Days passed, and there were no more sightings of Man Eater. As though he appeared and vanished like a ghost, and some people were starting to really believe Man Eater was more of a demon than Pokémon.
Melli heard it all from the Survey Corp members that alternated patrols with him.
He didn't like it. Being a Warden came with the benefit of getting to spend lots of time alone in the wilds, something that really attracted him to the position in the first place.
Now it was all being taken away, AND they were forcing him to carry a short sword around! Sure, all of the Wardens had a small hunting knife for foraging purposes, but they never needed anything bigger with Pokémon by their sides. The sword felt very foreign to Melli, and he prayed he wouldn't have to use it.
"M-Melli?" Rei stuttered, breaking the Warden from his spiraling thoughts. The kid was assigned to escort him today, as stupid as that sounded.
If only Ingo had been around to do his Sinnoh given duty, then none of this would have happened!
"What?" He didn't bother hiding his annoyance.
"You, uhhh…" Rei paused, trying to choose his next words carefully. "You just got a really weird look on your face for a second-"
"That kind of commentary is very rude!"
"I'm sorry! I thought you wanted to kill me or something!" Rei held his arms up and smiled awkwardly.
Perhaps Melli was being too short, but he couldn't help it! Not after five days of zero sleep.
Ever since his second encounter with Man Eater, every moment he tried shutting his eyes was nothing but pure torture. Constant nightmares reliving both times he encountered the carnage that monster left behind.
Sometimes it was the deceased Pearl Clan Warden. His corpse would be decaying, intestines strewn about the small field he was laid in and eyes wide open in terror, the expression he died wearing. Every time his head would swivel on a broken neck to glare at Melli, screaming his anger and disappointment without uttering a sound. Melli would always wake up in a cold sweat afterwards, unable to get a wink of sleep for the rest of the night.
He used to have those nightmares all the time after the first incident. It still hurts remembering how the surviving Pearl Clan Wardens all blamed him for not doing enough, and it ate him up inside for many years afterwards. Now those dreams would alternate with an equally terrifying one. This time it was the stranger, laying on his back looking up at the sky. Melli would always try to help, only for the man to grab him with his broken arm, glazed silver eye glaring right through him while a giant smile split his ripped cheeks from ear to ear.
Blood.
Screaming.
Waking up with a wet face and runny nose from crying in his sleep.
So he wandered around the village when the nightmares became too much to handle, often hiding out in the shadows of the medical hut so people wouldn't ask questions. He wasn't sure why it was that place in particular that drew him in. Maybe it was the restless spirit of that dying man punishing him for taking so long to help. Or the guilt he felt for being unable to do more.
Perhaps he was hoping to find closure there. Hearing the stranger wake up healthy and walking would bring his mind some peace. Or being able to beg for his forgiveness and hopefully receive it.
He often held his breath whenever there was the smallest amount of noise, praying to hear normal coherent words from a voice he didn't recognize.
Disappointment never proved far away. Every time he was greeted with long moans or pained whimpers. Sometimes the man would weep in his sleep, mumbling incoherently for the agony to stop.
Melli couldn't bring himself to go inside. Not after the last time. The stranger looked like a Dusklops hiding under the covers, groaning like a ghost Pokémon trying to lure in victims. That was the last straw for Melli's stomach. He ran out and threw up beside the front step, followed by hearing half the village snickering or outright laughing at what a weakling he was.
And it was all Ingo's fault!
No. He shouldn't blame it all on Ingo. At this point though, the only other person he could blame was himself, and that guilt was destroying whatever sanity he had left! It's not like he could talk about his problems with anyone either. The only people who cared to ask were Mai and Akari, and as soon as he said anything they'd probably hate him, just like every other 'friend' he's ever made.
One of the biggest reasons why Pokémon were far better than human friends. They wouldn't abandon someone for just being themselves.
Wait, where the heck did Rei go? Was he hiding behind that tree?!
"Hey! Why are you hiding back there?"
"I'm sorry, but you're scaring me!" Rei was straight forward, he'd give the kid that.
Melli cursed under his breath. This brat was doing a great job of proving his point.
And now there were people approaching Moonview Arena. The one in front was hunched over with his horrible posture, hat covering his eyes and a tattered coat fluttering in the breeze.
Ingo.
It was time for Melli to give him a piece of his mind!
"Hey! Ingo!"
Said Warden paused at hearing his name. Marching over, Melli squared up with the other man. Akari tried stepping between them, only for Ingo to block her.
"It's alright Akari. I wanted to speak with Melli myself." He tilted his cap up, allowing Melli to get a good look at his face.
Ingo looked as exhausted as Melli felt. Dark eyes sunken in from obvious lack of sleep.
It felt like looking in a mirror.
"Warden Melli. I apologize for not seeing you sooner. My mind was on its own track."
"Y-you better be sorry! That attack was on your side of the Highlands! If you were here doing your job, this whole thing would never have happened!"
Ingo actually flinched at the words. He brought his hat brim down, unable to keep up eye contact.
Why was this making Melli feel bad? Getting his emotions out was supposed to help him feel better, and he was saying it to INGO of all people. This was supposed to be cathartic!
"You are correct," Ingo sighed, his voice quieter than usual. "I have no excuse for my failures, and you were forced to pull a load made for two. For all of that, I am truly sorry."
"Well good! You should be sorry!" Melli huffed and crossed his arms. Sure it was childish, but at this point he didn't really care.
Akari stood up in Ingo's defence.
"Melli! Please don't say that! Uncle Ingo has been doing a lot for Jubilife Village! Without him, the Survey Corps members would still be struggling with the concepts of Pokémon training-"
"Akari please, I am a Warden first and foremost, and I let my love of Pokémon battling get in the way of duty. If Lady Sneasler hadn't insisted on me staying, I would have left the position to someone more suited. Alas." He looked back up to Melli, frown more pronounced than he'd ever seen it.
How the heck did his face even do that?
"The one that was mauled. How is he faring?"
There were so many ways to make Ingo feel worse about this.
Tell him how the man was suffering in agony from an infection for days. That he cried in his sleep from pain.
That hearing it was driving Melli mad with guilt.
"… he is still alive."
"…. I see. I pray he remains that way," Ingo grabbed his hat brim absently. "And what about you?"
"Why do you care?" Melli's guard went right back up.
"My apologies. I just know how hard it can be encountering such a wreck." He seemed to regard Melli's silence as answer enough.
Damn his weird lingo that made absolutely zero sense.
At least Ingo finally took the hint.
"If you wish to try searching for this Man Eater together, you know where my home station is." He tipped his hat and left with Akari, leaving Melli feeling emptier than before.
Of course Ingo had to show his superiority.
Just one more thing to rub in Melli's face, and it worked.
He felt even shittier than before their talk.
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
Melli couldn't sleep.
Another nightmare turned this into his sixth restless night in a row.
He felt like crying, but managed to hold in his tears. A walk was what he needed to clear his mind! Carefully crawling out of bed he left Skuntank to sleep, deciding walking within the borders of the Settlement by himself would be safe.
As usual, only guards seemed to be out at this time of night, some patrolling the borders while others sat around a campfire. Several of them eyed Melli questioningly.
Not that he was in the mood for small talk with guards. Pretending the glares weren't happening seemed to have the effect he wanted. No one bothered to stop him, just as he hoped.
Of course his wandering ultimately led him towards the medical hut, spotting a woman carrying a bundle of red fabric to the campfire where the guards sat. A very ripped up, muddy bundle of fabric.
"W-wait! What are you doing with that?" Melli rushed forward, the woman jumping with a scared squeal. "Sorry! I just need to know what you are doing."
She regarded him with an annoyed glance once her heart had calmed. "It is blood stained and far beyond repair. It would be better off destroyed."
For some reason Ingo came to mind at the mention of destroying it. How devastated the Pearl Clan Warden would be if his own coat was burned without his knowledge. Would this man be the same?
"I'll take it." Melli had his hands on it before she could object.
With great reluctance the woman finally let it go, mumbling things under her breath that Melli didn't catch. He didn't really care though, too distracted by the ripped up coat in his hands. So this ridiculous looking collar is what kept the stranger's windpipe from being crushed? Melli had to admit, now that he was holding it, how stiff the collar actually was. He could see it acting as a mild form of protection.
Maybe that's the real reason Ingo still wore that destroyed rag of his?
Or perhaps a final reminder of where he came from.
"… it's not a complete loss." Melli mumbled. Trying to fix it was the least Melli could do, and maybe it would give him a little peace of mind. The coat really just needed to be washed! Clean the blood off and stitch up the long slit left in the sleeve when the doctor freed the guy's broken arm.
"Laundry isn't that hard… I can fix this."
XxxxxxxxxxxX
He couldn't fix it.
No matter what soaps he tried, or how hard he scrubbed. The stains were not coming out. He put water over a fire to see if heating it would help, pouring it into the wash basin in small increments. He got the mud and dirt stains out for the most part, leaving the tail of the coat white, but that damn red wasn't budging!
What the hell was he doing wrong?!
"Melli?" Mai's voice cut through his focus. He hadn't realized the sun had already risen.
"Hi Mai." He pretty much waved her off at this point, too frustrated with his current predicament to talk.
Mai didn't leave, instead looking over his shoulder at his entire set up.
"What are you doing?"
"Obviously, I am trying to clean the blood off!" Melli partially growled, flinching a bit at the venom in his own words. Mai didn't deserve his frustrations regarding laundry. That wasn't fair to her for trying to be kind.
"Sorry." He sighed, taking a few deep breaths before saying something he'd regret. "I'm not having much luck."
"Are you… are you using hot water?" She didn't wait for an answer, dipping her finger into the wash tub to test it herself.
"That's the whole reason I have water over the fire. My mother always heated water when she washed particularly soiled clothing."
"…. You do realize hot water will cause blood stains to permanently set, right?"
The words struck Melli right through the gut.
He did all this work to just… destroy the jacket more?
He really did ruin everything!
"H-hey! Don't cry over it."
Mai didn't hide her alarm when the tears started falling. Melli couldn't hold it back anymore.
"I was trying to do something nice…" his words were only partially understandable through the sniffling. "A-and I just screwed it all up again! H-how am I such a failure!?"
Mai was left at a loss. She looked like she was wracking her brain on what to do.
"Hold up, There may still be a way to salvage this." Mai snapped her fingers with a new idea. "Come on. There's someone in Jubilife Village that can help."
Melli wiped the mess from his face, having serious doubts that anyone could fix THIS level of damage.
"Who?"
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
"And…. You want me to try and fix this?" The clothing shop owner looked at the two like they were crazy.
"Yes. It is very important we get this in the best shape possible." Mai bowed her head.
Melli was already on the ground begging. "Please fix my mistakes…."
The shop owner gaped. "I could remake something as close to this as possible. It would look far better than whatever salvage is done to this coat."
"I would rather you just try and repair it. I will pay whatever you want." Melli put his hands together in a final plea for help.
The woman stared at him silently.
"…. It will be 3,000. Don't expect me to get the stains all the way out. It won't look like new, and I want to be paid up front."
Ouch.
But he did agree to pay anything.
"S-sure. Here you go." He reluctantly paid, comical tears in his eyes.
"I can't believe how desperate you are to fix that thing." Mai commented.
Melli could practically feel the stranger's cold eye watching him.
Judging him.
Waiting for him to screw something up further.
"I deserve this. This is my punishment…"
"… would you please tell me why it's a punishment? It's hard to follow your thought process-"
"Not now," Melli held his hand up to stop her. "Maybe another time, just… not now."
Mai shook her head, dragging him by the collar towards the little food stand on the corner. "Come on, I've heard they make great potato mochi."
"I'm kind of broke right now-"
"I'll pay. Just shut up and stop self loathing for five minutes. It's not a good look on you."
"…. Okay." Melli conceded. She was too kind to him.
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
When the two returned to Diamond Settlement, one of the guards was quick to greet them.
"Warden Melli! Adaman is looking for you!"
"He wants me? Are you sure?"
"He's very insistent you head to the medical hut as soon as possible. It is very urgent."
That couldn't be good.
"Let's go Melli. If it's something regarding today, I'll corroborate that you were with me."
"Thanks, Mai." Melli grinned tightly, still nervous about being called so suddenly. The two walked side by side, his heart pumping in his throat the whole time.
Did the man die? Was he going to get scolded for taking too long to get him here? What if it was something completely unrelated? There were too many possibilities swirling around his mind all at once, and he didn't like any of the answers he came to.
When the two finally entered the small building, they were both shocked by the sight.
The stranger was awake. Clearly tired, but awake. He was propped up in bed by some pillows and quietly cooing at Adaman's Leafeon. The Pokémon rolled around next to his hip on the mattress, enjoying a nice belly rub. Skuntank was on the foot of the bed, chirping happily that the man had finally woken up.
That would explain why his Skuntank hadn't joined him during his entire clothing escapade.
Adaman was kneeling on a mat by the bed, turning to look at the two Wardens.
"Hello Mai. I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"I just happened to be with Melli when he was summoned." She was already defending him in case Adaman was mad. Thankfully that wasn't the case.
"Melli, I needed to ask you some questions about the day you found this man," he glanced over at the stranger making sure he was still distracted. Standing up, Adaman pulled both Wardens into a corner and spoke in a hushed voice. "Did he get sprayed by you Skuntank at any point?"
"Of course not! Skuntank would never spray someone in need!" Melli was offended on his Pokemon's behalf. How dare he!
"I wasn't trying to blame anything on Skuntank. I just know the spray Skuntanks produce can cause memory loss."
"Memory loss?" Mai looked over to the injured man, still giving Leafeon a nice massage. Skuntank was starting to beg for more attention himself. The stranger tried to oblige, only now realizing his right arm was completely immobilised. Even Mai's Munchlax had gone over to see what the fuss was about, getting a groggy grin and head pat as greeting.
This whole thing gave Melli a bad feeling.
"I've been questioning him, and he doesn't remember anything."
"… you're joking. Please tell me you're joking."
"It's like another Ingo and Akari situation," He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to crack the kinks out of it. "I talked to the Galaxy Team doctor. She said it could have been from passing through the rift in the sky, or a result of the attack he suffered. Either psychological trauma or a head wound they didn't catch."
"And you still tried blaming all of this on my Skuntank?!"
"I'm sorry, I was just trying to go through all possibilities," he looked at Melli directly, face serious. "He just kept asking if the 'Great Melli' was here."
Mai looked at Melli with a raised brow. "… the 'Great Melli'?"
"I have no idea what he's talking about! Wait… No, I do know, but I didn't know he was an amnesiac! I don't wanna deal with more than one!" The Warden's flustered exclamation did not go unnoticed.
"Great Melli?" The stranger's face lit up with recognition. "Yes! You are the one that helped me!"
There was a brief pause. Everyone looking between Melli and the man wrapped up like a Dusklops wannabe hoping for more of an explanation.
Neither of them offered one.
Despite everything except his left eye and part of his mouth being hidden, the stranger was obviously grinning.
"He's talking to you, Melli."
"I-I know that!"
Another pause. Mai finally got tired of waiting and shoved him forwards. He gave her a betrayed glance, only for Adaman to place a hand on Melli's shoulder and guide him towards the bed.
"This is Melli, the one you've been asking about."
"I-ummm, hi?" Melli offered. He had no clue what else to say.
"Great Melli! It is great to see you again. Thank you for saving me."
"Ummmm… sure thing… uh, do you have a name?"
"I am… I-I am….!" He paused, smile falling as he tried to think of the correct response. His grin shakily returned, though he looked a lot less certain now. "I don't know." Despite his voice being quiet and raspy, the guy managed to sound cheerful. "Do you know my name?"
"Why would I know something like that?" Meli grumbled. This was going to be very frustrating.
"Well, we should probably call you something." Adaman scratched his chin thoughtfully. "At least until we figure out your real name."
"Do you have a preference on what we should call you?" Mai approached the bed joining the others.
"I do not know? What do you think, Great Melli?"
"Why is that the only thing you remember?" The Warden rubbed his temples trying to relieve a headache starting to form.
He wanted Melli to come up with a nickname. That was a tall order, but he could definitely think of something.
…
…
Or not.
This was harder than he thought.
The man's coat was originally white, and his eye was that piercing grey color. It almost reminded him of a Froslass, rising from the freezing tundra and blasting its opponents with a blizzard.
Froslasses were female though. Perhaps Abomasnow would be a better comparison?
Now that he considered it more, using a Pokémon as a temporary name was a bad idea, or a confusing one at least.
What else was white or grey?
Rock?
Granite?
Ice?
Blizzard?
Snowflake?
"…. Snowflake would be funny…"
"I am Snowflake now?" The man questioned. He sounded like he was legitimately considering it.
"Wait, that was a joke! I didn't mean to say that out loud!" Melli tried to backpedal, only for Mai to snort with laughter.
Adaman tried to hold his own back with minimal success. "Snowflake? Really?"
"It wasn't a serious suggestion!"
"I am Snowflake! I don't know how I got here!"
"Sinnoh no! Melli that's terrible!" Mai was doubled over, 'Snowflake' smiling even wider at her reaction, only to flinch in pain. He reached up to grab at his face bandages.
"Hey. You shouldn't play with those," Adaman got closer to pull his hand away before he did more damage.
"W-what happened to me?" Snowflake reached down at his immobilized arm, starting to fiddle with the bindings only for Adaman to pull his hand away a second time.
"Please don't touch those. You almost died, and the bandages are necessary."
"… why does everything hurt?"
The young leader sighed, trying to decide the best way to say this. "In short, you were mauled by a wild Pokémon. It left you in really bad shape. Melli brought you here and we managed to save your life, though it was touch and go for a while."
Snowflake considered his words for a moment, looking down at the Leafeon licking his good hand.
"…I see…" he finally whispered, gently rubbing the Pokemon's chin. "I nearly reached my final destination… Thank you… for saving me."
"Hey, don't worry about it." The young leader smiled. "We offer helping hands where we can."
"Final destination?" Melli whispered, not liking how similar that sounded to a certain Pearl Warden.
Perhaps these weird phrases were the norm where they came from, and Akari not saying them was weird?
"The Galaxy Team doctor will have to give you more details regarding your injuries. I'll let her know you're awake." Adaman prepared to leave, Leafeon shaking himself out ready to follow his human. Snowflake looked upset, until Skuntank took over the new vacancy.
Melli hadn't realized how much his own Skuntank likes belly rubs.
"What is he?"
"Huh?" Melli was taken off guard by the question.
"I don't recognize his species." Snowflake motioned to the Pokémon currently taking up half the bed.
"He's a Skuntank."
"Skuntank! He is very friendly."
"Yes, well. He seems to be making an exception for you." Which was true. Skuntank had been with Melli since he was a toddler. The two were practically glued together by the hip.
He supposed this guy was just a natural when it came to Pokémon.
Adaman didn't take more than a few minutes, the elderly doctor following right behind.
"We should probably leave and give him some privacy." Mai whispered to Melli. "It was nice meeting you, uh-"
"I am Snowflake!"
"Snowflake then." Mai smiled, still finding the nickname hilarious.
"I guess we are going with Snowflake for now." Adaman shook his head, though he was snickering the whole time.
"I… guess Skuntank can stay for now… if he wants." Melli didn't know what else to do. Skuntank was giving him a sad look when Mai brought up leaving.
"You'll come back, right?" He didn't like the tone in Snowflake's voice.
Like he actually meant it.
"Yeah, I'll need to pick Skuntank up at some point."
"Oh, that's good- OW."
"Stop smiling and it won't hurt so much." The doctor was taking over now.
Melli took the chance to slip outside. That was not what he expected at all.
"Well, you certainly brought us an interesting fellow." Mai had a small uptick in her voice. She was teasing him about it.
"Please don't remind me." Melli already had to resign himself to the fact that he somehow attracted all the crazy people.
It just wasn't fair.
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
Emmet has a new nickname, and Melli wants to cry!
BookwyrmFinallyGotAnAccount is entirely responsible for the nickname suggestion and I love it.
What craziness will happen now that 'Snowflake' has woken up? Leave your thoughts if you feel like it! Your feedback helps sustain the insanity XP