Chapter 13: Morning Company

Ruined.

The rain had ruined everything.

”Ruby?”

The Cherubi sat quietly under the shade of her front porch, grimacing with discomfort as Tori drifted closer. The downpour had left a hollow ambience on the neighborhood with each passing second, the silence becoming louder as the two pokémon came into eye contact with one another, through the beating of the raindrops against the roof above. “Please… leave me alone.”

Tori’s ears drooped. “Why are you upset?”

“I’m not” Ruby mumbled back.

“So why are you out here?”

“I…” She sucked in a breath of air, only to sputter it back out with a few coughs. “I… I don’t…” Rainwater flowed down the shingles of neighboring houses and poured into the streets. Her mind wandered past Tori, past the conversation, and towards the rain, which drizzled endlessly and never ceased. Her mind was like that rain for a moment.

It never stopped. It never stopped trying to avoid.

Tori shook a bit of cotton off her underside, which scattered onto the porch. “C’mon… tell me. Why are you upset?”

“I’m… I’m not…” Anger and frustration smoked into her words. “I…”

Decisions. Fear. Quick. Run.

Without a second thought, the Cherubi leaped out of her sitting position and darted past Tori into the rain, ignoring the fairy’s shouts, and scampering down the road without any sense of hesitance. She found herself reluctant to even think of going back, pushing through the downpour, and running wherever her small stubby legs could take her. She had no choice. She couldn’t go back. Everything was ruined.

The rain had killed her happiness.

It had killed their one day that they could play together.

She pushed forward. Easy, effortless strokes, like she had been taught in school. The more she tripped, the less she had a chance of running away.

And right now, she needed to run. As far as possible. Any direction. As long as it was away from here.

Her aunt was going to scold her for this, but she didn’t care. The rain would wash her away before the Lilligant could lay a leafy hand on her.

After running for a short while, Ruby came to a stop in the middle of the streets, coughing as dirty rainwater continued to slobber all over her, blinking in an effort to keep it out of her eyes. She looked down at the concrete and came to the realization that Tori wasn’t chasing after her.

She was a Cottonee. She hated the rain.

Ruby blinked again.

Now she was going to hate her too.

A mix of both tears and rain strewn from her face, splashing onto the road, and joining the rest down the creek.

The storm wouldn’t stop.

Nor would the tears.

Ruby sucked in a breath of air.

She looked behind her and found that it was raining harder than she had initially thought. The water had risen to her stubs already, and she could see the effects of the damage slowly increasing in neighboring yards.

It looked like it was going to flood.

It pounded against shingles of the roofs, sloping into the flowerbeds below and carrying several small plants out of their roots and down the streets along the waterway. Small chunks of other material followed alongside them as dirt mixed in, creating an ugly soup-stream of waste that slowly inched its way towards her. It wasn’t just coming from a few yards. Every single house was being consumed in the damage.

Panic. Fear. Run.

Her instincts kicked in, and she moved. Ruby ran through the pressure despite the growing numbness of her skin, trying to find someone to call out for, but she saw none, except for a strange, thin figure just a short gallop ahead, standing in the middle of two intersecting roads between the street and another close by.

Any hopes of making out the sight were gone by the wayside. The rain had completely blurred her vision, leaving a desperate call-out for help as the only option.

“H-hey!” Ruby shouted. “M-Mister! Help!”

The figure twisted towards her as she ran, small gas particles starting to emanate around it as it raised a tentacle, seemingly made from a shadow-like blob, untouched by the rain. Water bounced off the creature’s skin, and Ruby nearly shrieked as it started to snake towards her.

She stopped in her tracks, watching in horror as her stubs started to shake on the concrete. Panicking, she hurried to run the other direction, only to be grabbed from behind. The amalgamation pinched Ruby by the stem despite her wriggling, holding her up in the air to inspect.

“Let me go! H-help! Help! Someone!”

She turned to face the creature and was met with horror as it craned its neck towards her. Mallku’s face was concealed from within the body, exposing itself and meeting her cry with a sinister grin, baring fangs that glistened in the darkness.

“No! Help! Help me!”

Without a second of hesitation, the monstrosity opened its jaw and plunged the Cherubi right in. From within the mouth, Ruby let out more shouts and shrieks as she fell through an empty void. Colored light started to rise from the depths, slowly enveloping her.

”NO!”

”No..”

”N-“

In a coughing fit, Ruby snapped awake, feeling herself tremble as her eyes reconnected with the sight of petal walls around her. A sense of closure dampened as her heartbeat raced for a few seconds, making sense of everything.

She was safe.

She was awake.

That was just a nightmare.

Releasing a sigh of relief, she opened her budding, finding herself back under the protection of the tent. Alice, Tori, and Gabi slept in their own corners, with Tori on the farthest side away from Ruby’s spot.

…Tori.

The events from the following night flashed into her mind, and at once, everything came back.

She really still must be upset…

Not that I can do much right now though.

Chatter echoed outside, and she quickly averted her attention to two muffled voices talking amongst each other beyond the tent walls. Only the shadows could be seen through the fabric, but Ruby quickly recognized the shapes. Two skinny, bipedal pokémon that she estimated to be Mai and Liz, giggled and circled each other as they spoke, making slow movements as they walked back and forth.

Yeah. Had to be them.

It was a difficult task moving outside, but she managed. Ruby scooted toward the walls of the tent and pressed her back against it, pushing her stubby feet downward against the grass, and her back upwards. She took a few tries before eventually reaching a standing position, wobbling towards the door of the tent, and thrusting her body through.

The sunlight was a little more intense than she originally expected. Ruby looked up toward the sky and confirmed it to be early morning, as the sun was bright and exposed. The air was fresh despite the lack of surrounding trees, and she found it pleasant as she shuffled through the small campground set up the night before.

Seven other tents sat in the area, aside from Ari and Heatran who were only an Arbok’s reach away from the site, snoozing with their bodies sprawled out in the grass. Ruby glanced back to see if Mai and Liz were still next to their tent but found them walking elsewhere. She followed them as they moved towards the center, where The Joes were busy cutting up logs with their horns.

Liz lifted her roses up to her cheeks, blushing under them with her gaze on the Mienshao next to her. “So, rant aside, I heard you’ve been studying aura lately.”

Mai grinned. “Yeah, I have. Trying to learn this special move called Aura Sphere, that the Clawitzer at the guild talked to me about before we left.”

“What for? I thought your species was more skilled with contact-based attacks?”

Ruby listened in, her body stiffening as she widened the gap between her petals to get a better look at the two of them. The girls managed to both walk and talk at the same time, all with ease, lighting a spark of mild jealousy in the Cherrim.

“That’s true” Mai replied. “But I think Aura Sphere might be a good tool just in case. It’s a long-range attack, and it always hits its target. That’s what the Clawitzer said, anyways.”

Liz closed her eyes and smiled, shaking her head. “Always so envious of me” she scoffed.

“I’m not! I was just trying to be thoughtful, so I don’t have to rely on you and your special attacks. I thought learning one myself might ease your job a little.”

“We’ll see if that pays off for you.”

Ignoring Liz, Mai turned around and quickly recognized the mon behind them. “Oh hey! Looks like someone was following us.”

Ruby flinched in her spot, realizing she had been caught. The Mienshao skipped forward to meet her, receiving an exhausted frown from Liz out of view. The pink had washed away from the mon’s cheeks, seemingly defunct as she watched Mai approach Ruby.

“What an adorable species!” Mai trilled, squatting to meet the mon’s height. “So, what’s your name?”

The grass type stood cold and unmoving for a few seconds, before breaking out of her stupor. “H-hi… it’s Ruby.”

Mai, easing a bit of the tension. “It’s great to meet you! We were just about to eat breakfast, care to join us?” The Mienshao offered a paw forward, and Ruby anxiously accepted it with a stub. “Great! I’m Mai, and the pokémon behind us is Liz.”

The Roserade strolled towards the two of them, resting an arm on Mai’s back as she stood up. “Not even gonna ask for their species?”

“Oh! I didn’t, did I? Sorry about that.”

Liz giggled, turning towards Ruby. Her expression was calm and attentive, and the Cherrim nearly saw a hint of her aunt in those eyes, which had a slight shine in the morning dawn. The Roserade smiled softly, before asking, “Well?”

“R-right” Ruby mumbled. “I’m a uh… Cherrim.”

Liz nodded. “Roserade. Mai here is a Mienshao. Platinum rank seekers, the best you’ll find.” She pointed a rose to her scarf, a deep-pink hue that provided a contrast to the color of her roses. “Team RoseKick. It’s a silly name, I know. But you can blame Mai for that.”

Mai squinted, causing Liz to blush as she avoided the sharp gaze. “You agreed to it!” the fighting type snapped.

Liz sighed. “You’re such an embarrassment. At least you’re my embarrassment.”

“Damn right” Mai cursed under her breath.

Ruby took a step forward, eager to push onward with the conversation. “S-so what kind of breakfast were you thinking of?”

“Hm? Oh, right this way.” Mai slipped under Liz’s arm and ushered them both through the field towards the center of the campsite, where The Joes continued to stab at wooden logs with their horns.

The brass quickly noticed and turned around to meet them. “Ah, yes! Breakfast! More fuel for training!”

Three of the troops rolled a finished log away from the rest, having fashioned the timber as a proper log. Despite having a few sharp bits sticking out of the wood, it was suitable enough to sit on. The brass ordered one of the idle troops to guide the girls, and in a matter of seconds, the troop led them towards their seats.

Liz sat down and blew a kiss towards the Falinks individual, who bounced with happiness in response. Mai collapsed right next to her, wrapping an arm around Liz as the Roserade rested her head on the fighting type’s shoulder.

Ruby seated herself next to them quietly, giving a bit of space between her and Mai. The troops moved back to their orders, stabbing relentlessly into the bits of wood that they had collected with Mai an hour earlier. Their teamwork had noticeably improved, and the brass was much less condescending. Ruby wondered how much that had to do with Gabi’s outlash the week prior.

After a bit of watching aimlessly, Mai eventually remembered what she was planning to do before. “Hey, Joes!” she called out, too lazy to move out of her spot. “Mind grabbing my bag from the tent?”

The brass turned around, blinking, with the plates on their sides withdrawn. “Is that where the food is packed?”

“Yeah! Can ya go send your guys over there to grab it for me? Take a right from the center, it’s just outside the yellow tent.”

“Oh, okay.” The brass raised their horn and stomped their feet, looking towards two of the troops who had pushed the logs into place, now running to assist the ones that were preparing the next. “Ehem! You two! Go to the yellow tent nearby, there is food inside the bag! And take the whole bag! Be quick!”

The troops caught word of the command and nodded in unison, waddling past Ruby towards the directed area. A short while they came back later with the straps around their horns, dragging Mai’s backpack across the dirt behind them. They dropped it at the Mienshao’s feet before running off to slice more logs.

Mai frowned, turning towards Liz. “Sorry” she muttered. “I need to get up.”

The Roserade whined, squeezing against her arm tighter. “Why can’t we just relax a little longer?”

Frustrated, Mai bent down to kiss Liz on the cheek, making her blush a little before losing her grip on the mon. With the freed arm, Mai picked the backpack up and opened the middle zipper. Several types of berries were placed inside, still somewhat fresh despite having at least two days to rot.

Curiously, she glanced towards Ruby, who was busy staring off into the distance. “Got a preference?” she asked.

Ruby snapped out of her trance, a gasp coming out as her eyes frantically squinted through the small opening in her petals. Realizing it was just Mai, she relaxed.

“N-not really. But I like Rawst and Kelpsy berries… if you have those.”

“Ah, fonder of bitter berries, I see.” Mai chuckled, before withdrawing two Kelpsy. “Here, on the house.”

She tossed them into the air in the Cherrim’s direction. Ruby clumsily caught it, her stubs reaching out just before the berries could reach the ground. She placed one on the bench aside her, chewing on the other from inside the cover of her petals. The taste was less savory than expected, and part of her was somewhat thankful. The day had gone miserably yesterday, but Ruby felt much better after chewing the flesh of the fruit, somewhat wishing she had teeth in the process.

After handing Ruby hers, Mai reached into the bag and handed Liz a Bluk berry, to which the Roserade happily accepted. The Mienshao bit into a Pomeg berry of her own, closing the zipper and placing the backpack back on the ground.

“So” Mai began, talking through bites. “Ruby. What made chou want to chome with chus?”

The Cherrim sighed, looking upwards at the clouds. “I’m… I honestly don’t remember. These past few days have been stressful and… I… don’t really know why I even followed after Mallku in the first place.”

Liz nodded, joining in on the conversation. “We were nervous too, at first. Don’t feel bad about it.”

“Th-thanks, uh…”

“Liz.”

“Right, sorry” Ruby muttered. She stiffened herself a little before turning towards Mai. She looked at the fighting type’s scarf, the image of meeting Mallku for the first time flashing in her mind. “Wh-what rank did you say you were?”

“Platinum” Liz answered. She held off from reminding Ruby that she had told her that before, instead responding with a forced smile. Mai gulped down the rest of her berry, sputtering shortly afterwards. Liz squinted at the Mienshao, collapsing in her seat with her arms resting against her knees. “Wish you’d actually chew that.”

Mai responded with a sly grin. “Less eating, more sparring. Guildmaster would say that all the time.”

Liz sighed, looking away. “Whatever.”

“You know it’s at least partially true.”

“I know that you should listen to me for once.”

Ruby winced. “S-so how long have you been a team for?”

“At least six” Mai chirped, winking. “Now, you’ve heard a lot about us. I want to hear about you. Where are you from? What are your interests? Are you with anyone, and if not, who do you have a crush on?”

“Maybe shouldn’t have asked that last question” Liz mumbled.

“I-it’s fine” Ruby assured. “Uhmm… I was born in a small neighborhood town near Jumpluff’s Collis, until I moved to Blubluk after uh… we had to leave.” The nightmare wasn’t helping her forget the situation. “I like to study medicine sometimes when I can… b-but I don’t really know where I want to go beyond that.”

Mai nodded, taking in every detail. “Jumpluff’s Collis is southwest of Blubluk right? And you said you’re into healthcare stuff? Do you have a degree in it, or is it more of a hobby for you?”

Liz rested a rose on the Mienshao’s shoulder. “Hey… Mai, relax. Stop overwhelming the girl with so many questions.”

Right as Ruby was about to say something, their conversation was interrupted as the brass of The Joes came running towards them, stopping in front of Mai. The mon’s horns were held high, their eyes fixated, and their side-plates lowered.

“Is food ready?” he asked, almost innocently. “Troops are… hungry.”

Mai looked at the brass blankly for a few seconds, before smiling. “Yeah sure.” She reached for her bag, unzipping the berry pouch before pushing the backpack towards them. “Just don’t eat all of it. We need some for later.”

“Okay.” He turned around, eyeing the rest of the troops. “Breakfast! Breakfast is here!”

Each of the Falinks soldiers perked up at the words, quickly scrambling towards the bag one after another. As they ate, Mai resumed her conversation, turning towards the Cherrim next to her.

“Ruby, you said you were into healthcare, right?”

The grass type sighed. “Y-yeah…”

Mai nodded, adjusting a paw down on the the bench and slouching. “That’s cool. What university did you go to?”

“Uhm…” Ruby shrinked in her seat, looking despondently at the ground. “Blubluk Academy. It’s the only college in the city… b-but they’re planning to build more elsewhere.”

“What was it like? Were the tests tough? Did you get one of those fancy papers when you graduated?”

So curious…

“A-actually, I… dropped out.”

Mai slumped. “You did?”

“W-well, not really” Ruby mumbled. She raised her sight upwards to the sky, stubs fidgeting. “I left b-because of the offer with uh… Mallku and J-Jirachi. I was already struggling in college, and I didn’t like it as much as I hoped. I… th-thought this was a better opportunity.”

Liz got up, shuffling past Mai, and sitting to the left of Ruby. She forced a smile, leaning towards the Cherrim. “We’re thankful you came with us anyways. We may have only met you this morning, but I know we’ll be great allies here forward. You’re smart by the looks of it, and I think you could make a great fighter alongside the rest of us, if playing support doesn’t feel right to you.”

“Yeah!” Mai exclaimed. “We just… need to see how you work first. What your style is like.”

“S-style?”

“Yep” Liz answered. “Every pokémon has a natural flow of instincts in the way they fight. If we figure out yours, we can help you enhance it and see what works and what doesn’t.” She giggled, raising her roses to her cheeks, and blushing from behind. “It might take a long time, but it’s worth it. You can trust us.”

Mai nodded, relaxing her posture. “Would you want to try practicing now?”

Ruby stiffened. “N-no thanks.” The conversation with Tori replayed in her head, the Whimsicott’s frown frying into her skull. “I-I should probably be going anyways… I need to talk to someone.”

She bounced off the log, waving to Liz and Mai as she slowly walked away. The two seemed a little hesitant at the sight of her leaving but didn’t chase after her. They simply watched, before resuming the conversation about something else, too out of distance for Ruby to hear.

As the Cherrim trailed back to her tent through the campsite, she felt her nerves go stiff, her muscles tense.

Right. She was going to do something this morning.

She was going to talk to Tori.

The Cherrim passed Proteus’ tent, waving to him and Todd as they slowly woke up. Proteus noticed her and attempted to start a conversation, but hesitated when he saw that she was looking the other way, walking in small strides.

Eventually, Ruby made it to her own tent. The pink color was somewhat faded, and the silhouttes of Alice and Gabi were easy to see through the wool fabric. Gabi emerged shortly after, squirming past Ruby and stopping to grin at her.

“Mornin’ Rubes!”

“H-hi Gabi” the Cherrim squeaked. She looked left, then right, but found no sight of the mon she was looking for. “H-have you… seen Tori anywhere?”

Gabi hummed for a moment, her blank expression unchanging. “Nope, can’t say I have” she responded, frowning despondently. “Were you looking for her? Last night she seemed pretty pissed, maybe she’s taking a walk.”

Ruby sighed, smiling under the cover of her petals. “Oh… yeah, I d-didn’t consider that. Thanks. I’ll go s-see if she’s around here somewhere.”

As she shuffled down the opposite direction of the camp, she heard Gabi mumble “You go girl”.

 

~

 

The fields around them were in fact more than just empty. They were desolate.

Ruby paced the outline of the campgrounds, keeping her eyes wary. She saw no other pokémon or figures in the distance, nor much land that wasn’t more plains. It was unnerving, she had to admit.

If Gabi was right, Tori would be back by now.

Sighing, Ruby turned around, trailing back to camp. Surely, she would find her coming back, right? There was no way she would just… run, in the minutes that Ruby had gone to eat breakfast with Liz and Mai.

If she had run, it wouldn’t be the first time.

…and it wouldn’t be the first time for Ruby either.

She sucked in a breath of air, eventually finding her way back to the tent. Alice was busy reading a book inside, from the looks of it, so Ruby made an effort to not disturb.

Her mind wandered a little, body leaned against the tent and petals shut closed. The sinking feeling of dread and regret lingered for a moment until she heard a peep, alerting her out of her stupor.

She squinted through her petals, seeing a white, spherical figure in the center of the campsite, talking with Liz. She did a double-take, and nearly tripped over herself as realization hit.

Tori.

Ruby bolted forward, sweeping across the grass. The fear of what she would say, the anxiety of seeing her-

Tori quickly noticed the sound of running and turned around. Ruby expected the fairy to frown, to shrink back in guilt, to run, or initiate some gesture that she was feeling guilty for her attitude last night. Like the mon she was used to.

Instead, Tori scowled, shed a few tears, and walked away.

Ruby stopped dead in her tracks.

“Tori!”

The Whimsicott ignored her. Kept walking. Past Liz, past The Joes, who were still working on the logs.

Tori…

The sound of Mallku’s voice echoed across the camp, but it failed to make its way to Ruby.

What had happened?