Chapter 41: A Lot of Cool Emotions

As the old man pulls himself up to a sitting position, Jessie looks on at one of the people he never thought he would ever see again.

'Sure enough, I'd recognize that shabby coat and balding head anywhere. The monster I had been fighting up till now, that scary black furred, one eyed thing, that was a human! Well, a human fused with one of those glitchy phantom pokemon and a... an Unown? Just what the hell is going on here?'

-"Oof, now that was an experience. I say, I cannot for the life of me remember a time when I last saw a ghost type pokemon wandering the ruins! Haha! I must make a record of... now where did it go? Hm? Where did 'I' go?" The old man looks around in abject confusion. The Unown, though still dazed, makes itself scarce for the moment. Probably for the best given this man's profession.

-"Well now, if I'm not mistaken I seem to have wandered outside! Though this place seems a bit worse for wear. Ah- EGADS! Did a storm damage the ruins? I must go and check on them right awa-" Jessie extends a tentacle, grabbing the man's arm.

-"Hm? What's this now? A little Tentacool, all the way out here? Quite a rarity to see your type swimming all the way out this far from the ocean. Have you gotten yourself lost? I'm not looking for a new assistant I'm afraid! Not that you meet the credentials!"

"Did you... even look for me?"

-"Now now little jelly, it's alright. Not everyone is built for scouring ruins for clues of ancient pokemon, you know! It's nothing to be ashamed of!"

"Do you even care that I'm not around anymore?"

-"Well, you seem to be wanting something. Out with it now! Are you to seeking to unveil life's many mysteries?"

"Why aren't you worried? You look like you didn't spare a second thought when I didn't show up for work that day... I worked for you for ten damn long years! Did any of that time, even a second of it, mean anything to you?!" Jessie shakes with overwhelming emotions.

"I worked so hard... for so long! You promised me, if I helped you around the ruins, you would give me my first pokemon! I was just a kid then, barely eleven. But now I'm twenty two..."

"Did you know how old I am? No, how would you have known? I worked through every one of my birthday. Not once did I ever take a day off! I can't remember the last time I celebrated my birthday as a human. I thought... I thought that when I turned twelve, you would give me a pokemon as a birthday present. I thought that was why you had waited so long after I worked so hard for you. But... But instead, you only gave me more work. Didn't say a thing about my birthday. Not a word about my starter. Did you forget? I reminded you. I reminded you but you just, just brushed me off. Said that good things come to those who wait. But I waited every year... Finally, this year, I celebrated my birthday with friends. For the first time in ten. Long. Years. I celebrated my birthday."

"And it wasn't anything special, but it was more than you ever did for me! I literally gave everything for you, and for what? So I could be forgotten? I waited all that time in those ruins. I waited for a whole damn month after turning into a pokemon! You didn't call the police! You didn't call my parents! You just cared about your damn crumbling rocks out in the middle of nowhere! What would you have done if I fell in some hole in that place and died? Would you look for me? Would you care? Or would you be happy that you got to explore some new dank hole to crawl into?"

"Well guess what, you dusty bastard. I QUIT! Enjoy your fucking rocks, I hope you choke on them!"

-"Hoho, that was quite the outburst! I suppose I could bring you along if you're that excited to be an archeologist!"

"GO SIT ON YOUR TILE PUZZLES AND SPIN!" *bloop* Jessie used Dive! ...He doesn't know that move, but we're going to just let him have this one.

After clearing the way with some expert uses of Fling and Acid, the jellyfish swims his way back downstream, allowing the current to carry him at it's own pace as he rests on his back after an exhausting ordeal.

"Uuuuuugh, I really hate that guy... but I feel better after yelling at him. Even if he didn't understand me that was... cathartic. Feels good."

I Can Imagine.

"Eh? Is that you, voices in my head? I thought I got rid of you in therapy!"

You've Never Been To Therapy.

"...Who are you! Come out!" Deflecting, Jessie calls out to the ether, looking all around. Suddenly, floating down from the treeline comes a levitating question mark with an eyeball. Unown.

There Is No Need For That.

I am ? To My Kind.

"Uh, okay? How did you make that sound with your mouth?"

I Have No-

"Yeah yeah I get it, I was joking!"

Ah.

Humorous.

"Right... So you're that Unown that was fused with the Prof?"

Yes.

"Why though? I mean, I can guess it wasn't your intention to be stuck with that living museum exhibit, so how did that happen?"

Ha Ha Ha!

I Enjoy Your Jokes!

"Yeah, haha..."

I Was Forced To Do So By The Error.

The Error Is Not In Line With HisHerTheirIt's Designs!

The Error Attached Itself To The Professor.

Using The Professor's Connection To Us The Error Attached Me To Him!

"Ow! That word, it hurts my brain! Please stop using it!"

I Apologize.

"So basically... it's all my fault?"

No.

You Were Innocent In This Event.

This Event Should Never Have Happened In A Healthy Construct.

But This Construct Is Being Interfered With!

"Construct?"

This World.

"Right... just making sure I understand everything. So um, how do we fix the world, exactly?"

I Am Unsure.

This Has Happened Before But Never Using This Construct's Methods.

Humans Becoming Pokemon.

This Sacred GiftCurseBlessingBurden Was Used To Damage The Construct.

"So it's like a virus?"

Similar Yes.

"Okay. Got it. So to purge this virus from the system, we have to stop the um, infected individuals? Like white blood cells fighting an infected cell in a body! I noticed that 'error' thing fade away when I beat it, um, and you and the professor. Ya know what? I'm just gonna call that thing a chimera for now. Simpler that way."

Yes!

Thank You!

Your Mind Has Unraveled A Possible Solution!

I Must Inform My ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ!? Of This Development!

"Is there like a better word for it than that? Like, your alphabet? Or maybe your book? A soup of Unown? Huh, wonder if Chatty has any words for what a group of Unown could be called."

Ha Ha Ha!

I Will Ask My Group!

Farewell.

"Yeah, sure thing guy. You go do that... and there he goes! Off to do who knows what with who knows who. Maybe tell god about what's going on?"

"I-is that a thing? Is he gonna tell god I yelled at an old man and cried?!"

"...Whatever, I barely understood a word of that and I was present for all that nonsense. Pichu is gonna have a conniption trying to translate that hot mess to ranger boy." Suddenly feeling the weight of the world on his head, again, Jessie proceeds to go home and take an extra long hot shower.

And it looked exactly as funny as it sounded.