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Chapter 21:
"I just think you two look pretty cute."
A frown spread on Mismagius' face as the battle continued to rage on beneath her. The intruders were much more resilient than she had anticipated. It was unbelievable to her that Oro, her most trusted guardian of the forest, was being driven back by the efforts of one lone Eevee. Mismagius could only watch in frustration as the little brown Pokémon continued to dodge the Trevenant's desperate swipes while retaliating by hurling more rocks and stones.
Mismagius couldn't help but feel a little admiration for the Eevee's ingenuity. To think that the intruder would circumvent Oro's natural immunity to direct attacks by attacking him with rocks instead... it made Mismagius a little impressed.
However, no matter how smart or clever that Eevee was, she and her injured friend are still invaders of their sanctuary. Mismagius didn't know why they're here or how they knew about their forest, but such issues were of little concern to her. To Mismagius, her most important task was to protect the forest, and her precious daughter that lives within it.
But, as she watched Oro be driven back by the Eevee's onslaught, Mismagius began to feel a sense of worry and concern for her guardian. Despite his best efforts, it was becoming painfully obvious that he could not last much longer against the intruder's ferocity...
Gyeeeeeh!
Oro let out another pained screech as yet another heavy stone struck him in the midsection. The force from the blow sent him toppling backward, his root – like legs groaning and creaking from the strain of supporting his weight. The Trevenant swung his arms like windmills as he tried to regain his balance, but his efforts to right himself were wasted as another rock smashed into his face.
With a loud, rattling cry, Oro collapsed at the center of the clearing with a weighty thud. His arms laid at his sides, limp and unmoving. His single eye spun around in its wooden socket while his legs kicked feebly into the air. Dull pain ravaged the ancient tree as he stared up into the golden light. Scattered all around his fallen form were bits and pieces of his wooden body, as well as several of his snapped off claws, courtesy of that accursed Riolu. Even though Oro managed to incapacitate one of them, the other was fighting back with a furor that sent a chill through his body.
Frustration, anger and shame filled Oro's heart as he clawed the grass. He was the guardian of the forest, the sole protector of the wood...! How could he be defeated by a pair of brats like them?! He wont accept this outcome... he can't accept it!
Mustering what strength he had left within his decrepit body, the Trevenant unleashed an echoing howl into the sky. His right arm stretched up into the warm light, followed by his left. No matter what happens to him, he had to complete his duty. The forest was his home and his family! And he was their protector!
As he stared up into the sky, he saw a purple haze hovering just a few feet above the clearing. Oro's eye began to glow brighter as he realized that Mismagius must be watching his battle unfold from above them. Being aware of her presence granted even more untold strength. Mismagius, his beloved Mismagius...!
He couldn't give up. Not now, not ever...!
Groaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!
The Trevenant slammed his arms into the grass, sending dirt and leaves flying away. His body released a horrifying cracking noise as he contorted his body in order to get back onto his feet. Even more jagged cracks appeared on his trunk as he straightened himself back out. Pain shot through his body, flooding him with the desire to scream and cry out in agony. But he withstood it. For the sake of his caretaker, for the sake of his family!
"I can't believe it, he's still standing?!"
The little Eevee looked aghast as Oro staggered toward her. His single eye glowed with determination as he glared at the horrified Eevee. Her brown head was sweeping left and right in a mad attempt to find another rock to use as a projectile, but her luck had ran out. There were no more rocks anywhere close enough for her to just pick up and throw in such short notice.
Oro only had enough strength left for one more attack. The Eevee looked like she was about to run away and grab a faraway rock to throw at him. He cannot let that happen...!
Gyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!
"Eeek!"
He unleashed the loudest screech he could muster. The Eevee was stunned in the middle of her run, forcing her down onto the ground in order to clutch her ears to protect herself from the noise. This was his chance, he can't let it go to waste now!
Groaaar!
With a roar of triumph, Oro rushed forward on his six legs with both of his claws raised up into the air. The Eevee's eyes opened in fear as she saw the massive tree encroach upon her. There was no way she could escape the Trevenant's attack in time, not when he was already that close! She shut her eyes and covered her head with her paws.
"Fée!"
Crack!
All of a sudden Oro found himself wracked with awful, awful pain. He found himself flung away from the cowering Eevee, feeling much lighter than before. The Trevenant glanced down at his claws, or rather, the stumps where his claws once were. As he stumbled away, filled with agonizing pain, he saw that accursed Riolu standing in between him and the Eevee.
The Riolu was holding a paw against his chest as he gasped for breath. He could barely open his eyes, and his right leg was covered in red. In his other paw, he held something large, something familiar...
Oro let out a low growl as he recognized that object. It was one of his claws, one of his own wooden claws that the Riolu had snapped off earlier.
"B – Blue!" Fée cried out in a joyous voice, "Y – you're alright!"
"Stay behind... behind me...!" The Riolu – Blue – gasped out. His eyes were wincing and his stance was unsteady. He looked as though he could fall over at any time.
The Riolu glared back at the Trevenant with the massive wooden claw in his clutches. Despite his horrendous injuries, Blue's eyes were defiant and undaunted. Affected by the forceful presence the Riolu was emanating, Oro couldn't help but take a single step back, away from the Riolu's fierce gaze.
A strange sense of familiarity flooded the Trevenant's being as he watched the Riolu stalk ever closer to him. He was fighting for his friend, he was even willing to sacrifice his own well – being for the sake of protecting her. Even though he was injured, even though he was on the last breath before collapsing, he continued to fight. Even though they were enemies, Oro couldn't help but feel a grudging sense of respect for his opponent. That Riolu was fighting for the same reason as he was.
That last attack he made took everything he had, leaving him with nothing left. Oro had no claws, nor did he even have the strength to lift his arms. Even though his heart could still fight, his body couldn't respond in kind. His body slumped forward, ready to accept defeat as his eye began to dull in color. The last thing he saw before his vision faded was the sight of his opponent raising his own claw into the air...
Fwoosh!
All of a sudden, a gust of wind exploded in between Blue and the Trevenant. Blue let out a loud yell of surprise as he was sent tumbling away, dropping the claw and falling onto the grass. He groaned as he doubled over, clutching his right leg with a look of agony on his face. As the abrupt gale dissipated, it left behind something new and unexpected in their midst.
Standing in front of the fallen Trevenant now was a Pokémon covered in golden – yellow fur. She held out her arms to her side, separating the Riolu from Oro. Her eyes welled up with tears as she glared at Blue in defiance. She held a short twig in her right hand. Trembling, she pointed her weapon at the Riolu's face in a desperate attempt to threaten him. Brin opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out.
"Where... how..." Blue attempted to speak to Brin, but his words were cut short by an onslaught of painful coughs. He dropped to his knees, clutching his chest while gasping for air in an effort to alleviate his pain.
"Blue!" His partner rushed up to his side and threw her paws around him. Fée turned her head toward Brin, her eyes tearing up.
"Please, just let us go!" She pleaded at the Braixen, "He's badly injured, and he needs rest! We don't want to fight you!"
Brin's face was filled with uncertainty as she stared at the crying Eevee. At first, she had rushed out of hiding in order to protect Oro, but now, she didn't know what to do. Oro, on the other hand, couldn't even move. He tried to lift his broken arms in an attempt to cover Brin, but they just hung at his side, unmoving and lifeless.
"Please... we just want to find the Panacea..." Fée cried as she held her partner's trembling body, "We never meant to intrude or hurt anybody, we just wanted to find a cure!"
When the Eevee uttered the word 'Panacea,' Brin's eyes flew wide and she dropped her twig. She backed up against Oro's broken body, shocked at what the Eevee said. What did that Eevee know?! How did she know?! She shook her head left and right in a panic. She wanted to run away, to hide herself away from the two strangers. But she couldn't just abandon her friend! She clung against Oro's trunk, her eyes fearful and her body trembling as she watched the Eevee and the Riolu.
"...Eevee."
All of a sudden, a great mass of purple appeared above and in between the two injured parties, making the Eevee and the Braixen both look upward. Brin let out a short cry of joy as her mother's long cloak materialized into view, followed by her large, pointed hat. Mismagius floated down from the air and stared at the shivering brown and blue pair on the grass.
"Brin, stay behind me." She spoke in a commanding voice at the Braixen, who quickly nodded and ducked behind her mother's cloak.
"You... you're that voice from before...!" Fée said in a timid voice.
The Mismagius turned around and stared at the trembling pair with her head tilted up in a haughty manner. "That's correct. I was the one who warned you about intruding upon our sanctuary earlier." With a swish of her cloak, Mismagius covered her mouth and spoke in an ethereal voice, 'I am Mismagius, caretaker and guardian of the Forlorn Forest.'
The cloaked Pokémon pointed at the Eevee and the Riolu with a stern expression on her face, "You brought this misery upon yourselves by disregarding my warnings. If you had simply acquiesced to my request and left, then you could've avoided this."
"T – that's..." Fée stared back at the floating Pokémon and shook her head, "No... we can't leave. We couldn't! There was a reason we came here, and we couldn't just leave without fulfilling it!"
"...by reason, you mean you came to find the Panacea...?"
The Eevee nodded furiously, staring right at Mismagius. She held up her friend and gestured toward his right leg with her paw. As Mismagius looked down at the injured Riolu, her eyes widened at the sight of the horrendous scars present on his leg. Brin tried to peek past Mismagius to get a look as well, but Mismagius expanded her cloak and blocked her from seeing the terrible wounds.
"...that wound..." Mismagius murmured. She took a quick glance backward at Brin, who was staring up at her with a confused and expectant look on her face. Mismagius shook her head and covered her face with her cloak.
This wasn't the first time Mismagius had seen such a wound. A sense of deja vu washed over the cloaked Pokémon as she gazed down at the trembling pair on the ground. The sight of those two... it jarred a certain memory within the cloaked Pokémon. A similar situation, just like this, had happened here in the past.
Mismagius took another look at her daughter before releasing a deep sigh. A cold gust of wind flitted through the clearing, making Brin and the intruding pair shudder slightly. Mismagius returned her gaze to the Eevee and the Riolu, her head held up high and her eyes steely. Even though this situation gave her a sense of deja vu, there was no telling if these two are trustworthy or not.
"Eevee," Mismagius spoke in a low voice, making Fée jump with a start, "answer my question. From whom did you hear about the existence of this forest?"
"From whom...?" Fée echoed, looking a little uncertain. She glanced around the clearing for a moment, wearing a nervous expression on her face. Then, her eyes locked on to something brown in the distance. Carefully, she let go of her partner and laid him onto the grass before walking over to her dropped Explorer's Pack, with Mismagius watching her with a suspicious eye the whole time.
Fée pulled open the pack and rummaged around inside of it. She pulled out a single Oran Berry and put it inside her mouth. Then, she retrieved a torn and ragged – looking letter from the pack. Turning around, she trotted back to the group.
"Here, this is the letter we were given that told us about this forest," Fée said, holding the letter up in her paws. Mismagius hovered over and took the letter away with her cloak and began to read it. While Mismagius was busy mulling over the letter, Fée turned toward the ragged Blue and began to peel away the little Oran Berry for him.
"This handwriting..."
Mismagius' eyes widened as she recognized the delicate, fancy script on the letter. The long, swirling lines, the neatly written letters, and the faint scent of freshly – baked bread... there was little doubt in her mind. This letter was indeed the work of an old, beloved friend. A warm sense of nostalgia flooded her body, making her feel excited for an unexplainable reason. Mismagius held the letter close to her chest as her eyes slowly fluttered to a close.
Fond memories resurfaced within her heart as she reminisced about the days she had spent with her old friend back in the forest. Those were days of endless fun and bliss. Days that she wished could go on forever...
All of a sudden, Mismagius felt someone tugging at the hem of her cloak. Her eyes flew open in surprise and she gazed down. Brin was staring up at her, holding onto her cloak with a worried look on her face. Mismagius' cheeks deepened in color as she turned around and saw the Eevee and the Riolu both staring at her with curious looks on their faces.
"Ahem..." Mismagius quickly covered up her face with her cloak and cleared her throat, wiping away the faint blush on her face. She lowered herself and returned the letter to Fée, albeit a little reluctantly. She could only watch with yearning as the Eevee tucked the letter back inside her pack.
"Eevee... where did you get that letter...?" Mismagius asked in the most detached voice she could manage.
"A Pokémon by the name of Duskull handed it to us," Fée explained, "our Guildmaster told us to visit him for information about the Panacea, and he gave us the directions to this forest through that letter."
"Duskull..." Mismagius felt a pang of emotion inside her heart when she heard Fée utter that name, "I... I see..." She covered up her face again and turned away from the Eevee, "T – that would explain how you knew about the entrance into the forest... yes..."
Fée's head tilted to the side as she took in the Mismagius' odd reaction. Her curiosity began to grow as her mind began to connect the dots between Mismagius and Duskull.
"Mismagius...?" Fée took a step forward. "Do you... do you know Duskull, by any chance?"
Mismagius shook her head and turned around to face Fée again. To the Eevee's surprise, a small smile was present on the cloaked Pokémon's face. With a swish of her cloak, Mismagius conjured up a small gust of wind to blow through the clearing, filling the air with the sound of rusting leaves.
"I do," Mismagius said as the gale died down, "or rather, I did." Seeing the confusion on the Eevee's face, Mismagius shook her head and changed the subject. "Since he was the one who brought you here... I suppose that means he believes the two of you are deserving of my trust."
"You said the two of you are explorers, did you not?" Mismagius asked, pointing at Fée and Blue.
"Y – yes," Fée replied with a fervent nod of her head, "we're not intruders or invaders. We're just explorers from Wigglytuff's Guild, Mismagius."
"Wigglytuff's?" Mismagius echoed with a surprised expression on her face. She covered up her mouth with her cloak and mulled over Fée's words for a moment before giving the Eevee a little nod. "I see. That clears up the situation even more then."
"Huh?"
Mismagius shook her head and gave a light chuckle, surprising Fée and Brin. The Braixen looked up at her caretaker, wondering why she looked so cordial all of a sudden. Mismagius didn't answer, instead, she hovered past the confused Braixen and held her cloak against the unconscious Trevenant's body. The cloaked Pokémon closed her eyes and spoke in a soft voice.
"Oro, my dear guardian... take your rest. I have witnessed your bravery, and I'm proud of you. For now, sleep and regain your strength." She leaned her head against the fallen tree's body in an affectionate gesture. "Once you reawaken, return to the dwelling. I will make sure to tend to your wounds."
Although the Trevenant remained silent and unmoving, a slight rustling of leaves from the forest returned as Oro's reply. Mismagius gave a small nod and turned around to face the other three Pokémon.
"Brin," The Braixen jumped up with a start as Mismagius patted her on the shoulder with her cloak. She looked up, bewildered, and saw her mother looking at her with a small smile on her face. Mismagius leaned down and wiped away the tears on the Braixen's face and said, "Do not cry anymore, my dear. I have a task for you."
Brin tilted her head to the side, wondering what her mother wanted from her. Mismagius floated away from Brin and pointed at the Eevee and the Riolu in the distance.
"I want you to bring those two over to our abode."
Brin's mouth opened wide. It seemed like she wanted to scream, but no sound came from her mouth. She tugged at the hem of Mismagius' cloak, shaking her head left and right in a frantic attempt to try and dissuade her. Unfortunately, Mismagius replied with another amused chuckle and pulled her cloak away from the Braixen's hands
"It will be fine, my dear," Mismagius spoke with a certain amusement in her voice. Seeing that the Braixen wasn't convinced, Mismagius floated back down and wrapped her cloak around her daughter, pulling her into an affectionate embrace, "I'll still be watching over you, like always. So please, don't be afraid."
Brin shook her head while within her mother's hug. She looked up at Mismagius' face, her eyes full of worry and panic. Her expression screamed at Mismagius to don't leave and to please stay.
"I know you're worried, my little Brin," Mismagius stated once more as she let go of the Braixen, "but I would like you to experience something new, something without me around." Mismagius watched as Brin continued to shake her head and try to grab her cloak again. With a small sigh, Mismagius turned toward the explorer pair.
"Eevee," she said, making Fée jump with a start.
"W – what is it?" Fée replied, looking just as surprised and confused as Brin.
"You are searching for the Panacea, are you not?"
"That's right," Fée said with a nod.
"Then I would like you to take care of my daughter for me," Mismagius said as she gestured toward the trembling Brin. "I'd also like to add that..." Mismagius chuckled as she covered her mouth with her cloak, "...it would be in your best interests to keep her safe for the time being, mm?"
"E – eh?!" Fée glanced over to Brin, "You want us to take care of her?"
"Is that a problem, Eevee?" Mismagius asked, her eyes narrowing, "I'd like to remind you that Brin is my precious daughter. I will not be pleased if anything happens to her. You understand?"
Fée gulped and nodded.
"Good." Mismagius hovered further up into the air and spun around, releasing several wisps of purple mist out from under her cloak, "Brin will take you to our home. Once you arrive, we can discuss more about the Panacea. Farewell."
"H – hold on!"
Leaving more questions behind than answers, Mismagius released a low chuckle and vanished within a puff of purple mist. Fée, and Brin stood stock still in the middle of the clearing, gaping at the slowly dissipating fog in the air. With a startled cry, Brin ran toward the dissipating purple and tried to grab it with her hands. A despondent whimper escaped her lips as she saw the gas flit through her fingers.
"H – hey..." Fée tried to address the Braixen, "Are you alright?"
The Braixen turned around. As she saw the Eevee approaching her, she let out a muted squeak and rushed behind the sleeping Oro. She peeked out from behind the tree, her hands and face trembling out of fear and apprehension as she stared at Fée.
Fée took a nervous step backward, not wanting to startle the timid Braixen any more than she already had. As she backed up, a low chuckle rang out from behind her, startling Fée and making both girls turn their heads toward the sound. The laughter had come from Blue. He sat up from the ground and covered his mouth, stifling his chuckles.
"Blue!" Fée shouted out in relief. She rushed over to the Riolu's side and threw her paws around his neck, pulling him into a tight squeeze.
"G – gah, hold on Fée!" He choked, trying to push the enthusiastic Eevee away from him, "I'm not fully recovered ye – guh!"
"O – oh!" Fée made a little embarrassed yelp and let go of Blue, who leaned forward to try and catch his breath. After a moment of frantic panting, he shook his head and sighed.
"You need to learn your own strength, Fée," he scolded the Eevee in a playful tone of voice, "you're going to hurt someone with those hugs one day."
"I – I'm sorry," she replied, blushing a little. "I was just relieved that you're okay, Blue."
"Of course I'm alright," Blue smiled at his partner. He reached over and fluffed the fur on her head, "there's no need for you to worry. I'll be fine."
Fée frowned and shook her head, "I'll believe that when you're completely cured." She pulled her partner in for another hug, but gentler this time. "I'm just glad that you're safe, Blue."
"That's my line," Blue chuckled as he patted Fée's back, "you did pretty well out there, fighting off that tree on your own. I'm proud of you, Fée."
"O – oh, that was... I just kinda... well, I mean it was nothing, really..." Fée stammered, a little surprised at his praise. Despite her insistence, her tail began to wag left and right in delight.
"S – so, what were you laughing about?" Fée said as she sat down, trying to stop her tail. "What was so funny?"
Blue shrugged and turned his gaze over to the Braixen peeking out from behind the tree, "It's nothing, really." He pointed at Brin with his paw, startling her, "She just reminded me a little of you, Fée."
"Reminded you? How so?"
"It's the way you both run and hide behind things when you're scared or embarrassed," Blue remarked with a big smile, "I just think you two look pretty cute."
Both girls blushed bright pink at the Riolu's nonchalant remark. Fée's mouth hung wide open in shock while Brin covered up her face with her hands, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"What's the matter?" Blue looked confused as he stared at his partner and the yellow – furred Braixen, "Did I say something wrong?"
"B – Blue..." Fée shook her head as she nudged him in the side, "You... you really should learn to watch what you say..."
Blue frowned as he tilted his head to the side. He didn't quite understand what his partner meant by that.
After I had recovered from Blue's callous remark, I let out a deep sigh and shook my head. I closed my eyes and rubbed my face with my paws, trying to lower the rising temperature in my cheeks. I grumbled inwardly as I tried to forget what he just said. Why does he have such a knack for making me feel this way all the time? It's was so embarrassing... especially since he said it to that other Pokémon as well.
I shook my head again. I didn't want to dwell on what my partner said too much, otherwise all this heat on my face might make me evolve into a Flareon! I opened my eyes again and looked toward the sleeping tree Pokémon.
It felt so strange to me. Just a few moments ago, we were locked in a heated battle with each other. And now, it was snoozing away in peace just a few feet away from Blue and I. Though, I am glad that the fighting was stopped. My jaw still ached from biting and throwing all those rocks, and my muscles were begging me to give them some rest.
My eyes drifted over to the patch of yellow that was hiding behind the tree. It was another Pokémon that I've never seen before. I felt my mouth curl up into a small smile. Ever since I've become an explorer, it seems like I've been meeting all sorts of new and unknown Pokémon lately. Well, I suppose that's not really a bad thing, I mused.
"H – hey..." I took a cautious step toward the Pokémon, "your name... it's Brin, right?"
The Pokémon – Brin – peeked out from behind the tree and looked at me. Her eyes were a bright, vibrant orange. For some reason, it reminded me a little of Blue's eyes. Maybe it was because they were so similar in color, albeit hers was a little brighter in shade. I took another step forward, trying to close the distance between us.
She opened her mouth and made a quiet sound. I couldn't quite make out what she said, but it didn't seem like she was too bothered by my presence.
"Um... I'm sorry for what happened earlier," I said, glancing over to the sleeping tree, "it was all a big misunderstanding. We never meant to hurt your friend. Oro, was it?"
I bowed my head low in a show of apology. I didn't want Brin to continue thinking that we were her enemies. When I lifted up my head, I saw Brin continue to peek out at me from behind Oro. But I noticed that she was beginning to reveal more and more of herself. So maybe she was starting to trust me? I lifted up my paw at her – as slowly as I could so she wouldn't be startled – and put on a friendly smile.
"My name is Fée," I said, holding out my paw to her, "and that guy back there is called Blue. We're partners, exploration partners, that is."
Brin looked a little apprehensive at first. I watched as she stared at my paw, then at me, and then finally at Blue. Her face turned a little pink as she saw my partner. I sighed and shook my head. Maybe she was still affected by his careless remark from earlier.
"Don't worry about him," I said, drawing her attention away from him, "he's a little strange, but he's a nice guy."
"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?"
"It's alright, we just want to be friends." I said to Brin, ignoring Blue's indignant remark. I gestured toward her with my outstretched paw, "I promise."
Another silent moment passed as she stared at my paw without speaking a word. Then, to my relief and delight, Brin nodded her head and began to move out from behind Oro, revealing her full body.
When I first saw her, my first thought was that she was pretty tall. Taller than Blue, even. Her fur was a very flattering shade of white and yellow, while her legs were colored a sleek black, just like Blue's. As she walked toward me, I noticed a large tail behind her, swaying left and right like the bristles of a broomstick.
I gave her a big smile when she finally stopped in front of me. I held up my paw a little higher for her. Although she still looked a little apprehensive, she eventually decided to extend her hand out to me. With my smile still on my face, I took her hand and shook it.
"It's nice to meet you, Brin." I said in a cheerful voice as I beamed at her. It made me a very happy to see her mouth curl up into a smile as well. I held her hand with both of my paws and shook it up and down with enthusiasm.
"You're going to pull her arm off, Fée." A blue paw rested itself on top of ours. I looked up and saw Blue grinning at Brin. He took her hand in his paw and shook it, "How's it going? I'm Blue."
Her face turned pink again as she looked up at my partner. She had a strange, anxious look on her face while she shook her head left and right. Her mouth continued to open and close frantically as she tried to pull her hand out of his grasp, but couldn't quite escape his firm grasp. Blue looked bewildered as she made pitiful noises at him.
"H – hey, calm down," Blue said in a confused voice, "I'm not going to hurt you or anything. I'm sorry I hurt your friend, if that's what you're worried abou – whoa, careful!"
All of a sudden, Brin's struggles bore fruit and she slipped out of Blue's hold. But, she had pulled so hard that when they separated, she lost her balance and fell backward. I cried out in surprise and tried to catch her.
"Gotcha!"
Blue reacted much faster than I had, to my surprise. My partner rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Brin's waist and stopped her from hitting the ground. I let out a sigh of relief as Blue pulled her back onto her feet.
"There, you alright?" Blue said, looking up at her with a concerned expression. Brin didn't reply. Instead, the pink spots on her cheeks had turned into a full – blown red blush.
At first, I didn't understand why she was blushing so hard, but as I looked down, I realized that Blue was still holding onto her, making sure she wasn't about to fall over again. The height difference between the two made it so that Blue's head only reached halfway up her body, so his muzzle was planted right in the middle of her belly.
I felt a little twinge of annoyance inside me somewhere when I saw that. Fuming a little for some reason I couldn't comprehend, I walked up and wedged my paws in between them. I pulled Blue's arms away from Brin and separated the two. Brin stumbled backward a few paces before rushing behind Oro again. Her face was a bright, glowing red as she peeked out at us. Meanwhile, Blue stared at me with a confused expression on his face.
"Th – that's enough of that," I stuttered as I averted my gaze from his face, "we should get going. W – we don't want to keep Mismagius waiting, do we?"
"What's the matter, Fée?" Blue asked, looking a little bewildered at me, "Your face looks a little red." He prodded me on the cheek with his paw, "What are you so angry about?"
"It's nothing! I'm fine!" My voice came out a lot louder than I intended. I saw Blue's eyes widen and Brin duck back behind Oro in fear. I cleared my throat and walked over to Blue and nudged him in the side. "C – come on, let's get moving..."
I saw Blue glance down at me, then he turned to look at Brin. With a loud sigh, he shrugged and placed his paw on my head.
"I just don't understand you sometimes," Blue chuckled as he fluffed the fur on my head again, "but alright. Let's get moving."
"Mmmh..." I grumbled as he took his paw off my head to head toward Brin. A strange emotion kept fumbling around inside my heart as I watched him convince her to come out from behind the tree. He held out his paw and took Brin's hand and gently coaxed her out of hiding. Her face was still a bright red, and she continued to avert her eyes from Blue.
"You know, the two of you are really similar." Blue commented as he let go of Brin's hand. He sniffed and shrugged his shoulders. "That red blush on both of your faces, it's pretty much identical."
Brin and I glanced at each other. A small smile cracked on my face as our eyes met. Blue was right, it was like looking in a mirror, in a way. Both of our faces, her white cheeks and my brown, were tinged with a shade of red. I giggled at this strange sight. Even Brin couldn't help but titter at how odd we looked.
"S – shut up," I mumbled at Blue. I hid my growing grin as I whapped him with my tail, "this is all your fault anyway..."
"Huh? What did I do?" Blue glanced at me with a curious look on his face. I shook my head and gave him a sharp slap on the paw with mine. This guy... he can be so oblivious at times. I could feel that odd, frustrating emotion from earlier fading away as I continued to giggle at my confused friend.
What was there to be annoyed about? Blue's Blue. Even if he could be a little bit silly, or frustrating, or even annoying, it's just how he is.
"It's nothing," I said with a lightened air. I walked over to Brin and held out my paw again, "I'm sorry about earlier. Do you mind taking us to Mismagius now?"
Brin shook her head with a smile. The red blush on her face was fading now, returning her cheeks back to its original white color. She took my paw in her hand and shook it. We stole a glance at Blue, who was still standing beside us and scratching his head in bewilderment. Together, we burst out in a fit of giggles at his silly expression.
"Now what?" Blue grumbled as he folded his arms, "What am I missing here?"
I walked up to my partner and threw my paws around him, giving him a big, reassuring hug. "It's nothing at all, Blue!"
Having Brin with us made traveling through the forest a much more interesting journey. Instead of taking the straight road Blue and I used, the yellow – white Pokémon lead us through the sea of trees itself, going through and around the massive tree trunks in a long, winding path. While it was a little difficult to step over the uneven soil and the long, thick roots, I couldn't help but look around in awe as the environment became more and more fascinating.
I kept glancing around the forest with wide eyes. Before, when we were still in the outer sections of the forest, the trees grew up tall and straight like gigantic towers. But now that we've entered a deeper, more ancient area, I've noticed that many trees began to grow in strange, odd ways. Many grew diagonally off the ground, criss – crossing with each other and forming large, angular arches overhead. Some of them had oddly bent trunks, curling themselves over our path or even around other trees. It was so strange and mysterious to me, and yet, I couldn't help but feel amazed and impressed by it.
By this point, we had entered an area so deep within the forest, there was no more sunlight coming down through the canopy. In fact, as I looked upward, I couldn't even see the canopy. Wooden tree trunks, coupled with a tangled web of spindly branches made up our ceiling. It blocked any light from reaching us down here within the belly of the wood.
However, despite being mired in the dark, we still had a source of light around us. Brin had somehow conjured up a small flame on the tip of a long twig, and we were using it as a torch to lead us through the darkness. Coupled with her flame, our path was also littered with the glowing mushrooms Blue and I found before. Another source of light was also available to us in the form of the dull, green moss that covered the tree trunks.
Brin showed us a neat little trick involving the moss. She raised up her hand to the moss and pressed against it. Within seconds, the moss expanded in size and began to radiate with a vibrant emerald light. Orange, blue and green lights danced around the three of us, illuminating the trees and our faces with a multitude of colors as we wandered deeper and deeper into the wood.
"This is so beautiful...!" I whispered as I watched Brin tap another patch of glowing moss. I was holding onto Blue's arm once again, helping him through the rough terrain as his crutch. I looked up at his face, and I saw his mouth hanging open at the wondrous sight around us.
"I've never seen anything like this before," I said as I tugged at Blue's arm, "this is... this is just so amazing!"
"Aren't you glad you became an explorer?" Blue remarked as he tweaked one of my ears, "I bet you'd never get to see anything like this back in town."
I giggled as I nodded in agreement with him. He was right. While I had spent years and years of my life living vicariously through the adventures of other explorers through the means of books and stories, there simply isn't a replacement for seeing something with your own eyes.
Feeling a little mischievous, I let go of Blue's arm for a moment and bounded up beside Brin, right before she was about to activate another patch of moss. I gave her a quick smile and held up my own paw in front of it. She caught the gist of what I meant and smile back at me as she put her hand down.
"Thanks!" I turned around and smiled at Blue, who had seated himself on a large tree root. Then, I turned around and gave the moss a hardy slap.
The green glow spread outward from my paw in a wave of green, bathing my fur in a beautiful emerald sheen. I laughed as I took a step back, watching the light travel up and spread its way across the entire tree trunk. It moved through the body of the tree and onto the branches above, casting its glow down at us from up above.
Then, it continued to spiral through the twisted branches overhead like a Spinarak moving across its web. Every patch of moss that the light touched began to glow as well, sending the light even further down the path. The three of us watched in awe as, within seconds, the entire forest around us began to shine like a radiant jewel.
"Hey, take a look at that!" I said, pointing my paw forward. At the end of our path, there was a bright orange – and – yellow glow in the distance. Brin made a happy noise as she clapped her hands together. She pointed ahead with her glowing twig, gesturing for us to head there.
"Looks like that's our destination," Blue said as I helped him back onto his feet, "it looks like a house of some kind, doesn't it?"
"Huh, now that you mention it..." I squinted my eyes and tried to get a better look at it. I could just barely make out the faint outline of something circular far away. Feeling a strain in my face, I shook my head and rubbed my eyes.
"Heh, you don't need to strain your eyes like that," Blue said as he poked me in the cheek, "we'll just get closer and get a better look that way."
I felt the temperature in my face rise from where he poked me. I looked up at Blue and nodded with a smile.
"Brin, can you take us there?" I asked our new friend. She nodded and gave an energetic wave with her twig before resuming our trek. Blue and I followed after her after a moment of getting used to walking with six legs again.
After a few minutes of travel, our destination came into sight. I let out a sharp gasp as it loomed out in front of us. We stood at the edge of a short cliff while a river filled with clear, sparkling water flowed on beneath us. A wide bridge made out of what appeared to be thick vines and roots stretched across the river. At the other side of the river was another cliff, a much taller one this time. But what made that cliff so breathtaking, was the gigantic log embedded inside of it.
It probably came from one of the monstrous trees that made up the forest. Something must've caused it to topple over, and slam straight into the cliff wall. As time passed, soil, rocks and other trees began to grow over the fallen log, reforming the part of the cliff that it destroyed. But, a section of the tree's trunk was still visible, it was the part that jutted out of the rock, after all. Huge, serpentine roots extended out of the circumference of what was originally the tree's stump.
What really made it amazing though, was that the huge tree was hollowed out from the center. A typical tree grows a large amount of rings within its body, which determines it age if it ever gets cut down. However, someone had taken those rings from this tree's trunk and fashioned them into a large cavern of some kind. The same orange and yellow lights we saw earlier illuminated the interior, revealing to us something strange inside.
Brin made a happy noise as she ran across the vine – like bridge. She held up her glowing twig into the air, waving it left and right as she sprinted toward the tree trunk cavern.
"Hey, hold on!" Blue shouted after her retreating back, but she didn't seem like she heard him. A few seconds later, she vanished into the tree trunk. Blue sighed and shrugged before turning to me, "Well, she's gone now. Shall we follow her?"
"I don't see why not!" I said with a giggle. Excitement was building up inside of me as I stared at the cave. Even though it looked a little frightening, I had to admit that I was more curious and interested in what was inside rather than scared. I gave Blue an enthusiastic nod before pulling him toward the vine bridge.
Tall lamps were set up on either side of the bridge, casting an orange glow over us as we walked across it. I took a look up into the air and – to my surprise – saw a thin sliver of light shining down from the sky. The cliff had separated the forest just enough so that a gap existed in between the leafy canopy above, allowing the sunlight to shine through.
Once we reached the other side of the river, we walked up to the mouth of the cave. Bright lamps were set up inside of the tree trunk, illuminating the walls with yellow – and – orange light. As we peered deeper inside, I saw something large and squarish just barely visible inside. I could hardly contain my curiosity as I tugged at Blue's arm.
"What do you think that could be?" I asked in a hushed voice, "It looks kinda like a wall to me."
"A wall?" Blue replied, "I guess we're of two minds. I thought the same thing."
"If it's a wall... then it could be a building inside!"
"Mismagius did say something about their 'abode' earlier. Do you think that could be their house?"
"Maybe!" I said as I held onto Blue's paw, trembling with excitement, "A house inside of a massive tree... that's incredible!"
"Hm, hm, hm... would you like to see it for yourselves?"
All of a sudden, an amused voice floated in between Blue and I, making the both of us jump up and turn around. There, floating in the center of the bridge was that cloaked Pokémon from before, Mismagius. She held her cloak over her face as she watched our surprised expressions.
"What's the use of standing outside in the cold?" She said as she floated past us, "Here children, follow me."
She conjured up a small, blue – colored flame in the air and used it to banish the remaining darkness inside of the tree trunk before hovering inside. Mismagius turned around and beckoned the two of us to enter as well with her cloak. Seeing no reason to refuse, Blue and I quickly trailed after Mismagius and her hovering ball of light.
Once we were inside, the identity of the strange thing we both saw became apparent. It looked like a house made out of wood, complete with a wooden door and even circular windows on the walls. Mismagius chuckled as she dismissed her blue flame and phased right through the wall, disregarding the door or the windows.
Blue and I, on the other hand, stood in front of the entrance. I held up my paw and knocked twice on the wooden door, even though I was pretty sure we were allowed to just go inside. It just felt right to knock on a door before entering. To my delight, the door opened up with a creaky noise. Brin stood on the other side, doorknob in her hand. She was staring at me with a confused expression on her face.
"Can we come inside?" I asked with a silly smile on my face. Brin looked at me, then looked up at Blue before giving us a slow nod. She moved away from the doorway, allowing us to enter.
Compared to the cool forest, this house was a wonderful and warm respite. Despite looking rather large from the outside, it felt very cozy now that I was inside. Pretty much every inch inside of the house was taken up with a piece or furniture or an object of some kind. Books, tables, chairs, and so on and so forth. There was even a large, black stove off the side of the room, resembling the same one that was inside of the Phantom Patisserie.
A crackling fire was burning inside of a pretty big fireplace at the far end of the house, basking the entire room in a warm, orange glow. I spotted a large, black pot bubbling away in the fire. The lid of the pot was clattering as the liquid inside was boiling, or so I assumed. Surrounding the fireplace were several large and fluffy – looking poufs, while a rickety rocking chair sat beside them.
Brin picked up one of the many books scattered on the floor and wandered over beside the fireplace. She plopped herself down on one of the large poufs and began to read. It piqued my interest. I wonder what kind of book she reads? I trotted over to the fireplace, making sure not to accidentally step on anything on the floor as I did so, and looked at the cover of her book.
"Aah!" I shouted out loud as I recognized the book. Brin's eyes opened wide as she jumped off the pouf with a start, the book flying out of her hands and into the air.
"Whoa!" Blue leaned over and caught the book before it landed inside of the fireplace. He sighed in relief as he held the black – covered book in his paw before handing it back to Brin. Blushing, I quickly mouthed an apology to Brin before pointing at the book.
"That's 'Dusknoir's Travels,' isn't it?" I said as I walked over to Brin's side. I peered at the page she was on and smiled, "It is! I recognize that chapter! It's the one where he defeats an entire horde of Sableye, all on his own!"
Brin gave me an enthusiastic nod as she pointed at the pages, then back at herself.
"You like his books too?" I said, understanding what her motion meant. "Same here! I love all of Dusknoir's books!" I pointed at the pages and said, "You know, back in Treasure Town – thats where I live, by the way – there's a library filled with all kinds of books. Including every single book that Dusknoir wrote!"
Her eyes widened as she clapped her hands together. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement as she pointed at the Explorer's Pack around my neck. A little confused, I sat down and took my bag off and opened it. As she peered inside, I saw her excitement fade as all she saw were the exploration tools I had inside. She picked up my length of rope and sighed.
"Oh... did you think I brought one of the books along?" I asked her, taking a wild guess. With a disappointed on her face, she handed me my rope back and I put it back inside my bag. I gave her a little lopsided grin as I shook my head, "Sorry, I don't think I'm allowed to bring library books outside of the town. Well, I wouldn't bring a book out with me on an expedition in the first place, but..."
Brin sighed again as she picked up her copy of 'Dusknoir's Travels.' I pulled up a pouf and sat beside her as she cracked the book open again. We began to read through the chapter about Sableye together.
"My, you two are getting along quite well."
Our heads turned away from the book as Mismagius appeared in front of the fireplace. The cloaked Pokémon let out a content sigh as she draped herself on top of the rocking chair. She smiled at the three of us as she rocked the chair back and forth, filling the building with the sound of dull creaking.
With a cheerful cry, Brin sat up from her pouf and walked toward Mismagius. She held her book in front of her chest as she stood in front of the rocking chair. I saw her mouth open and close in a silent conversation with Mismagius. She pointed a finger at me halfway through, making my ears pop up from curiosity. I wonder what they were talking about?
"Ho ho... I see... So that's why you're so excited all of a sudden, my dear." Mismagius held Brin's hand with her cloak and smiled at her, "Does that mean you wish to see it? There is no shame in asking her, you know."
I tilted my head to the side in confusion. It seemed like they were talking about me, but only hearing one half of the conversation made it a little difficult for me to understand what it was about. Brin shook her head and showed Mismagius the book in her other hand.
"My, that's a little selfish, wouldn't you say?" Mismagius tapped Brin on the nose with her cloak and chuckled, "But if you wish, then I shall ask her for you."
Mismagius levitated herself off the rocking chair and floated toward Blue and I. Brin followed after her, peeking out at us from behind Mismagius' cloak.
"Eevee," Mismagius said as she held out her cloak toward me, "my daughter has a little favor she would like to ask of you."
"Oh, you can call me Fée," I said, giving her a quick bow of my head. I gestured toward my partner and added, "and his name is Blue."
"Fée... Blue..." Mismagius covered her mouth with her cloak as she mulled over our names, "Quite unique names. I rather like them, don't you worry."
"So... what is this favor she wants?" I glanced over at Brin, who was eying me shyly.
Mismagius shook her head and let out a laugh. "You've quite impressed her with your description of that library at... what was it again...? Treasure Town?"
"Yes it is," I said with a quick nod, "does she want to visit it or something?"
Brin's eyes widened and she shook her head before ducking behind Mismagius' cloak. Mismagius sighed and frowned.
"No, sadly, that isn't what she wants," she said with disappointment in her voice, "rather, my daughter would like it if you could possibly bring her a book or two from that library." Mismagius spread out her cloak, directing my attention toward the mess that permeated the house.
"As you can see, I have no shortage of books around here in this house. However, most of these books aren't to my daughter's liking, as they're all recipe books and old this – or – thats that only an old Pokémon like me would enjoy."
"Hm?" I raised up my head as a thought flew through my mind. I pointed at the copy of 'Dusknoir's Travels' in Brin's hand and asked, "Then, how did you get a copy of that book? I remember it's pretty expensive back at Treasure Town."
"It was a gift," Mismagius answered, taking the book from Brin's hands, "a certain explorer pair that visited this forest before you two had this book in their packs. They saw how interested Brin was with it, and gave it to her."
"An explorer pair...?"
"Never you mind about them," Mismagius said, waving away my question with a sweep of her cloak, "back to her request... can you fulfill it?"
"Um..." With an apologetic look, I shook my head and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't."
A crestfallen look appeared on Brin's face as she heard me say that.
"Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't want to," I quickly added, "but rather, I can't. I've already told Brin that Mr. Mime wont allow anyone to bring his books outside of the town. And copies of Dusknoir's books are incredibly expensive back home. If I could buy a copy for you, Brin, I really would! I'm sorry..."
"I see, well..." She turned toward Brin, who looked despondent at the news. Mismagius wrapped her cloak around Brin and said, "Don't be sad, my dear. You know, there's always another way for you to read those books you love so much."
Brin looked up at Mismagius with wide eyes. She shook her head and threw her arms around the cloaked Pokémon. Mismagius sighed and patted Brin's back as she turned her head toward Blue and I.
"I suppose it was worth asking," she said with a small smile, "don't worry too much about it, Fée. I should thank you for indulging her selfish desires."
Mismagius gave Brin a little pat on the head before pulling away from her. Brin sighed as she sat down on a pouf, hugging that single book in her arms. I felt a little bad for refusing her request, but as of now, it simply wasn't possible for me.
"Say, Fée," Blue mumbled into my ear, "how much do those books cost?"
I looked at him with a questioning eye, "Why do you want to know?"
"Just curious, that's all."
"Um... well," I screwed up my face as I tried to remember, "the last time I checked at Kecleon's, the latest novel was going for over 6,000 Poké..."
"Is that a lot?" Blue commented, rubbing his chin.
"It's a lot more money than I've ever seen in my entire life, if that puts it into perspective for you."
"Hm..." He turned away and began to mumble something to himself. I couldn't quite hear it over the crackling of the fire, but I figured it probably wasn't important. After all, I can't really imagine Blue having a lot of money, considering his circumstances.
"Fée, Blue," all of a sudden, Mismagius called our attention toward her. She was hovering in front of the fireplace, blocking the glow of the fire with her cloak, "I believe you two have something you wish to ask of me, did you not?"
That's right. That was the entire reason we came to the forest, of course. I glanced over to Blue's leg, and nodded to myself. This was it, this was our goal.
"Mismagius," I said in a slow, steady voice, "we would like to know more about the Panacea."
A crooked smile appeared on Mismagius' face. This, coupled with the dim glow that was emanating from the fire behind her, gave her a rather spooky appearance. She began to cackle in a low pitched tone, making my fur stand up from how eerie it sounded.
"Little Fée..." She said all of a sudden, making me jump up with a start, "I have a question for you."
"Y – yes...?" I said, trembling a little from her sudden shift in demeanor.
"Hee heee..." Mismagius made another low pitched cackle as she held her cloak toward me, "this is an important question. I would like you to use your imagination to answer it for me." She covered her face with her cloak and spoke in that echoing, transparent voice she used to address us back in the clearing.
'Very well... Then answer this: What do you think the Panacea is?'