Chapter 28 - It All Matters
"Good afternoon!" Charlie greeted cheerfully, bowing respectfully as she entered the main hallway.
"Hello, Miss Charlie," Carmen greeted her. Sparks echoed this, though with much less enthusiasm.
"Are we ready?" Charlie asked him.
"Not quite yet. We'll be another ten minutes or so…" he replied.
"Okay. That's fine. We're not in any rush…"
It was a sunny day outside, but that didn't do much for Sparks' disposition. The last few days within the guild had been quite stressful and demoralizing, and it had definitely taken its toll on the older, tired Raichu.
The guild was being sued. No longer was there simply a letter of intent to sue; papers had been delivered. A court date was set, and lawyers on both sides were beginning to get prepared. Despite all they had done to try and prevent this, it looked like Ziggy was going to have to set his paws within a courthouse. Sparks absolutely hated this. Not only was a courtroom not a good place for an anxious Pokémon like Ziggy, but was not a good place for a shiny Pokémon to be either.
That wasn't what was going on today, though. The hearing wasn't until next Wednesday. On this particular weekend, a group of Ziggy's friends were going to take him down to the courthouse just to visit it. The hope was that this might take some of the edge off when it was show time. Sparks would be going, of course, alongside Charlie and Carmen. The guildmaster, in particular, had taken great interest in this whole escapade, for obvious reasons.
Sparks and Carmen invited Charlie into the common room, where she went to go sit down on the couch. Sparks sat next to her, while Carmen wandered off. She had never been a fan of sitting down while waiting.
"How is he?" Charlie asked.
"Jittery…" Sparks replied, "He's trying to put on a brave face, but he's definitely nervous."
The Lopunny just nodded and didn't say anything else.
"How are you?" Sparks asked.
"Aunt Myrtle is noticing how distant I've become. I don't think I'm gonna be in that house much longer… Not sure where I'm going to go, but anywhere would be better."
"Well…" Sparks said, "You know you can stay here, right? We take in homeless Pokémon all the time and house them temporarily until they can get on their paws."
"Really?" Charlie asked, then her face soured a little. "I hate thinking of myself as 'homeless'…"
Sparks shrugged. "It's a blanket term."
Charlie then spent a moment glancing around at the room. It was still early in the morning, so members of the active team were still around. Sparks tried to think of something else to say, but eventually settled on just watching the room as well.
He noticed Rico sitting at one end of the long table, studying a scrap of paper. Sparks guessed that it was something he had torn off of the request board. He had a small backpack with him, so it looked like he was almost ready to go. A moment later, another Pokémon approached him. Rico turned and smiled, and then got up to depart.
The fact that this other Pokémon wasn't Terry was still very strange to see. Instead, Rico walked off with Lupe, the two apparently working together on this request. The two were smiling, though Sparks could see other emotions twisted into both of their expressions.
On the other paw, Terry was the subject of the only silver lining to be found on this particular day. He had finally come out of his room, and it was Ziggy who had helped him do so. Ziggy had been let into the Eevee's room on a few days, and he later told Sparks that he didn't even say very much. Apparently, Terry just appreciated him for being a good listener. Terry wasn't in the common room right now, but he wasn't locked in his room either.
"Excuse me…" Charlie spoke up.
Sparks turned to her. "Hm?"
"Who is that?"
When Charlie pointed with one of her paws, Sparks followed and saw that she was pointing at the Lucario sitting at the far end of the table. He was sitting with a paw against his forehead, and a quill pen in the other.
"That's Dante," Sparks answered.
"That's the Dante?" Charlie replied incredulously.
Sparks chuckled softly. "That is the dashing, daring Lucario known as Dante, yes."
"What's he doing here?" Charlie asked with a hint of reverie in his voice.
"He's family!" Sparks replied, "He's a graduated guild alumnus of the Rescue Society."
"Oh, that's right…" Charlie nodded. "Sorry, I just know him more for what he's done…after that. But, uh, what's he doing here now?"
"He's looking into the Nihilego…" Sparks answered. Dante had told him before that it was okay to tell Pokémon what he was doing. It wasn't exactly a secret after all.
"Oh that thing…" Charlie murmured, "It gives me the creeps… It's rather frightening, isn't it? They said it might be dangerous…"
Sparks idly glanced off in the direction Rico had gone. "Yeah…"
A loud snap suddenly cut through the air, catching everyone's attention. Sparks turned to look at Dante, noticing that he had snapped his quill pen in half.
"Excuse me for a minute…" he said to Charlie, and then got up and walked over to where the Lucario was sitting. Kona was nearby and also walked over. "Hey, big guy," Sparks said, "Everything okay?"
"Not a good sign…" Dante murmured, not directly addressing either of them.
"What's not a good sign?" Kona asked.
Finally, Dante looked up towards Kona, and then to Sparks. "I have been so focused on other aspects of this whole thing…" he said darkly, "that I've overlooked something obvious."
"Like what?" Sparks asked.
"Including the incident in the park," Dante explained, "the Nihilego has been sighted four times. However, there is a distinct difference between its first two appearances, and its last two. You recall how when it appeared in the park, you said it appeared through something resembling a portal and disappeared into the same…"
"That's right," Sparks said.
"…There were no sightings of a portal for these two recent sightings."
Sparks furrowed his brow in confusion for a moment, and looked over at Kona who seemed just as confused. A moment later, though, it dawned on him. "Oh…" he said, a subtle feeling of dread creeping over him, "So you think…"
"Like I said, not a good sign," Dante reaffirmed, "Before it was coming and going. This seems to imply it's here more permanently now…"
Thoughts clouded the Raichu's mind for a moment as he considered this. "Well…" he said, but couldn't find his words. What did this mean, exactly? Did it mean anything, or was it just circumstantial? He had so many new questions, but none of his old questions about the Nihilego had even been answered yet.
"This changes things a little…" Dante commented to no-one in particular.
"Do you think you can, like, track it down now?" Kona asked.
"Optimistically, I want to say yes…" Dante said, "Life has taught me to expect something less optimistic, though…"
For a moment, Sparks just regarded the Lucario. He still remembered the small, bright-eyed Riolu who sat alone in the corner, wanting to help but unable to do very much. Such a lost cub he had been, only to become the amazing Pokémon he was now. In some ways, though, he could still get 'lost' sometimes.
"Well, maybe you'll make friends with it," Sparks said, trying to lighten the mood, "You do have a habit of finding friends in strange places."
"Don't insult yourself like that," Dante said with a small snicker.
"Hey, that's more like it. Keep a smile on that face."
"Aw, go be saccharine somewhere else," Dante said with a wave of his paw.
"Sparks?" a voice then rang out, "I'm ready…"
The Raichu in question turned around and saw Ziggy standing over by the door to the dorms next to Jules. "Well!" Sparks proclaimed as he walked over, "Don't you look handsome?"
Ziggy blushed a little in embarrassment. All of his fur, from head to tail, had been groomed so that it wasn't in its usual messy-like state. Buizel fur was typically smooth and sleek, and this was the first time Ziggy fit that descriptor. "Uh…Thanks…I guess…"
"Thanks for lending him your brushes, Jules," Sparks said to the Sylveon.
"'Lending' nothing," the Sylveon scoffed, "I brushed him myself."
"Really?" Sparks remarked in surprise, "Well, that was very nice of you. Thank you!"
"If the kid's gotta look his best, who better for the job than yours truly?" Jules asked with a bit of a smug grin.
Sparks just rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, of course, you're the most beautiful Pokémon in this entire guild. We know."
"Most handsome, thank you very much."
With a dismissive wave of his paw not unlike the one Dante had given him, Sparks turned his attention down to Ziggy. He was also wearing a shirt. It certainly didn't cover him up like his hoodie, but it had pockets on the front and Ziggy had said he liked keeping his paws in pockets while out in public. The shirt had been a gift from Rico. "Ready to go, then?" he asked.
"I…I dunno…"
"C'mon, let's go," Sparks said invitingly, "Charlie's already here." Sparks then began leading him over to the couch. Ziggy gave Charlie a wave as he approached, smiling a little bit.
"Look at you!" Charlie marveled, "You look very nice, Ziggy!"
"Thanks…"
"Thank you for coming along with us, Charlie," Sparks said.
"I might have to come with you the next time too," Charlie said, "So it's the least I could do."
Everyone, especially Ziggy, was startled by another loud snap. Attention once again focused on Dante, who had somehow gotten another quill pen from somewhere.
"Dante, you gonna start paying for those?" Carmen asked half-jokingly.
"Sorry," he apologized, "I'll bring my own next time…"
Sparks frowned as he watched the Lucario. It was so rare to see Dante get this frustrated and upset over something. It was definitely a worrying sight. He really wanted to go over and help him, but Sparks knew he had other matters at paw to deal with.
"Is…Dante okay?" Ziggy asked quietly.
"He's fine," Sparks said, turning to him, "He'll be fine. We should get going, okay? Wanna get there before it gets too busy."
Ziggy wrung his paws and cast his gaze down. "I…I'm kinda nervous…"
"Don't need to be nervous about anything," Sparks said, "This isn't a trial or anything. No-one's gonna get in trouble today. We're just going to go hang out and look around."
"Okay…"
Sparks smiled and gave the Buizel a pat on the back. He was happy to see that Ziggy had his badge clipped onto his new shirt as well. That was a good sign, if nothing else.
"Let's get going," Carmen said as she approached the group.
Sparks nodded to her. After a brief pause, Ziggy nodded as well.
It was a slightly chilly day out in the city. The streets weren't as bustling as they might have been if the weather were warmer. Ziggy certainly didn't mind that aspect one bit. Still, though, he kept his paws in his pockets to keep them warm. Even though he enjoyed the cold and didn't feel its effects, it was always his forepaws that got cold first.
Ziggy sighed softly to himself. Here he was, out in public again. It was difficult for him to do, considering what had happened the last time he had been in public. His gaze flitted about as it always did, always on the lookout for danger. He saw the stares, just as usual.
It was a different experience for him being out this particular time. He had spent weeks upon weeks getting over his fear of the outside world and of being seen in public. Slowly, by going on walks with Sparks and joining jobs with the active team, Ziggy had steadily become much less afraid of being out and being seen. That much was still true. He knew that everybody was staring at him, but he just ignored it as best he could.
However, the confidence he had felt before when going out was gone now. He wasn't happy at all. Even though he had gotten over his fear of being seen by others, right now he detested it. He didn't want to be seen by anybody. His mood was as sour as a Nomel Berry.
"Just a couple more blocks," Sparks said to him.
Ziggy glanced up at the Raichu, and then around to his two other companions. Carmen was walking ahead of them, or perhaps marching was a better term. Ziggy realized that she probably preferred to look strong and important out in public, since she was the leader of the local guild. Charlie, meanwhile, was walking on his side opposite of Sparks. She gave him a little smile when he looked at her, but Ziggy could tell that she was dealing with emotions similar to his own.
Another forlorn sigh slipped past his lips. He didn't want to be out here. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to go through any of this stuff. All he wanted to do at this point was go back to the guild and crawl into bed.
'Some guild member that makes me…' he said to himself, glancing down at the badge on his shirt.
"Doin' okay, bud?" Sparks asked him.
Ziggy wanted to reassure his friend, but he found that all he could bring himself to do was to shrug.
"You'll be fine. We're with you the whole time."
"M'kay…" Ziggy mumbled.
"What about you, Charlie? You sure you're okay being seen out here…y'know, with us?"
"I don't care about that anymore," Charlie said, "I promised I'd help make this right. That's what I'm doing."
Ziggy saw Sparks give her an appreciative smile. "You have a good heart."
The next city block passed without anyone saying anything. Ziggy kept his head down the whole time as he walked. It wasn't because he was afraid of being seen, but just because he honestly felt really depressed. He had tried to keep a positive attitude about this whole thing, but it wasn't working.
He'd punched a Pokémon in the face, and now the guild was suffering for it. That was the simplest way to look at the circumstances. Ziggy still didn't feel any remorse for actually punching her, it was just the after-affects that were regrettable. Ziggy knew Charlie's point of view, being that she wanted to help make things better, because he did too. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to.
It was really upsetting that this whole mess was how his time as a guildmember was going to start. Then again, Ziggy honestly couldn't have been surprised. Nothing ever went well when it came to him, after all.
"Cheer up, bud…"
Ziggy lifted his head just enough to look over at Sparks, but didn't say anything.
"It's not all doom and gloom. It never is," Sparks said, "I know a lot of bad stuff is happening right now, but you also managed to get Terry out of his room. That's a good thing!"
For a moment, Ziggy paused and thought back to his experiences with the distraught Eevee, specifically to the first day. After Charlie had left that day, Ziggy was surprised to hear from Sparks that Terry wanted to see him, and him specifically. Terry had only opened the door a crack just wide enough to let him in, and closed it immediately behind.
It had been shocking to see the disheveled state of the Eevee. His fur was a complete mess, more so than usual, the fur on his face matted from tears, and parts of the room were in complete disarray as if he had been throwing things around. Ziggy had been there when Rico had broken up with him and had seen just how hard he had been crying at the time, but Ziggy had no idea that it was this bad.
At first, Terry just led him over to the bed and then hugged him. They hugged silently for at least five minutes, and then Terry started to cry again. They then kept on hugging for even longer. It felt like an hour had passed before Terry had finally found the strength to talk. Ziggy'd honestly had no idea what to say, but he tried his best to just be friendly and encouraging. Terry had said it helped.
"He said you were a great listener," Sparks remarked.
"I…guess I am."
"Sometimes all you need is a friendly face and a shoulder to cry on…"
Ziggy cast his gaze downwards for a minute, deep in thought. Then he looked up at Sparks again and said, "How can we help him?"
"Terry? Well…" Sparks trailed off, "I don't know, really. Probably the only thing we can do is to be there for him, just like we always are. I hate to be pessimistic, but this is more than just a regular breakup. It's a unique circumstance, and poor Terry has to be caught up in the middle of it."
"I hate seeing him so sad…"
"We all do," Sparks agreed, "Memories got lost and his whole life turned upside-down. They don't exactly have self-help books for that kind of thing in the library…"
As the group then rounded the next corner, finally the courthouse came into view. It wasn't a particularly spectacular building by any means. It was just a simple white and grey building with decorative columns out front. The name "Radiant City Courthouse" in bold letters above the entrance were probably its most striking feature.
Ziggy had never seen this building before. It was an area of town he hadn't really visited before. To tell the truth, he still didn't fully grasp what exactly a courthouse was. Today was supposed to teach him this, but all he felt was nervousness upon seeing the building.
The group approached the courthouse in silence. They stopped on the sidewalk at the base of the small set of wide stairs leading up to the main doors of the building. The courthouse and its surrounding area weren't particularly busy at this time of day. However, the few Pokémon around were definitely all giving Ziggy direct stares. This was clearly an area where it was particularly unusual to see a shiny. Ziggy felt a bit of his fear of being in public start to creep back in.
"Okay!" Charlie announced as she turned to face the rest of the group, "I'm going to head in and get checked in and stuff. It won't take long, then I can let you guys come in."
"Thanks so much for using your connections and setting this up," Sparks said to her.
"Yeah, well…I might as well use 'em before I lose 'em…" Charlie replied glibly.
"Either way, we appreciate it," Carmen added, "I loathe dealing with anybody who works in this building, so I'm especially glad I'm not the one who had to jump through hoops…"
Charlie then turned her attention towards Ziggy. He looked up at her, feeling a bit of comfort in seeing her kind, smiling face. "We'll try to make this fun, okay? Just a learning experience. No pressure or anything. I won't be long, so just hang out here for a bit okay?"
Ziggy nodded and said, "Okay. Th-thanks, Miss Charlie."
The Lopunny gave him a pat on the head, and then turned and headed into the building. She disappeared behind the doors, and soon the other three were left quietly standing on the sidewalk. Ziggy started glancing around, trying to keep from feeling nervous. He had his paws deep in his pockets, which made him feel a little better. Why, he wasn't exactly sure.
The Pokémon walking around this part of the city looked different. A lot more of them had combed, smooth, styled fur. More of them were wearing clothing, particularly a variety of hats, and many of them were either carrying briefcases or wearing professional-looking backpacks. And, of course, they were all staring at him. They were all staring.
Ziggy couldn't keep a little moan of distress from slipping out.
"What's up, bud?" Sparks asked.
He winced slightly, hoping nobody had heard him. "I dunno…" he murmured.
Sparks looked down at him sympathetically. "I wish we could've let you wear your hoodie for this, but it wouldn't have been a good idea. Bulky, oversized clothing tends to look a bit suspicious in places like a courthouse…"
"It's fine, I guess…" Ziggy said as he scuffed one of his hind paws on the ground absently, "I just feel crappy…I've felt crappy for a lot of days, and it just gets to me, y'know?"
"I know… It's perfectly reasonable to feel the way you're feeling. Just try not to let it get to you too much. We're still far, far away from total gloom and doom. And don't worry, nobody on the street's going to bother you in front of a courthouse, especially with the guildmaster standing right next to you."
Ziggy turned and looked up at Carmen, but she was looking off into the distance with a thoughtful look in her eye. "I wish I'd had a tour before I came here for the first time…" she said softly. Confused, Ziggy looked over at Sparks for clarification.
"Carmen…helped defend me when…I had to come here…"
"Oh, right…" Ziggy murmured.
"To a little tiny, defenseless Fennekin," Carmen remarked, "It's a pretty terrifying place."
"'Tiny, defenseless Fennekin'?!" Sparks spat suddenly, "Who the hell are you talking about? Certainly not you!"
Carmen smirked at him, but didn't say anything.
Sparks just shook his head, and turned back to Ziggy. "She could still kick my ass even after I evolved when she was a Fennekin. Tiny paws, sure, but damn they hurt!"
"Either way," Carmen remarked, "I'll just as soon be glad to get this ugliness put behind us…"
Ziggy winced again, and hung his head a little.
"I…didn't mean it like that, Ziggy," Carmen said afterwards.
"No, you're right…" Ziggy said, "It's a whole bunch of ugliness I caused."
Sparks tried to cut in. "Ziggy-"
"I know, I know, I know…" Ziggy interrupted, "I'm trying to think positive, but…it just really sucks that everything I've done so far while wearing this badge has been bad… I kinda feel like maybe I wasn't ready yet…"
"You…" Sparks started to say, but then trailed off. He was silent for a few seconds, and then Ziggy felt him lay a paw on his shoulder. "Ziggy, buddy…" he said in a gentle voice, "We believed you were ready, and we still do. Me, Carmen, everybody! But you know yourself better than any of us do… If you really think you're not ready for this, then just let us know."
Ziggy looked up at Sparks in surprise, and mixed emotions swirled through him. "I…I, uh…" he muttered unsurely. Then, he sighed and let his shoulders slump, turning to look down at the ground instead. "I guess…" he said quietly, "I guess I'm…I mean, if I'm being honest with myself…I-"
"You!"
A sudden, shrill voice cut through the air, alerting the three Pokémon as well as anybody else standing near. It took everybody by surprise, but for Ziggy it also sent an icy chill up his spine. From the way he felt Sparks' paw stiffen, Ziggy guessed that he felt it too. Ziggy knew that voice. That shrieking, high-pitched, ear-grating voice could only belong to one Pokémon, and it was the last Pokémon on the planet that Ziggy wanted to see right now.
Nervously, Ziggy lifted his head and looked in the direction the voice had come from. He hoped that he was just mistaken, but he quickly saw that he wasn't. Stomping towards them with a venomous scowl on her face was Myrtle Opalescence. The Delcatty somehow looked even angrier than she had while in the restaurant.
"What are you doing here?!" she demanded, addressing Ziggy directly with a hot, blood-boiling glare.
Ziggy flinched back, ashamed at himself immediately for doing so. He then felt Sparks move, and soon found that the Raichu was placing himself between Ziggy and the stomping Delcatty.
Thankfully, Myrtle had at least some sense of restraint and stopped a couple of metres away from Sparks, though she certainly didn't stop glaring at him. Ziggy didn't cower behind Sparks, but he was also in no hurry to come out from behind him.
"Get out of here this instant!" Myrtle screeched, "I don't know what you're up to, but I won't stand by and let it happen! The trial isn't until Wednesday, so until then scat!"
"Can we help you?" Carmen said in a strong, authoritative voice as she stepped closer to the Delcatty with her forelimbs crossed. The emphasis in her voice made it sound more like she was saying, 'What the hell are you doing?'
Myrtle didn't even acknowledge the Braixen. "This is just like your kind!" she spat, "Skulking around and trying to be sneaky, trying to cheat the trial somehow! Deplorable, the lot of you!"
"Excuse me!" Sparks cut in, "We're standing in a public space, and we have an appointment within this building. I don't know where you think you get the authority to tell us what we can and can't do."
"You are a liar!" she exclaimed, finally turning away from Ziggy and leveling a venomous glare at Sparks.
"Wh…What?" Sparks stammered.
"You said you were trained in first aid, so I trusted you! You said there was nothing wrong, but instead my beautiful face has been permanently scarred and destroyed by your disgusting little pet!"
"What are you talking about?! There's nothing wrong with your face!" Sparks cried out incredulously. Indeed, at least from where Ziggy was standing, there wasn't anything visibly wrong with the Delcatty's face or muzzle. She didn't even have a bruise in the spot where he'd punched her, probably because any bruise that had been there had already faded away.
"Sparks…" Carmen said in a warning tone, holding up one of her paws as if to say 'calm down'.
The Raichu simply sighed and shook his head.
"In any case!" Myrtle continued, "I demand that you take your freaky little pet and get out of here before I call the police…Or worse, my lawyers!"
"For what?" Carmen replied. Ziggy was astounded at how calm she sounded.
"Interfering in an otherwise fair court trial!" she screeched, sounding almost exactly like claws on a chalkboard, "I know he's up to something! Freaks like him are always up to something! Why do you think I refused to let him in the restaurant! I probably saved the patrons there from whatever scheme he was planning!"
"Ma'am, please calm down…" Carmen said.
"No! I will not calm down while that thing is still here! I swear to Arceus… If my lawyers had not advised me against it, I wouldn't hesitate to teach this little creep a lesson myself, right here and now! He deserves it for what he did to me!"
Ziggy's heart was hammering in his chest. All of this was happening so suddenly, he didn't have time to process it properly. It was like watching a terrible accident; he was just silent and couldn't look away. Myrtle's words cut deep, every one of them. She was doing a wonderful job of reminding Ziggy why he was always afraid of other Pokémon. No matter how much he learned to ignore the others, no matter how much Sparks could convince him that most of them would leave him alone, one of them might just be another Myrtle.
And while he still wasn't the least bit sorry for punching her, he knew that she had every right to be angry at him. He wished that she wasn't being so chromaphobic about it all, but her anger towards him was justified. He wanted to stand up for himself, shout things back at her for all the horrible things that she had said, but what would be the point? After everything was said and done, he had still punched her in the face.
Myrtle continued to rage and shout for a few minutes. The only silver lining to her tirade was that she was drawing in the stares of everyone around them, which meant nobody was staring at him anymore. Eventually, Carmen somewhat succeeded in quieting her down. She stopped shouting venomous, hateful things, but she was definitely no less angry.
"Mark my words…" she said, looking at Ziggy and addressing him again, "I may not have been able to sue you directly, but I am going to destroy you in court tomorrow. I am going to take everything from you, and from all of your precious caretakers. Because of you, nobody will ever think of hiring the Rescue Society for anything ever again. All because you decided you could walk into an upscale restaurant like Le Corbeau Ennuyé, where your kind simply does not belong."
Ziggy didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything. A cold chill ran through him as her words hit him like a ton of bricks. She was right. If she won this case, if the Rescue Society lost, then it would ruin their reputation. It would cost them tons of money and maybe even put them in debt. It might even shut down completely.
And it would all be because of him.
All because he had lost his temper for the first time in his life.
All because he had foolishly accepted a position on the guild, thinking he was ready for such a responsibility and letting his pride get to his head. It was the biggest mistake anyone had ever made. Who in their right mind would let a freak like him into their ranks? All he did was cause trouble. Nothing good ever happened when he was around.
Ziggy couldn't help but hang his head. He heard Myrtle cackling and saying more awful things in the background. Ziggy knew she was right. Even though he tried his best, trouble just followed him wherever he went. He had been working so hard to improve himself, but would it ever be enough?
"I don't know why you even disgrace this beautiful city with your freak paws," Myrtle continued, "No other freaks like you live here, so why are you here? Your kind doesn't belong here, clearly, otherwise there would be more of you here!"
"Stop!" Carmen shouted, "Stop this, right now! This is harassment, and you need to stop otherwise the authorities will get involved."
"You can't stop me from standing here and speaking my mind!" she shot back, "After all, I'm not the one here who punched a Pokémon in the face!"
Ziggy just winced and shrunk back even further. Maybe she was right. Maybe he really didn't belong in this city at all, and just being here was doing more harm than good. Both to himself and to others. He didn't want to submit to her demands, but Ziggy wondered if perhaps he really should just leave. What would be the point of staying? All his friends were struggling through a lawsuit all because of him, and everyone else in the city hated him. Whose life was he making any better by being here?
He didn't want this anymore. He didn't want to be here, he didn't want to stay here, he didn't want to cause any more trouble. Ziggy lifted his head and looked up at Sparks, tugging on his paw to get his attention. Sparks looked back at him in concern, and Ziggy took a deep breath before he started to solemnly speak. "Sparks, I…"
"Mr. Ziggy Wiggy!"
Ziggy gasped, and the other nearby Pokémon fell silent. He knew that voice. He knew that nickname too. He was hit with a sense of déjà vu, but this time he felt much happier about hearing a familiar voice. He turned around to look behind him, as did everyone else, and there Ziggy saw a heartwarming sight.
Zuri, the young Nidoran he had helped rescue from a Mystery Dungeon, was smiling and waving at him excitedly. She was sitting clutched in the grasp of her mother Asha, and the Nidoqueen was looking over towards them as well. She smiled a moment later once she recognized who her daughter had seen, and immediately started walking over.
"It's Mr. Ziggy Wiggy!" Zuri was squealing joyfully, "Hello!"
Ziggy was struck silent for a moment by having not expected to see these two, of all Pokémon, at a time like this. Soon, though, he managed a small little half grin and waved back.
It didn't take long for Asha to reach them. "Well, look who it is!" she greeted Ziggy cheerfully, "Mr. Ziggy, it's been quite a while."
"Ah…H-hi," Ziggy said to her softly.
"Hi Ziggyyyy!"
"It's good to see you," Asha chimed in, "I'm so sorry we haven't been by to visit. Zuri's just started grade school this year, of course, so we've been really busy."
Ziggy looked up at the smiling face of the little Nidoran, sitting comfortably in her mother's grasp, and couldn't help but smile a bit as well. Just seeing her was starting to chase away a few of the dark clouds in his head. He still had such vivid memories of the two of them being the first Pokémon outside of the guild to ever turn a blind eye to his fur colour. He was just about to say something to Zuri, but then the cub said something that utterly shocked him.
"Hi grandma!"
Zuri was looking behind him. She was waving again. There was logically only one Pokémon she could be talking about, but Ziggy simply couldn't believe it. Slowly he turned around, along the way catching Sparks' equally shocked expression, until he was looking over at Myrtle again.
The Delcatty looked like she was struck dumb by what was happening. She had the most perplexed expression, her mouth hanging open slightly and her eyes flicking rapidly between the various nearby Pokémon. "Uhm..." she muttered, and then shook her head. She then adopted a charming, friendly smile, which looked incredibly out of place for her, and said, "Hello sweetheart."
Ziggy was floored. The expressions of his guildmates showed they were all just as shocked as he was. Myrtle was Zuri's grandmother? Zuri was Myrtle's granddaughter? It just didn't seem possible. Ziggy's brain refused to make the connection.
Asha politely stepped past Ziggy and walked over to Myrtle. "Hi, mom," Asha greeted her.
"Ah…Hello, dear…" Myrtle murmured. She was still smiling sweetly, but Ziggy could see that her expression was straining. "What, ah…What are you two doing here?"
"Zuri has a playdate," Asha explained with a gentle smile, "and her friend lives a few blocks from here."
"Oh…I see…" Myrtle said, "That sounds lovely…"
"We were just passing through, and what a surprise to see not one but two Pokémon we know! Haha!"
"Grandma! Grandma!" Zuri chirped excitedly, "This is Ziggy!"
As the Nidoran pointed a claw at him, Ziggy felt his blood run cold for a split second. This was all happening too fast. How was Myrtle going to react? Ziggy suspected in a very, very angry way. She could very well convince Zuri and her mother that he was not a good Pokémon. The last thing he wanted was for Asha and Zuri to learn that he had punched Zuri's grandmother.
Myrtle's eyes were on him again, and he could see that cold icy hatred hiding behind them. Ziggy braced himself for what would happen next.
"He's the one who saved me!" Zuri exclaimed, "He rescued me!"
The Delcatty's eyes shot back to Zuri in a flash. A moment later, her ears drooped a little and she tilted her head slightly. "…What?"
"'Member? When I fell down the cave?" Zuri continued to babble excitedly, "Mr. Ziggy found me! He found me down in the dark cave and he got me out!"
"Yes, indeed," Asha concurred, "That is the Pokémon I was telling you about, from the Rescue Society."
"It was all dark and scary, and I didn't know where to go," Zuri continued, "Then Mr. Ziggy Wiggy comes in with a flashlight and I was so happy to see him! Well, first I was kinda scared of him, but he was really nice! Then he and his friends took me up outta the cave and brought me back to mama!"
Asha turned and looked back over her shoulder at Ziggy. "And we still can't thank you enough for that," she said, "It was the worst day of our lives, but you made it better."
Ziggy flushed under the praise. "I-it was nothin'…" he murmured bashfully. He then subtly glanced over at Myrtle.
The Delcatty was frozen on the spot, almost statuesque, with a wide-eyed look. At the moment she was staring at Ziggy, making him wilt under her gaze. She looked back up at Zuri and Asha, opening her mouth but not saying anything. She then looked back at Ziggy again before finally looking up at the two Poison-Types once more.
"Asha…darling…" she murmured softly, "You…You never told me…that it was…"
"Oh!" Asha suddenly perked up and wheeled around to face Ziggy. Zuri giggled in her grasp as she did. "Actually, it's good that we ran into you. Before I forget, since you're here, now might be a better time than any to actually set up a time when we can come visit. I'm sorry for being so forgetful, but we've just been focusing so much on Zuri's schooling."
"Uhh…" Ziggy murmured, caught off-guard by the question. After a few moments of being unable to come up with a response, he turned to look at Sparks for guidance.
"Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually the best days for visitors," Sparks said to her. Ziggy could see he was still a little shellshocked but was trying not to let it hamper him. "Weekends are far too busy, but the 'T days' are usually when we have the least work on our plates."
"Ah! Are these your colleagues?" Asha asked Ziggy. When he nodded, she turned to the others and said, "Hello! Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you as well, ma'am," Sparks said.
"Then how does two Thursdays from now sound?" Asha asked.
"I don't see any problems with that."
"Okay, then!"
"Hooray!" Zuri cheered, "Gonna go play with Ziggy!"
Asha nodded resolutely. "All right then," she said, "We'd love to stick around and chat, but we shouldn't keep Zuri's friend waiting. It was nice to see you all, and it was nice to run into you as well mom. But we're going to head off now."
Myrtle looked up at the Nidoqueen in surprise, and again her mouth worked uselessly for a few moments. She somehow looked even more perplexed than before. It wasn't until Asha started walking off that shook her from her stupor. "O-okay, then," she said, "Nice to see you two as well. Have fun at your playdate…"
"Bye!" Asha waved at them
"Bye grandma! Bye Mr. Ziggy Wiggy!" Zuri yelled.
The group was completely silent as the two Poison-Types headed off. Myrtle was facing away from the rest of them, staring off silently in the direction her two relatives had gone. Ziggy was still shaken by the entire unexpected event. It had certainly been nice to see Zuri again, but he hadn't expected it to be under circumstances like this. Now, nobody seemed to know what to do next.
Finally, Myrtle stood up and slowly turned around on the spot until she was looking at Ziggy. There was a hard look in her eyes, her mouth drawn into a flat, emotionless line on her muzzle. With soft pawsteps, she walked over until she was only about a metre away from him, and then stopped and leaned in even closer. Ziggy couldn't help but shrink back from her, and he saw Sparks tense up out of the corner of his eye.
"…You rescued my granddaughter?"
She spoke in such a straight, even tone of voice that it felt unnerving to Ziggy's ear. "U-um…" he stammered, "Y-yeah, I guess…"
A silent look that could almost, but not quite, be called a glare was the only response Myrtle gave. She just stood there, staring down at him for what felt like multiple minutes. Her face became a mask, hiding her emotions completely. It was as if time was standing still. Ziggy couldn't help but feel afraid. He had no idea what Myrtle was going to say or do next, or what he himself should say or do next.
Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity, Myrtle simply turned around and started walking away.
Ziggy let out the breath he'd been holding and relaxed a little, though he was no less confused. She was just walking away? Leaving? Just like that? Thankfully, Sparks got out of his stupor and called after her. "Hey! Wh-Uh…Where are you going?"
Myrtle stopped in her tracks, and stood still for a moment. He saw her take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then in a low voice, without turning back to look at any of them she simply said, "The lawsuit is off."
Stunned silence was what followed. "Are…Are you serious?" Carmen spoke up.
This time, Myrtle turned back to look at them. She was now wearing a more familiar scowl on her face, and was glaring in particular at Ziggy once more. "You heard me," she grumbled, "The lawsuit is off. Go home. I'm calling the whole thing off."
Ziggy and his friends all shared a glance briefly. "Oh…" Carmen remarked, "Well, uh…Good then."
Myrtle narrowed her gaze. "If you assault me again, then I won't hesitate to sue you for everything you've got, and I still will not stand for permitting you to enter that restaurant." She then closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. "But…consider this gratitude, if you must…for saving my granddaughter's life."
She opened her eyes once more to look at Ziggy. Honestly, he couldn't see a hint of gratitude in her expression, and it looked like it was taking great pains for her to abandon the lawsuit and walk away from this. However, after a moment more, that's exactly what she did. Myrtle turned forward once more and kept on walking down the street, until eventually she disappeared into the crowd.
Ziggy was still utterly dumbfounded by what had just happened. He slowly turned to look over at Sparks, with Carmen in the background looking equally as stunned. "Uh…" he said, but trailed off.
"Yeah, uh…" Sparks rather helpfully concurred.
"That just happened…" Carmen remarked.
After a moment, the shock seemed to fade and Sparks looked down at Ziggy with a more positive expression. "What are the odds, huh bud?" he said, "I'd say that was a bit of a lucky break."
"Y…Yeah…" Ziggy murmured.
Carmen harrumphed, her paws on her hips, and shook her head. "However it happened, this is just fine by me. That is a load off of my poor shoulders."
"So…That's it? That's really it?" Ziggy asked hesitantly, "We're not getting sued? I'm…not in trouble?"
Sparks grinned at him. "Looks like it, bud."
"Is she gone?"
Everyone turned towards the voice and saw Charlie hesitantly stepping out of the courthouse's front doorway. She was looking around anxiously, so Sparks shouted up to her to reassure her. "It's okay, she left."
Charlie let out a breath of relief and then bounded down the stairs to rejoin them. "Oh my gosh…" she said, "I got everything checked in and I was just about to head out the door when I saw her. I'm not quite ready for her to see me with you, so I kinda hid inside and watched. I'm sorry."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Sparks reassured her, "We understand."
"I was going to come out if things got really bad… But anyway, she was really loud so I could hear what she was saying. But then…Was that my cousin and her daughter?"
"Zuri and Asha?" Ziggy spoke up, causing Charlie to look down at him.
"What were they doing here? And what happened?"
Sparks then took a moment to recount to Charlie what had occurred.
Charlie was dumbfounded afterwards and was silent for a few seconds. "So…" she murmured, "It's over? Just like that, it's all over?"
"I sure hope so," Sparks said optimistically.
"Oh my gosh…" Charlie said, looking down at Ziggy again, "I had no idea you were the one who rescued her! All she ever told anybody was that it was a Buizel. I can't believe it was you!"
"And it's a good thing too! Huh, bud?" Sparks said, giving Ziggy a pat on the back.
"Y…Yeah…" Ziggy murmured. He saw Sparks looking down at him, and he realized that Sparks was probably taking notice that he was still kind of in shock. The Raichu squatted down so he was at eye level with him and spoke in a softer voice.
"You see?" Sparks said, "Helping others goes a long way, sometimes in ways you don't even expect. Only good can come from trying to help people, even if the ones you're helping don't appreciate it."
"I…" Ziggy muttered unsurely.
"It's a domino effect," Sparks continued, "Or, if you believe in it, it's karma. Helping others makes the world a better place, even if it takes a while or in just a different way. The important thing is just getting out there and doing it, and that's what you did when Zuri fell down that cave."
Ziggy was quiet for a moment as he thought about it. Myrtle had still seemed pretty sour when she had left, but calling off this big lawsuit was a really big thing to do. Especially for someone like her. And it was because he had rescued her granddaughter from that cave.
But he hadn't rescued Zuri because she was Myrtle's granddaughter. Ziggy hadn't even known that fact until today. He hadn't rescued her to gain some clout, or to get the guild out of a tough bind. He had just done it because Zuri was in trouble and needed help. He had been scared, he had been cautioned that he shouldn't have been on the expedition in the first place, but he had done it anyway.
"Sparks…" he whispered, looking up at the Raichu. He could feel a little smile tugging at the edges of his lips.
Sparks smiled back at him brightly. "You ready to go home?" he asked.
Ziggy then glanced up at Carmen. The Braixen had a subdued smile as well, and nodded in approval at him. Ziggy allowed the smile to fully appear on his face as he felt those heavy storm clouds in his mind finally roll away.
He had forgotten why he had gone into that cave in the first place. He'd forgotten the reason that he even said 'yes' to the badge he was wearing. It didn't matter who, what or why. He just wanted to help. Because helping others made him feel good. For a moment, he glanced down at the badge on his fur. For the first time since being in that restaurant, the sight of it made him smile. "Back to headquarters?" he asked.
Sparks chuckled softly. "Back to home base…"
Ziggy nodded, giggling a little as well. "Yes, sir!"
Sparks sat off to the side of the common room, idly sipping a cup of Oran juice and watching the small impromptu party that had sprung up.
Celebration was to be expected when Ziggy and the group returned to the guild, lawsuit-free. Everyone had been on edge so much this past week, and now that the threat of legal action was gone everyone had become very excited. It wasn't really a full-on party, but everybody on the active team was there together in the room, smiling and having a good time.
Sparks just couldn't help but feel wonderful as he looked over at Ziggy, sitting on the couch with Kona, Lupe and Charlie. And he was smiling again. A big, wonderful smile adorned the Buizel's face as he laughed along with his friends. His good spirits had come back. The almost mythical smile he had achieved on the day of his inauguration had returned.
It was cruel to see just how much the universe was trying to fight back against Ziggy's happiness, but Sparks was just glad they had made it over this huge obstacle. Ziggy could truly begin his journey now, the one that had made him smile for the first time. Despite it all, Sparks was still very optimistic about the Buizel's future.
"Hey, Sparks…"
The Raichu turned to the side to see who had spoken. "Hey! Akash! It's you."
"Yeah." The Deerling sat down next to him.
"Still brown fur, huh?" Sparks asked, regarding the Deerling's coat colouration.
"Spring's not for a couple more weeks, so yeah…"
"You feeling any better, though?"
Akash sighed softly and shook his head. "Winters never get any easier… I think I'm starting to pull out of this…"
Sparks nodded sagely. Ever since he had known Akash, the Deerling had suffered from long-term mood swings. They tied into the seasons, meaning Akash was always bright and cheerful in the summer but horribly depressed and unmotivated in the winter. He had always wondered if this was something all Deerling and Sawsbuck went through.
"It's really hard," Akash continued, "but it's nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel."
Sparks idly glanced over towards Ziggy again. He couldn't help but make parallels between Akash's condition and what Ziggy had gone through during his stay at the guild. "Those rollercoaster hills can get really, really steep, but there's always a better time at the end of every one. Isn't that right?"
"…Yeah, I suppose so."
"I'm glad you're starting to feel better. We've been missing hanging out with you."
"Mhm. Sorry… Y'know, sometimes I think I could learn a little something from Ziggy…"
"Oh yeah?"
Akash nodded. "He's figured out something before me, to be honest…"
"And what's that?"
"That he can always count on his friends to be there when he struggles, to help him when he needs it, or to just be a shoulder to cry on."
Sparks didn't have a reply, and just watched the Buizel silently for a moment.
"He'll be all right," Akash said.
"I sure hope so."
"I know so. The fact that he recognizes the value of his friends proves this, without a doubt."
