Chapter 21 – Day 10, Part 2: Staying Dry

Chapter 21 – Day 10, Part 2: Staying Dry

I can’t say I was expecting to leave the castle grounds covered in mud and bloody bandages today, let alone before noon. Though honestly, I’m not even surprised at this point. I doubt I will be ever again.

The thoughts going through my head as I scrubbed away all the grime in the community showers were less “wow, this sucks” and more “this sucks, but I’ve had worse days.” Keep in mind that I’m only on day ten and that was objectively true.

Oh well. I could move on from this. And at least I figured out what Swift’s deal was.

Swift and Allium being related was unexpected and admittedly not as obvious as Dahlia and Pink made it out to be. I assumed that yeah, they were just student and teacher—water type and water type. If I made that assumption about every pokemon I met then there might’ve actually been a perfectly justifiable reason for me getting my ass beat by a turtle with daddy issues. Anybody could make the very same claim about me and Allium. In fact, that might actually make more sense.

I remembered something after my “fight” with Swift. Apparently, Samurott and Blastoise aren’t even in the same “egg group.” What does that mean? Hell if I know. But based on my incredibly flimsy prior knowledge pool, the two shouldn’t be able to produce offspring.

So unless Swift was adopted, this world I was in worked off slightly different rules. That explained why Swift could use Razor Shell as well apparently. The Squirtle line can’t learn Razor Shell. (Pretty weird, right?)

Anyways, I got myself cleaned up, replaced my bandages, and met up with Cosmo in the castle lobby.

The lobby was mostly empty. Lace and Ipo were behind the front desk, Cosmo was loudly bothering them, and a few pokemon soaked in rain water passed by. Other than the sounds of the young Solosis dramatically retelling my fight with Swift echoing off the walls, the only prevalent noises I could hear were the sounds of distant raindrops and the occasional boom of thunder.

A couple of guild members pushed past me as I approached the front desk, tracking water and leaving puddles on the floor behind them. I took the extra effort to avoid them and the puddles they left, thoroughly pulling a towel closer to my still damp fur.

Soon enough, I trudged up to the three of them just in time for the Psychic type to get to the climax.

“And then, Oswald shot a HUGE Water Gun and- and the villain EXPLODED and it was amazing!”

“Woooow,” Ipo the Simipour said with the most bored and deadpanned inflection possible. “The guy exploded? That’s insane.” His head rested on one of his hands as he half-heartedly listened to Cosmo’s spiel.

Meanwhile, Lace the Leavanny looked absolutely horrified. “He exploded?” she asked worriedly. “Oh, that is dreadful! I hope the cleanup crew doesn’t have much trouble.” I wasn’t able to discern if she was being serious or if she was just humoring the Solosis. And if she wasn’t serious then damn, what great acting. “How irresponsible!”

“That’s not exactly what happened,” I told them while walking up, catching the attention of all three of them. “If anything, I’m the one that exploded.”

And from what I just heard, Cosmo’s story was an outright lie. What the hell, Cosmo?

“Either way,” Lace started, addressing me with a friendly, ablebit judgemental smile, “any form of exploding is not allowed on the castle premises.”

Ipo chuckled, “Never heard of that rule before. Is it new?”

Lace ignored him. “I hear you had a run-in with a Wartorle, Oswald,” she said.

She remembers my name. How nice. “You could say that.”

“It was amazing!” Cosmo exclaimed excitedly. “Oswald is the greatest water type in the whole world! Waaaay better than that stinky Swift!”

Hard to believe this kid hated me just this morning.

“Yeah, well try not to kill each other,” Ipo remarked, not looking up from his paperwork. “When you start spilling blood, the rest of us have to deal with it.”

Sure, Ipo. I’ll try to avoid dying next time. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I recommend that you take some time off today,” Lace added amicably. “Stay in town and nurse your wounds. Take this opportunity to enjoy the rain,” —she shot Ipo a side eye glance— “like you water types tend to do.”

Ipo’s only response was to remain silent, deliberately licking his finger before flipping through the stack of papers in his hands.

Honestly, as much as I wanted to take the opportunity to indulge in my apparent Dewott instincts…I didn’t. That feeling I got while standing in the rain was still fresh in my mind, lingering deep in my subconscious. Another reminder that I was slowly losing myself; just like with that Torchic leg. I could be so carefree if I just forgot about my humanity…

No. I wasn’t ready to decide yet. “Actually,” I said, suddenly remembering something from earlier, “I’d prefer not to get wet. Do you have any umbrellas around here?” I don’t know why I didn’t think to ask for one of those before. Was that subconscious too?

Ipo snickered so hard that he dropped the stack of papers he was holding. “Umbrella? What the? A water type asking for an umbrella? Are you kidding me? That’s the craziest thing I’ve heard all day!”

My face immediately flushed a bright red. “I-I-I mean…uh…Cosmo…doesn’t like getting…” I spun to face the Solosis and frantically whispered, “Psst! Cosmo! Help me out here!”

Cosmo blinked in confusion. “Wha? But Cosmo likes the rain! It keeps his bubble hydrated!” he beamed.

“W-wha…uh…” I sputtered. Cosmo! Come on! I pleaded with him silently. He simply stared back with big eyes and an even bigger grin. Meanwhile, Ipo was laughing up a storm.

“Ahahaha! Sweet Arceus, this is rich! Ahahah-“

Smack!

“Ow!”

I winced at the sound of Lace loudly slapping the Simipour on the back of the head. “Oh, be quiet, you!” she demanded. “Don’t laugh at others like that! You call yourself a professional? Go get an umbrella!”

Ipo rubbed the back of his head as he looked between me, Cosmo, and the Leavanny boring holes into him with her eyes. After a few uncomfortable seconds, he grumbled something and stood up before walking off to another room. There were a few more moments of silence as the three of us watched him leave, only broken when Lace spoke up.

“I am terribly sorry about that, Oswald,” she said with a polite bow, turning back to face me. “There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay dry; especially after having already spent enough time in the rain today as is.”

I grunted, more out of exasperation than anything else. Just another day of getting laughed at. I hate the fact that I’m essentially used to it at this point.

She continued, “I know how you must feel. It can be bad enough for a pokemon like me with no fur to not soak up any of the rain and still track it everywhere I go, but I would imagine that it is twice as annoying for you.”

Annoying. Sure, yeah, let’s go with that.

“Plus,” she added, “most of the town’s businesses shut down when it rains. Ugh.” Lace shook her head. “Anyways, Do you have any other plans for today?”

I grimaced. Admittedly, I didn’t. I was planning on spending most of the day in the training grounds helping Cosmo, but that obviously didn’t work out, so what now? I have to keep the two of us occupied somehow. I turned to the Solosis floating on my left. “Hey Cosmo, any ideas? Nothing strenuous, preferably.”

Cosmo sagged in the air and his bubble wobbled. “Nothing strenuous?” he asked sadly. “Does this mean that Cosmo won’t be learning from any psychic masters today?”

I shook my head and shot him a sad look of my own. “No, I’m sorry, buddy. I’d rather stay away from the training grounds for a while. We can find someone else to help you another time.”

The Solosis whimpered, “Okay…”

“Would you like some suggestions?” Lace asked politely, prompting me to turn my attention to her.

“Suggestions?” I questioned.

“Suggestions for what?” Another pokemon asked out of the blue. Before I even could register who it was, a long, thin object flew through the air and collided with my torso. A dull pain shot through my chest as the object fell to the floor with a metallic clang that echoed off the walls. I rubbed my chest tenderly while I bent down to pick up what I now saw was the umbrella, simultaneously looking up to see that Ipo was already back behind the counter, scrounging through the same paperwork as before.

“Ipo!” Lace cried, her face contorted in shock.

He waved her off dismissively, not looking up from the desk. “I got the umbrella. Happy now?” She certainly didn’t look happy, that was for sure. I wasn’t the one being glared at and I still felt the intensity from where I was standing.

I picked up the umbrella and tested it by sliding the runner along the metallic rod, causing the stretcher to expand and open the dark blue cloth canopy. Cosmo watched the umbrella open and close, following it with his eyes each time, observing the object with obscene interest.

I looked up at the Leavanny. “It’s fine, Lace,” I said, closing the umbrella. I then nodded at the Simipour. “And thanks, Ipo.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” the water type grumbled. “So what were you two suggesting?”

Lace crossed her arms and scowled. “Well,” she snapped, “I was just about to tell Oswald here about some available happenings in town today.”

The Simipour scoffed, still refusing to look up from his paperwork, “Yeah, good luck with that. Kebia has a lot of fire types so most businesses close down when it rains. And…yeah, I got nothing.”

“I already said that,” Lace chastised bitterly. “Is it not your job to give guild members instructions and to be up to date with possible leisurely activities?”

That made him look up. “It’s my job to keep records; return rewards; manage the front desk,” he retorted. “My contract never specified that I had to be ‘up to date.'”

I blinked. “Uh…” They sure do bicker a lot.

“We are the first pokemon most will see when they enter Kebia Castle—the main attraction of Kebia,” Lace shot back with her arms crossed. “It did not have to be in your contract. Such an expectation was implied.”

The Simipour shrugged in dismissal before turning back to his work. “You do it then. You probably know more than I do anyway.”

She huffed but didn’t reply to that. Lace instead returned her attention to Cosmo and I. “Now,” she picked up where she left off, “have you spent much time in Kebia already?”

I rubbed the back of my head and exchanged glances with Cosmo. “Uh…no, not really. We’ve mostly stuck to the castle. And Altaria’s and Kecleon’s I suppose.” Admittedly, that was somewhat my fault. There had been a couple times before where I had the opportunity to explore the town at my own leisure. Like that time after my first encounter with Swift; though I doubt that I would have enjoyed it much.

In fact, I wasn’t aware of anything that we could do to pass the time. Couldn’t go to a library since I couldn’t read. Wasn’t hungry so we couldn’t go eat something to pass the time. Were there any forms of entertainment we could engage with?

Luckily for us, Lace was just getting to that. “I believe the theater will be having a live presentation today,” she said politely.

“A theater?” I questioned with interest. Lace nodded. “What’ll they be showing?”

“I’m not sure,” the Leavanny replied. “Though they are often scheduled to have a presentation within an hour from now.”

“What’s a theater?” Cosmo asked innocently. Both Lace and I turned to face him.

“You don’t know what a theater is?” I asked in bewilderment. Even I knew what a theater was and I was the amnesiac in this conversation.

The Solosis seemed taken aback by the question, as though he had done something wrong. “N-no. Is Cosmo…supposed to…?”

“No, it’s fine, Cosmo,” I said reassuringly. “Just surprised, is all.”

“It will be his first!” Lace added happily.

Ipo gave a half-hearted “yay” without looking up.

“But…what is a theater?” the psychic type asked again.

“It’s like…” I paused in thought. Oh god, how am I supposed to explain this? “…Have you ever read a book?”

“That’s an interesting question,” Ipo spoke up.

“Shh!” Lace shut him up right away.

“Um…Cosmo thinks so.”

I nodded. “Theaters have plays like how books have stories. Plays are like…books…with pictures. In real life.”

“Books…with pictures…?”

“Yeah, you get to see the stories play out in real time; you don’t have to imagine anything. That sound like fun?”

Cosmo floated there with a…look…on his face. I didn’t read it as one of confusion, to my surprise. It was…something else. I felt a sinking in my stomach as I waited for Cosmo to respond, his pensiveness making me regret even trying. The Solosis looked absolutely lost and conflicted at the same time, his eyes cloudy and his bubble trembling slightly. Was it something I said? “Cosmo?”

Just as I said his name, Cosmo came back to reality and his signature cheery demeanor returned. “Oh! Cosmo wants to go to the theater!” he beamed.

I let out a sigh of relief. No idea what that was about, I thought. Whatever. I’m ready to leave. “Alright…where is the theater?” I asked as I faced the front counter.

“Not far from the town center,” Lace said. “Follow the path past Altaria’s, take a right, then the building will be around the corner. Can’t miss it.”

“Thanks,” I smiled. “Let’s head out, Cosmo.”

“Yay!” he exclaimed. “Cosmo is ready to go, go, go!”

---

Cosmo and I made it to the theater relatively quickly. The walk there didn’t take long, what with the streets being nearly empty. The problem was that while the umbrella Ipo gave me worked, there was nothing protecting my legs and feet. Every individual droplet that splashed against my fur involuntarily made me jump, made even worse by the chill of rain water lapping at my ankles with each step.

I hurried to the building’s location and made the whole situation worse with each splash. Every fiber in my being compelled me to drop the umbrella and roll on the ground, take in the overwhelming sensations, and give in. For some reason, it had gotten worse. My time in the rain back at the training grounds was tolerable, but now, I couldn’t even concentrate on anything except the rain.

Cosmo seemed to have fun at least. Good for him.

The theater was a large square building situated near the town center, just as Lace had said. Cosmo and I headed in and paid for our tickets. Luckily, I picked up on the value of specific coins here through my time with Fenn so I was able to pay without embarrassing myself. The play we ended up watching, and the only one available at the time, was a two-hander by the name of “Chrys and the beauty of learning.”

Chrys, a character played by a very talented Zoroark, was a young guy that comes to a new town far from his old one to start a new life. Unfortunately, he previously spoke a different language and didn’t know how to read. He meets a librarian, played by a Girafarig, that teaches him his new language by getting him to read books. By the end of it, the two characters learned to appreciate what they learned from one another. A happy ending and all that.

If this sounds simple and distinctly juvenile, then you’d be right. I noticed a bit too late that pretty much the entire audience consisted of children and their parents. We didn’t stand out, thankfully, but I still felt a little awkward. That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it; in fact, I thought it was quite impressive. Especially considering that the entire hour long play only had two actors.

After the show, the Zoroark and the Girafarig explained that they used illusions, psychic tricks, and practical effects to “fool” us into thinking it was mostly real. The Zoroark said that he restrained himself so that at least some of it would be left up to the imagination. That’s the beauty of stage plays, after all. He wouldn’t create other pokemon or even entire environments, but he would manipulate the atmosphere and even produce separate voices. Voices like Chrys’ loud and antagonistic grandmother, represented by a booming voice out of frame.

The Girafarig, meanwhile, used her powers to move individual sets across the stage and quickly change costumes. She would even go as far as to create non-diegetic music to give each scene its own flare.

Both did really well with what they had, though it’s a shame I couldn’t relate much to the story, even if it seemed like I should. I was too old for a story this watered down, I think. I could hardly refrain from sinking into my chair out of embarrassment. The hammy acting and the kid-friendly jokes were just too childish for me.

Granted, I wasn’t the target audience: Cosmo and the rest of the kids were.

After the explanation, the actors were open to a few questions. Most of them came from the kids and they were about as innocuous as you would expect.

“Why were there only two of you?”

“Is there another pokemon behind that curtain?”

“How did the background keep changing?”

The kind of things a kid would ask. Each of them were egged on by their parents. Honestly, I wanted to ask some things myself, like “how far can you go with those illusions?” or “how were the two of you able to coordinate this so effortlessly?” or even “wouldn’t your talents be better suited elsewhere?” Of course, I didn’t; I’m a coward and felt awkward about being the only adult to do so. Cosmo, however, surprised me and probably most of the other adults with his question.

I had noticed a couple times that Cosmo seemed downright enthralled by the play. And it wasn’t just my imagination either.

He loved it.

During the play, his eyes were glued to the stage, his bubble quivering nonstop. The glint in his eyes got bigger with every special effect and he laughed at every joke. I swear I even saw him close to tears near the end of the play.

So was it any wonder why, when he finally got his chance to ask a question, Cosmo differentiated himself from every other childish pokemon there? “Um, Cosmo was wondering,” he said nervously, “was this based on a real story? Is Chrys a real pokemon?”

The Zoroark smiled, but didn’t look at Cosmo. He looked at me. Goddammit, Cosmo. You and your manner of speech.

“Well,” the Zoroark started, “I’ve personally never met another pokemon with that name and I’m not sure if it’s entirely accurate to any real life events…” He paused for dramatic effect. “But it could be. Chrys and the librarian could be real and they could be your neighbors. Or, Chrys could be one of you.”

There was a clamoring in the audience. Some kids let out a few childish “What? I’m not Chrys!”

The Girafarig spoke up. “Now, now, settle down,” she said soothingly, much different from her tone as the librarian. “What my co-star is trying to say is that while most of you aren’t Chrys literally, you might have the same experiences as him.”

“You might even meet someone like him on your travels,” the Zoroark added. “Or, someone like the librarian. That’s the beauty of performance: you get to witness the experiences of others.”

There was a slightly quieter clamoring this time. Most of the children seemed to get it. Meanwhile, Cosmo…was silent. He floated down into his seat, his bubble notably more rigid than before. He seemed lost in thought.

The questions went on as I asked Cosmo what the matter was. “You okay, Cosmo?” I said to him softly.

“…” He was silent for a few moments. “…Yes. Cosmo i-is…okay.” The Solosis turned to me. His features were hard to make out due to the darkness shrouding the theater combined with the dark coloration of his bubble. “Cosmo just wanted to know…if he is like Chrys.”

I balked. “I mean…you’re a bit like him I guess,” I whispered. “You…uh…”

Crap. How do I answer a question like this? Am I supposed to know these things? I met Cosmo only a few days ago!

“I’d say…you’re like him in that…you…happened to find a couple pokemon that took you in and…gave you a home.”

Cosmo remained silent, tilting his body in confusion.

“Like…Chrys is you while Fenn and I are the librarian.”

“…Fenn and Oswald are one pokemon?”

“No, uh, it’s more like…me and Fenn share that same role. For you. We’re the ones that’ll lead you to the next stage of your life, you know?”

Cosmo pondered the idea for a few moments before eventually jiggling his bubble to affirm that he got it. “Okay,” he said, “Cosmo understands.”

I nodded. “I’ll always be here to ‘teach’ you, Cosmo. Me and Fenn both.”

I caught sight of him smiling through the darkness before he turned his attention back to the stage as the actors finished up the last of the questions. I didn’t pay much attention after that because I was caught up on Cosmo’s question from before.

In my honest opinion, I was more like Chrys than Cosmo. Ha! I guess that made Fenn my librarian then.

…

…That came out wrong.

Anyways, the final questions were asked and Cosmo and I headed outside. That was an hour of our day spent.

Parents and their children hurried through the still pouring rain while I made a conscious effort to leave last. All the while, a Serperior badgered as many pokemon as she could as they left the building, frantically asking them questions that I couldn’t hear. Her leaves were soaked and she looked absolutely miserable. Her attention eventually fell on me and she slithered over.

“Excuse me,” the grass type fretted impatiently, “I’m looking for a small, pink diamond. Have you seen it? Please tell me you’ve seen it.”

I exchanged a silent glance with Cosmo before shaking my head. “No, I can’t say that I have. Sorry.”

“Cosmo has not seen a pink diamond either.”

The Serperior groaned in frustration. “No no no, please…” she whined under her breath. The grass type slithered away in panic before I was able to get another word in.

“Huh. Well, I hope she can find it,” I said aloud.

“Cosmo could find it. He is good at finding things.”

I tightened my grip on the umbrella. “No, it’s…really none of our business. It’s our day off too. Let somebody else handle it.”

The little Solosis bobbed up and down. “Okay. What are Oswald and Cosmo going to do next?” he asked.

I stood there, watching the rain pelt the stone and dirt, conjuring up an answer to that question. “…I don’t know, Cosmo,” I told him hoarsely. “I guess we can just…go walk around; see if anything is open.”

Cosmo was already floating ahead, the rain droplets bouncing off his outer bubble. “Cosmo will take the lead!” he announced.

And so he did. I kept behind the psychic type as he bounced through the streets, loudly pointing out every interesting bit of architecture he could see. He seemed to really be in awe at everything he saw which I found to be a little strange. Cause I mean, Cosmo lived here, right? He always has; why was he acting like that wasn’t the case? Hmm. Cosmo sure is mysterious. And I’m pretty sure he’s not trying to be…

My inner thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of my stomach grumbling. That simple reaction to being hungry got me thinking about the Torchic leg in my bag again. Do I really want to be a pokemon? I thought. An interesting question for sure. Surely, there was no point in asking. But still, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I am human. Humans don’t eat other humans. Well…sane ones anyway. Why does the opposite apply to pokemon? Ugh. And why am I still asking these stupid questions? I already decided that I’m doing this in the first place so that I could better accept who I am now. But…what if I do end up going back…?

I was going in circles, trying to rationalize a decision that didn’t matter to anyone but me. My inner ramblings only served to delay the inevitable.

I was hungry again. I should eat.

I have food. I should eat it.

Stop thinking about it. It doesn’t matter.

No one cares, Oswald. Eat the damn meat.

I was seriously considering it at this point, but it seemed that I would have to wait a bit longer.

“Ooh! A fortune teller!”

I stopped in my tracks to see Cosmo bouncing up and down in front of a small, dark purple brick building off to the side of the main road. Thick curtains blocked the windows on the inside and various chimes and glass ornaments littered the entrance. Above the doorway were three painted eyes arranged in a triangle formation. Each eye was distinctly shaped, their irises a deep purple to match the drapes. The establishment certainly had a feeling of mystery and mysticism to it, though I had to take Cosmo’s word on what the purpose of the building actually was.

“Ooh, Ooh! Cosmo wants his fortune read!” Cosmo excitedly said.

I came to his side and hummed, “Hmm, a fortune teller? How do we know this isn’t a scam?” I wasn’t sure why I even asked. Cause really, reading the future wasn’t all that far fetched compared to what I’d seen already. Anemone can literally read minds. And you know, Dialga existed. Gods existed.

But humans didn’t anymore for some reason. Go figure.

“A scam? What’s that?” the Solosis pondered.

Me and my stupid human sensibilities. “Don’t worry about it, Cosmo,” I told him, sliding my umbrella closed. “They probably won’t lie to us. And really, I doubt Calluna would let this place stick around if it was a scam.” I dropped any sort of suspicions I had and pushed the door open. Who knows? I was certainly interested in the prospect of learning something new. The idea of my fortune being read and genuinely getting some answers to my questions appealed to me greatly. Plus, it would help pass the time.

Once I stepped into the small building, I was immediately struck by how dark it was. Much like how Kecleon’s shop was dimly lit with lamps, the fortune teller’s place was shrouded in a veil of low light, basking the entire room in a deep purple hue. Looking down at my paws, the black fur almost blended in with the walls around me. The air itself seemed to glow thanks to a thin cloud of vapor touching the ceiling. I was already uncomfortable from staying out in the rain, but now the vapors brought the stickiness of my fur to my attention.

Cosmo came in shortly after me and his reaction wasn’t too dissimilar from mine. “Egh! Sticky icky! Cosmo doesn’t like this!”

“You and me both, buddy,” I mumbled. My eyes drifted to the far wall and I froze. I had been so distracted by my first impression of this place that I hadn’t taken in how it looked until now. There was some fancy velvet furniture, silver chandeliers, lamps, and lots of knick knacks, sure, but the real star of the show was the mural.

The back wall was intricately painted in a style that was reminiscent of a children’s book that relayed the events of a legend. There was a lot to unpack, but the most substantial details I could pick out was the castle on the far right and the pokemon fighting on both ends. The largest figures, that of which I assumed were the leaders in the conflict, were a Grimmsnarl and Malamar on one end and a group of psychic type pokemon on the other. They snarled and barred their teeth at one another while large groups of pokemon clashed around them.

Since it was more a stylized depiction, one side was definitely better favored than the other. It was pretty obvious which side was meant to be the bad guys. I stared at it for some time, just taking in all of the smaller details. This must be that war I’ve heard about before. What was it called again?

“I see that you have an appreciation for my mural, hm?”

My heart nearly stopped at the sound of the voice behind me. I quickly spun around to face the pokemon that had snuck up on me, ripping a scalchop off my thigh and holding it up defensively. My heart pounded in my ears as I caught sight of a pig-nosed, pinkish pokemon with a striped bandana wrapped around their head and a smoking pipe in their hand. The pokemon waded out from the wall they conveniently blended into and I got a better look at them.

Likewise, so did they. The Grumpig looked me up and down with a face that screamed ‘unamused.’ “You seem…on edge,” the Grumpig purred in a mysterious, feminine sounding drawl.

…I put my scalchop away, a bit embarrassed by my silly reaction. “S-sorry about that.”

She smiled at me with half open eyes. “It’s quite alright. My doors are always open. Especially on a day like this.” Her eyes fell on the mural as she walked past me. “Are you familiar with the wars of the Psychics?” she asked.

Oh yeah. That’s what it was called. The Psychic Wars. “I’ve uh…heard of it once or twice,” I mumbled, following her with my gaze.

She hummed while looking away from me, “Hmm. You are quite young. Too young to have taken part in it.” She sent me a side eyed glance. “You should consider yourself lucky in that regard.”

I frowned. “I wouldn’t know.”

The psychic peered back at the mural. “I suppose…ignorance is not always the vice many claim it to be…” She took a hit from her smoking pipe and released a small cloud of vapor. That explains the cloudiness of this place. She turned around. “Would you like to have your fortune read, young Dewott?”

“Um, sure. Hey, Cos- Cosmo? Cosmo, where’d you-oh.” I swung my head around in search of the Solosis. Sometime during the conversation, Cosmo wandered off. It only took me a few seconds to find him gawking at a collection of shiny chimes and trinkets in the corner. I called out to him. “Cosmo, come here. We’re gonna get our fortunes read.”

He quickly dropped what he was doing and bounced over to me. “Cosmo wants to know his future!”

The Grumpig lazily gestured to Cosmo with her pipe while looking at me. “Your son?”

“Teammate,” I clarified with air quotes. “We’re a part of the guild.”

She nodded. “I could tell. Piglets like yourselves tend to be a part of the guild these days, I noticed.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Piglets? Excuse me?”

The Grumpig ignored me and padded over to a large velvet couch, sat down, and patted the cushions. “Come,” she said. “Sit. Let me see what your future holds.

Still a little miffed by the “piglet” comment, I stood there for a few more seconds while Cosmo bounced up to the Grumpig excitedly. “Yay, future!”

I shook my head and sat down on the other end of the couch. The large cushions were hard to get comfortable in, I’ll just say that. Maybe it was just me being lighter than I gave myself credit for cause my body wouldn’t sink in at all.

There was plenty of space to sit down, though, so I just laid my back up against the arm rest, opposite of the Grumpig. “So how does this actually work?” I asked, fidgeting in place.

The fortune teller smiled warmly, her elbow resting on the head cushions and her head lazily resting on her fist as she looked at me. “Are you familiar with the technique ‘Future Sight?'”

“Not particularly, no.”

“Oh! Oh! Cosmo is!” the Solosis proclaimed. “Cosmo can learn it!”

Grumpig chuckled and placed her smoking pipe on the couch. “Yes, you can, little one,” she said. “It can be quite the powerful move for those with a strong mind.” Methodically, the psychic type sat up straight and held out her hands, psychic energy seeping out of her palms and into the air. Wispy strands of white effortlessly flowed in front of her face, spectacularly illuminating the Grumpig with bright lights. I sat there in stunned silence as the wisps danced between her fingers. “Grumpig normally cannot learn such a technique. But my father was an Absol; one of great prestige and power. Some might say that Future Sight has uses only in combat. But they are wrong. Father proved them wrong.”

In an instant, the Grumpig closed her fist around the wisps, causing them to explode in every possible direction. I flinched. Cosmo gasped. Grumpig continued. “Future Sight works to attack one’s opponent with a delayed strike imbued with psychic energy; this much is true. However…”

The psychic type opened her hands. “Under the correct mindset, the effect can be altered.” Within the palms of her hands was a bright white orb. She picked up said orb with two fingers and held it up for the two of us to see. “Essentially, by utilizing the power father has bestowed upon me, I can learn about the future much like how he would learn of disasters before they were to occur. Does that make sense?”

No, not really. “I guess? I’m not really sure how something like that can be passed down.”

I doubt Cosmo got it either, but he was at the very least mesmerized, his wide eyes gazing at the orb. “So much power…” he whispered in awe. “The future…all in one shiny ball…wow…”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t really see how this translates into fortune reading,” I said. “It’s just a glowing orb.”

She looked at me with a coy smile, her eyebrow cocked. “Would you…like a demonstration?”

I was about to speak, but then Cosmo excitedly yelled, “Yes! Yes! Cosmo wants to see!”

With not a second left to breathe, Grumpig slammed her hands together, smashing the orb in the process. She then lifted her arms into the air and unleashed the condensed orb out of her open palms. In what I could only describe as the universe itself appearing above us, bright white particles lit up the entire room, shaping itself to appear as a collection of constellations.

It was beautiful. Words couldn’t describe the wonder I felt at that moment.

“Wha…” Cosmo gasped. “Amazing! So pretty!”

“Yeah…” I breathed. “But…what is it?”

“My future,” Grumpig suddenly said, prompting us to look in her direction. “What you’re seeing is a visualization of what the combination of an Absol’s insight and a psychic pokemon’s abilities as a soothsayer would look like.”

I looked back at the blinding display. It was spectacular—otherworldly even, but I had no idea what any of it meant aside from what I could immediately understand. The Grumpig knew this, which is why she continued her explanation.

“It took years of agonizing trial and error, but I was eventually able to uncover the true meaning behind these lights.” She pointed up, at a collection of particles near the center. “The formation of stars there is mine, completely unique to me. The surrounding images could appear in other pokemon, but this one in particular is special.”

The psychic type then swung her finger to point at another figure, a rounder shape this time. “That is what I have come to describe as the ‘healing’ signature. Most would come to know this as a sign that the days of grief will end.”

My eyes fell on the Grumpig’s face as she explained this. Her eyes were sparkling, especially after saying the word “grief.” Without looking away from the shape, she told us, “My father passed away some time ago.”

There was a pregnant pause as she blinked several times. “I am…uncertain if I will ever truly come to terms with the fact that he will never return, but…I know that my future is exempt from further suffering. I have the strength to move on. I will heal.”

“…” I had nothing to say.

Her eyes met mine, and I could detect a small modicum of bittersweet joy in her teary eyes. Any sense of skepticism I previously had had washed away. This woman was serious.

Soon enough, the lights began to fade away, slowly drenching the room in a darkness much like before. The Grumpig held out her hand. “Would you like your fortune read?” she questioned politely.

I didn’t get to let a word out before Cosmo shot past me and into the Grumpig’s hand. “Yesyesyesyesyes! Cosmo wants to know his future!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the little guy’s enthusiasm. In all honesty, I should have been more skeptical; more protective. It was a pretty light show, sure, but who was to say it was all real. I mean, I already decided that it was, which was why I was still going through with it. At least the fortune teller seemed genuine.

What I should have done is go first. I was not at all comfortable with Cosmo being the guinea pig over me. But I let him do it anyway. I’m also not sure what a “guinea” pig is in retrospect, but whatever.

The Grumpig laughed heartily. “So eager! You have quite the bundle of excitement on your hands,” she smiled, winking at me.

I frowned. “This isn’t going to hurt him, is it?”

She shook her head. “No. Of course not. It will be painless.” All of a sudden, the Grumpig’s eyes began to glow a deep pink. She lifted her other hand above the Solosis as he floated within her grasp.

Cosmo began to giggle as wisps similar to those from before floating in between the Grumpig’s hands and around the Solosis. “Tehe!” he giggled. “That tickles!”

The wisps flowed like water in and out of Cosmo, eventually congealing into a large ball of light above him. It was almost as big as he was, with stray strands leaking from the edges of the construction.

After some time, the light was condensed into a much smaller ball through what I assumed was a psychic force. The fortune teller exerted herself at much the same time as the ball being condensed.

And with one final act of psychic exertion, the ball of light exploded outward, expanding into a display of light much like the one from before.

But this time, the light was so bright that it hurt to look at.

All three of us tore our eyes from the light show. We averted our gaze away from the collection of particles that were brighter than the sun itself. All the while, the woman laughed. “Hahaha! Wonderful! Young Solosis, your future is bright!”

I shielded my eyes, only taking cursory glances at the display. I couldn’t make out much, but the fortune teller somehow could. She laughed more. “I see joy! I see family! Hahaha! What a wonderful sight!” I’d imagine that any passerby could see the lights from outside even with the closed curtains.

This went on for a bit longer. Somewhere along the way, Cosmo had buried himself in my chest while we waited. Eventually, the lights did flicker out, and I was able to recuperate, minus the spots in my vision. Cosmo stayed where he was for the time being and I was finally able to see again. The first thing I saw was the Grumpig with a big smile on her face and black glasses covering her eyes.

She took them off. Her eyes had gone from sad to overjoyed, though the tears still remained in some capacity. “Young piglets, that was astounding,” she beamed, wiping away the tears. “With how precarious these days can be, it is…refreshing to meet a pokemon with such joy in their life. Solosis child?” She beckoned him to her even though he was still buried in my chest.

He mumbled something indistinct before looking up at me. “Is it over?” Cosmo muttered innocently.

I’ll admit, I chuckled at that a bit. We were never in any real danger it seemed. “Yeah, it’s over,” I said warmly. “The nice lady wants to say something to you, Cosmo. Go ahead.”

Reluctantly, and with some worry clearly evident on his face, Cosmo turned around to face the Grumpig. He slowly floated closer to her and waited for her to speak.

“Cosmo, I believe that was your name, correct?” she started. Cosmo nodded. “Young Cosmo, in my heart I have always had doubts when it comes to my abilities. Sometimes I find it difficult to justify what I have chosen to do with my life. But you…you are the shining example of why I am a soothsayer. And while life will always have its hardships, I can guarantee you that yours will always be one worth living. Never forget that.”

The Solosis’ worried frown had long since disappeared by the time Grumpig finished her speech. Now Cosmo was smiling ear to…well, he doesn’t have ears but…you know what I mean.

Cosmo was quivering with excitement. “Does this mean…Cosmo will become an even stronger psychic?” he wondered.

Grumpig nodded. “With how bright your future is, you can be anything your heart desires.”

Cosmo shot into the air and flew all around the room. “Yippee! Cosmo is the greatest! Cosmo is the best psychic of all time!”

Once again, I couldn’t help but smile at his antics. Really happy for you Cosmo. I might not know everything about you, but you deserve to be happy. You deserve a bright future.

But we weren’t done here yet.

The Grumpig now looked at me, the elation not yet leaving her face. “Dewott,” she said, “I believe that means you are next, yes?”

Judging by what I had already seen, I had no reason to be excited about this. I already knew what my future would hold: pain, suffering, and more pain. But what the heck. I’m already here. May as well.

“Sure,” I replied, “let’s give it a go.”

Shuffling across the couch so that I was closer to the fortune teller, I held out my paw for her to take. With an eager grin, the Grumpig gingerly rested my paw on top of hers, then took her other hand and laid it on top of mine. Her eyes glowed like before and I felt the air around me begin to shift. She took in a deep breath as she focused on me. I did the same, not willing to miss a second of this.

I waited for the wisps.

I waited some more.

And I waited…some more after that.

I waited.

I waited.

I…waited.

The cheeriness that was once immensely apparent had gradually been snuffed out. The air itself seemed more oppressive than before. It reached a point where I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. “Is…everything okay?” I muttered.

Grumpig exhaled and her eyes lost that glow. She met my eyes with hers and the look she gave me…I felt an intense pang of dread just by looking at her. It got even worse when she finally said something.

“…No.”

“No?” I whispered.

She began to panic. “No. No! No no no no no! NO! This isn’t supposed to happen! You…you don’t understand. Even dark types…” The Grumpig paused and gulped. “Even the weakest of futures produce the smallest spark. Something. Anything.”

“…What do you mean…?”

“Dewott, listen to me, I-I-I’m not sure how this could have happened. Perhaps this was a mistake.” Before I had the chance to stop her, she tried to read my fortune again.

Nothing happened. The response was the same.

All the while, I sat there in bewilderment, a feeling of dread snaking up my spine.

The shine in the fortune’s teller’s eyes faded away at this revelation, and her third attempt was marred by trembling in her paws to the extent that she couldn’t activate her powers. “I…I don’t understand,” she breathed. “Who are you…?”

It was at that moment that I realized that I had wasted my time coming here. “Thank you for your efforts, ma’am,” I uttered, jumping off the couch.

She just watched me, her mouth agape in incredulousness. “I am…so sorry, sir. My abilities must be losing their luster.”

I managed to keep my expression as neutral as possible. “How much do we owe you?”

By this point, Cosmo had floated back down to our level. “Oswald? What is wrong?”

The Grumpig stuttered, “O-Oswald, is it? C-consider this a free reading. Please, do not waste your earnings on someone like me.”

I ignored her and fished out 250 poke from my bag. I forced it into her hands, and clasped them shut. “I insist,” I stated firmly.

I walked out before she had the chance to say more. Cosmo just barely managed to slip out of the door before it closed on him. I didn’t dare look back, no matter what.

---

I should’ve known. I literally said that nothing good would come from this and I was proven right. In fact, it’s worse than I was expecting! Nothing. Actually nothing at all. I don’t even want to think about this right now.

At least it stopped raining.

Our next and final stop was the castle. I was too dejected to do anything else besides sitting around for the rest of the day after that. As I dragged myself through the rain soaked streets, I lacked the energy to avoid any of the puddles directly in my path. Water splashed up my ankles and my feet were completely drenched for the remainder of the walk back. My instincts gnawed at my brain with every step. I didn’t care.

Cosmo dejectedly followed behind, quickly losing the drive to understand what was happening when I wouldn’t respond to any of his concerns. I felt horrible, really. That was supposed to be a happy moment for Cosmo, but I just had to ruin it. I’m glad that I was able to contain myself this time at least.

I was so worried that I would snap at him again that I just decided to keep quiet instead. There was no justifiable reason for me needing to yell at him like that one time. He didn’t deserve it then and he didn’t deserve it now..

I’m so stupid. Why do I even bother? May as well just-

…

My stomach grumbled. I forgot that I was still hungry.

I stopped in my tracks some ways from the castle entrance, near a large tree off to the side of the path. A sense of trepidation coursed through my entire body; it was time to decide.

Reaching into my bag, I pulled out the drumstick wrapped in the purple bundle. Fenn’s bandana. It was as though…Fenn had gifted it to me. As though he was telling me, inadvertently, that I should accept my position as a pokemon. Either that, or he wanted me to be comfortable with who I was now.

I was putting words in his mouth, but I liked to think that Fenn would accept me as a friend even if he knew all my secrets. It made me feel better.

“Oswald?” Cosmo spoke up timidly from behind my shoulder. “What’s that?”

I was silent for a few seconds. “…It’s…a gift. From Fenn. I’m a little hungry so I wanted to…have a bite.” I unraveled the package. Sitting on the cloth, still completely intact, was the stick of crispy meat. Eyeing the thing made me oddly nervous. That made some amount of sense, though. I had spent so much time mulling over this and treating it like it was a choice that would put me at the point of no return.

I would be a different person after consuming it, even if it was just me unceremoniously eating a drumstick.

I delicately lifted the drumstick by the handle and raised it up to the sun peaking out of the thick clouds. With my other paw, I took the bandana and stuffed it back into my bag. I’ll have to clean it before I give it back to Fenn. It’s the least I can do.

I wondered…what this Torchic was like. I know they were a feral, but…what was their life like? Was there a possibility that they could have become civilized? How old were they? What happened to their family?

Were they even real?

What about their future? What about my future? Torchic doesn’t get one; it became food for us. But me? Do I even get one? Is that what the lack of a light show meant? I just don’t have a future?

Here. I don’t have a future here, I mean. Was I…okay with that? What was the point of giving in to my new pokemon body if I had no future in it. If I bit into this drumstick now, I would be doomed. That was my theory.

So…no, I wasn’t ready to give in. I was still human, even if the universe itself said otherwise.

I’ll find out who I am and create a new future on my own. I don’t care what my fortune says.

And this might’ve been a pointless gesture, but I decided to bury the Torchic leg under the tree. It was a waste of perfectly good food, I know. It wasn’t even an important part of the Torchic to begin with. But…if I didn’t, then no one else would.

Perhaps it was selfish to make this all about me. This Torchic never met me and I would never meet it. It would probably try to kill me given the chance too. I needed to do this, though. I needed to make a conscious decision to bury this drumstick.

Approaching the base of the tree, I knelt down. “What are you doing, Oswald?” Cosmo wondered quietly.

“I changed my mind, Cosmo,” I told him, looking down into the dirt. “We can go get something else after this. Maybe Fenn is even feeling better now.”

“…” Cosmo was silent.

I placed the drumstick in the dirt. I don’t mean to be dramatic, I said to the Torchic internally, but thank you for this. I stood up and walked back to where I placed down the umbrella. Since I’d rather not use my paws or scalchops, I can find a way to make it work. With the umbrella in hand, I turned back to- where did it go?

What? The drumstick, where is…?

“Oswald, look!”

“What? Where?”

“Up!”

I did as Cosmo said, swinging my head around in search of the lost drumstick. Almost immediately, I caught sight of a black and red bird flying away from us into the sky. In their beak was something brown and shaped like…a drumstick. It was already too late to try and stop them. I just stood there and watched the Taillow fly away, off into the clouds.

…

…You know what? I’m fine with this. At least it’s not going to waste.

This is probably a sign or something, but eh, I don’t really care. I just want to go see Fenn.

“Oswald!” the Solosis cried. “They took your gift!”

I shrugged. “They can have it. They’ll probably find a better use for it.”

---

After Cosmo and I got back, we picked up some food and checked up on Fenn in our room, who seemed to still be tired even after sleeping all day.

“Mmm…sounds like you had quite the exciting day…” Fenn mumbled.

“I’d say so,” I responded, sitting next to the Quilava on the bed.

I intentionally left out a few of the details, like what my fortune was or how close to death I got. I’d rather him not worry that much. Strange thing was, no one but Fenn brought up the fact that I was covered in bandages. Which, to be fair, even I forgot about after a while. Pokemon healing properties are…something else.

“Cosmo had so much fun! Oswald beat up a villian, Cosmo got to see a play, and Cosmo’s future is bright! Haha!” The Solosis beamed. I was really glad that Cosmo had a good day despite everything that happened to me.

Fenn giggled quietly. “That sounds wonderful, Cosmo…” he trailed off, his eyes falling onto his meal.

I rested a paw on his shoulder. “You alright, Fenn?” I gently asked. “The rain stopped and we’ve still got a few hours of sunlight left. Do you want to go out somewhere?”

He shook his head. “N-no, I’m…still a little tired.”

I nodded, though I felt concerned for Fenn and his mood. It wasn’t the rain, I was certain. Fenn had something on his mind and I wanted to know what it was.

“Where are we going to go?” Cosmo blurted out.

…I decided to ask when Cosmo wasn’t around. I turned to the Solosis. “Uh…I’m not sure,” I said. “Guess I can take you to see the parts of the castle you haven’t been to yet. How’s that sound?”

Cosmo bounced up and down. “Okay. That sounds fun.”

I nodded once again then faced Fenn. “We’ll be back in a bit. Get some more sleep while we’re gone I guess.”

I was just about to jump off the bed when Fenn dived to stop me. “O-Oswald?”

“Hm? Yeah, Fenn?”

“…I-I’ll see you when you get back. Don’t get hurt again.”

I smiled. “I won’t. Looking forward to it, Fenn.”

---

Everything fell quiet when night came. In our little alcove, miles in the air, we were far from the troubles of the rest of the world. Not even the loudest of sounds or the most obtrusive of conflicts could reach us here.

The moon shone through the window, fighting an unwinnable battle against the night’s shroud of darkness. But I was thankful for its efforts. That small bit of light gave me a way to observe everything in front of me at that moment.

Cosmo was buried in our carrier bag fast asleep and Fenn and I laid on opposite ends of the bed. My back was facing Fenn so I couldn’t see him, but I knew he was there. On my side, I laid there with my eyes wide open.

Today felt unusually long, but most of that was because of the first half of the day. The second half was barely worth mentioning. I got to spend some quality time with Cosmo, and while I didn’t learn a whole lot about him, I enjoyed his company.

Unfortunately, I found that I couldn’t quite fall asleep. I had a lot on my mind. From Fenn, to Swift, to the play, to the fortune teller, and back to Fenn. I was so tired, but I couldn’t bring myself to shut my eyes.

“H-hey, Oswald?”

Turns out I wasn’t the only one. “Yeah, Fenn?”

“O-oh, you’re awake?” he said, audibally shifting in place.

I rolled over onto my other side, only to see a Quilava with a piece of purple cloth around his neck staring at me with his head resting on the bed sheets, his gaze portraying his anxiety. I smiled at him tiredly. “Can’t sleep,” I whispered. “How are you doing?”

Fenn bit his lip and looked away. “I-I’m okay,” he muttered quietly, “just tired.”

“You’ve been tired all day. Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

He met my eyes. “…Yeah. I’ll be better tomorrow…”

“Alright. Just…let me know if you’re not feeling great, okay?”

“Mhm. I-I know.”

“…”

“…”

“Hey, Oswald?” He sounded concerned, almost distressed.

“Yeah?”

“Do you ever think about how weird Jellicent are?”

I blinked. “Uh…no?”

“Th-they’re like…giant sacks of sea water. Their heads are so big a-and their eyes are so…creepy.”

“…”

“I’ve read a lot about them and I-I think about what it would be like to touch one. I think they’re ghosts too? I wonder what that’s like.”

“…”

“Being a ghost must be so strange. I’ve always found it o-odd how…other pokemon can just phase right through them. It’s so weird…”

“…Fenn.” I said his name firmly, but there wasn’t any anger or accusation in my voice.

“…”

“What’s wrong, Fenn?”

He sighed. “…I-I’m worried, Oswald.”

I can see that. “Why? What’s got you so worried?”

He averted his gaze. “I-I’ve been thinking and…I have to talk to my dad again. I have to.”

Of course it’s his dad. It always is. “You don’t have to prove anything to him. You’re fantastic the way you are.”

He stuttered, “N-no, that’s not…it’s not…”

“Is it bothering you?”

“…Yeah.”

“Is that why you decided to sleep in today?”

His eyes sparkled in the moonlight, still downcast. “…Y-yeah. I’m really sorry, Oswald.”

“Why are you sorry? I understand completely. You just needed some time to think it over.”

“…”

“Fenn, if you need to go home, then that’s okay. Next time we’re free, we can go and see them.”

“…Thanks, but…” He shook his head slightly. “N-no, not now.”

“Not now?”

“I’m not ready…”

“…”

Neither am I.

“I…”

“Do you want me to confront them with you?”

But I have to be ready. For Fenn.

“…No. I have to do it alone.” There was a solemn look on his face.

“No, you don’t, Fenn. You’re strong, but this isn’t about strength. This is personal to you; it’s important that you get your point across. Let me be there with you, just as emotional support.”

“N-no, I…Oswald?”

“Yeah, Fenn?”

“I’m n-nervous.”

I smiled faintly. “That’s natural. Anybody would be scared in your position.”

“But I…I can’t. I can’t be nervous. I-I can’t be scared.”

Tears were beginning to form in his eyes.

“Yes, you can, Fenn. Be scared, it’s fine. I can be there with you to make it better, trust me.”

Fenn shook his head, more adamantly this time. “…No…I have to do it alone.”

“Why?”

He shook his head once more. “I-I don’t know. I just…have to.”

You and your pride, I swear…

“Then when? When do you want to do this?”

“I don’t know. Maybe…a few days?”

Good. That’s enough time to change his mind. “Okay. That should be enough time to prepare. Fenn, listen, there’s nothing wrong with being scared. Just because it goes against who you are doesn’t mean it isn’t a part of you. It’s okay.”

“…”

Deep down, I didn’t know what I really wanted his final decision to be, but I had to be there for him. It was the least I could do.

“Are you sure you still don’t want me to be there?”

“…Y-yeah…”

Another time then. I’ll find a way to make you accept my help, Fenn. “Alright, I understand. Just keep in mind that I’m always here to support you. No matter what.”

“…Thank you, Oswald.”

I smiled warmly. “Of course, Fenn. Anything for you. Goodnight.”

“…” He was silent, his eyes meeting mine. I wasn’t sure what to make of his expression.

“…Fenn?”

…

“…Goodnight.”

Fenn rolled over onto his other side. I laid there watching him for some time before rolling over onto my other side as well.

…

…Oh Fenn. I can’t just leave you all alone and go back to being a human after this, can I? Leaving you behind…you trust me enough to tell me how scared you are. Would you do the same with anyone else?

How could I leave all this behind?

…

I’m not ready to give up my humanity yet, but I’m not going to leave Fenn alone either.

I’m going to wait. I’ll do everything I can to make sure this works out. No matter how bad the days get, I’m not giving up. Fenn…I’ll wait for you. I just wish you’d let me help you…

Figuring out what the hell is going on with me can wait. Fenn is my top priority now.

I stayed up for some time after that. My thoughts never let me breathe it seemed. Eventually, I let my eyes fall on their own and I drifted to sleep. The last thought I had was: tomorrow…tomorrow I’ll build the future that I don’t have. Tomorrow…will be a new day. Tomorrow…I’ll do everything I can to help you, Fenn.