Chapter 4 – Day 2, Part 1: A Cry for Help

Chapter 4 – Day 2, Part 1: A Cry for Help

Fenn had mixed feelings about his job.

On one hand, cleaning the floors of Kebia Castle was monotonous and unfulfilling; no pokemon here respected his work. He would spend hours scrubbing the floors of one level, only for that floor to be just as dirty the next day. It was like he was invisible to the rest of the guild’s population.

It wasn’t all bad, though. Cleaning paid well. Or at least, well enough for someone who rarely left the castle and didn’t have much to spend on. Unlike yesterday that is, when Fenn felt like treating himself to a pecha smoothie at the cafe in town.

He was unsure if that was one of the best or one of the worst decisions he had ever made.

The Dewott he had met was strange. Fenn had bumped into pokemon before and the outcome was never anything more than an apology or a mean look. But Fenn somehow managed to run into Oswald twice in one day at two separate locations. That was weird enough on its own, but then the Dewott went and said that he wanted Fenn to join his team? And he already had a place of his own?

Fenn was envious. He was convinced that he’d never move out of the staff dorms, but this Dewott shows up out of nowhere and gets a room to himself? What was up with that?

Although, admittedly, Fenn not having a room and a team to call his own was his own fault. With the way he was now, there was no way he could form a team. Anemone realized this and was convinced that he’d be a liability. So, she directed him to Calluna and then he became a janitor.

Fenn played Oswald’s proposal in his head as he cleaned the steps of the east end stairs. It was just as frustrating then as it always was. He’d finish one end of the stairs, then a pokemon would show up, track dirt, and ruin his progress. That gave him more time to think, though; he was stuck in his own head, going over scenarios of what would happen if he said yes or no to joining that Dewott’s team.

He wanted to say yes. Forming a team and being a proper part of the guild was why he came to the castle two months ago, after all. Exploring dungeons, finding treasure, being recognized for his work…it all sounded appealing. It was what…his grandfather would’ve wanted. But if he saw Fenn now…

He didn’t want to think about that. The shame was already overwhelming, and what was worse was that he had no way to fix it at this point. Because fixing it would mean having to confront Anemone again…and talking to other pokemon and…

I can’t, Fenn thought. I’m not cut out for guild work. Anemone said so herself.

“Just go home, Fenrir,” she had told him. “If you can’t even look your own parents in the eyes and say no, then you can’t be an explorer.”

Fenn cried a lot that day. Not because her words hurt, but because he knew she was right.

I don’t even know Oswald anyway, Fenn thought. Just because we ran into each other twice in one day doesn’t mean we’re familiar enough to form a team.

Fenn shook his head. He was just going to have to turn Oswald down. As much as he wanted to join his team, Fenn was convinced that nothing good would come of it. Not even the privacy that came with staying in a separate room.

It took Fenn an hour to finish this particular staircase. By the end of it, the steps were completely clean. He stood there holding the mop and examining his work from the top step. He was about to leave for his next cleaning spot when he spotted a pokemon staring at him from the bottom of the stairs. A water pokemon with long tied up bright blue hair, a long fish-like tail, and a snout topped off with a round pink nose.

It was a Primarina. Marigold, to be precise.

“Hey Fenn!” she called, waving a fin in the air.

“M-Marigold?” Fenn greeted while stepping down the stairs and dropping his mop. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you, Fenn!” she exclaimed, throwing her fins up in the air and shooting him a wide grin.

Fenn was perplexed. Marigold was always friendly when they shared the few words they did when they spoke to each other. She even made the extra effort to remember his name. But then again, she did that with everyone. So for Marigold to go out of her way to find him piqued his curiosity.

“Me? What for?”

“Well, I haven’t seen you for a while for one thing,” she said. “I always liked the way you speak and how little you have to say. Really makes you stand out to me, ironically.” She shook her head. “But that’s not what I’m here to tell you. I was doing my normal morning rounds, you know, getting breakfast, talking to the regulars, doing vocal practices, and checking the board for any news I missed…”

Marigold paused for effect. Fenn kept silent, listening intently.

“…When I noticed a job posting that stuck out to me.” She inched closer to Fenn, lowering herself closer to his eye level. “A job asking for you in particular, from a certain ‘family of Typhlosion.'”

Fenn’s stomach dropped. No, it can’t be…

“Are…are you sure you didn’t r-read it wrong?” Fenn mumbled.

“I know what I saw, Fenn,” she said in a whisper. “And believe me, I know I’m getting old, but my eyes are still sharp.” Her eyes narrowed. “You should probably go see it for yourself.”

Fenn didn’t need to hear anymore. He did need to go see for himself.

“Th-thanks, Marigold! I’ll see you around!” he shouted halfway down the hall.

“You too!” she shouted back. “Come and see me sometime! Oh! And I’ll clean up here, don’t worry!”

Fenn sped through the halls of the castle at speeds he didn’t think he was capable of. Onlookers might’ve assumed he was using Quick Attack—and he almost was—but using moves in the castle was against the rules.

He weaved out of the way of other pokemon on his way down two flights of stairs until he found himself on the floor where most pokemon lived. The lounge area, a sizable room meant to give pokemon a place to relax and converse, housed one of the many bulletin boards throughout the castle. Fenn rushed up to it, panting and wheezing, not caring who saw him.

He frantically scanned the board, heart beating fast in his chest. And for each second he didn’t find the listing, his heartbeat quickened.

And then he saw it. A few sparks popped out of the heat vents on his head.

On the upper right corner of the bulletin board was a job listing. Written on this job listing was what Fenn hoped not to see. He had hoped, against all odds, that Marigold was lying to him, that she really did read it wrong. But Fenn knew now that that wasn’t the case.

Job: Rescue Clary (Cyndaquil) from Figy Forest. She got lost and can’t find her way back

Reward: 100 poké

Requested by: Family of Typhlosion from Nanab Town

Special Demands: This Job Listing is Intended for Fenn/Fenrir of Nanab Town

Fenn read the job listing again. And again. And again. His sister came home? Since when? He couldn’t believe that any of it was real, but he knew in his heart that it couldn’t be anything but.

His sister being reckless, his parents being as cheap as always, and even his full name on display for everyone to see. All of it rang true of what he was all too familiar with when it came to his family.

How could they? he seethed. How could they not respect my time? How could they be so reckless? How could they…how could they…

Fenn’s frustration promptly turned into misery. The Quilava couldn’t blame his parents for being who they were. For all they knew, Fenn was an accomplished explorer with two months of experience. Not a janitor. A chilling cold shook his spine as he realized that he had managed to dig himself into a hole with no way out.

He couldn’t just give up and tell his parents the truth! They’d practically disown him! And he couldn’t even ignore the job either. Clary was in danger and there was no one that could do the job but him. If another team does do the job then his parents would want to know why he wasn’t there.

The Quilava didn’t know what to do. This whole situation made him feel like he was trapped in a cage he set himself, and he was on the verge of tears from the stress. He sighed shakily. I don’t have any good options. I…need to get help, and fast.

The cold, icy feeling only persisted as Fenn conceded. Someone else would need to save Clary. Not him. I’m…I just…what kind of warrior even am I…?

A painful swallow followed his decision, and the Quilava rushed out of the room en route to the front desk. They’ll know what to do. They’ll assign another team with the job and I’ll hide in the dorms until this all boils over. I won’t have to worry. I won’t have to confront anyone about anyth-

“Oof! Ah!”

Fenn crashed into something, or someone on his way to the stairs. Falling onto his back in a daze, he let out a groan as he sat back up. He was about to apologize and keep going when he saw who he ran into.

For the third time, it was Oswald.

---

Oo-oO

“I really hope this doesn’t become a recurring issue between us, Fenn.”

I rubbed the back of my aching head and stared back at the wide eyed Quilava in front of me. Needless to say, I wasn’t planning on seeing Fenn until later in the day, after enough time had passed for him to make up his mind. To be honest, I was fully expecting to be turned down. I mean, I would’ve turned me down.

After I left the cafeteria yesterday I got lost in the castle halls for two hours trying to find my room. Anemone was not wrong in her assumptions of me: I have a terrible sense of direction. At least I got to look around for a while; this castle was a really nice place. And thankfully, I found the room and managed to get to bed without any other issues.

That problem was solved, but what about what I had planned to do today? My main goal was just to wait until dinner. After breakfast I sat in my room for a bit then got bored. So then I decided to explore, and familiarize myself with my new home a bit more.

I didn’t get far. Sometime later, I ran into Fenn. Literally. Again.

Unlike the other two times, however, Fenn seemed to actually be in a rush to get somewhere. He didn’t respond to my remark at first. In fact, he seemed speechless. Sounds escaped his mouth but no words formed.

“What’s going on, Fenn?” I asked, standing up. “You look really…um…distressed.”

Fenn stood up quickly, his eyes darting around as his body shook. “O-Oswald, listen…um…” He paused, frantically peering down at the paper in his paws. “There’s s-someplace I need to be. I’ll…be back later.” Before I had the chance to argue, he rushed past me, sped down the stairs-

-and tripped.

“Ahh- ahhh!” Fenn yelled as he tumbled down the last few steps, landing upside down against the wall. The Quilava groaned in pain before sliding off the wall and landing on his side.

Yowch! That looked like it hurt. I rushed down the stairs after him. “Fenn! Are you alri- WHOA!”

I tripped too. Careening forward, I fell on my shoulder and rolled on the ground until I landed a few inches from Fenn’s face. I held my shoulder and sucked air in through my teeth. It hurt, but it was nothing substantial…I think. Regardless, I opened my eyes to see Fenn looking right back at me, most likely in just as much pain.

“Ow, uh…you alright, Fenn?”

Fenn stared at me in silence for a few seconds before slowly rising to his feet. “Y…yeah,” he whispered, holding his back and gritting his teeth. “Just…just a little dazed, that’s all.”

“That’s good,” I smiled while rising up to my feet as well. “Now, can you please tell me…why you’re in such a hurry.”

Fenn looked away from me and rubbed his shoulder. “I…” He grimaced. “It’s…it’s nothing you need to worry about.”

I scoffed, still clutching my shoulder as well. “I’m sorry, Fenn, but I kinda doubt that. Can’t you just tell me?”

He was silent again, looking at anything but me. Eventually, Fenn looked down at a crumpled piece of paper in his paw. Miraculously, it hadn’t flown out of his paw when he fell; he was clutching it pretty hard.

That paper must be the reason, I thought. Whatever it says must’ve upset him. I just…really wish I could actually read…

Fenn then sighed heavily after a bit. “M-my sister,” he muttered. “She’s in trouble…and…I don’t know what to do…”

Oh, that’s it. It’s personal. “What kind of trouble?”

Fenn turned to look at me. There was a shred of hopelessness in his eyes, like he was pleading with me to help him. “She’s…trapped in a mystery dungeon,” he said quietly, “and I…can’t…ngh.” He shook his head and rubbed his arm faster.

I frowned. At this point, I still didn’t know what a mystery dungeon was. Dahlia didn’t even bother telling me, so I had no frame of reference for a situation like this. But it sounded serious.

“We should get help, Fenn. Come on.” I moved to the other set of steps on the staircase.

“Wait!” Fenn cried. He stopped me by grabbing my arm. “I-it’s not that s-simple. I…I…I just…” He shook his head frantically. “P-please…it’s none of your business. Just let it go…”

None of my business? What? I had no idea what was going on. What I did know was that Fenn was saying his sister was in trouble, he can’t save her…but he also can’t ask for help? And I couldn’t help for some reason?

I’m not a heroic person. Or at least, I’m pretty sure I’m not. I think I would’ve done a bit more for myself if I was. And I mean, it wasn’t like I could even defend myself. And even if I could, I had only known Fenn for a day. No, less than that.

But…I wanted to help him. Not just because I need him for later, but because I felt…compelled to. I wanted to know what his deal was. I wanted to prove that I could help. And…yeah, He deserved to be helped.

He’s kept up with my nonsense so far, so that’s worth something!

I decided: I was going to help Fenn save his sister, whether he wanted me to or not.

“Fenn,” I said with a determined look in my eyes. The fire type looked at me and stopped rubbing his arm. “Let me help you. Let’s save your sister together.” A slight smile formed on my lips.

The Quilava’s eyes widened. “Help…me?” He shook his head, a couple sparks popping out of his forehead. “O-Oswald…I know I said that I would consider the whole team thing, but-“

“This has nothing to do with that. You can decline me later if you want. You deserve the help, that’s all. So let me.”

There was a short period of silence as he looked me in the eyes. His expression didn’t change from pure bewilderment. To prove my point, I kept my eyes trained on his, trying my best to communicate that I was being completely serious.

In all honesty, I had my doubts. Many, many doubts. But…Fenn needed me, and I needed to make myself useful.

“I don’t…okay…” he whispered after some time. “She’s trapped in Figy Forest.”

“Figy Forest, got it…how far is that from here?”

“About an hour’s walk…near Nanab Town.”

“Great! Let’s hurry!”

Fenn nodded and led the way down the stairs.

We made it outside the castle and out of the town square in less than a few minutes. Fenn was in a rush, zigzagging past other pokemon without much care.

He’s pretty impatient, I thought. I can see why we’ve run into each other so much. I struggled to keep up, mostly on account that I walked on two legs and Fenn ran on four. I didn’t mind that Fenn led the way since I had no idea where Figy Forest was, but I wished he would slow down some.

Thankfully, Fenn waited for me at the outskirts of town, around where the houses started. I stopped to catch my breath, bending over and panting harshly.

“S-sorry, Oswald,” Fenn apologized. “I-I was really worried and…we can walk from here.”

“Oh no, don’t slow down on my account,” I wheezed. “Just…okay yeah, let’s slow down.”

Fenn pointed to the trees behind him. “This way.” He turned and walked toward them, slower this time. I followed suit, still moderately fatigued.

Fenn and I walked through the forest in silence. Neither of us had much to say despite our circumstances. Unfortunate because I felt as though I should have had a lot of questions. Every time I would turn to face Fenn, his eyes would be set forward, unwavering.

I’m sure I’ll figure out what his deal is eventually.

The forest we were in was the same one that I traversed with Team Phlox yesterday. Hardwood trees towered over me and made me feel intensely small. Not a new feeling, I realized; I must have been around them a lot as a human.

The thick cover of leaves above cast the dirt path in shadow, and the sun shone through gaps in the foliage, giving way to occasional spots of light on the ground. I peered up at the sky, squinting when the warm rays met my face. Another familiar feeling—was my old life that much different? I mulled over it as I walked.

Why are my memories so…scattered? It made no sense to me how I could remember both humans and pokemon but not my own face. Or my hair. Or my eye color. Or what clothes I used to wear.

I looked down at my (now) paws. Only three fingers, no thumb. I could see images of hands in my mind. So dexterous. So flexible. Are any of them mine?

I frowned deeply and let my arms fall to my sides. The more I thought about my human side, the more my stomach sank. I had to stop; there were more important things to think about right now. Like what would happen when Fenn finds his sister and goes back to the castle. That was implying all of this would go well at all. I didn’t want to be there if it turned out his sister wasn’t alive. Or if we couldn’t get through this “mystery” dungeon and end up getting killed somehow.

Wait…isn’t it a forest? Why…

You know what, whatever.

I resigned myself to stop thinking and started counting trees as we passed them.

After a long and uneventful walk, Fenn and I left the confines of the forest path and ended up in an open, grassy plain. The wind swept through the unkempt grass and weeds ahead of us. Miles and miles of green, with the occasional lavender and sunflower sprinkled about. In the distance, I could see structures not too dissimilar to the houses outside of Kebia banked by more trees. Even farther in the distance, mountains kissed the clouds in the sky.

“We’re almost there,” Fenn said suddenly. “Figy forest is just behind- oh!”

My gaze was torn away from the houses in the distance and fell back on Fenn. “What is it?” I asked.

“N-nothing,” Fenn uttered. “It’s just…Lavender started growing here.”

I looked over at the patch of purple flowers atop long green stems a bit farther into the grass. Fenn hopped over to them and took a few stems into his paws, giving it a long, thoughtful sniff. “Ah…my neighbors grew them when I was a kid. I always loved the color and…their smell.” He leaned down to sniff them once more, and there was a slight glow of happiness or even…longing in his eyes. “…They left, though.” He frowned and the glow disappeared. “I haven’t seen any since…”

Fenn stared down at the plants for a few more moments before he noticed me staring, after which he quickly composed himself. “S-sorry,” he stuttered. “I got c-carried away. We should get going.”

I smiled at his antics. “It’s fine, Fenn. Maybe on our way back you can pick some and bring them back to the castle.”

He smiled in return, but I could see that the longing in his eyes was only stronger now. “Yeah…” he trailed off quietly. He walked on towards the houses in the distance, avoiding eye contact again.

The lavender went back to swaying in the wind, as if nothing happened.

I sighed and followed Fenn, a breeze hitting my fur. We didn’t say anything else until we were at the entrance of Nanab Town.

Nanab Town was much like Kebia’s outskirts. It was mostly a congregation of wood cabins, but there was the occasional larger building. Most likely bars or shops. There were some pokemon about, though not many. This might’ve been a pretty lofty assumption on my part, but I presumed that the purpose of Nanab Town was to give home to some of the older pokemon that didn’t need to work as much. It was separated from Kebia, but not too far. At the very least, it was definitely quiet enough to match that description.

“This is where you used to live, Fenn?” I asked. “It’s very…quiet.” Just like Fenn, actually.

“Heh.” Fenn laughed. “Yeah…yeah I guess.” He rubbed his arm and avoided my eyes. “Can we go to Figy Forest now? I-I don’t want to be here long.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. Now that I think about it, Fenn seems really uncomfortable. Maybe I should ask him what’s wrong.

However,Fenn didn’t give me the time to ask. He padded though the outer edge of town even slower than before, keeping an eye on his surroundings and darting his eyes at every sign of movement. I thought we were supposed to be in a hurry, I thought. Why are we sneaking around? Hm.

Naturally, I matched Fenn’s pace and followed him. Maybe he knew something I didn’t? Either way, it took longer than I would’ve liked, but we made it to the other side of town and faced a tree line.

There was something…off about the trees in front of me. They were uniform, creating a literal wall of bark and branches in the first row with gaps filled in by trees in the second row. The gaps I could see were pitch black, and I couldn’t see inside at all.

The trees extended for miles to both my left and right, but it did end. Rather abruptly, actually. Imagining what the rest of this group of trees looked like from above, it was most likely like a box of trees. A dungeon…?

“Is this Figy Forest?” I wondered, frowning. “Why does it look so strange?”

Fenn gave me an odd look, as though he didn’t understand what I was saying. “Yes. It’s a mystery dungeon.”

Yes, but what is it? “Have you been inside before, Fenn? What’s it like?”

Fenn turned back to the forest and paused, deep in thought. There was something about the look in his eyes that concerned me. “…A few times,” he said. “I wandered in once or twice when I was younger, kinda like how Clary probably did. It can be s-scary…but it’s not so bad. There are worse dungeons, I think.”

There are more of these places? What the hell?

“Then I guess…let’s head in,” I breathed.

Fenn pointed a paw to his left. “This way.”

“This way to what?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“The entrance.”

“We can just walk between these trees here. We’re small enough.”

Fenn shook his head. “Not with this one. You’ll get kicked out.”

I was puzzled. Kicked out? What the…

Nevertheless, I followed Fenn further down the bank of trees. Soon I found myself in front of an even stranger sight.

Like the cracked hole of a pristine vase, the wall of trees bent and contorted into a sort of archway acting as the forest entrance. The trunks twisted upon one another far above my head and gave passage. I couldn’t see inside—it was pitch black, but I could hear strange noises coming from within. The chirping and clicking of bugs and birds could be heard, as well as…creaking and…moaning? Staring into the forest entrance…I couldn’t see anything…but I could…feel the forest almost beckoning me into its loving arms…

And the abyss stares back…

Saying I was unnerved would be an understatement.

Next to the entrance was a sign. I couldn’t read it.

Fenn said nothing. He simply walked into the darkness, resolute and ready for whatever this place had in store for him.

I, however, was not ready, so I stopped him. “Wait, Fenn!” I exclaimed, causing him to turn to me. “Are you sure it’s safe?”

He didn’t share my concern. “…I said I’ve been through here before. We’ll be fine.”

Fine? This is fine?

I was about to say more, and potentially hold off on going in for a bit longer, but Fenn turned back to the entrance before I could. He slipped into it, half of his body obscured by the darkness.

I felt like I was going insane, but I didn’t have the time to think about that. Fenn was nearly all of the way in when I realized that I didn’t want to be left alone out here. I followed him, grabbing hold of the darkness in front of me as if it were tangible.

It was. But it also wasn’t. My entire body felt like it was being stretched and contorted. I screamed, yet I couldn’t hear my own voice.

Everything went black. I was now thoroughly within Figy Forest.