Chapter 5: Laura's Birthday Blues
Paula blinked her eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them. "Ugh…huh?" she groaned before registering her friend's greeting. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Good morning, Laura! I had the weirdest dream last night…"
Laura cocked her head as a silent prompt for her friend to continue. "I was having a dream about the past," Paula obliged. "But it was so vivid! It was like I was reliving my memories…" she looked Laura over and smirked, "You know, you hardly ever talked back then."
Laura blushed, "Yeah… But my social skills have improved."
"Some, maybe," Paula agreed before nudging Laura's elbow. "But not by much!" She laughed as Laura blushed even harder and then she wiped a tear of mirth from her eyes and said, "Okay! So what should we do today? Hm… oh! Let's go see what's new in Treasure Town and then get some jobs at the Guild. Or maybe we could do sentry duty. We haven't done that in a while."
Laura nodded, still slightly embarrassed, and the two headed outside.
Meanwhile, Bidoof was pacing outside the entrance to their home. "Oof… they told me it was my job to come get them," he muttered to himself, "but it seems rude to wake them up. I mean, I've been out here for a while and they haven't shown any signs of movement…
"They graduated from the guild, so they don't have to get up early like I do. Why, I reckon that they could sleep all day if they wanted to. Yup, yup! That's what I'd do if I graduated. Oof… but… if that is what they're gonna do, then maybe I should wake them up. Either way, I'm already gonna get yelled at for being so late…"
His continued pacing led him back to the entrance just as Team Rainbow emerged. He quickly stopped his pacing and greeted, "Oh! Paula! Laura! Good morning!"
"Good morning, Bidoof!" Paula responded, surprised by the early visit but pleased nonetheless. "What are you doing all the way out here?"
"Chatot sent me to get you," Bidoof explained. "He called a guild meeting in Oran Forest and he wants you two there!"
"H-huh? He wants us there? And in Oran Forest? Why not at the guild?" Paula asked in confusion, glancing back at Laura. Laura just shrugged in response. She had no idea what was happening either.
"I don't really know either," Bidoof sheepishly admitted, "but I do know that we're already late!"
"What? Then we'd better get going!" Paula exclaimed, taking off running with Laura in tow and Bidoof bringing up the rear.
The trio was panting when they finally made it to the forest clearing where everyone was gathered. Surprisingly, Wigglytuff was nowhere to be seen.
"Pant… pant…Sorry I'm late!" Bidoof said, gasping for breath. "But I brought Team Rainbow!"
"Well it's about TIME! We thought you were NEVER gonna show up!" Loudred complained.
Chatot rolled his eyes before beginning the meeting. "Right then! Now that everyone is here… let's start the meeting for Guildmaster Wigglytuff's surprise party!"
The apprentices cheered, but Team Rainbow just looked confused.
"Surprise party?" Paula asked.
"Oh my gosh! That's right!" Sunflora exclaimed, turning towards Team Rainbow. "You two were in the future when it happened last time, and then you graduated so quickly that you don't know about it! You see, Guildmaster's birthday is in a few days, and every year we throw him a surprise party!"
"Oh! I see! It sounds fun!" Paula said in understanding.
"It is!" Chimecho agreed. "But it takes a lot of planning."
"Yes! So, on that note…" Chatot began to explain everything that was needed to prepare for the party. There were many conversations and arguments over things like who would do cooking, who would work on distracting Wigglytuff while everyone else set up, etc.
Once everything was settled, Chatot brought the meeting to a close by saying, "Now that that's settled, I must remind everyone that they need to bring a present. I cannot stress this enough! Understood? Right, then! Let's get to it! Meeting adjourned!"
"HOORAY!" everyone cheered.
The guild members headed off, but Team Rainbow decided to stay behind and stock up on Oran Berries. As they worked, Paula began to chatter to Laura about what to do for their assigned job: decorations.
"So I was thinking that we should make some streamers," she suggested. "Or maybe paper chains. What do you think?"
Laura bit her lip. "Um… what are streamers and paper chains?"
Paula was surprised. "You know! You see them all the time at parties. They're those paper things that you hang from the ceiling."
Laura shifted uneasily as she admitted, "It's just that… I think this might be the first party I've ever been to. I still can't remember my past, but I doubt I would've had much time for parties while on the run…" She frowned as another thought occurred to her. "Come to think of it… I don't even know when my birthday is. Or my age…"
"That's right! Your amnesia!" Paula gasped, feeling like an idiot for not realizing it sooner. She frowned in thought. "Hm… well, don't worry. Parties are fun. And it's not that hard to make streamers. I'll show you when we get home."
A few hours after the team returned to the Bluff, their home appeared to have been taken over by art supplies. There was glue and glitter everywhere, and the ceiling had been covered in paint splatters from where the cap of a paint tube had been forcibly wrenched off. Each of the girls had a roll of white paper in front of them and had been armed with a brush and a selection of paint colors.
Paula clapped her paws together. "Okay! Now all we have to do is paint! Tomorrow we'll cut the paper and make them into links for the chain."
Laura was still uncertain, but she obediently dipped her brush into the cup of blue paint. The instant her brush touched the paper, all her uncertainty vanished and she became totally absorbed in painting.
The two were having so much fun that they didn't notice the passage of time. Finally, when the sun had sunk low enough in the sky that it became necessary to light a candle to see anything, Paula wiped her brow. "Whew!" she said, beginning to clean up her workstation. "Okay, Laura. I think we've done enough."
Laura slowly looked up, almost seeming like she was coming out of a trance. She saw that Paula was cleaning up, so she began to clean up her own station as well. The two went to move their work to another area to dry, and Paula gasped as she caught sight of Laura's paintings.
"Laura… these are beautiful!" she exclaimed as she admired them. They all seemed to feature Wigglytuff doing the things he loved: eating Perfect Apples, dancing, exploring, etc. They were lifelike, and seemed to capture him perfectly. "It's almost a shame to cut them…" Paula murmured in awe. Laura's paintings were much better than hers, which mainly figured blobs of color or random doodles.
"…You think so?" Laura asked. "It's okay. I can always paint more. It was… really fun," Laura said, nearly glowing with happiness.
"That's great!" Paula beamed at seeing her partner so openly showing her happiness. "So I was thinking… for Wigglytuff's presents, why don't we go to Apple Woods and pick him some Perfect Apples? They are his favorite, after all." Laura nodded. "Great! So tomorrow we'll head over there while we finish waiting for the paint to dry!" Paula decided.
Unfortunately for the duo, when they arrived at the forest the next day the big tree was nearly barren, with only a few Perfect Apples on the very tip-top branches of the tree.
Paula brought her paws to her eyes to act as a visor as she looked up. "There are hardly any left!" she exclaimed in shock before turning to Laura and wincing, "I guess everyone else had the same idea… what should we do?"
Laura crossed her arms and bowed her head in thought. She frowned and looked at the tree, considering an idea, before slowly saying, "Why don't you pick some and I do something else? I have another idea…"
A few days passed and Wigglytuff's birthday arrived. Everyone did their best to act normal so that when Wigglytuff left on his traditional solo "birthday exploration," he suspected nothing. When he came back in the evening, however, and found the upper levels empty and the lower level dark, he was surprised.
"Hello? Friendly friends? Where is everyone?"
Suddenly the lights came on. In the time that Wigglytuff had been gone, the ceilings of the lowest level had been decked out with Team Rainbows decorations. A huge table laden with food had been placed right next to an even larger table laden with wrapped presents which all, with the exception of one, were similar in shape to a Perfect Apple. Someone had put a stack of party games in the corner, and furniture had been strategically placed in the room. Everyone jumped out from hiding and yelled, "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GUILDMASTER WIGGLYTUFF!"
Wigglytuff's mouth opened in a surprised gasp before he smiled widely. "Oh, wow! Thank you everyone!"
The party commenced. Most everyone was smiling, laughing, and having a wonderful time, but Laura and Chatot were being wallflowers and hanging out by the food. Laura was picking at her plate and only half listening to Chatot's complaints.
"… Always the same, every year," he was fuming. "Everyone goes wild and stays up late. Then they're surly and lazy the day after. And the place is always a mess! Squawk! HEY! You'd better clean that up!"
Laura sighed as she watched him run off to go scold one of the apprentices who had spilled their drink on the floor. She thought to herself, "If he hates it so much, then why does he keep planning these parties year after year…?" She gave an audible sigh that was not missed by Croagunk, who had come over to the table to get something to eat.
"Well, well, well… what are you doing here all alone? Meh heh heh…"
Laura glanced down at her plate before hesitantly answering, "Oh… I… I was hungry, so I…"
Croagunk chuckled. "Meh heh heh… You must have a stomach like Bidoof's. You've been here all night." Unsurprisingly, Laura remained silent. Croagunk shook his head. "Why don't you just admit that you're not having fun and go home?"
Laura looked up in surprise. "Surely it can't be that easy."
Indeed, here suspicions were proven right when Croagunk continued, "Of course, if you do that… who knows how big the Guildmaster's temper tantrum will be…? Meh heh heh…"
He wandered off, fully aware (and pleased) of the fact that Laura had gone rigid and pale with terror at the thought.
"Hey, Laura!" she heard someone call. She looked up and paled even more when she realized that it was Wigglytuff. "Come over here!" he continued. "We're going to play a game!"
Laura only hesitated a moment before her fear of what Wigglytuff would do if she refused caused her to bring her plate over to where most of the guild was sitting in a circle on the floor.
Sunflora explained the rules of the game. "All right. This is the 'Memories' game. It's super simple! All you do is pick a card and then talk about a memory you have that's associated with its topic."
"YEAH! And make them INTERESTING memories!" Loudred demanded.
Laura gulped. "Memories? Oh no…"
Paula noticed her friend's distress and frowned. "Laura? Are you okay?" she asked with concern.
Laura went rigid and glanced over at Wigglytuff, who had also frowned in concern and confusion, before she looked back to Paula and nodded.
Paula wasn't convinced, but before she could voice anymore concerns, Loudred proclaimed, "OKAY! I'LL start!" He grabbed a card from the pile and read it silently before freezing up.
"Hey, hey! Don't just sit there!" Corphish complained. "What's your topic?"
"…Uh… er…" Loudred stammered, unwilling to read it.
Croagunk swiped the card and read it out loud, his mischievous smirk growing with every word. "Meh heh heh… it says: Describe your biggest failure."
Sunflora nudged him and giggled, "Oh my gosh Loudred! Wouldn't that be the time you failed the graduation exam?"
"SH-SHUT UP!" Loudred yelled, blushing with embarrassment.
The apprentices, Paula, and Wigglytuff laughed, but Laura just looked nervous. The nervousness grew as the game went on, and it reached its peak when it was finally her turn. She gulped, barely stopping her hands from shaking as she drew a card.
"What does it say?" asked Chimecho.
Paula glanced at it. "Looks like… 'What's your biggest dream in life?'"
"M-my biggest dream…?" Laura murmured. "Well, at least it's not a memory," she thought to herself before blushing. "But still… it's a little embarrassing…"
"Hey, hey! So spill!" Corphish impatiently demanded. "What's your dream?"
Laura shook her head before shyly saying, "My dream is… well… to fall in love, marry, and become a mother…"
There was a thoughtful silence before Loudred snickered, "THAT'S your dream? Isn't it a little GIRLY?"
Paula was indignant as she defended her friend. "What's wrong with that, Loudred? Laura is a girl!"
"Yeah! What's wrong with wanting a family?" Sunflora asked, acting as backup.
"Yeah!" Chimecho also joined in.
Faced with the anger of every female in the room (except for Laura, who was stuffing her face with food to hide her embarrassment) Loudred became very nervous and defensive.
"W-well…that's not REALLY a memory anyway!" Loudred abruptly changed the subject. "I think Laura needs a NEW topic!" He grabbed another card and read it. "HERE'S one! 'What was your favorite birthday and WHY?'"
Laura nearly choked on her food. She hastily swallowed before repeating, "F-favorite birthday?"
"Yup, yup!" Bidoof confirmed. "I reckon that's an excellent topic, considering the occasion."
"B-but… I…" Laura stammered.
"Come now, Laura," Dugtrio sighed in exasperation. "It really is not a hard question. Just tell us of your birthdays past."
Laura was on the verge of tears at this point. "But I still… I can't re-"
Mercifully, Chatot chose that moment to interrupt with an announcement. "All right everyone! It's time to give the Guildmaster his presents!"
Everyone but Laura cheered and abandoned the game to rush over to the table with presents. Laura took a moment to rub her eyes before she slowly plodded over. By the time she got there, Wigglytuff had opened almost all of them. To no one's surprise, they had all been Perfect Apples. Laura's present was the last to be opened, and instead of being spherical like the others, hers was rectangular in shape. Wigglytuff ripped off the wrapping paper… and everyone stared.
It was a painting. It was a simple painting, but a magnificent one nonetheless. It was of the big tree in Apple Woods where the Perfect Apples grew. Looking at it… you could almost hear the rustling of leaves and feel the sunshine that spotlighted the tree. One look at the ripe fruit on the tree's boughs caused your mouth to water, and you could almost taste the Apples on your tongue.
Laura fidgeted, interpreting the silence as disappointment. She shuffled her feet and hastened to offer an explanation. "I… I know it's not a Perfect Apple… but I figured that since I couldn't pick one, this would be the next best thing."
The silence persisted for a few minutes before Wigglytuff broke by slowly asking, "Laura… where'd you get this?"
"I… I painted it myself," Laura admitted, glancing at the ground. "I… I know it's not very good, but-"
"NOT VERY… are you KIDDING?" Loudred broke her off. "This is AMAZING!"
Laura looked up in surprise as Bidoof added, "Yup yup! Those Apples look good enough to eat, by golly!"
"Oh!" Chimecho suddenly exclaimed, looking up at the Team Rainbow's decorations with new eyes. "So then… these wonderful decorations…?"
"That's right! She painted them herself!" Paula beamed before blushing and rubbing the back of her neck. "At least… the good ones. The others are mine…"
"Hey, hey! Laura, you could be a professional! What a great hobby for you!" Corphish praised.
Laura blushed and everyone laughed.
When the party finally ended Paula and Laura went straight home and Laura practically collapsed on her bed.
"I ate way too much…" she thought to herself, clutching her stomach. "How does Bidoof do it…?"
"That was a great party! " Paula sighed, happily snuggling into her own bed. "Especially that game!"
Laura glanced at her and then glanced away with a frown, remaining silent.
"What? You didn't like it?" Paula asked, genuinely confused, as she sat up.
"…It's kind of hard to play a game that focuses on memories when one has so few of them…" Laura mumbled.
"That's right! Your amnesia!" Paula gasped. "Oh, Laura! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize-"
Laura cut her off with a weak smile. "It's all right. It really doesn't matter," she assured.
Paula wasn't convinced. "But…"
"Trust me… yawn… it's fine…" Laura murmured as she nestled into a tight ball and drifted off to sleep.