The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters - Chapter 6: Half Awake

The ride back home was the longest half hour of Jung's life. He didn't like riding in cars in general as the motion sickness gave him headaches, but since he was seated in the back of a police car, he felt like a criminal. If everybody saw him like this, they probably thought he was one.

An officer drove at the front, though she kept silent for most of the journey. At one point, she mumbled to herself as if she wanted to say something, but then dropped it. A pregnant silence followed, broken ten minutes or so later by a phone call.

"Hello?" she spoke into her earpiece. "Yeah, I'm almost done with my shift." She sighed. "I'll tell you what happened later, but it was rough."

Someone else spoke, though it came out as muffled through the speaker. If he had to guess, the caller was the officer's partner. "No, I'm fine, we're all fine. I guess it went better than expected"—her gaze darted to the front mirror that reflected Jung—"though I think we all screwed up here, if I'm being honest."

Jung's gaze darted to the window — he tried not to react too much to what she said.

"No," she continued, "not much closer to figuring out what's going on. Uh huh. Oh, cool, can't go wrong with pasta! You have some wicked cooking hands, I swear. Can't wait to try it..."

They went back and forth for a few minutes, pretending as if Jung wasn't there but clearly acknowledging his presence regardless. They talked more about leftover dinners, how their days went, and how the kids were. Jung squirmed in his seat, feeling like a third wheel even though it was none of his business.

Once they arrived in Anistar, the officer put her partner on hold as she focused on the road.

"Is this the place?" she asked Jung, pointing to Anistar's Therapy Centre For Pokemon.

Jung nodded.

"Alright then, you're free to step out of the car."

"Thank you," he said, trying to hide his disdain through that friendly voice of his.

"Oh, and stay safe."

He nodded and shut the door behind him. After she drove off, Jung took a detour afterwards to the nearest convenience store, stuffing a whole basket full of snacks for dinner — a consolation prize to himself for dealing with this whole omnishambles. He would've liked a cake, but the bakery was shut, so this would have to do for now.

As Jung walked back home, chomping on a chocolate bar with peanuts, he suddenly realised how quiet it was around this time. Streetlights flickered above. Only one or two cars passed by the road. The odd Pokemon occasionally howled or screeched in the distance. And people on the other end of the road stared at him as well. How much further away was the clinic again? Right, just two minutes. His ears pricked up. Jung checked behind him. He thought he heard footsteps, but there was no one there. Thank God.

Finally, he got back. It was always eerily quiet at night with its faint orange glow indoors and the hums of electricity, with the occasional shuffling of footsteps from the night staff. Or disquieting, depending on how rowdy the inpatients were. Jung headed straight for his office. It only just dawned on him how much he missed this room with its plush double bed, his plushies, the views from the window, his stash of snacks in various nooks and crannies, and his desk. Then again, it was his home.

He only realised how sad that sounded when he thought about it — living in this office. He had wanted to get an apartment, but he had no references, and no landlord would ever let a Hypno take up a tenancy. Well, Pokemon in general seldom did, but he had a fat chance.

He made that cup of tea he picked out from Liliane's shop. It soothed his soul, as he expected. Jung flopped down on his bed. He felt tired. So tired. He had another free day tomorrow, so he had plenty of time to catch up on his sleep debt. Jung buried himself in his duvet and succumbed to his fatigue.

"Jung? No, no no no, get them away from me! PLEASE, STOP THEM! STOP BITING ME! STOP—"

He didn't have a good night's sleep as planned. Not even the tea helped. All he had was the image of Drip's mangled arm, following him into his dreams and back into reality. He couldn't believe this happened. To a child. And yes, it was an accident, but there was no excuse for it.

Jung tossed and turned in bed, burying his head under the pillow to try and smother those thoughts. But they wouldn't leave him. How could they? There was so much he wanted to say to Fabian, so much he wanted to do to him. He wanted to fire him. Not only that, he wanted to humiliate him so badly that he'd never show his face in public again. He wanted to strangle him. Make him feel what Drip felt. And even that would be a fraction of the pain he deserved for letting a Drowzee come to harm.

Jung needed a walk. But it was so early. Who knew what would happen to him if he went out at this hour? Everyone in town hated him. He had no one to talk to at this time either. The patients needed to sleep. Amelie was asleep. Jet was asleep. And he needed to sleep. And he couldn't. He was all alone. Alone. Alone.

Jung stood up, stomped to his computer desk, and dug into the drawers until he found the box of Somnifera. His last resort. He popped a pill out of the casing, got a glass of water, and shakily raised the pill to his mouth. Whatever happened from here, well, he didn't care, he was too tired to care anymore.

Swallowed.

Jung slept like a baby. So much so, in fact, he had trouble getting out of bed. His body felt like lead. The side effects said to expect drowsiness afterwards. Hopefully, once the day started, he would have more energy to spare. Except he didn't. Even as the sunlight shining through the blinds streamed on his face, he wouldn't stir. But strangely, he felt fine. Yesterday's events were behind him.

But then they came crashing forward again when the door knocked.

"Jung, it's me," Amelie called. "I know I'd usually call or email you, but the police told me about what happened last night since I was the closest emergency contact. Are you okay?"

He didn't respond.

"Sorry, I'm coming in, alright?"

A creak. Door shut. Footsteps. Jung shifted the blanket away, revealing himself before her. She always looked so full of energy. He didn't know how she did it. When she locked eyes with Jung, that energetic expression fell.

"Did you get any sleep at all, Jung?" she asked.

"Yes." He let out a massive yawn. "At last."

"And you still look tired. Good thing you've got the day off again." She went to pull up a chair when she glanced at the desk. "Sleeping pills? I'd be really careful with those if I were you."

"I know, I'll try." Jung lied.

Amelie grabbed the seat and sat beside him. They stared at each other for a moment, not saying anything. Finally, Jung mustered up the strength to sit up, facing her at eye level.

"How much do you know?"

"They told me about the raid. How you stopped it. How they settled things afterwards. They might want to contact me for further questions about you, so I gave them my details."

"Right. Do they need anything else from me?"

"You gave them your account last night, so no." Her expression was hard to read. Then her lip tugged. "Jung, you should've told me you were planning on going there."

"I know." He sighed. It was too early for this. "I'm sorry, it was irresponsible, and if I knew they would've done, well, that, I never would've put myself at that much risk."

"It's alright, I'm just saying. If anything were to happen to you, that would be a huge loss for us. And me." Amelie frowned. "Though a raid on a Hypno dwelling..."

That was the understatement of the century. Jung took a deep breath. "Did they tell you that a Houndoom almost bit a Drowzee's arm off?"

She blinked. "No."

"I saw it happen before my own eyes." Jung sat up, legs hanging over the edge of the bed. "They were closing in on us. They apparently weren't trying to harm anyone. Apparently. That Drowzee ran in — he was terrified, by the way. He probably wanted to help. Or see what was going on since he had to hide beforehand. He must've spooked the Houndoom, but that wasn't his fault." His shoulders slumped.

"He cried and screamed through the pain. Even after they healed him, he wouldn't talk. I had to do a little work off the clock to help him snap out of his fugue. Need I mention his brother was kidnapped, when the reason why they invaded their home in the first place was to investigate the kidnappings?"

Amelie dug her nails into her trousers. "That's… they only mentioned that someone got hurt, but didn't mention how or why."

He didn't have the energy to be upset. Not right now. Instead, Jung slumped out of bed and slowly walked to his desk where his empty glass of water lay. He stared for a moment. Then, he threw it across the room, which shattered against the wall. He thought it would've made him feel better. It didn't.

Amelie's chair squeaked against the floor as she bolted upright.

"We need to complain to them." Amelie's tone was severe. "What was the name of the Houndoom's trainer?"

"Why does it matter?" Jung nursed his forehead. "What's the point? They're not going to care about us. If they didn't have the decency to admit it to you, then what makes you think they'll take our complaints seriously?"

"We need to try. Of course, we can't fix everything, but we've had to step in for other Pokemon when trainers were abusing them. We have a say when people put Pokemon at risk."

"You have a say. Humans have a say. We don't."

"Still, if we don't say something, they might be able to harm other Pokemon, especially Hypno, without recourse."

"Right." Jung crept back to bed and slumped onto the mattress. "I'm just so sick of this. I can't go out without fearing for my safety, or mind my own business without someone harassing me in some shape or form. A trainer hit me with a Pokeball because he thought I was responsible."

"You can't let them win." Amelie closed her eyes and sighed. "Whatever you do, do not let the bastards grind you down."

"I've tried that, I keep trying that, but that doesn't change people's minds. I mean, I'm a resident of Anistar at this point, and I still don't feel safe here." He held his head in his hands. "None of this is fair."

Amelie had no immediate reply for that. What could she say that would remedy the situation? She didn't know what it was like, personally speaking. He breathed in and out, in and out. Venom rose in his throat, threatening to spill like wine reaching the brim of a glass. This all started with those hack journalists — everyone in Anistar must've read those papers.

Wait, did the news say anything about the raid? He gathered the energy to slump back to his computer desk, logged in, then browsed the same pages he did yesterday. He stumbled upon the same article as before, 'Police send out search party for missing Pokemon', except there was no picture of Hypno on the front page, only an image of a clearing. In the body of the article, the previous mentions of Hypno were all scrubbed out, until the last paragraph:

'A candle of Hypno and Drowzee affected by the incident were questioned about the kidnappings, and they reported that one of their young, a Drowzee, went missing around the same time as the other Pokemon. No further leads have been found.'

Jung slumped onto his chair and sighed. That was… better than nothing, he supposed. It omitted a lot about how poorly the Hypno were treated, but at least they were vindicated now — a chocolate chip in a sundae of Tauros crap. Whether that had any influence on the general public of Anistar remained to be seen.

"Well?" Amelie asked from across the office.

"They've now posted updated information on the kidnappings, so I think they did some damage control there." Jung closed his eyes. "Nothing about what the police or rangers did that night."

"I'll stand by what I said, what they did was unacceptable." Amelie stood up, typing something into her phone — probably taking notes. "I'm going to see what I can do to help, contact the authorities, get back to the police that called me, anything I can do off the clock."

It still stung that Jung felt so powerless to change anything here. Still, chocolate chip in Tauros crap. And in truth, he couldn't sit by and do nothing. His actions had to have some consequences to them — yesterday was proof enough of that.

"I'll do anything I can to help as well — well, I must. It's my mess. What do you think I should do for now?"

"Relax, if you can. Watch a film, spend all day in bed, or better yet, go outside and take a breather."

Jung took a deep breath. "I know it's probably best to get some fresh air, but I don't know if I can go out after yesterday. I don't know if I can take any more of people's crap."

"I don't know what to suggest to change their minds, as much as I wish I could. But if you're just going about your day, then, pardon my Kalosan, fuck what other people think. You deserve to feel at home here."

"I know. At least, I know that in my head." Jung stared at the closed blinds. It was such a lovely day out there, though it always was in Anistar. Constant sunshine, the sloshing of the sea around him. He would accomplish nothing by moping around all day. Jung coursed his hand through his fur — it was all dusty and unkempt. And hairs stuck to his hand as well, so it was shedding season. Either that or he was stressed. In any case, he needed some TLC.

His first port of call was to get a nice trim. Jung reluctantly exited the clinic, fully clothed this time, and weaved through the various streets and avenues of Anistar. He still got glances every now and then, but it wasn't as intense as last time. No teenagers coming to trip him up or self-righteous trainers coming to capture him.

At last, he entered Paws for Thought, the groomer he frequented. Coming inside immediately brought him at ease as the pink interiors greeted him. It seemed to be going through a dry spell as there was only one other Pokemon, a Delcatty, being attended to, looking all regal as they clipped her nails.

"Get them just right, please," the Delcatty said, though the human couldn't understand her, "I have to look perfect for tomorrow's contest."

The rest of the groomers were mostly nowhere to be seen. Jung's personal groomer Thomas, a twenty-something with bleached-white hair, waved to him from the reception desk.

"Hey, long time no see." Thomas' tone wasn't its usual chirpy self. "As you can tell, we're completely swamped here."

"Ah yes, I can tell from all the dead air in here."

The human let out a hollow chuckle. "Nah, in all seriousness, I'm ready to hang myself, it's so quiet. We've got one or two other people booked in, but the rest, nobody seems to go in for walk-ins with all the kidnapping stuff going on."

Jung winced at that. "I'm sorry to hear. I seem to forget how much of a ripple effect it has on this city."

"Yeah. None of our clients have had their Pokemon go missing, thank god, but I'd be devastated if that happened." He glanced at the Delcatty, who purred as the other groomer ran a comb through her fur. "Of course, I'd be out of a job, but I just love these Pokemon too much to see them go like that. The world's going to the dogs, I swear."

"I suppose all we can do is find hope out of hopelessness." Jung fished out his wallet for 3,000 Pokedollars. "And that's what I came here for as well. I've been through a lot since this happened, and I need a glowup, as they call it."

"As good a time as any, then." Thomas smiled and popped out of the desk, taking Jung's things. In the meantime, Jung allowed himself into the shower room where he was given the privacy to wash himself. Most bipedal Pokemon that trainers brought along were able to wash themselves unassisted, but it was the shedding that he couldn't take care of himself.

He dried himself off with a couple of towels, then allowed Thomas in as he blowdryed Jung's coat. It felt like having a jet turbine blown in his face, but it did the job as the fur all came out in satisfying clumps. Thomas did the rest of the work with the electric razor, which was Jung's least favourite part of the grooming, so he closed his eyes, trying to relax.

"I don't see Flora in today," Jung said.

"Nah, we let her stay at home, not much point bringing her in for a few Pokemon."

"Right." The last time he saw that Aromatisse, she still had problems controlling her aromas, but she was a lot more stable. "Has she been doing alright since the last time we met?"

"Yeah, still doing good. Of course, I've got you to thank for that."

"Oh, well, it's nothing. I'm just glad that she's able to manage her anxiety."

"Yup, that, and she doesn't stink out the place anymore. Oh, and how's work at the clinic?"

"Ah, it's… kind of going a bit pear-shaped. It's rewarding as ever, but it's just hard, and I've been going through a rough patch lately."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, sorta. I mean, I love my job, but that doesn't mean I get sick of it sometimes. Especially with some of the rowdier Pokemon you get." Jung briefly opened his eyes, seeing the faint scar on Thomas' hand.

"I don't envy having to groom Litleo. Or many Pokemon for that matter." And now the part where Thomas trimmed under Jung's arms. "I'm sorry, I can imagine it gets really awkward having me as a customer."

"Not at all! I just see you as being a really hairy human."

That got a laugh out of Jung, the first he had in a little while. "That's the awkward part, having to trim a hairy, naked human."

"Eh, work is work. At least you're not biting me or screaming or using whatever powers you have."

"I suppose not."

Now came Jung's favourite part of the grooming session: being combed. He hummed in delight as Thomas ran the brush through his newly-trimmed fur. It was like a massage, it hit all the right spots, and… oh, he didn't care about what it felt like. This was just bliss. Pure bliss.

Now he was looking his best, Jung decided to walk around town for a bit, just to test the waters. His heart rate elevated whenever he passed by somebody, though this was nothing new. All the while, he waited for the other shoe to drop, for someone to make a comment about 'that Hypno', for someone to trip him up, for someone to try and capture him. It was always at the back of his mind.

He entered one of Anistar's shopping districts, which was a narrow street lined with shops on both ends sandwiching the roads for buses, bikes and Gogoat to ride through. Thankfully, it wasn't the peak time of day yet, so it wasn't too crowded. Perhaps it was time to find somewhere to eat since it was approaching noon, and he hurried to his favourite eatery located in—

He tripped. Jung caught himself before he fell on the floor and turned around to see who did it, but there was no one around him. Just him and his longcoat, which got stuck beneath his foot.

He didn't know why he thought the longcoat added anything to his appearance since the clinic didn't have a strict dress code. Perhaps it connoted professionalism, trustworthiness, intelligence. But when he looked at himself in the window of one shop, he realised how much of a front it was. A front that might not've even worked. Even he didn't feel comfortable in it, instead, feeling cold and clinical.

Jung wandered along the street, browsing through the many windows of different shops, until he found a vintage clothes store. The interiors with its three piece suits and bowler hats looked like it belonged in a silent picture film. But there were clothes of other kinds in that shop, including Alolan shirts, one of which was on the display. White flowers on a pink background, what a good combination. And it suited him.

No, he would probably look silly in it. Jung went on his way, pretending that shop didn't exist. Then he caught Jet on the other side of the street, carrying a gallon bottle of water in his paws. Jet caught Jung. As soon as that Blastoise saw him, he changed his course, waddling across the quiet road to the other side where Jung waited.

"Jet," Jung said. He didn't have his lanyard on him. "Well, what a surprise."

"Yeah, I don't usually catch ya on my days off." He eyed Jung up and down. "You look different."

"I do?" His ears perked up at that. "Well, I did just go for a trim recently."

"Shame, I missed all that fluff. Though I suppose it's gettin' hotter here."

"Yes, perhaps."

Jet stared at the rest of the streets. "You doin' anything else right now?"

"Not really." Jung wrung his hands together. He never usually asked Jet on his own initiative, but now was the perfect chance. "I was thinking of going to that creperie, though. Would you like to come with me? I'll pay."

"Can't say no to free food." Jet patted his stomach, then blinked. "I mean, uh, thanks, Jung."

Jung smiled and started walking side by side with Jet. He spared no expense once they reached that pancake stall — strawberries and cream for Jung, chocolate with hazelnuts for Jet — and they sat by their usual spot near the waterfall as they ate.

"So," Jet said, nursing his crepe, "word's goin' around about what happened."

Jung took a huge bite out of his lunch. "Yeth," he said with his mouth full.

"The rangers say different stuff, but the truth travels quickly. They hurt a kid, didn't they?"

"Mmm hmm." Jung didn't have the energy to recap the events.

Finally, Jet bit into his crepe, demolishing it all in one go. He wiped the chocolate off his face before he next spoke. "Believe me, none of us are happy with that. At all. I'd quit my job if I ever let a Pokemon get beaten up like that Drowzee did."

"I dealt with those idiots first hand." Jung squeezed the crepe in his fist. "Did they tell you I was there?"

"Yeah, they did. And from what I heard, you were quite the hero."

Jung scoffed. "No I'm not. I just did what anyone would do in that time of need."

"But you didn't have to go to that dwelling by yourself."

"Well, I wouldn't have gone if you didn't give me that push."

Jet tilted his head. "I didn't. You did it off your own back, so give yerself more credit, Jung. And our force thinks good things of you, so we'll put in a good word for you."

Jet laid his paw on Jung's back, but he backed away from him.

"Sorry, I just..." Jung's face scrunched up, on the verge of tears, but they wouldn't come out, not just yet. The fact that Jet was here and a part of that wider network of law enforcement only rubbed salt in the wound. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

Jung paused, thinking of a way to best phrase it without offending Jet. "What made you want to become a patrol mon? Did you ever think, that in this line of work, that people like you would allow innocent Pokemon to come to harm?"

Jet blinked at him, clearly taken aback by his outburst. Crap, he definitely took offense at that.

"I..." Jet twiddled his claws. "I'm a part of it, but I'm only really stuck in Anistar. I'm there when there are fires, I'm there when a bunch of trainers get in a big fight with their Pokemon, I'm there when strays are being rowdy or need help." He took a deep breath. "Even if I was in that bigger patrol force, Pokemon can't go on missions on their own. Humans usually call the shots."

Jung's stomach twisted. He regretted what he said. "I'm sorry."

"No, I get why you're mad. I'm mad too." He clenched his fists. "I just wanted to say that I don't really have much power here, it's a bigger mess than I'm involved in."

"I know."

"But to answer your question, all I ever wanna do is keep Pokemon safe. I love Anistar, y'see, bein' around the ocean, bein' back with my trainer. I have lotsa good memories of this place and I don't wanna see it go downhill. That's why I volunteered."

"Yes." Jung moved along the bank, getting closer to Jet again. "And from what I've seen, you have a good sense of duty."

"Yeah, and I like my team. They're a bunch of good guys. Or at least, they try their best with what they're given, y'know. We're all caught in the middle of this, but we wanna try and get to the bottom of this kidnappin' situation." He smiled at Jung. "I think you inspired me to start lookin' as well, since I've started askin' Pokemon around on my time off."

"Oh, have I?" Jung tried to hide his flushed face. "And any leads yet?"

"No dice, but I'm gonna keep at it. That's all I can do, really."

"Yes. I guess that's all we can do: our best."

The conversation trailed off from there. Jung took the time to finish his pastry, needing to fill that void in his gut and in his heart. After that, he tried to find a way to pick their chat back up. But he couldn't. And neither could Jet, until he suddenly spoke up.

"I hope the whole patrol thing doesn't get in the way of us bein' friends and all."

Damn, Jung couldn't have come across as more hostile if he tried. "No, of course it doesn't. I value what we have."

"And I do too." Finally, Jet stroked his back again, and this time, Jung stayed, letting his friend soothe him. "Say, how about that stroll along the beach I promised? I'm givin' myself a break before I start looking again."

Jung leaned into his shoulder, not caring how he looked in front of the passersby. "I'd love that."

Jung ended up having a great day out, which was a rare occurrence. As they walked across the warm, smooth sand, they did a bit of catching up; talking about what the Hypno gang was like, what strays Jet helped to feed, what shows they watched. There was never a dull conversation with Jet. Jung also felt more at ease around Jet, as his presence made the townsfolk seem more peaceful while still feeling somewhat pensive.

Once they said their goodbyes, Jung came back home in the evening. He decided to keep riding that high, making cookies in the clinic's kitchen. He didn't usually have time or motivation to bake, but this was an exception since Brie inspired him again. He tried one himself — although it could've done with more cornstarch to make it chewier, it was still delicious. As thanks, he also left some for the other staff members in the fridge, and Jet as well. Hopefully, they enjoyed it as much as he did.

He also left a bag of peanut butter treats for Lotte near her dog bowl. She deserved it for being so kind to him, and to everyone else in the clinic, especially that Eevee.

On the way back to his room, Jung got a whiff of a patient's dreams in the garden. This one gave off a scent of cheese, the good, rich, creamy kind, not the smelly, mouldy kind that Brie had. So he followed it until he entered the open space, and there was that Eevee, all alone.

He looked so peaceful sleeping there on his side among the grass. The shade of dusk blanketed him — his scars weren't so noticeable in the dark. He even purred as he slept, and it was rare for the Eevee to make any noise that wasn't a growl or a screech. Jung stepped closer to inspect the Eevee's dreams, just at a cursory glance. Although he didn't enter his dream state directly, his dreams radiated different smells.

He imagined the Eevee traipsing through a cheddary garden, unsullied by human hands. There were bushes made of parmesan and trees that grew any number of fine cheeses by the block: edam, smoked, gouda, and every nice cheese imaginable. Jung imagined him poking his head through holes, only to find more cheese, and if he hit any dead ends, he would eat his way through it to make another path, savouring its tangy, meaty flavours. There was no end to this garden of cheesy delights.

Jung snapped out of his fantasy, realising what he was doing. He held his pendulum out as his mouth dripped a waterfall of saliva. The dull flash of the pendulum on the corroded coin made Jung stop. He saw his petrified gaze in the dim reflection.

And in that reflection, he saw the Hypno in his dreams, in the shattered mirror, staring back at him.

Author's note: Well, thanks for reading The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, and staying along for this wild ride! This is the most fun I've had with writing fanfic in a while, and getting back into it made me realise how much I love the process.

Dreamdiver will probably be my main fic project from here on out, so please stay tuned for more chapters at some point. I'll probably experiment with shorter stories next since this was quite a big one.