Chapter 32 – Day 13, Part 2: Clocking Out

Chapter 32: Day 13, Part 2 – Clocking Out

You know, I’m wondering why I’m even entertaining this.

I was already standing on the sidelines of the courtyard, surrounded by nosy onlookers. Just a few minutes prior, the Wartortle on the other side of the courtyard had challenged me to a fight. The little scene we caused attracted a bit of an audience. That extra buzz along with the fact that I was in the courtyard at all were the reasons why my fists were clenched hard enough to make myself wince.

Seriously, why did I have to drop everything, bend to the whims of some jackass, and do something I didn’t want to do? What does Swift gain from beating the shit out of me? Reassurance that his dad loves him?

I knew now why he was like this, but that didn’t make it any better. Swift paced back and forth waiting for me to approach the center of the grassy area, occasionally shooting me death glares that made me flinch even more. I could tell he was getting impatient.

This is so stupid.

But there wasn’t much I could do. If I had it my way, I would’ve been off drinking oran juice out of a glass. It had been a long day already—I didn’t need this. All of the pokemon in the “audience” were murmuring about how screwed I was and how the crazy Dewott from yesterday managed to piss somebody off this bad.

“How did this guy get himself into this mess?”

“Probably deserved it. Just look at him.”

“He’ll snap like a twig.”

“Anybody wanna take bets?”

“He better hope Swift goes easy on him.”

“I’m assuming he’s got some issues.”

“I mean, yeah! Did you see him yesterday?”

“Look at how skinny he is!”

“Poor guy…”

Meanwhile…I tried my best to block them out.

Where did Cosmo even learn what a “splitbrain whistledick” is? Who told him that? It wasn’t me! Was it Finch? I bet it was Finch.

Distracting myself a bit helped to calm my nerves. Saying that Swift and his razor sharp shell scared me was an understatement. I was jittery—shaky. My whiskers were twitching. I rubbed my scalchop so much that it made my palm numb. The surrounding pokemon only added to that extra anxiety-inducing pressure.

I really, really didn’t want a repeat of last time. That wound on my chest had only recently finished healing thanks to how many orans I had eaten since. But some of the fur was still missing, only partially covered thanks to how I had rubbed the surrounding fur around. I could still faintly recall the stinging pain everytime my fingers would lightly touch the tender skin; I could live without going through that again.

“So, how’d you piss this guy off, huh?” Finch asked, standing behind me with his sharp teeth peeking out from his crocodilian lips. I could tell without looking that he was grinning at the back of my head like that because I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. Like all of the onlookers, Finch was there to see a show.

I sighed despondently, my arms limp at my sides. The last thing I needed was more snark from that Krokorok. “I didn’t do anything. He just doesn’t like me, because…?” Despite essentially having the answer, I shrugged. It was so stupid and petty that I was embarrassed to even bring it up.

“Cosmo believes in you!” the purple Solosis cheered behind me, the liquid inside his bubble audibly sloshing around as he bounced up and down. “Go, go, Oswald!”

Oh boy, I couldn’t wait to let down Cosmo by horribly losing this fight! I figured that, some day, I could actually be a proper role model for the little guy. Too bad that day wasn’t today. Oh well!

I groaned under my breath.

Finally, Fenn shuffled over next to me, gazing at me on the edge of my vision. “A-are you sure you want to do this?” he whispered to me in an uncertain tone.

I knew exactly what to expect by turning my head and meeting Fenn’s eyes, but I guess I wasn’t prepared anyways. His back was slouched and he was rubbing his arm—normal for the Quilava. However, his ears were shot upright, and occasional embers puffed out of his forehead. Not only that, but there was a spark in his eyes, too. It was a subtle one; I had seen it a few times before.

Fenn then added this: “I can help you here, y-you know. I don’t mind…”

My tail immediately went stiff. The fur on the back of my neck stood on end. I knew what that meant: Fenn was willing to fight the poor bastard for me and potentially injure him horribly.

Okay, maybe I was overreacting at this point. After all, I had never seen Fenn fight another talking pokemon before. I never thought anything of it; why would I? But that’s the thing…maybe Fenn hadn’t either. It was kind of an odd question to ask when this was clearly meant to be a one-on-one fight. Maybe the fire type didn’t realize just how dangerous he really was. I didn’t want to just…sic Fenn on some poor sap and hope it goes well, even if it was Swift.

But then there was what Finch said: “stop controlling Fenn.”

Well, Finch didn’t say that exactly, but that was what he meant. In this situation, would it make more sense to let Fenn help if it meant that I wasn’t controlling him? Except…would saying “no” be me controlling him at all? What if Fenn did all the work and it was like I was making him do it? Would that also be me controlling him?

Logically, I should let Fenn do what he wants. But could there be an implicit possibility that allowing Fenn to help here would hurt our relationship?

I knew for certain that trying to explain to him to hold back in the fight would be controlling him, so I couldn’t do that. How else was I supposed to let him do what he wanted and minimize the damage, though? This was giving me a headache just thinking about it.

Was I stupid? Was there something I missed here that led to the best option? Because I felt really stupid, and also trapped. Regardless, all of that time standing there silently made Fenn concerned, I could tell.

His shaky voice in particular, that’s how I knew. “…O-Oswald?”

My reply was the first thing that came to mind. “N-nah,” I quietly muttered, “it’s a one-on-one fight. I’ll…handle it.”

I seriously hope that was the right option.

I had to refrain from stopping myself when the distinct sound of Fenn’s flames igniting behind me filled my ears. It even overpowered the now hushed voices of the onlookers as I made my way across the courtyard, leaving my team behind to watch me likely get obliterated. As I walked with my eyes set on nothing but the Wartortle, I thought about justifying my choice to not just walk away. I could’ve done that, after all.

…Well, crap. My face fell once it really hit me that it was too late now. I kept walking, and internally justifying the horrible decisions that brought me here.

There’s…a chance that I could do well, or maybe even win? And then I could impress Fenn! He’ll see that I tried and then he’ll let me go with him when he goes to talk to his parents! I can get something out of this!

I went with that. It made me feel a little better about the beating I was about to get, even if it was wishful thinking. Though in reality, the hot flush of embarrassment fully on display for all to see by way of my red cheeks was making it hard for me to think straight. The audience I attracted was about to either be very disappointed or very satisfied. Either way, I continued to walk until I was a decent distance aways from Swift, then stopped.

He saw me draw closer, and stopped his pacing a few moments prior. Like some roided up douchebag, the water type cracked his neck and hopped around to loosen himself up. Swift shook his tail and smirked at the audience with enough swagger to break a brick wall, too. “Ready to settle this, punk?” he said while stretching his arms.

The irony was not lost on me. If I had the wherewithal to retort to such a comically charged question, I would have pulled out my scalchop right then and there before rushing the blue bastard down. But I didn’t do that. Rolling my eyes wasn’t something I did either, despite how much I wanted to. Instead, I gulped and tried to hide how shaky I was. “Do we have to do this, Swift?” was what I ended up saying. I knew it wouldn’t amount to much, but I didn’t particularly care anymore.

My response ended up pissing him off more—as if he was banking on me playing along or something. His brows furrowed. “You never shoulda come around here in the first place. I know what you’re here to do.”

Do you? Do you really?

If anything, I was not where I needed to be at all. I needed to head south, far away from Swift and his obnoxiously apparent daddy issues. And as such, I let out the most belligerent sigh I’ve exhaled since I woke up in this world. I mumbled: “Can you not acknowledge a mistake when you see one?”

“Yeah…” he growled, showing his teeth, “I’m looking at one right now.”

Wow.

I was shocked by how much that offended me. In retrospect, I’m not sure why I even cared. It was such a personal insult, though, that it caught me off guard.

I shook my head and widened my stance. The sooner I was free to leave and go for a swim, the better. “Let’s just get this over with,” I grumbled.

“My pleasure…”

Simply thinking the word “swim” was enough to distract me, it seemed. When Swift dived at the ground and retracted into his shell, I was not prepared for it. Panic shot up my spine as soon as I realized that he was closing distance fast.

“WAH-” Fight or flight kicked in and I clumsily threw myself to the side, narrowly avoiding Swift’s water-propelled shell. Talk about deja vu.

Before I had the time to catch my bearings and stand up, Swift spun to his feet and faced me after he screeched to a stop, fully out of his shell. “That was your chance to bow out, chump,” he told me spitefully. “Shoulda just took the hit.”

Swift had a point, unfortunately. However, I didn’t really consider it an option to give up until he mentioned it—and it pissed me off that he’d assume I would be content to just stand there and hope it ended quickly.

He was right, but that’s besides the point.

Still on my hands and knees, I scowled at the Wartortle. “Oh, shut the hell up!” A straight and sturdy torrent of water flew from my mouth without much difficulty. Either I was getting better at using it or something in me just aligned correctly, because I attacked Swift with next to no thought.

Whoosh! Splash!

The grass behind Swift felt the impact of my Water Gun—as Swift himself retreated back into his shell and sped to my left, evading the attack. I felt pretty vindicated. Even if I missed, Swift clearly saw the downside of getting hit. Maybe I was getting better, and it showed.

It was only then did I realize how rowdy the crowd was getting. A quick glance while Swift went around again was all it took for the anxiety from earlier to come back in full swing. They were loud enough to pull me out of the slight groove I was in. It was like being barked at constantly by a pack of dogs.

Colbur Village, in retrospect, wasn’t much different from this. All of those judging eyes and pervasive comments spoken out loud for me to hear were only fought by diverting my thoughts elsewhere. I could handle it then. Here, I had to focus. Combined with the fact that I was actively trying to not mess this one up and had no one to take the attention off of me, all of it led to my body failing me.

When Swift came back around, I had no choice but to dodge. Because when I tried to go for another Water Gun, all I did was hack up dust.

“SHIT- ACK!” I coughed as I skid across the moistened grass. I gritted my teeth in discomfort; the fur on my arms quickly became stained green. Flecks of Swift’s water hit my fur as he zoomed past me once more, ironically stinging after it crept onto my skin. Or those were the goosebumps, I couldn’t tell.

It’s the same shit, I thought disdainfully. Same as last time. Why am I even bothering?

So, I was on my hands and knees yet again, grasping my neck as I spat into the dirt. I wasn’t even afraid anymore; I was frustrated. No amount of screaming from the crowd could get me to stand up at that moment.

Why is it so hard to spit out a goddamn stream of water consistently? I must be the single most useless water type pokemon on the planet! It was never this hard in the dungeons! Why can’t I just get it?!

…And then it hit me. Definitely the worst time to have an epiphany, but I couldn’t let it go once I realized it. Why didn’t I notice this before?

Fighting in the dungeons did come naturally to me. Much easier than compared to now, and I refused to blame my adrenaline. I won fights in dungeons, after all. Here, out in the “real world,” I could barely function. What was the deal there-

“Hey!” angrily shouted Swift, dragging me out of my daydreams. “Put up a fight! I’m sick of you running from me!” He had outright stopped trying to kill me and was now scowling at me from across the field, his furry ears bristling.

I had almost forgotten that I was supposed to be engaging in a fight. Even the crowd had become white noise. While I wanted to mull over that realization a bit more, there was no time. I was just going to have to live with that thought in my head for a while.

Wobbling in place as I stood up, I wiped the spit from my mouth. It couldn’t have been a good thing for my heart to beat as quickly as it was. “Heh…that’s too bad,” I chuckled sardonically. “Don’t you get it? This is just how I fight.”

I hated that I wasn’t even lying.

A slight, knowing smirk appeared on the turtle’s face. “I’m not surprised that a coward like you ended up with the wimp that cleans the toilets. Ain’t that rich?”

Oh, you son of a…

My brow furrowed and my tail slapped the ground without any input from me. Who does this…this chucklefuck…high-school-bully, top-heavy…smoothbrain bastard think he is? I could handle being insulted and threatened, but Fenn didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. Not on my watch…

From the crowd, I faintly heard Cosmo shout “kick his butt, Oswald!” There was no going back now. Because yeah, I was gonna kick this guy’s butt. Count on it.

Screw being weak, I’ll figure out what the deal is with me right now .

“Oh yeah?” I scoffed, feigning confidence. “How about you stop skipping around like a little bitch and come at me face-to-face?” It was working; water was already pooling at the base of my throat. About damn time, too.

If Swift was fuming before, he was a living volcano now. His face was red enough to prove it. “Now you asked for it!” Without a second to waste, he retracted back into his shell before speeding right for me.

And then I had two options: dodge and play chicken some more, or go for the Water Gun and hope that it would make Swift change course. This might have been a mistake. Determined to not back down, though, I planted my feet to the ground and unleashed the Water Gun I had saved.

Blah blah blah- I AM THE GREATEST OCEAN PREDATOR THAT HAS EVER LIVED!

Fwoosh!

My eyes went wide. Somehow the stream of liquid I unleashed was more viscous and potent than usual. It was so fierce that my body experienced recoil, causing my neck to angle upward.

Remarkably, that added intensity granted me no favors. Because I soon realized that with the recoil, I…missed completely. The stream flew right over Swift’s shell.

I had no opportunity to react. And even if I did, such a colossal failure caused my body to lock up and my heart to fall into my stomach.

From there, events transpired in slow motion.

Midway through his spin towards me, Swift shot his limbs out of his shell, did a front flip, then used the momentum to propel his Aquatically infused Tail right into my chest. I could only lift my arms half-way up before the impact registered with me. My skeleton would have flown out of my skin had it not been constrained by my meek little body. Any excess water spilled from my mouth, coating my lips. I tasted iron long before I hit the ground.

Thud!

Time only caught up with me upon falling into the dirt, after my brain smacked against my skull. By then, my eyes were rolling around in their sockets. Up was down and down was up. “Agh…” I groaned, unable to do much more.

Maybe having Fenn beat up this guy wouldn’t have been so bad…

As much as I wanted to lay there and rest, Swift wasn’t going to let me. Through the blurry fog I saw something approaching. Loud footsteps. A…shout that only got louder and louder. Something blue…

I acted on instinct. While my head was still spinning, my body told me: move. It doesn’t matter where. Just go.

So I rolled.

Slam!

Swift’s fist collided with the dirt. Bits of grass flew like confetti and scattered as far as several feet away from my aching body. That achiness cascaded all throughout my chest and arms, making it difficult to focus on what I already knew was true: Swift wasn’t going to stop there.

What was I supposed to do? I didn’t even know where he was coming from.

As a human, my immediate reaction was to keep running. I needed to catch my bearings; there was no use fighting without being able to understand the situation. But somehow or another, I knew that doing so was counterproductive. Something bubbled up inside me. Literally. I could hear the bubbles popping in my ears. Was I hallucinating or something?

No, I could confirm that I wasn’t. Behind the aching pain in my chest, something churned inside my gullet.

Running was a non-option, according to my body. Who was I to disagree?

Swift was approaching again, I knew it. The loud thump thump thump of his feet stomping against the earth was all I needed to hear. I was ready. Just needed to point towards the noise and unleash-

Or I could just cough again, alright.

“HACK-!”

“GAH!”

Whatever I did, it seemed to have worked. The Wartortle screamed in surprise before halting his advance. By now, I was in no way capable of fighting back, but I could discern what had happened. I looked up, finally able to see past the blurriness, and saw Swift. He was standing there, presumably caught off guard, covered in bits of red…?

I guess when I went for the Water Gun I ended up coughing up some bile and spat it into Swift’s face. Gross, but effective. I wasn’t complaining.

“What in Kyogre’s two-ton flippers are you doing?” Swift screeched, rubbing the blood off of his face. “Are you insane?”

“Ptoo!” I spat, slowly rising to my feet. Geez, my arms were shaking like crazy. Adrenaline was a hell of a drug, implying this body was even capable of producing it. “F-friggin’…I dunno.” There was an argument to be made on both sides, I think.

While Swift boiled in his rage, I took the time to shake out my limbs. God, I was going to be sore later. Why was I doing this again?

I got a reminder right then. Behind the shouts of the crowd, I heard Cosmo again for one, but I also heard another familiar voice. Turning my head towards the source was all it took for me to remember why I was still going. There was Fenn, his flames so bright and tall that he reminded me of the setting sun over the walls of the castle. I could hardly believe that I could distinguish him from the crowd just by his voice, but damn, he was going off. I had never seen him that hyped.

“GET HIM, OSWALD! CRUSH HIS SHELL LIKE A WALNUT! MAKE. HIM. PAY!” Fenn’s voice broke several times as he screamed his encouragement.

I blinked. Well shit, I guess I have to do what he says.

The brief respite didn’t last long, as Swift recovered a second later. “Grr…you’re dead!” he bellowed. The time to barrel towards me so I could dodge was over. Now, we settled this like a couple of fighting types.

Thanks to my second wind, though, Swift’s opening punch only lightly grazed my shoulder; my instincts had compelled me to step back.

…It was instinct, right? Not something else? I didn’t even know anymore. But I wasn’t about to question it. Questions only lead to answers, and the only answer I would get right now was how much pain I’d be in if Swift got too close.

There was no way to create much distance for myself, so I needed to find a way to fight back. Coincidentally, there was one thing I hadn’t tried yet—it was on my hip.

Screw it. Let’s see how long I can last with a scalchop in my hand…

Swiping the natural knife off of my hip felt as fluid as swimming through water. For a second I thought that I had cracked the code—that all of the tension and stress finally broke the cage keeping my true samurai locked up. I could be free and cut this bastard to pieces. Every sorry soul in that courtyard from here on out would know not to pick a fight with Oswald!

“HYAA!” I shouted, rushing forward and coming down with my shell blade like a guillotine.

…

I admittedly felt pretty stupid once I went for a slash and got parried without a second thought. So much for being a true samurai.

With one arm, the Wartortle I was fighting pushed my slashing arm aside. With the other, he plunged his fist into my stomach.

Nothing more than a strained gasp escaped my lips as I stumbled back in pain, falling onto one knee. Ooooooh I felt that one in my toes. There went my second wind, as well the other wind I had in me. Yowch.

I groaned. “Ergh…” My arms were wrapped around my body as if it would help the pain go away. Vomiting was the next course of action, but I was in this odd state where my body refused to cooperate even in the most necessary of measures.

This was a mistake.

The most peculiar part of it all was the fact that Swift had nothing more to say. No final words of triumph, even though I knew that he knew that this was over. I was done. And he was going for the finisher.

Well, he and I were wrong. Because Swift didn’t account for me having a THIRD SHOT OF ADRENALINE! I had something to prove, after all. So what if my entire body was rapidly losing its ability to function properly? I already felt like dying—may as well seal the deal!

I would do it to…prove a point. To everyone watching me get bruised and bloodied. To Cosmo, to show him not to give up. To Fenn…to show him that…I didn’t even know anymore. I hoped he wouldn’t take this the wrong way. And to myself…the not-pokemon. I did it my way. I sure as hell was going to go out on my own terms.

Goodbye, world. It was fun while it lasted.

As Swift approached, I tightened my grip on my scalchop. I gritted my teeth. Hard. One more attack. I would die happy with that.

In one last act of defiance, I lifted my arms up, both paws around the little blade. The crowd, the grass, even Swift—it all blended together like a watercolor painting. I just had to slash down. Then…it would be over.

And then something strange happened.

Out of the corner of my eye, the scalchop near my face glowed a glittering gold. Brighter than the sun, more brilliant than a diamond. My eyes watered just from looking at it. That…was not my scalchop. Not anymore. No, instead there was something…growing in my paws. I had no control over it, but it granted me a familiar sort of comfort.

It was like a warm blanket or a long lost memory. And I could go for one of those. Strength pooled from an unknown source, surprising me with its power.

It grew and grew…eventually stopping at a point—extending the reach of the scalchop to the extent…of creating a new blade of magnificent light.

What…was this?

SMACK!

And then it petered out just as quickly. My focus was broken after Swift took advantage of my hesitance and wacked me across the face with his tail. The light was gone before I even knew what was happening.

Far, far back did I fly from the impact. I soared through the air like a graceful sack of potatoes. There was a short period where I was floating in the air, looking up at the orange tinted clouds above me. I was confused, shocked, very much in disbelief, and frankly, kind of disappointed. Just a second ago, I was about to do something cool.

Thud!

But that was it for me. The pain stretched all throughout my body. My chest, my stomach, my arms, my face. God, I must’ve looked even more black and blue than usual.

I couldn’t move, even if I wanted to. Surprisingly, I wasn’t dead after all of that, but if somebody said that I was then I would’ve believed them.

On the ground, with my limbs splayed out awkwardly and my eyes all cloudy, I listened to the chatter around me. I could always hear them—it was just now where the voices of the onlookers hit my ears harder than Swift hit my face. If I wasn’t having such a hard time breathing, I would have yelled at them to shut up.

“Oh Arceus, is he dead?”

“Nah, kid’s too resilient for that. See? He’s breathing.”

“Put up a good fight…”

“Are you kidding me? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pokemon lose that badly.”

“You’d think he’d at least know what he was getting himself into.”

“Probably deserved it, but maybe not that badly.”

“Let’s hope Swift leaves it there.”

“We’ve got orans, right?”

“Think so.”

“Shows over, I guess.”

Was it really that bad?

I scrunched up my face, trying to keep it straight. There was no way that I lost as badly as I did. Last fight I had with Swift lasted twice as long and I was able to sit up afterwards. After this one…

Don’t let it get to you. Come on, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s fine. You knew this would happen. You told yourself right from the start that Swift would beat you. You absolutely knew what you were getting into. At least you went through with it.

…Huh. Those were…tears…rolling down my cheeks.

Bam. The dam broke.

No. I can’t do this. That was complete and utter nonsense. I didn’t deserve that! I can’t move! I CAN’T EVEN MOVE!

The tears kept falling. I laid there in the grass, coughing hoarsely and silently crying to myself over my horrible loss. Except that was not just a loss; that was a one sided beat down! And it was painful! Yes, I’m still on this! What was I thinking?!

More chatter around me, that I tuned out this time around. I was too exhausted to care. I had no idea what Swift was doing, though I quickly learned that he wouldn’t be rewarded for his victory.

“Swift!” That was a voice I recognized. “What have you done!”

The crowd grew quiet, with only a few startled murmurs to speak of. Next came Swift’s voice. “I’m better than that Dewott, dad!” the disgruntled Wartortle cried. “I told you right from the start! He’s not worth the effort!”

“Out of the way, out of the way!” the older voice shouted, the sound of someone approaching grew in volume by the second. “Never initiate a spar without the proper precautions, Swift! You know this!”

…How can he think that was a spar?

Seconds later, a large figure appeared just on the corner of my vision, silhouetted against the orange-ish sky. “I apologize, my student,” the voice said in concern. “It was my fault for not being more vigilant.”

Something was brought to my lips. Knowing what that meant, I leaned up as much as my body would allow and slowly began to bite into the berry. The juices of the oran slid down my tongue and into my throat. The pain dulled in slow bursts right after.

Thank god…

“Dad! Listen to me for a second!”

“No, you listen to me!” Swift’s dad retorted. “Had I not arrived on time, you might have caused lasting damage! You must learn to control yourself!”

I…had a few orans left in the bag. Some of the pokemon around here said they had some, too. Fenn especially wouldn’t have let Swift keep going. Who are you to take the credit for that?

Swift muttered something under his breath that I didn’t hear.

By then, I could reliably move my fingers, and then my other limbs followed. The Samurott looming over me knew this and coaxed me to sit up. All those years of experience probably meant he had an idea of how long it usually took. “Are you alright, Oswald?” he asked in a very warm but condescending-sounding manner.

I was not alright in the slightest. But I suppose it could be worse. Like…getting stabbed. That honestly hurt more. Granted, moving was still a challenge, since it was like there were bricks strapped to my arms and legs. I managed to sit up by sucking in air through my teeth and enduring it, though. “I’ll…live,” was what sneaked past my lips.

The Samurott near me was Allium—I knew that. I was almost happy to see him. Though like he said it would have been better if he was here from the start. Might’ve saved me the trouble.

Allium looked down at my bruised body and frowned. “You are not in pain, are you? I can acquire more orans if you need them.”

Can you…address your son for a second? I’ll honestly be fine. That was what I wanted to say, but the crowd began to clammer again. There were murmurs about “Allium’s second son” that no one knew he had and “how much trouble Swift was in.” I ended up using the excuse of wiping the tears from my eyes and grimacing instead of saying anything. The embarrassment was somehow worse than earlier.

Swift was standing at a distance all awkwardly, like he didn’t want to be there anymore. “Dad-” he started again before getting cut off.

“I don’t want to hear it!” Allium turned his head so aggressively that it startled me. “You cannot harm your fellow training partner in this way! It is irresponsible and you know it!”

“…” Swift looked down at his toes in shame.

Allium then looked back to me, that stern fatherly aggression of his dissipating like it was never there to begin with. “Do not be discouraged, Oswald,” he said. “I will make sure this will never happen again.”

Something about the way Allium structured that last sentence didn’t sit well with me. Because once he said it, I was relieved. Yes, I would never have to be put through the Swift Shredder again.

Except I knew that wasn’t the case. Odds were that I would get up and leave, tell Allium that I’ll come back to train some other time, then move on. Swift would probably still hate me, and now I’d have to explain why to Fenn, Finch, and Cosmo.

Speaking of, the three of them were in sight; only just now did I notice them. Halfway across the field, as if they were going to come help me but stopped. Fenn in particular appeared to be antsy.

What did I actually gain from all of this?

“Now,” Allium began, practically ignoring everything but me, “I am no expert in physical therapy, but I can assist you in your recovery. Haha! You know what they say, the tree always grows back stronger after being cut down!”

…No, I don’t think they say that.

I sniffled, then shook my head. “No thanks,” I said.

“Oh. Then perhaps another time?”

Again, I shook my head. “No, as in, I’m done.” With a pained groan, I pushed myself to my wobbly feet. “I don’t want your help anymore, Allium.” The larger water type did not get to respond before I started limping away towards my team.

My response left him stunned. “B-but, Oswald!” Allium stuttered. “I was never able to teach you more than the basics! Please reconsider!”

I waved him off, briefly casting a glance over my shoulder. “I’ll figure things out some other way.” Along the way, however, I met eyes with Swift. He looked to be just as stunned as Allium was. “And you!” I shouted at the Wartortle.

If I had to describe Swift’s reaction to all of this, I would say that I had never seen him look so defeated. I know that wasn’t saying much considering how little we’ve interacted. But I had subconsciously assumed that Swift was just angry 24/7. Seeing him so dejected caught me by surprise. Even when I got his attention, his face became slightly more irritated. Still, I had one more thing to say.

“If you wanted to talk to your dad as his son, then stop blaming me for your lack of backbone. Do it yourself.”

Whether or not Swift did more than blink at my comment, I didn’t know. Because immediately after, I limped off towards Fenn, Finch, and Cosmo. The crowd didn’t disperse right away, but it was clear that the show was over. The tension in my shoulders improved immensely now that I could sort of relax, and my tail dragged across the dirt lazily.

Fenn was the first to rush up to me, jumping right to my side to support my wait. His eyes were full of concern. “Y-you okay?” he frantically wondered.

I nodded tiredly. “…I am now.”

Cosmo was next. To my surprise, he was anything but disappointed. The jiggle in his bubble was infectious, and I just had to smile when he started raving about the fight. “That was amazing!” he cheered. “Cosmo would have won if he fought Shell-butt, though.”

Both Fenn and I chuckled at that. “I should have asked for your help, Cosmo,” I remarked. “You’re right.”

“Y-yeah!” Fenn smiled. “You would have been too much for him, so it’s good that you didn’t.”

Well that was ironic, coming from Fenn. Although, if I dwelled on it too much, then I’d be even more guilty than before. I decided to enjoy the moment instead. At least he seemed happy to see me alive.

Finally, Finch fell in line with us once we caught up. His arms were crossed, but he seemed to be in good spirits just the same. “So, that’s what you’re like in a fight, eh Ozzy?”

I rolled my eyes sarcastically. “If you stick around you might see me actually get an attack off.” Or I’ll never get in another fight again, but even I doubted that.

“Looking forward to it,” Finch chuckled. “Where to next?”

I had one idea. Fenn and I exchanged glances, and for the first time today I was actually excited to move on. I swear my tail thumped against the ground behind me a couple times, too.

“I think I’m gonna go for a swim.”

---

Well, I was right about one thing: that whole ordeal left me sore.

Like with the last time I fought Swift, I was left wondering how I could walk it off so quickly. That wasn’t to say that it was any less of an injury compared to last time, oh no. It was worse. The bruises on my chest and stomach were so harsh that they showed through my thin fur. Same with the one on my face; Finch said it looked like I fell over and hit the edge of a table.

Those blemishes would contribute to my rugged handsomeness, I was sure. Pretty soon I’d be the talk of the castle, if I wasn’t already. I just had to…not wince whenever I would feel a slight breeze on my chest.

One of the other pokemon at the pool took a look at my injuries and told me that, with the right treatment, I would be back to normal in a few days. That pokemon was apparently also one of the nurses in the castle. Prim was her name. A Brionne in a fancy dress with flashy makeup.

I thanked her for the help and she reminded us to drop by the cafeteria later, since Marigold would be performing again tonight. Considering that we were already planning on heading there anyways, her reminder mainly functioned as a reason to go get a table before they all filled up.

Standing in the entrance of the cafeteria with a wet towel over my shoulders, gazing out into the ocean of filled tables…yeah, I appreciated the heads up. Fenn, Finch, and Cosmo left the pool a bit before I did because I didn’t feel like leaving yet, so it was primarily for them. They could reserve a table. Though the real reason why I didn’t go with them was because I needed some time alone in the water.

It’s indescribable how euphoric it was to swim and relax for a bit. Fenn and Finch probably knew how important it was to me too. Neither questioned me, which I was grateful for.

I’m still a human, but…a little self indulgence never hurt anybody.

I just kind of wished it hadn’t left me so lost afterwards. The cafeteria was packed. At the very least, I wasn’t limping anymore. Traversing such a crowded and mind-numbingly loud area would’ve been hell to deal with if I was. Although, I couldn’t see over most of the other pokemon rushing past me, which just made it worse.

That night, Kebia was more decorated than usual, and I had only just now taken notice when I looked up at the ceiling. Streamers hung from the walls and rafters, pink gracidea flowers peeked out from the tops of pots hanging like chandeliers, and balloons clung to the roof. The balloons, despite my sick desire to see it be so, were not alive. This world continues to disappoint me.

And that wasn’t the only thing I noticed when I looked up. A certain black bird flew past me and landed on the rafters with another bird beside her. I at first thought it might have been someone else; other Murkrow exist, after all. But the bird tipped her hat at me once we made eye contact, basically confirming it. I gave Dahlia a wave in return before going off to find my team’s table.

It was like a maze. I awkwardly slipped past a massive Tyrantrum who shook the ground as he walked. The dinosaur must have been ten feet tall! There was a group of four: a Charmander, Totodile, Cubone, and Snivy. They gave me odd looks as they split so I could walk in between them. One of them even mentioned me by name. Or so I thought. I had to peer behind me to make sure I heard them correctly, only to nearly crash into a crying Lilligant pushing her way through the crowd.

The air in the room was thick with anticipation, and the slightest bit of apprehension. That might have just been for me, though. Everyone else seemed to be excited, at least on the surface. I…was not, coincidentally. Too much on my mind—from the fight from earlier, if I’ve been taking good care of Cosmo, Fenn, whether or not people were still talking about me, Fenn, what that golden blade thing was about, if we’ll have enough money to get the stuff we need when we head south…Fenn…

What should I say…

What- who the hell are they?

Well, I found my table. Or, rather, Cosmo found me. I stopped before I properly approached.

“Ozzy!” The Solosis zoomed over the crowd up to me, his bubble shimmering with the need to tell me something. “This way, this way! Green Fearows were looking for you, Ozzy!”

These supposed “green Fearows” were the reason why I stopped. Two tall, green, and bird-like pokemon stood next to the table Fenn and Finch were sitting at. Fenn was looking at anything but the strangers, and Finch was nose deep in his dinner.

The birds, or Xatu as I quickly surmised, were staring right at me. Had Cosmo not been bouncing right by my ear I would have gone back to the pool. If it were that easy then I wouldn’t have the bruises saying otherwise. That did nothing to make me any less cautious, though.

“Um…” I mumbled clumsily as I walked closer, “are you the ‘green Fearows’ Cosmo was telling me about?”

Fenn’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw me, but any comments he was about to make were cut off by the Xatu.

“Green Fearows…” one of the Xatu said in a peculiar whispery voice.

“Children make no effort to understand the world around them; we are Xatu,” the other Xatu said, much more to-the-point and much more monotone.

Oh, I don’t like this already…

I held up my arms, more to assure them that I understood how kids work. “Yeah, I’m aware. He said you were looking for me?”

Finch spoke up before either of the Xatu could. “They insisted on standing here until you got back!” He sounded annoyed.

“Wet feathers can cause complications…” the whispery one said. Her voice was distinctly more feminine, and almost grating to listen to.

“Waiting was the more adequate response; our concerns are too important to be delivered at a public pool.” The other Xatu was just as grating to listen to, honestly.

Concerns, huh? “I’m sorry, who are you?” I finally asked.

The whispery one was first: “Diascia…”

And the monotone one was second: “Geum; we are channelers of Anemone.”

Oh boy, more of them.

I had nothing interesting to say about either Diascia or Geum other than that they creeped me out, big time. Both were just…your average Xatu. So average that if it weren’t for their voices, I wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart.

Either way, I wasn’t in the mood to act all surprised or excited to see these freakazoids. “I’m assuming she has something to tell me then?” I wondered, raising my eyebrows.

“You had left the castle for a night…-“

“-what business did you have in Micle City.”

And now they’re finishing each other’s sentences!

I paused for a moment to frown and glance at Fenn. He, like me, obviously had no idea what was going on. Why did it matter to these Xatu, and by extension Anemone, that I went to Micle?

I stuck my tongue out at Fenn before answering. Just to lighten the mood. The Quilava didn’t know how to react at first, but then he returned the gesture. I was glad we were on the same page.

“We were finishing a job. Took a couple days. Did you not see that we turned it in?”

Geum…had no body language to speak of. He just stood there as he replied with “no such job listing was returned” matter-of-factly.

Of course, I knew who to blame for that. And just as expected, Finch was nose deep in his meal again when I turned to look at him. So much for knowing what you’re doing and “having connections.”

I turned back to the Xatu. “It doesn’t matter. Point is, we spent a night out of the castle. So what?”

Diascia…also had no body language to speak of. She questioned me in a more shaky voice than before. “Under what pretense did you decide to travel towards the east…”

What the hell is this?

Cosmo responded this time—saying what I was thinking out loud. “That weird red and blue Ducklett helped us with the carriage, right?” he muttered.

Oh right, Cycla was the one that set us up with the carriage both to Colbur and Micle. We wouldn’t have been able to travel nearly as far without them.

Both Geum and Diascia’s eyes dilated ever so slightly. “Cycla…” Disacia whispered.

“Cycla; there was a payment they made recently,” Geum said.

“How uncouth…”

“That is unfortunate; under no condition were they given permission to spend guild resources.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah…Cycla helped us out. What’s the big deal?”

They didn’t answer my question. Instead, Geum asked, “Which carriage driver were you granted.”

Why does THAT matter?

Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Finch look up from his meal, stare right at me, and shake his head slowly.

I hesitated. “…Aggron. Didn’t get his name.” There had to be more than one Aggron riding carriages around, right? I…didn’t want to lie. As much as Finch wanted me to, Anemone could just read my mind later and get on my case about it. But then again, if it didn’t matter then I should’ve just lied anyways.

Finch gave me the stink eye. Whoops.

“That is…-“

“-understood; we thank you for your cooperation.”

I crossed my arms. “Is that all you needed?” All I wanted was to eat in peace. Could these two screw off already?

Diascia shifted slightly. “Yes…” she said.

In contrast, Geum lifted his beak up…then down. “It is advised that you remain in close proximity to the castle; you are too important to risk danger.”

That earned a sigh out of me. There were TWO MORE pokemon that knew what my deal was. Great. “Thank you for your endless compassion and vigilance,” I said in the most dry sounding voice I could manage. “I could not ask for more. Please, give Anemone my most glowing review.”

Without another word, the two Xatu opened their wings and flew off to somewhere else. I didn’t care enough to see where exactly.

As they flew off, Cosmo bounced into my sight—chipper but also a little perturbed. “Cosmo didn’t like those green Fearows…” he mumbled. “They kept looking at m- him all funny…”

For Cosmo’s sake, I brushed it off. Those Xatu were only here for me. “It’s alright, Cosmo,” I said with a light smile. “They won’t bother us again.” Even though I sat down all nonchalantly after saying that, I had some concerns of my own. But it wasn’t the time to think about it.

“You’re awfully important aren’t you, Ozzy?” Finch remarked, tearing the meat off of a drumstick with his teeth. “If I had known you needed to stay near the castle, I would’ve picked something else for our first job together.”

I chuckled smugly. “Something you would have actually been able to finish?” That first question of his would go on to be ignored. It was the meat he was eating, honestly. I didn’t want to talk to him much with that in his mouth—it still bothered me.

The croc shook his head- “You prissy Purloins expect too much of me.” -and then went right back to his meal.

Looking to my right, I saw Fenn was sitting next to me, and despite Finch having a full tray worth of food Fenn didn’t have any. “Haven’t eaten yet, Fenn?” I wondered.

His ears drooped and he tapped the table nervously with his paws. “Um…I-I wanted to wait until you got back,” Fenn said quietly.

Why did he decide to do that? Fenn could have eaten by now. Now we’re both going to end up with scraps. I shifted a bit in my seat, now properly facing him. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Well…” Fenn looked away.

Suddenly, Finch stood up from his seat, catching us both by surprise. “Hey, Cosmo,” the Krokorok pointed, “let’s go get these two dorks some food.”

“Oh!” Cosmo exclaimed. “Yes! Cosmo will find the best food for Fenn and Oswald!”

I didn’t even get the chance to argue. Finch stepped away from the table with Cosmo floating behind him—but not before shooting me a wink.

Was that planned, or was Finch seriously doing me a favor?

Well, I got my answer pretty quickly. Fenn held out his paw as if he was about to tell them to stop, but then let it fall onto the table. “O-oh…”

“Did you…?”

Fenn shook his head quickly. “I mentioned wanting to talk to you alone…but I was gonna do that later back at the room.”

“I don’t think Finch knew that.”

“…Mhm.”

We sat there in silence for a few moments.

“…”

“…”

“…So…” I started, turning to face Fenn again.

Fenn’s shoulders slumped. “Um…”

I wasn’t exactly sure what to say. We had maybe a few minutes to cover everything today? Better start simple. “How…how are you doing?” I asked.

“I-I’m doing fine. A little disappointed that we didn’t get anything from that mission…but that’s okay. How are you?”

“Fine, especially compared to yesterday. I mean- the bruises kind of suck, but I’ll get better.” A bit odd how my idea of being fine is closer to me being beaten senseless than being further from figuring out what my problems are. Priorities.

Fenn nodded. He had a warm smile on his face. “That’s good.”

I nodded back silently.

“…”

“…”

Shit, what do I say next?

“So…” I started, “that Swift guy…”

“He…seemed kind of mad at you.”

“Yeah. I think he’s jealous, or…he’s got some daddy issues or something. Not my problem.”

The Quilava sitting next to me looked down at his twiddling paws. “O-okay. I was just wondering.”

“…Yeah.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

…This is awful. These past few days have just been me dodging Fenn in the hope that he doesn’t…do something he’ll regret. And then Finch got it in my head that the only way I’ve been able to do that was by manipulating him. But you know what? I just want to talk to him about this stupid crap that I keep getting myself into. I don’t…I don’t know if I can keep all of this to myself anymore. If I keep going at this pace, I might break.

I breathed a tense sigh. Not here. I can’t tell Fenn anything here. Way too crowded of a place and not enough time in the slightest. But if I could tell him that I was doing all of this for a reason, then I would at least feel better about it. Hopefully.

After a few more moments, I broke the silence between us. “…I’m sorry that I’ve been so out of it lately.”

One of Fenn’s ears flicked, then he raised his head. “I- it’s alright,” he reassured me. “I know you’re…handling something. I didn’t want to pry.”

Was it that obvious? Wait, no- of course it’s that obvious, you idiot.

All of my limbs were like wet noodles in this seat I was in. The towel around my shoulders threatened to fall onto the floor, so I grabbed it and placed it on the table before it could do so. In the process, I glanced off at the surrounding tables. They were all enjoying themselves before the show, unlike Fenn and I. It was unfair.

Life was unfair. That’s just something I had come to accept during my time in this crazy world I was in. But that didn’t mean that I should make it worse for my best friend. Because yeah, Fenn was the best friend I could ask for. Who else would keep me safe here? Anemone certainly wasn’t doing a good job at it.

Staring right into Fenn’s eyes, I frowned. “No…listen, Fenn,” I said, “I haven’t been good to you. That place that Turaco told us about? I have a reason to go there.”

Fenn listened intently, his attention entirely on me.

“I want you to come with me because I trust you completely, even if it seems like I don’t. I’m just…not good at showing it, and I hate it. I can’t imagine how confused you are.”

“I…” Fenn bit his lip. “It does bother me that I don’t know why.” About time Fenn said something. He’s too timid for his own good. “You were acting so strange this morning…”

May as well just say something now. “That’s because I was afraid to say anything that would upset you. Er…there’s more to it than that; my brain doesn’t work very logically sometimes.” I knocked on my noggin to show how hopelessly hollow it was. The dull sound was implied.

To my relief, Fenn laughed a little. “Y-you can say that again. Almost every time you talk to someone that isn’t me you act like an alien, hehe.”

He had a point there. “Maybe I am one,” I said in a higher pitched voice, attempting to mimic a stereotypical idea of an alien.

Fenn laughed some more. “Didn’t you say that you came from another world?”

“What, you believed that?” I was kind of hoping he didn’t. Not because I didn’t want him to know, but because I got really embarrassed about it afterwards. It was a bit too much, and it probably made Fenn really skeptical of my situation as a whole.

The fire type smiled wide. “I-I thought you were kidding me! I’m not that gullible!”

Haha yeah. Good thing I was lying, haha.

My smile was extra big to hide how on-the-nose he was. “I was being…metaphorical,” I said. “Still, I’m not really sure where I’m from. I wasn’t lying about that.”

Fenn nodded, then said: “I believe you. H-hey, um…”

“Hm?”

The Quilava’s eyes fell on the table, while he used one of his paws to rub his other arm. “I was w-wondering…tomorrow I…well…”

“Yeah?”

And then he met my gaze. The warmth behind those red eyes of his sunk into my body like the sun’s rays. There was something particularly nice about seeing Fenn look at me with warmth rather than confusion or concern. No longing, no frustration.

I couldn’t look away.

Fenn continued. “I was planning on going to my parents tomorrow, um, to talk to my dad. Do…d-do you want to come with?”

At first, I didn’t know how to respond. I had envisioned this happening for several nights now, but I always assumed it would happen after I risked my life again for some reason. I guess fighting Swift counts? Either way, I was ecstatic! My tail would have slapped the ground several times had I not been seated. (Thank god.)

“R…really?” I questioned in disbelief. “You changed your mind?”

“I-I just wasn’t sure, that’s all. My dad is…ehh…”

I held up a paw. He didn’t need to say, I got it. “Yeah, I know. We can talk to him together.”

With a huge smile on his face, and embers puffing out of his forehead in delight, Fenn said: “Thanks…Oswald. I-I…really appreciate it.”

Finally…finally. Things were finally going right for once. All of that effort to convince Fenn to let me help paid off. Getting there was really rocky, but I got over that obstacle. Now I could focus on this next challenge. Not once did I consider how I would do it or if I should be careful because I would get to it when I would get to it. And apparently that would be tomorrow. Oh well. I’ll figure it out.

And hey, I had another destination to go to as well. A lead. No more fumbling around in the dark.

Finally, I had it under control. I had a goal. I had a reason to wake up tomorrow. All I had to do for the rest of tonight was lay back, enjoy a show and dinner, and mentally prepare myself for the next day. No amount of bruises or pokemon like Anemone and Swift could keep me from moving on.

Finch and Cosmo showed up soon after. Both Fenn and I got our favorite meals, thanks to Cosmo apparently: orans for me and pechas for Fenn. There was also a conspicuous slab of meat sitting on the edge of my plate, no doubt a practical joke thanks to Finch. I tossed it onto the Krokorok’s plate out of disgust, earning a chuckle out of him. Half way into our meal, we turned our attention towards the back of the cafeteria.

The lights dimmed, the crowd hushed, and a Primarina I recognized dragged herself onto the stage.

“Hello, everyone!” Marigold announced to the crowd. “Thank you all for coming! We have a very special performance for you tonight!

“Our first song was requested by Anemone herself! We hope you enjoy it!”

A small group of pokemon in fancy clothes, jewelry, and makeup shuffled onto the stage next to Marigold. One of which was the Brionne I saw earlier.

Once they were in position, the crowd went completely quiet. And then…they began to sing…

A grand tale much older than time

A tale of love and war!

No other tale was this sublime

Here in the grassy plains!

War and love, love and war,

A tale of love and war!

Joy, sorrow, and so much more!

Here in the grassy plains!

 

There once was a knight of glorious strength

A tale of honor and strife!

Ripe with heart but dull in mind

Here in the grassy plains!

War and love, love and war,

A tale of love and war!

Joy, sorrow, and so much more!

Here in the grassy plains!

 

The beauty atop the tower waits

A tale of loss and hate!

Alluring, scorned, and misunderstood

Here in the grassy plains!

War and love, love and war,

A tale of love and war!

Joy, sorrow, and so much more!

Here in the grassy plains!

 

None could deny their steadfast love

A tale of heroes and virtue!

Their future brighter than the sun that set

Here in the grassy plains!

War and love, love and war,

A tale of love and war!

Joy, sorrow, and so much more!

Here in the grassy plains!

 

The wizard casts his ghastly spell

A tale of magic and wine!

The wizard said, “I’ll take what’s mine”

Here in the grassy plains!

War and love, love and war,

A tale of love and war!

Joy, sorrow, and so much more!

Here in the grassy plains!

 

The dragon changed the world; the fire will spread

A tale of fire and pain!

Follow his rules, and your wish will come true

Here in the grassy plains!

War and love, love and war,

A tale of love and war!

Joy, sorrow, and so much more!

Here in the grassy plains!

 

The day of reckoning draws ever near

A tale of cruelty and fate!

A tale to be told for all to hear

Here in the grassy plains!

War and love, love and war,

A tale of love and war!

Joy, sorrow, and so much more!

Here in the grassy plains!

 

A grand tale much older than time

A tale of love and war!

No other tale was this sublime

Here in the grassy plains!

 

War and love, love and war,

A tale of love and war!

Joy, sorrow, and so much more!

Here in the grassy plains!

 

War and love, love and war,

A tale of love and war!

Joy, sorrow, and so much more!

Here in the grassy plains!

---