Episode 43: World of Paradise
"Whoa!" Kayla flinched as she landed on top of a pile of metal materials.
"Careful!" May gasped, picking up a chunk of it. Kari soon fell into the pile herself, followed by the Chikorita and Bayleef. Welder falling through made the whole group scramble out of the way, and he slammed to the ground with a mighty stomp, sending all the junk flying.
"Graaah!" he yelled, managing to stay upright on one knee. "Ggrrrrr aaaarg! Okay, I know I said I could move, but let's avoid the jumping antics, yeah?"
"S-sorry! Can't stop the portals from appearing in mid-air," Kayla cried.
"Scratch that, why did you pick to warp here? Can't you see we're busy here?" Vega snapped. She had a whole chunk of stuff in her hands.
"Err… wait, you girls got started already?" Kayla realised, looking around. They'd landed on top of a tarp mat where a selection of materials had been sorted… until they crashed it. May was already using her magnetism to draw it all back.
"… Him," May came to a complete stop. Kayla snickered cheekily. "Of all the Pokémon, you pick him."
"Don't get yer knickers in a twist, little mousey. If I'm not mistaken, you're a teammate… which means you're roped into this little Paradise game, too," Welder gave a toothy grin. May didn't react. "Hey, I get it. Sometimes, the younger generation have a way with words we tend to forget. Makes it real inspirin' working with them."
"Yeah, us old fogeys are nothing but strict caricatures with no further development," Vega sung, and laughed at herself.
"Excuse you, I'm not even forty yet, and I've still got two evolutions to go," May stated.
"It's a good thing. Like this big, stinky wash out of a hobo hasn't lost a lick of skill from his prime, astonishingly," Vega said. "You brought him here to help us build shit, right?"
She hasn't seen him for more than a minute and she could instantly parse his skillset? Unless she knows him already, how? Kayla couldn't help but feel unnerved by the thought. "Um, yeah, something like that."
"This is why I'm so confident in you, Kayla. I know you've got that special power. I may have been a little pushy at first, but I'm honoured to be part of this effort, lemme tell ya," Vega continued, singing still. "We're gonna build ya the best paradise ever and get ya to the Dream World a way you couldn't imagine. Just you do your thing, yeah?"
"Um," Kari got Kayla's attention with a tap. Welder was staring at Vega for some reason. He wasn't smiling, nor did he have any of his snide or cocky hints. He exuded a silent fear, like a feral staring down an unknown object. She could actually picture him leaping onto all fours and scuttling away if he felt threatened. She dared to glance at Vega as well, and she was definitely aware she was being laser-eyed like this. It only made the Tinkaton giggle and dance playfully, however.
"Um, Welder?" Kayla said. Only his pupils moved to glance at her, and then he grumbled something.
"Aight. Let's get started on this. See if we can build shit for ya or not," he huffed, turning to walk away. His grass types began to follow him, but he quickly stopped. "You two, go catch up later. You know what your job is."
"That's the thing. We've already done it," Bayleef replied, revealing a faux French accent.
"Huh?"
"While you were playing your silly little games with pretty pink over there, we already—"
"Don't start with the mockery, Sylvia! I don't wanna have to walk around anymore than I have to. Is it good or bad?" he snapped.
Bayleef swayed her head, half-lidded. "Yoo hoo, Kayla, Kari? Would you join us for a second? Just a little assessment you should be up to date on."
"Uh, sure," Kayla said unsurely. May still looked annoyed, but went right back to work, so Kayla left her and jogged over.
"What's up?" Kari asked.
"The land in this here scrapyard… you are not pulling my short, delicate little buds, are you? Is this scrapyard one of your fancy tricks?" Sylvia began.
"Heck no. May's the one who introduced us to this place. I think she lived here or something," Kayla answered.
"Oh, what an interesting tall tale. Any other legends you think we should know about?"
"… I don't think we're lying," Kari cocked her head.
"Out with it, woman! We all want to be busy here!" Welder shouted. "Is the soil here good enough to use or what?"
"I have never been in soil this good," Sylvia stated bluntly. The whole group froze. "And I don't mean that metaphorically, or to exaggerate, or any of your other fancy allegories. By all laws of reality and science, it is impossible to have soil this good in a place this dilapidated. Granted it is by first glance, but I think you could grow anything you wanted to here."
"Anything?" Kayla and Kari gasped and glanced at each other.
"The soil's everywhere, too!" Chikorita hopped up, also with a faux French accent. "I can feel it all over this place. It goes for miles and miles. The water's clean, too!"
"And you!" Sylvia snapped, suddenly whipping Welder with her vines. "Quit your bitching and get to work! That scrap material isn't going to appraise itself. Honestly, you bring your laziness upon yourself."
"Aye aye Miss Assassin! Don't need to tell me twice," he sung, stomping off toward one of the piles.
"We can really grow anything here? Is that possible?" Kayla asked.
"Well I don't want to get your hopes up, since that also depends on things like climate, ferals, and how good your gardening skills are. And like I said, this is only an initial assessment. But for someone who does not have a gardener in this place, the soil is impossibly good," she stated.
"That's incredible. Do you know what this means, Kari?" Kayla bounced up to her.
"We can grow our own food! We'll never go hungry again!" the Furret hugged her and bounced high.
"You two believe in legends, yes? You mentioned the Heroes of Hope when you proposed this operation," Sylvia said.
"Sorta. It's hard not to believe when you've seen what we've seen," Kayla smiled. The Bayleef swayed her head again, as if deep in thought.
"You've heard of Shaymin, yes? They say it lives in bountiful fields and grows Gracidea; rare and beautiful flowers that bloom with gratitude. Those flowers are incredibly hard to grow. That's why it and Shaymin are considered mythical," she explained. "And yet, I have reason to believe Shaymin is here, blessing this land."
"Okay, we're not gonna be that lucky," Kayla snickered.
"Don't be so sure. But even if you don't believe it, it is impossible for soil this good to be in a place like this. Something or someone is influencing it, of that much I'm certain," she assured. "If you don't mind us wandering around, we can get a proper summary."
"Take your time. We're looking for long term here, so the more info, the better," Kayla assured.
"Brunswick!" Welder screamed, making the whole group jump. He was stomping back over like he'd seen a crime, but stopped to slam two iron girders down. "What is this?"
"What, what, what, what's what?" Kayla gasped.
"These! This! This is some kind of setup, isn't it?" he almost sounded angry.
"Um, those are just the metal thingies, right? Are they good?" Kari cocked her head.
"Good? Woman, have you even looked at this place?" he shouted. Kayla replied with a casual pose. "You called this a scrapyard, but these are not scraps. Everything here is useful!" he stated. "They are not scraps or junk, they are full sheets and blocks of material, all amongst perfectly functional, discarded tech. Brunswick, I demand an answer! What is this place?"
"The soil is good, and the materials are even better?" Kayla grew concerned this time.
"Seriously. It's as if someone just dumped a country worth of fresh metal here. With an actual welding set, I could build anything I wanted. And there is no exaggeration!" he stated.
"But I didn't do anything. I couldn't dream a place like this up," Kayla said. "May just brought us here to hide from Netherworld. We were on the run."
"Hey it's only a good thing, right? That means you can bring your Pokémon here and start building after all!" Kari said gleefully.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. It just seems too good to be true, y'know?" Kayla looked down. "Maybe Azu knows something? She folded to my Paradise plan rather suddenly, too."
"Hmm. This is certainly a realisation," Welder calmed down at last. "I'm prepared to play this game with you, you know. Gimme some room, show me some chiselled figures, and I'll build ya your house."
"You'll do it?" Kari's eyes gleamed. "Should we bring the other Pokémon from Hammock here?"
"They won't wanna come. They're too comfy there. Don't wanna overcrowd this place either, so lemme work with your locals," he replied.
"Oh. If you can inspire them, that is. They won't listen to me," Kayla calmed down.
"No problem. One other thing," he put his hands on his hips, and his face became serious. "It's not my place to pry since it's obvious you've got a truckload of other business going on, but you're not seriously working with that Tinkaton, are ya?"
Kayla hesitated to respond. "I'm not too fond of her, but she's good with making stuff. Why?"
Welder hesitated too, and his face said it all. "She's real bad news."
"Do you know who she is?" Kari wondered.
"No. Admittedly I don't. But I also have… listen. I lost my psychic powers, but only outwardly. I can't use psychic moves, or lift stuff. But I can still communicate with telepathy, and sense psychic waves, that kinda crap. When you lead a company or a group, you just learn to read the aura of everyone you come across. It's how you learn to work with the good and toss out the bad," he stated. "I've met Netherworld Generals with less darkness in their hearts than whatever she's got going on."
"She's evil?" Kayla whispered.
"Not quite evil. Argh, I've never been good at explainin' this stuff," he started scratching again. "When I look at you two's waves, I get a healthy shade of the rainbow. You girls are normal, but kind. So I knew you weren't lyin' about your proposition from the getgo – I just needed to make sure you had the determination to see it through, y'know? But her, that Tinkaton… there's blacks, reds, an' all kindsa murky purples swirlin' in chaos. She's the maddest Pokémon I've ever met, and those mad types always bring trouble."
"She did try to attack you when we first met. I didn't really like her, to be honest," Kari admitted.
"We can't just get rid of her, either. She won't take no for an answer," Kayla added.
"Yer welcome to do what you want. That's just my word on it. If she's helpin' ya, better to have that help on your side rather than against. I might even be worryin' about nothing. Just 'cos I couldn't read her, doesn't mean I know anythin' about her," he finished. "Right. Let's do your thing, huh?"
"Right. Thanks for the warning," Kayla said quietly, looking over at the distance where Vega and May were. You couldn't tell a hint of danger from the Tinkaton right now, although she wouldn't stop talking, which was probably getting on May's nerves.
…
Warping this many times in a day was a weird sensation. After showing Welder around and leaving him to work, Kayla warped once again, still bringing Kari with her. At this point, she was falling asleep and being woken up so rapidly that she didn't feel like she was sleeping at all. In fact it was making her more tired, potentially. She had to grin and bear it, knowing how important it was that she got everything right. This time, the duo landed in the Twinight Woods, next to the river.
Even after all this time, any natural recovery hadn't happened. The woodland remained dead and the wildlife remained vacant. Kayla blankly wandered forward, hoping to hear something above the howl of the chilly wind, but there was nothing. At least the place remained free of its mystery dungeon status, so their actual destination, Repose Town, was in sight.
"Um, why here? Isn't this dangerous for us?" Kari asked.
"I doubt Netherworld are still here. I just needed a vacant Pelipper Office," Kayla replied, leading the way.
"You suuuure you don't wanna take a dip in the river first?" Kari said, half-lidded.
"… I know you just want me to have puffy fluff again, but it just occurred to me that we haven't had a bath in a while. You don't smell, so I never noticed," Kayla replied casually.
"You don't smell bad, either! We're just that good!" Kari squeaked, wagging her tail.
"That or we're just that used to it."
She didn't want to be here for long in case Netherworld really were hanging around, yet she couldn't help but stop. The mid-afternoon activity of Repose Town felt oddly nostalgic to her. Villagers casually conversing, market stalls shilling their wares, delicious street food scents wafting through it all, and even a couple of Oddish playing tag in the streets, annoying a family of Watchog who were trying to talk. It all made her smile and slow down. Now that I think about it, I never did get to try that secret town delicacy. I wonder what they've got on offer?
"Hey wait, is that?" Kari said, drawing her eyes away. "It is! Mrs Corrin, Ms Grey! Over here!"
"Kari? Kayla?" gasped the Leavanny.
"Well I'll be," the Cinccino put her hands on her hips as Kayla and Kari ran over. They were by the request board outside the Pelipper office. "You two made it out okay. Looking well, too."
"I can't believe you're both okay, huh? Did you just make it back into town?" Corrin asked.
"It's a long story. I'm more surprised you two are okay!" Kayla gasped.
"Ha! I may be old and a seamstress, but that gives me a couple tricks with paws like these. Those mice didn't stand a chance," Grey bragged.
"But it was hectic, huh? A lot of Pokémon got seriously hurt. I don't even know what they were after, huh?" Corrin glanced at her.
Good. It sounds like these two aren't in on the whole Netherworld stuff, Kayla calmed down and smiled. "Well it's good you got out okay. We didn't have the chance to try and rescue everyone, so we've been worried."
"Aww, ain't that sweet? But you two are the students here, it's us that should have been protecting you," Grey said, becoming concerned. "If you're heading back to the academy, it's been abandoned. We just came from there and couldn't find anyone we know."
"That's… actually kinda concerning," Kayla admitted, glancing at the woods. "That's not why we're here, but…"
"The building's still standing, but it feels like no one's been back since the attack, huh. It's real spooky having a school that big with only a few ferals running around, huh? It's practically a dungeon now," Corrin explained.
"Why were we here again?" Kari asked.
"Oh, right. I was going to get a request board from HAPPI. The Heroes Marks should let us order one, I think," Kayla nodded. "But meeting you two here gave me an idea. What're your plans after this?"
"Oooh, that's your plan," Kari giggled.
"Ugh… you're mature enough to know this," Grey sighed and shook her head. "Since we've been out and about with no academy, we started looking for work, but no one wants to know! A couple of old coots like us are treated like we're more trouble than we're worth. Seems nobody wants custom clothes these days. That's why we headed back to the academy, but we're out of luck there, too."
"This place is on the border of the Extraordinary Pokémon treaty, after all. They've no obligation to treat us fairly," Kayla commented. "How'd you like to join us?"
"Join you? Darling, we're seamstresses. The most we could do for you is sew a few scarves and exploration gear," Grey answered.
"That's exactly what we'd want you to do," Kayla nodded. She briefly explained her plan with Paradise, with a couple of giddy comments from Kari.
"Hmpf. Well a scrapyard's certainly not the worst place I've been to, but if you say it's developing into something bigger, then sign me up," Grey shrugged with a sigh.
"Honestly, I think it sounds wonderful, huh? A little charity work never hurt anyone," Corrin put her leaves together. "But I would like to be paid at some point, mind you."
"Of course. The moment we can think about money, I'm making sure everyone gets their due," Kayla nodded. She turned to Kari. "Honestly, this is about as big a win as it gets. I came here just for the request board, but now we have clothing and gear sorted out? Cool!"
"I kinda wanna check out the academy too. It sounds like a super scary ghost house now. Who knows what we'll find there! Maybe we'll find stuff that could help against Netherworld," Kari added.
"Good idea, but we'll want everyone else in on that. Let's put in the order for the board and get going. There's one more place I want to warp to," she nodded.
"Is it a surprise again?" Kari groaned.
"You bet."
…
This time the duo landed in a cliffside cave. Kari squeaked at the lack of space, but quickly adjusted by stretching onto all fours. Kayla ran straight ahead without her, stopping at the end of the cave.
"Wait for me- oof," Kari almost bumped her off the edge of a cliff. They were in a circular cave that overlooked a huge, forested area. Surrounding the forest in the distance was a steep mountain range, while a tall mountain stood in the centre, stretching higher than the trees. "Wait, this is Orchard Overgrowth! Why here?"
"Because… it should be long enough. Can we parachute down?" Kayla asked.
"O-kaaaay," she obeyed, wrapping her arms around Kayla's front. The Buneary hopped off the cliff, and Kari stretched her body loosely, assuming a parachute shape to catch wind. They floated down like this together, safely landing on solid ground.
It was just as Kayla assumed. Gone was the deep water and the blue moon of eternal night, replaced by a blazing sun and a plethora of flora. The grass was taller than before, but made pretty by entire fields of colourful flowers and bushes. No matter where she looked, something delicious and edible was growing: fields for carrots, cabbage, and corn, bush after bush of berries, and the star of the show, the enormous trees filled to the brim with fruit. Wondrously, some of these trees grew more than one type of fruit, from apples, to bananas, to even pineapples.
With the return of nature also meant the return of ferals, but none of them seemed to be aggressive. Taillow and Mothim glared at the duo as they passed, but went about their business as they never drew near. Rattata occasionally scuttled between the crops, hiding from the duo. On that note, none of the crops seemed volatile with one another either, letting the sun shine on large clearings to render the place bright and colourful. A few dewdrops glistened in the light, telling of recent rain.
"Mmm… it's all so…" Kari moaned quietly. "There's so much of it, too…"
"You okay?" Kayla glanced at her. She was twiddling her hands and feet. "Heh, hungry already?"
"Sorry…"
"Ehee hee, no need to be sorry about that," Kayla winked.
"But it's caused us nothing but trouble. We ran out of food, and now we have to worry about meat stuff and—"
"Hey. Look at who you're talking to," Kayla smiled. Kari slowed and blushed, but her tail still did its peppy wag. "A girl's gotta eat. I'm not gonna be mad at you for doing something you've gotta do."
"Even though I eat too much?" she squeaked.
"Honestly, I find it funny and cute," Kayla giggled, resuming their walk.
"Raflgkl- Kaylaaaaa, you can't keep saying that!" she cried, going even brighter red. "Just say it's a bad thing I eat too much and tell me off!"
"But I need your foodie skill right now," Kayla said, making her quiet. "Look at all these fruit trees. Which one catches your tongue the most?"
"My… tongue? I'm not gonna lick them!"
"Ahahaha, Kari!" Kayla had to stop at that. "I don't mean literally! I mean, which one looks the most delicious?"
Kari's face was as red as a tomato. "I knew that! I was just being all silly."
"Yeah, sure," Kayla went half lidded. Kari stifled another moan and then ran. Kayla knew she wasn't annoyed however, as her tail wagged even faster. She watched her admire the fruit trees around her, calming down even more. Something about Kari's contentedness made her chest feel light. So that's buildings, clothing, and food all sorted. And if May and Vega are able to get along, we'll have something to reach Comatose Mountain soon. Finally, things are looking up, even if they're a bit too up.
"Hey, Kayla?" Kari came back slowly all of a sudden. Her cheeks were still pink.
"What's up? Something wrong with the fruit?"
"No, nothing's wrong with the fruit," she was quiet, and her tail had slowed down a lot. She mouthed a few things and then started scrunching up a bit.
"You okay?" Kayla grew concerned.
"Rrggg, why are you so nice to me?" she squealed at the top of her voice, and then slapped her paws over her mouth.
"Why do I feel like you've asked this before?" Kayla cocked her head. "I'm nice to everyone I like, aren't I?"
"Yeah but with me it's different? I've not really given you a reason to be nice anymore. At first it was 'cos we were roommates and I was helpin' you around RSE and stuff, but now? All I do is eat all the food and I don't really get what's going on and stuff so I don't really say anything useful…" she explained, looking miserable. Kayla's face slowly sunk into one of shock, but Kari continued. "I dumped Team Daybreak on you, but you still stick with it, and even call me cute and stuff now… I just don't get it anymore, I…"
"Whoa wait, where's this come from?" Kayla snapped. Kari was quiet. "We're friends, aren't we? That's all it takes, right? Do I need a reason to keep being nice to you?"
"You have so much going on. The Dream World stuff, your weird dreams, Netherworld and Sunrise, I just—"
"Aren't you happy?" Kayla asked. Kari flinched. "Seriously. Aren't you happy?"
"I am. I'm really happy, in fact! I'm really enjoying stuff, even if it is pretty serious right now. But I don't wanna keep being in the way. I'm really useless right now, all I can do is try to fight and stuff, and I—"
"And I don't care," Kayla interrupted her again.
"Wha…?"
"At this point, I don't care if all you can do is fight. We're a team, and before all that, we're friends. If things aren't making you happy, then I don't wanna do them. Are you happy, Kari?" Kayla made sure she was serious. Kari had all but frozen for a bit, and then started twiddling her hands and feet.
"You're asking me?" she replied. Kayla nodded seriously. "Is it… really okay?"
"This isn't the first time you've said stuff like this. You mumbled something similar when we defeated Zude, too. Kari, what's wrong?" Kayla asked. Kari gasped.
"You heard all that?" she whispered. Kayla unrolled both her ears, making her blush again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you and stuff. But if we're really asking what I'm happy doing…"
There was still a moment of hesitation, but at least her tail started doing its stretchy wag again. Kayla still edged closer, to which the Furret yelped.
"It's this!" she yelped, making Kayla flinch, too. "I-I mean like, what we're doing now. All this stuff to help build up Paradise. I wasn't sure at first 'cos it sounded really complex and hard to understand, and I guess I'm not really doing much to help and stuff, but I'm enjoying it anyway. And if we do get that new request board, we can start doing missions again, and I can help you on those! That's what I like doing, just being with- I mean, helping you!"
"… Yeah, y'know what? This is pretty chill," Kayla smiled. "But if anything ever did bother you and stuff, you'd say, wouldn't you? I hope you wouldn't hold out for any reason."
"You keep saying that… I keep being unfun around you, I don't mean to keep doing that!" she pouted, puffing out her cheeks. "Let's get back to it already! You want me to find a tree with good fruit, yeah?"
"Hey, I mean it. Not just as a leader, but as a friend. I never wanna put you out of things," Kayla said.
Kari took a deep breath. "You really mean it? It's okay for me to keep being me, even if I don't get what's going on and stuff?"
"One hundred percent. Were you holding back until now?"
"No! Uh, no, I wasn't. But yeah, I'll say," Kari calmed down. She visibly loosened up, which made Kayla relax, too. "Thanks, Kayla."
"Anytime. Buuuuut," Kayla twisted to the side, giving her a half-lidded look.
"Buuuut?" Kari sung back.
"There's something else, isn't there?"
"Something else?"
"… You brought all this up again, and you're kinda squirmy. A little more than usual," Kayla pointed out.
"No I'm noooot," she sung a reply, turning away.
"You know, you just look even cuter saying that with rosy cheeks."
"Kaflurkskl- Stop it, now you're just being cute!" she went bright red again. "I-I-I mean—"
"AHA! There is something else on your mind," Kayla bounced up, and then edged closer. "Go on, you're under interrogation! Spill the beans, noodle."
"Eeep! I didn't do it!"
"You'll confess to your inner thoughts with actions and words right this minute!"
"Myaaa!" Kari squealed, suddenly diving into her.
Kayla was set off giggling as she fell to the floor, suddenly smothered in nuzzling Furret. There was little to no force, if anything it was a little ticklish having her fur brushed by Kari's light, scruffy coat. It wasn't hot like the forest around them either, she felt warm like she was wrapped in a scarf, or blankets, or… something. She didn't know or care, all that mattered was Kari was giggling with her, held close in a way that felt nice. Still giggling, she attempted to hug back, nuzzling her cheek with Kari's while her feet curled around Kari's waist.
All of a sudden, there was a jolt. Kari gasped, locked eyes with her, and in less than a second, backed off a foot away. Kayla felt her chest jolt as well, and the way Kari shuddered, she knew what was coming. No, not this time!
Kari suddenly screamed and turned to bolt off, but Kayla kicked herself to her feet and dashed after her, having to use Quick Attack to keep up. She skidded into Kari's way, stopping the Furret. "K-K-Kayla!"
"Ha… stop… you just stop, right there. For real this time," Kayla huffed. Her heart raced with worry and angst, but whatever was wrong with her friend, they looked drastically worse. Kari's face had gone feverishly red, and she was shaking so hard that she looked sick. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Nothi—"
"Kari!" Kayla cried desperately. At this point, she was losing her own mind. Thoughts wouldn't form, but they weren't pleasant. Fears and doubts, predictions, but she kept them unfathomable, and forced herself to speak. "Please. Just tell me what's wrong."
"It's wrong!"
"What's wrong?" Kayla snapped fast. Kari scrunched herself up and turned away. "Kari… please. I won't freak out. I'm worried now, seriously."
That got her to turn back, and she loosened up. "I didn't mean to worry you…"
Suddenly, silence. Kayla didn't move, but Kari had her usual round of nervous movements.
"You're not hungry, you know you can do anything around me… I-I did something, didn't I?" Kayla asked.
"… Can I really?" Kari replied.
Kayla paused. "Can you…?"
"D-do anything around you? You really won't freak out?" she asked.
What could she possibly want to do that makes her freak out? That scares her so much she feels like she can't? I almost don't wanna know… Kayla tried to mouth a response quickly, but nothing came. "You're fine. Um, if it's the hugging and stuff, I'm fine with it, seriously. At least, as long as it's with you."
Kari still looked at her hands, and then Kayla, and then back at her hands, curling and uncurling them. Her tail wagged and flicked about too, and it almost seemed like she was avoiding eye-contact again. Seeing that, Kayla tensed up once more, and then bounced into her. "K-Kayla, wait!"
They didn't fall to the floor this time, but they did end up face to face. Kayla grinned this time, still driven by incoherent thoughts she felt herself acting on. "Do that again."
"D-do what again?"
"This," she giggled, leaning in to nuzzle the Furret.
"Eek! Kayla," she giggled, accepting the nuzzle.
It was back to that pleasant feeling again, like Kari was a fluffy scarf. This time however, Kari's arms wrapped around her proper, gripping her body unevenly to bring her in close. She herself started giggling a little, until she felt Kari's grip loosen a little, and those paws slowly slid to her sides, nestled between her belly and her fluff. It wasn't unpleasant, but she felt her instincts kick in and she leaned back. Just her doing that made Kari retract as well.
She didn't know what to say, or what this was. She didn't hate it, but she definitely didn't like it, either. Now her thoughts were forming whether she wanted them to or not. What exactly was it that Kari was after? Was it where those hands were, on her belly instead of her shirt? Was there something pleasant about paws on her body like this? Not that she would ever know herself, since she couldn't feel her own. Perhaps she was supposed to return the favour in a similar way? If so, how? All she could think to do was make sure she wasn't being touched inappropriately.
The longer they sat there, with her fat resting on Kari's paws, the more the urge to dart off like a hissing cat grew. At the same time, her heart raced, and something told her not to move. Some kind of guilt? Or an instinct? A feeling she just couldn't grasp. Would she get used to this feeling? If it made Kari happy, then was it was best to endure it, to get used to it?
Did she even hate it?
The duo seemed to realise they were staring at each other at the same time, and in Kayla's case, her racing heart spiked. Now this was a feeling she recognised: embarrassment. The Pokémon of the orchard were still around, and some were maybe even watching, which seemed to make her awkward. She snickered however, and hopped out of Kari's hold.
"Maybe we should get back to work. Find that fruit tree," she said. Kari didn't reply, letting her bounce ahead. "… and maybe hang out a bit."
"Yeah… uh, yeah! What we came here to do," she replied, surprisingly contently. That calmed her down, and she relaxed. "S-sorry about that."
"It's okay. I'm not mad. Honest," Kayla said calmly.
Silence.
"What're we planning to do with it anyway? If we're after fruit, shouldn't we just take from all the fruit trees?"
"Heh, my surprises will just keep coming," Kayla went half-lidded. That made the Furret beam up and bounce giddily, and then she bounced off to examine the trees.
At least she's in a good mood again… she sighed from relief.
Meanwhile, back at the scrapyard…
"Man, this place is way too fucking big," Pola grumbled. She had a large sketchbook in hand, and scribbled on it as she walked. She groaned skyward as she folded it up, stopping to brace her aching feet. Genius didn't stop at all, prompting her to keep moving. "Hey c'mon, don't rush off. The others are gonna moan at me if you get lost. How many times have I gotta tell you?"
"But I like getting lost! That's what they told us to do, right?" the Pawmot replied, dancing on her toes.
Wish I could just tell ya to get lost forever, Pola rolled her eyes. There were at least two more routes ahead of them, both looking like they led to different sections of the scrapyard. What was odd about one of them was that it led uphill, while the rest of the scrapyard was generally level ground. She decided to make that their last spot, tracing the route the page.
"What'cha drawin'?" Genius popped up beside her, making her jump.
"Same thing I said five minutes ago. A plan for this place."
"Wait did you already say?" the Pawmot gasped.
"Like, ten times already," Pola slumped. Genius paused while she kept walking, and then caught up.
"Sorry. I don't have the best memory…"
"Yeah, Shannon wasn't kidding when he said you don't remember shit. Or maybe you're just tryin' to piss me off," Pola grumbled, still slumped.
"No no, I wouldn't do it on purpose. I really don't remember anything but Shannon. Really," Genius put her paws together. "I don't even know moves and stuff."
"Yet you carry that weapon around. And who remembers one guy, anyway? You sure you ain't putting that on, too?" Pola finally stood tall.
"Putting what on? I don't have any clothes," Genius smiled.
"Like, how do I know this ain't some weird act just to get on Shannon's good side? Are you even sure you're his girlfriend?" She had her hands on her hips now.
"Of course! I wouldn't lie about that!" Genius gasped.
"I actually don't believe you. This whole thing's reeked of BS since you joined us."
"I know it's super weird, but I really do only remember Shannon… and even then, how we met is really fuzzy," Genius went quiet as she faced the floor. "I just have really bad memory. If I could have it any other way, I would. But I have to count on him to lead me in the right direction."
"And his direction is to be with you, huh? How do you know he's not lying?" she challenged.
"Because I trust him. You trust him as well, don't you? Aren't you his friend?" Genius perked right up.
"Startin' to question that too, to be honest," she turned away. "There's no way I tried so hard, but his ideal girlfriend is some hobo he can manipulate? C'mon, how am I supposed to compete with that?"
"Manipulate?" Genius replied. "But it was me who fell in love with Shannon."
Pola stopped to glare at her.
"He was really kind and patient with me even though I forget so quickly. And he just, never did bad things. I always get good vibes from Shannon, and my feelings turned into love. But he declined it at first, you know," Genius recalled. Pola looked even more sceptical. "We just dated for a long time. But when we weren't getting any leads on Ditto, he would get all calm and kind again. Every time Ditto came up, that's when he would get upset and try to push me away."
"Probably a pointless inquiry, but you have any idea how long you two dated? Especially since you're… impure?" Pola asked.
Genius grumbled as she thought hard. "All I know is it's been a really long time. I can say for sure it's been years."
"Ugh," Pola stormed off.
"Uh, what'd I say? I'm sorry!" Genius cried, tripping after her.
At the top of the hill, the duo had a good view of the scrapyard. They could see Azu in the centre, and even the mainland entrance. The wind was fairly strong up here, and the ground was too hard to be soil. Twirling around, it almost looked like the ruins of a fountain were here. Pola had to pull her weave behind her head to stop it from blowing in her face.
"I'm sorry, Miss! Miss er…"
"Don't apologize! Argh, for fucks—" Pola almost pulled her hair out. "You're so annoying! How is this what Shannon's into?"
"Um…" Genius was dumbfounded.
"Some stupid as fuck, pudgy bimbo who can't even remember anyone's goddamn name!" Pola roared upward. "I do everything, I be nice, I be flirty, I give 'im what he wants, I encourage him, and yet, you just come outta nowhere and everything's all destiny and shit."
Genius shuddered, letting her arms hang low. "Is this… about… do you like Shannon, too?"
"Oh so you're not a total airhead, huh?" Pola flicked a paw at her.
Genius hesitated again. She was clearly thinking about what to say next, and wasn't smiling. "I don't know you enough to really say. But you don't sound like you're being nice right now."
"Wow. Really? That's your best response?" Pola replied. Genius didn't reply, so she huffed and unfolded her paper to start drawing again. "Weird fountain, no soil, uh, guess we can turn this into a lookout or some shit."
The whole time she drew, Genius watched her intently. The Pawmot stopped smiling, swaying, any of the relaxed signs she normally showed. When Pola finished, she tried to eye the Pawmot in secret, but they were looking straight at her. That frown turned into a tense scowl, and her fingers started to curl.
"I'm really uncomfortable. Why am I uncomfortable? Who are you?" Genius asked.
The question made her groan skyward again. "Pola. Pola Aska. Just like I told you five minutes ago."
"Pola… Pola… no, I do know you! But why am I uncomfortable?" Genius started to hug herself. "Shannon went to school with you. You were the one at the club. You taught him Visionary Magic. You're a Visionary, right?"
Pola put a hand on her hip. "Suddenly your memory works, huh?"
"Only because it's to do with Shannon. But it hurts, and everything's all fuzzy," she started trembling hard. "If you like Shannon, then you don't like me?"
"Nobody said I had to."
"But that's not fair! I didn't do anything," she moaned.
"Welcome to the real world, bitch! Some girl with zero independence just stole the love of my life from me. Why would I like you?" Pola ranted.
"But I didn't… we just met… I…" Genius slowly gazed up.
"Y'know what? Fuck this job! Why am I even listening to that stupid Buneary anyway? This whole thing is just dumb," Pola started kicking the floor.
"Pola—"
"Fuck off! Get outta here! I can't stand to look at you for another minute!" she screamed at the top of her voice. However, Genius didn't move. Pola shuddered with anger, but one look at those innocent, glistening eyes, and she turned away to growl. "Rrrgh, what the hell am I doing?"
"You can't… force it. You can't force your feelings," Genius said. "I don't know if you understand why we're together, but I can ask you to give us a chance. Because if you really cared about Shannon, you'd be happy for him."
"Do not start being that kinda bitch right now. You really wanna lecture me?" Pola glared at her again.
"You mention independence, but you're the one who won't stop talking about him all this time," she continued. "What about you? Why don't we get to know each other, instead of Shannon?"
"Shut up! Just shut up, like you know a thing about being your own person!" Pola screamed.
"You're being really uncomfortable. I don't know you enough to say, but from what I do know, you sound kinda obsessive. I wouldn't like someone who obsessed over me like that," she explained.
"What the- that's- and you're not? Ain't he the only thing on your mind?" Pola challenged.
"… No. He's the only thing I remember, but not the only thing I think about," she clarified.
"You're so fucking dumb that it's tough to believe you think at all," Pola replied. "You even just said you let him guide you on everything. Ugh, I guess that's all guys are into these days. Girls who just, kiss their feet and shit."
Genius let out a frightened gasp all of a sudden, and posed as if to fight. "You're not a real Pokémon!"
Pola responded with a furrowed brow. "Now what the hell're you on about?"
"I… I don't know. But I just, for some reason, you don't feel like a real Pokémon to me? I don't know. You're part of one," Genius said. Pola stared for another moment, and then pocketed her map in her bag.
"Y'know what? I'm done. I drew her stupid plan, I hung out with you, I hated it, so now I'm done. I'm outta here," she shook her head, making her way back down the hill. Genius wasn't following, so she looked over her shoulder. "If you don't wanna get lost on the way back, I suggest you follow me. And don't open your mouth again. I don't give a shit anymore."
"Miss Pola, please…" Genius put her hands together again.
"If you want me to fight you, keep talkin'. 'Cos I will," Pola warned, crossing an arm over her front.
"Doesn't it seem unfair to hate someone because they're happy with someone else?" Genius said.
Light formed on the tip of Pola's hand, implying her charged magic. Genius gulped and clammed shut at that, so she dismissed it and kept walking. "I'm allowed to have feelings and hate people, and I certainly don't need a dumb fuck like you trying to act high and mighty telling me otherwise. This goody-two-shoes friending everyone act is gonna bite everyone in the back someday, and I'm tired of pretending it won't."
…
Kayla and Kari warped back by the time the sun was setting, and this time appeared from a huge Dream Pool. Kayla dropped through first, making sure the space was clear. With a nod, she hopped aside. "Okay Kari, you're all clear! Bring 'em in!"
A giant Kari slowly fell through, shocking all the onlookers. A round of gasps came when they realised why Kari was giant; she was carrying four of the universal fruit trees, though she was struggling to do so. She slammed all of them straight down with an exhausted gasp, and then shrunk down to normal size, falling flat.
"You're amazing, you know that?" Kayla praised.
"Yeah… heh heh… go me," she flailed an arm around without getting up.
"Wha… what is all this? You brought whole trees?" Shannon came over.
"Yep! Should have a truckload of veggies too, all in the Kangaskhan statue. Get Mog over here, we've got cooking material," Kayla cheered.
"So that's what you've been doing…" he muttered, staring at them. "I have so many questions, but I guess there's more important stuff for you to see."
"Oh no, did something happen while we were away?" Kayla leaned back. Welp, here comes the obligatory bad news…
"Er, it's better you just come and see for yourself. Kari, you too," Shannon sighed and grinned. Kayla didn't hide her awkwardness until they made it to a clearing, where her mouth hit the floor.
"These are- what the- how did- ALREADY?" she remarked.
There were bones of a village. Wooden scaffolding for huts and basic treehouses, all expertly crafted and lined to make a street of liveable homes. Tarp and cloth was in place of roofs and walls, but some of the buildings even had semi-layered brickwork. As she gawked, teams of Pokémon were still at work, passing one another more bricks and stones, while others were sawing wood with giant tools or attacks. There was even a group of Aggron nibbling on metal to shape it, while stomping on some sheets to flatten them.
"Brunswick, there you are. You were taking so long we got started without ya," Welder called her over. He was helping to hold up a couple of wooden chunks while Ms Corrin tied them together with her silk. Grey popped up once it was sturdy to secure it with some rope.
"This is amazing," Kayla whispered.
"This is amazing to you? We don't need your pity, you little rascal," he replied.
"But it is! It hasn't even been a day and yet you guys managed to get all this done. You could sleep safely in all this!" she gasped. "Seriously, getting this far would take weeks anywhere else. H-how?"
"Heh, ya came to the right Pokémon, that's how. We may be homeless, but no one likes sleepin' without walls, wahahaha!" the Meowstic leaned back with his chuckle. "Much as I'd like to take all the credit, we had a lotta help from the lil' chick. Ya didn't tell me she's got the skills of a designer."
"Little… chick?" Kayla cocked her head.
"Yeah, y'know. Little Miss fashionable, with the plus-shaped cheeks," he said, handing them Pola's map. Kari took it, and her eyes widened.
"POLA DREW THIS?" Kari squealed.
"That's a map of the scrapyard as it was. On the back is what she wanted us to do with the place. We were gonna wait for your approval, but once I analysed it, we only needed a couple edits to get going. She marked out where the soil was harder, where elevated ground was, the whole mess. For one of those beauty types, the girl's got some serious skills, and those types are usually all talk," he explained.
"It's like it was taken out of an old storybook," Kayla praised. "And Sylvia?"
"Clearing space for the fields based on this, too. You'd best leave 'em to it. I hear yer not even supposed to step on soil until it's ready for growing stuff for the best effect," he answered.
"Um… great. Amazing. Uh, that just leaves May… and Mog," Kayla mouthed, still in disbelief. "You guys, feel free to take a break."
"A break? You wanna sleep with a roof over your head or what?" he challenged.
"This is long-term, you guys don't have to push yourself that hard—"
"Listen, Brunswick. Don't make me start lookin' down on ya for being privileged again," Welder went half-lidded with a toothy grin. "This, what you see before you, is what happens when a hard working team of Pokémon put their money where their mouth is. This, is hardly breaking a sweat. You just sit back, relax, and stay true to your word. We get homes here, we build you yours, capiche?"
"Hey, I'm only offering," she smiled back. "C'mon Kari, let's see how the others are doing."
"Uh, okay!" she nodded. Kayla jumped into her arms, and together they bounced deeper into the scrapyard.
It didn't take long for them to slow. Everything was different to how it was in the morning. Paths were wider and more Pokémon were around. They were busier, all carrying bags, or guiding groups, or other things Kayla wasn't sure. On closer inspection, many of them were using Swadloon-themed tools to clear the areas, shift the scrap mountains to make wider paths, or build things like signs or landmarks. What was certain were the familiar vibes of a cluttered, noisy gathering of Pokémon going about their business. Unlike RSE Academy however, everyone minded each other, and let the girls wander around.
"Wait, this is the kitchen area, not where… no wait, this is the centre of the… where is this again?" Kayla asked as they came to a stop. A comically long dining table had been set up, and Azu wasn't far from it. Kayla flinched when she realised it was her. "A-Azu!"
"I don't know how you did it, but you did it. You need not say anything, Kayla," the giant Azumarill began.
"What do you mean? What the heck is going on, we were only gone a few hours! The layout of the whole scrapyard is changing!" she cried.
"You were gone all day, actually. But as it turns out, my Pokémon only needed a push to get them to start working together. Save for a construction guy who actually knows what he's doing, and a head chef, too. What other surprises have you got for me?" Azu replied.
"Surprises? You're the one surprising me. What's this about a head chef?" Kayla asked.
"Your little Swoobat friend. Some of my Pokémon knew how to cook and shared their food with her. With her managing that kitchen, it sounds like we're having a party tonight," Azu explained.
"Oooh, it's like she can read my mind!" Kari started giggling and bouncing with glee. "I'm ready to eat a lot!"
"Has she really been cooking all day?" Kayla whispered, taking off.
There was a path to the kitchen from here, unlike before. Just as she feared, there was platter after platter after platter of delicacies left out here, guarded by a Croconaw and a Zigzagoon who were bickering about something. The scars on the Croconaw didn't look good, but things didn't sound too heated, so she ignored them for now.
"Mog—" Kayla whispered as she came into the kitchen. The Swoobat was in her own world, humming pleasantly to herself. She didn't look tired or bothered like she expected, even as she hurried from corner to corner managing different things on boil. A Kirlia and an Ivysaur were assisting by chopping up vegetables and decorating the platters for her. Even though she wasn't hidden, Mog didn't notice Kayla at all, singing and humming an angelic tune to herself. Kari eventually tapped Kayla's side, and the duo snuck out.
"Don't tell her I told you this, but she was like this this morning, too," Kari said.
"Mog really likes cooking… and singing, too. Hard to believe she was the archfiend," Kayla muttered. "Wait, look there, too."
"Is that bacon?" Kari squeaked, covering her mouth.
"Who's there?" Mog shrieked, nearly dropping a cabbage to the floor.
"It's just us, don't worry!" Kayla gasped, revealing herself. Mog sighed. "I know I said to just cook, but have you really been cooking all day?"
"H-has it been all day? I um… you said to make a feast, so I just started making stuff… then these Pokémon started asking me for food too and giving me stuff, so I made them plates. S-sorry, I-I-I couldn't say no," she shuddered.
"Hey, no worries. I just don't want you to overwork yourself!" Kayla snickered. "And, uh, I know I said a feast, but this is a lot of food. Even Kari would have trouble putting all this away!"
"Do you really wanna challenge that?" the Furret teased, half-lidded.
"There's a lot of Pokémon in the scrapyard, and you brought more, too. When you make dinner for a group, always cook more than you need," Mog stated. "Honestly, it's no trouble at all. We'll be done soon. Um, if I'm allowed to ask for anything, maybe you could gather everyone? Oh and Kari, look! Some of the Pokémon here are hunters, too. I was able to cook some meat dishes."
"I saw, I can't wait!" Kari cheered.
"It's really all coming up roses. Sure I'll go gather everyone, that's simple enough for me," Kayla nodded and grinned. "Kari, we'll split up for this one."
About an hour later, the team were all gathered around the large table by Azu. There wasn't enough room for everyone to sit, but that didn't stop them all from gathering near the table anyway. She couldn't believe her eyes – the variety of dishes was outdone by the number of species around. From her own Team Daybreak, to Welder and company, to Azu's scrapyard Pokémon, to even the former RSE staff in Corrin and Grey, it was like she was staring at a new academy in the making. And unlike their first arrival here, there were smiles on everyone's faces. Smiles and pleasant chatter. Amongst all the cheer and merriment, Mog's voice caught Kayla off-guard. Her mouth dropped, but she got a hold of herself.
She looked left. Genius and Shannon shared a plate of spaghetti that drew their lips together, while behind them, Pola was tackled by Kari to stop her from dumping a bucket of water on them. On her right, May was conversing with Corrin and Grey, who were joined by Ashe, who showed off a Gold Ribbon she'd found. Across the table from Kayla herself was a chuckling Welder, who traded stories with a Conkeldurr and a Mimikyu. An Audino with a blue apron happily cleaned up around them, overheard one of their jokes and interjected, to which the whole group set off laughing.
"This is the world you want, isn't it?" Azu's voice made her jump. Somehow, the Azumarill was speaking through telepathy, and winked when Kayla glanced at her. "Be proud. This is the very first time I have seen my community this happy."
Kayla idly chomped on a carrot, taking it all in. This did feel good. It felt even better than their celebration after defeating Mathildaath. Likely because it was earned and it didn't have any patriotic undertones, like the ceremony that preceded it. Azu's words meant a lot, too – this was her world, a world she had begun to cultivate. Not a dream world or a world of manipulated Pokémon, just a world that was a dream come true of Pokémon working hard to live together. She was prepared for things to go south, but so far, they hadn't, and that was worth a kick back and a grin. She flipped her plate to kick the rest of her food into her mouth and then took off, following the voice on the wind.
Surely enough, Mog wasn't too far away, but was alone on top of one of the half-built huts Welder's group had built. Kayla remained hidden, but settled to listen to her song, relaxed by the melancholic tones. Yes, it was familiar. Dangerously familiar, but it didn't matter. Mog's singing voice was soft enough that she could happily lean against the building below and relax, eyes closed.
It was the song her mother used to sing.