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Chapter 25
"Lead the way, grumbly!"
Loading up the caravan was a laborious process. It was partly because there was just so much stuff inside of Mismagius and Brin's home. We had to carry out stacks of books, furniture like chairs and tables, and even that big cauldron that Mismagius used to make soup with. In all honesty, I'm rather surprised that the caravan the boys built managed to support all this weight we're loading on it!
"This should be the last one," Blue announced, holding onto a black pumpkin by its stem, "it looks like it's going to be a little crowded in there..."
He juggled the pumpkin around in his paws before glancing around the pile, trying to find a suitable place to jam it in. Grinning, he leaned against the caravan and added, "Maybe we should've made it a little bigger, huh Oro?"
Groar... Oro grumbled and scratched his cheek with his claw. He stared at the massive mish – mash of random objects and stuff lying atop of his caravan, then back at the pumpkin in Blue's paws. He shook his head in apparent disapproval and grumbled again, groar.
"What are you griping about?" Blue said, leaning his elbow against the pile.
"He's saying: If you made it any bigger, then you wouldn't be able to fit it through the forest entrance."
Everyone looked up at Mismagius, who was floating high above the pile. Giggling, she rested herself on top of her favorite rocking chair, which had somehow ended up at the summit of the mountain. The entire pile of objects began to creak and wobble ominously when Mismagius placed herself on it, making Brin and I both gulp out of worry.
"H – hey..." I mumbled, backing away from the precarious situation. I glanced toward Brin and pointed at the creaking caravan, "maybe we should think about leaving some stuff behind? I mean... isn't this dangerous?"
Brin nodded in agreement. She looked up at her mother and waved her hand in the air. I turned my head toward the boys while Brin was calling Mismagius over. Blue and Oro looked like they were arguing over something, with Oro holding onto that black pumpkin from earlier, and Blue trying to take it back from him.
A thought ran through my mind as I watched the two of them them squabble over the pumpkin. Blue and Oro were the ones who were going to be pulling the caravan, weren't they? Even with Blue's leg healed by Brin's powers, I wouldn't want him to be pulling something so dangerous right from the get go.
"Hm..." I was snapped out of my worry – filled reverie by Mismagius' humming. Turning around, I saw her floating beside me with a pensive look on her face, "you have a point." She turned around to look at the pile again, smiling, "Blue and Oro would have their work cut out for them if they had to lug around all this for the entire trip. It would be tiring, hm?"
"T – tiring, yes," I shook my head and pointed at the boys with my paw, "The trip between the forest and Treasure Town isn't that far, but it's still quite a distance." I rubbed my cheek with my paw and mulled it over, "If I remember correctly, it took me and Blue a good portion of the noontime to get through the plains."
"My, I didn't think the town was that close!" Mismagius chuckled, "If that's the case, then perhaps we needn't lighten the loadx. Perhaps we can add even more!"
"Mismagius!"
A hearty laugh came from the cloaked Pokémon as she fluffed my head, "It was but a joke, Fée. Don't worry." She floated up toward the giant pile and held out her cloak. A faint purple glow began to emanate out from her body, spreading toward the cargo on top of the caravan. Soon, the entire mountain was aglow with purple, shining like a great beacon.
"Hey, what's going on?" Blue called out to us, "What are you doing?"
"Just cleaning up a few things," Mismagius replied. She raised up her cloak and, with a hearty cackle, she lifted up the entire pile into the air.
"A – aaah!" I shouted out of utter shock as I saw a massive jumble of books, chairs and more hover over my head like a great, wooden boulder. I rushed out from underneath the shadow of the pile along with Brin, and dived out of the way as Mismagius lowered it onto the ground.
Flumph!
A wall of air and dust blew out from the pile's landing as it touched the grass, sending a ton of silt into everyone's faces. Coughing, I rubbed the grime out of my face and blinked away the tears that were threatening to drip out of my eyes.
"My apologies for that, everyone," I heard Mismagius speak out from behind the cloud of dust, "I tried to lower it as gently as I could, but it's been a while since I've lifted something this heavy," She let out an exhausted sigh and flew through the smokescreen.
"Hum," I turned around and saw Blue juggling the pumpkin in his paws, "so then, what do you want to bring with you to Treasure Town?"
He tossed the pumpkin high up into the air and tried to catch it as it fell. But, before Blue's paw even reached the vegetable, Oro's claw sailed over Blue's head and snatched it away. Blue growled at Oro and tried to grab the pumpkin back, but the tall Trevenant just raised his arm high and kept it out of Blue's reach.
"Hm," Mismagius murmured as she and Brin both moved over toward the pile. Mismagius covered her face with her cloak and turned to her daughter, "well then, what do you think we should bring, Brin?"
Brin stared into the pile of books, chairs and so on and so forth. She spent a few seconds circling around the mountain, looking around and poking at stuff. After a moment, she stopped and clapped her hands together. Brin turned around to Mismagius and pointed at something sticking out of the pile.
"I see. I would've been surprised if you didn't want to bring that with you, my dear." Chuckling, Mismagius raised up her cloak and covered herself in a purple glow once more. The inside of the pile began to radiate with light as Mismagius moved several objects out of the way to make a sizable hole in the side.
Brin nodded at Mismagius and rushed up to the pile. She stood in front of the hole and reached her arm inside. A few moments later, Brin made a happy cry and withdrew from the pile. With her hand held up high, she made a triumphant huff and displayed her treasure.
"A book?"
Feeling a little curious, I wandered over to Brin and stared at the object that Brin was holding. It was a book that was just barely larger than her own hand. With a cover the color of grass, and a bookmark shaped like a leaf sticking out of the top, I thought it was rather eye catching. I wanted to see what was inside it, but right as I was about to ask Brin, Mismagius' voice interrupted me.
"Oh Brin, how about we bring this as welll?" We both turned toward Mismagius. The cloaked Pokémon was smirking as she twirled dust – covered twig before her. A streak of red appeared on Brin's face when she caught sight of that twig.
"You used to love this twig a lot when you were but a little Fennekin, remember?"
One of Brin's arms shot forward, trying to snatch the twig out of the air. But Mismagius kept moving it out of the way, punctuating every dodge with a playful giggle. I watched the dusty twig flutter and dance around in the air while Brin continued to pounce after it. Mismagius giggled and flung the twig high up into the air, letting it fly toward the canopy before falling down into Brin's outstretched hand.
Brin let out a sigh of relief as she held the twig in her hand. All of a sudden, she yelled and hurled the twig away. The gray twig sailed through the air for a brief moment before it fell into the ravine that separated the forest from their home. A quiet splish sound rang out as the twig dropped into the river below.
"What was that?" I asked, surprised by Brin's sudden furor. Mismagius giggled and floated over to the Braixen, who was panting from exertion.
"Brin used to have a little habit when she was a little girl, you see." Mismagius explained, wrapping her cloak around Brin's heaving form, resting her chin atop her daughter's head, "Back then, she would never stop gnawing on that twig. Day in and day out, I would find her nibbling away at that thing for hours on end."
Brin made an annoyed grumble as she tried to hide her reddening face behind her book, which only elicited another amused giggle from her mother.
"Don't you remember, Brin?" Mismagius teased as she tickled Brin's cheek, "I had to try and pluck that twig out of your mouth just so you would eat dinner." She sighed and smiled, "I was so happy when you finally grew out of that phase. It was a breath of a relief for me."
"Mn..." Brin bit down on Mismagius' cloak and grumbled. The cloaked Pokémon just smiled and kissed the top of Brin's head, letting the Braixen chew on the hem of her cloak for a bit as Mismagius embraced her daughter.
"I see..." My voice trailed off as I watched the two of them hug each other. A strange, cold sensation appeared in the pit of my stomach. It was so uncomfortable and painful that I had to look away from them. I wrapped my paws around my belly, trying to force the pain away.
"Fée? Is something the matter?"
Mismagius and Brin were both looking at me with worried looks on their faces. Panicking, I quickly shook my head and stood up straight. While that icy feeling was still rumbling around inside me, I ignored it and tried to look as normal as possible.
"No, I'm fine," I said, putting a smile on my face, "I was just wondering if we'll be leaving soon. That's all."
Mismagius separated herself from Brin and rubbed the bottom of her face with her cloak. Her eyes were still trained on me, watching me with a suspicious gleam. I had a feeling that she might've been trying to look into my thoughts, so I hurried and tried to think of inconsequential things. Like... food. Homemade lunches, steaming pots, and tasty berries...
"Hm..." Mismagius' eyes left me after a second of silence, making me sigh quietly out of relief. She turned toward Brin and said, "Are there anything else you'd like to bring with you, my dear?"
Brin glanced over to the giant pile of stuff and shook her head. She held up the grass – green book in her arms and smiled.
"Alright," Mismagius' face crinkled into a smile as she ruffled the fur on top of Brin's head, "let's go tell those two boys to knock it off before they end up throwing themselves into the ravine."
As if right on cue, a loud splashing noise exploded out from behind me, followed by the voice of my partner screaming "aaagh!" Panicking, I spun myself around and saw Oro standing next to the edge of the ravine. The Trevenant's body was covered in punch – marks and bruises, but he had the pumpkin in his claws held high up above his head in a victory pose. Meanwhile, Blue was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, I suppose we're too late." Mismagius cackled while Brin and I made simultaneous gasps and rushed over to the edge of the ravine.
"Blue!" I stuck my head over the cliff and looked down. Much to my relief, the ravine wasn't deep at all. Blue was lying in shallow river below, looking no worse for the wear. Sighing, I waved my paw over the edge and shouted, "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"
Blue stood up and shook some water off his fur before shouting back, "I'm fine, no need to worry! I'm just a little wet, that's all." He folded his arms and frowned, "There's a bit of a problem though."
"A problem? What is it?"
He pressed his paws against the walls of the ravine, "I don't think I can get back up from here," I watched as Blue tried to clamber up the sides of the cliff. He made halfway up the wall before he lost his grip and fell back into the river.
"Pbbt!" Blue spat some water out of his mouth and coughed, "Those walls are way too smooth. I can't get a grip at all!"
He tried to leap onto the wall again, but the same result happened. He slid off the cliff and got himself wet again from hitting the water.
Turning around, I looked at Mismagius and said, "What do we do? We can't leave Blue down there!"
"There's no need to worry, my dear," Mismagius giggled and waved her cloak in the air, "Blue's actually right where we need to be."
"Eh?"
Mismagius pointed her cloak at Oro and said, "Oro, please."
Groar!
With his mighty arms, Oro grabbed onto the caravan and lifted it high above his head. I stared at the Trevenant for a moment, then back at Blue below the ravine. What was he planning to do? Was he going to use the caravan as a sort of ladder for Blue? Or maybe he was going to use it as a ramp so Blue can run back up!
Groar!
My guesses were completely wrong. Instead of using it as a ladder or a ramp, Oro hurled the caravan into air.
"Aaah!" I heard Blue howl in horror as the caravan came careening down the ravine. The sound of water splashing erupted from below as the wooden contraption hit the water.
"T – that was dangerous!" I cried out, spinning around to glare Oro, "You could've hurt him!"
Groar... Oro scratched his cheek with his claw and dipped his head down. He held that black pumpkin in front of his body, looking a little despondent.
"I'm fine! Don't worry!" I spun around at the sound of my friend's voice. I rushed over to the edge of the ravine and looked down at the river below. Blue was climbing onto the caravan – well, it's more like a raft now – and sat himself beside Brin's Mago tree. He looked up and waved at me.
"Actually, this seems like a good idea!" Blue pointed at the direction the river was flowing, and added, "It looks like the river keeps flowing for a while. We can just ride the river out until we reach the fields outside!"
I glanced back at Mismagius, who was covering her face in an effort to conceal her giggles.
"Did you plan that?" I asked, feeling a little curious.
"Well, my dear Fée," Mismagius floated over to me and tapped my forehead with her cloak, "there's really no other way one can leave the forest with such a large caravan. The entrance you and your partner used to come in... it's a little small, wouldn't you say?"
"Erm..." I thought back to that secret entrance that Blue and I found yesterday. On hindsight, it was a little cramped. It definitely wouldn't have been able to let a caravan of this size pass through. A sheepish giggle left my mouth as I scratched my cheek with my paw, "Ehe..."
"Hey, are you all coming down or what?"
"My, we shouldn't keep him waiting, hm?" Mismagius smiled as she waved her cloak at Oro, "Now then, why don't you put away that pumpkin and help the girls down, Oro?"
Groar... Oro took the pumpkin and placed it on top of his head, where it stayed put between his two large horns. Then, he reached his arms out toward Brin and I. Brin smiled and sat down on the palm of his wooden claw, while I did the same on the other. To my surprise, it was much comfier than I expected. I'll keep that to myself though.
Once he was sure that we were safe and secure on his claws, Oro walked over to the edge of the ravine and looked down. Mismagius and Blue were already sitting on top of the caravan, chit – chatting about something I couldn't hear. For a moment, I wondered how Oro was going to climb down the steep sides of the ravine.
Groar!
I didn't need to think about it for very long. Oro let out an earsplitting roar and hurled himself into the air with surprising agility.
"Eeek!" I screamed as I clung tight against his claw. I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on staying on Oro's claw. I feared what might happen if I slipped off at any point. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Brin cheering and laughing with a big smile on her face.
Splash!
Oro landed into the river, roots – first. I felt water drip off my fur as I opened my eyes. Both Brin and I were drenched with water again. Sighing, I let go of Oro's claw and began to paw off the water on my face as he trudged over to the caravan.
"That was quite spectacular," Mismagius remarked as Oro deposited Brin and I onto the caravan. The yellow blanket that was tied on top of the caravan loosened and fluttered down into Blue's arms. With a smile, Mismagius patted Blue's shoulder and said, "why don't you dry them off, Blue? Oro will take care of moving the caravan for now."
"Sure," grinning, Blue took the blanket and nodded. He stood up on the caravan and carefully inched his way over to the soggy Brin and I.
I felt the warm blanket wrap around me as Blue began to scrub the water off me again. The caravan underneath me began to lurch and wobble while he did so. I assumed that it was because Oro was moving it down the river, taking us down the stream and back to the world outside. As my partner continued to fluff up my fur, I thought back to everything that happened since I started this adventure.
A smile came onto my face. Not only did we succeed in finding the legendary Panacea, but we also made a bunch of new friends. My partner, Blue's leg was fully cured, and he looked healthier than ever. Brin, Mismagius and Oro were all going to return to Treasure Town with us. And... I also managed to face my fears a little.
Fighting off Zubat and Koffing... even though I ended up passing the baton over to Blue in the end, I feel that I've gotten stronger a bit. Even if it was just a little, it was something I felt that I could be proud of. That cold image of me crying on that beach... I could feel it fading away inside my mind, little by little.
Through the yellow fluffy blanket, I could make out the faint outline of my partner's face. As of right now, he's much stronger than I am. He was brave, he was powerful, but he is a little bit of an idiot too. At the same time though... I wouldn't want it any other way. In my mind, I could see him standing far, far ahead of me. Waiting for me to reach him.
"I'm going to be just as strong as you, Blue," I murmured through the blanket, "I'm going to get stronger... braver, just like you are."
"Hm?" Blue pulled the blanket away from my face and looked at me, "Did you say something, Fée?"
I just grinned.
The river that connected the Forlorn Forest to the outside was, to my surprise, rather short. We drifted down the stream for several minutes before we reached the boundary between the rolling hills outside and the sea of trees behind. The river had cut across the back of the mountain range, traveling through an almost secret entrance – like valley before depositing us into a shallow lake at the foot of a cliff.
Once we were out into the vast expanse of the frontier, Oro lifted the caravan out of the lake and placed it onto the grassy fields. Then, both Blue and Oro took a hold of the caravan from the front and began to pull it like a pair of odd – looking Tauros. The two of them seemed to be locked into some sort of competition, where they kept fighting each other to see who can pull the caravan harder than the other.
Of course, Oro kept winning this odd duel through the virtue of him being much larger than my partner. Any time Blue wanted to out – play Oro, the Trevenant would just lift the caravan up and pull Blue off the ground with it.
"That's unfair!" Blue would shout while he kicked his legs around in the air, "You wouldn't be able to do this if I was taller!"
Groar!
All the while their rivalry was going on, Mismagius, Brin and I were sitting in the back of the caravan, watching and giggling at their uneven battles.
"My, they do seem like good friends now, don't they?" Mismagius mused as she watched Oro lift a snarling Blue off the ground again, "It's nice to see Oro play with somebody his own age."
"His own age?" I echoed, surprised, "How old is Oro? I assumed that he was a lot older than Blue and I."
"Oh no," Mismagius shook her head and smiled at me, "don't you remember what I told you yesterday? When Brin and I arrived at the forest, he was but a young child then. I'd even say that Oro might be younger than Brin, but the specifics are foggy."
I turned toward Brin, who was eagerly looking around at all sights moving past the caravan "Brin, how old are you?"
Brin turned around, her face shining bright with excitement and glee. She rubbed her chin with her hand and thought about it for a moment. However, a few seconds of thought later, she shook her head and shrugged. Then, she lifted her hand and pointed at me with her head tilted to the side.
"I... actually don't know my exact age either," I said with a sheepish grin on my face, "all I know is that I've lived in Treasure Town for most of my life."
"That's odd," Mismagius murmured, "what about your parents, Fée?"
"My... parents?"
For as long as I could remember, I was a resident of Treasure Town. I lived in that magical place, surrounded by excitement and dreams. I remember... Mr. Mime's library was a place full of knowledge and adventure. I could... spend the entire day away just reading about heroes and explorers, of places out there in the world, and of the history of the frontier.
I've lived in Treasure Town for most of my life, that much is true. But... my memory only extends as far back as that. For as long as I could remember, I spent a lot of my time practically living inside of Mr. Mime's library. It was... lonely, and a little dull.
That's why I wanted to become an explorer. That's why I wanted to go out and see the vast, wide world beyond the walls of the town with my own eyes.
I shook my head and touched the ribbon on my ear. The little gem embedded on my Explorer's Badge felt cool and smooth as I rubbed it with my paw.
This was my dream, after all. I wanted to become an explorer. I wanted to become an explorer so I could go out... so I could go and find...
"I – I'm sorry Fée," all of a sudden, Mismagius' voice cut through my thoughts, "I didn't mean to bring up anything difficult for you, my dear."
She reached out with her cloak and touched my cheek. As she rubbed my face, I realized that there was a smattering of wetness below my eyes. I tried to reach up with my paws, to touch the tears sliding down my fur. But Mismagius pushed them away and continued to dab at my cheeks with her cloak.
"W – what do you mean?" Shaking my head, I pushed Mismagius' cloak away from my face and rubbed away at my wet cheeks with my paws. Then, I screwed my face up into a smile and said in a light voice, "I – I'm fine. Really, I am!"
I reached up with my paws and pointed at my teary eyes. My vision was still a little wobbly, but that was because of the dust, of course!
"I think I just got some dust just got into my eyes, that's all. See?"
"Fée."
All of a sudden, a wave of purple covered up my sight. I opened my mouth to cry out in surprise, but my voice was muffled by Mismagius' cloak. She had wrapped herself around me, hugging me tight.
"Mismagius?" I was nonplussed by her sudden hug, and I didn't know what to think. I reached out with my paws and tried to wriggle out of her grasp, but she just hugged me even tighter.
"It's alright, my dear," I heard her whisper into my ear, "I apologize for bringing it up. It must've been hard for you, Fée..."
"What are you talking about, Mismagius?" I replied, a little startled by her sudden change in demeanor, "I'm... I'm fine, there's nothing you need to be sorry about."
"Hush," Mismagius murmured, "just rest for now, my dear..."
I felt a little embarrassed having Mismagius hold onto me like this. My mind wanted her to let go of me. But... as I continued to be embraced by her, I could feel a strange... almost familiar warmth flooding through my body. It was relaxing... and it made me want to just fall asleep. Before I even knew it, my eyes had closed and my consciousness was drifting away...
I had a little dream.
Once again, I returned to that solitary snowfield. Like before, I could see nothing else around me but the snow and the night sky above. I was standing in the middle of an endless sea of white.
Like little jewels sparkling in the sky, snowflakes drifted down from the stars above. Surrounded by these beautiful white gems, I wandered across the snowfield. I didn't have a destination, nor did I know where I was heading toward. If there was one thing I was looking for here, it would be that.
A tiny pinprick of color was just barely visible in the distance. A spike of green marring the otherwise pristine canvas of white. I turned toward it, recognizing what that green beacon must be. After all, what else was there in this snowy world?
Moments later, I found myself standing at the foot of a ginormous tree. Has it grown since the last time I saw it? Smiling, I patted the tree's thick trunk with my paw and looked up into its snow – covered branches.
A lonely, forgotten tree...
I took my paw off the tree and sat down in the snow. My tail and my behind shuddered as I touched the icy ground, but I ignored it. I stared at the tree, watching it lean and sway above me as more and more snow piled on top of it.
"Hello." My voice echoed as it traveled through the empty snowfield. A small clump of snow spilled off the branches of the tree, landing beside me as if it was responding to me. I giggled and looked at the pile of snow beside me. There was something shining inside of it, drawing out my curiosity.
I reached out to it with my paws and started digging out whatever that shiny thing could be from the snow. After a few seconds of cold labor, I unearthed it. After dusting off the icy powder from my fur, I picked it up and held it close to my face.
It was a small, rustic – looking locket on a chain. At first, I thought it was Mismagius and Brin's locket. But... it wasn't the same as theirs. Instead of being shaped like a heart, the locket had the shape of a five – pointed star. The color wasn't silver either – instead, it was a dull gray and had several patches of rust covering it.
I glanced up at the tree, giving it a questioning look. Was I expecting a response out of it? Maybe... perhaps. But either way, it didn't speak a word back to me. It simply stayed where it was, silently swaying in the cold breeze.
I put the locket in my mouth and walked over to the foot of the tree. It was much larger than before, and had a nice little crook in between its roots for me to snuggle into. Once I was nice and cozy beside the tree, I sat down and held the locket back up into the air. It gleamed with a dim glow as it reflected the drifting snowflakes around me. I noticed a tiny button protruding from the top of the locket, sticking out of the uppermost point of the star.
I wanted to press that button. But, as I hovered my paw over it, a cloying feeling of hesitation swirled around my heart. My paw was frozen in place, unmoving. Did I want to know what was inside this locket? What if what was inside... was something I didn't want to see? Something that I didn't want to know about?
Minutes passed me by as I continued to sit here with my paw staying a scant few inches above this button. I wanted to press it, and yet...
And yet...
The sounds of activity roused me from my sleep. All around me, I could hear the sound of Pokémon talking, as well as several familiar voices speaking nearby. Yawning wide, I stretched out my legs and arched my back up. I shook my head, trying to fling away any lingering drowsiness left inside my mind.
Through my groggy eyes, I could see the faint, blurry outlines of other Pokémon wandering around me. I yawned again and rubbed the sleep off my eyes with my paw.
"Hey, you're finally awake! How was your sleep?"
As I closed my mouth, I saw a blue and black – colored blob wobbling around in front of me. A lazy grin wormed its way onto my face as I pushed my belly off the caravan and stood up. The blurry colors around me were beginning to sharpen, and my drowsiness was fading away. Another lazy yawn passed through my mouth before I felt awake enough to speak.
"Mmgh..." I grumbled, rubbing my face with my paw, "Blue is that you? Where are we now?"
"You snoozed away the entire trip, sleepyhead," Blue said, patting my head, "we're back at Treasure Town already."
I felt his paws wrap around my side as he picked me up and took me off the caravan. As he put me back down on the ground, I straightened out my ears and looked around. A large, wooden gate loomed up behind me, while a bunch of sandy – colored, box – shaped buildings stretched out into the distance. The ground was soft, and marked with innumerable footprints.
Looking up, I caught sight of a flock of Pidgey and Taillow swooping through the skies, while a couple of lazy Drifloon surrounding a Drifblim drifted by overhead. While a bunch of other Pokémon were walking around us. From the ubiquitous herds of Tauros and Bouffalant roaming the streets, to the gangs of Mankey swinging around from building to building.
"We're back...!"
Without a doubt, this was my beloved hometown of Treasure Town. The lazy smile on my face grew into a beaming grin as I ran up to Blue and threw my paws out my paws toward him.
"We're back!" I repeated in a louder, cheerier voice this time, "We're home!"
Blue made a muffled, coughing noise as I tackled right into his gut. His entire upper body bent forward, and his chin clashed against the top of my head. In order to keep himself from falling backward onto the ground, he wrapped his arms around my head to try and stabilize himself.
"Geh..." Blue groaned as he tapped his paw against the back of my head, "F – Fée... I know you're happy to be back home, but you didn't need to tackle me..."
"Ehe!" Feeling mischievous, I nuzzled my smiling face deeper into his chest. I heard his mouth let out a sigh from somewhere above me as he rested his paw on my head.
I extricated myself from my partner feeling rather bubbly and cheery. After grooming the ruffled fur on my face for a moment, I looked around me again. Other than Blue, who was still reeling from my attack, I didn't see Brin, Mismagius or Oro anywhere. The caravan was still here, along with Brin's Mago tree, so they can't be too far away.
I stood up on my hind legs, peering over the heads of all the Pokémon wandering around us. To my relief, it didn't take long for me to locate them. After all, all I had to do was keep an eye out for the tallest member of their family. I gestured to Blue for him to follow me, and the two of us weaved through the crowd and made our way over to our new friends.
"...and that's the gist of it! Welcome to Treasure Town! I hope you enjoy your stay, miss... err Mismagius."
"You're too kind. Just Mismagius will do. Thank you, Electrode. Chinchou."
Mismagius waved goodbye to the gatekeeper duo while Brin and Oro both gave respectful bows. Electrode and Chinchou waved back (well, Chinchou did anyway), before they retreated back inside the gatehouse. Once the door closed behind them, Mismagius let out a loud sigh and relaxed her uptight posture. She turned around, her face wearing a bored – looking expression, and shook her head.
"My, that was quite a dull experience," she muttered, shaking her cloak at Brin and Oro, "but, at least we know where that dratted old Duskull is living now. Are you looking forward to seeing that old curmudgeon again after all this time?"
Brin clapped her hands together and bounced on the tip of her feet, looking excited. Meanwhile, Oro seemed to be preoccupied with something in his claws, though he did give Mismagius a little nod. I wandered over to their group and sat down before the cloaked Pokémon.
"Oh!" Mismagius turned and smiled at me, "Good to see you're awake, Fée. Did you have a good nap?"
She hovered over to me and rubbed me on the head with her cloak.
"Yes I did, thank you." I replied, returning her smile. I looked past Mismagius and at the door to the gatehouse behind her, "What were you asking the gatekeepers about, Mismagius?"
"I was simply asking them for directions," Mismagius answered, "I wanted to know where I could find Duskull here in this bustling Combee hive of a city."
"Duskull?" I raised up my paw and smiled, "If you wanted to, Blue and I could've just taken you to the Phantom Patisserie ourselves."
Mismagius shook her head and floated over to Brin's side. She took a hold of Brin's hand with her cloak and raised it, "Oh no. If I bothered you two to take us all the way to the other side of town, how would you be able to find the time to give my daughter a nice tour of the place? Brin was really looking forward to it too."
Brin held her mother's cloak and hid her face behind it as she stared at Blue and I. Mismagius chuckled and withdrew her cloak, revealing her daughter's red face. She floated over to Oro's side, and sat down on his shoulder.
"Oro and I will head toward the Patisserie first, with the caravan, of course." Mismagius explained, "As for Brin, I'm leaving her in your care for the time being." She pointed her cloak at the road toward the Main Plaza, "Didn't you say that there was a magnificent library before? Brin is very excited about seeing that, Fée."
"Mr. Mime's Library...!" I grinned at Brin and nodded, "Of course! I'll definitely take you there, Brin! You'll love it!"
I reached out my paw to Brin, who took it and walked over to stand beside Blue and I. Mismagius smiled at us and nodded, before turning to Oro.
"Alright then, shall we be off?" She said, "We mustn't keep that old, bread – obsessed coot waiting. If we dawdle any longer, I'm afraid we might just find a cloak and some crumbs awaiting us!"
Groar!
Oro raised up his arms and let loose a loud howl into the air, shocking and startling all the passerby. Mismagius cackled and patted the Trevenant's head as he stomped over to the front of the caravan. With his two mighty claws, he lifted up the wooden cart as if it weighed nothing at all. The sight of a large tree pulling a makeshift caravan drew the looks of several Pokémon, even eliciting a few admiring whistles from the Tauros and Bouffalant.
"Ah, one more thing before we leave," Mismagius turned around and beckoned me over. Curious, I wandered over to Mismagius. She floated down from Oro's shoulder and hovered in front of me.
"What is it, Mismagius?" I asked, confused.
"Shh..." Mismagius closed her eyes and pressed her cloak against my ruff. Her mouth opened and closed as if she was speaking, but no sound entered my ears. However... I could hear her voice loud and clear inside my mind.
'Fée.' Mismagius said, 'Feel free to visit me anytime you wish. While I cannot replace what you've lost, I would be more than happy to act as a substitute'
She wrapped her cloak around me once more, giving me a warm hug.
'Please, let me dote on you as I do with Brin every once in a while. It's the least I can do for you after all the help you provided Brin.'
"Mismagius..." I bowed my head down and smiled, "...thank you."
Mismagius gripped me tight for a second before she let me go. The cloaked Pokémon then turned to look at Blue.
"Blue," Mismagius said, shaking her cloak him, "be sure to take care of yourself. As strong and brave as you are, remember that your bravery means nothing if you throw yourself away in a fit of foolishness, my dear."
Blue's right arm moved down to his leg as he mulled over Mismagius' words. After a moment, he looked up at her and nodded. Grinning, he grasped her cloak and said, "I understand, Mismagius. Thank you."
"I hope you do," the cloaked Pokémon said, cackling, "I would like to see my future son in good health, rather than in tatters!"
"P – please..." Blue covered his face with his paw, shaking his head. Looking pleased with herself, Mismagius floated back onto Oro's shoulder and waved her cloak at us.
"Well then, take care!" She shouted, "Brin, be sure to tell me everything you experienced today. I'll be waiting at our new home for you to return later."
Brin, Blue and I all waved goodbye to Mismagius and Oro as they trundled away with the caravan. Once the two of them vanished into the crowd, Brin turned toward us and clapped her hands together. Her eyes were practically sparkling with excitement, and she kept bouncing up and down on her feet. Blue and I glanced at each other and shared a chuckle.
"Alright Brin," I took a step forward and turned around with my paw raised high, "first, we'll head to Wigglytuff's Guild to report in our success to the guildmaster, and then we can go on a tour of the tow–"
Gurgle...
My face burned white hot as my empty stomach decided to make its presence known. My paw drifted back down to the ground as I smiled sheepishly at my friends. A few stifled giggles were coming from behind their hands as they smiled back at me.
"Maybe we should grab a bite to each first," Blue said as he patted my head, "I'm sure the guild can wait."
"Ehe..." I pawed my cheek and grinned at my companions, "alright."
The sound of running water welcomed us as we entered the Main Plaza. Like always, the wide, circular plaza was filled with all sorts of Pokémon admiring, wandering around, or just hanging out by the great stone fountain situated in the center. Seeing crowds like this all around town was a familiar sight for me by now, but for Brin, it must've been quite an experience!
The Braixen had her arms wrapped tight around her chest, hugging her little green book as she stared all around the crowded plaza. She trembled with excitement as her eyes flitted from Pokémon to Pokémon, from building to building.
"Hehe..." I looked up at her and smiled, "are you surprised by all the Pokémon walking around, Brin?"
Instead of answering me, Brin separated herself from us and rushed ahead into the plaza. She stopped before the Founder's Fountain and turned around as Blue and I caught up with her. Smiling wide, Brin stood up on her tiptoes and pointed up at the statues looming overhead. More specifically, she was pointing at the statue of the Great Dusknoir.
"That guy again..." Blue let out a loud sigh as he folded his arms in front of his chest. "Don't tell me you're interested in this Dusknoir guy too, Brin."
Brin didn't seem to notice Blue's rude disdain for the Great Dusknoir, and gave him a fervent nod. I sent a scathing glare at Blue as he made another exasperated groan. Ignoring my grumbling partner, I walked up beside Brin and admired the statue along with her.
"Brin," I said, brushing Blue aside, "do you want to hear the origins of this fountain?"
She nodded at me, her face gleaming with anticipation. I giggled and leaned over the edge of the fountain pool, trailing my paw around in the cool water.
"Back during the early days of exploring the frontier," I started, "the Founders of Treasure Town – that's them up there, by the way – ran into all sorts of troubles while they were trying to colonize this plateau that we're standing on."
I dropped my voice to a scary, grave tone as I continued, "While they were in the middle of expanding their rest stop into an actual town, the entire settlement was laid siege by a huge group of dastardly Pokémon that were seeking to rob the Founders and their companions."
Brin gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth.
"For twenty seven whole days, the Founders fought against the horde of villains nonstop to protect their companions from being harmed." I pointed at the big statue of Golurk towering over the rest, "They say that Golurk and Dusknoir singlehandedly held the enemies off for three days all on their own so everyone else could rest."
Brin stared at me with a stunned look on her face. I grinned and clapped my paws together before finishing my story, "It's because of the Founders' tenacity and bravery that the grateful Pokémon of Treasure Town decided to sculpt and erect this monument for all four of them. Torkoal, Sigilyph, Golurk and – of course – the Great Dusknoir!"
"That's... actually really impressive."
I turned around and saw Blue staring up at the statues along with us. Puffing out my chest, I put on a proud smirk on my face and poked him in the chest.
"See?" I said, "I told you that the Great Dusknoir is somebody to be amazed by! And you were all 'oh he's just a guy who writes books!' What do you think of him now –bweh!"
All of a sudden, Blue squeezed his paws over my cheeks, squeezing my face together and cutting off my tirade. I reached up to try and pry his paws off, but before I could even touch him, he started to rub his paws all over my face and head.
"H – hey!" I yelled through his fluffy attack, "T – that tickles! Stop! You're going to make my fur all messy again!"
A few harrowing seconds later, Blue finally relented and released my face. After that rubbing assault, I felt as though every single strand of fur on my face were sticking up like pins and needles! I rushed over to the side of the fountain pool and looked down at my reflection in the water.
"I look like a Ferroseed!" I groaned. Miffed, I spun around and sent a glare at the laughing Riolu, "Blue!"
"S – sorry..." Blue coughed and covered his mouth as he tried to hide his grin from me, "You were just getting so into it... it made me want to tease you a little... ha ha..."
"Hmph!" Huffing, I averted my eyes from him and puffed out my cheeks in indignation. Another pair of paws touched my face, making me flinch and turn around. However, instead of Blue's rough paws, it was Brin's delicate hands. The Braixen was brushing my messed up fur back into place, cleaning up all the chaos that Blue had wrought.
"At least someone's thankful for my history lesson," I muttered, sticking my tongue out at Blue, "hmph!"
"Ha... I'm sorry, Fée," Blue said with a grin. He placed his paw on my head, making me flinch in fear of another fluffy attack. But, instead of ruffling my fur, he just patted me like he always did. As I felt the warmth of his paw seep into my fur, I could feel my irritation fade away.
Jeez.
I pulled his paw down to my mouth and bit down on it. His eyes winced as I nibbled on his fingers, but I had a feeling he was just pretending. After I was satisfied with punishing him for his rudeness, I let go of his arm and gave him a smile, "There. Apology accepted."
While Blue was recovering from my bite of forgiveness, I glanced around the Main Plaza with a silly smile on my face. There were a lot of Pokémon wandering around, as usual for the place, but there was one part of the plaza that seemed to be noisier than the rest. I tilted my head to the side, confused. If I remembered correctly, that section of the plaza was reduced to rubble by the storm just a few days ago.
"That's strange." I wondered out loud, "I wonder what could be happening over there?"
I looked over to my companions. They seemed to have picked up on my curiosity too, and were staring at the large crowd over in the distance. We exchanged a quick nod between the three of us and began to make our way over to commotion.
We stood at the edge of the noisy crowd, trying to peer over the heads of all the Pokémon around to see what was going on. It was a futile attempt though, as the sheer amount of Pokémon in the crowd ahead of us obscured our vision like a black curtain over a window.
"Can you see anything?" I asked Blue, who was trying to edge his way past a rather obstinate Onix. The massive boulder – like Pokémon growled and whipped his tail at my partner, forcing him back. Grumbling, the Riolu folded his arms and shook his head at me.
Sighing out of defeat, I looked up into the air and saw some colorful confetti fluttering around in the sky. Odd, the confetti looked a lot larger than the confetti I'm used to. In fact... it looked a lot more like large, rectangular pieces of paper fluttering around than little scraps. I prodded Blue's paw to grab his attention and pointed up at it with my paw.
He nodded and waited for the paper to flutter closer to the ground. Then, as soon as it was close enough, his arm shot up and snagged it out of the air. With a triumphant look on his face, he held it up in front of him like a trophy and grinned at Brin and I. He then smoothed it out and put it on the ground between us.
I was right, it wasn't just confetti. In fact, it was an advertisement of some kind. The entire top portion of the parchment was dominated by a large and elegant logo, while the bottom half showed a group of ostentatious, flashy – looking Pokémon. Interested by the picture, I scanned my eyes across the large group of Pokémon below. All of them looked so fancy, so foreign to me.
Standing at the sides of the group were a pair of red and blue dragons wearing black bow – ties. The blue dragon had a rather serious expression on his face, while the red one looked a little more happy and carefree.
Next to the dragon pair was a large, rotund Pokémon covered in yellow fuzz. It appeared to be wearing what looked like a lily pad on his head as a hat. Beside the lily pad wearing Pokémon were a pair of pretty Bellossom. There were three more Pokémon standing in between all of them, but I didn't know who they were either.
Other than the Bellossom, I didn't recognize any of these Pokémon at all. Were they all immigrants from out of town? If so, then this advertisement must be about something brand new! I turned my eyes back up to the logo again, trying to decipher the fancy writing that they used for the design.
"S... Spinda's... Cafe?"
I've never heard of such a place before. Was it just built? If it took place right here, where the destroyed building was just a few days ago, then this Spinda Pokémon must be really impressive to have re-purposed it and rebuilt it in such a short time!
I glanced back down at the flier. There, standing at the very center of the picture, squeezed in between them all, was a short, cream – colored Pokémon with brown spots all over its face. Judging by its position, this must be Spinda.
"Hang on... I recognize that guy."
Blue's paw came into my vision as he pressed one of his fingers against the flier. At first, I thought he meant Spinda. But, as I looked down at his paw, I noticed that he was pointing at something far to the right of the group. A startling shock raced through my mind as my eyes fell upon what Blue was gesturing at.
There was one more Pokémon present on the flier. He was standing a little distance away from the others, so I must've accidentally passed by him when I was looking through the picture earlier.
"Isn't that...?"
However, that Pokémon...
"It has to be. Who else could it be?"
I had to agree with Blue. There was no one else in Treasure Town that looked like him. With his flashy looks and that smug grin... there was no mistake.
"Mn?"
Blue and I looked up from the flier. Brin was staring at us with a curious look on her face. She pointed at the Pokémon in question and tilted her head to the side.
"Brin," I spoke in a deep, grave voice as I placed my paw on the Sylveon's face, "if you ever see this Pokémon coming toward you, don't let him get close to you. Ever. alright?" A shudder ran through my spine as I recalled that embarrassing memory from yesterday.
Although she still looked a little confused, Brin nodded at me.
"So he's a part of this fancy group, huh?" Blue remarked, tapping the flier with the back of his paw. He stood back up and tried once more to peek over all the Pokémon present in the crowd, "I wonder if he's somewhere in the middle of this crowd."
"I wouldn't doubt it," I replied as I read the text written on the flier, "it says here that they're having some sort of grand opening event today."
"Grand opening?"
I nodded and rolled the flier up into a tube, "For their cafe, I think. Either way, I don't think we'll be able to take part in this event with the place so crowded."
"Maybe we can come by later," I suggested, pointing at the rowdy crowd ahead of us, "preferably when it's not as noisy and crowded."
Gurgle...
Blue prodded me in the side and grinned, "I think the noisiest thing here is your belly, Fée."
"J – jeez..." I bumped his paw away and stuck the flier into my pack, "Come on, let's go to the marketplace. We can go to Miltank's and get something to eat."
"Lead the way, grumbly!"
"Thank you for waiting dearies. Here's a scoop of cream for all of you."
We sat outside the restaurant, at a bench hidden from the sun underneath a large, colorful awning. Blue and Brin sat on either side of me, both of them holding large, cookie – colored cones in their paws. They held their cones in front of them, pointing the open end of it forward as Miltank came walking over with a large jug in her arms.
She withdrew a large ladle out of her apron pocket and used it to scoop out a generous helping of soft, white cream out of her jug. While humming a happy tune, Miltank dropped dollop after dollop of delicious cream into Blue and Brin's cones until it reached the tip – top of their heads. Once Miltank was satisfied with the amount of cream on their cones, she returned her ladle back to her apron and turned to me.
"That should be enough for you two," Miltank said as she returned her ladle to her apron pocket, "but if you'd like some more, feel free to come inside and ask!"
We gave our thanks to Miltank as she returned inside her store. While my two friends were enjoying their cold treats, I went and busied myself with a bowl of mixed berries in front of me. As much as I would've liked to partake in having some of Miltank's famous cookie – cone cream delights, I lacked the faculties to... well, hold one.
"What is this?" Blue sounded bewildered as he stared at his melting cone, "Do I eat this?"
I glanced over to Brin, who was also wearing a similar expression on her face. Her head continued to tilt left and right as she looked at her cream from every angle. She turned to look at Blue, who had somehow managed to coat his nose with a healthy layer of white. Both of them seemed like they were at a total loss on how to eat their food.
Giggling at their antics, I poked my partner in the cheek with a Cheri Berry. "Blue, you're not supposed to eat it like that." Giggling, I stuck out my tongue at him and pointed at it.
"You use your tongue to lick at the cream before it melts," I explained, "give it a try, you two."
I popped the berry into my mouth and chewed it as I watched the two of them stare at their cones, amused at the troubled looks on their faces. After a moment of thought, Brin opened her mouth and gave the cream a tentative lick.
As soon as her tongue touched the cream, her eyes brightened up like a pair of gleaming stars. She turned toward blue and waved her arm at him, smiling wide.
"It's good, huh?" I said to Brin, who nodded back at me.
"Alright, let's see then." Blue wiped the leftover cream off his nose and opened his mouth. However, instead of licking the treat, he bit down on it with his teeth as if it were a loaf of bread! As he swallowed that huge chunk of icy cream, I watched in amusement as his eyes bulged out of his head, and his grin turn into a grimace.
"Gyeh!" As expected, my partner howled in agony and clutched his forehead with his paw. "Ow, ow, ow!"
"Blue..." I stifled my mirth as I tried to make myself sound as exasperated as possible,"I thought I told you to lick it, not bite down on it."
"I – I thought I could eat it faster this way... egh..." his entire body shivered as he tried to ease the ache in his jaw, "It's like it just froze my teeth..."
Shaking my head, I looked down into my bowl and picked out a pudgy, yellow – skinned Aspear Berry. I brushed aside the paw he had on his jaw and shoved the berry into his mouth.
"Eat this," I said to his stunned – looking face, "you'll feel better if you chew on it for a bit."
With his mouth bulging like a Dedenne's after lunch, he nodded at me and began to munch on the Aspear. The pained look on his face faded away as the Aspear Berry's warming effect began to take a hold of his body, curing that painful brain freeze he was suffering from. Once he was done chewing on the berry, he gulped the rest of it down and sighed.
"Guh..." he grumbled, grimacing, "h – here... you can have the rest of it, Fée." He held his cream cone in front of me, "It tastes nice and all, but I think I p – prefer to eat something warmer."
"Can I?" I said, staring longingly at the melting ball of cream before me, "Are you sure? I mean... it's yours, after all."
"It's fine," he replied, "go ahead. I'll hold it for you."
"Well... if you insist!"
Feeling eager, I stuck out my tongue and took my very first taste of Miltank's famous cookie – cone cream delight. Even though the cold cream tasted the same as it was in a bowl, for some reason, having it in a cone made it all the more fun to eat. Not to mention... I thought it was a little nice of Blue to hold it for me... but I'll keep that to myself.
"Is it alright?" Blue asked, "Should I put it a little closer?"
A chunk of the cookie cone disappeared into my mouth as I bit my teeth into it. Savoring the sweet taste, I licked my lips and chewed it up while nodding at Blue. In return for letting me have his treat, I gave him a berry from my bowl. He took it and popped it into his mouth, giving me a juicy smile while he chewed it in front of me.
Giggling, I turned toward Brin to show her Blue's silly face. However, when I turned toward her, a little shock ran through me. The white fur around her mouth had been coated with a thick layer of cream, staining it the same color as the treat in her hands. At the same time, her ball of cream had shrunk to a fourth of its original size. Between Blue's juice covered cheeks and Brin's cream colored face, I just couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Blue and Brin both turned to look at me. They both looked surprised by my sudden fit of giggles. I wanted to just reach out with my paws and hug them, but my legs weren't long enough to wrap around both of them. So I settled for laughing even harder instead.
It was such a simple thing. And yet, it made me feel so happy. Just sitting here... sitting together with friends... just the thought of it made a big, gleeful balloon inflate and rise up inside my heart.