In which our heroes adjust to a changing world.
Chapter 8 – Snowfield
by Cedsy“It’s… way too cold…” My partner shivers at my side, cupping his paws and blowing on them as we walk.
He’s not subtle at all. “I heard you the first four times, Hopper. Are you sure you don’t want to borrow my coat?”
“N-N-No… I’m g-good… you hang o-on to it…” He frantically rubs his shoulders to warm up. ‘I’m good’ my ass.
“Have it your way.” I loosen my scarf and step behind him, wrapping it around him instead. “But you’re at least getting this.” It’d be a disservice for me not to offer the coat, but I also don’t mind keeping it to myself.
It’s unusual for a pair as fluffy as ourselves to struggle with the cold so soon as late October. Today, October 29th, it is snowing. Not unheard of, but absolutely not welcome either. Thankfully today’s snowfall is light, but it’s still too much too soon. Makes me feel like a jerk, honestly. I’m all bundled up here while Hopper is stuck with just his armband.
He could’ve worn the apron again, for whatever that’s worth.
“EVERYBODY, SETTLE DOWN! THE GUILDMASTER AND VICE GUILDMASTER WILL ADDRESS YOU SHORTLY!” A bellowing voice rings out from Radiant Square, audible without issue even from the forest.
Hopper turns to me. “That’s not normal, is it?”
“Don’t think so.” I shake my head. “Let’s hurry, I wanna investigate.”
A huge crowd formed in the town’s center. Hugh and Ernest were at the gates, as per usual, but they had their attention turned away from their post.
Eri steps past the gates and assumes position between the two gatekeepers. “Yoo hoo! Not every day something distracts a hardass like you, Hugh.”
He at first seems startled, but quickly settles into a restrained aggravation. “Good morning, Eri.” He sounds like he’s about to snap at that ‘hardass’ comment. “Blitz and Ares are making some big announcement. Looks like someone barely made it in time.”
“Ah, soooooo sorry!” Eri sounds ready to strangle him too. “Good thing it’s just us though, instead of some intruder. With your back turned, you would’ve let them in! Ha ha ha ha ha.” There’s not a speck of enthusiasm in that laughter.
“Ha ha ha.” …nor in his.
I… should probably enter this conversation. If these two are left to their own devices together, they might create a passive-aggressive explosion. “S-So, what’s this big meeting for anyway?”
Hugh sighs. “It hasn’t started yet, genius. How about you be patient and pay attention?”
“Watch your tone…” Eri clenches her paw and glares at the Patrat. Looks like my defusal attempt backfired.
“U-Um…” Surprisingly, Ernest speaks up. “I might have a g-guess. They’ve been saying that some weird stuff is going on. And they think it’s because of that.” He points a claw to Shimmering Mountain in the distance. More specifically, he points to its peak; or at least the highest we can see. The mountain’s peak is obscured by dark clouds which have fixed themselves in orbit around it. When we went there on our Team-Up Mission, I could’ve sworn that the clouds were getting bigger, and it seems it’s gotten even worse since.
“The clouds?” What do some clouds have to do with anything? They’re all the way over there, and we’re all the way over here.
He turns to me and continues. “Not the clouds themselves. T-They say that the clouds are proof something’s happening up there. Probably something bad…”
“Those clouds have been there since before you two showed up, but we locals can tell you that they’re still fairly new.” Hugh leans back against the gate’s post. “Gotta wonder what the Guild dug up about it. They wouldn’t make a statement if they didn’t know something.”
“Ernest…” Eri rejoins the conversation, having seemingly calmed down. “You keep saying that ‘they’ are saying stuff about the clouds. Who are ‘they’? I assume not the Guild.”
He scratches his ears. “Y-You know… folks. You hear all sorts of stuff when you sit here all day.”
“GUILDMASTER BLITZ AND VICE GUILDMASTER ARES WILL BEGIN NOW! EVERYBODY, QUIET DOWN!” It’s the same Exploud from our make-up exam.
Ares gives a small nod to the Exploud. “Thank you, sir.” He gets up behind the podium, presumedly standing atop some platform, and begins to speak. “Good morning, and thank you all for gathering here today. I am Ares, you may know me as the Vice Guildmaster of Blitz’s Guild. I’ll allow Blitz himself to begin.”
“Thank you, Ares. Good morning, all.” Blitz takes the stand. His tone is less energetic than normal, but he still sounds composed and confident. “I’ll try not to waste any of your time. Many of you are aware of some strange phenomena that have begun in the Radiant area. We’ve gotten many reports from concerned Pokémon like yourselves over the past few weeks. To any of you who brought things to our awareness, I sincerely thank you.” He bows his head before continuing. “My Guild, in cooperation with Radiant Square’s administration, has begun an investigation into many such phenomena. This investigation is ongoing, but we have a bit to go on. Go ahead, Ares.” He nods his head to his partner, who ascends to the stand.
“Right. For starters, we’ve verified reports of jammed radio signals and unusual weather patterns throughout the general Radiant area. It’s possible that today’s snowfall is an example of the latter. I’m sure you’ve all also noticed the strange clouds atop Shimmering Mountain. We believe the mountain to be the geographical origin point of our crisis. Which brings me to…” He moves some paper around behind the podium. “While the issues pertaining to weather and jammed radio signals have been observed throughout the Radiant area, we’ve also observed more concerning phenomena in the area surrounding Shimmering Mountain. Our local adventurers are no doubt aware of the growing numbers of hostile wild Pokémon, but a more pressing matter has been brought to our attention. To simplify the ecological details: we’ve observed shifting terrain patterns in East Radiant Forest and Shimmering Mountain Cave. An expedition to Shimmering Mountain itself is pending.”
The crowd erupts into a haze of questions and exclamations…
“Shifting terrain?”
“How can we pass through?”
“Can you fly over?”
“Is the world ending?”
…stuff like that.
Eri and I just exchange concerned – or maybe confused – looks.
“AHEM! Your attention, please!”
“EVERYBODY! QUIET FOR THE GUILDMASTER!”
Everyone quieted down after a few seconds.
Ares continues. “We understand your concerns, but we ask that everybody keep a level head. Panicking won’t do any of us any good.”
“He’s right. I’ve had the honor of representing this community for many years, so I say with unwavering confidence that the Pokémon of Radiant Square have the strength to push through whatever crisis comes our way. While we continue to gather information, we’ve outlined some things to keep in mind for your own safety.”
“In case it needs to be said, Shimmering Mountain should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. As the epicenter of all this, it’s been exhibiting the most erratic and dangerous patterns. Pokémon putting themselves in danger at Shimmering Mountain means we must also put adventurers in danger to rescue them. What’s more, Team Thorn and Team Earshot recently discovered a strong, hostile Pokémon living within Shimmering Cave, making the area even less hospitable. Of course, we thank them for their work.” Ares pauses for effect, and Blitz takes the time to wink directly at us. How can he even see us behind this crowd?
Hugh looks at us with a frustrated and dumbfounded look. Ernest’s face is one of shock and awe, rather than spite. Eri looks a little embarrassed.
“Shimmering Mountain aside, East Radiant Forest is also undergoing strange alterations. It’s far less dangerous than Shimmering Mountain, but civilians and adventurers alike should exercise caution when passing through. While our investigation is still ongoing, we’re fairly confident that affected areas are experiencing shifts every one or two days. We request that our adventurers bring any further insights to our attention.” He flips through some papers once more. “Possibly the greatest challenge comes with the radio signals. For whatever reason, radio signals in the Radiant area are failing to transmit, preventing badges from transmitting distress signals among other related issues. Thankfully, that’s a discovery we didn’t have to make the hard way. Adventurers, please refrain from taking missions that may require use of a distress signal for the time being.”
The crowd returns to their yapping.
“What if I get hurt?”
“This is gonna destroy my income…”
“You guys need to figure out a solution!”
Once again, Eri and I just exchange nervous looks.
“Listen, Pokémon, listen!” Blitz raises a paw and strengthens his tone, gathering everyone’s attention without need for the Exploud. “Allow me to reiterate: We of Radiant Square are a strong, resilient bunch. We may not understand what is going on just yet, and things may be tough for some time, but we mustn’t give in to despair. Together, Radiant Square will persevere! Pokémon of Radiant Square – adventurer or otherwise – say it with me…”
“LET’S SET OUR SOULS ABLAZE!”
And the crowd did just that, cheering for the legendary Blitz.
Such incredible charisma…
“What do you think of all this, Hopper?” I continued to analyze the mission flier in my paw while I spoke.
“Our mission? It seems pretty normal. Just some kid who got turned around in the snow, probably.”
Arceus, is his memory full or something? “Not that, dummy. The whole thing with Shimmering Mountain. All the stuff Blitz talked about this morning.”
“Oh, right, that.” How is this not occupying his mind one bit? “Weird, isn’t it? I guess we haven’t gone east since we saved that Aipom kid, so we wouldn’t have noticed anything.”
He’s so… casual. “You’re not concerned at all?”
“Of course I’m concerned, but think about it. All this stuff means more Pokémon will be put in more danger. That makes our job even more necessary, right? It’s like what Rosemary said, we’ve gotta push past our fears for the Pokémon who are counting on us. Something like that.”
This kind of thing is so unlike him. Even though it was my idea, he’s growing into this adventuring thing way faster than I am. “Right…” Now I feel like a dumb coward. This stuff has me freaking out, personally. At least Hopper is confident, though. That makes me feel a little better about things.
It was just like Hopper had suspected: some kid – a Scorbunny – got lost in the snowstorm. We followed some fading footprints to find him, and we brought him home without a hitch. It was advertised as a rescue job and put with all the D-Rank missions, but it was possibly the easiest mission we’ve done yet. Good on the parents for being cautious like that, but I think it says more about how that stuff Blitz and Ares said is impacting how everyone is thinking.
“Reward is 600 Poké today, after your income tax. Good work!”
I nearly take the bag, but I pull my paw back. “Uh, Lisa, can we decline the reward? We really didn’t do much of anything.”
Hopper nods in agreement. “Yeah, the whole job only took us half an hour. We don’t deserve this much money.”
“If you decline the cash, it fizzles into city funds. Refunds on these are a logistical headache for administration.” The Maractus leans back in her chair and swivels from side to side. “Listen, guys, I get it. You two are used to getting into fights and all that, but that doesn’t mean your work today isn’t a valuable service. Folks are scared, and you’re putting their mind at ease. There’s value in that.”
“Still, though-“
“It can funnel back into the city if you want, but that family put this money aside for you. You two will probably put it to better use than the city would.” She stretches her arm further, pushing the bag even closer to us. “Oh, uh, don’t tell anybody I said that to you. Since I, like, work for the city and all.”
“Oh shit, Dr. Hiraga? I’ve been meaning to read it. One of my friends is a big fan.”
“R-Really? You definitely should, it’s the best!”
“Add it to my list of a billion comics to read. I recently finished one of the author’s other stories: Delta.”
“I’ve never heard of it. What’s it about?”
“The main protagonists are a Metagross detective and a young Golett boy. It’s a cool story about them discovering themselves and finding their individuality. It’s a little hard to explain, but it’s super worth reading.”
With Eri already down in the arts and crafts studio, my afternoon began with talking to Max – the Golurk at the library – about comic books. His size still throws me off, but I’m gonna have to get used to this kind of thing sooner or later.
“All that said, I think you’re out of luck with Hiraga. The big reason I haven’t read it yet is because we don’t have it here. Don’t really feel like buying so many volumes…”
Guess I’ll have to put today’s paycheck to good use. “Shoot, alright. Hey, if I buy some volumes, I’ll lend you some when I’m done. Maybe donate them back to the library!”
Max looks pleased. “We don’t take donated items, but there’s technically no rule saying I can’t take items from patrons, so we might just have ourselves a deal. Only if you promise to read Delta, though!”
“Deal!”
I think I can afford a day off from my studies. It’s Hiraga time!
DING DING!
“Customers, dear!”
“I hear it, I hear it!” They’re both as lively as before.
“Well I’ll be!” The pink one floats into view. “You’re that cute boy from before, right? The adventurer!”
“We’ve gots regulars now, eh?” Her husband joins her side. “Where’s your girlfriend at, sonny?”
“M-My girlfriend?!” She’s not… I mean… Er… Well, no use making a big deal of it, right? Yeah. “My, uh, partner is at the library today. She makes clothes in their arts and crafts studio.”
“Makin clothes, eh? Sure looks like you could use ‘em! ‘specially on a snowy day like this.” The old Jellicent laughs to himself. “A scarf will only do you so much good.”
Oh yeah. I forgot I was wearing Eri’s scarf. It’s… really comfy. Such a natural fit. I almost don’t want to give it back…
His wife looks at me pitifully. “You poor thing. That sweet girl better make you something warm. You go tell her that, won’t you?”
I’m… not going to make demands like that. “I’ll let her know…”
“Hrmmm…”
Careful… Be careful with it…
Ugh, I can hardly focus. Maybe I should just stop for today.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite patron. You’re in early today, Eri.” What timing. I guess I got in before her shift today.
“Hey, Prisca. Work was short today, so here I am.”
She catches a glimpse at what’s under the sewing needle. “That’s the one for that Rosemary girl, right? It’s looking good!”
“Thanks…” It’s not much so far, but it’s getting there. It’s not a terribly large piece, so it shouldn’t take too long. “Was just about to stop for the day, actually. Can’t focus at all today…”
She sits down and lowers her neck to my eye level. “Eri, if I had to write down what you’re saying, there’d be a bunch of ellipses after every sentence right now. Talk to me; what’s with the ellipses today?”
Weird way of getting someone to open up, but it strangely makes sense. “Just thinking about all the stuff going on. I started feeling all stressed about it, and then I felt like a coward for it.”
“It’s your job to be worried, isn’t it?”
“I thought it was my job to be brave.”
“Not mutually exclusive. Are you gonna quit being an adventurer because of this?”
“What? No.”
Prisca nods with a smile. “Congratulations, then. You’re being brave.”
“Hiraga! Hiraga! I got me a whole bunch of Hiraga!♪” Ohhhhh, I’m so excited to read it that I can’t help but sing! I would read a bit at the library, but I think it’s gonna be sundown soon. I ended up spending a while chatting with that old couple and browsing comics. Might as well wait to read until I get home. “Aghhhh! I can’t wait to read it!”
PHEWWWWWWWW!
“Arceus Almighty, Hopper, be quiet! You’re in the middle of town!” Hugh shouts at me after lowering his whistle.
“Rude! Maybe if you were a Hiraga fan, you’d be in a better mood!”
He scoffs at me. “You? A Hiraga fan? What’s a dumbass like you doing reading a work as intellectually elevated as Hiraga?”
“Y-You read Dr. Hiraga too, Hopper? That’s so cool!” Ernest jumps in as well.
“Yeah! Isn’t it the best, Ernest?”
“Hiraga is a really deep character, you know.” Hugh smugly boasts about his Hiraga knowledge to nobody in particular.
“I r-read it a while back. The beginning is kinda slow, but once things pick up you start to miss the mundanity of those early stories.” Ernest steps closer to me. “What story are you on? And which one is your favorite?”
So much pressure, I’m only just starting. “I’m only on the first story, the one with the Machamp in the big tournament.”
“The revelations later on about Hiraga’s past are really incredible. It makes you think a lot about-” Hugh’s words fade into background noise.
“The Machamp story is such a good hook, isn’t it?! The way Hiraga resolves it is really cool, let me know what you think!”
“Yeah, I’ll keep you updated!”
Hugh gives us a frustrated look. “Are you two… even listening to me…?”
“Huh? Oh, hey Hugh. No, I’m not.”
“Grr… Whatever, guess you’ll never understand the true genius of Hiraga. Ernest and I will remain superior, it seems.” He crosses his arms condescendingly.
“Be nice! I know you can!” Ernest stomps his foot and pouts at Hugh. “F-For what it’s worth, Hopper, I think whatever you get out of Hiraga is valid. That’s the true genius of it.”
“Hopper! There you are!” Eri dashes over from down the street. “Was this toolshed giving you a hard time?”
Toolshed?
“And if I was?”
“I challenge you to a rematch. To the death, if you prefer.” Eri responds within a split second, her jolly smile making her answer a bit chilling.
“I, uh…” Even Hugh seems caught off guard by it. Usually he’d be reaching for that whistle right now, but he’s all frozen up.
As annoying as Hugh is, Hiraga isn’t worth killing over. Neither am I, for that matter. “The three of us were just talking about Dr. Hiraga. Your timing is perfect, we were just wrapping up. Right, Hugh?”
“R-Right…” Tables have totally turned. Now he’s the one stammering. Not me or his partner.
“See you tomorrow, Ernest! And you too, Hugh.” Eri’s smile doesn’t disappear, nor do her eyes open, as she passes them by and pats the shoulder of the latter. “Let’s be on our way, Hopper.”
…
There was a suffocating anxiety for the next week and a half. Everyone tried their best to act normal, but it was clear that they were all stressed out.
This cozy little town of Radiant Square was changing, and nobody was ready for that.
It worried me too, but maybe not as much as it should? My life’s been such a whirlwind lately, this whole thing isn’t even fazing me.
But, like, it definitely should.
Eri’s been nervous since the news broke. It makes me feel kinda stupid, and also kinda like an asshole? My partner is so worried about the world, and our safety, and our future, and I’m just… not. I don’t mean to brush her feelings aside like that, I just don’t feel it.
Why is this so confusing? Why don’t I get what I’m thinking? Why am I feeling this way?
Am I just lying to myself? Clearly, somewhere, there’s some fear inside of me. But there’s a voice telling me ‘Yeah, you’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much about it.’
But what is it?
“Hopper?”
“Huh?”
“Do you need to go home? You’ve been spaced out all morning. First you almost burnt your toast, and now you’re just stumbling along.”
“No, no. Sorry. I promise, I’m alright.”
She looks unsure. “If you say so. Just let me know if you need to go back, alright?”
“Right. Thanks, Eri.”
Yeah, everything is fine. I’m fine. I’m not some weirdo for not being worried about stuff. As long as Eri is with me, I’ll be alright.
The trek into town was fine. It doesn’t seem like that shifting terrain phenomenon has come west yet, so our route to Radiant Square is still secure. The snow continued to fall, though. The last few days had been mild, but today it was starting to come down a bit more. For the first time this season, the snow was starting to stick.
November 7th. I guess snow at this time of year isn’t as odd. Hopper seems to be adjusting. I’ve been giving him my scarf the past few days. I think it fits him.
The familiar entrance was visible from beyond the forest, but two unfamiliar Pokémon stood watch today. Much taller than the dopes we’ve gotten used to.
Watchog and Ursaring.
Wait, what?
“Hopper… is that…?”
“Let’s take a look…”
We both rushed out to the gates.
It’s funny, this reminds me of that race we had on our first day… I’ve gotten faster. I can keep pace now. This time, Hopper didn’t run into the gate. He stopped on time.
“Good morning, Team Earshot.” The Watchog kept his arms crossed as he glared down at us, an irritating smirk appearing on his face. “What’s the matter? Coming up short on words?” Somehow, his voice is even more sniveling than before.
Hopper leans in at my side and whispers. “Eri… his eyes are even freakier now…!”
“H-Hey! I heard that!” He bends down at nearly a 90 degree angle to match Hopper’s eye level, the latter pulling back in fear.
“S-Sorry!” Great. Now this asshole can take advantage of Hopper’s greatest weakness. The end of the world is nothing to this dummy, but put him in front of someone twice his height and he folds instantly.
“Good morning, Hugh. Congratulations on evolving. You as well Ernest.” I give a bow to the towering Ursaring before me, who looks a little embarrassed.
“We’ve, uh, had to fight some wild Pokémon at the entrance lately.” Ernest’s voice is much lower than before, and his anxious stutter is less pronounced. Despite the lower pitch, he still speaks in the same calm tone he always did. Far cry from his partner. “We’re pretty sure their numbers and aggression are increasing because of the stuff at Shimmering Mountain. Regardless, it just happened out of nowhere this morning. We were both surprised!” He chuckles at the end.
“How sweet! Congrats again.” I turn my attention to Hugh, instantly dropping my sweet girl act. “As for you, I’d hate to ruin your evolution day by reporting you to the Guild’s Pokémon Resources Specialist. For harassing my partner and all.”
Hugh stammers for a second. “You… He started it! He said my eyes are freaky!”
“…after you made a remark about our height. Harassing non-Guild members on the clock… I don’t think Blitz would care for that one bit.”
His face goes red. Not the cute, embarrassed red that Hopper gets sometimes. This is, like, a furious red. Like steam is gonna come out of his ears.
“I thought you were the brains of your duo, not the brawn. You’re evolved for less than a day and suddenly you’re all about physical intimidation.” I firmly grasp Hopper’s paw and drag him through the gates, paying no more mind to the dimwitted Watchog before me. “Toodle-oo, Ernest! Oh, and see you tomorrow as well, Hugh.”
“S-See ya! Let’s talk Hiraga before you leave today, Hopper!”
Another uneventful mission today, just like the past week. A lost kid, yet again.
With work done for the day, we decided to make for the library. I brought along a couple volumes of Hiraga to read. The closer I get to the end of the encyclopedia, the less necessary these library visits become for me. It would be rude not to indulge Eri, though. Maybe she’d take me as an assistant again? Might be better off without me, though. My work on her birthday was pretty rough…
That aside, it just doesn’t make sense.
“Eri, isn’t it kinda weird?”
“What’s weird? I thought none of this stuff bothered you.”
Huh? Oh, yeah, that thing I said the other day. I’d forgotten all about it. “I mean these missions. Even though the Radiant area’s apparently going all crazy, our missions have been duller than ever. Mostly just lost kids, maybe a wild Pokémon here or there.”
She takes a moment to think. “It’s like a feedback loop.”
“Feedback loop?”
“Maybe not the right word, but something like it. You’d think we’d have an uptick in tricky missions, but the opposite also makes sense. The adventurous kids we’d normally be helping are being more cautious because of all this craziness. The parents become more cautious too, so they put out rescue requests more liberally.”
“Oh, I never would’ve thought about it like that. Good thinking!”
She looks a little embarrassed. “W-Well, that’s not the only possibility, it’s just a thought…” She brushes some falling snow off her coat as we continue along. “Could also be that town hall is being more cautious with how they assign missions. The real deal stuff must be going to the higher ranks. Like the skill floor is raising.”
“Makes me wonder what the F-Ranks are doing…”
Eri giggles. “Must suck to be them. It would be hard to find lost items when the forest gets coated in snow. And shifts daily, apparently.”
We haven’t personally dealt with the shifting terrain stuff yet. There haven’t been any missions coming in for the east forest ever since the big announcement.
Eri must be right, then. They’re being really cautious with the rank assignments.
Easy does it…
Eaaaaaaaaaasy does it, Eriiiiiiii…
Just a liiiiiiiittle teensy tiny bit mooooooore…
“DONE!”
I throw my paws in the air on reflex, releasing the sewing machine’s power switch as well.
Shit, I forgot I’m in public. All eyes on me.
“S-Sorry!”
“Someone’s excited.” Prisca, of course, comes right over. “Let’s see it!”
“Drum roll please, ma’am.”
“Why of course.”
BADUMP BADUMP BADUMP BADUMP BADUMP…
Prisca drums her front legs on the ground. At my height, it causes a noticeable shaking to the stool and table, but it adds to the dramatic effect.
“Ladies and- uh, I guess just ladies, actually. Lady. Singular.”
“Alright, on with it, my feet are starting to hurt.”
“Right, sorry.” I lean back over the table and prepare to present my creation. “I present to you… an Eri original… voila!”
I whip the garment around with all the dramatic flair I can muster.
“Holy smokes! This is amazing, Eri? Have you made one like this before?”
I cross my arms triumphantly and shake my head. “Nope. First of its kind. For me, at least. You like?”
“It’s for Hopper, right?”
“Mhm.”
“It’s a cooler look than what I’d personally give that dorkazoid, but I think it’ll fit. He’s gonna swoon when he sees it.”
The great Prisca really thinks that highly of this? “S-Swoon, huh? M-Mission accomplished, I guess… Hehe…”
“It’s such a good arc, right?”
“Yeah, I’m loving it so far. I can’t wait to see how it ends.”
Talking to Ernest after his evolution is kinda uncanny. He used to be just a bit taller than me, and now he’s huge. And his voice is so much lower, too. Like, he still acts the same, but it feels like I’m talking to a totally different Pokémon.
As for Hugh, he sounds pretty familiar. A bit more snobby though. Today he’s decided to merely observe the conversation rather than join it.
Evolution, huh…
“H-Hey, Ernest. Question for you. If you’re fine with answering it…”
He looks surprised. “Uh, what’s up?” The stutter is mostly gone, but his delivery still sounds pretty nervous.
“When you evolved… what was it like?”
Hugh snaps out of passive observer mode and looks our way. Instead of his usual angry glare, he gives Ernest a look of genuine curiosity. A far calmer look than normal.
“It just sorta happened.” The big guy scratches the back of his head. “It’s like my body said, ‘Yeah, I’m ready whenever you are.’ And then I felt formless for a second, and then poof: Ursaring.”
“Hopper.” Hugh turns his attention to me. I nearly flinch when he addresses me, but he remains calm while speaking. “Why are you asking? Haven’t you evolved before?”
“I have, but it was years ago. Must be something like a decade by now. I don’t remember it super well. Besides, Pawmi and Pawmo are pretty similar. You two had… much more drastic changes.”
They both pause for a second and exchange looks before Hugh speaks up. “I’m a little curious then. Do you remember what happened when you evolved? Ernest and I both evolved in battle, but you wouldn’t have seen much fighting before becoming an adventurer.”
“Ha. You’d be surprised.” One would think the scars kinda give it away. I guess there’s a lot of ways you can get these. “I evolved during a fight too. Still lost, but it probably kept me alive. Can’t remember the sensation at all, though.”
They’re both quiet. I must’ve soured the mood a little…
“Uh, you know, there’s whole books on evolution that you can pick up at the library.” Ernest tries to reignite the discussion. Despite his shy nature, he has much better social skills than his talkative partner. “Maybe you’d find them interesting?”
“Ooh, good idea. Maybe I’ll che-”
“HOPPER!”
All three of us freeze up as Eri shouts at me from behind.
I slowly turn around with a nervous smile. I have no idea what I did, but she doesn’t seem happy about it.
“H-Hey, Eri…! Ready to head home?”
She doesn’t look pleased with that answer.
“It’s called a meeting spot for a reason! We’re supposed to meet outside the library when we’re done, don’t you remember?” She sighs and crosses her arms. “I dropped off my project at Rosemary’s, so yes, I’m ready to go.”
“Right, l-let’s get going, then. Sorry…”
The walk home was… awkward.
What is usually a time for chatting about the day and a little banter was instead filled with dead air.
Ugh. It’s frustrating that he didn’t wait outside for me, but that frustration isn’t worth this awkwardness.
On the way home, I caught a couple glimpses at Hopper. He seemed dejected, but also just lost in thought.
It persisted the whole walk home, and even after we got inside.
Alright, if I don’t pull him out of his head, he might never leave. Work your magic, Eri!
“Uh, Hopper…”
He nervously looks my way. “Mm.”
Not making it easy for me. “I know I was kinda mad earlier, but… if you make dinner reaaaaaally good tonight, then I’ll forgive you…”
A surprised look takes his face for a split second, immediately replaced by his normal nervous expression. “Do you have any preference?”
“Hmm…” I play up the theatrics by tilting my head and resting it atop my paw, like it’s the hardest decision of my life. “I’m feeling grilled cheese again tonight.”
“I… can arrange that…”
Back to normal.
“If you, like, practiced making grilled cheese every day of your life, then you’d probably have the best one in the world within a year.” Eri speaks between bites of her sandwich.
Her second sandwich, actually.
“It sounds like I passed the grilled cheese guilt test.”
She laughs a little while chewing, coughing a bit to clear her throat. “Consider yourself guilt free.”
What a relief.
I finished preparing my own sandwich and sat down at the table with her. “So, how about Hugh and Ernest? Didn’t see that one coming.”
Eri props herself up on the table and leans in. “I know, right?! Ernest especially looks so much different. It’s gonna take some getting used to. They said they were fighting some wild Pokémon when it happened, right?”
“Yeah. I actually talked to them some more about it. Ernest said it was like a voice in his head telling him that he was ready.”
A puzzled look takes her face. “Those two have had way more formal combat training than us, though. Wouldn’t you assume he’s been ready for a while? And why did they both evolve at the same time? Hugh doesn’t seem like the type to hold his evolution back for anyone.”
“Maybe it’s some strong emotional response?”
Eri perks up before sitting back in her chair. “An emotional response, huh… I guess you could say that…”
“Hm?”
She snaps out of her thoughts and makes eye contact with me. “N-Nothing! Nothing at all!” She immediately goes back to her sandwich, which is now almost gone.
“I said it before, but I’ll say it again. Those sandwiches are delish, Hopper!”
He gives me a gentle, accomplished smile. “Glad you like them. Don’t want any more?”
“How much of a glutton do you think I am?”
His face turns a little red. “N-Nevermind then. I’ll just, uh, clean up.”
I get off my chair and move towards the counter. “I’ll help you ou-”
“No, no, I’m alright.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. You should get some rest, if you want.”
Normally this kind of behavior would be concerning to me, but his words seem very genuine. It doesn’t sound like him feeling guilty or loading too much work on himself. He’s just, like, living.
I’m… really starting to get used to living with him. It’s nice. Peaceful. Kinda fun, even.
Blah. Why does this idiot make me feel all warm and fuzzy?
Alright, snap out of it. You’re having a conversation. “Well, if you’re absolving me of chore duty, I won’t object.”
I hang up my coat and make my way to my room.
‘My room’? It’s just a guest room, girl.
My guest room, though. Maybe with some more time, it’ll be a little more than a guest room…
Oh, right, before I sleep. “Hey, real quick.”
“What’s up?” Hopper raises his voice a little from the kitchen. He’s making a bit of noise with those dishes.
“You know I’m not actually mad about earlier, right? I’m sorry for acting like that earlier.”
“What? You were in the right. I’m sorry for not waiting outside the library. You had every right to be mad.”
Not winning the humility war with him. “Agree to be sorry, then?”
He laughs. “Agreed. Good night, see you in the morning.”
“Mhm! Night night!”
I close the door on another day. A good one, too. The Radiant area is in a mild crisis, but I still had a great day, all things considered. Finished that thing for Hopper, had a nice conversation with him, and ate two amazing grilled cheese sandwiches.
Not doing bad for myself, that’s for sure. Even if it’s hectic sometimes, it beats the customer service slog back home.
Home…
Guess I’ve got two of them now…
That should do it for the dishes.
Goodness, my back hurts like hell.
Outside the window, a strong wind blows the endless snowfall, obscuring most details from view. I had thought about getting some fresh air, but with this weather I think I’m better off hanging out inside…
Besides, I’m super duper tired. I’d best just get to sleep.
I’m glad things went over fine with Eri. Was kinda worried for a bit. She called herself ‘difficult’ the other day, which is kinda true, but not always. A lot of the time I feel like the difficult one.
Two months. Two whole months we’ve been living together. It really flew by.
I loved living with Grandpa, but life with Eri is a totally different flavor. It’s hard connecting with someone like this, but that hard work is satisfying. Maybe… maybe it’s what I needed.
I still miss you, though.
If you were still here, or if you could see me, what would you think?
Heh. I wonder what you’d think about Eri. Or if you’re watching and listening somehow, I wonder what you think of her.
I hope you’d be happy. I’m really happy with her.
I just hope… that it’s fine to be happy like this. That it’s fine to be happy without you.
…I miss you so much.
“…hmmmmmmm… shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…”
She snores? Usually we’re in bed around the same time, and there’s a buffer room between us, so I guess I don’t hear it.
That’s kinda cute. Would probably be a little frustrating if we shared a room, though.
But I shouldn’t say stuff like that. Grandpa always told me I talk in my sleep, which is probably even more annoying.
“…the sammishhses… so gooooooood…”
Guess she talks in her sleep too.
Sharing a room with Eri…
Ok, time to get yourself to bed. Quit thinking crazy.
I take care while opening my door to not make much noise. I doubt anything could wake her up right now, though. What with all that snoring.
Too lazy to even take the armband off. Time for some shut-eye.
Bed… so comfy…
Falling… asle-
CRASH!
What?!
“Two more grilled cheese sandwiches, as you requested!”
“Ohhhhh, thank you!!!”
Hopper bowed as he served the new plate.
“Anything else, Eri?”
“No, no, this should hold me for a little bit. Oh, actually, maybe some cake! Bake me some cake!”
“Are you sure? I-I’m not so good at making sweets…”
“Trust me, just do it! It’s a dream, so as long as I will your cake to be good, it’ll be good!”
“R-Right! I’ll preheat the oven!”
Hopper ran off to the kitchen. He better be careful running like that in the maid dress. If Dream Hopper rips the dream dress that Dream Eri worked so hard on, he’s gonna regret it!
Maybe Dream Eri should invest in a dream butler outfit for Dream Hopper. But that’s sooooooo much work. I feel like Dream Eri would rather eat these dream sandwiches instead…
Speaking of, these dream sandwiches are so good! Dream Hopper may have made them, and they may be modeled after Real Hopper’s sandwiches, but I deserve at least a little credit here. I’m the one manifesting such delicious sandwiches in a dream. That’s hard work!
CRASH!
Uh oh, is Dream Hopper having trouble in the kitchen?
“Hopper? Are you okay?”
…
“Hopper…?”
ACK-
What is…
why am I… in so much… pain…?
“urk… gh…”
“Just sleep. Don’t make this hard, please.”
Can’t breathe…
Gray.
Gray rock.
Big mouth.
Big horn.
Gray everywhere, all below my neck.
I can move my tail.
PLOOF…
PLOOF…
Losing my strength…
Who…?
Red eyes.
Rhy…don…?
Bryon?
What is he…
“LET GO OF HER!!!”
CHK!
“What the hell?! You kicked me, you little shit!”
Air. My lungs flood with air.
I can move my body again.
THUD.
I collide with the floor.
Orange fur enters view. Hopper’s here.
“Eri, are you-”
“Come here!”
“Gh!”
Orange disappears. It’s replaced by gray.
“LET… LET ME GO… DAMN IT…!”
I need to stop this…
Can barely move my body… I’m still recovering…
Move!
Move!
Move!
Move move move move move move move move!
Nothing.
I can see. I can move my head.
Hole in the wall.
Rhydon.
Hopper.
Snow.
He’s holding Hopper.
“Quit squirming! Last warning!”
“NEVER!!! LET ME G- UKH…”
Bryon’s claw shifts, pressing in on Hopper’s chest.
Air explodes out of his mouth. His eyes open wide, and then they shut.
He goes limp.
“Shit. Guess the bug will have to do. Shimmering Cave. He’ll be waiting.”
What?
“Listen, I’m… I’m sorry… I didn’t want to…”
Powerful footsteps as he walks away.
“Ho… ppe… r…”
Don’t leave me.
Come back, please.
Don’t leave me.
Hole in the wall.
No Rhydon.
No Hopper.
Just the snow.
The endless snowfield.
0 Comments