Chapter 10 - Keep On Keeping On
I find myself pacing in circles, walking around and around at a slow rhythm.
My feet gently step floorboard to floorboard, each individual moment of contact resonating with a soft tap as I circle around the table in the center of the room. I am careful to not step on any cracks between boards as I allow the rhythm to ground my thoughts.
Much like myself, my mind is pacing around in my skull.
In my mind's eye, I still picture the Pokemon whom I've just met. The reflection of my own green scales, cast back in the teal scales of Iven dances around in my skull, and I wonder.
For starters, I have confirmed what I already know - that I am socially inept to the nth degree. If I could compare my mouth to something, I would liken it to a broken faucet - the words either won't come out, or alternatively, come flooding out in an utter wash of verbal overflow. Unfortunately, neither mode is very useful or effective.
On the other hand, however, I can also confirm that, much to my surprise, this did not pose an immediate physical issue to myself. In spite of my self emasculation, the other Snivy was friendly and understanding.
…
I continue my pace, thoughts bouncing around in my head.
I don't know enough about myself. I have a mass conglomerate of contextless knowledge - some of which makes no sense to know within the context of my observed surroundings.
This incongruity, I must admit, nags at me.
And as to how I can go about reconciling these things in my mind, such as knowledge of vague historical and cultural references, which simply have no place here?
I wouldn't even know where to begin.
How would I find Rome from here, and how has no scientist found the secret Pokemon continent?
And, for that matter, how in the world would I know what those things are? How do I even know they aren't some fantastical delusion that I've not yet realized?
I abruptly stop my pace.
I feel the groove of the floor boards beneath me as I stand on a crack and face towards the red banner at the back of this abode.
Am I really a Snivy? Like Iven?
I trace the golden lines with my eyes as they intersect and roll along. Each line of the pattern stands bold against the crimson red. The intricacy is satisfying, yet difficult to process.
…
I move closer, stepping on each crack in the floor boards as I do. The pattern becomes easier to parse as I separate its components. Gold lines become collections of golden fabric against a fuzzy background.
Looking at all the threads connect, I reach out and brush my hand against the banner. The decoration is satisfying to the touch, with a texture similar to that of cotton. The layering on the pattern leaves an impression on me as my hands explore.
…
The only way to find out is to observe. I've been rather timid - not to mention a bit of a social dunce. This clearly doesn't come naturally to me.
If I want to make these threads connect, I'm going to need to break this down. I've been thrust into the deep end of the pool - I need to start on the shallow end.
I step away from the banner. The central emblem - an oval surrounded by two wings - finally comes into focus after fully grasping the pattern.
The key here is not merely to observe, but to study.
I turn from the banner, and towards the stone table in the center of this room. I take a seat at the nearest cushion, and place my elbows on the cool tabletop, eventually resting my head on the back of my interlocked hands.
Hm… well, the first thing that I'm going to have to do is have Cole or Snizzy escort me into town.
The scope of the incongruity is something I will need to address at a later point. For now, I must make the issue a little more granular.
Thus, I think that it would probably be a better decision to fill in the gaps in my knowledge first - because there are gaps. Significant ones. Dangerous ones, perhaps.
The only thing to do about it is to learn, and the first thing I'm going to need to learn is how to communicate more effectively. Once I and whoever else can communicate without issue, the rest of the gaps will be much easier to fill in.
In order to better develop and refine my communication, I'm inevitably going to have to be around Pokemon in order to communicate. I need to study how Cole or Snizzy interact with Pokemon, and then practice those skills for myself. Once I understand the patterns behind Pokemon social norms, the whole thing should come into focus.
I feel the streaked texture of the stone table against my elbows as the inkling of an idea of what to do comes together.
Perhaps if I can plan things out more specifically, or measure my language more carefully… ? Hm…
…
Well, with no one around, "I guess t-there's… no one around to stop me practicing."
I close my mouth in a tight line. I don't like this higher register my voice sits in. I grab my scarf, and pull it up to cover my mouth. I then have the scarf pinned in place by the back of my hands.
The vow to not speak too much still stands. But that does mean I'll need to be more efficient with my words. Pack more meaning into fewer words.
As I look outside, staring out a window, I take a deep breath. The sun and shine outside occupies my eyes, and I breath back out.
"Well…" I murmur to myself.
"At least I know I can… rely on more capable people than myself," I say, thinking back to Cole's confidence, and Snizzy's discipline.
They seem like they can really handle themselves in this strange world I've found myself in. With such bastions of competence like them, I believe I've found myself some suitable… hosts? No, that sounds uncomfortably parasitic…
… Perhaps caretakers?
…
Hm…
I remember suddenly my TM case. Whilst the TM inside is useful, I do know that there are a number of miscellaneous objects within the case as well - and perhaps one of them will prove to be useful in much the same way as the TM itself.
The case is in the table - I hadn't bothered to put the TM away.
Orienting the the case towards me, I pull it closer and pop it open once again. Inside, I find a number of items, some of which I do find familiar. Others, however, I am very much uncertain about. Those I will set aside for the time being.
Among the familiar items, I find a long piece of charcoal, some rough paper-like material, and a number of round physical chips of differing colours. A part of me is happy that I now have something to write in - though at the same time, some deep part of me feels rather dorkish at the moment.
Well, regardless of how I feel, I now have something of a plan. Not a very specific - or very complex - plan, granted, but a plan nonetheless. Now, I wait.
Only time will tell if I really have figured out what I need to do.
Alright, I got lucky!
After standing around for like ten minutes, Snizzy came back - and with a new drink, too!
We left town like fifteen minutes ago. It's been a pretty quiet walk, honestly - but I guess I shouldn't get all complainy. Snizzy isn't all mad now.
Plus, the forest is nice I guess. Though, something's been nagging at me as we've been walking…
"You are one hundred percent certain that you've read the entirety of our mission, Cole?" Snizzy asks me as we head west towards Thunderwave Cave.
I roll my eyes - good thing 'mon can't tell when all us dot-eyed folks do it!
"Yeah yeah, dude, don't worry. I got us covered - we're good!" I say cheerfully, talons stepping over some pebbles on the dirt path.
I skimmed it. That's like... close enough, probably.
I look at Snizzy while he sips on this 'water skin' of his. I don't know what he's got in there, but hey, if it keeps him from going kablooey then I'm cool with it.
"Look, all we gotta do is get in there, bust out with that rescue stuff we do, and skedaddle on home. We just gotta rescue some Magnemites for some Magnemites - we'll be outta there lickety split!" I exclaim, eyes closed and beak smiling.
I hear this authoritative "Hmph," from my right, and I open my eyes again to look at his unimpressed face.
Not kablooey, but still ka-grouchy. Gotcha.
"Y'know, if you're so hung up on it, you can just like - y'know - read the mission yourself. I'm just sayin'," I tell Snizzy with a shrug.
At that, I hear Snizzy chuckle a little bit, and I look over at him. He's got like this knowing smirk on his face, and he raises one of his brows just a smudge.
After a quick moment, he just says, "You don't get it."
Don't get it? What am I not getting?
"What? You think this is going to be some crazy, like, ultra mission?" I ask him, half joking, but secretly half serious 'cause I don't wanna get bodied on a C rank mission.
Snizzy shakes his head. I see him glance around at our surroundings, eyes hopping around real quick from bushes to trees, and then settling back on the road ahead.
"You are being careless," he says frankly.
He stops and crosses his arms in the middle of the road, and I stop with him.
"To put your guard so low before a mission is ill advised, Cole," Snizzy says, with his signature frown.
He uncrosses his arms, before looking directly at me. His voice goes all low, and he slowly unsheathes his claws while he says, "You never know when something unexpected might happen."
I see fire in his eyes for a sec, and I shiver.
The way he growled out the end, how he had this look in his eyes - y'know, I'm not gonna lie. He had me shook for a second there.
I shake off the shookness, though - I'm a dungeoneer! - and I reply, "Yeah, well, I know I'll be ready."
I mean, what's really gonna happen? I've been on this team for like a month - pretty sure I know my way around a mission!
Snizzy just let's out a little, "Heh," before continuing with, "Is that so?"
I ignore Snizzy's whole questioning thing. I know we got this. Don't be a Dwebble Downer, Snizz!
I look back to the road ahead. We got, what, twenty minutes til the caves?
I turn my head to glance at Snizzy "I mean, unless something super crazy happens, I think we're gonna be fine, 'mon."
I realize right about then that Snizzy is nowhere to be found.
I glance this way, that way, and even do a full 360. It doesn't seem like he's anywhere here, though.
Hm… If I were a Snizzy, where would I-
Everything happens so dang fast. First, I hear some rustling above me, and I look up. Then, leaves, fur, claws, dirt - in that order.
I get decked directly in the shnozz, and before I know it I feel someone grab me and throw me onto my front. I eat a mouthful of soil - it's salty and gross - and my beak hurts!
I feel a pressure on the back of my head, and I realize that it's a foot. Someone's standing on the back of my head.
Also I think I'm bleeding. I feel a cut stinging away right above my brow.
"Why weren't you ready?" I hear Snizzy say smugly from above.
Because you just Ninjask'd my face!
"Bfmfm fm fm Nfnfd m f!" I say, my beak full of dirt 'cause Snizzy's standing on my head.
"Mm," Snizzy hums, before stepping off of the back of my head. I instantly shoot up and spit the salty dirt out. It takes me a second, but I get myself together as quickly as I can.
I spin around and look intensely at Snizzy. What the heck!?
"What did we learn, chick?" Snizzy asks with a raised brow and crossed arms.
Oh come on, 'mon, ya don't gotta be a thing about it.
"Watch my back? Or my above, I guess?" I say, confused and definitely bleeding from my face.
Snizzy just shakes his head. He turns back to the road ahead and continues walking. I follow after him, and soon he starts talking again.
"The lesson is that you're never ready," he says cooly as we go along our way. "Especially when the attack comes from within."
I feel the air around us get very slightly colder. Snizzy takes a big gulp from his drink, and I feel the temperature go back to normal.
Uh huh.
"Cool cool, uh, hey dude? Can I get an OB over here?" I ask, flapping my wings for emphasis.
I see Snizzy glance at me out of the corner of his eye, and see my bleeding face. He smirks, before reaching a hand into the rescue bag at my side and pulling out an oran berry for me. He holds it up to my face.
"Eat the berry, little chick," Snizzy draws out teasingly, while shaking the berry around.
"Dude, just give it to me," I reply.
"Aww, does widdle chick need some help," he says, in a mockingly sweet tone.
"C'mon, mon, you know I just can't reach all the way in there without stopping. You don't know how hard it sucks to have feathers for arms, dude!" I exclaim.
"Here comes the Aerodact- "
"Snizz I like ya, but you aren't gonna be ready for how hard I'm gonna peck your hand off if you don't just give me the damn berry, okay?" I say. This is turning into nonsense or whatever.
Snizzy just laughs and says, "Heh, fine. Take it, heal yourself, and we shall continue. We don't have much farther to go."
With that he tosses the berry at me, and I catch it with a good hop and my feathers.
I squeeze the juice out along my brow, and then shove the rest of the berry in my mouth. That really weird oran flavor fills out in there, and I swallow the whole thing down.
With a little tingling the cut on my brow closes, and I pick up the rescue bag again. Then, we keep going.
Y'know, I sometimes wonder how I ended up following this guy around everywhere - and then he'll do something crazy like that whole vanishing act back there. Like - ow! - and 'damnit Snizzy!', but let's put our salt aside here for a moment...
… That was kinda sick.
But then after he'll be a huge donger and I'm back to square one, 'mon! It's a really lame little cycle.
After that, the walk is pretty basic. There's a nice little breaze goin' on, the sun's sitting high at about noon, and we're making some decent progress.
Eventually, after passing our fifty-bajillionth tree, I see a pair of shiny metal bois floating near a cave way way off. I hear Snizzy grunt, and I guess he sees them too, since he picks up the pace and I have to hurry to keep up.
When we get to where we're going, we end up at the edge of the forest. There's the Iron Mountains behind the entrance to Thunderwave Cave - both of 'em this sorta rusty orange, and both of 'em being in this clearing.
In the middle of this cool little area are two big ol' balls o' steel, Magnemite and Magnemite. When we get close, the light from the sun reflects off them and makes me blink for a second.
"Magnemite and Magnemite?" Snizzy asks cooly as we enter the clearing around Thunderwave Cave.
The two Magnemites in front of the cave look at Snizzy, and then me. They look between each other, and then look back at us again.
"WE ARE MAGNEMITE AND MAGNEMITE," Magnemite starts, "ARE YOU TWO RESPONDING TO OUR INQUIRY AS TO THE ACQUISITION OF RESCUE SERVICES FOR OUR TWO MAGNEMITE FRIENDS, WHO ARE KNOWN AS MAGNEMITE AND MAGNEMITE?"
I wince as their super loud, super buzzy voices hit my ear drums. Jeeez! It's like two rusty metal things rubbing together!
Sorry hearing, ya gotta take one for the team today!
While I emotionally prepare my ears for some serious thrashing, Snizzy looks at the Magnemite to the left and says, "Yes. We are Team Aurora. We've accepted your mission, Magnemite and Magnemite, and we are here to rescue your two acquaintances."
The two Magnemites respond at the same time, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOUR PAYMENT WILL BE HANDSOME. BE CAREFUL - HELP OUR MAGNEMITE FRIENDS!"
Gah! Y'know, it wouldn't be so bad if they weren't so monotone. Like, Arceus, 'mon.
Snizzy just nods. Then, he steps forward and gestures for me to follow. I do, and we walk towards the cave's entrance.
When I look at it, I get the feeling like I'm looking at something odd. And I know that the shadows are all wrong 'cause the lighting, and dadada boring boring theory stuff - look, all I'm saying is that we're looking at some legit mystery dungeoning today.
Snizzy walks until I see him enter the cave, and kaleidoscope into the mouth of the thing more as he goes along. I follow close behind him, and together…
… We enter Thunderwave Cave.