The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters - Chapter 2: dReAm
For whatever reason, Jung thought it was a good idea to use repellent spray on himself. He only wanted to repel other Pokemon and avoid conflict, but if anything, it repelled himself with its noxious, musky stink: a mix of ammonia and carrion flowers. He preferred to smell like his favourite strawberry flavoured fur conditioner, not like a Skuntank.
Jung's biggest concern was bumping into a human along the route, particularly another trainer. Sure, nobody wanted to capture a smelly Hypno, but what was the chance of another self righteous trainer looking to scapegoat a smelly Hypno?
For the most part, any trainer he crossed paths with moved out of the way. Their travelling Pokemon wanted nothing to do with him, especially put off by his odour. An Oddish even muttered 'gross' as she brushed past him. But Jung took it on the chin, unlike last time. He walked for long enough that the trek through Route 18 felt like a leisurely stroll rather than an uncertain march through a rocky path next to a Pokemon-infested river.
While Jung didn't need to worry about trainers or wild Pokemon, he found that he needed to worry about rangers instead.
Rangers were valuable peacekeepers most of the time. They surveyed the land to rescue anyone that had wandered too far off. Feral Pokemon straying too far into the route would be considered both a danger to humans and themselves. Pokemon like Hypno, apparently.
Jung tried to ignore their suspicious stares and their battle ready postures, Pokeballs gripped tight. A lot of them saw his clothes and seemed to sense that he wouldn't do any harm, though they still kept guard.
One in particular, a hardened-looking man with faded scratch marks on his face, blocked Jung's path. He pointed forward and a Houndoom emerged from behind to protect him, snarling at the sight of him.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Jung pleaded, holding his paws up. "I bear no ill will, I'm just going for a walk."
The ranger's face shifted ever so slightly, but the Houndoom still stood, hackles raised. Jung's heart was a jackhammer. He loved dogs, just not this one. Especially not one that breathed fire. And that ranger wouldn't stop staring at him.
"What's your business, Hypno?"
"My name is Jung," he said between clenched teeth. "What's yours?"
"Fabian."
"Well, Fabian, I'm sorry my presence intimidates you so much that you have to send out Pokemon on me."
"Hey, I'm just doing my job. We've all been told to keep a lookout for anything suspicious."
"Because I'm a Hypno?"
"That includes Hypno, yes, but only because they've been seen where other Pokemon were last found before they were kidnapped."
Jung's ears twitched. It was best not to mention his quest searching for his own kind.
"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
Fabian stepped forward, flowers crunching underneath his boots. The Houndoom accompanied him as well, sniffing Jung down. Hot breath tickled his leg fur. Jung straightened his back and inhaled. He wasn't going to be bullied into submission.
"You have no reason to interrogate me. I live in Anistar, okay? I'm a therapist, I help Pokemon with their problems, and it's a highly stressful job, but somebody needs to care for them, someone who understands them."
Fabian stepped back.
"I don't know any more than you do, but I've experienced the aftermath through you humans. All I want is to spend my spare time peacefully without being bullied or badgered by ignorant trainers. So, no, I don't know anything about these other Hypno, especially since I've never known any other Hypno in my life."
Fabian glanced at the Houndoom, who pawed at something in Jung's longcoat. For good measure, Jung pulled out his wallet, his ID, and a pack of bonbons he brought as travel snacks. He had more in his backpack, but that dog didn't seem interested in that.
Finally, Fabian knelt down and patted the Houndoom's rump.
"Right, I'm sorry. As I said, I'm only doing what I've been told to do, and I didn't expect you to speak either."
"That's okay. I don't blame you for keeping everybody's best interests in mind, I'm just tired of these kinds of questions."
"I bet." He looked ahead to the rest of the route's path. "So you said you were going for a walk, then?"
"Yes, I've been stressed lately so I need to clear my head for a while. Is that a good enough explanation?"
"Yeah, yeah, perfectly fine." Fabian tilted his cap. "Well, stay safe. If you do see anything suspicious or are in any sort of danger, report it to another ranger ASAP."
"Alright, I will." Jung forced a smile. "I wish you the best of luck with your search."
He walked off with a huff, shoving his paws into the pockets of his longcoat. That Houndoom still stared even as Jung strolled away.
Jung didn't face any more trouble on his journey, but the more he walked, the more his encounter played on his mind. He only had a jumbled puzzle board to play with, and none of the pieces told a complete picture. As much as Jung didn't want to, he came up with his own theories about what happened, about people taking Pokemon to that coal mine and committing unspeakable atrocities and performing illicit deals. It would be the perfect place to hide.
Perhaps the truth was simpler than that. Jung wouldn't know for sure until he found what he looked for, but where would he find it? The only lead he had was an old, stuffy mine, and that was…
Just up ahead.
Jung's blood curdled as he saw the first tracks to his right. His sight lingered to the rest of the ruins. Interlocking rails. Rusty minecarts tipped over to the sides like abandoned shopping trolleys. Stray lumps of coal strewn about carelessly. The tracks disappeared into the pitch black of the caves.
He sensed psychic energy pulsing from there. That was enough for him to go off and investigate.
Jung gulped, then took the first step into the ruins. Dusty pebbles crunched beneath his paws. No one else could be seen nearby. Birds chirped overhead, disrupting the disquiet. For his own protection, Jung clutched his pendulum. If there was a malevolent force behind this all, then Pokemon spray wouldn't be good enough to stave it off.
Despite having no map or compass, Jung trusted his intuition as he followed the tracks. As he walked, cold wind blew through his longcoat. Clutching his body didn't ward the chills away. The further he walked, the colder he felt, except it was a different type of cold. Like a draft blowing through a window.
Jung could've turned back at any point. He could've returned to a warm, comfy bed with all his plushies and his sweets beside him. And what would finding other Hypno solve? It's not like he had the power to change other people's opinions on his kind. But what if he didn't like what he saw?
A figure appeared in the distance. A familiar set of pointy ears. A familiar yellow coat. A familiar human-like frame. A Hypno. With a… cape? Jung held the grip on his pendulum.
The Hypno shambled with a zombie-like gait and stood before him in a slouched stance. Jung got a good look at them, or her. She had a blanket tied around her neck. For what purpose, he didn't know yet. She opened her maw and released a mighty yawn.
"Yo," she said, covering her mouth. "Thought you were a human or something at first, especially with those funky clothes."
"Well, I'm pleased to meet another Hypno at last."
"Where are you from?"
"Anistar City."
The Hypno scratched her wiry neck. "Hmm, why'd you live there, of all places?"
"To help other Pokemon." Jung sighed. "I don't know what you think about how I use my powers, but I read the dreams of Pokemon and give them advice to deal with their trauma."
"And those humans are fine with this?"
"The humans I work with are."
The Hypno nodded and sat on the stony ground, tucking her impromptu cape behind her. "And what are you doing here?"
Jung matched his sitting position. "To talk to more Hypno, I suppose. I had a feeling you resided here. So I'd like to visit."
"Yeah, but why should we let you in?"
Good question. Jung didn't have a proper response for that. "I don't know. Why wouldn't you?"
"Because some people are funny about letting outsiders in. Even another Hypno. Unless you can bring something to the table."
He dug into his pocket and retrieved a bag of strawberry bonbons. "Maybe I could share these, if anyone wants to try them. They're really good."
The Hypno sniffed and raised a paw. Jung tossed a bonbon from metres away, expecting it to fall, when it levitated in the air, spinning like a basketball on an athlete's finger. Right, telekinesis. One trick Jung never taught himself. The Hypno wiggled a finger to guide it into her mouth, chewed, then swallowed.
"Interesting," she said, expression unmoving. "I've had many dreams that have tasted like this before, except much stronger. The powder's nice, though."
"That's sugar… wait, you're a dream eater?"
"Why's that a surprise? You got a problem with that?"
"Oh god, no." Jung laid his hand on his heart. Well, he didn't think he had a problem with it. "I'd be a huge hypocrite if I did. You could say I'm on a dream diet, though." He massaged the lumps on his waist. "I'm out of shape."
"You're weird. And we're a weird bunch so you'll fit right in." She licked her lips. "That just makes the dreams taste sweeter." A chill trickled down Jung's spine. She was hard to read. Her cravings didn't help matters either. But those fears dissipated when the Hypno stood up and offered her paw. "I'm Moony."
What a peculiar name. Jung returned the handshake. "Jung, nice to meet you."
"Well, that's a weird name." She lifted Jung up. "What does it mean?"
"It's a name I got from someone else, an inspiration of mine." Jung had had a name before that but he had thrown that one away long ago. "And yours?"
"The moon is the first thing I dreamt about." Moony gestured to the sky. "I always like to see it at night. How the light reflects off the ground, how it scrapes past the trees. It feels alive somehow, and in my dreams, it is."
"How were you named after the symbol that appeared in your dreams before you were born?"
"Time travel." Moony stuck her tongue out. "Nah, I'm kidding. We get them when we're Drowzee."
Right, that made sense. God, Jung wasn't used to being so out of touch.
"Anyway, I should probably take you to our hiding place." Moony let go and walked along the tracks, Jung tailing her.
"What do you mean, hiding place?"
"We don't like humans sticking their noses in our business. So we've been living in these ruins."
That made sense, especially if there were kidnappings going on. Moony led Jung past the tracks and walked further among the ruins until they found a long building.
From the outside, it had seen better days. The sun-bleached wood made the foundations look brittle, and there were holes in various places, especially on the roof. It looked like it could've collapsed at any minute. Jung guessed this used to be a dormitory for the miners. He wondered how it was still inhabitable. And with the psychic energy that radiated from the building, it felt like a haunted house.
Jung's fur stood on end. What for? These Hypno meant no harm, right? Right. He couldn't let it get to him.
The wooden steps creaked beneath Jung as he climbed up the porch. The door squeaked open. This led to a common room where various Hypno and Drowzee congregated.
Both on the outside and the inside, the place showed its age. Monochrome photos and parchments in damaged frames decorated the walls. Overcast light streamed in through the cracks in the planks and the holes in the ceiling. Old, ratty sofas sat in various places of the lounge, and debris littered the dusty floor. The snores of Hypno filled the room — two lay down to the right of the room covered in patchy blankets while Drowzee crowded around them in a trance, snuffling with their long snouts. They appeared to be eating their dreams. Jung could smell them too, and they were pleasant dreams that tasted of vanilla icing and curry.
"Yup, this is our home," Moony said."
"Right, it looks… quaint."
"You can just say it looks like trash, I don't care. I know that's what you're thinking."
Jung could've slapped himself. He really needed to choose his words carefully.
To his left, another Hypno slept upright on a hole-filled armchair. She clutched a book close to her, which she must've picked up from the stack of tomes lying at her feet. Her dream scent was hard to pin down. It tasted like beef stew and sauteed onions, but also had a strong waft of charcoal and molten metal. Unlike the other Hypno, she was completely unoccupied.
"So is this all that you do, just sleep?" Jung asked.
"Nah, just during the day." Moony stretched and yawned. "The Drowzee feed off the Hypno around this time, and the Hypno feed off the Drowzee when it's night. And in between, we do all sorts of stuff since we have different roles."
"So what do you do?"
She slouched back in her zombie-like position. "I'm the patroller. That's why you saw me out there."
"You seem very drowsy for a guard," Jung said.
"Because I have to be awake when all the other Hypno are sleeping. But I can put up a fight if I need to." Moony yawned as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I need to get back out there, you never know what humans could be nosing around where they don't belong."
Jung turned to the sleeping Hypno, then back to her. "So I'm okay on my own here?"
"Eh, just talk to Hoothoot."
"Wait, who's—"
Before he could finish, Moony shambled off, closing the front door behind her. So Jung was all alone in that house. What was he supposed to do? Rudely awaken a bunch of Hypno, who could easily hypnotise him to—
No, wait, what was Jung thinking? This was his kind. He supposed he never grew up around Hypno, so despite everything he'd heard second hand, it was different being in a room full of them. The time ticked by, except there was no clock to tick. If Jung spent any longer standing around, he would've twiddled his thumbs all day until they woke up.
Jung wrinkled his nose. It only occurred to him now that a really bizarre smell wafted from one of the other rooms. It wasn't necessarily bad — somewhere between really strong cheese and flour. Just odd. He peeked into the room to investigate.
As soon as he entered, he covered his nose. Definitely really strong cheese. Maybe overripe. Putting that aside, the room turned out to be the kitchen of the mining quarters. The main thing that caught his eye was the wood stove in the corner. Its mere presence made the room look frozen in time — who still used a wood stove in this day and age? Another Hypno dozed off on the floor, snoring as he clutched a half-eaten wheel of blue cheddar like his life depended on it. That explained where the smell came from if he had those cheese dreams.
Perhaps it was better to dive into the dreams of the bookworm as opposed to the cheesemonger. Maybe she could tell him where Hoothoot was. Or who Hoothoot was.
Jung re-entered the lounge and approached the upright sleeping Hypno. On closer inspection, the front cover depicted a female human knight, probably Jeanne D'Ardu, so he gathered it was a history book. He raised the pendulum before him, putting himself in a lowered state of consciousness so he could link up to this Hypno's dreams. One… two…
Wait, he didn't think about sitting down before—
Three.
Jung skydived through the clouds. The air whipped his face and snatched his longcoat away. His pendulum rattled in the wind. Beneath him, he saw everything: a castle with a moat, a green expanse with many Pokemon roaming through the forests, and a giant theme park, sticking out like an iridescent splinter in one's paw. He much preferred rollercoasters to medieval castles. Then an Alolan Exeggutor beneath Jung expanded his neck to skyscraping heights, helping Jung to slide down to land. The Exeggutor's neck snapped and swayed like an elastic palm tree, and lights also stuck out of their spine, shooting rainbows out of their lamps.
"Oh, right," the Exeggutor said, "where are your tokens?"
"I didn't know I was supposed to bring them," Jung said flatly, despite the G-force in his face.
"Alright then, you sneaky sneak, you ain't getting a smooth landing."
"But wait, I have money!" A purse materialised out of nowhere, but Jung couldn't catch it, so it fell a hundred stories to the ground. Jung was about to reach the end of the ride. "Oh cr—"
The Exeggutor's tail swung and catapulted him into the kingdom. Jung's landing wasn't smooth at all as he left a crater in the cobblestoned road. As soon as he dusted himself off, he got a good look at the townsfolk, who all gathered around him with various looks of surprise and horror on their faces. They all wore tunics and armour, fitting for their time.
"Is it the Organ Grinder?" one said in hushed tones.
"'e's come ta take our kids!" another shouted.
Someone's baby cried in their grasp, and they wrenched themselves away from the Hypno's sight. A royal guard wielding a crystal halberd pointed the tip of his spear to Jung.
"Move, beast," he snarled. "You are brave to show your face again after what you did."
Jung raised his arms in defense. "Wait, what did I do?"
"You took our children and murdered them, you foul Hypno." He stepped forward, and Jung stepped back, not wanting to be a living shishkabob. "And you're unarmed as well — you don't have your organ grinder on hand."
"Hold on, who said anything about grinding organs? That's barbaric!"
"You probably ground their bones into dust and made bunting out of their guts, knowing you."
The flags decorating the town centre's walls were now lines of intestines — flecks of rainbow blood blew over everyone in the wind, including Jung. It tasted like chocolate. He put another pawful to his mouth— wait, this was gross, what was he thinking?! The townsfolk were just as horrified as they groaned at the sight of the cocoa-thirsty Hypno.
"I will make a coat out of your hide, Organ Grinder!"
"Wait a sec!" a voice called from far away, along with the pounding of hooves on the pavement. Everyone stopped in their tracks, including the guard, who retreated his spear. The bloody chocolate had melted in the sun, and the bunting became a colourful set of flags again.
The townsfolk bowed as a knight in shining armour approached on the back of a Rapidash. They were also accompanied by a band of merry men, all historical figures throughout the ages: a priest, a samurai, an aproned man holding a chisel, a Delphox with a feather quill. The knight hopped off their steed and fed him an apple.
"Thank you," the Rapidash said, "m'neighdy."
"You're welcome." The knight took her helmet off, revealing a Hypno with lustrous lemony fur. She turned to the halberd-wielding guard, bopping him on the nose, turning his face inside out. "What've I told you about the Organ Grinder?"
He sighed, rearranging his broken face. "An organ grinder isn't a barrel organ, but a hurdy gurdy, Dame Jeanne. Nor a machine that turns stomachs into sausages."
"Exactly." Jeanne turned to Jung and smiled. "Hope these guys didn't give ya too much trouble."
"It's no problem." Well, almost being made into a scarf was a problem, but that was water beneath the Grimmsnarl's bridge. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dame Jeanne. I am honoured to be in your presence."
"Well, aren't you chivalrous? You know you're in a dream, right?"
Jung blinked. Oh, right. It was easy to forget sometimes, and it depended on the dreamer as well. But this wasn't his dream either, so he didn't have much control over the dreamscape.
"I got distracted by the guards here."
"Ah, lemme fix that." She snapped her fingers and they all turned into clucking Torchic, leaving their clothes and armour behind. The townsfolk went about their day as if nothing happened, washing their clothes in basins, playing the lute for coin, tap dancing with the stray Meowth. A glass table also materialised in front of them with tea sets and cakes before them. It didn't take long for Jung to gorge himself on those sweets, even though they tasted of nothing. That took empty calories to a whole new level.
"So," Jeanne said, "where'd you come from?"
"My place," Jung said, wiping the cream off his nose. "Well, I'm not from your dwelling since I came from the city."
"A city slicker, cool! So you're with a trainer, yeah?"
"Not exactly." Jung started talking about his business in the human world. He rattled off his job like a resume since he was so used to telling strangers in Anistar what he did to ward off suspicion. Even in his dreams, he still couldn't escape from reality. Jeanne listened intently as she read a book where all the pages were blank.
"I never knew you could do that with your powers," Jeanne said, "that's awesome."
"Well, thanks." Jung's heart warmed – finally, a compliment for his hard work. "I try my best to help who I can."
"And I know a lot of Pokemon who have to deal with stuff trainers can't fix. Heck, Chansey historically offered soldiers and their Pokemon emotional support off the battlefield. Did you know in one account, 200 years ago, that an Arcanine of a soldier who was killed in action waited 20 years for him to come home?"
The samurai from before walked in and sat by the table, nursing a cup of green tea. "Have you seen my dog? I think I left him in the car— no, wait, he's a fire dog, he can take care of the heat."
"Okayyyy." Jung swirled his tea — it turned into sludge which overflowed from the cup like molasses. "But yes, I've seen the statue in pictures—"
"And that statue was built in Saffron City 4 years after the Arcanine's death, and the sculptor who created it also erected 50 statues across Kanto, and–"
An Alakazam levitated the table up in the air, spilling all of the plates, cakes, and tea sets on the floor. He flung it against the spires of the castle, knocking it into another set of spires like dominoes.
"I, the Great Balthuqur, shall save you from your corrupt parasite of a king!" the Alakazam shouted.
"Isn't Balthuqur supposed to be from that book, The Five Towers?" Jung asked.
"Yup. I read all sorts of stuff, anything involving wizards or knights is my bread and butter." She took a bite out of a plain sandwich with no fillings in it. "I get a bit carried away though, though at least you can't get bored in a dream."
"No, that's alright. I know the feeling. I don't know the last time I gave myself the luxury of reading a book in my spare time, but I have stacks of them waiting at home." A leaning tower of books emerged behind her, which stood higher than the towers around them. "You seem well read."
Jeanne raised the blank book, which flapped its pages and flew away like a Wingull. "Yeah, I read for fun a lot when I was with a trainer."
"You had a trainer? I heard they were discouraged from training Hypno to begin with."
She hugged herself. "Yeah, you could say that. But whatever, now I'm here, I enjoy it a lot more than battling other Pokemon. I can read whatever I want without anyone bothering me, well, except everyone else in this dwelling—" she stopped when a human in trainer gear strolled past, playing the hurdy gurdy, followed by a line of Rattata who were hypnotised by his song. "Anyway, I'd say it's like a family over here."
"It seems like quite the community," Jung said. Even though most of the Hypno and Drowzee there were asleep, including himself and Jeanne. "And on that note, one of your kind, Moony, told me to meet Hoothoot, whoever that is."
"Who?" a Hoothoot hooted behind him.
"That's what I'm asking, who."
Jeanne blew a raspberry — razzberries sprayed from her mouth. "Eh, that old geezer, just another Hypno. You only really need him if you're new to the dwelling and want his blessing. Either that or you've got nightmares for him to gobble up."
Jung leaned forward in his invisible chair. "Wait, he can eat nightmares?"
"Yeah, that's what I said."
"Then he can help." He stood up. "I've been suffering from terrible ones lately. I can't sleep on my own without experiencing them, I'm falling behind at work, and I'm tired and I really hate it."
A storm cloud formed above him, hovering over his head like a Honedge. Jeanne's eyes widened and she snapped her fingers, making the sword hover over her own head instead.
"Wait—"
The cloud swung like a toy hammer, bonking her head off like a pumpkin off of a scarecrow. Jung stared, trying to process what he had just witnessed.
"But yeah—" Jeanne's decapitated head spoke—"Hoothoot's upstairs in the Fire Boss' Quarters if you need to see him. Just wake him up."
Her body picked her head off the floor and screwed it back onto her neck like a loose bolt on a screw. Jung nursed his temple.
"I need to get out of this dream before I lose my mind."
"Then eat it!" Jeanne offered her arm, which turned into a corncob. "That's a surefire way to get out of a dream, and I've got a few free ones, so I don't mind."
Her corny arm dripped with salty butter. He wanted to bury his face in those kernels and chomp it all down. But… he couldn't. That would go against his personal code.
"Um, I'm on a diet. Is there any other way I can get out?"
Her arm turned back to normal. "Wait, so you don't eat dreams at all?"
"I swore I would never do that as long as I stayed in the human world."
"Woah, so you went completely cold turkey?" Jeanne nibbled on a tiny finger of corn. "That would drive me mad."
He pointed to the splattered cakes on the floor. "I have a sweet tooth to compensate – it's the only thing that satisfies that craving."
"Well, I hope you have a good dentist. But whatever floats your Gogoat." She closed her eyes, fiddling with the fluff by her neck. "Hmm, I don't think I can just click my heels and say 'there's no place like home', but there are ways to force you to wake up."
Jung gulped. He knew where this was going. "I have to die in the dream to wake up. The mind's response to that sort of primal fear is to release adrenaline."
"Yeah, whatever you said, sounds like a lot of technobabble to me, though." She stood up. "And how do you wanna die?"
"Quickly and painlessly, please."
"Alright." Jeanne raised her fingers, about to click them, when she smiled back at Jung. "If you're still around when we wake up, it'll be nice to talk in person. I hope the snoring hasn't put you off too much."
"No, not at all. In fact, I find you to be rather charming and a good conversationalist."
"Well, thanks, Jung. I'm not looking for any guys, though."
"I'm not interested in girls myself."
"Fair play. You ready?"
He took a deep breath, anticipating how he'd meet his untimely demise. Whatever happened, it would be good to tear off the band aid. "I'm ready."
She clicked her fingers and just like that, a falling piano crushed Jung.
Jung woke up in a cold sweat and with a pain he couldn't quite describe. He remembered what happened in the dream, but that didn't explain why his body ached. Then he realised he lay flat on his nose — he must've fallen to the floor when he hypnotised himself into slumber. What an idiot. When Jung sat up, he nursed his poor face. He didn't know how much more abuse his snout could take today.
The next thing he noticed was the cracked window near the entrance. It was still daylight, but the early evening sun reared its head, casting the dilapidated building in an orange glow. How long was he out cold for?
"Hey, hey, hey!" A Drowzee ran into the room like an overgrown potato with legs. "Hi! You're new! Who are you? How are you doing?"
"Oh, hello!" Jung said, putting on a smile for the young chap. "I'm Jung, and I'm fine, thank you. What's your name?"
The Drowzee sucked his thumb. "Don't have one yet, but that's okay, just call me Drip, that's the name I kind of like, everyone calls me that, cuz I'm always drooling and stuff, oh hey, I'm drooling now!" He sniffed his pig-like snout towards Jung's pocket. "What's that? Is that a bag? I'm starving as well! Bored and starving and tired, like a… I dunno, a Slowpoke in the desert! Can I have it? Can I have it?"
Jung pulled out his pack of bonbons. He was going to save that for himself, but there was no harm giving his sweets to a child that wanted some. "Help yourself."
"Thanks, four eyes!"
The instant Drip got ahold of the pack, he tore at it with such voracity that the bag exploded, bonbons rolling all over the floor. This didn't deter him as he planted his face on the floor, sucking the sweets up like a vacuum cleaner. His nose certainly looked like a nozzle for one.
Even though Jung didn't expect to have his travel snacks pilfered, somehow he didn't mind. He giggled at the sight of the hyperactive tapir. Now he needed to get down to business and meet this Hoothoot. That name still threw Jung off — he pictured a giant owl roosting in an office, but he knew it was another Hypno.
Before Jung made his way towards the dorms, he glanced at the Drowzee, who continued to chomp at the last of the bonbons with delight. Once he finished, however, Drip deflated, tracing his finger along the cracks in the floor.
"Are you going to be alright on your own?"
"Yeah." Drip looked at Jeanne. "I'm gonna stay with her — I like her dreams."
Jung stared at him a moment longer. He didn't want to judge his parents, wherever they were, but leaving a kid alone to his own devices in a place like this, Drowzee or not, put a pit in his stomach. This was no environment for any ordinary child. But it also wasn't his business to intrude on another dwelling's business.
The rest of the old mining building stood in various states of disarray. Cracked hardhats sat on rusted coathooks in the corridors leading up to the dorms. His feet left impressions on the dusty floor – the building had probably accrued decades of detritus. There were loose floorboards, heaps of clothes and all sorts of other debris.
As Jung searched the hallways for the staircase, he heard snoring from one of the rooms. He followed the source, taking him to a communal dorm room where dozens Hypno slept on ruined bunk beds and disused mattresses, with different Drowzee resting by their feet to feed on their dreams. His heart sank at the sight. They deserved better than slumming in a ruined building.