Chapter 23: Bristle's Day Off
By instinct, Bristle's eyes shot open at the crack of dawn. With a yawn and a stretch of her arms she dragged herself upright, and then to her feet. A vine coiled out and dragged her bag over to her, as she stumbled over to the supply bins to stuff it full of whatever the day would need.
For today she'd need...
Bristle paused. Oh. Right. She was supposed to take the day off.
She quickly set her bag down and glanced around nervously. What did that consist of exactly? She should... sleep in, right?
Bristle returned to her bed slowly, eyeing it like an adversary. She laid back down on it, placed her head on her own soft buds, and closed her eyes. Then she waited for sleep to come. But instead all that came were her own thoughts, abuzz with everything going on and trying to plot out the day.
She was quickly gaining a newfound appreciation for how difficult it was to be a bum.
After shifting awkwardly around for half an hour, trying every position she could, she finally admitted defeat and sat back up.
Alright, so she'd failed at sleeping in. But that just gave her more of the day to take off, right?
Bristle grabbed her bag again, if only by instinct, and marched out to face the day with renewed determination. She made it about ten paces from her house before she realized she had no idea where she was going.
She let out a nasty growl and stomped her foot. What a stupid task she'd been given!
What was she supposed to do? She could go home and read, maybe. But it had been such a long time that she wasn't even sure if her parents had actually left her books behind when they returned to the Crest.
She stomped frustratedly towards the cafe. At the very least she could enjoy a good drink.
Quagsire's cafe was quiet at this early hour. Most of the patrons had come to chug something made from Chesto, dispel their morning rust, and quickly get off to their day's tasks. On a normal morning, Bristle might do the same.
Bristle hopped up onto an appropriately-tall bar stool. "Coba juice, please," she called out to Quagsire as he ever-so-slowly sauntered down the bar towards her.
That earned a curious head-tilt from him, a maneuver which itself took an agonizing five full seconds. But in spite of it, he kept that same, constant, dopey grin.
She couldn't help but scowl. It was too early to be dealing with him.
"Coooming riiight uuuuuu-"
Bristle was looking away and drowning him out before he'd even finished. She prayed that turning her focus elsewhere would kill any attempts at conversation.
But looking away from the bar, she noticed how the other patrons were eyeing her. It wasn't their usual catty glares- but it was still something familiar. Like she was some kind of mystery. Her still-wilted buds probably weren't helping with that.
Shooting a glare back was enough to make most of them look away. But one Pokémon in particular was unwilling to flinch from her.
Excadrill lumbered up and stared at her judgingly, folding his heavy arms in front of him.
"Can I help you?" she asked, meeting his gaze with equal hostility.
"Based on your track record, I'd guess not," he answered. "But from what I'm hearin', that's changing lately?" It sounded more like an accusation than a compliment.
"Do you actually need something, or did you just come over here to start a fight?" she asked. Short vines licked out from her bud, hungry for violence. She wasn't supposed to fight again for several days, and her vines hadn't regrown yet, but if someone else started it...
He sulked a bit at that. "Heard you went and saved Solemn Meadow. Figured I'd hear the grossly exaggerated version of it straight outta your mouth."
Bristle folded her arms as well to meet his snide posture. "I didn't save anything. I just chased off the arsonist."
Genuine surprise flashed on Excadrill's face, but he quickly hid it behind a new scowl.
"Wow, not only suddenly competent, but modest too!" He snorted as his eyes continued to drill fury into her. "Wonder why that is?"
"Why don't you just get it out and say what your problem is already?" she growled.
"Problem?" he scoffed. "I ain't got no problem. 'Less you're confessing to somethin'?"
Her eyes narrowed. "You're just looking for something to complain about, aren't you? I did- I did something good, for once, and you don't like that. So you have to find some reason to hate me for it?"
"And suddenly you think you're in my head, too?" His face curled into a nasty snarl. "Usually you're so happy to have an audience, excuse me for thinkin' today would be the same. Don't let me interrupt your brooding then."
With a nasty look he stormed out of the cafe, leaving her alone with the awkward stares of the other morning patrons. Another angry sweep of her eyes across the room returned the rest of them to minding their own business.
Quagsire finally got back with her drink, pushing it over at an agonizing pace. If there was one good thing about his speed, it was that it kept him from commenting on the commotion. She strangled the cup between her vines and quickly buried her face in it to escape everyone's eyes.
She really had burnt every bit of good faith to her name, hadn't she? She could care less about what Excadrill thought, but he wouldn't be the only one. Even right now, she was scaring everyone away so she could hide from them, wasn't she?
Bristle sipped her Coba juice in an uncomfortable silence, grateful for the bitter drink and the return of casual conversation in the rest of the cafe. She'd have to do something about that eventually. But today was supposed to be a day off.
She couldn't tackle a task like that right now.
Rex's claws rapped gently on the doorframe of the Eevee family's home. The entire building had been power-washed, no doubt by Vaporeon's efforts, and was free once more of its ashen cloak. Slowly but surely the evidence of the fire was being erased from Solemn Meadow.
Vaporeon met him at the door with starry eyes.
"Oh my gosh, perfect timing!" she trilled happily. "I just wrapped up the last of the cleanup today!"
Rex smiled back at her. The girl's constant, chipper enthusiasm was infectious.
"That is perfect. Cause I was just coming by to see if you were ready to go."
She nodded frantically. "Yep, yep! Just gotta say goodbye to mom and dad. HEY, MUMBLE! HELIOPTILE IS HERE!"
After a moment, Ashen's fluffy head and mane poked through the doorway beside her, bearing his usual sad expression. With the two side-by-side, Rex couldn't help but wonder if Vaporeon had drained all the happiness out of him as children, through some twisted vampirism.
He nodded, and briefly met Rex's eyes in a knowing glance. "I'll go wake mom up and get my bag," he said, before disappearing from the doorway.
Rex's eyes widened. Get his bag?
"Mom felt really bad about what happened to you guys," Vaporeon interrupted his wondering. She pawed at the ground with a nervous smile. "But she was also super grateful that you were willing to take such a bad beating to keep Mumble safe."
Were he a less practiced liar, Rex would have been gaping. But in spite of his internal shock, he kept a level face and nodded in agreement.
"Hey, we promised we'd keep him safe and help him grow," he said with a fake smile. "Wouldn't be doing that if we let him get hurt."
What lie had Ashen told them?! Had he completely covered up his near-death experience?
Two more heads popped through the cramped doorway for a moment, as Ashen and Umbreon returned. With winces and groans, they all pulled back into the house. Rex followed them in, laughing.
To his surprise, Leafeon was inside and not out in the fields. He cast Rex a knowing look and a nod as he entered.
The two parents nuzzled each of their children in turn, saying their goodbyes, and confirming Rex's suspicions: Ashen was coming with them.
Did he not realize he was free now? Or had he made the choice to stay with them of his own free will? He had about a hundred questions for the kid- and half a mind not to allow it- but he couldn't exactly ask any of them right now.
He watched the scene in a respectful silence, and gave a teary Umbreon his many reassurances that they were in good hands as they each donned a saddlebag. Leafeon was stoic as always, but Rex could sense the sorrow behind his mask. And perhaps just a bit of pride.
After several promises that they'd visit every week, Umbreon finally let them all go. The trio followed down the path into the rest of the village, with Vaporeon carrying enough enthusiasm for the three of them.
"Ooh, isn't this so exciting?" she squealed eagerly, bumping Ashen with her shoulder. "I know you've been at it for a few days already, but we're really going to be delvers! I'd always thought this was just a fantasy!"
Ashen spared a smile for her behind his tired eyes. "Yeah. It'll... it'll be great," he reassured her. Rex cast him another questioning look, and the Flareon met it, but his eyes didn't explain a thing.
"Vaporeon, since you're joining the team, I should introduce myself properly. I'm Rex." He stopped walking and nearly extended a claw out to her, before quickly correcting and pointing it back at himself.
She giggled. "Vaporeon Spritz, at your service!"
"Good to have you on." He smiled warmly. "We're going to be making a detour to Flak Grotto before we head back, so we won't get in until late tonight. There's someone else I want to make an offer to."
Spritz hesitated for just a moment before eagerly nodding along. "Well, I guess I had to get used to walking a lot sooner or later!"
"I can't imagine it's any worse than working out in the fields anyways. You'll be- "
Rex paused as he noticed a group of Pokémon chatting in the village ahead. Two were conversing with Servine, as one of them clumsily scrawled notes onto a sheet of parchment. Two more watched, eagerly chatting between themselves.
"Spritz, who are they?" he asked with a sneaking suspicion.
She tilted her head, sensing the sudden change in tone. "The Delibird and the Skiddo? Or the Riolu and the Fennekin? I don't know any of them. Must be travelers."
As soon as she'd said it, the Delibird met his eye. There was a brief moment of mutual eye-contact before Rex broke it and muttered a curse.
"Quick, hide," he growled, grabbing Ashen by his collar and tugging him towards a bush.
Spritz flashed a confused stare before leaping into the bush after them, making a ton of noise in the process. Her tail poked out visibly.
"Uhm... why are we hiding from them?" she asked nervously as he peered out towards them.
"They're reporters," he growled.
"O-oh. I see," Spritz answered. After a moment- "And uhm, why are we hiding from reporters?"
He turned to look at her, face-to-face in the cramped bush. "There's two types of people you never talk to: reporters and cops. Nothing good ever comes of either."
Her expression was deeply confused. "Oh. Uh. Okay?" she answered, too stunned to question it.
Rex turned his eyes back towards the reporters to find the coast was clear. They'd vanished.
"Excuse me? You there- hiding in the bushes. Could you spare a minute?" an amused voice called from right beside them.
Rex popped out with a growl to find the Delibird and Skiddo hovering over them. In that moment he learned it was quite possible for someone to look smug with a beak.
"No, not really," Rex answered, dusting the leaves and twigs off of himself. He gestured with his head for Ashen and Spritz to emerge as well. They both looked at him like he was crazy as they did.
"Oh, please. It will be just a moment," the Delibird reassured him. "I'm Delibird Cole, and this is Skiddo Alek." He gestured to the nervous little goat beside him. "We're gathering information for the Jade Crest on the fire that befell this town a few nights ago. We just wanted to ask you a few questions about that night for our report."
"We don't know anything," he said. He refused to meet their eyes and started walking away, waving for the Eevees to follow him.
"Really, we're just looking for the perspective of citizens that were there that night," Cole continued to push. He seemed to take a smug amusement in Rex's resistance. His eyes shifted over to Ashen. "How about you? Were you there that night?"
Ashen froze and his eyes went wide at the question.
Rex grabbed his scruff and gave him a tug to get him walking again. He shot Cole a nasty look. "Christ man, can you take a hint? No comment!"
That seemed to catch Cole off guard, and his shoulder slumped. He watched them silently as they escaped from his probing questions.
They passed the Riolu and the Fennekin, who offered them polite smiles and waves as they left. Rex wasn't quite sure what their role was- they were clearly with the reporters, but didn't seem interested in pestering him.
As soon as they were outside the village and along the path to Flak Grotto, Spritz finally spoke up.
"Uhm... what was that about?" she asked with a nervous giggle.
"I told you: never talk to reporters. Nothing good comes of it," he grumbled.
She gave a goofy smile. "Well, uhm... I think the news comes of it, actually."
"...Well, yes," he relented. "But on a personal level- best case scenario you get nothing out of it, and worst case scenario they use your words against you."
Spritz seemed to pause to think that through for a few seconds. "I guess, but doesn't that seem a bit selfish? If no one talked to them, we wouldn't get any news?"
Rex shrugged. "Someone else will talk to them. And if it turns out poorly, then it's their problem and not ours."
The Vaporeon frowned but didn't say any more.
Rex took the opportunity to check on Ashen. He still seemed a tiny bit shaken, but otherwise had kept silent. He seemed stoic, but it wasn't quite the same terrified silence he'd held around Rex and Bristle the days prior.
So Rex let it go, and they marched onwards.
Bristle haunted the cafe until well after noon, ordering drink after drink and drowning her sorrows in them. After the third Coba juice she got bored and started ordering others. It was a momentary distraction from the funny looks she received, and she did enjoy a few of them. Others she pushed aside after a single sip.
But eventually even that got boring, and she didn't dare waste any more coin on it. So she got up and shuffled out the door, refusing to meet the eyes of the other patrons.
Bristle made her way out to the hills to the west. She wandered slowly- killing as much time as she could along the way. The day was far too long, and she had far too much she could be focusing on right now. But instead she was wasting the day away.
Well, she needed to sunbathe for the day one way or another. Her buds were still browned and partially wilted, and only time and sunlight would fix that.
She made her way up the hills until she caught sight of a small crag amid the fields, and some scorched grass around it. The site of her spar with her parents.
It was as good a spot as any. She made her way over to it and planted her roots, taking up the nutrients beneath the soil and letting the sunlight bathe across her soiled buds.
But maybe this was a bad spot to have chosen. Because instead of her usual relaxation during a sunbath, she found herself thinking back to that fight. Thinking back to those forsaken words.
"Have you considered that maybe you're just not cut out for this?"
When her mother had said it, Bristle didn't consider for a moment that she might be right. Her thoughts had been purely on proving it wrong. Proving that she was everything she was supposed to be. But now she was wondering if that was ever true.
In a way, it was weirdly cathartic to finally recognize how badly she'd messed everything up. She didn't have to worry about failure anymore. It had already happened.
But on the other side of things, she had to clean it up now. Maybe she'd never be the legend Thorn had wanted her to be, but at the very least she didn't have to be the complete failure she'd become. She could fix her name, she could help people, she could be... satisfactory.
The word felt filthy.
Bristle opened her eyes and sighed as the mess of their battlefield met her. But how did she fix things with her mother? Thorn would never accept satisfactory.
No, from the day Bristle had hatched, Thorn had never been satisfied. Even when she succeeded, her mother could pick out every little imperfection from the process, like a browning petal from one of her roses.
The roses... Bristle still had Thorn's rosebush in her house. She'd been tending to it intermittently- knowing her mother would be upset if she'd allowed it to die. But in spite of her natural affinities, she was no botanist, and had never learned the ins and outs of caring for it.
That was how she could waste the rest of the day away.
Content with that plan, she continued with the remainder of her sunbath. Even wilted, the light splashing across her buds forced her to relax once she cleared her mind. And for a pleasant hour, she felt good.
But as soon as her roots retracted from the earth, her discontentment returned.
Bristle marched her way back home, with a bit more urgency now that she had a proper task to tend to. She pushed the curtain aside to take in the enormous bush that dominated the majority of the center room.
She really had let it go, compared to its former glory under Thorn.
Its extents were reaching out untrimmed, curling around the small fence and desperately trying to expand. It had drooped down from the central pillar Thorn once had it curling majestically around. And its colors weren't a fraction as vibrant.
Bristle sighed and shook her head. Yes, it was about time she fixed this. But she didn't even know where to begin.
She walked the circle around the bush three times before finally settling on trimming it first and freeing the fence of the bush vying for territory. She focused intently on her bud and trembled a bit as the sharpest thorn she could muster emerged from between her petals. She sat down beside the fence and started chipping away.
Bristle couldn't help but feel like she was doing something wrong. Just chopping bits off of the bush nonchalantly certainly didn't feel like proper gardening. But it was what she had observed Thorn doing countless times before...
She spent a long while moving down the circle. Doing it all at once was a far more time-consuming task than she'd expected. By the end, the fence definitely looked grateful for it, but she couldn't say the same of the bush.
Next was the color. The bush needed nutrients. A task like that was practically what grass types were made for.
Bristle climbed over the fence and dragged herself into the bush. Thorns stabbed at her from every angle, but she was made for it. The mundane prickles failed to pierce her leafy skin.
Wedging herself into the center, Bristle let her legs unfurl into roots and pierce deep into the earth. The day's last few hours of sunlight streamed in from the roof. Her buds gradually converted that light into grass type energy and sent it back down her roots and into the earth.
The basic process was simple- instinctual, even, for a grass type that thrived by the verdancy around them. But doing much more than that- controlling the nutrients it received to affect color and control growth- was a much more complicated science. And one Bristle knew nothing about.
She did her best for a while, continuing until sunlight ceased trickling into the room, and then dragged herself from the brush. When she examined her work the bush looked minorly improved. It had pepped up just a bit and, maybe it was just her imagination, but the petals of each rose seemed a tiny bit more vibrant.
And yet... The colors were still off, the trim was amateur, and she didn't know where to begin with re-winding it around the central pillar.
It had been so much more magnificent under her mother.
"Mmm, I'd been wondering what you did in your free time. Staring at bushes and looking depressed were actually my third and fourth guesses."
Bristle nearly jumped at Rex's sudden appearance beside her.
"Have you heard of knocking?" she grumbled.
"I live here now," he said flatly. "What's with the pissy bushwatching?"
"I- " Bristle sputtered trying to come up with a defense in the moment, before realizing it was fruitless to lie. Her shoulders sank a bit. "You said to find a hobby. So I figured I'd learn to care for my mother's rose bush."
"Right," he said. He reached out to it curiously to grasp a bud, before quickly retracting that claw as he noticed the thorns. "And you figured the best way to tend the bush was to mope at it until it felt bad and grew for you?"
"Is sarcasm your only method of communication?"
"Yes."
Bristle pouted a moment before letting it go. She stepped forward and grasped the rose bud he'd been looking between her own petals, unharmed by its thorns. It was by all accounts a perfectly healthy rose. But something just felt wrong about it.
"It just used to be much... grander, is all. I don't know how she did it," Bristle finally answered.
Rex snorted. "Christ, you have mommy issues."
She cast him a nasty glower, dropping the rose. "What is that supposed to mean?"
His posture relaxed a bit, and he gave her a more serious expression. "Bristle, two days ago you told me all about how you spent your entire childhood chasing her approval. You had a mental breakdown last week because you couldn't impress her. And now I left you alone for one day and you're here moping about not being able to garden as well as her? Seriously?"
Bristle floundered for a moment, glancing back and forth between him and the bush before she could form an answer. "I'm- she's- she's one of the greatest delvers on the planet! I think it's perfectly reasonable to aspire to her standard!" she barked.
Rex folded his arms. "Yeah, and she's also a shit mother."
"What does that have to- what is that supposed to mean?" Bristle snapped.
Rex surrendered any contempt in his expression to look at her with genuine concern. "Has it occurred to you that basically everything that made you into a freak is her fault? That she treated you like some kind of challenge, instead of her goddamned daughter?"
"That she treated me like I was capable? That I could be something special? That was a mistake?" she shot back challengingly.
"I believe we recently established that you're not special," Rex answered coolly, but without a hint of malice. "Have you forgotten already?"
Bristle shrank at that, barely avoiding letting out a whimper.
"And that's the problem," he continued. "She didn't tell you that you could be something special, she told you that you had to be something special. That being good enough wasn't good enough. And the end result?" He gestured to the rose bush with a scowl. "You're a grown adult, standing in front of a bush, pouting because you can't tend it as well as a practiced expert after one day of trying."
She stepped back nervously, desperately searching for a defense. But when she started to feel herself tearing up she knew she didn't have one. She was already forgetting, wasn't she?
"What do- " She shook her head to make sure she didn't cry and steadied her voice. "What are you saying I should do?"
Rex glanced at the bush and swished his cheek in thought for a moment. Then he smirked. "Burn it, probably. Maybe we can get the kid to do it. He's good at burning shit."
Bristle gaped at him. "Burn it? Have you gone mad? Is that your solution to all of your problems?"
He shrugged, still smirking. "The ones I can get away with, yeah." He quickly cut her off before she could get another word in. "But after we burn it- and maybe convert all the space it's taking up into 'guild' space- you can plant another. Your rose bush, that you don't need to compare to your mom's."
Bristle turned and examined her mother's bush once again. She could still remember it in its full majesty. The thought of reducing it to ash didn't just feel wrong- it felt like sacrilege.
"She- she'd be furious if she found out," Bristle muttered.
Rex rolled his eyes. "Who cares what she thinks? It's your house, ain't it?" He carelessly ripped one of the roses off the bush and tossed it to the floor. Then he stomped on it. "Oh no... I ruined her stupid rose... What's she going to do? Whine at me?"
"...I care..." she whispered, almost beneath her breath.
Rex sighed and put a claw on her shoulder. "Do you want to get better or not? Newsflash: she's never going to be proud of you. That doesn't mean you have to hate yourself."
Bristle was silent.
Mother was… She expected a lot. Maybe it was even true that she expected too much. But she'd spent how many years trying to help Bristle reach those expectations? Pouring countless hours into making her finally good enough.
Bristle had said she'd accept it- that she'd never reach that lofty goal. But giving up on mother herself felt criminal.
How could Rex's words make sense, yet feel so wrong?
Bristle shoved his claw from her shoulder and turned away. Her head sagged.
"I don't want to watch it," she said weakly. "Just... get rid of it while I plant the new one somewhere. If she asks I'll- I'll tell her we needed guild space."
Rex gave her a faint smile and nodded. "We'll take care of it. Maybe plant the new one outside somewhere. Doing something nice for the town might help with making everyone not hate you. Leafeon might be able to give you some tips, too. Tending shrubbery isn't quite his wheelhouse, but it's probably close enough, right?"
"I might try..." She sighed. "But frankly, I think it's best I stay away from Flareon for a while."
"Yeah about that..." Rex grimaced. He leaned back against the wall and folded his arms again. "That's gonna be hard, considering he's joining the guild."
Bristle's eyes shot wide, concerns over her mother vanishing. "What? You invited him?" she hissed.
"No, no, no!" He waved his claws in front of him. "He invited himself. Apparently he lied to his family about what happened, too. Couldn't question him on it cause Spritz was there the whole time, though."
She paused a minute to take that in. Then her eyes sharpened. "If he wants to join, I'd be honored to have him," she declared with a fierce look.
"That's a change of position," Rex noted, eyeing her curiously.
She nodded with determination. "Regardless of what he did before, he saved our lives, Rex. Trusting Strife may have been... unfathomably stupid. But he has a delver's spirit. And I owe him everything. If this is what he wants, I'll give him all that I can."
Rex raised one claw. "Point of order- he saved your life. I was only there in the first place because of him. I'm calling us even on that one."
Bristle cast him a dirty look until he lowered that claw.
"But yes, he's a good kid," he relented. "I think as long as he wants to be here, he can do good things."
At that, she cast a glance at the door. "Where are he and Vaporeon, anyways?"
"Them, and our other recruits went out to get some dinner while I figured out where you were," he said with a proud grin. "It was a lot of walking and they were pretty tired. Honestly, I probably shouldn't have trekked that far while recovering..." he admitted sheepishly, rubbing a bruise on his chest.
"Other recruits?" she asked eagerly. "There were- there were other people?"
"Yeah..." Rex said slowly. He scratched the back of his head. "Don't get too excited though. You're not gonna like 'em. But I think we can fix them up."
Her enthusiasm faltered. "Who did you recruit?" she asked nervously.
He raised his claws defensively. "And ruin the surprise? Please. They'll be back in a little bit, and I'd prefer not giving you the time to complain at me."
She crossed her arms and raised an eye at him. "Bold to assume that keeping it a mystery will stop me from complaining."
Rex slumped down against the wall with a tired smile. "Okay, yeah, that was a stupid assumption on my part. Did you at least relax some today?" He quickly changed the topic.
Bristle frowned, and then sat down beside the fence across from him. "No, not really," she admitted. "Everything is on my mind, and then I was trying to fix the stupid bush, and..." Her shoulders slumped with a heavy sigh.
"You really don't remember how to relax, do you?" Rex asked with a pitying look.
"I haven't had the chance to relax in a long time."
He shook his head. "You're a self-fulfilling prophecy. You can't relax because you won't relax enough to see that your work isn't all pressing. Just chill a bit- some kid ain't going to die if you don't retrieve their ball from a mystery dungeon for them until tomorrow."
Maybe they wouldn't die, but would they think less of her if she made them wait?
Bristle just shifted awkwardly to that. It was going to take a while for her to relearn to relax.
Cole could barely focus as he finished his rounds in Solemn Meadow. It should have been an interesting story, and most of the locals were tripping over themselves to share the juicy details. But something that dodgy lizard had said was lodged into his brain. Something he just couldn't let go.
"Cole, is something wrong?" Alek finally asked, his hooves scraping the dirt nervously as he walked. They'd just about finished up in Solemn Meadow now, and Cole had a thick stack of parchment hidden away in his tail, covered in a huge and incomprehensible handwriting he'd hardly managed with his talon-like claws.
Cole shot a cautious glance around before answering. There were no Pokémon immediately around them, and Team Blur had run off to entertain themselves while the reporters worked.
After confirming it was safe, Cole gave Alek a nervous look. "Do you think there's a Pokémon Jesus?" he asked quietly.
Alek paused at the question. Then he laughed nervously. "That's uhm... a strange question. Is that what's been on your mind?"
But Cole kept looking at him, dead serious. "That lizard said 'Christ man'."
Alek's movements slowed to a crawl as he processed the implication. He looked up at Cole with a horrified expression. "You don't think... ?"
Cole's own eyes flitted away as he pondered some more. "I don't know. From what Amelia said, a lot of their culture is taken from humans. It's possible they just stole the expression. But I haven't heard anything like it from anyone else."
Alek turned away too, his eyes joining his hooves in digging into the ground. "You think we should ask him?"
Cole instantly shook his head at that. "No. He was about as belligerent as they come. And if he's not a human, we just showed our whole hand." He paused, scratching at his own cheek. "Hell, even if he is, that doesn't mean we want to hand him our secret."
"But what if that's Keith?" Alek immediately yipped.
That forced Cole to hesitate. He'd considered the possibility. The confrontational attitude definitely matched. But then he shook his head.
"We told him our names, Alek. He would have recognized us."
"Well... what if he didn't believe it was us?" the Skiddo whimpered. "Or what if he couldn't tell us in front of those weird dogs?"
"Alek, why would he be all the way out here? Why wouldn't he sneak away from them and come talk to us? Why would he be hiding in a bush with two- " Cole stopped and his eyes narrowed. "Alek did you just call those dogs? What the hell kind of dogs have you been dealing with?"
"I don't know, they were weird! Like everything here is weird!" he cried.
Cole cursed and glanced around to make sure no one had noticed his outburst. "Keep it together, bud." He gently patted his coworker on the head. It was an incredibly awkward interaction, but Alek seemed to appreciate it.
Once Alek had calmed down a bit, he continued. "Either way, we're going to get answers. Whoever they are, from everything we heard, they're deeply involved with what happened here. So we have an excuse to go question them some more anyways."
"What makes you think he's going to be any more willing to talk this time though?" Alek asked.
Cole just laughed. "Oh, he won't be. But did you see the way that orange d- err, canine thing- froze up when I talked to it? He's the one we want to talk to. The kids can keep that grumpy lizard busy, you talk to the cat fish for me, and I'll get some answers."
"Cat... fish?" Alek muttered. "What kind of cats have you been dealing with?"
"Touché."
Before they could continue, a Riolu and a Fennekin ran up to them. Judging by their wide grins and boisterous steps, they were still high on whatever mischief they'd gotten themselves into in the meanwhile.
"Hey! You guys done here yet?" Blue asked. "If we're around too much longer, I think Fluffy is gonna get us banned from a village. Again," he added with a side-eye and a smirk.
She rolled her eyes and giggled. "That doesn't count."
"Why don't we ask them if it counts- EEIP!" He yelped and leapt back as a puff of ember hit his foot. "Hey! You little- !"
Fluffy just giggled again.
Cole smiled- internally, at least; the beak made the expression hard. The two were always entertaining. And even though the travel here had been safe and peaceful, having escorts made them feel a lot more comfortable with the trip.
"Yes, we're done here. But we're not done for the day. We need to speak to some folks in Tranquil Knoll. We'll stay there for the night and then head back tomorrow," Cole answered.
"Aww, more walking..." Fluffy whined. "I was hoping we'd crash here for the night."
"I didn't want to crash early anyways," Blue said, cracking his knuckles. "There's still daylight to burn, and life to live."
"And more villages to get kicked out," Fluffy added with a wink.
He squinted back at her with a smile. "...I'm watching you," he tutted.
It was by sheer luck that Cole got his chance that night. Or perhaps not- there was only one restaurant in town, after all. But when a small party entered a while after them, led by those two canines and with no 'Helioptile' in sight, he knew fate was on his side.
Even more so when the two split off from the rest of their group to take a walk. Cole and Alek quickly rose, telling Team Blur they'd be off for a walk of their own, and set off in pursuit. They caught them just outside.
"Excuse me! Could we bother you two a moment?" he asked, hurriedly walking after them.
The duo turned to face him surprised.
"We're uhm... not supposed to talk to you," the orange one- 'Flareon'- muttered lowly, turning away so as to not meet either of their eyes. But Cole could sense hesitation from them both.
"No, no, it doesn't need to be anything like that." He waved his arms and gave them the best smile he could manage through a beak. "We can skip all the questioning and just talk, if you want. We're just chroniclers- we just want to get the most accurate image of what happened that we can."
That just seemed to make the orange one more anxious, but the fishlike one- 'Vaporeon'- got a firm look and then nodded.
"That's fine," she said. "We'd love to help."
"Thank you." Cole nodded gratefully. "Would you mind talking to my partner, while I talk to Flareon?" He gestured from Vaporeon to Alek, who forced a nervous smile onto his face and raised a hoof in an awkward greeting.
"Why separately?" she asked with a tilt of her head.
Cole tapped his claws against the side of the building thoughtfully. "Well, we want your unique perspectives. If we talk to you both together, you may just agree with each other's perspectives, rather than building your own."
Vaporeon hesitated, but then smiled. "That makes sense. Alright, Mr. Skiddo, did you want to walk a bit?"
Alek sent Cole a look that made it clear he didn't want to be alone, but begrudgingly nodded and led her off down another path. Finally, Cole was alone with the timid one.
"Come on." He gestured for Flareon to walk with him as well. "And don't worry, I just want to talk," he said with a small chuckle. The poor thing looked stiff as a board- he'd never expected Pokémon to have social anxiety.
"As I've been told, you were being held captive during the fire. Is that right?" Cole asked softly.
Flareon whimpered and nodded, but didn't offer any more details. Cole couldn't gauge his age, but he seemed... young. He felt a bit bad for exploiting him like this, but he had to know the truth. At the very least, he could gloss over the traumatic parts.
"They said this 'spirit', the 'Houndoom', kept you in the dungeon and made you start fires. Until a 'Helioptile' and a... 'Roselia' saved you, right?"
Flareon nodded slowly again, refusing to look up from the dirt as they walked.
"I was hoping to learn a bit more about them. Err, as you saw earlier I seem to have offended Helioptile somehow," he said with a nervous chuckle. "I heard the story secondhand about how they rescued you, but I was hoping to hear it from your tongue."
He was silent for a moment, before begrudgingly muttering the same tale Cole had already heard before. How the Roselia had beaten down the spirit, while Helioptile watched and Flareon cowered from a den. In spite of his firsthand experience, he didn't have a single new detail to share, and he didn't look up once during the story.
Cole found that curious.
"Thanks for sharing that. I can tell this was a difficult experience for you," he said solemnly. "I'm sure they'll catch him soon. But it's okay if we move on if that's easier."
Flareon nodded, the most eager gesture he'd seen from them yet.
"Quite a few folks had... 'opinions' to share on Roselia," he said, almost snorting. "But no one could tell me much about this Helioptile. He's new to the area, right?"
Again, Flareon nodded without clarification. Talking to him was like talking to a soggy pile of mud. He'd promised this would be more casual, but the kid was forcing it into an interrogation.
"Do you know anything about where he came from?" Cole prodded, watching the canine carefully.
Flareon's neck tensed for a fraction of a moment and he seemed to miss a breath. But he quickly corrected and turned his face even lower towards the ground.
"No."
For once, Cole appreciated having a beak. It made it much easier to hide his grin. He'd definitely hit something there.
"Does anyone? I'm afraid I may have hit some cultural boundary that offended him," Cole strung him on. "He does seem quite different."
Cole caught the way his muscles tensed, even more than they had been the whole time. And the way his face continued to twist further and further to the side. The Flareon did know something. And this fluster could be abused.
But kid just shrugged and they continued to walk in silence.
"I suppose you two are friends now, then? You guys and the uh... Vaporeon, too?" he prodded a bit more.
"We're all joining Roselia's guild together," he answered as curtly as possible.
Cole nearly laughed. If the Helioptile was human, was joining a guild just standard operating procedure?
"I see... Well, I can tell you're not enjoying talking about this, and I promised we'd just chat. So we can talk about something else then," Cole reassured him.
The kid's posture markedly improved.
The Delibird continued directly into his next question- "Say, have you ever heard the word 'Christ' before?"
Flareon's reaction was interesting. No shock reflex, but a slight tilt of his head. Not surprise- just confusion.
"I think Helioptile said it. I don't know what it means," he murmured.
"It's a human expression," Cole offered, watching carefully. "And I was beginning to wonder... with the weird expressions and mannerisms, do you think maybe Helioptile knows a human?"
Flareon stopped walking entirely and nearly choked. Bullseye.
"W-what?" he coughed. "A human? How would he- why would-"
Cole scratched at his chin, an amused glimmer in his eyes as he pretended not to notice Flareon's reaction. "You know- if no one knows where he came from... and he knows human expressions..." He forced his eyes wide and gasped like it was a grand revelation. "Do you think he could be human?"
Flareon looked like he'd just been shot. That panicked expression was unmistakable.
"Are you okay, Flareon? You look like you've seen a ghost," he said smugly. In retrospect, he wasn't sure the metaphor worked here, given he'd seen multiple ghosts casually floating about.
"I'm- I'm fine," he choked. "Just uhm- I don't- why would he be a human? That's crazy. You're crazy. He must have just... heard that somewhere."
"Why?" Cole chuckled. "I'm not sure humans have much choice in the matter. But where do you think he could have heard that word then?"
"Just... in an old story, or something! In fact, I think I've heard it before, too!" the Flareon said, his voice growing louder and more distressed.
"Oh? Would you mind telling me what story that was? I'd be interested in learning more." Cole was hardly trying to be subtle anymore- the child was far too flustered to see through his games.
"I don't remember! It was just one my mom told me!" he barked, hiding his panic beneath anger.
"Perhaps tomorrow I'll swing back by the Meadow and see if they remember it, then. I'm really quite curious..." Cole said, barely holding back a laugh.
Flareon glared at him for just a moment before deflating, a defeated look in his eyes. Cole finally let out his laugh and held up his wings disarmingly.
"Calm down, kid. There's nothing to worry about. I'm not going to trouble your friend," he said, touching the back of his neck gently. "I've read plenty of stories about humans, and I'm just looking to learn more is all." An utter lie- unlike Amelia, he had steered clear of their fables.
"I don't- I'm not- he's not a human," Flareon muttered weakly, pulling away from his touch.
"And now you're certain? You didn't know a thing about where he came from a minute ago," Cole pointed out gently.
Flareon just whimpered in return.
Cole cast him the kindest expression he could muster and patted his neck gently again. "Your secret is safe with me," he winked. "They'll never know that I know."
The canine's shoulders sagged, and Cole caught a glimpse of guilt pooling in his eyes before he turned away. "I did it again," he muttered so low that the Delibird barely caught it.
And to Cole, that was as good as a confession.
He spent the remainder of their walk trying to cheer the Flareon up before they reunited with Vaporeon. The miserable look on his face would prompt questions neither of them wanted asked. He was without much success, but fortunately his sister didn't seem to question it much.
As soon as he locked eyes with Alek, the Skiddo sent a question through their gaze. And Cole gave him the slightest nod of confirmation as the two groups split ways, Vaporeon cheerily wishing them well.
"He's human?" Alek demanded as soon as they'd escaped earshot.
Cole nodded. "For sure. Showed up out of nowhere, and the Flareon nearly had a panic attack when I asked him. I'm certain."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find him!" he said eagerly, starting to walk faster.
"Eh-eh, not so fast," Cole said, gently grabbing his leafy collar. That earned an agitated look, and he let go quickly. "Just because he's human doesn't mean he's a friend. You saw the way he treated us. He's just gonna hate us more if we show up knowing his secret. And once we blow our secret in return, we can never undo that."
"So what are you suggesting we do, just let it go?" Alek whimpered anxiously. "This could be some kind of lead. Or it could be Keith!"
"It's not Keith," he groaned. "Just- just stop that, alright?"
Cole was slowly coming to terms with the unspoken truth that Keith was probably gone. He didn't need this fantasy right now.
"And no," he continued. "I'm suggesting we head home, talk to Amelia, and figure out what the best option is before we burn everyone's secret."
Alek stared at the ground and let out a long sigh. "I just... I want something to happen. We've got jobs now, for god's sake. I don't want to feel like we're going to be living like this forever."
Cole planted his claw on Alek's back reassuringly. "We're not. But we need to play this safe. And you might want to avoid 'god's sake', too. Unless we want to fall into the same trap this poor schmuck did," he chuckled.
Alek nodded sadly, and Cole gave him one final head pat.
"Relax, bud. In a few days we'll all decide together what to do with this."
