Chapter 22 – Day 11, Part 1: Anything For You

Chapter 22 – Day 11, Part 1: Anything For You

Anything for you.

Anything for you.

Anything

for

you.

Those three words pounded against Fenn’s skull, over and over again. He didn’t understand why. He couldn’t understand why. What was it about those three words that made him feel all…funny?

What a stupid question. Of course Fenn knew why. He said the very same words a couple days ago. But does Oswald know? Was he playing with Fenn’s heart?

After Fenn and Oswald’s conversation the night prior, Fenn found that he couldn’t quite get to sleep. Part of that…might be because he slept so much that day already. That was enough of a reason as it was, but there was also the fact that he spent a considerable amount of time just laying there, thinking.

He had a lot on his mind.

Part of it was his disinterest in going out while it was raining and one more part of it was because of the fact that he’d have to confront his dad eventually. But another part of it was because…he…

…Did he…really want to go through with that? Oswald didn’t even seem to notice…

What would happen if he just…came right out and said it?

Fenn wasn’t sure. He wasn’t confident that Oswald felt the same way either. They were friends; friends that treated each other like really good friends. Fenn was…happy that that was the case…

…

…

…He had too much on his mind to think about this clearly. Too much was going on already for him to worry about something new so soon. He at least knew that he had a small chance, even if it wasn’t clear how small of a chance it really was.

So Fenn decided that after he gathered the courage to go home, he wouldtell Oswald how he felt.

Actually, Fenn resigned himself to tell Oswald after the Quilava fixed his prideful ways. His pride still got the best of him from time to time and Fenn felt as though he should iron that part of himself out first. Oh, and after Fenn figures out what he wanted to do with his life as well, since it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t cut out to be an explorer.

Overall, he didn’t feel mature enough yet.

…Fenn didn’t feel whole at all, it turns out. The Quilava felt…incomplete. Unfinished. Half-baked.

He wasn’t ready. Oswald deserved a whole pokemon, one with less personal issues. Fenn promised himself to tell Oswald his feelings when there would be nothing holding him back anymore. And that would only be after Fenn became a “functional pokemon.”

His only hope was that it would be soon.

“Hey, you alright?”

Fenn blinked. Back in reality, Oswald had his paw on Fenn’s shoulder, trying to get his attention. Sometime in between getting out of bed and getting ready for work, Fenn had zoned out. Now his…partner was right in front of him with a worried look on his face. Slowly after Fenn realized what was going on, the Butterfrees in the poor Quilava’s stomach started to make themselves quite apparent.

Fenn swallowed and nodded, idly rubbing his arm. “Y-yeah, sorry,” he muttered.

Oswald smirked. “You’re not tired again, are you? You just spent all of yesterday laying around. We still have to work, sleepy.”

The fire type blushed and lightly chuckled at the water type’s friendly jokes. “Heh…no, I’m okay now. Y-yesterday was just kind of weird is all.”

“Well, that’s good,” Oswald said with a smile and raised eyebrows. “I’m gonna need you to read the job listings.”

Fenn was about to fire back with a retort to Oswald’s blatant sarcasm, but then Cosmo butted in.

“Cosmo can read!” Cosmo shouted, zipping through the air and landing between the two of them. “Cosmo is an AMAZING reader.”

“Oh yeah?” Oswald questioned with a laugh. “Read this then.” The Dewott held out a piece of paper for the Solosis to see. Fenn hadn’t noticed that Oswald had had it in his paws the entire time.

It was pristine, with distinctly professional grade handwriting. Not at all like the normal job listings they would normally get. “What’s that?” Fenn asked.

Oswald shrugged. “Found it on our doorstep. Seems kinda important based on what my illiterate butt could see. Give it a go, Cosmo.”

The psychic type lifted it out of Oswald’s paws with a telekinetic grip. The paper floated in front of the small pokemon as Cosmo began to read. “Attention all guild members, there will be a meeting in the guild cafeteria. All guild members are welcome to join.”

Cosmo beamed, “See? Cosmo is the greatest at reading!”

Fenn flinched as Oswald clapped at Cosmo’s efforts. “Awesome work, Cosmo! You’re better than me, that’s for sure,” he laughed facetiously.

Cosmo beamed even harder and let the paper float into Fenn’s paws as he reached for it.

Looking at the paper himself, Fenn took note of the fact that there wasn’t a whole lot of information besides what Cosmo had just pointed out. It was just an announcement. No information on what the meeting would actually be about or anything like that.

That’s a little strange, Fenn thought. Surely they value their guild members enough to at least not waste their time. What’s the harm in letting them know what the meeting will be about?

Oswald leaned over Fenn’s shoulder. “Well?” he inquired. “Should we go to that meeting?”

“Um…” Fenn mumbled, “I-I don’t know. It didn’t say what it was about.”

The Dewott jumped off the bed and stretched. “Nghhh…ah! I don’t really see why that matters,” he said. “We were going to go to the cafeteria anyway. May as well go check it out.”

Fenn…didn’t consider that. Usually, Team Lavender goes to the job board before they get breakfast; that way they can discuss the job listing over a meal. Fenn wasn’t against the idea, of course. He was just a little wary about the lack of immediate information. But perhaps Fenn was just being paranoid for no reason.

Regardless, Oswald was right. They needed something to do. Getting breakfast and sitting through the meeting didn’t seem like a bad idea.

The Quilava folded up the piece of paper and hopped off the bed. “O-okay,” Fenn muttered, “let’s go get breakfast.”

---

The cafeteria was considerably less packed than Fenn was expecting. Nowhere near the amount of pokemon present in one of Marigold’s performances, that was for sure. Granted, Fenn had never been invited to one of these meetings before. During those two slow months, Fenn was just a janitor. Why would he be invited to a meeting for guild members?

Fenn was left to wait and observe the pokemon around him at their regular table while Oswald went to get the food, a process that was taking longer than usual. Cosmo, meanwhile, was visibly bored. He fiddled with the zippers and buckles of their bag while Fenn just sat there, also quite bored.

There were a decent amount of teams around, it seemed. With their scarves and bandanas, all in a variety of different colors.

At one table, there was a team of two young grass types; a Bulbasaur and a Chikorita. Judging by the way they were smiling and giggling, Fenn presumed that the two of them weren’t aware of the world at large yet. Or even what a mystery dungeon was like.

Fenn was envious, and a little bit annoyed.

Another team, two tables over, consisted of a Persian, a Luxio, and a Pyroar. There was a distinct sense of togetherness about them. All three of them were laughing and rubbing up against each other. Fenn might’ve observed them for a bit longer had the Pyroar with the big mane not met eyes with him. And licked his lips.

The Quilava instinctively looked away, trying his hardest to hide the blush on his face.

Fenn’s eyes then unintentionally fell on a table on the far end of the cafeteria.

A single Togetic, covered in bruises and bandages, stared at the empty stage. Their wings were in tatters and their eyes were…determined. Perhaps even angry.

They were alone. The poor Togetic sat alone.

Fenn briefly wondered how such a thing could happen to someone who seemed so young, but Fenn knew how. The Quilava was in exactly the same state a week ago. Utterly exhausted and close to death. If it weren’t for the Togetic’s expression, Fenn could see himself in the exact same position.

A young pokemon, one that failed to keep his loved ones safe, forced to keep going.

Fenn didn’t have that resolve. Everything about that day was his fault. If it hadn’t been for Oswald…

If…it hadn’t been for him…both of them would be dead.

There was no possibility that Fenn could’ve ever been in the same position as the Togetic. He was too much of a failure to even keep himself alive, let alone his friends. Did that Togetic have a lucky break? Would they even think about the mere notion of luck?

Fenn didn’t know. Thinking about it just made him sad.

In an effort to take his mind off things, Fenn looked upward and immediately regretted it. Perched near the ceiling and atop the rafters were Natus. Many, many Natus. All looking down with their soulless eyes.

Fenn frowned at the sight. It was commonplace to be under surveillance in the public sectors of the castle even if it wasn’t always obvious. Whether by ghosts or Natus conveniently out of sight, Fenn very rarely felt alone. It took a bit of time for him to get used to it once he learned of them, especially considering that he never noticed them until someone mentioned it in passing. The Quilava thought it disturbing that there were plenty of newer recruits completely unaware of the Natus at all.

Where did they even come from? Why were there so many? What even were they? Were they alive? Feral maybe?

And why Natus? What was the significance of that?

Fenn didn’t know. And there was a part of him that believed that he truly shouldn’t.

Tearing his eyes away from the birds, Fenn caught sight of Oswald returning right then. There was a warmth that resurfaced in his heart once he saw the Dewott. The fire on Fenn’s back sparked unconsciously and it was as though the sadness and boredom he had felt a few moments prior had evaporated.

Though it admittedly did not last long. Oswald wasn’t alone.

“Got the food,” Oswald said as he walked up, placing the trays of berries on the table. Shooting a look behind him, he cocked his head. “And uh, I ran into a familiar face.”

Floating behind Oswald was a Porygon2; Cycla. “Hello!” Their legs spun once they caught sight of Fenn.

Fenn’s ears dropped once he realized who he was looking at. The Porygon2, one of Anemone’s “helpers,” had taught Fenn how dungeons work. Now a week later, the Quilava couldn’t help but wince. Cycla’s presence was yet another reminder that Fenn was a failure in every sense of the word. He couldn’t even pay attention during a simple lecture and it nearly cost him his life!

Fenn’s pitiful excuse for a greeting was a wave and an awkward smile.

Cosmo’s introduction was marginally better. “Hi!” Cosmo beamed. The Solosis’ expression then became one of confusion. “Huh? Why do you look so weird?”

Fenn couldn’t help but grit his teeth at Cosmo’s careless remark. And incidentally, he wasn’t the only one.

Oswald had the same reaction and immediately sprung in to clarify. “Uh, I’m really sorry, Cycla,” Oswald muttered, his paw clutching a scalchop on his hip. “Cosmo is…well, I’m pretty sure he’s just never met a pokemon like you…uh…”

Thankfully, Cycla didn’t take any offense. They simply laughed in their digitized sounding voice. “Hahaha! It is quite alright! I get reactions like that all the time!” Their eyes fell on Cosmo as their tail swayed along with their body. “Is this your new team member?”

Cosmo was quick to answer. “Yep! You better ‘Bayleef’ it!” the psychic type stated playfully. “Cosmo is the greatest psychic in the whole wide world! No others can match him!”

Fenn couldn’t help but giggle at Cosmo’s dumb pun. It wasn’t even remotely funny, which was why Oswald was now crossing his arms and glaring. Fenn guessed that he just had a pretty big funny bone, or ‘Lopunny’ bone as his mom used to call it. Her saying that also always seemed to make him laugh.

Man, he missed those days. Fenn missed his mom.

Cycla’s feet spun quickly and they made a sort of crooning noise. “A powerful psychic!” they sang. “And a master of the pun arts, I presume?”

In an instant, a series of high-pitched beeps and doots sounded out from Cycla’s body. A deep and uniform voice then said, “Pun mode! Engage!” Various other beeps played out before their voice returned to normal. “Tell me, have you ever heard about the Eevee that ate it’s meal too fast?”

Cosmo tilted his body in uncertainty. “N-no, Cosmo has not heard of an Eevee like that.”

“They became,” -Cycla spun their feet wicked fast, produced a loud revving sound, and lifted higher into the air at the same time- “a Luncheon!”

Cosmo and Fenn both burst out into laughter. Hahaha! A luncheon! Fenn thought. That’s hilarious! Fenn laughed so hard that his chest hurt. The joke was so effective that it made him completely forget about all of those depressing thoughts he had earlier. It was just what he needed!

As funny as it was, (and it was quite funny) Oswald wasn’t impressed. He waited for Fenn, Cosmo, and now Cycla to calm down, tapping his foot impatiently.

Once they did, he spoke up. “That’s great and all,” he said grumpily, “but I had a few non-pun related questions if that’s alright with you, Cycla.”

Still a little giddy, the Porygon2 spun around to face Oswald and beeped a jolly tune, “Oh yes! You wanted to know about the meeting, did you?”

Oswald nodded, finally deciding to sit down next to Fenn. The Quilava flinched as Oswald got close enough that their sides touched. Oswald shifted over a bit to give Fenn some space while muttering an apology under his breath, but by that point, Fenn’s cheeks were already burning. He had to look away to keep the others from seeing how red he got.

“Yeah,” Oswald answered, “do you have any idea what it’s about?”

The normal type floated above the table to the other side, finding a spot in the air next to Cosmo.

The Solosis didn’t seem to mind; he just started scarfing down his breakfast.

Regardless, Cycla shook their head or…entire…body and spun their feet five, no, six times in rapid succession. “I am not sure what this meeting is about,” Cycla said. “Though if I am being quite honest, I don’t usually do. There always seems to be something happening in the cafeteria that I was not aware would happen that day beforehand. It is not my job to know.”

Oswald scoffed. “Can’t imagine it is, but still.” The Dewott paused to look around and scratch his nose. “What about…the other ‘happenings’ you mentioned? Do they occur often?”

“Yes!” Cycla replied. “There is always something going down in the cafeteria during the week!”

“Like what?”

Cycla’s feet spun at different rates as they thought. “Hmm…well I believe we still host the occasional celebration for birthdays and parties and such. Every so often we have karaoke, hosted by the lovely Marigold. Other days we host seminars or speeches. Oh, and Pyro Ball!”

“Pyro Ball?” Oswald asked. “What’s that?”

Various beeping noises came out of the Porygon2. With those beeping noises playing alongside their voice, they explained, “Pyro Ball is a fun little game that any pokemon can play. Essentially, every pokemon is given a card with various numbers arranged in rows and columns. A collection of small spheres spin in a cage for a moment then the proctor pulls one sphere out and reads the number on it aloud. Each pokemon with that number on their card scratches it out. The goal is to align the numbers on your card in such a way that there is a linear 5 square line that is scratched out. In other words, get five numbers in a line either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. When you have that—if you get that—yell out ‘Pyro Ball’ and win glorious prizes.”

Fenn was a bit taken aback by the idea of ‘Pyro Ball.’ It sounded as though it was very luck based. He had never heard of the game before himself so he wasn’t confident in the technicalities of it. Does one have to pay to participate? Was it gambling? If it was, why did it happen in the castle and not the casino? Fenn was too shy to ask.

Oswald, however, asked a very strange question, one that made no logical sense to Fenn. “So it’s Bingo?”

“Bingo?” Cycla queried, tilting their body slightly. “I have never heard of Pyro Ball being referred to as ‘Bingo’ before?”

Oswald sputtered, “W-well…back where I come from, we usually call it Bingo.” The Dewott scratched his cheek nervously. “It has the same r-rules. You know…similar games…”

Fenn was a bit confused. Where he “comes from?” I thought Oswald didn’t know? He must be lying again unless he really did remember something. Or maybe he already knew for some reason? The Quilava remained quiet, intently waiting for Cycla’s response.

Cycla bobbed up and down, their feet spinning wildly. “Oh yes!” they exclaimed in a voice that was simultaneously laughing and speaking at once. “Where you ‘come from.'”

Cycla winked.

The look on Oswald’s face gradually became more and more sullen until he was scowling proper.

Fenn recalled only seeing Oswald this visibly angry once before. After their mission at Occa Village when he yelled at Cosmo. Coincidentally, the Solosis must’ve realized this and slowly floated down until only his eyes poked over the table top.

“Well, thank you, Cycla,” Oswald said with bitterness dripping from his tongue. Now if you don’t mind, we-“

“Shh!” Cycla interrupted Oswald with a loud, scratchy shushing noise. Their tail stood straight up and their pupils were reduced to small dots. Spinning around to face the stage, they whispered, “They are here.”

Following Cycla’s eyes, Fenn immediately understood what the Porygon2 meant. The entire cafeteria seemed to quiet down as a pokemon walked onto the stage.

It’s safe to say that Fenn had never seen a pokemon as strange as the one he saw on that stage. It was difficult to classify it as a pokemon at all because there seemed to be multiple. In a single file line, a collection of small, rounded creatures marched across the stage. Their golden armor shone in the light of the sun peeking in through the windows.

The Falinks marched until they came to a stop at its center, turned to face the audience, and arranged themselves in a line. There were two on either side of the main center unit, that of which had a horn much longer than any of the others. After a few belated moments of tense silence, the Falinks began to speak.

“Quiet down, everyone,” loudly spoke the leader situated between the four other units. “The meeting is about to begin.”

There was clamoring in the crowd as the various teams gradually settled in their seats and brought their attention to the main stage. Soon enough, the cafeteria was quiet enough that the smallest of peeps could be heard. Fenn adjusted himself in his seat, anxiously waiting for the Falinks to continue.

After a few more moments, the fighting type spoke again, the voice this time coming out of the closest left side unit. “Thank you.”

The speech started with the closest unit on the right, their horn pointed skyward. “We invited you here today to discuss a disturbance concerning a settlement on the west end of the continent. But first, allow us to introduce ourselves.”

The Falinks resumed through the unit farthest to the left. “We are among the top ranked veterans of the Psychic Wars. Professional fighters and explorers.”

The far right unit boasted, “Given our reputation, some of you might have heard of us once before.”

Then, in unison, all five of them said, “We are Archangel.”

Fenn was surprised to hear that this…pokemon was Archangel. He had in fact heard of the veteren before. Back when he was younger, Fenn learned all about the famous warriors from thirty years ago.

There was Senna, a Tyranitar nicknamed “The Mountain.” Famous for taking on more than fifty soldiers at once and living to tell the tale.

A Lopunny named Tulip that went by “Thunderstrike.” She apparently had a kick with power on par with a legendary and as fast as lightning.

There was also “The Ghost,” a Decidueye named Silvermound. Not much is known about her, but it’s rumored that she killed more enemies than any other single soldier.

Allium, or “The Swordsmon,” was in a league all of his own. He took great pride in leading his squad to victory.

There was Neo, of course. Taking the title as one of Kebia’s most decorated explorers, he’s still active today and it shows.

And then there was his own dad, Gaura. Many refer to him as “The Volcano.” Fenn lost count of how many times his dad had told him that he would one day become “The Volcano” and take his place. The more time that’s gone by, the less excited Fenn got over receiving that nickname. Nowadays, he’s unsure if he even wanted it at all.

Archangel is known as “The Horde.” Or was. Based on what Fenn knew, they hadn’t been active for some time. He must stay in the castle most of the time now, Fenn thought. It would’ve been cool to see him at his prime.

Fenn directed his full attention to the stage. Archangel’s leader stomped their feet a couple of times. “We have received word of a band of criminals harassing a village to the west,” they announced.

Back to the unit closest to the right of the leader, they proclaimed, “The location is named Colbur village and has been having trouble with these rabble rousers for two days now.”

“Why?”

Every pokemon in the cafeteria turned their body to the sound of someone in the audience. On the opposite side of the room, a Fletchinder stood on top of their table with their beak aimed at the stage. “What is their motive?” they shouted.

“We do not know,” answered the unit closest to the left of the leader. “They have not vandalized any buildings, or stolen any goods, or broken into any houses.”

“But they are after something,” the far right unit stated. “That will be part of your mission. Aside from bringing these cretins to justice, you shall put priority in discovering their true goal.”

There was a small clamoring in the crowd as the teams of pokemon talked with one another.

Fenn watched as the pokemon around him grew more and more restless. In his scanning of the room, Fenn met eyes with Oswald.

The Dewott simply shrugged. He must not have had a strong opinion of the lack of a known motive.

It didn’t really bother Fenn, notably. Whoever these troublemakers were, their intentions held less importance than their actions as breakers of the law. He could take them down easily, Fenn was certain.

After a few more moments of discussion, a Hariyama from the crowd called out, “How much does this job pay?”

The unit farthest to the left said, with a modicum of hesitation, “As this is not directly sponsored by the guild, this particular job will function as community service.”

“Payment will vary and is not guaranteed,” added the leader.

That seemed to set the crowd off. A general wave of disappointment washed over the cafeteria as quite a few teams stood up and outright left. All the while, Fenn could hear annoyed pokemon call the mission a “rip off” and “a waste of time.”

Cycla’s body dropped lower onto their seat and Fenn could tell that the reaction to that last statement bothered them. Just barely, Fenn heard Cycla mutter, “Oh dear…how could they not know this would happen…”

Close to half of the teams in the cafeteria were gone after the next couple of minutes. The teams that remained—Lavender included—waited for Archangel to continue.

The far left unit started this time, their shields clanking in anxiety. “Yes, well…if any of you have any other questions-“

“Do we know who they are? A name maybe?”

Fenn turned his head to see an Escavelier floating closer to the stage, their lances pointed downward. “I’m not risking my life until I know what I’m up against,” they, or he, told Falinks pointedly.

For some reason, the question made Archangel nervous. The two units on the right exchanged worried glances while the two units on the left looked anywhere but at the crowd. It was up to the leader to answer, though they seemed just as conflicted as the other ones. With a sigh, the main unit replied, “Supposedly…the ones responsible…go by… ‘The Sandpiper Gang.'”

If the response to the payment question wasn’t the final straw, the response to the second question was. Various teams, much like before, voiced their frustrations and left. The clattering of plates and the stomping of feet rang out across the auditorium. The room was at less than a fifth of it’s previous capacity within the next couple of minutes. The few that remained seemed more interested in finishing their meal than paying attention to the Falinks on the stage.

Fenn was shocked and a little bit confused. The Sandpiper Gang? Never heard of them. Are they infamous or something?

“COWARDS!”

Fenn jumped. That sounded like…Cosmo?

Sure enough, the little Solosis was screaming his heart out at the pokemon as they left. “YOU CALL YOURSELVES HEROES?” he bellowed. “HELPLESS POKEMON NEED YOUR HELP AND YOU RUN? COWARDS!”

And it was as though every pokemon in the room had their eyes on Fenn.

He couldn’t help but sink lower into his seat, dropping his head into his shoulders to combat against the red hot embarrassment coursing through his cheeks. He wanted nothing more than to go back to his room and scream into his pillow.

Oswald must have reacted more or less the same because he was quick to quiet the psychic type down. “Shh!” he whispered very loudly. “Cosmo! Shut up! Don’t make a scene!”

Cosmo promptly quieted down, murmuring a quiet “Okay…” before floating downward and hiding under the table.

Fenn hated berating Cosmo just as much as Oswald…but yeah, the Quilava was happy that he did that. He’d have to make it up to the poor guy later.

Fenn looked back up at the stage with a sigh. Archangel’s demeanor had noticeably gotten worse over time. Now they just looked miserable.

Dejectedly, the leader of Archangel told the crowd, “For those of you that remain, we ask that you step up to help those at Colbur Village. Think not of yourselves, but of those that need you. We advise that you reconvene with your fellow guild members and defeat the menace. That is all.” Then they walked off stage, their horns angled down in shame and embarrassment.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Oswald chuckled sardonically. “Well that was a disaster.”

Fenn couldn’t help but agree with him. What were they even thinking would happen? Of course, Fenn didn’t know why more pokemon left after learning what the harassers were called, but that wasn’t necessarily important.

What was important was how many pokemon remained after Archangel left. Only a few tables even had pokemon sitting at them. Most of which seemed as though they were too ignorant to know what they were getting into.

What did it say about Team Lavender then when they were among that final group of remaining pokemon?

“That was not a good plan on their part,” Cycla admitted. “As one of Kebia’s primary organizers, I fail to see why a meeting was needed in this case.”

Oswald shrugged. “I don’t know,” he confessed matter of factly. “Honestly, I’m kinda skeptical about this whole thing. Not really interested in going, that’s for sure. Doesn’t seem worth it.” He turned to Fenn and smiled slightly. “What do you think, Fenn?”

What did he think? Fenn’s opinion was basically the same, though he wouldn’t exactly mind going through with it if there was a reward. That may be a little…hypocritical on Fenn’s part. But then again, expecting any worker to be motivated without guaranteed pay wasn’t how things were meant to be done, Fenn thought.

But Fenn was also willing to do it for Oswald if he wanted. That was what he said before, right? “Anything for you?” If Fenn said that he wanted to go to Colbur Village, would Oswald go along with him? Because there was a deep part of Fenn that wanted to go to Colbur Village and do what so many were too scared to do. After all, he was certain that it would be the right thing to do. Both his father and his grandfather would agree.

Fenn rubbed his arm as he replied. “I-I don’t know either. It would ‘give us something to do’ as you’d say, Oswald. Heh.” The fire type giggled to himself.

Oswald put on a larger smirk. “Heh, well I said I’m not really interested, so-“

“Cosmo wants to go!”

Fenn, Oswald, and Cycla turned to face the Solosis. From within his bubble, Cosmo’s eyes were determined. “Cosmo will get to take down some real villains!” he cheered enthusiastically.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” Oswald scoffed. “Not letting you fight civil pokemon. Especially not criminals”

“But…but…” Cosmo pouted.

Oswald shook his head in irritation. “Even if we were going—which I’m pretty certain we aren’t—I’m not letting you anywhere near actual bad pokemon. You could get hurt! Worse than hurt even!” Oswald didn’t clarify what he meant by that, for Cosmo’s sake.

“Cos…I…can do it…” In a moment of desperation, Cosmo met eyes with Fenn. “Feeeeeenn,” he whined, “Please…”

“U-uh-um…” Fenn stuttered, unsure of what to say.

“If I might intrude…” Cycla interrupted, bobbing in the air slowly. “Colbur Village needs all the help they can get. While I am not in charge of you three, I mean it earnestly when I say that you being there would be very helpful in the grand scheme of things.”

Oswald raised an eyebrow. “And you’re okay with endangering a child, Cycla?”

“Well…” The Porygon2 trailed off, directing their beak towards something behind them. They beeped expectantly.

Following his beak, Fenn saw what Cycla was pointing at. It was the Chikorita and Bulbasaur from before, smiling and laughing still. It was as though the world around them wasn’t terribly stacked against them. They both pulled out their vines, slapped them together in some form of a secret handshake, then trotted off.

Maybe someday they would come to realize that there was no reason to smile in the face of conflict. But for now, they seemed content just going on adventures together.

“I don’t see your point, Cycla,” Oswald remarked adamantly. “Those kids are in just as much danger as Cosmo and us.”

…And Fenn agreed. Just because their outlook on the world was more positive doesn’t mean that the world will change for them. Those kids would have to traverse the same dungeons that he, Oswald, and Cosmo already have.

They might not come back alive.

Cycla sighed, their voice coming out all garbled. “The guild allows for underaged members, but…that’s not important! Let me cut you a deal…”

“I’m listening,” Oswald told them with his arms crossed.

Cycla’s feet idly spun. “…Archangel said that there was no promise of a reward, this much is true. My connections are…sparse, but I’m close enough with Anemone to make it worth your while.”

“Really?” Oswald inquired skeptically. “And just us? You’re not offering this to any other team?”

Cycla’s eyes shifted to the left and right, as if they were making sure no one was listening. “…No.”

“…”

Oswald stared at the digital duck for a few awkward seconds. His brow was furrowed as he tapped his fingers on the table.

Then he looked at Cosmo. The Solosis shirked under his gaze, an action that caused the irritability to momentarily be lost from Oswald’s expression.

Then he and Fenn met gazes. It was…hard to tell what he was thinking. Oswald was…concerned? Anxious? Pensive, definitely. But why? What was he thinking about?

Eventually, the Dewott let out a shaky sigh and faced Cycla again. “Alright, we’re in. This better be worth it.”

“Yes!” Cycla exclaimed, their feet spinning sporadically. “It very much will be, young sirs! I will call in a carriage now! Come! Come!” They floated away excitedly, a pep in their hover.

“W-wait, a carriage?” Oswald began to follow but then looked back at Fenn and Cosmo. “Uh…guess we’re taking a carriage,” he said. “Come on.” He motioned for the two of them to follow before grabbing the plates of food off the table and taking them with him.

“Yay!” Cosmo laughed. “Villains look out! Cosmo is on his way!”

Fenn timidly hopped off his seat and followed his team out of the cafeteria. I guess we’re doing this after all? Fenn thought. Okay…I can do that. These criminals better look out.

Meanwhile…

As they left, two Natu watched them disappear around the corner and into the hall. Their vacant eyes tracked Team Lavender extensively until they were out of sight, then their eyes momentarily met.

Oh good. They had something to report. It was time to turn in their findings.

The two Natus flew up and out of the rafters off to Arceus knows where.

---

Oo-oO

This was such a stupid idea.

Why did I agree to this? These criminals are probably incredibly dangerous and the only other civil pokemon I’ve fought up to this point is Swift! And both times he beat my ass! How are we supposed to do this on our own? We don’t even know what to expect!

And of course Cycla knows that I’m human. Why wouldn’t he know? God, I hate that Gardevoir so much. GIVE ME A BREAK ALREADY!

Ugh. Cosmo’s not leaving the bag once during this trip, I swear. It’s bad enough that we’re actively putting him in danger, but he wants to fight these losers because…?

This is stupid. I’m stupid. EVERYTHING is stupid!

So why did I agree to this anyways?

Another stupid plan evidently: I wanted to use this mission to prove to Fenn that he doesn’t need to do everything himself.

That duo of grass types got me thinking about how we won’t technically be alone for this so maybe I can make him sit out for this one. And then I can show him that he can depend on someone else to help.

Worst plan I’ve ever had. I have no idea what to expect.

But we’re already in the carriage so…bleh.

I let my body fall against the back cushions of the seats we were in. They were stiff and not comfortable in the slightest but it wasn’t like I had any other options. Didn’t help that the shitty roads made the ride as bumpy as possible. When Cycla mentioned a carriage ride, I assumed he meant that it would at least not be miserable.

Guess I was wrong. At least it had a roof.

Fenn was sitting next to me, watching the world pass by through the window. He had been kind of…out of it today. I hope he’s okay, seriously. It really sucks that he has to deal with so much nonsense. Maybe when we get back, we can have another heart-to-heart. I genuinely like talking to him when he’s willing to talk back.

I don’t know. He’s kinda cute in his own scatter brained ways…

…I mean that in the best of ways. Honestly.

Cosmo had situated himself between the cushions, squished up against the leather as his face scrunched up and his bubble jiggled from the motion. He tried to float in the carriage before, but uh…that didn’t work. And I’d rather not stick him in the bag yet. He was a pokemon like the rest of us, not a pet. He was a little jittery too. Little guy was practicing his catchphrases and working on his one liners. It was just as cute as one would expect.

Speaking of Cosmo, I never got an answer on why he speaks the way he does. It never really bothered me, which was why I hadn’t brought it up more than once, but I was curious. Since we were going to be stuck in this carriage for what would apparently be a few hours and a couple had already passed, I decided to ask him. “Hey, Cosmo,” I said.

Whilst in the middle of one of his tirades, the Solosis stopped mid sentence. “You will regret the day you- hmm? Huh?”

“Did you ever tell us why you talk in third person? I don’t think you did.”

Cosmo’s jovial demeanor dropped almost instantly and his expression became one of dread. I’d imagine his puny stomach sank right then for some reason. “N-no,” Cosmo stuttered, “C-Cosmo…hasn’t…”

“Oh. Well, can you?” I asked. By this point, Fenn had silently brought his attention to the inside of the carriage and was looking at Cosmo as well.

“Yeah…I’m kinda curious too,” Fenn muttered.

Cosmo’s bubble was shaking considerably more than before. “U-um…i-it’s…just how Cosmo talks. Cosmo…talks like Cosmo. Nothing else but C-Cosmo!”

“Really?” I wondered. “You didn’t get it from anywhere or anything? Kinda reminds of a…a superhero? The whole ‘great and powerful’ thing?”

“What’s a superhero?” Fenn whispered to me. “I-I mean, I know what a hero is but…”

Cosmo seemed to be getting more worried.

“Well…a superhero is like…” Crap. How do I explain this? I don’t even remember any examples, I just know what they are. “Um…it’s like…you, Cosmo. Basically. You’ve got the powers, and the charisma, and you…help pokemon. It just reminded me of how…like…flying…pokemon would swoop in and save the day at a moment’s notice. They’re unstoppable, but kind and courageous. I assumed that that’s what you based your whole…thing off of.”

“Oh!” Cosmo exclaimed, now more excited than anything. “Yes! That is what Cosmo is! A superhero! The strongest, kindest, most courageous one of them all! No villain can even come close to stopping him! Hahaha!”

I relaxed back into my seat (as best as I could) and smiled. “Heh, guess he’s just being a kid.”

Fenn chuckled. “Yeah, I think so too. Th-there’s nothing wrong with him being the way he is.”

I nodded with my eyes set on the roof of the carriage. “Yeah, Cosmo’s just being Cosmo. I wonder if his parents were…okay…with it. Hmm.”

I brought my eyes back to the Solosis. “Cosmo, what happened to your parents?”

Cosmo stopped laughing. “W-what?”

“Your parents,” I repeated. “Where are they? Did we just kidnap you or something?” I don’t know why I decided to bring this up now, but it was a good question, wasn’t it? I feel like I should’ve brought this up a lot earlier.

What the hell? And I call myself his “guardian?” What was I doing taking this Solosis so far away from Kebia?

Cosmo started shaking again. “P-p-parent? O-Oswald and Fenn are…Cosmo’s parents.”

Fenn shook his head. “N-no, we’re really not, Cosmo. We’re…” He turned his head to face me, his eyes pleading with me to speak up. As much as I wanted to, I admittedly wanted to know what Fenn would say, so I remained silent. Eventually, he realized that I wasn’t going to answer, so he looked back at Cosmo. “Um…w-we’re…your friends. Teammates.” The Quilava looked back at me to make sure he got it right.

I just shrugged. I had no idea.

“B-b-but,” Cosmo stuttered, “Oswald and F-Fenn-“

Suddenly, the carriage came to a complete stop.

Fenn and I lurched forward, colliding with each other as we tumbled onto the carriage floor. My elbow hurt and I couldn’t reliably move with Fenn on top of me.

“Colbur Village!” yelled out the carriage driver. “We have reached our destination!”

“Ugh…” I groaned. “Fenn…you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” he groaned back. “Oww…”

“Can you get up…?”

“Uh…huh. G-give me a minute.” Fenn rolled off my back with another groan.

“A bit of a warning would’ve been nice,” I grumbled, slowly picking myself up. And seatbelts too…

Cosmo was bouncing up and down by the door. Whatever conflicted feelings he had before were now gone, or he was trying to go along with the distraction. “It’s time! Cosmo is ready to go!”

Limping to the door, I narrowed my eyes. “Tch, I’ll figure out what your deal is someday, Cosmo,” I murmured under my breath.

Without another word, I sent a hesitant glance at Fenn before grabbing the handle of the door and pushing it open.

Alright…let’s see if I can pull this off…