Cream POV
Since Otto was going to get us out after everyone else leaves, we're kind of sitting around, waiting... until Ayahuasca spoke up.
"So, Cream... The fuck happened to your eye?" She asked, pointing to my left eye, which had a black patch over it. Not an eyepatch, just a square kind of... sewn on? I have no idea how they got it on there, and frankly, I don't want to know.
"Oh, well... it was stabbed when I was in a fight..." I said, a bit... shyly. I'm not completely used to it yet. Okay maybe I'm a bit sensitive about it.
"Really? I didn't take you for the fighting type. First, awful pun. Second, I agree, you look like more of a healer." She said, tilting her head.
"She is good at healing, but she is also tough and powerful when she needs to be." Marshadow joined the conversation with words that made my face heat up. I glanced at him, then to the floor. Thankfully, before anything else could be said, a voice came from down the hall.
"Otto! We're leaving, so you better keep an eye on those quote on quote friends of yours!" The Cacturne, Sky, yelled at him.
"Uh, y-yes!" He nervously shouted back. We heard the already quiet footsteps grow quieter until they were no longer heard, leaving Otto to sigh.
"So now you let us out and we go and help those idiots." Ayahuasca said while dragging her claw across the wooden bars. The three of us looked to the blue scarfed Cacturne, who looked back down the hall before turning back and nodding.
———————————————————
Doll POV
I sat in a café that, surprisingly, was completely unharmed by the feral Pokémon from before. I stared at the half eaten curry sitting in front of me.
"O-Oh, hey Doll." Gem greeted me as he walked over to my table.
"I d-didn't think you'd be here." He said, sitting on the opposite side of the table.
"Yeah..." I replied absentmindedly. He raised a brow at that.
"So, what a-are you thinking about?" His voice holding a bit of interest. I sighed and opened my mouth to speak, then paused for a second.
"I... guess I'm still thinking about what happened with those feral Pokémon? I'm the reason Cream lost her eye. If I acted faster, then it wouldn't have happened, then Frost wouldn't have been triggered either... it feels like it's my fault..." I confessed, closing my eyes and tilting my head down.
"I-I know how that feels, something s-similar happened to me, b-but obviously without the trigger p-part." I smiled lightly at his words.
"Obviously..." I remarked quietly.
"Y-Yeah... but if you k-keep beating yourself up about it, y-you'll start making more and m-more mistakes. You eventually m-might even repeat what g-got you there in the first place, s-so... you should just f-focus on the now, instead of t-the past. Make sure y-you never make a mistake like it a-again." He finished with a light nod. I opened my eyes a little wide and stared at him.
.
.
.
"W-What?" He asked after a few beats of silence.
"Wasn't expecting anything like that coming from you." I responded simply, making him hang his head low.
"I-Is it really that s-surprising..?" He mumbled, causing me to chuckle.
"Kinda..." Then some more silence.
"Thanks. I'll be sure to take your advice." I said, his response being a smile.
"Your w-welcome."
———————————————————
Otto POV
I peeked into most of the other rooms to confirm that everybody is gone, and they were, so I went back to the other three and opened the cell door.
"Alright, they're gone." I said, maybe just a little nervous of what Sky would do if she found out what I was doing...
"Hey, Hatto. Lead us to the exit." Ayahuasca said, getting my name wrong...
"Okay, alright. Follow me." I beckoned them as I walked through the hall and turned left, then right, another right-
"Gah!" I yelled as I turned the corner to see a Cacturne. At first I thought it was Sky, but then I noticed the white scarf.
"B-Bree... you scared me." I muttered, forgetting about the three Pokémon behind me.
"Otto..." Her hand hovered over the hilt of her dagger, making me panic.
"What are they doing out of their cell?" She asked as calmly as she could.
"W-Well- I... Theysaidthey'dhelpsoIletthemoutandwe'regoingtostoptheirfriendsfromfightingSkyandeveryoneelse!" I sputtered out as quick as I could, making her more confused. Marshadow stepped forward, which made her draw her dagger. He put his hands up.
"We wish to help you, but our friends have most likely been lied to by the Maractus, so we will convince them otherwise." He explained much better then I did. Bree lowered her dagger, but didn't sheath it, and sighed.
"If you're telling the truth, which I honestly hope you are, then you're lucky it was Otto you had to convince, anyone else would have ignored you." She replied with a light smirk directed at me.
"Uhm... yeah, I guess..." I mumbled...
"Hey dumdums. Shouldn't we get going?" Ayahuasca asked, getting a nod from the other two as Bree sighed again.
"Yeah... it's just on the left. Wanna come with us Bree?" I asked, a second of silence following, then a slow nod.
"Yeah... sure..." She muttered. I nodded and lead everybody out of the den we call a home. We stepped out of the side of a large cylindrical rock sticking out of the sand, the sun shining bright, instantly causing Cream to break out into a hot sweat. I guess Marshadow just doesn't feel heat or something...
"I can see the rest of the Cacturne. They have not moved far." Marshadow stated, taking a step forward. I scratched my head.
"Uh... yeah... our place isn't far from the Maractus village, but the heat would slow down any non Cacturne or Maractus." I said before we all heard a shout from beyond the Cacturne. Cream stepped forward as well, beside Marshadow.
"That sounded like Clover."
