30. In Which Twig Arrives

Twig had pestered Celebi to such an extent into revealing whether the Dark Future had ever been restored at some point beyond the present that she was pretty sure the subsequent headache she suffered was less from looking so far into alternate timelines and more from Twig’s incessant pleading. Celebi confirmed numerous times that the Dark Future didn’t return to its former state, nor did any other similar apocalyptic scenario rise to take its place, and please would Twig stop asking that, everything is fine, go take a nap. 

Even with the confirmation that Darkrai’s plot to overthrow the balance of the world wouldn’t go into force for at least several millennia out from the present day, Twig found herself uneasy. Celebi picked up on this as she checked in on her one morning. 

“Do you really think Ark is up to something?” she asked. 

“Ark wouldn’t hurt a fly. Darkrai, though—”

“Twig, dear, they’re the same person. Stop talking about him like he’s separate from himself. When he talked with me before you came tearing up my beautiful front yard— you kicked up my peony beds when you did that, by the way— I didn’t find any cause for concern. He was confused and struggling to find purchase amidst that confusion. He spoke to me as a friend. Maybe it’s the fact that I don’t see the way mortals do, but I don’t get it.” She tapped a dainty finger on her chin. “Is it really that hard to understand that he’s different now?”

“I don’t think playing house for a year is enough to change someone’s lifelong goal of world domination, Celebi.” 

“Was it a lifelong goal, though?” She bopped Twig on the head, chastising her. “Think this through. I’ve lived a long time. The Dark Future messed with my head a bit, yes, and I forgot some things because Dialga wasn’t keeping time in proper order—but I have lived a very, very long time. Don’t tell anyone I said that, though. You never reveal a lady’s age, after all. 

“But besides that— I’ve lived long enough to see plenty of people think the world is ending, that the earth will fall out from under them, that their friends all hate them, etcetera, etcetera. I’ve seen you grow up and out of the most frustrating phase as a human where you decided you hated me because I was pink and pink is a dumb color apparently. But now you keep commenting on my peonies being pretty, and they’re the pinkest flowers in my garden.” She paused. “Or they were, before you tore up their beds right as they were sprouting. My poor, precious perennials… Do you know what I mean?” 

Twig paused, narrowing her eyes at the Legend. “… Are you seriously comparing a plot to destroy the world to me disliking the color pink as a kid?”

“You’re not getting it!” She groaned. “You said you hated pink because so-and-so said it was a dumb girly color, and you’re not dumb, so you don’t like pink. It was that sort of silly little chatter that young women do because they’re insecure. And then when you got to know me, you decided pink was your favorite color because it’s the color of your friend Celebi— Do not contradict me and say you like it because the sunrise is pink, you told me that line yourself as a little human and it was the most heart-meltingly adorable thing I ever heard.”

Twig put down the hand she raised to correct her. 

“Anyways, all of that is to say that you got some ugly little idea that you hated something because of what someone said or did. And then you realized that said something wasn’t that bad in the end because I made you realize it was perfectly good.” 

“Celebi, I still don’t get what you’re trying to say.”

She let out a dramatic sigh. “You changed his mind, dummy. You helped him realize a world of darkness isn’t all it’s cracked up as he’d made it out to be in his own head.”

Twig frowned. 

“Now, I’m heading home— thank you for the crepes by the way, dear, they were lovely— and you are going to stop being so silly and let yourself breathe. You can take a break now. So take one.”

Twig watched her go. 

She thought on what she said. 

Even if she’d changed Darkrai’s mind about the world being something to rule over with an iron fist, that didn’t mean that she’d changed how awful she felt about herself— and rightfully so at that. Kip was back in Treasure Town and she’d left him hanging on a letter promising to visit him soon, but never elaborating on when exactly that was beyond it being after she wrapped up some loose ends. She’d cut Grovyle to his core with her remark on how Darkrai was never going to remember who he used to be— what a lie that was— and even if they had made up, she knew he still probably hated her for what she’d said. Dusknoir knew the ugliest parts of her past and must think she was the scum of the earth. That wasn’t even to mention Celebi, who’d had to spell out how dumb Twig was being with such exasperation that she could practically feel how much the Legend dreaded stopping by. 

Twig felt awful. 

Twig was awful. 

She needed to do something worthwhile so that she wasn’t a pointless burden. At the very least, she could be a useful burden. Right?

… Right? 

…

She needed to make something useful of herself, and fast. 

***

Kip was surprised when he saw a charmeleon peering through the crowd of Treasure Town square. You didn’t really see many pokemon of the fire-type sort as new faces around town. Generally, it was grass-types or normal-types from the nearby surrounding forested villages, and maybe a flying-type here or there. You rarely even saw bug-types. A fire-type was surprising, and he was excited to let Twig know that the charmeleon he saw had the same coloring as she did. 

His surprise gave way to shock when the pokemon trudged closer, bowed head rising enough for him to catch her face, and he saw it was Twig. 

His thunderous reaction turned heads on either side of the town square, too excited to quiet himself to a reasonable volume when he caught Twig’s eye. He waved his flippers out in a sweeping gesture that was maybe a touch over-dramatic for simply seeing his friend. “You’re a charmeleon?!” He shrieked. 

She perked up at his voice, eyes widening as her jaw dropped. She bolted over to his side, circling him in disbelief. “You have hands?! Kind of? … Sort of? I mean, they’re not really hands-hands, but they’re still hands, y’know? Like, you can high-five me without having to sit down now. Oh my gosh, you’re so tall— Dude, I can’t believe you actually—!” 

He cut her off by catching her in a big hug, sweeping her feet off the ground with the force of it. He laughed brightly, and she echoed the sound with her own mirth, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and squeezing hard. When he set her down, he was the one to pull away first, and Twig seemed almost reluctant to let him go. 

She was crying. 

“Oh my stars, are you okay?” Kip leapt to ask. “Did I hurt you? Oh no, I thought I was used to being stronger, I’m so sorry—”

“Dude—” She punched his arm, wheezing. “Kip, I’m fine. I’m fine. I just got something in my eye.” 

He smiled weakly. “Is it tears?”

“Don’t test me, man, I’ll eat your encyclopedias.” She swatted at him lightly when he snickered. “Seriously! I will!”

“I thought you knew how to cook better than Celebi.”

“Stop!” She laughed. Wiping away her tears, Twig took a long breath and let it out slowly to collect herself. “It’s been way too long, Kip. Thanks for waiting up on me.”

“Ah!” He perked up, recalling his concerns. “Speaking of, is everything okay back at Verdant Village? You said you had some loose ends to tie up— if I could help at all with stuff over there, I’d really like to—”

“Nah, it’s fine! It’s fine. I just had to make it clear to some regular customers that I wouldn’t be keeping my shop open for the next while. Refer them to other places in the meantime, that sort of thing.” She waved a shaking hand dismissively. “Besides, I’m moving back in now that you’re here, remember? We don’t need to worry about there being any extra loose ends, they don’t matter. Hey, are you hungry? Wanna grab something at Spinda’s?”

“Oh. Um. Yeah, I could eat.” He frowned, lowering his voice. “Are you sure you’re alright?” She sounded hesitant when she mentioned moving back in with him. Something was going on. 

“Peachy. C’mon, I’m starving.”

Arceus, Twig is a terrible liar.