufficient answer, she sat up. "We'll be right here with her if anything goes wrong, of course. This is the easiest possible dungeon for her- it's one of the weakest on the continent, she's at a type advantage, and she can see the whole maze. And we're practically escorting her."
A shadow of doubt crept over her dad's face. "You didn't clear this with the guildmaster, did you?"
"Of course not," she laughed. "But officially speaking, we're the ones who took this mission. And whether we choose to bring our daughter with us is none of his business."
He croaked out a heavy sigh, eyes rolling up at his mate in exasperation. "You'd better be the one to take his lecture for this."
With a shake of his head, he turned his attention back to Budew. He looked her sternly in the eyes. "Alright, little bud. We've taught you how to do this. Just find the exit, and beat any apparitions, okay? We'll be right here if you need us. So just do your best."
Budew nodded at him, her chest aflutter. She turned to face the labyrinth and tried to pretend that they weren't behind her at all. The thought scared her, but she had to stay strong.
She marched forward towards the mess of towering waves ahead. They broke gently along the sands, but were terrifying nonetheless. Even the little seedling that she was, she knew there was something unnatural about this whole place.
But her mom and dad wanted her to do this. So she would do it.
Step after step, her little stubs left a shallow trail through the narrow sandbars. As she traveled down it, the waves would settle, leaving a web of new paths in their place as they raced off to ravage another section of the dungeon. The more and more of them she dispelled, the dungeon grew more and more peaceful.
Her anxiety lessened until she had all but forgotten the dangers she was looking out for. All but forgotten her parents behind her, even. Until dad's voice reminded her.
"Remember to watch behind you, dear," he croaked gently.
Snapping to, her lazy smile vanished and she turned to see a Pokémon slowly emerging from the waters. A squidlike creature, with most of its body concealed within a spiraling shell, crawled slowly and awkwardly onto the sand. It turned to look at her- a burning light in its eyes. Just like the monster from the day she hatched. She let out an anguished squeak.
"Omanyte. A rock and water type," her mom recited. "Do you remember what type to use?"
Budew backed away from it nervously, only half listening as it stretched its tentacles towards her. She nodded all the same.
"Good. Defeat it, then. I promise you, it's very weak. It will be over in just a second."
Budew looked straight into its empty eyes and trembled. Its gaze was commanding her to turn and run away.
But her mom's gaze was also on her, those eager, thirsty eyes drilling into her and commanding, with just as much vigor, for her to stay and fight.
With a yelp, she untwirled her bud and let not one, but two vines come spilling out in a wide arc. She shut her eyes and winced as they smacked across its face, one after the other. By the time she dared open them again, the apparition was long gone.
Her mom sat up and cheered with delight. "Oh! She's grown another vine already! And what an energetic attack!" She snapped a vine against dad's foreleg in celebration, earning an irritated glance up.
Her energy settled a bit. "Very good for a first time. But you need to keep your eyes on the foe. See how easy that was? The apparitions in this quadrant are as weak as they come. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Budew's anxiety washed away like the tides with her mom's excitement. That had been easy. If that was all she had to do to make everyone happy, then this could be very fun!
She flashed her mom a big smile to show she'd understood and twirled around to keep going.
She'd keep her eyes open now- she didn't want to miss a moment.
"And where exactly do you two think you're going?"
Budew's mom uttered a low curse as the guildmaster's voice rang out for them. Amid the crowd, they hadn't noticed him lurking watchfully at the doorway of the mission hall as they picked out their mission and departed.
"Morning, guildmaster!" Her mom put on a smile and waved as she tried to play it off. From her though, the warm greeting was only more suspicious. "Just setting out for a mission in Crystal Relic."
Sceptile gave her a cold look. "Yes, I saw you two taking that one. But aren't you forgetting something?" His glare turned to Budew. She squirmed a bit, and he quickly softened his gaze into a kindly smile.
It refroze the second he looked back to her mom. "You have a little tagalong with you."
Her mom shrugged nonchalantly. "She wanted to come along, and we figure it's good for her to watch. It's not like we won't be there the entire time, and we'll be doing the fighting. Most of it, anyways."
Sceptile sighed and gave an anxious look about. Their confrontation had drawn a lot of eyes, and a small crowd was congregating around them. His glare was enough to dispel most of them, but it was clear it wouldn't be for long.
"Listen, Thorn. I know you've been taking her into dungeons. I'm not that oblivious. But Sunken Shoals is one thing and taking her into a B-class dungeon is another. Either return the mission or find a baby-sitter."
Sceptile hesitated for a moment, "How is the training going, anyways? Living up to your grand delusions yet?"
Her mom's face curled into a scowl. "She's meeting all of my expectations, thank you very much. And seriously? What do you think is going to happen with me holding her the entire time!"
"I- " Sceptile started, then froze when he noticed more Pokémon listening around them. "I'm sorry, but I'm not discussing this. Do not take her into any dungeons above D-class. Those- those are orders," he huffed with an embarrassed look. Without meeting either of their eyes, he pushed past her dad and marched off for the stairs.
Her mom immediately let out a growl. "That lizard..."
"That was the best outcome," her dad snorted. "He gave us permission to take her on D-rank missions."
"It's fine for now, but how is she going to get anywhere in the long run on D-rank missions? Especially if she can't even come watch us?" her mom moaned as she threw herself back against her dad's flower dramatically.
"She's only a few months old... Most delvers' kids don't get dungeon experience until they're a few years. It's still a huge head start," he offered.
Her mom just sighed and leapt off his back with Budew in tow. "Guess we need to find someone to watch her." She set Budew down and began to scan the crowd.
Budew had never actually been on the floor of the mission hall before. She'd been in the hall itself plenty- but always in her mom's grasp or on her dad's back. Standing on her own two feet, many of the Pokémon towered over her. The inquisitive stares of titans from high above made her uneasy.
"There," her mom muttered. Then, in the sweetest voice she could muster, "Tweet! Tweet, dear? Lend a wing?"
A large bird, with fluffy white wings, suddenly froze statue-still within the shifting crowd. An Altaria. Her neck snapped to face Budew's mom with a shocked expression, as if in disbelief that she was the one being referred to. She hopped over, awkwardly weaving between the crowd with an array of murmured apologies.
"Uh- yes, Thorn?" Tweet asked anxiously. She looked Budew's mom dutifully in the eyes, but everything else about posture made it clear she wanted to hide somewhere.
"Are you or your teammates free today? We need someone to watch our little bud while we handle a mission."
Thorn's vines curled out and swept Budew off her feet, presenting the child to Tweet as if she were a present. Budew stared curiously into the bird's eyes, and she stared back, a glimmer lighting behind her face.
Tweet's posture shifted, and she suddenly seemed much less worried. "Well, Cindren gave us the day off. We were going to take a job while we had the time, but..." Her face lit up into radiance. "I don't think I could ever turn down such a cutie!"
Tweet stretched her fluffy wings out in an embrace around Budew, and her mom happily let her fall into them.
Budew's fear at being handed off to a stranger vanished the instant she touched those wings. They were the softest, coziest things she had ever laid upon. A dazed smile spread across her face as she lay in them, feet waving happily in the air, head clear of all thoughts and fears but their softness.
"Just keep an eye on her until we're back," her mom instructed Tweet. "Maybe train with her a bit. She's been slowing down lately. Maybe a different teacher will help."
Tweet tilted her head dubiously at the Roserade. "Train... ? Uh, how old is she?"
"Four months, thereabout," her dad offered.
"I- I see," Tweet held Budew closer and shot the child a single worried glance. "Well, anyhow. I'll keep a close watch on her. Good luck today, you two."
Her parents gave their thanks and set off, leaving Budew euphoric in the wings of her sitter. Tweet immediately looked down at her with the brightest beam. "Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing!" She jostled her wings, letting Budew roll back and forth between them with a giggle.
She set Budew down on the ground, much to the child's disappointment, and looked her in the eyes. "Alright, little bud! I just need to let my teammates know I'm watching you, and then we have the whole day ahead of us. What do you want to do?"
Budew tilted her head. What did she want to do? What... what did that mean? What else was there to do?
"Train?" Budew squeaked hesitantly. That was what her mom said, right? That was what she always did.
But that didn't seem to be the right answer. The Altaria looked down at her in concern. "I uhm... I'm not sure I'm comfortable training with you, dear. And anywho, I'm just watching you for the day! Wouldn't you much rather do something fun?"
Budew frowned. Fun? She had fun on missions. And she had fun training, when her mom and dad were happy. But she'd never thought anything else could be fun.
Tweet seemed to pick up on the child's confusion. "Have you just... taken a walk around the grounds yet? Oh, how about around the city? There's a lot to see!"
Budew had only ever passed through the city- never seen it proper. The city was strange. There were a ton of Pokémon there, just like the Jade Crest. But none of them looked at her the same way.
She gave a hesitant nod. Maybe the city could be fun too.
Before they left, Tweet took her on a brief tour of the Crest headquarters itself. Budew had never realized how little of it she'd actually seen. Or how few of the myriad Pokémon she'd met.
She was too nervous to talk to most of them, but silently she enjoyed her brief introductions to the many Pokémon Tweet knew. And she enjoyed seeing the many interesting spaces of the headquarters that she'd never seen before.
Finally, Tweet took her up to the very pinnacle of one of the towers, hopping up the stairs with Budew happily in her wings the entire way. They poked up into an attic-like space beneath the tower's coned roof, where a large opening cut through the wall and left it free to the air.
As Tweet set her down, Budew crept nervously towards the big window. Peering out from the perilous edge, she could see the entire Crest headquarters below. Every spiraling tower, every zigzag of the skywalks, every blooming courtyard. It was all so big. And she'd seen so little of it before today.
Her eyes found the courtyard where she trained with her mom and dad, every day. It was mostly concealed by the walls around it, but she could see just a bit. It was small. Very, very small, compared to everything else.
Something about seeing that small courtyard surrounded by the big castle, and the even more enormous city around it made her uncomfortable.
"Beautiful from above, isn't it dearie?" Tweet hopped next to her, staring down across the Crest appreciatively as well.
Budew nodded eagerly, her big smile dispelling the concern from her mind.
"How would you like a better look?" she offered.
Budew's eyes lit up bright, and she nodded again with twice the vigor.
The Altaria turned and crouched down, spreading her wings wide as she exposed her back to the child.
"You've grown your vines out by now, right? Climb on up and coil them right around my neck, okay? And don't let go!"
Curiously, Budew did as instructed. She hopped up the bird's tails and coiled both of her vines as tight as she could around Tweet's neck.
"O-oh!" Tweet winced. "You have quite the grip! Keep holding on tight! Just, erm... Not any tighter than that, dear." Trying to ignore the tight grasp around her neck, Tweet hopped up to the edge. "Alright, ready? Here we go!"
She pushed off, and took to the air, sweeping low through the sky above the Crest headquarters.
Budew gasped in awe of it all. The amazing view. The wind rushing past her. The exhilaration of flying. This was amazing! This was way more fun than training! She started giggling uncontrollably.
Tweet cast a single warm glance back at her passenger, before circling around the guildmaster's tower. She flew up high, letting the child get the best view of everything.
And what a view it was. She couldn't only see all of the crest- she could see the whole city sprawled out beneath her on one side. And the sparkling expanse of the sea on the other. The Pokémon below were but dots of shifting color.
Having shared the view, Tweet twirled around towards the city and began diving downwards.
Faster, faster! Budew laughed uncontrollably. It felt like free-falling. It should have been terrifying! But lying flat against the side of Tweet's soft wings, nothing could ever be scary.
Her fall came to a stop as Tweet flew low over the city. The twisting streets, and eccentric buildings, and many different Pokémon were as fascinating to the child as the Crest had been.
"Alright dearie, we're gonna land in that park now. Hold on tight!" Tweet chirped happily.
Budew couldn't wait.
"And what orb is this?" her mom asked, placing another orb in the dirt in front of Budew. It looked like a little snow globe, with a tiny cloud inside softly powdering down snow which swirled around.
"Hail," Budew answered dutifully, barely glancing at it before returning to idly kicking her feet.
"Good," her mom nodded, putting the orb back and pulling another one from her bag. She planted it on the ground in the same spot. "And this one?"
Budew turned and squinted at it. Green tendrils reached out from the hazy blue void inside, grasping at the edges of the orb.
"Mobile?" she tried, hesitantly.
Her mom's expression soured. "No. It's a lasso orb, Budew. You got this one wrong last time, too."
"Sorry mom," Budew muttered.
"No 'sorry's, just remember it. You're a year old now, you can remember your orbs," her mom chided. She took the lasso orb back and pulled out a clear orb with a brilliant yellow light inside it.
"Luminous," Budew answered before she could even set it down.
Her mom nodded sternly and quicky withdrew it. She replaced it with an orb that contained nothing but an empty gray mist.
"Nullify," Budew answered shortly, turning her eyes towards one of the tower windows. It wasn't exciting, but just watching what Pokémon passed by was far more interesting than this rote exercise.
Her mind kept shooting back to the city, and everything else within this castle. There were so many things to do, and so many people to see. Yet day in and day out, she was here in this courtyard. Learning equipment, learning to fight, learning the strengths and weaknesses of many different Pokémon.
Sometimes it was fun, but some days she just wanted to walk the grounds and meet new people. She knew none of the other kids did this. So why was she different? Why did she have to do all this studying?
"Budew!" her mom barked. "Are you even paying attention?"
Budew winced and turned to see the next orb lying on the ground already.
"Um! Scanner!" she quickly called out. But it was too late to correct her mistake.
Her mom snatched it up with a scowl. "What has gotten into you lately?"
Budew stared nervously at the ground and kicked the dirt. "Sorry mom. I'm just... bored."
Her mom gave her a disappointed look. "Bored? Bored is how you feel when a task is too easy. You're still getting some of these wrong! You can be bored when you know them all by heart."
"Okay..." Budew muttered, hanging her head low. But impulsively she added, "When we're done, can I go for a walk?"
"Breaks are something you earn with good work, dear. So let's make a deal. We'll start over, and if you can get every orb right, and the wands, you can go for a walk. Otherwise, you need to keep studying," her mom offered, relenting just a bit.
"Okay!" Budew quickly cheered up. "Thanks, mom!"
Her mom smiled back down at her with a hint of smugness. "Don't thank me yet. You still have to get them all right, first."
Budew did not get them all right.
Budew stepped nervously into the library, the sudden warmth of the fireplace catching her off guard. She hadn't been up here since the one time Tweet had brought her. The bookshelves lined every wall, and much of the center. Otherwise, a set of soft mats and a small table gave the place a homely feel.
"H-hello?" she called out, her voice echoing through the chamber.
"Oh? One second!" a distinguished voice called back. Moments later, a Ninetales emerged from behind one of the shelves, a small pair of spectacles on his snout, and two books caught in his telekinetic grasp. "Oh, little Budew! To what do I owe the privilege?" Ninetales smiled at her.
"Mom and dad had to go on a mission today... Mom told me to go stay with you..." she explained anxiously. Budew had only seen the lorekeeper a few fleeting times in her two years at Crest headquarters. He seemed nice enough, but spending the whole day with him was a new experience.
The lorekeeper frowned at her. "So Thorn just volunteered me as a babysitter, without asking? Naturally. Of course she did." He curled his head away to mutter more serious curses under his breath. Then he returned the smile to his face and looked back at the child. "Well, that's fine dear. I'm happy to keep you company. Can you read?"
Budew gave a hesitant nod. "Yes... I learned off of the job board..."
"How pragmatic!" he chuckled. He walked over to one of the bookshelves and gestured for her to follow him. "Why don't you pick one out? You can read anything from this shelf."
Budew stared up at the towering shelf, the spines of hundreds of odd books staring back down at her. Some looked positively ancient, while others were in pristine shape. They were all different colors and sizes. But she didn't know what to make out of any of them. It was intimidating.
"I've... never read a book," she confessed, her eyes still trying to take all of them in.
"Oh. No surprise there, I guess. What do you parents usually read to you? Or do they tell you stories from memory? I probably have them written somewhere here."
She shook her head. "Mom and dad don't read to me. Or tell stories."
Ninetales narrowed his eyes at that. "Thorn continues to prove herself a brute," he muttered. Sighing, a purplish aura surrounded one thick book on the shelf, and with a mental tug it came loose. It hovered down to him, and he walked over to a soft mat by the hearth, nudging her to come along.
He sat down and curled his tails up comfortably around him, one tail gesturing for her to climb up with him. Hesitantly, she crawled between his tails and leaned against his side as he placed the book down in front of them.
"These are called the Hundred Tales," he explained, pushing his face against the ground to nudge his glasses up. "I'll read you a few, and then you can try reading them for yourself, okay?"
Budew nodded.
"You know, I've been meaning to come see you for myself sometime anyways. I've been hearing some interesting things," he chuckled.
Budew tilted her head. "Me?"
"Yep," Ninetales nodded. "Dare I feed Thorn's ego- your parents are some very talented Pokémon. And an egg hatching in a dungeon is something I'd expect to read straight out of one of these storybooks." One of his tails swept across the room in gesture. "A lot of the Pokémon here expect you to turn out just like one of these old legends."
He smiled and the book opened as a psychic aura surrounded it. The many pages fell one-by-one into place.
"Guess I've gotten a bit curious myself, is all. But realistically, lineage rarely means much, and while it's an amusing narrative quirk, there are no proven effects of hatching in a dungeon. There's actually been a few recorded cases," he reassured her.
"Corally shun?" She eyed him.
"Correlation," he corrected. "It means 'relation'. What I'm saying is, while it is fun to speculate, there's probably no connection between your circumstances and what your future looks like." His tails tightened further, squeezing her close against him. "You'll just have to decide for yourself what you want your future to be."
A legend? Maybe the Ninetales didn't believe it, but mom did, didn't she?
It finally made sense. Why she had to study so much, and train so hard. She wasn't supposed to be like the other kids. She wasn't even supposed to be better than them. She was made to be the best.
Budew grinned a bit at the revelation. She'd never understood just how much the world had given her. She'd just been mad that she had to work all day. But it was because she was special- she was destined for a greatness most couldn't dream of. And all of this work was just what she had to pay to seize it. That was why Budew had to try harder.
He nudged her back to attention, smiling at her improved mood. "Anyways, if you want to hear about legends, I have plenty for you right here. Which one would you like to hear? 'Liepard's Bounty'? Or 'Frustration'?
"Uhm... the first one," she answered after careful consideration.
"A good choice!" Ninetales declared heartily, the pages rapidly flipping backwards. "So where do we begin...
"Once upon a time, deep within the heart of the jungle, there was a Liepard whose grace was matched only by her ruthlessness. Her name became infamy, and to see her face was synonymous with death. All who lived within the jungle knew the edges of her domain well- for those who did not died within the jungle."
Budew was surprised by his sudden start. It was as if he was hypnotized, his mind shut off to all but reciting the words from the page with dripping enthusiasm. And for a moment, she didn't know what to do.
But it quickly became obvious that she was supposed to listen along, and imagine the story in her mind. And it was easy to do so, with her vigorous narrator.
"That was the law of the jungle. A rule not one Pokémon dared break. Until one day, something entered the jungle which was not a Pokémon at all..."
And with just a few lines, Budew was entranced.
Team Bunker's room was one of the largest in the crest- a product of both their rank and, in Brutus's case, necessity. In spite of the room's size, it was lightly adorned. The team and their daughter slept together on one enormous bed, with Brutus's side for a pillow. Many sorted bins for their delving equipment, a few books at Budew's request, and Thorn's many rose beds in the rays of the window. They didn't need more- none of them spent much time up here during the day.
Her mother's gentle shake woke Budew at the crack of dawn, as per usual. She pulled herself to her feet with a yawn, stretching tall on her stubs. Her father rose up behind her, finally free to move without disturbing them, and gave his own gaping yawn.
Her mom was the only one who didn't seem tired. She had already moved over to the supply drawers and was hastily stocking her delver's bag with the day's supplies.
"Your father and I are going out on a mission today," she explained. "The kind you can't come on."
Budew nodded in understanding. "Will I stay with Aunt Altaria?"
Her mother paused her preparation to give Budew a skeptical glance. "She's 'aunt' now?"
"She uhm- she said I could call her that," Budew explained, shifting uneasily.
Her mom sighed and shook her head, returning her attention to the day's duties. She walked over to where her mate's heavy saddlebags were laid against the wall and dragged them over to fill up as well.
"No. What we're doing now isn't working. We need to try something new." Her mom shut her eyes and turned to the child with a disappointed look. "Budew, you're six years old now. You see the problem, don't you?"
"I still haven't evolved," Budew answered solemnly.
"Right," she nodded. "Which means we need to keep working harder. So today, you'll be going on your own mission."
Budew gasped. "All alone?"
Her mother shook her head again with an annoyed scowl. "No. Our dear guildmaster would have my head. And you're still not allowed on higher-ranked missions. So I've arranged for you to go with one of the rookie-rank teams today. Really, it's all a sham. You're probably better than the three of them combined, at this point. But when Ithycus chooses a hill to die on..." She audibly groaned.
Her mother quickly strapped her father's saddlebags on and pulled herself onto his back. She patted her bouquet against him, gesturing for Budew to hop up as well. Budew climbed up and stood still as her mom dropped a small delver's bag over her as well.
Her dad ferried them both down the countless stairs, while the little seedling fought to push aside her anxiousness about this mission. It was going to be far beneath her... there was nothing to worry about. She'd done countless missions without mom or dad's help before...
But they wouldn't be there this time. All she'd have at her back were rookies.
That shouldn't scare her though- it couldn't scare her. Six years of training, as well the destiny she'd inherited- there wasn't even a chance she couldn't handle a rookie mission like this!
Her eyes sharpened, burning with that conviction, and she finally threw off those doubts. She'd do this perfectly, no matter who her teammates were!
Her dad broke into the people and noise of the mission hall, pushing into a crowd which parted around his titanic path. Her mom scanned the sea of delvers, finally pointing her bouquet out to guide her mate.
Her dad came to a stop by the edge of the mob surrounding the mission board, where a team of three meek-looking Pokémon stared back at them anxiously.
An Axew and a Noibat stood in the back, practically cowering behind their third member- a Gible who was doing his absolute best to meet her mom's gaze without flinching.
"T-team Bunker," Gible nodded, dutifully standing as tall as he could.
"Team... " Her mom's eyes glazed over as she tried to recall.
"Team Pride," Gible finished.
"Right," she muttered. Her vine coiled around Budew, and she placed the girl on the ground in front of him. "Budew will be joining you guys on your mission today."
"Thank you for watching her," her dad added.
"Err- of course," Gible answered, his attention now fully focused on Budew. All three of them were giving her that stare. The stare that so many of the Crest Pokémon gave her- like she was some mysterious creature.
"Alright, we'll see you tonight, dear. Don't show them up too badly, now," her mom said with a grin. Her father gave Team Pride a grateful nod, Budew a warm smile, and set out with his mate in tow.
As soon as they'd vanished, Gible's tension relaxed.
"Those two have one heck of an aura," he muttered, giving his teammates an exasperated smile. They nodded in agreement and stepped more confidently out from behind him. But they still seemed nervous.
"Gible," the small dragon nodded and smiled at Budew. "Noibat, and Axew," he gestured to his teammates in turn. "We're Team Pride."
"I'm Budew," she answered meekly, still uncomfortable with the way Noibat and Axew were looking at her. "What's the mission?"
"Right to the point, eh? Guess I should expect as much out of the legendary Budew," he laughed. "We haven't picked one yet. What do you want Budew? An easy mission, or something challenging?"
"A hard mission," Budew replied instantly, and flatly. She wouldn't evolve doing something easy.
Gible laughed again. "Alright, let's find the hardest D-class mission we can." He grinned wide. "After all, our team is the one getting credit for this. So if she wants it anyways, we may as well take advantage of having the famous Budew on our side while we can."
"Famous?" Budew raised an eyebrow at him as they all waddled towards the mission board.
"Something like that. Hear all kinds of whispers about you. Come on, what do you expect, training in private day-in and day-out? Lotta folks seem to expect you to step out of those gardens one day and replace the guildmaster," Gible snickered. "But people are ridiculous. I'll see for myself what you're like."
High expectations as always. She was lucky her mom pushed her as hard as she did- she needed every last minute of her training to live up to these rumors. And she needed to evolve as soon as possible.
Budew focused as they stepped up to the base of the mighty mission board. Her mom had taught her how to read the missions. She scanned for anything worthwhile, and found plenty of interesting options- all of which were above her hard limit of D-class.
Her determined glare sank more and more into frustration as mission after mission declared itself out of her grasp. The D-class missions that were available were all terrible, pointless endeavors.
"Why are all of these missions so... unimportant?" she muttered aloud.
That earned a snort from Gible. "Because they're D-Class. They're not supposed to be important." He pointed a claw high up on the board. "But that one is probably our best bet."
Budew had to take a step back to read the mission, hugging the ceiling near the very top of the board.
"Bring in Pidove..." she mumbled out loud. She could hardly believe her eyes. An outlaw mission. Outlaw missions were virtually never D-class!
A serial petty thief, Pidove had been stealing food and other small objects from townsfolk within Sapsion and he'd always retreat into Crawling Tangle to the south when pursued. He'd displayed no violent tendencies, and those who had heard him speak estimated he was quite young.
"Well, it's not exactly glamorous, but it's probably the most interesting thing up there. What do you say, Ms. Celebrity?"
"Hmph. I guess it is the best option," she agreed. Admittedly, she was actually a bit excited about it. It was the most pitiful, unimportant outlaw imaginable. But it was something she'd never done before.
"That's the spirit!" Gible grinned wide. "You two! Stop staring at her and let's go reserve the mission."
Axew's eyes widened a moment, but with a shake of his head his expression neutralized. "Right. Sorry. Gible is right. Rumors are simply rumors." He bowed his head in apology.
Noibat mimicked the motion rather unconvincingly, his wings and back still stiff. "Sorry, Budew," he whispered.
"It's fine," she muttered, already marching over to the reservation desk. They were trying to shake off those perceptions of her- but she was going to do her best to validate them.
Crawling Tangle Quadrant 1
Even before it had become a mystery dungeon, Crawling Tangle had been an odd place. The lorekeeper once told Budew that the enormous Rachna tree above may have been grown by Xerneas herself. But whatever its origin, its roots spilled out from the cliffside beneath it and formed an elaborate mess of roots and whatever crawling flora could creep its way between them. Many feral bugs had found the place a cozy home- right up until the mysterious force had claimed it.
Now a mystery dungeon, the curling mess of roots and ivy was... not that much different, all things considered. But rather than feral bugs webbing you up, it was apparitions instead.
Team Pride and Budew marched in two rows. She was squirming a bit at the unusual experience. Usually she was up front alone. She'd decide where to go, and she knew that when an enemy appeared, it was up to her to put them down. But now she had to share that responsibility with Gible.
The quiet two dragons in the back were strange as well. Normally if anything went wrong, she knew her parents could step in and make the problem disappear. But those two... she doubted they could fix anything.
She scowled to herself at that thought. There was no point thinking about 'if something went wrong'. Nothing would go wrong. She'd done plenty of easy missions like this before, and her parents never needed to step in.
"Not having fun?" Gible noticed her scowl.
"What does fun have to do with it? I'm just surprised we haven't found this criminal yet. Surely he hasn't gone deep in?" Budew turned so he couldn't see her face. She couldn't show any kind of weakness, lest he decide she wasn't living up to her reputation.
Gible peeled back a nest of ivy as they came to an arch in one of the enormous roots. He ushered the rest of his team through as he held it up, catching Budew with a curious glare as she passed through. She quickly turned away.
Gible hobbled over and regained his place at the front with her. "Fun has a lot to do with it. Ain't like a Pidove snatching some seeds out of some poor sap's paws matters that much. If we're gonna go to the trouble of hunting them down, we may as well at least enjoy it."
"We usually try to make games out of it," Noibat's quiet voice piped up. "Makes the boring missions we have to do less bad."
"You play games when you're supposed to be working?" She looked at the bat awestruck.
"We play games while we're working," Gible snorted. "There's a difference. We're not pulling out a ball and playing catch."
She eyed him skeptically. "So what are you doing?"
"We play games that align with our duties," Axew chipped in. "In fact, let me propose such a game- Let's see who can take out the most apparitions before we find Pidove. Point goes to whoever lands the last blow."
Budew perked up a bit at that. It did seem like an okay game to play while working.
"Very well. I'll play!" she agreed.
"Oh man..." Noibat muttered behind her, almost beneath his breath.
Now that there was a game on the line, everyone was watching twice as dutifully for apparitions. Chatter had fallen silent, so as not to distract them in the slightest. And it wasn't long until they found their first point- A solitary Caterpie crawling overtop one of the roots stretching out of the earth.
"Halfright, fourthset!" Axew called out. Gible and Noibat's eyes darted up to it- just in time to see a single poisoned thorn jab right into its chest.
The apparition stretched up and stared down at its own wound with an apathetic glance. Looking almost disappointed, it melted away, slipping right off the root and sinking into the dirt.
Team Pride turned their gapes over to Budew as she straightened out her back. "One point to me," she said coolly, and turned her eyes forward again.
Gible shook off his surprise and gave a challenging grin. "Oh, I see. You want to go hard on this? Fine then, it's on!"
A dismissive huff was her only response. Facing forward so that he couldn't see, she grinned. It was a good start, but she couldn't even allow this to be close. That was what was expected of her.
They continued on, playing this game. Crawling Tangle was a fairly open dungeon, without much in the way of the tight corridors that plagued many others. This left them plenty of opportunities to sight the apparitions crawling around the roots and webs in the distance.
Budew played the game mercilessly- she wouldn't drop her attention for an instant, and she attacked hard and fast, so that none of her companions could get a chance. She quickly grew a healthy lead, leaving Axew and Noibat in the dust. They rarely knew an apparition was there before she had dispatched it.
Gible, to her frustration, continued to trail behind her. Far from winning, yet close enough that she couldn't help but feel she was failing. What would they think of her, knowing that a mere Gible from a rookie team could nearly keep pace? Would they be disappointed?
"Uhh, guys? Over there," Noibat spoke up, a bit louder than usual, and pointed a wing across the cluttered field of roots and brush behind them.
Budew spun instantly and prepared a poison sting, ready to destroy whatever apparition he'd found before Gible could react. She barely managed to stop herself from firing it from her bud.
With their eyes peeled ahead for apparitions, and thus potential points, they'd nearly missed it amid all of the tangle. A single speck of gray in a web of white in the distance.
"Is that..." Axew put a claw above his eyes to get a better look. "Yeah, that's Pidove! Stuck up in that web!"
Budew was already charging towards him. "Pidove! You are in violation of the third rule! We're taking you down!" she barked towards him as the bird came into view.
He was stuck tight into an enormous web, his wings sullied by the webbing clinging to them and worn out from struggling. His eyes were shut tight in defeat, but as soon as Budew started yelling, they shot open.
"Help! Help!" he yelled out, starting to struggle again. His eyes shot even wider in panic as Budew let her vines stretch loose and held them out, ready to strike if he made any moves.
"Whoa, whoa! Relax Budew, he's already stuck!" Gible ran up beside her and tried to hold her vine down.
She scowled at him, but relaxed her vines just a bit. Axew walked past the both of them and approached Pidove.
"You are Pidove, correct?" The bird nodded meekly. "We were sent here to apprehend you for several thefts. However, we will first get you out of this predicament. In exchange, we'd appreciate it if you could come quietly and without a struggle. Alright?"
"Y-yes. P-please just get me down from here before it comes back..." Pidove whimpered.
Budew rolled her eyes. As if they could trust the words of an outlaw. Her mom and dad had told her all about the outlaws they had fought over the years. They were the scum of the earth. Pokémon that would hurt and steal without a second thought. Every word out of their mouths was a lie. This Pidove would certainly try to escape as soon as they'd let it out.
But Axew seemed satisfied with it.
"Good. Thank you." Axew turned to his teammates. "Any ideas? I might be able to break through it with a dual chop, but I'm not certain how strong this webbing is. There's a chance I simply get my horn all tangled up in it."
"Well, usually burning it would be the best bet..." Gible started, staring pensively up towards the Rachna tree. A terror crossed Pidove's face. "But that's out here, for obvious reasons. Sorry Ax. I think we need you to take the risk then. Should be fine though, that blade of yours is sharp."
Axew sighed and approached the web. "Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Gible."
He reared his head back far and slashed at the web with the blade on top, in two rapid cuts. Luckily, it cut straight through with little more than a bit of webbing gunking up the blade. The web destabilized, and Pidove fell to the ground, still tangled up, as the rest of it began to collapse.
Pidove tried to spread his wings, only to find them still stuck shut. Looking pitiful, he made a meager effort to stand up without them, only to tumble back to the ground.
"Hold still," Gible instructed, grabbing ahold of him and digging a claw into the web welding his wings shut.
"What are you doing?" Budew demanded. "He's tied up. Don't let him out!"
Gible turned and gave her a concerned look. "Budew, the guy can barely stand up. Even if we get him upright he's going to be tripping over himself the entire way back."
"So? He's a criminal," she scoffed.
Gible sighed and pressed a claw against his nose. "Budew he's not exactly a criminal mastermind. He's a kid and he stole a few seeds and baubles. He still deserves dignity."
Budew took a good look at the Pidove. He stared up at them both frightfully, not daring to speak. Even she had to admit, she couldn't see a hint of malice behind those eyes. But outlaws could be masters of deception... That was what she had heard.
"Fine," she muttered. She stood back and let Gible tear Pidove's wings free.
Budew tensed as Pidove spread his wings wide, but he merely stretched them before looking at his rescuers.
"R-right... so you guys are like, delvers, huh?" he muttered, beak clacking nervously.
"Yes. And we'd appreciate it if you stuck to your end of the deal and came quietly," Gible answered, eyeing him sternly.
Pidove nodded. "O-okay... I'll-"
The bird froze with a look of terror. A moment later, the rest of them heard it as well: an ominous hissing and a skittering sound.
Budew's ears pinpointed the sound above her, and with a cry from her instincts she dove to the left just in time to dodge the enormous spider that dropped down where she'd stood.
Rolling to her feet, she caught her attacker's eyes- an Ariados. Not an apparition. Based on its animalistic chittering, a feral.
"Nice dodge," Gible muttered, squaring up their opponent himself. Noibat and Axew were positioning themselves around it as well. It was bigger and likely stronger than any one of them, but that hardly made up for four-to-one odds.
Ariados seemed to realize this too. Hoping to get the first strike, it reared back and pounced Gible to the ground with shocking speed, sinking its fangs into his scales in a rapid series of shallow bites.
The motion opened the floodgate of attacks. Noibat flailed his wings as sharp waves of pressurized air flew towards the spider, cutting gashes along its abdomen. Budew and Axew both charged it with their heads lowered- Axew wielding his natural horn while Budew had sprouted a large thorn from her bud.
Ariados leapt again, narrowly avoiding their simultaneous slashes, and crawled up a serpentine root. It spun its spinnerets out towards Noibat and launched a thick webbing that pinned the bat to the ground.
"Euuugh! Gross!" Noibat's usually quiet voice boomed from his ears as he flailed to free himself.
Dodging another dragon rage from Gible, the spider pounced from the root, soared over them all, and landed next to Noibat. He ripped the tangled bat up from the ground, his pincers easily cutting through his own webbing.
"He's gonna run!" Axew cried, charging towards the spider.
Budew's eyes sharpened. She could not let this thing get away!
She unleashed three vines as she dashed towards it. They wouldn't hurt it much, but... she threw them out and coiled two tight around its back legs, the remainder wrapping around a tree to brace her.
With Noibat collected, Ariados attempted to leap away, only to slam back down to the ground as Budew's leash held it in place. It reared its head back and sank its fangs into the vines, tearing them each off in quick succession as Budew groaned at the pain.
But she'd done what she needed to- before Ariados could escape, a sickening gush sounded as Axew's blade cut a deep gash in its abdomen. Catching up moments later, Budew's thorn cut a second one while was still rearing from the first.
Ariados collapsed to the ground, rolling onto its side as its legs twitched. After a moment, they fell limp.
Budew's heart was still beating- and she felt good. That was the biggest foe she'd ever felled. Not only fully matured, but a feral rather than a mere apparition.
As that good feeling spread throughout her chest, it took her a moment to notice the light engulfing her. Bathed in that numb euphoria, her entire body melted away into a radiant liquid. The light reshaped itself, growing larger into the silhouette of a Roselia before the radiance finally faded away.
Budew- now Roselia, blinked mindlessly a few times before she could process what just happened. Instinctually, she picked her newfound arms and buds and inspected them with awe. They were gorgeous, and emitted a pleasant aroma. She had roots, coiled up tight into solid legs, that could properly run now. And she was a fair bit taller.
But most importantly, she wasn't bound in her infantile form anymore. She still wasn't at her most matured yet, but she was a mere child no longer. Her mother would be ecstatic!
Team Pride had stopped moving to gawk at her, Noibat still half-tangled in webbing.
"Well, I'll be," Gible whistled and smirked. "We got to watch little Ms. Celebrity evolve. How's it feel?" He resumed cutting Noibat loose.
"Good... very, very good..." Roselia muttered, still examining her new body intently. Her eyes focused, and she grew a mischievous grin. "Another point to me, by the way. That's thirteen now."
Gible snorted as he cut the last strand keeping Noibat's wings glued tight. The bat crawled free of his binds and shook himself vigorously, stretching his wings wide.
"No point on that one," Gible protested. "That wasn't an apparition."
Roselia growled. Frustratingly, he was correct.
"Guys?" Axew called out to the group. "Pidove is gone."
They all glanced around and confirmed that Pidove was indeed nowhere to be found. It was hard to know if he'd flown off entirely or hidden somewhere in the dense foliage. But after a few calls, he never came back.
"Great! Just great!" Roselia huffed, her good mood quickly souring. Evolved or not- if she came home with a failed mission... everyone would hear about it. "I told you to keep him webbed up!"
"Bud- Err, Roselia... I don't think the kid was trying to get away from us. He probably just panicked cause the feral that nearly ate him came back," Gible sighed.
"Who cares? He promised not to run, and then he ran. That's what you get for trusting an outlaw!"
Gible raised a claw dismissively. "Relax. We'll find him again."
"Fine. Then let's go." She glared at him impatiently. "The longer we wait, the further he gets."
"Uh, let's give Noibat a minute first?" Gible chuckled. The bat was still vigorously plucking gooey strands from his own wings, a bit bruised and quivering with disgust.
Roselia's eyes narrowed. "Pidove is getting away while we wait. Can't he do that while we walk?"
"Again, I really don't think he's actually trying to get away from us." Gible's gaze sharpened.
"It's fine," Noibat assured them, still picking anxiously at his wings. "I'm okay. And she's right, I can do this while we walk."
With that, Roselia was already marching ahead. They were counting on her to catch this outlaw. She couldn't let them see her fail.
Excursions with Team Pride became increasingly common for Roselia. With her nearing seven years of age, Team Bunker were returning more fully to their duties as an elite team. And even though Roselia was more capable than any of them, she was not yet ten years of age. So if she wanted to do missions, she had to tag along with an official team.
Today's particular excursion took them to the Deadwind Vale. A dungeon which, in her opinion, was trying far too hard to be scary. Between the ashen gray sands that stirred in the breeze, the chill air, and the plethora of ghost type apparitions, it was almost eyeroll-inducing. The dungeon lacked proper walls, leaving its victims to wander through seemingly endless, empty plains, bordered only by a dense fog. The pale shadows of the valley's overlooking ridges peered from above.
And annoyingly, the dungeon's pitiful intimidation efforts seemed to be working on her teammates. Most of their march was silent- accompanied only by the ghastly howl of the wind. But that silence was regularly broken by a quiet alarm.
"Y-you see that?" Noibat whispered, wings wrapped tight around him as he rode atop Gible's head.
"Nothing there. Likely just the sand in your peripherals," Axew concluded after a moment of scanning.
"You're seein' things!" Gible forced a grin and shook his head to jostle the bat.
Roselia finally stopped, growing too far ahead of them. "Yes, he is," she grumbled. "Just like he was the last time. And the time before that."
"Sorry, Roselia," Noibat muttered, collecting his wings tighter. He shuddered. "This place is just... eugh."
"Eh, it's not so bad," Gible reassured him. "Spooky as all get out, but the apparitions go down easy. I'm starting to think they care more about scarin' us than knocking us out. 'Sides, Roselia, you of all people should want to know right away if there's an apparition, right?" Gible cast her a toothy grin. "I'm only two away from catching you now."
Roselia scowled and turned around to keep marching. Over the past few months, Gible had continued to shrink the gap between them in all of their delving games. It didn't make any sense. The years of elite training she had on them- not even to mention her heritage- was vanishing so quickly.
Were their few years of age really such a huge advantage?
She kept walking, the sands swirling around her feet and gleefully sipping up her frustrations. A series of quick crunches followed behind, as her teammates quickly picked up pace to stay with her.
Noibat sighed. "I'm really sorry guys. I need to get my head on straight."
"Just keep doing your best," Axew reassured him again. "Why don't we talk a bit? To relieve your nerves."
"Y-yeah. That might help," Noibat nodded eagerly. "But what about? I'm a bit... distracted at the moment."
"I got one!" Gible perked up, giving Noibat a sudden jolt. "Hey, Roselia!" he called forward.
Roselia winced at having been dragged into the conversation. She had to be ever-vigilant for apparitions right now. She had to see them before anyone else did, so there was no chance of Gible getting to them.
"Yes?" she sighed.
"When are you gonna choose a name already?"
She cringed at that. She'd been considering the question since she'd evolved. But she hadn't been able to decide on anything. Flower names were a species staple, but she had no botanical experience beyond her mother's bright roses, which was a cliché and forgettable name for a Roselia.
No matter how much she thought it through, her mind kept fixating back on one name: "Thorn". It was no surprise- naturally her mother would have snatched up the best name before she had ever hatched. And now here she was, trying to pick through the scraps for second best.
"I... don't know," she confessed. "Names are hard."
"I know, right?" Noibat laughed nervously. "There's so many options, and you only get one. How are you supposed to choose?"
A sudden gust of wind kicked a wave of sand at the delvers, forcing them to all shield their eyes. Roselia appreciated the opportunity to scowl unnoticed. Contrary to being relatable, Noibat had the exact opposite problem.
"I've been thinking about it lately, too," Axew spoke up, twiddling his claws nervously. "But I'm really no good at it myself. Do you have anything you're partial towards, Roselia?"
She paused a minute, debating whether to tell them the truth. After carefully considering, she saw no harm in it. "I really like the name Thorn. But... I can't, for obvious reasons."
Axew nodded thoughtfully and stopped talking to consider.
"It's extra tough for you, since no matter what you pick it's gonna bounce around the whole Crest before the end of the week," Gible noted. He fell silent and glum for a moment, before catching Roselia's eyes.
"We still get a ton of questions about you, you know. Mostly it's the other rookie teams, but sometimes older members roll around. They always try to be inconspicuous about it, but you always come up in the conversation somehow. On one hand, it's cool that we get to go on missions with the mystery kid. But it would be nice to stand on our own sometimes..." he muttered.
His sudden bitterness killed the improved mood, wrenching them back into that cold wasteland. How long had they been walking now without seeing anything? No apparitions, no gateways, no treasures, not even so much as an oddly shaped rock.
Gible sounded hesitant when he spoke up again. "You should really try to get around some more. The way people talk about you is... weird."
"Get around?" Roselia raised an eye.
"Like... talk to people. Show them that you're not some kind of machine. All anyone ever hears about you is from us or your mom boasting about you. And..." He dared not meet her eyes. "I think your mom exaggerates. Like, a lot."
Exaggerates.
Roselia shut her eyes and screamed internally. Of course her mom had to exaggerate. Because reality wasn't living up to what it should be. Show them she's not a machine? She was doing everything she could to prove the opposite- to prove to them that they hadn't misplaced their faith. That she was the product of everything she'd been given.
"Left, Fullset!" Axew announced. The group quickly turned to face the oncoming Gastly as it burst from the fog, tongue outstretched and flew straight at Noibat.
Noibat yelped and leapt up, unfurling his wings to defend himself. A torrent of blue blames emitted from below him and splashed across the apparition's face. Gastly flew straight through it, laughing maniacally. But by the time Gible's flames subsided, Gastly was gone, his hideous laugh still echoing across the vale.
"See Noibs, like I said- they're just trying to scare you," Gible said with a renewed grin. The shivering bat settled back down on his head, gripping his wings even tighter than before, and nodded unconvincingly. Gible turned that grin over to Roselia. "Just one point now..." he sang tauntingly.
She huffed and kept marching. She'd let herself get distracted. She'd have to catch the next one first. She had to stay focused now-
"What is it about the name Thorn that you like, Roselia?" Axew's innocent question shattered any semblance of that focus. "Does it mean something to you, or is it just… because its hers?"
Roselia grimaced. She didn't like that question, because she wasn't entirely sure. Her feet dragged through the sands as she mumbled her thoughts aloud.
"Most Roselia name themselves based on their colorful buds, or their pleasant scents, or something like that. That's fine for a mere florist, or a baker, or whatever civilian job. But mom- the name 'Thorn' focuses on the part of a rose that bites back. The part that really matters for a delver."
Axew nodded pensively again. "That makes sense. In that case, why not choose something similar? Something else which captures that capability? And... you know it doesn't have to be rose-related, right?" Axew cast her a grin.
She let out a small chuckle at that. Admittedly, she had hardly considered the possibility of a non-flower-related name. It was a cliché, but a near-omnipresent one.
As soon as she finished her laugh and opened her eyes again, she tensed. A yellow light shot through the haze ahead, directly towards them. A whistle-like shriek sounded, and Roselia just barely leapt aside as a blade of pressurized wind flew past, scattering sand through the air.
A Drifloon emerged from the haze, and by the time she'd processed it, its long, string-like arms were wrapped around her own. Drifloon struggled pitifully to lift her off of the ground. With a growl, vines shot out from Roselia's buds and coiled up its arms, dragging it back down to her in turn.
But before she could land a clean hit, Gible's body slammed into the ghost and tackled it to the ground, dragging her down with it. Restraining the writhing balloon beneath his weight, Gible sank his fangs into its face and dragged them out with a vicious tear.
Roselia picked herself up onto her knees, getting coarse gray sand between her petals in the process, and stared in horror as the apparition melted away beneath Gible. He turned and gave her a prideful, devilish grin. But he didn't need to say anything.
Cold spread out from Roselia's chest, far more frigid than the howling winds. He had caught up to her.
