So, depression sucks. It saps me of any and all of my motivation to write or do anything that I enjoy. Hopefully it won't be another half a year before I update this again though. My bad. Again. On the plus side, I have a newerish computer with a word processor that actually has the correct spelling of Pokémon with the little line over the e in its autocorrect, so hooray for slightly better grammar! And of course, a billion thanks to those of you who have left me such encouraging reviews, and those of you who have favorite and or followed this story and have been waiting patiently for me to get off my ass and continue it. You're still the best and only motivation I have for chugging through all of my doom and gloom to get this written. And have no fear. This will be updated again. But I will save the rest of my ramblings for the bottom. Enjoy!
"Hey Brai, can I ask you something?"
"Huh? Yeah, what's up, Wil?"
"When I had my little breakdown with the Caterpie, and then after that..."
"Geez, are you still hung up about that? ...You want to know why I reacted the way I did?"
"Y-Yeah... I mean, I know it's probably entirely just because you needed me to pull through for the kids and all, but..."
"Ha... You don't 'know' anything then, Wil."
Falling off of a roof isn't a particularly fun experience, Wil had learned that the hard way, and though he had been lucky enough to have his fall cushioned by a bush rather than solid dirt, the pain it had caused his already aching body wasn't helping him in his quest to stay asleep. He had insisted on Brai helping him back up onto the roof rather than risk waking the kids up, and while the mostly soft straw roof was moderately comfortable, every inch he budged caused another jolt of pain to course through his whole body, and so staying still long enough to fall back asleep was proving to be a difficult task for him. As such, his mind continued to race, filled with the memories of the previous day, and now that he was no longer comfortable enough to ignore them, his mounting worries all came flooding back as well, making the already difficult goal seem nearly impossible.
"Of course, I was thinking about the kids and just why we were doing something so dangerous in the first place, but the thought hadn't even crossed my mind in either of those instances, Wil."
Wil's thoughts focused mainly on the last conversation he and Brai had had just hours earlier, as they lay on the roof. Then, it had instilled him with a sense of happiness. Now, all it was bringing him was a returning dread.
"Here's the thing, Wil. When you promised me that you would do whatever it took to help me, that wasn't something you said lightly. I know it wasn't. That isn't something that ANYONE says lightly. Something like that... That takes serious commitment. But... It's not a one Pokémon commitment. I realized, if you really were that committed, then I needed to be, too."
Wil let out a sigh. He had let his heart and his mouth get in the way of his brain. He didn't doubt that he was committed. If there was one thing he still knew about himself, it was that once he said something, he stuck by it. His speech to Brai in the forest hadn't been a lie. He truly did want nothing more than to help her in any way he could. Not just anyone would open up their home to a total, random stranger, and the way she had treated him the past two days had only strengthened his commitment. But therein lied the thing that gave Wil such a horrible knot in the pit of his stomach. In his head, such words sounded great, he really would be there for her no matter what, it was only right, after all. But already, he had seen firsthand just how easily his mind had betrayed him once it came time to actually do what he said he would.
"We're partners, Wil. Partners stick with each other, no matter what. And I knew going in that you weren't prepared. I mean, I don't think anyone stuck in your situation could be. But still... I trust you, Wil. You can call me naive or whatever else, but... I know I can believe in you. Mama Kangaskhan always told us to be wary of strangers, but trusting of friends, and while that's already bitten me on the butt more times than I care to count, you've... Hardly seemed like a stranger since I've met you."
Heh... He was probably less of a stranger to Brai than he was to himself at that point with how muddled his mind still was... But he got what she was saying. In truth, he felt similarly towards her. She had a... Familiarity to her, for lack of a better word. A sense of safety. Certainly, it'd be hard for him not to trust her when she was the only thing between him and an ass-whoopin' at the hands of at least half of the Pokémon he had come in contact with since becoming a Pokémon himself.
"I can't explain why, but even when I first stumbled upon you and you were freaking out running around and blabbering like a lunatic, I knew you weren't dangerous. And since then, all you've done have been things for my benefit, you haven't seemed to put much worry towards your own situation at all. It's strange, and I'm sure most people would call it stupid, but even though we've only just met, it feels as if I've known you forever. You've done so much for me already, even though you had no reason to. So... Yeah, You've already done more than enough to prove to me that my trust isn't misplaced."
Brai's words, though comforting and reassuring at the time, only served to make Wil feel like an even bigger piece of crap now that he had time to stew on them. He had known that Brai trusted him, in his opinion, far more than she should have. But, hearing her say such things... He had no idea that she had trusted him so much, so quickly. It flattered him to know just how much she believed in him... And it also hurt, a lot. He knew just how misplaced that trust really was. Sure, he had... Somehow managed to override his fear in those few situations. But he knew too well that sooner or later, he would end up letting her down, and when he did, knowing now just how much she trusted him... It would crush her.
"B-But... Why? How can you trust someone who can't stand up to a freaking Caterpie?"
"I already told you, Wil. Everyone has their fears. I have my own, just the same as you. If I were to have abandoned you just because you got scared, I wouldn't have just betrayed you, I would have betrayed myself. Like I said, I knew you weren't ready the whole time. I could tell you were still scared out of your wits the entire morning, the whole way there. But you still came anyways. You still put yourself in that awful situation. Because... That's you, Wil. That's the REAL you, I've been trying to tell you that all along. When I looked at you, cowering and vulnerable, all I could see was... Myself. That was me the first time I went into a Mystery Dungeon by myself. I ran away from EVERYTHING, I was trembling in terror the moment I caught sight of anything that moved, Caterpies included. But I got better. You will too, Wil. And you won't be alone like I was. There's no way I would have ever abandoned you. And.. When push comes to shove, I saw first hand that you won't abandon me, either. So stop worrying so much about these things, Wil. All you need is confidence. And if you're so insistent on depriving yourself of it, then I'll just have to keep overloading you with mine until I don't have to anymore, hee hee!"
"...Urgh..." Wil groaned in disgust at himself. Only he would be able to find a way to take nothing but more self-loathing from such a sweet, motivational monologue. He had brought himself back to the verge of tears as Brai's heartfelt words echoed in his mind, his own thoughts nothing but the crippling doubts and feelings of unintentional betrayal that she had been trying so hard to remove from him.
Sure, according to her, he would pull through when it really came down to it.
But...
Both times, he hadn't been able to do anything meaningful to their enemies. The first time, Brai had been the one that did all the work, she escaped from the first stooge and defeated the other two all on her own, all he could manage was his best pillow impression, and to serve as the most pathetic kind of distraction. The second time, all he really accomplished was wasting all of the items he and Brai had picked up, throwing them about like a scared little baby, putting up a non-existent fight once they had been depleted. If Krook and Anny hadn't been there to pull their asses out of the fire... Wil didn't want to think about it. He also didn't want to think about the next time.
Krook and Anny wouldn't be there next time. He would have to rely entirely on Brai. If they got outnumbered again, that... That was it. They would be screwed. Brai wouldn't be able to take on so many opponents by herself, and lord knows he would be as useful as a man's nipples in such a situation. He didn't know how to fight. His aim was akin to that of a blind batting practice pitcher. Any damage he caused was a result of him flailing around wildly and getting lucky.
God... What was he doing? He was an absolute gutless coward, and he had somehow fooled the poor girl who was unfortunate enough to stumble upon him into believing he was some sort of miracle worker, that he wasn't completely worthless in every way.
"...Hngh. God, when did I become such a wimp...? Stop thinking this way... I... I need to listen to Brai... I'm just letting my emotions get the better of me... I'm not this much of a loser... No way am I this much of a god damn loser...!"
...Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, champ. If you can delude Brai so badly, then deluding someone as pathetic as yourself should be ridiculously easy.
Wil clutched the sides of his head in a panic, burying his face into the straw as he so desperately tried to shake the awful voice of his own overpowering doubt from his mind.
"S-Stop it... Please... I-I'm not... B-Brai said... Th-This isn't m-me... I'm not... I'm... Not..."
How would you know? You can't remember anything about yourself other than your own damn name! For god's sake, you are TALKING to yourself! You are EVERYTHING you think you are, you stupid, useless, whiny, betraying-
"NO, SHUT UP!"
"Wil...?"
Wil nearly jumped off the roof for a second time as he felt a sudden tap on his shoulder. Jerking around on instinct, he found Braixen looking back at him, a worried, if still half-asleep look on her face.
"Oh god, stop shaking... I can't let her see me like this again...!" Wil thought to himself, quickly pushing his face back into the straw and doing his best to wipe his tears off as inconspicuously as possible. Which, suffice to say, wasn't anything close to inconspicuous in any way.
"Wil, are you okay?" Brai fretted, clearly catching on to Wil's attempt to hide his distress. "Why did you just shout like that...?"
Wil glanced back up at Brai, givng her a total deer in the headlights look as his mind raced to try and formulate a not completely terrible lie. "U-Uh... No, I... I wasn't just talking to myself!" IDIOT, SHE DIDN'T SAY YOU WERE! "Hhhhhhngh, I-I mean, n-no, of c-c-course not... I m-mean... Th-That is to s-say... I... Th-The... I, uh... I-I think I had a n-n-n... Nightmare... Y-Yeah... J-Just a bad dream... Sorry for waking you up, I... I promise I don't do this normally... Er, probably... Just a reeeeeally bad dream, ahaha..."
Brai stared skeptically at him. She could tell he was lying... But she didn't want to press the issue if it was something he really didn't want to talk about.
"...Well, as long as you're okay..."
"Y-Yeah, I'm... I'm fine, Brai. Don't worry about me." Wil said, sighing a massive inner sigh that he hadn't gotten her all worked up over his stupidity again. "...Really though, I'm sorry for waking you..."
"Brai shook her head lightly and smiled. "It's fine, Wil. It doesn't take me long to get back to sleep. But... Just remember, if you need to talk about anything, I'm here for you. And I mean anything, okay?"
"...Yeah... Thanks." Wil replied, nodding nervously as Brai's gaze continued to linger on him for a moment, before she finally went back to her earlier sleeping spot and settled back in.
Wil quickly looked away once she had broken her gaze, too ashamed to look her in the eye for any longer than he had to. He merely buried his own face back into the straw like a frightened Doduo, trying his hardest to just forget about everything for the night and to salvage at least a little bit of sleep.
...Real nice of you to lie to her face like that. You're a GREAT friend.
Wil let out a plaintive, wailing whimper. His mind clearly had other ideas. A lying bastard like him didn't deserve a good night's rest...
"~Hm hm hm hm hmm, hmm... Hmhmhm hm hm hmhm, hmm...~"
Wil was temporarily brought back out from his self-induced misery at the sound of a slightly off-key, but still pleasant and oddly familiar melody. Looking back up, Wil was startled to see that Brai had made her way closer to him, close enough where he could hear her quiet, calm humming as she lay with her back to him.
"~Hmhmhm hm hmm, hm hmm, hmm hm hmmm... Hm hm hmhm hmm hm hmm hm, hmhmhm hm hm hmm hm hmm, hm hmmmmm...~"
"...Brai...?"
"...Sorry, I know I don't have the best of voices... But Mama Kangaskhan used to hum this melody to us whenever we couldn't get to sleep... Obviously, she was a lot better at it, but... It's still my favorite tune... And it still helps me relax whenever I get really upset over something and can't calm down. The kids seem to like it too, either that or my voice is just so boring it puts them to sleep regardless, heehee..."
Wil couldn't really think of any way to respond, and so he stayed quiet and just listened.
"Hmhmhm hm hmmhm, hm hmhm hm hmm, hm hm hmhmhm hmm hm hmmm...~"
Something about the tune... Wil couldn't place it, more likely than not due to his shredded memory, but regardless of its warbliness... It still sounded... Soothing.
"Hm hm hm hmm hmm, hm hmhm hm hmm, hmhmhmhm hmhmhmm, hm, hmhmhm hm...~"
Wil's eyelids drooped, his body suddenly reminding him how much it needed that good night's rest, regardless of what his mind may have thought. Though... It wasn't really thinking much of anything all of a sudden, it had shut up in a hurry as Wil focused eagerly on listening to the melody.
"Hmhmmhm hmhm hmmmmhm hm hmm...~"
...What was Wil getting so worked up about, again? He couldn't remember... Whatever it was, it could wait until the morning, he could hardly keep his eyes open...
So he didn't.
"Hello up there!"
"...Hmm?" Brai's eyelids fluttered open, then quickly reshut as the sun's rays blinded her on impact. She had forgotten about that unfortunate aspect of sleeping on top of a roof rather than under one, and she grumbled as she rubbed her eyes to try and get the spots out from in front of them. Hearing a familiar giggling below, she quickly sat up and looked down to see the ever-smiling face of Anny beaming back at her. Realizing this meant that she and Wil had likely overslept, she let out another groan. "Oh, hello, Anny. Sorry, I guess we were more tired than I thought..." Glancing over at Wil, who was sprawled out spread eagle on his stomach as if he had just been run over and obviously still deep asleep, she let out a small giggle of her own, before a far more pressing repercussion of her oversleeping entered into her mind. "Oh shoot, the kids!" Hopping up to her feet in an instant, she quickly brushed the stray hay off of her as she prepared to rush inside and attend to the no doubt starving kids. She didn't have time to try dragging Wil out of bed, and she figured he wouldn't complain about having a few extra minutes to sleep in regardless.
"Oh, don't worry about that, it's already been taken care of!" Anny exclaimed, motioning to the basket she had sitting by the doorway, which was halfway filled with an assortment of berries and apples. "The little ones have already been fed to their hearts' content and are inside playing. They came to the door when they heard me calling for you, but I told them to let you two sleep, since you had a very busy day yesterday. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you're finally awake, though!"
Brai put her hand to her face in surprise, but quickly smiled and bowed in appreciation to Anny. "Oh, thank you very much, ma'am! That sure takes a load off of my mind to know they didn't wake up to the promise of another empty belly for once." Reacting to her words, Brai's stomach let out a low gurgle of its own.
"Heehee, sounds like someone's tummy is jealous." Anny said. "Don't worry, there's plenty left over for you and Wil as well, dear. Assuming you wouldn't rather just rest for a while longer, that is."
Brai shook her head lightly as she stretched out her limbs. "Nah, I'm good on sleep, thanks." Looking back over at Wil, she began to feel conflicted, however. "I'm not so sure about Wil, though... He kind of had a rough night..."
"Oh dear." Anny replied, frowning back at Brai as the fox hopped nimbly off of the roof to meet her. "Bad dreams?"
"So he claimed..." Brai said, though she still sounded wholly unconvinced of it. "Well, and he kinda fell off the roof at one point too... But I'm more concerned by his so called 'nightmares'. I heard him talking to himself throughout the night, and the conversation didn't sound very pleasant..."
Anny's frown deepened at Brai's claim. "And you're sure he wasn't just talking in his sleep...?"
"No, I'm pretty sure he was awake." Brai exclaimed with a sigh. "I caught him talking in his sleep yesterday morning, and he was just rambling on about a bunch of nonsense that you would expect from someone dreaming. This was different... He seemed to be arguing with himself... And losing. I mean, I don't mean that in a weird way or anything... He just seems to be struggling terribly with himself over his own perceived weakness. I keep telling him he's totally fine and not weak at all, but I guess he's more stubborn than I thought... I just feel so bad for him, Anny. He's done nothing but help me since I found him, but I can't seem to do anything to help him in return, besides giving him a place to stay. But that's nothing in comparison to what he's done for me, especially with the state the house is in and the way the kids have been treating him. Ugh, if anyone should be feeling useless, it's me..."
"I don't think either of you should feel useless, dear." Anny said gently. "You've both just been thrust into a situation that kids your age shouldn't have to deal with, is all. I should know, since I went through the same thing with Krook when we were your ages. Well, the situation was completely different, but I know what it's like to be put into such a daunting situation at a young age. There's no way Krook would ever admit it, but he was just as filled with hopelessness and doubt back then as poor Wil seems to be now. I mean it, the poor guy was an absolute wreck! But no matter how low he sank, I wouldn't let him give in to his own fears and doubts, and I don't think you'll let Wil give in to his either, dear. You heard what he said, the only reason he didn't give up when he was getting the tar beat out of him was because of your kindness and encouragement. You just need to keep doing what you're doing, and be there for him as his friend and partner. It may not feel like it to you, but trust me, you're helping him more just by being there than anything else. Right now, you're all he has, so as long as you stay strong, so will he."
Brai looked away from Anny and lowered her gaze, trying to mask her skepticism. She had a hard time believing Krook could have ever been so downtrodden as Wil. She also doubted that her words affected Wil as much as he and Anny claimed they did, no matter how heartfelt they were. Wil seemed bound and determined to sabotage himself mentally, or at least some part of him was, and it frustrated her. She wanted to be there for him, and she certainly was willing to give him all the time he needed, but it hurt her to hear him talk himself down so badly. She really thought she had finally gotten through to him the night before, he seemed so upbeat for once... But was she really making any difference at all?
"I wish I could believe that, ma'am..." Brai said, sighing and shaking her head as the feelings of total inadequacy washed over her.
"I know, it's probably hard for you to let it go. I'd imagine you're used to having the weight of the world on your shoulders, and being responsible for everything whether you want to be or not. And you probably feel responsible for Wil too now, just like you feel responsible for the children, and when he gets upset, it makes you feel like you're doing something wrong, or not doing enough in general. But please, just trust me sweetie, you're doing fine. You're doing everything in your power to accommodate Wil and make him feel comfortable, and he's obviously just as appreciative of it as you are of him and his actions towards you, you just have to give him time to adjust. It's very difficult to adapt to such a radical change in living at such a young age, and having lost his memory certainly can't be helping him much." Anny gave Brai her warmest smile and a friendly, reassuring squeeze as the fox finally lifted her eyes to meet her gaze. "Really, dear, just... Try not to over think everything so much. Just be a friend. You don't need to think about doing anything else if you do that, because then it will all come naturally."
"...A friend..." Brai's gaze drifted from Anny to the sleeping figure of her partner, and the dour look returned to her face as the seemingly simple word turned over in her mind. "It's been so long since I could say I had anyone I could call that besides the kids, and I'm more of a sibling and parental figure to them than anything... But I like Wil... He's been so sweet to me... I... I really want to be his friend... B-But I'm afraid... Afraid I'm going to say or do something that'll upset him and make him... Not want to be around me..." Brai cringed as memories from the worst day of her life flashed vividly into the forefront of her mind. "Just like back then..." She shook her head in frustration to get the thoughts to go away, to little avail. "Augh, and I feel even worse about that, because if I do happen to tick him off that badly, he'll still be stuck with me regardless because he literally has no other place to go, and there's no way he'd be able to fend for himself the way he is right now... And then... And then, I'll make him mad and hate me, and he'll still end up feeling obligated to help me, because he's such a nice guy... But I'm... Not nice... I've already blown up at him twice, when I didn't have to get so upset at all, and I almost let him get himself killed because of my idiocy! I just... Ahh..."
"Goodness gracious, Braixen..." Anny said quietly, giving the younger Pokémon a look of pity. "It sounds like Wil isn't the only one beating themselves up for no good reason, you poor thing... But, dear, there really is no good reason for you to be feeling so worried about any of that! It's obvious that he's just as eager to be your friend as you want to be his, he wouldn't be doing all of this for you if he didn't like you, silly. Heck, as similar as you two seem to be, especially when it comes to stressing over nothing, I'm sure he's even more worried about accidentally upsetting you than you are! You both need to just RELAX, dear."
Brai looked back in silence, her mind still running in overdrive. Anny was right, of course. She was stressing over nothing. So was Wil. The last two days had been overwhelming for her in a lot of ways, and she knew it had to have been about a hundred times worse on Wil, due to the whole 'used to be human' thing.
Oh, right. Anny hadn't known about that part, and she wasn't going to bring it up without Wil's permission, not that there was really a good way to say such a thing in the first place. She still had a hard time wrapping her head around it herself, much like Wil did with Mystery Dungeons. Mostly, she was curious with how unconcerned Wil seemed to be about the whole thing. She hadn't had a chance to ask him anything about it, but other than his... Er, 'bathroom troubles', and inability to use regular Pokémon moves in battle, he seemed to be perfectly used to his body already, She supposed it wasn't a bad thing, but it just seemed... Odd. She couldn't help but think he was silently struggling with that on top of everything else, and-
"You know, this is a perfect example of what Anny just told you to STOP doing."
Brai's mind finally stopped, as her inner voice chided her. She grimaced as she realized she was continuing to stress over inconsequential things, and had left poor Anny standing in an awkward silence for nearly a minute. Thankfully for her, her stomach made the save, letting out a loud noise indicating how much it disliked being ignored, allowing her to both smoothly change the subject as well as stop thinking about anything besides being hungry. Knowing the kids were already well fed, Brai had no qualms about stuffing herself this time, and promptly did just that, after thanking Anny again for providing the food for everyone, and apologizing for her woefully neurotic display. Once full, she felt a lot more at ease, much to Anny's relief, and she soon turned her attention back to her peacefully slumbering partner. As much as she wanted to let him rest for a while longer after what he had to go through the day before, she knew that leaving him unattended up there while she went inside and tended to the kids was a recipe for disaster, and so she quickly climbed back on top of the roof using a nearby tree, and began to gently shake and prod him until he finally stirred awake.
"Good morning, Wil!" Brai chirped, tilting her head and smiling as she leaned over him in an attempt to keep the sun from searing his eyes as it had done to hers.
Blinking, Wil clumsily brought his hands up to his face to wipe his eyes, and let out a heavy groan once he realized he was no longer asleep. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing in front of him was Brai's upside down face, but once he recognized it, he gave her the best smile he could muster so early in the day.
"Oh... Mornin', Brai..." he mumbled, scratching his head and slowly turning over so he could attempt to push himself up.
"Sorry, I wish I could let you just sleep all day..." Brai stated apologetically, as she moved out of his way once he was no longer staring sun-ward.
"Nah, it's fine..." Wil muttered, shaking his head groggily as he pushed himself onto his knees. "Gotta get used to getting up early anyways..."
"Good morning up there, sleepyhead!" Anny called out cheerfully once she saw Wil's movement.
"Oh, Anny! Hello, ma'am!" Wil called back in surprise, before a look of panic broke across his face. "Sh-Shoot, please tell me I haven't made us late for anything, Brai!"
"No, no, you're fine, dear." Anny answered for Brai. "I just came by to bring you all breakfast and see how you were doing! Everyone else has already eaten, so whatever's left is yours!"
"Breakfast?" Wil blinked.
"S-Sorry..." Brai exclaimed, looking down ashamedly for eating before Wil had a chance to. "I hope I left enough for you to get filled up with..."
Spotting the basket that Anny was holding up, which was still quite stuffed with fruit, Wil's face brightened up considerably, and he shook his head at Brai. "Sheesh, I'm not gonna be able to eat all that, Brai! You should've eaten more!"
"I brought a lot just in case, so anything you can't eat, you can keep for later." Anny stated. "So please don't get into another one of those strange non-argument thingies like the other day, you two!"
Wil and Brai turned to each other and let out a couple embarrassed laughs at what Anny was referencing.
"Don't worry, we won't, ma'am." Wil said, grinning as he turned his attention back towards Anny. Or rather, the basket in her hands. "Boy, does that ever look delicious, though! Thanks a bunch, Anny!" Jumping to his feet with a renewed vigor at the promise of breakfast, he attempted to hop off the roof as Brai had earlier, in order to go from not having food in his mouth to having food in his mouth as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite as nimble as his partner was, and rather than hopping off and landing smoothly on his feet as she had done, he stumbled awkwardly over the side, his foot clipping the edge and causing him to pratfall face first into the same bush he had fallen into the night before, his legs and tail sticking out and flailing wildly. Brai. with no prior warning to cue her in on what he was about to do, could do little more than watch in horror as the unfortunate spectacle unfolded.
"N-No, not again!" Brai cried, as she rushed over and down to the ground in an instant to help Anny pry Wil loose from his leafy prison. She could already tell it was going to be another long day...
"Wil, are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine... I mean, I don't think that weird spike thing sticking out of the back of my head is supposed to have that other lump underneath it, but..."
Brai shook her head in exasperation as Wil rubbed the lump he alluded to and winced. Along with Anny, they were on their way back to Relic City, with Brai having made a mental note to be on the lookout for any good lumber on the way there that she might be able to use to build a Wil-proof railing for the roof.
"Oh, honestly, Wil..." Brai stated, looking at her partner with a mixture of annoyance and concern as he merely grinned and laughed his potential concussion off.
"Best not to dwell on it too much, dear." Anny said quietly to Brai with a small, discontented sigh of her own. "Boys will be boys, after all... Krook's the same way, he never did bother getting his hand looked at last night, of course, and right now he's too drunk to get out of bed, so he's probably going to have a nice, big infection once he wakes up. Better to get used to it now, I'm afraid."
Brai let out an annoyed grunt at Anny's 'advice'. "Greeeeat... As if I didn't have enough trouble as it is getting the kids to listen to reason..."
"Well, you just have to learn to take the good with the bad, dear." Anny said with a small giggle.
"Say, what's with all that whispering back there?" Wil asked suspiciously, slowing down to fall in line with the girls and giving them a shifty-eyed look.
"Oh, just girl talk, dear." Anny said smoothly. "Nothing you would be interested in, I'm sure."
"...Oh, okay." Wil said with a shrug, perfectly content to accept Anny's words at face value. Seeing the city beginning to loom in the near distance, he decided to hang back and stay close to his partner, and let Anny take the lead. He didn't like his first trip through the abandoned wasteland, and he sure wasn't in any hurry to keep any distance between himself and Brai during this trip either, lest some hideous beastie come out of nowhere and try to attack either of them. Anny, on the other hand, he was sure could handle herself just fine, given how skilled she had seemed to be with that Leaf Blade of hers in the one sided buttstomp she and Krook had dished out to the Scrafty gang the day before. "Say Anny, this is probably a dumb question, but do you know what the deal is with this place? The city, I mean. Like, what the heck happened here? Brai told me it used to be a human city, but obviously, it hasn't been that for a long, long time..."
"Mm, I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you there, Wil." Anny responded. "This place has been here and looked like this for as long as anyone around here can remember."
"Yeah, even Mama Kangaskhan didn't seem to know much about this place." Brai added, not in any hurry herself to leave Wil's side until they got through the outskirts into the town square. "I'm not sure there's anyone around these days that was alive back when humans still lived here... It's just one of those things no one really thinks about anymore, like the Mystery Dungeons."
"Oh..." Wil muttered, disappointed at the answer he figured was coming. "...Wait, so it's been that long, but there's still television and radio reception? That's... Seriously strange."
"Hmm?" Anny gave Wil a quizzical look. "Well, yes, things do show up on the televisions and radios that still work, but obviously no one knows how or why. As much as the Pokémon that live around here have adapted to human culture compared to Pokémon elsewhere, there's still a lot we don't know about them and their mysterious society. There's an old professor that lives in the city that claims to be an 'expert on the world of humans', but... Well, we've worked with him in the past at the precinct, and he's... 'Eccentric', to put it as politely as I can... But he's probably your best bet for finding out any information about this place or anything else human related. Though, good luck finding him when you need to, he seems to enjoy wandering off to the strangest, most out of the way places... And then sending S.O.S. requests to the precinct for someone to come rescue him. Every. Single. Time."
"Yeah, sounds like a Pokémon professor, alright..." Wil muttered.
"Either way, I'm sure you two'll run across him sooner or later during your work." said Anny. "It's become a rite of passage of sorts at the precinct for new teams to take on one of his requests once the next one inevitably pops up, so everyone else can take bets on guessing what kind of and how many insa-er, I-I mean, enthralling human tales he tells them on the return trip."
"Oh, sounds... Fun?" Wil replied in bemusement.
"Trust me, you haven't lived until you've heard a bewildered team of newbies try to relay things like how human babies don't come from eggs, they just come out unshelled all kicking and squirming, or how humans keep the Pokémon they live with in little balls and the ones they don't live with in the little balls in little boxes in a different world that exists inside some sort of 'inner net' thing."
"Well, actually, they're not really bo-" Wil began, stopping abruptly as Brai noisily cleared her throat and 'accidentally' bumped into him as Anny turned to look at him in curiosity at the odd response. "...I-I mean, h-ha, yeah, t-talk about crazy... Fitting a Wailord in a little ball! What a nut job, r-right Brai?"
"Er, well, actually, we know the part about the balls is true, they show them all the time on the TV." stated Brai hesitantly, thinking quickly for a way to cover for her partner's slip-up. "But um, w-we should probably get that bump of yours checked out before we leave the city, I think you uh, probably conked yourself out harder than you think."
Blinking blankly for a moment, Wil soon picked up on Brai's subtle facial cues to play along and began to nod and rub his head lump rapidly. "Oh, y-yeah, you're probably right... Uh, disregard what I was saying earlier, Anny, my uh, brain's a little scrambled right now, ahahahaha... Ha..."
Though Wil's nervous behavior only managed to pique Anny's curiosity even further, she quickly acquiesced, then gave him a look of compassion. "...Poor dear. Now, if only Krook were as easily agreeable as you are..."
"Whew... Thanks, Brai." Wil whispered To his partner, as Anny continued grumbling to herself about Krook.
Brai nodded. "It's fine, but..." Moving in closer to make absolutely sure only Wil would be able to hear she, she continued, "You started to answer Anny without even hesitating, does this mean your memory is coming back?"
"Ah..." Wil began to speak, but hesitated after a moment, screwing up his face and shaking his head lightly. "Well, not really, but... It's hard to explain... I'll uh, tell you more later, once we're somewhere more private. I promise."
Nodding again in silence, Brai made a mental note to hold Wil to that promise, as her curiosity towards him and his strange predicament was beginning to gnaw at her. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't really had much of a chance to talk to Wil about hardly anything concerning himself since they met, things having been so hectic and stressful the past two days. Feeling a bit of shame once she realized this, she vowed to correct this later as well.
"Oh, right!" Anny suddenly chirped, snapping Brai and Wil's attention back to her. "Have you guys thought about what you're going to name yourselves yet?"
"Name ourselves...?" Wil repeated, giving Brai a confused look that she returned in kind.
"Ah, well, I suppose you guys were pretty exhausted last night when the Chief was going over what else you would be doing today." Anny said with a small giggle.
"...Oh, right..." Brai responded after thinking for a moment. "Since we're an actual Detective Team now, we have to give ourselves an official name for our team."
"Oh yeah, that..." Wil muttered with a frown. "I'm uh, not really good with names."
Brai frowned back at him, letting out a small sigh. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that..."
"Oh dear..." said Anny, allowing a worried look to cross her face for only the most fleeting of moments before it was replaced with another smile. "Well, you still have plenty of time to think of one, we have a few minutes until we get to the town square."
"That's not really 'plenty of time'..." Wil murmured. to himself.
"Just try to think of something simple!" Anny exclaimed. "No need to get fancy, just make sure it's something you both like, since you won't be able to change it once you're placed into the guild's records system."
"Greeeeeat..." Wil groaned.
"Say, what do you and Krook call yourselves, Anny?" Brai asked, hoping to get even the slightest bit of inspiration, or at least some sort of idea what a team name should even sound like.
"Ah, well, officially, our team name is... Ugh, 'Team Shattered Redemption', something that Krook came up with back when he was an angsty teenager because he thought it sounded tough and edgy and bleeeeah..." Anny answered, shaking her head in embarrassment and displeasure. As usual, however, it didn't take long for her happiness to return. "But, thankfully - at least, for me, teehee - everyone else in the guild just call us 'The Odd Couple', for a variety of reasons. I for one think it's cute and fits us much better than that awful name that Krook saddled us with when we were young and didn't know any better, but Krook of course takes it as an insult. Which, even if it is, is still better than 'Team Shattered Redemption', I mean, really..."
"Yeah, that sounds more like the name of a Nu Metal band than a team of Pokémon Detectives..." Wil said with a chuckle, which only served to baffle Anny and Brai even further as to what he was talking about. "...Er, sorry, concussion talking again. Bad concussion. Bad!"
"...Right, well, anyway..." Brai began, trying to distract both Anny and herself from Wil's weirdness. "I suppose even we should be able to come up with a better team name than that... R-Right, Wil?"
"H-Huh?" Wil stuttered. "I uh... I suppose so, yeah... But uh, why don't you make a suggestion first, Brai? You're the brains of the team, after all... Well, and the brawn... And... Everything else..."
"Yeah, I don't think I'd agree with any of that." Brai replied, shooting Wil a dirty look, before shaking her head and putting her hand up to her forehead in exasperation. "But if you insist... Um... Well, we're both Fire types, how about something simple related to that, like 'Team Inferno' or 'Team Blaze'?"
Wil took a moment to think, but quickly shook his head. "...Nah, too obvious."
"Yeah, you're right..." Brai agreed, quickly souring on the idea herself.
"...Ooh, ooh, how about 'Team Hydro Thunder Fist'?" Wil exclaimed in excitement. "See, this way, we'll fool the criminals into thinking we're something we're not, with enough in our name to scare off any Pokemon that would have a type advantage over us in any way and also enough to attract other ones that we're strong against!"
Brai did her best to keep a straight face, but it was hard, particularly with how enthusiastic Wil was while explaining his idea. "Um, th-that's..." She had to put her hand to her face just to keep her composure before continuing, "I don't think the criminals will know we're coming in the first place, Wil... Plus, having something water related in our name would probably have the reverse effect of having Pokemon that need help thinking we're Water types, and expect us to help them with a dangerous, Water-filled dungeon."
"...Oh." Wil responded, his enthusiasm dropping back to its usual low level. "...Yeah, I can't even blame that one on the concussion. Man, this shouldn't be so hard, though... If we didn't have to put that stupid 'Team' in front of it like some kind of terrible, hastily constructed tag team, we could just go by something generic and official sounding like 'Brai & Wil Attorneys At Law', only instead of attorneys we'd be detectives so it would be 'B&W Detectives Of Justice', except less stupid sounding."
"...Hey, you know, that doesn't sound bad..." Brai remarked. "I mean, obviously it would be 'W&B Detectives Of Justice', since you're the leader, but I don't think it sounds stupid at all. I kinda like it, actually."
"R-Really, you think so?" Wil replied in surprise. "I mean, I wasn't really suggesting it seriously, but now that you bring it up..." Wil's face suddenly scrunched. "Wait, wait no, back up a minute, what do you mean 'since I'm the leader'?"
"Well, you are the leader, after all." Brai said simply. "I mean, you led us the last two times and did perfectly fine, so I'd say you're much better suited for the role than I am."
"W-Wait, no, that's not...!" Wil pouted, looking in panic to Anny for help. "A-Anny! Tell her, I did not do 'perfectly fine'! I-I'm a terrible leader! I couldn't lead a Venomoth to a flame!"
Anny merely shook her head at Wil. "Actually, you did do perfectly fine, dear. You didn't get you guys lost at any point, and once you found your courage, you led your and Brai's attacks against your enemies very competently as well, attack accuracy non-withstanding. You just need to not think about it is all, and for heaven's sake, stop saying you can't do this and can't do that, that's no way for a leader to speak!"
"But...! But...! That's... That's not fair!" Wil whinged. Brai and Anny were less than sympathetic for his plight, however, as Brai merely folded her arms and smirked lightheartedly at him, and Anny shook her head and giggled wryly.
"Looks like you're overruled on this one, dear."
"Ah, jeez..." Wil muttered, folding his arms and sulking. "...Hmph, fine, but if that's the case, we're not using no dumb initials, then. We'll just be the 'Detectives Of Justice', that sounds way better by itself anyways."
"I agree." Brai said, smiling. "It lets everyone know who we are, and what we stand for. I think it's perfect! See Wil, you're already making the kinds of decisions that only true leaders can."
"Yeah, no." Wil deadpanned. "I'll be the literal leader on our journeys if I have to be, but other than that, we're equals, got it?"
Brai giggled. "Of course."
"See now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Anny said, smiling back at the two. "And look, we're already here!"
Indeed, the group had reached the city's gates, the remainder of the trip through the spooky outskirts having passed by quickly, much to Wil and Braixen's relief. Wil silently marveled at his surroundings as the group made the short walk to the large building at the center of town, it still seeming surreal to him even on his second visit. To see Pokémon, hustling and bustling about a human city, acting for all the world as if they themselves were human. This was going to take him some getting used to, he could tell...
"Well, here we are!" Anny chirped, as the three stopped at the bottom of the guild's main stairway. "I'd love to come with you guys and watch your induction ceremony, but I'm afraid I have some business I have to take care of... Mainly, making sure Krook's hand hasn't fallen off or gained sentience during the night and tried to strangle him. But don't worry, you guys are gonna be just fine, I know you will! And if you have any questions at all, just ask the Chief, or his partner Snorlax, or heck, just about anyone! Most of the Detective Teams in the guild are good, friendly Pokémon, and they'll probably only be too happy to help a new team like you guys out! Just remember, be cool and be confident, and don't let the Chief or anyone else there intimidate you, okay?"
"We'll do our best!" Brai said, Wil nodding along with her and giving Anny a thumbs up.
"Good! Well, once I get Krook out of bed and to the doctor... Or, if I do, I'll try to meet back up with you guys in a bit. Best of luck, you two!"
With one last exuberant smile, Anny waved goodbye, as she took off towards one of the residential sections of town. Once she was out of sight, Brai and Wil turned to each other.
"Ooh... This is so exciting!" Brai exclaimed giddily, unable to hide her obvious excitement.
"Yeah." Wil said, grinning as his partner's infectious spirit spread to him. "I've gotta say, I'm feeling pretty jazzed myself. I mean, so long as we don't have to worry about taking on ten Pokémon at once again anytime soon."
"Hopefully not." Brai responded with a small frown. "But, you know, Wil... There's another reason why I wanted to do this besides providing for the kids."
"There is?" Wil repeated, his curiosity piqued.
"Yep." Brai confirmed. "And it's specifically so stuff like what happened to us doesn't have to happen anymore. I still feel so terrible for that poor little Scraggy boy, he shouldn't have had to go through such trauma. And, as much as I want to hate them after what they tried to do to us, and especially you, Wil, I feel bad for the rest of them, too. I think it's rotten that so many Pokémon in their situation feel like they have to turn to such an awful way of life just to survive anymore. I know what it's like to be abandoned and ignored by the world, it... It really hurts. If I can just... Make some kind of difference, if I can help those that can't help themselves..." Brai let out a sigh as her gaze fell to her feet. "Mama always told me how proud she was of me for always wanting to help others. But she told me not to ever follow in her footsteps, that there were other ways of helping the world besides being a Detective. But Mama... The land has become so much more corrupt since she... She hasn't had to see how miserable things have gotten. If Pokémon like you and me that actively want to help others don't do this, if we don't show others in our situation that there are still Pokémon that care about them, the poor, the weak, the downtrodden... Then everyone's going to end up thinking just like that Scrafty... Angry, bitter, and hateful to a world that turned its back on them. I want to be able to show them that even when the world turns its back on you, that you don't have to turn your back to the world. I know, that probably all sounds like a bunch of dorky, naively-optimistic garbage, but... I really think we can make a difference, Wil. Just like Mama did. Not just for the kids, and not just for ourselves, but for everyone. That... That's why this means so much to me for you to do this, Wil. There's no way I would be able to do anything on my own, but together... We can change things."
Wil blinked. He hadn't been expecting to hear Brai tell him something so important out of the blue like that. But... He supposed it wasn't really all that surprising to hear. It had been obvious to him since he met her that Brai was someone who selflessly put others before herself without exception, which was something that he greatly admired about her. Plus, she had seemed awfully excited about the whole prospect of becoming a Detective Team for someone who was only in it for the pay. He only wished he could match that level of excitement... But hearing her say such inspiring words... She was right. It hurt Wil to see what that poor Scraggy had to go through, too. And even though they didn't seem to want anything to do with him, it hurt him to know that innocent kids like the ones in Brai's care were on the verge of starving themselves, all because no one wanted to help them. And of course, there was Brai herself. He didn't think it was at all right for her to have to deal with such a heavy burden by herself. And there he was, just making it even heavier for her. But... That's not what he was there for. That's not what he had promised her. He was there to lighten her load, and by God, that was what he was going to do! If she had so much confidence in him, then why the hell shouldn't he?
"...Yeah, easier said than done..." he thought, grimacing, before quickly shaking the thought from his head. "...Nah. Whatever. I know I'm not that weak. If Brai can be so strong, and have such an altruistic goal, then so can I. Everything she said sounded right up my alley, anyways. And besides... There must be some reason why I've become a Pokémon. This sounds like as good of a use for my newfound identity and power as anything. And if I truly was brought here to make a difference, I sure as hell ain't gonna be able to do it moping around like I have been. Brai's right... We CAN do this. Even if it means having to learn how to lead. If Brai can have so much conviction behind her ideals, then so will I. After all, that's what I promised her."
"Ah... Um, I-I'm sorry, Wil, I-I shouldn't have put anymore undue pressure on you like that..." Brai said, giving Wil a guilty, apologetic look.
"Sh-Shoot, no, you haven't, Brai." Wil exclaimed, shaking his head emphatically once he realized that he hadn't actually responded to her. "My bad, I didn't mean to just stand there like that. But you're right, Brai. I don't think what you said was garbage at all, I think it's awesome that you have such a noble dream. You haven't put any undue pressure on me, you've just made me more determined. If you say that we can change the world, then heck, who am I to disagree with you? With a cause as righteous as that, there's no way we can fail." Wil put on a confident grin and nodded at his partner as her face lit back up. "I won't let you down anymore, Brai. I'm gonna get stronger, just you watch. And soon enough, everyone'll know our names. Criminals will cower in fear, and citizens will weep with joy when they know that the Detectives Of Justice are on the case!"
"Yeah!" Brai cheered, jumping up and sticking her fist in the air. "...Ah, Wil, I really can't tell you enough how much this means to me..."
"Oh, shush." Wil replied. "...You know, being able to be a part of something like this, to be able to actually make a positive mark on the world, it... It means a lot to me, too. So the feeling is mutual, Brai."
"Aw... You're the best, Wil." Brai said, smiling sweetly.
"H-Hey now, let's not go around spreading such blatant lies now." Wil sputtered in response, causing Brai to roll her eyes back at him as the two began to make their way up the guild's steps. "But anyways, I was thinking... If we're gonna be the best, then we should probably have some sort of awesome, heroic motto."
"M-Motto?" Brai repeated bemusedly.
Wil nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Like, just imagine, there's some dumb criminal being all like 'Dohoho, I have gotten away with my despicable crime perfectly! Behold, my diabolicalicity!' but unbeknownst to them, watching from the shadows are the Detectives Of Justice! And so they'll put their guards down, and get all relaxed and stuff with their ill-begotten loot, WHEN SUDDENLY, 'PREPARE FOR JUSTICE!' and then 'YOU HAVE NO CHANCE, TRUST US!' and then while they're in shock and awe, we can keep rhyming and laying down the sick beats on their stupid little pea-brained skulls, and by the time they know what's going on, it'll be too late, and they'll have already been defeated by our super power of teamwork! Aw yeah, it'll be so rad! I mean, they might even be so mesmerized by our ultra badness that they'll..."
As Wil continued to ramble on about his idea with great enthusiasm, Brai couldn't help but smile at his unabashed goofiness. In fact, it was all she could do not to burst out laughing. But, she was happy to see him so upbeat, and to know that maybe she really was helping him after all. If nothing else, he truly did seem to believe in her and her words. Now all she had to do was live up to her end of the bargain, and make sure that trust would no longer be misplaced.
"...Yeah, easier said than done..." she thought to herself, sighing. "I've already betrayed his trust once, who's to say I won't do it again? But... I can't think that way. I can't let him know that I have the same crippling self doubt that he does. He thinks I'm strong... Just like the kids. I... I can't let any of them down. I won't. We're a team, and we have to rely on each other, so... Even if I have to be a hypocrite when I tell him not to doubt himself... So long as he can be confident, that's all that matters. I know he has it in him, I just have to keep letting him know that until he realizes it himself. And maybe... He might be able to help me conquer my doubt, too..."
"-and then everyone will be so impressed, they'll throw us our own parade, and... Hey, are you alright, Brai?" Wil fretted, cutting himself off once he noticed the look of distress on his partner's face.
"Oh, y-yeah, of course, Wil." Brai stuttered, quickly changing her expression back to one of joy. "Just stepped wrong. L-Let's go back to that whole motto thing for a minute, though. I'm... Not so sure how practical that would be, regardless of how, er, rad it is."
"Aw, c'mon Brai, don't be that way!" Wil bemoaned. "Sometimes you have to sacrifice silly things like practicality for the sake of coolness. You don't want everyone to think we're a couple of mottoless lameasses, do you?"
Brai merely shook her head in response to Wil's sarcastic lunacy, not bothering to hold in her laughter any further. If nothing else, it was hard for her to stay in a bad mood for very long with Wil around.
"But you know... I think he's already helping me in that regard."
Alright, so, uh, yeah. I've come to realize, my stories are like 'Lots And Lots Of Trains', only instead of trains, it is dialogue. Probably could've added some more to this chapter, but it's already at 10,000 words, so I think I'll try to keep that as the benchmark for words per chapter for me. This still took way too long to finish, though. On the plus side, one of the reasons it took so long this time besides the horrible, crippling depression is because I actually wrote quite a bit of stuff that I can't actually post yet, because it's all stuff that happens in later chapters. But hey, nearly 30,000 words plus the 10,000 for this chapter, at least I accomplished something this time, and that means whenever I can post those parts, they will be really quick updates that won't take anytime at all to upload! And another plus, I actually have a good outline for what I want the next chapter to be, and knowing me, there is a good chance I'll have to split it up into two chapters since I can't stop myself once I start writing dialogue, so there is actually a chance I might be able to get one more chapter if not two uploaded this month! But uh, don't hold your breath. Still gotta update my other story in between, and hope that nothing else horrible happens that causes me to hate life and eat away at all of my energy and motivation.
But, I will make it my goal to, if nothing else, update both of my stories at least once a month from here on out. I can't promise anything concrete, but I need to at least give myself some sort of deadline to get my butt in gear. Anyways, time to stop rambling. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you all have a good morning/afternoon/evening/night, as well.