Circus Freaks: The Explorer
“Today, I will be displaying something all would believe to be truly impossible!” I announced to the crowd of Pokémon sitting before me.
I paced left and right across the stage as I described my plans to the audience. “We should all be familiar with the idea of evolution. At a certain point in a Pokémon’s life, they change into a new form related to their species. Something that’s never been witnessed before, though, is a Pokémon evolving backwards. Today, you’re all going to bear witness to the first backwards evolution ever performed!”
The audience cheered for me as my volunteer stepped up to the stage. An orange rat looking thing. A raichu. I still had trouble remembering what some of them were called.
I directed the raichu towards a wooden box around his size with a black curtain on the front, facing the audience. As he stepped inside, I continued to hype the audience up.
I stood up straight and addressed the audience in a tone I imagine an executive would use to address his shareholders. “This is a technique that I’ve studied for many years. As with all things, there are a few risks associated with the procedure. Now sit tight and watch closely, as when he leaves that box, he will not be the raichu standing before you now.”
My assistant stepped through the curtain and into the box. As he did, I stepped behind the box and, with a swift and subtle gesture, used my telekinetic powers to lift a panel on the lower half of the box, creating an opening in the back.
I picked up an orb from the ground that I’d left behind the box. It was a luminous orb I’d bought from the kecleons. I painted it white to conceal its true nature. A flash of light would help sell the effect.
Now that everything was prepared, I stood in front of the box and released the orb into my psychic grasp. As it floated in the air, I crushed it, releasing a blinding flash. I had to shield my squinty eyes from it.
When the light faded, a pichu stepped out of the box and looked at the audience. The two of us bowed before the audience as they cheered.
An hour after the show I was standing in the alley beside the local tavern counting out coins to pay the raichu and pichu for their aid in my act.
“Two eighty, two ninety, and three hundred,” I counted before dropping the coins into the raichu’s hands. “Thank you both for your help tonight.”
“Pleasure doing business, Mr. Abra,” the raichu replied before walking away.
With all my work handled for the day, I stepped out of the alley and entered the tavern for a hard-earned drink. It was full of all the colorful magical creatures I’d slowly grown accustomed to. I stood at the bar and requested a gold gummi soda.
The bartender, a big blue guy with a weird spiral pattern on his body, pulled out a bottle and poured me a glass. It wasn’t the gold color I expected though. It was a thick black color, like bubbling oil.
I looked the fat blob in the eyes. “Hey, what gives? This isn’t what I asked for!”
“Out of gold gummi,” the man replied. “All I got for you. Don’t complain.”
“This is ridiculous! I’m not paying for-”
“Shut the fuck up...” Someone beside me growled.
I looked to my right and saw an orange-colored cat... fox... mammal? Something. It had lighter orange mane wrapped around its neck and white bandages wrapped around its head. It gave me this vicious side-eye glare. I won’t lie; I flinched seeing it at first.
“Your bitching and moaning is making my ears ring,” he said. “Take your goddamn drink or walk away.”
I stuttered for a moment. “W-well this isn’t what I-”
“It’s a black gummi drink. The dark type flavor,” the furry creature explained.
“And?”
“The fuck you mean ‘and’?” He snapped. “That’s as good as you’re gonna get. Either drink your drink, drag your ass out of here, or I’ll do it for you.”
The beast definitely seemed capable of doing so. Even in spite of his injury, he was pretty close to my size, and the way he stood next to me made it look like he could pounce at any moment. Not even mentioning that I’d never been in a fight a day in my life.
So, not wanting to take a beating for my admittedly bad manners, I reluctantly sipped the drink I was served. It tasted like a rich, mocha iced coffee. Not my favorite drink, but I ordered them a lot as a human. Often when I hadn’t slept the night before, and I had to be at work in the morning.
It was oddly nostalgic. I wasn’t often reminded of my old life these days, but I appreciated the few things that I did.
Knowing it really wasn’t as bad as I’d expected it to be, I continued drinking. I felt a little bad about my outburst earlier. I looked for the bartender so I could apologize to him, but he had already moved away to serve other patrons.
I still felt the need to say sorry to someone, so I turned to the creature beside me. He was slurping up his own drink from a bowl placed on the table.
“Er... sorry for yelling at you earlier, sir,” I apologized, hoping I wouldn’t upset him further.
He picked his head up from the bowl and shut his eyes for a moment, letting out a deep breath before mumbling a very forced, “It’s okay.”
Things grew a little awkward after that. I’d come to the tavern to relax, and the tension wasn’t helping. I figured striking up a conversation could ease things between us.
“Could I get your name?” I asked.
The Pokémon lowered his head for a moment. It looked like he was thinking to himself. I would’ve loved to try reading thoughts under any other circumstances, but it felt rude to do so now. After deliberating his response, he turned to face me directly.
“Adrian,” he told me.
I pulled back a little bit. “Sorry, could you repeat that?” I asked, assuming I had misheard him.
“My name is Adrian,” he repeated. I couldn’t believe it at first. It was unmistakably human. I thought it was just a coincidence.
Then, Adrian spoke to me in a lower, quieter voice. “And I know you’re not ‘the mystifying Abra’ or whatever the hell you got locals to call you.”
Now I was really nervous. Master Spoink made it very clear to me that I shouldn’t be telling people what I was, but he had just guessed it outright. What was I supposed to do?
All I could think to say was, “How did you know?”
“A couple things,” Adrian said. “Firstly, you came in and ordered that gold gummi soda like it was your regular. When I told you your drink was a dark type soda, you didn’t have a clue what that meant.”
“That’s a bit of a lucky guess,” I replied.
“Well after that, you asked my name. It’s not that common amongst natives, but it does happen sometimes. I was already suspicious of you, so I told you my real name. Most natives are just confused by that. It’s not a normal name for a flareon, or any Pokémon for that matter. You weren’t confused, though. You were surprised.”
He laid it all out like some kind of detective. I had to ask him. “How were you able to figure that out so quickly?”
“Because you’re not the first,” he mumbled before taking another drink from his bowl.
“I... guess I’m not,” I responded. It was pretty obvious at this point. “How many of us are here besides you and I?”
“Too many. They got a whole guild of humans. It’s been in Capim Town for like, a year or two?”
“What do you mean ‘guild’?” I asked.
“An explorer’s guild. Haven’t heard of one?”
“No, I don’t believe I have.”
Well, the Clover Guild is a pretty shit example,” Adrian said with a bitter tone. “Normal guilds train explorers. People who spend their lives traveling the world, searching for treasure and solving mysteries and stuff like that. Most of the time they just function as bounty hunters, rescue teams, and delivery boys. Only so many ancient treasures a world can have.”
“And this ‘Clover Guild’ is run by humans?”
“Well, I do hesitate to call them human sometimes, but in the literal sense, yeah. Maybe half the people there are human, and the others are native Pokémon who usually know a human or two and wanna start a team with them.”
This was truly world-shattering news to me. Not only was I not alone in this world, but there were loads more people like me. It was unbelievable.
The prospect of meeting other humans again was so exciting. I had to know. “Where is Capim Town? Where can I find this guild?”
“Far away from here,” Adrian told me. “It’s on the west coast. Probably two weeks, assuming you’re walking alone and not being slowed down by a whole circus caravan.”
And with that, my hopes of seeing this guild any time soon were swiftly crushed. Our route was taking us east for next month. Maybe I’d talk to Spoink about scheduling a show in Capim Town.
Things got quiet again between us again for a minute or two. I kept glancing over and noticed a few things off with him. While he drank from his bowl, he twitched every time someone made a sudden noise. He kept his eyes narrow and pointed to the table. Something related to that head injury, I was sure. Might make a good conversation topic.
“So, uh… where’d the bandages come from?”
“I fell out of the sky,” he answered, as if it was a totally normal thing to say to someone. “That was a few weeks ago. I’m mostly fine now, just dealing with a mild concussion.”
“So… out of the sky. Not off a cliff?”
“Did I stutter?”
It was a little ridiculous to believe. How can someone fall out of the sky, and a few weeks later be sitting in a bar? And that was hardly my only concern.
“I don't think you're supposed to drink with a concussion,” I told him.
“I’m not,” he replied. “It's pure sitrus berry juice. Normally for mixed drinks, but I ordered it straight.”
“Oh, uh. Does it taste good like that?”
“Hell no. I don't even know how to describe the flavor. It's like a mix of everything, but way too strong.”
As if he couldn't confuse me any more than I already was. “Why are you drinking it then?”
“It's medicine you fucking retard. How long have you been in this world?” The man questioned me.
“Um… almost a year now.”
“Jesus Christ, how do you not know these things by now? Don't know how gummis work, what berries do.”
“Hey, I’m only awake for SIX hours a day! That means-”
“God, stop yelling!” Adrian interrupted me as he pulled his long ears down to his head with his paws.
“Sorry.” I actually forgot about his condition. “It's just… I haven't had as much time to learn these things. The little time I have in my day is spent planning performances and developing my psychic powers. I was never interested in Pokémon before this.”
Adrian stared forward for a minute. “Sleep problems and knowing fuck all about Pokémon. Where have I heard that before?”
“Is that a joke?” I asked.
“Don't worry about it,” Adrian said, shaking his head. “Most people I’ve met at least know about Pokémon to some extent. Even the amnesiacs.”
“Amnesiacs. Is that common with humans brought here?”
“A little bit. Varies from person to person.”
“Did you forget your past?”
“God, I wish…”
Without elaborating, Adrian buried himself in his bowl again. It was nearly empty, now. I got the impression he wouldn't want to talk about it.
With the conversation ending on such an uncomfortable note, I figured it was time for me to leave. As much as I wanted to continue talking to a fellow human, this one was just too difficult to speak to. He had problems for sure, but it wasn't any of my business.
I chugged the rest of my bittersweet drink and walked away. It was probably a good idea to turn in for the night, anyway. Spoink paid for the suite at the local inn. Special thanks for the success of our previous show that raked in two million poké in profits for us.
I woke up the next afternoon with a swanna prodding at my side.
“Zoroark?” I mumbled groggily.
“Kenny, we got trouble,” she said with a worried look on her illusory face.
“What’s the issue? Why are you waking me up?”
“The sheriff wants to speak to you about your show last night.”
That jolted me up instantly. Did my assistants tell them about my act? Someone in the audience figured it out?
“Aren't fraud allegations Spoink’s business?”
Her swanna guise expressed her fear perfectly. “This is criminal, Kenny.”
I buried my face into my hands and thought hard. What did I do yesterday? The only way I’d find out was from talking to them.
I pulled myself out of the hay mattress and left the room. Walking down the stairs, I continued asking myself what was wrong. When I reached the first floor, I saw Master Spoink speaking with the Pokémon I’d come to recognize as Magnezone and its deputies hovering around it, along with a small yellow fox standing with them.
Spoink turned to me with the mouthless equivalent of a customer service smile. There was a very clear message coming from him over our psychic connection. "*You really messed things up*."
“Officer, here's Abra,” Master Spoink introduced me.
“What's the issue, sir?” I asked.
“BZZT THE ISSUE IS WITH YOU AND FENNEKIN,” the sheriff buzzed at me.
“That's Braixen!” Fennekin corrected him before glaring at me. “Or at least it was until I got hit by your act after the show last night!”
“What?!” My backwards evolution actually happened to someone. It couldn't be though. I had to tell them the-
“You can't expose your tricks, Kenneth. You’ll ruin our reputation.”
Spoink was communicating with me in my head. I’d learned how to do this as well, so I responded. “*What else am I supposed to do? Admit to a crime?*”
“Come on, you went to the tavern last night. You have an alibi. Start there.”
I took a deep breath and spoke to the officer with the only truth I could offer. “I never met this Fennekin before. All I did after the show was help clean up the stage and drink at the tavern.”
“See? He did do it!” Fennekin yelled.
Spoink and I were both baffled. Magnezone clarified for us.
“THE VICTIM WAS ATTACKED AFTER LEAVING THE TAVERN AT MIDNIGHT BZZT. EVOLVED BACKWARDS AND ROBBED.”
“What?!” I’d just dug my own grave.
“Hold it,” Spoink said. “How do you even know her testimony is accurate? She may have been a Fennekin this whole time.”
“BECAUSE THE VICTIM-”
“I’m the daughter of the MAYOR!” Fennekin yelled.
Every question we asked and answered just made things worse.
“IF YOU HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO SAY IN YOUR DEFENSE BZZT THEN YOU WILL BE PLACED UNDER ARREST.”
I didn't leave at midnight though. I was only there for thirty minutes. I went straight to the inn. I knew it wasn’t me but how could I prove it?
Spoink spoke up for me. “Officer Magnezone, myself and everyone else in our organization can confirm that he was in our suite two hours after the show.”
“UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES THUS MAY SUFFICE,” Magnezone said. “HOWEVER, THESE ARE NOT NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES BZZT, AS YOU ARE HIS ASSOCIATES. UNLESS SOMEONE OUTSIDE YOUR GROUP CAN CORROBORATE THIS CLAIM, BZZT, WE CANNOT ACCEPT THIS.”
I was done. It was over. Nobody could help me. They’d lock me away. What could I do?
At the exact moment those thoughts rolled through that I heard two people talking on the stairwell.
Someone with a rough country voice said, “Glad you came with us for the show yesterday, but you sure you don't wanna come back to the farm? If you got nowhere else to go, we’ll take you in.”
And then a familiar voice answered him. “I’m not good with kids. Besides, I’m a rescuer. I can’t stay in one place without a mission.”
“ADRIAN!” I shouted towards the stairs.
The two Pokémon had just reached the point where they could see the lobby. The maned Pokémon stared me down, and a blue fishlike animal beside him gave him a confused look.
“Adrian?”
Adrian sighed. “Don't ask. What is it, Abra?”
“You saw me last night! Tell them I didn't do it!”
“Didn't do what?” Adrian asked.
Magnezone now turned to face the only person who witnessed me the night before. “WERE YOU WITH THE SUSPECT THE-”
“Can you lower the fucking volume!” Adrian yelled as he winced in pain. “Yes, I saw this prick yesterday. He was at the bar annoying me for half an hour before leaving the place.”
“THIS… BZzt lines up with the suspect’s testimony. However, bzzt, Abra remains our top suspect after his backwards evolution demonstrated that such an action was possible, bzzt.”
“No shit it's possible, it happened to me,” Adrian said.
“And I can tell you from experience that Abra’s show was a cheap fake. He got the orb part right, but devolution orbs are red. Not white. And yes, they're called ‘devolution’ orbs.”
Spoink lowered his head. “Some witness you got there, Abra.”
Fraud allegations aside, it got my hopes up. “Am I free to go now, officer?”
“No!” Magnezone exclaimed in his reduced levels.
“While we can't charge you at this moment bzzt, we will be holding you until the investigation can be concluded.”
Spoink questioned the officer. “How long do you expect this to be?”
“bzzt Our policy is six to eight weeks unless another suspect is found.”
“Well, this simply won't do. We're booked for a show at the start of next month. We need to leave at least two weeks from now if we are to make it on time.”
“A bounty will be posted tomorrow to all guilds in the continent, bzzt. Your best chance is with explorers. We are too busy with other matters, bzzt.”
No matter what, things weren’t getting better. How long would it take for explorers to even get here? I’d just have to sit in a cell and hope they’d eventually find the one responsible, and if they didn’t?
“Officer Magnezone,” Adrian cut in. “If you’re posting this as a bounty, I’ll join this investigation myself.”
Everyone in the lobby was staring at him now. He was volunteering to help me.
The walking fish beside him looked at him. “Guess I really can’t make you come back.”
“Take your kids home,” Adrian told him. “I... thank you for helping me. It’s time I got back to work, though.”
The walking fish nodded and left the inn. With him out of the way, Magnezone started questioning Adrian.
“bzzt What guild and team do you represent?”
“Team Moonshine of the Clover Guild. I’m the leader, so I have the authority to take missions on our behalf.”
“And where is the rest of your team bzzt?”
“Confidential, but I’ll send a message and have them meet me here.”
The circuits in Magnezone’s mind seemed to be overloading trying to process this sudden appearance. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his head.
“A Clover Guild member...” it mumbled. “ALL RIGHT. THE MISSION IS YOURS BZZT. ANY EVIDENCE OF FABRICATED INFORMATION OR INCORRECT-”
“Yeah, yeah, I know what our reputation is,” Adrian dismissed, grimacing again from the sudden spike in volume. “I just have one request. I need you to hand Abra over to me for the time being.”
“WHAT FOR?”
“It’s obvious someone set him up. I need him for questioning. My team also isn’t here yet, and I wouldn’t mind extra help if we got in a fight with the real culprits.”
I wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad thing. I went from sitting in a prison to potentially having to fight somebody. I didn’t know anything about fighting, I was useless.
“VERY WELL,” Magnezone said. “IF THE SUSPECT DISAPPEARS FROM-”
“I know! Now quit yelling!” Adrian shouted.
Officer Magnezone shut his speakers off again. He gave us one last look which I interpreted as him saying
“I really can’t wait to see how this goes wrong” before leaving the inn with Fennekin following him. It was only when she was out the door that I realized something.
“Shouldn’t we be questioning the victim?”
“The hell do you think she knows?” Adrian asked. “We both know the crime was last night after you left, she clearly didn’t see her attacker, and honestly, I hate talking to clients.”
“She’s the mayor’s daughter...”
“One more reason to avoid her,” Adrian added. “Besides, the best lead is gonna be anyone involved in your show.”
Master Spoink hopped up to our new ally. “Well, Sir Adria-”
“It’s Flareon to you,” he said angrily. “To both of you, actually. I’m not trying to run the ‘I’m a human’ signal constantly.”
Spoink nodded. “I totally understand that sir. I just wanted to tell you that the Grass Continent Circus will be available for any questions you have for us.”
“I don’t have many,” Adrian replied. “Although the first thing I need to ask you is who knew about Abra’s act?”
Spoink continued to speak on my behalf. “Abra here- well, I suppose you can refer to him by his human name. Kenneth has been planning this act for three weeks now. A few people knew the details, me being one of them of course.”
“And I don’t expect you to sabotage your own brand. Who else?”
I decided to answer this question myself. “I didn’t talk about it with any of the other circus members besides Zoroark and Elekid. I know they wouldn’t sell me out like this, though.”
Spoink nodded in agreement. “I’ve known them for many years. They’re good people, and very loyal.”
“What about the pichu and raichu from your show?” Adrian asked.
“Not our crew,” Spoink responded. “I believe Kenneth found them if I remember correctly.”
I nodded. “I met them in the tavern the day before. They said they were part of a band of traveling merchants.”
“More like a band of thieves,” Adrian remarked. “We’re gonna need to track them down. Did they mention when they were leaving town?”
“I think they said at sundown today.”
“So, like, two hours from now?”
It didn’t even register in my head. I woke up in the afternoon, not morning.
“We need to go now!”
“Agreed,” Adrian said. “Get to the tavern, catch them before they leave.”
And just like that, we were off. I was on a mission to prove my innocence with some guy I’d only spoken to for an hour at most. I had to put my faith in him. I could only hope that my fellow human was able to help me.
It wasn’t long before the tavern was in sight. We pushed our way into the tavern and scanned the place. It wasn’t busy yet. The nighttime regulars weren’t here. Because of this, I was able to spot them pretty quickly, sitting in a booth at the back of the tavern.
Adrian and I walked up slowly to the two of them. They were chatting over a meal. Some kind of curry. The food wasn’t the focus, though.
When they saw us walk up, they seemed surprised at my appearance. The raichu gave me a friendly greeting, though.
“How’s it going, Abra? This your friend?”
Adrian gave him a stone-cold stare. If he was gonna play tough guy, I figured it’d be best for me to join him. “I know what you two did last night. You’re not gonna play dumb with me!”
Raichu looked insulted. I could see through him though. Even without reading his thoughts directly, his guilty conscience was easily felt. He did his best to keep up appearances though.
“I got no clue what you’re talking about. You know Pichu and I were gone the moment we did your job.”
“Save it! You’re terrible liars! Nobody else could’ve set me up like that. Now where'd you take Fennekin's stuff?”
Pichu stood up to defend Raichu. “My dad would never do that! He’s an honest- WAAH!”
Before he could even finish that sentence, I watched Adrian bit into the pichu’s ear and whip his body into the table behind us. Glass shattered on the ground, and the two Pokémon standing there ran off while the pichu laid motionless on the ground.
I was stunned. I’d never seen such a vicious act. It was swift and simple, like it was routine for him. He didn’t even care that it was a child.
Raichu was shocked as well. He stood up and tried to confront Adrian but ended up getting taken to the ground by the wild animal. He pinned Raichu down like a K-9, emitting a feral growl.
“Flareon, stop!” I shouted. He’d gone mad, and I couldn't watch it any longer.
Adrian let go of Raichu. The poor Pokémon clutched his arm. I could see it bleeding and... smoking?
“What's wrong?” Adrian asked me.
“I didn't expect you to attack them!”
“Your first interrogation?”
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was a human at one point?
Raichu chuckled through his pain. “Y-you can't intimidate me… I didn't even do it. W-wasn’t me.”
Adrian was ready to rip into him again, but I held him back. “Let me try something a little less violent.”
The beast stepped aside while I got closer to Raichu. It had been a while since I used mind reading. It wasn't great for stage magic, so I was pretty rusty. It was either this or an added murder charge, though.
I grabbed the raichu’s head with my hands and stared into his eyes directly. He tried to pull back, but he was quickly overwhelmed by and succumbed to my psychic control. This told me that I was either improving greatly, or he was really weak-minded.
Regardless, I had full access to his thoughts and memories. The further back they went, the hazier they got. Thankfully I only needed to see where he was the night prior. I tracked down the moment I had paid him and started going through his night.
Not long after he got paid, he complained to Pichu about his compensation. The two talked about it for a while before coming up with a plan.
They walked out of town and entered the wilds. After pushing through the brush for a while, they found a camp they'd set up, and two outlaws sitting by a fire with a heap of treasure beside them. One was tall and muscular, while the other was this weird bat-like creature.
They spoke between each other. The specific words were foggy, but what happened next was crystal clear. Raichu watched as the muscular Pokémon dug through his treasure pile and pulled out a red orb.
With that, I'd seen everything. The memory started fading away and the image of Raichu's lobotomized stare replaced it. I dropped his head on the ground. He was unconscious, but at least he lived.
“So?” Adrian asked.
“I found the culprit.”
The two of us left for the market while I relayed everything I saw from start to finish. When I started describing the muscular Pokémon, Adrian got a strange look on his face. The mention of the bat creature set him off, though.
“THAT SON OF A BITCH IS BACK!” He yelled.
Bystanders were looking at us. I didn't want a scene, so I pulled him aside to discuss this further.
“You know them?” I asked.
“Yes I know them! That machamp's the reason I'm a Flareon.” Adrian explained.
“He… turned you into a Pokémon?”
“What? No I...” Adrian stammered. “I forgot you don't know shit about Pokémon.”
“Can you explain?”
He let out an extensive groan. “My species is an evolution of a Pokémon called eevee, but flareon isn't the only thing eevee can evolve into. Eevee’s got a whole tree of evolutions, flareon’s just one branch. When I showed up in this world, I was an umbreon, another branch of eevee. Then around a year ago, that motherfucker hit me with a devolution orb and made me an eevee, and I had to travel to a whole different continent and do some crazy shit just to evolve into a Flareon!”
“So, you want revenge because he made you be a Flareon instead?”
“No, that's not… it's a matter of principle! Plus, the shit I had to do for this was fucked up.”
The way he said that made it sound ominous. “What did you do?”
“You’ve asked enough questions.”
So, the conversation ground to a halt. Adrian entered the market in search of some vendor while I bumbled around waiting. I didn't bring any money so there wasn't anything I could buy, and I definitely didn't want to leech off the pissed off fire dog.
The area was relatively peaceful at this time of day. Not many people walking about meant there weren't many people to recognize me from the show. It got tiring becoming a miniature celebrity in every town we performed in, and while fun most of the time, there were a lot of times where I just wanted to be nobody again.
In an odd way, that made me like spending time with Adrian. While he wasn't very sociable, and that situation with Raichu and Pichu had me thinking he was a bit of a psychopath, he didn't care about my status. He wasn't badgering me over how I performed my magic or standing in awe of the otherworldly powers I didn't have.
Most of all, though, he was human. I could relate to him on that alone. As much as I loved my friends in the circus, there would always be a level of disconnect between them and me. With a human, though, that wasn't as much of an issue.
“Hey, brainy.”
Adrian’s appearance pulled me out of my thoughts. He stood in front of me, carrying what looked like a CD in his mouth. Before I could even begin to question it, he shoved the thing in my face.
In an instant, I felt a wave of knowledge entering my head. Something involving my psychic powers just became clear. A new way I could use them. I saw flashes of myself unleashing a blast of energy from my fingertips, and just like that, I snapped back to reality.
Fragments of the CD sat on the ground, and Adrian was sitting in front of me. “You done?”
“What on earth did you do?” I asked.
“That's a TM. It teaches you techniques for combat. Abras don’t naturally learn attacks, so I gave you one.”
“Are you actually gonna make me fight that brute?”
“Absolutely,” Adrian said. “The 'brute' we’re after is weak to psychic attacks. You're my best weapon against him.”
I started to protest against that. “I’m not a weapon! I’m a person! I’ve never fought another Pokémon, or anything for that matter! I couldn't even kill a spider as a human!”
And despite what I said, he just shrugged at me.
“There's a first time for everything. Now come on, you gotta lead us to the camp.”
I felt a mix of all sorts of things at that moment. A little excited by whatever that TM taught me, pretty frustrated by the complete dismissal of my thoughts on his plan, and terrified that I’d have to confront a wanted criminal face-to-face. I knew there was no backing out though. What other option did I have besides handing myself to the police?
Without any more complaints from me, I started taking us to the outlaw’s camp.
Our trip was quiet. Adrian didn’t say much. He seemed to be thinking. Likely forming a plan in his head. Whatever it was, I hoped it wouldn’t involve us fighting head on. On top of me being completely inexperienced, Adrian was still recovering from a concussion.
After reaching a certain point in the forest, I stopped us. The light from a campfire was visible from a distance. The sun had set enough that we’d be difficult to spot, so it was a good time to discuss our plan.
“You’re going in first,” Adrain said.
“What?!”
“I want you to walk up to Machamp and talk to him.”
“You wanna use me as bait?!” This plan was already sounding terrible.
Adrian wasn’t concerned in the slightest, though. “Less bait, more distraction. Golbat, being a bat, obviously has good hearing. I’m hoping that him focusing on your voice will cover my movement long enough to get the jump on him.”
“I’m still not okay with this. You’re leaving me to fight the four-armed powerlifter myself!”
“Would you prefer the bat that drains blood from your veins and refills them with poison?”
I really would’ve preferred neither. No part of this plan was appealing. “This is the best you can come up with?”
The bastard nodded. He nodded!
I pressed him further. “If things go bad, I can teleport away. You though? You’ll get killed!”
“Then you should have nothing to fear.”
And now I knew he was crazy. This was just a suicide plan. “Please tell me you got something else in mind. An ace up your sleeve. You were in the market; did you buy something else?”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” Adrian assured.
“The last time my team dealt with Golbat, he was a bitch. I’ll take the fucker down and help you finish off Machamp when I’m done.”
He had an unbelievable amount of confidence in himself. He really believed this would work. I tried to remember how efficiently he fought just a few hours ago. He was a seasoned explorer, too. If he could be so sure about this, maybe I was being too nervous.
Somehow, despite all the red flags, I gave in. “I trust you, Adrian.”
I approached the camp, my heart pounding like a steam engine. Just as I’d seen in the memory, the muscular Pokémon sat behind a campfire with an unnaturally deformed bat hovering beside him. Their eyes met mine in an instant. This would be my hardest performance yet.
I just had to buy time. Keep their attention. Entertain them.
The two looked at each other. A smile appeared on Machamp’s face before he turned to me. “Who do we have here? This couldn’t be the magician Raichu mentioned to us, right?”
I gulped nervously. “Y-yes, sir. That would be me.”
The creature stood up. He was massive. Towering over me with four arms. His hands were large enough to crush my skull. The way he stood angled the shadow from the flames to perfectly mask his face. His piercing gaze and menacing grin didn’t need to be seen to be felt, though.
“Well, this is somethin’,” Machamp said. “Tell me. How did someone like you find themselves all alone... in a place like this?”
What was I supposed to tell him? I beat up his friends and broke into their minds?
“U-um... I spoke to Raichu. He told me... that you framed me for the devolution-”
Machamp and Golbat cackled like hyenas. “Well did he now? He passed the blame off to me, and now you’re here for what? Revenge?”
“Erm- yes?”
Where was Adrian? I needed him now. He was gonna kill me for sure.
Machamp and Golbat laughed even harder. “Wow! Now this is new! Someone like you wants to have a swing at me. Don’t tell me you thought the type advantage would win the battle.”
“I... I just...”
“Just what?” Machamp asked. “You gotta hurry up, I ain’t gettin’ younger here.”
“I just wanna talk!” I shouted.
The two didn’t even flinch at my sudden outburst. Machamp just gestured for me to continue with two of his hands.
I had no idea where this was going. I had no plan, so I just improvised. “I just... don’t have any other options now. If I go back to town, they’ll jail me!”
“Go on.”
The way they treated me was insulting. I was no threat to them. Not by myself. Could I use this to my advantage? “So... I’m gonna beat you!”
Golbat let out a squeaky laugh. “I can take care of him, Champ.”
Machamp raised a hand towards his partner with a smile. “Nah, Golby. I gave Raichu the orb. The fight's between us, not you.”
The brute stepped through the fire, over the burning coals. He placed his lower two arms on his hips and rested his upper arms on top of them. “Take your shot, lad. C’mon, give it your all.”
He wasn’t serious. He was playing with me. No turning back, though.
I raised my fist and charged at Machamp. I couldn’t tell what he’d do to me, but I knew he wouldn’t kill me. At least, not immediately.
My fist collided with his stomach. It probably hurt my hand more than it hurt him. The outlaw wasn’t phased in the slightest. He just stood there, waiting for more.
I just kept wailing on him with my flurry of blows. It clearly wasn't hurting him. He continued to take every one of my limp punches head-on.
I just couldn't keep it up any further. My arms grew weak, my breathing heavy. I was exhausted. When I finally gave in, the bastard laughed one last time.
“Now that was a good show. You oughta put that on stage instead. What do you think, Golby?”
Golbat didn't answer him though. Machamp turned around and stepped back, (nearly knocking me over). I peered past beside him to see.
There stood Adrian, the golbat underneath him. His front paws were placed on the bat’s wings, hind legs on the lower half of its face, and the upper half clamped in Adrian's jaws, smoking flowing out from the sides of his mouth. Machamp and I both watched in stunned silence as the creature slowly stopped struggling. Its attempts to shake the flareon off turning into slight twitches, then nothing. Completely immobile.
Adrian spat Golbat’s half charred head out like a chew toy and looked at me. “Quit with the acting and hit him for real!”
I snapped out of my stunned stupor and started charging up that psychic ability I’d learned. Just before I could release it, Machamp swatted me away like a fly.
I flew back and slammed into a tree. Amazingly I was still conscious, though barely. I’d fallen for our own distraction like an idiot. Through my blurred vision, I could barely make out the orange figure. No doubt staring at me like I was a circus clown.
Now he faced the brute alone. With the fury of a raging storm, Machamp’s arms flew through the air. Adrian backed away, spraying flickering flames to try and stop him. This clash of fire and fists lasted an eternity.
Machamp's anger fueled not only his attacks, but his rants too. “I knew him for years! I saved his life a dozen times, and he saved mine! He was the only man I could ever trust!”
“You make it sound real fuckin’ gay!”
“Shut that damn mouth!” The outlaw roared as his fist finally landed in Adrian’s face.
The hit put Adrian to the ground in an instant.
Machamp had killed him just like that.
But the maddened Pokémon kept rambling. “Someone like you’d never understand! Having someone you care about, and cares about you! He wasn't like anyone I’d ever worked with before!”
He then picked up Adrian’s limp body and started shaking and yelling at it. “WHY? What did he do to deserve this?!”
It was during that close-up that he spotted Adrian’s armband. Whatever he saw made him recognize who he was holding. The realization turned his unbridled fury into a quieter, yet sinister hatred.
“I never thought I’d see you again… That goddamn umbreon. You put the two of us back in prison ages ago. You ruined our camp in Apple Woods, too. You’ve been ruining my whole life.
“I ain't done ruining yours, though.’
Machamp carried Adrian towards the stockpile of items. He dug through the pile with a pair of hands and pulled out a bag of seeds. After taking one out of the bag, he forced it into Adrian’s mouth and made him forcefully swallow it.
In an instant, the spark of life returned to Adrian. Back from the dead? I didn't know it was even possible.
Adrian’s revival wasn't done with good intentions in mind, and Machamp made that clear. “I’m gonna spend the next couple weeks makin’ you regret you was ever born. It won't start slow, and it won't end quick. I wanna make sure there ain't a glimmer of hope left in you before I snuff you from this life.
Machamp returned to digging through the stockpile. He started listing off his plans. Breaking bones, pulling teeth, all the worst things you could think of.
I couldn't sit by paralyzed forever. I had to stop him. I was the only one who could.
Thankfully, Machamp seemed to have forgotten about me. It gave me time to pick myself up. My legs were wobbly, but they supported my weight for now.
My first instinct was to find a weapon. A fallen tree branch, some rocks, anything. It took a second for me to remember; I was a weapon. At least, my powers were.
I heard Adrian scream. A bright flash emanated between him and Machamp. It was already starting.
I started building up psychic energy, preparing it for use in an attack. This would be a first for me, and likely my only chance to take him out. I had to make sure it was a good hit, so I poured every last drop of energy in my body into it.
The power of all this energy flowing inside me felt heavy. My whole body was trembling, and there was a visible aura emanating from me. It was a surreal experience. Nothing like anything I’d ever felt before.
With everything charged and ready to rip, I carefully snuck up behind Machamp. I had to get as close as possible. Every inch of this attack had to hit with full force.
I got to the point where he could feel me breathing on him if he wasn't so busy enjoying himself. I raised my hands. This time he’d be feeling something much more powerful than my physical might.
So, without any form of mercy, I blasted the bastard with everything I had. I had no idea what I was capable of before that moment. Machamp was blown right off his feet and several feet away from me. He skidded across the dirt, dazed by my attack. I heard him groaning in pain, and I took a small amount of satisfaction from it.
I saw him trying to pick himself up and I started to panic. I didn’t have it in me for another attack, so I just did the first thing that came to mind. He had a stockpile of items, and some of them were probably dangerous. So, I reached inside and took the first thing I could find.
I grabbed hold of some stick and yanked it out. It was wrapped in purple vine and was generally unwieldy. Not a time to think though. Almost everything I’d found in this world was magical in some sense, so I was banking on this being magic too.
I ran straight at the man and, before he could fully orient himself, smacked him with the stick. He stiffened up like a stone and hit the ground immediately.
Did I just kill a man?
When I looked closer, it got harder to tell. I couldn’t see him breathing, though I didn’t know if it would be visible under all his muscles. His eyes were wide open. I waved my hand in front of them to see if they’d follow. They did not.
Just as I was growing fully convinced that I was a murderer, I noticed something. His mouth was hanging open, and a bit of drool was dripping out. That was something living people did, right? Well, it was good enough to get the guilt off my conscience.
There was one more thing that I noticed was off. Adrian disappeared. I didn’t see him when I smacked Machamp with that stick, so he must have been flung somewhere after I unleashed my blast.
I looked around for him, but he was nowhere in sight. The general darkness didn’t help. It was very possible that he was knocked out and hidden in the shadows somewhere.
Eventually I did spot something. A brown, trembling creature curled up behind the outlaw’s treasure pile. It was covered in white bandages that weren’t even wrapped to its body. I didn’t remember seeing anyone else. How long was it hiding there?
Upon closer inspection, I found a tied white band next to it. Pinned to the band was the badge Adrian wore. Then it clicked in my head.
“Adrian?”
Through a strained, muffled voice that was a little higher pitched, he responded. “Did you get him?”
I let out a deep sigh. Couldn’t tell if I should’ve been relieved or not. “Yes. He seems to be frozen right now.”
He raised his head to look at me. It was a recognizable face for sure. He just looked shrunk down and recolored. What did the outlaw do to him?
Nevertheless, Adrian looked relieved. “We just need to see Magnezone now. Machamp’s been on the loose for a long time, they’ll take his bounty.”
“You think the uh... Golbat thing will be a problem?”
“I don’t know...”
Something was off with him. It was like there was less fire in his voice. Less confidence and energy. Just a few minutes ago he was ripping apart a Pokémon like it was his dinner.
That was something I still had to ask him about. “I didn’t know you were going to kill Golbat. I uh- kind of wish you’d mentioned that in our plan.”
“It wasn’t in the plan,” Adrian said. “I don’t know why I did it, I just... I got so angry.”
That explanation was disturbing to say the least. The fact that it was just an impulsive decision from him. It was probably good that I stopped him from going after Raichu before.
I’d have to save that conversation for later. The outlaws were taken care of for now, and I was exhausted. Adrian didn’t seem like he had much energy in him either. Hard to blame him, though I couldn’t say I felt too bad for him at that moment.
I woke up the next day, still feeling the effects of my fight the night before. My back was killing me, and I had a very bad headache. On the nightstand next to my bed, I saw somebody had left some oran berries for me. I’d have to figure out who did it so I could thank them.
I had sacked out the second I got back to the inn. Adrian said he’d explain things to Spoink, and that everything would be taken care of from there. I just couldn’t handle it; I had been awake seven hours and spent all my energy on that fight.
With my pain numbed away, I was more willing to get out of bed and start the day. My first priority was tracking down Spoink. I went down to the lobby of the inn and saw him bouncing by a table talking to Cacturne. When he noticed me, he had the most delighted look on his face.
“Well, if it isn’t Kenneth. The outlaw wrangler in the flesh!”
Cacturne chuckled. “Beating Machamp ain’t somethin’ a lotta Pokémon can put on their resume, man. Gotta admit, I’m impressed.”
“He told you?” I asked.
Spoink patted me with one of his stubby arms. “How could I not? I’d say it’s your greatest feat yet!”
I shook my head. Probably wouldn’t stop hearing about this for weeks. “Are things good with Magnezone now?”
Master Spoink nodded. “Magnezone returned this morning and confirmed to me that Machamp was arrested. They found Fennekin’s belongings in the treasure pile, along with a bunch of other recently stolen goods. You’ve been fully exonerated.”
“They didn’t care about Raichu and Pichu?”
“About that random bar fight yesterday?” Spoink asked with feigned obliviousness. “Those happen all the time, Kenneth. They’re not gonna punish the two people who were defending themselves from drunks. Especially when the drunks attacking them had bounties on their head.”
I felt a huge weight being lifted off my chest. All was right in the world again. At least, almost everything.
I had one last question for Spoink. “What happened to Adrian?”
“The explorer?” Spoink asked. “I took him with me to the sheriff’s office. Magnezone sent all the bounties to his guild, but he didn’t get any payment up front. Some kind of payment processing system. He won’t get it for a few days. I offered to give him a bonus as courtesy, but he just asked me to cover his room. Added up to around 150 for us. Nothing compared to the service he provided us.”
“Do you guys think he’ll be okay?”
Spoink sounded pretty confident. “Healthwise, sure. I think that devolution fixed up whatever head injury he had.”
“What about his… evolution state?” I asked. “Anything we can do? Can we fix that?”
This, he was less sure of. “Don’t think there’s much we can do there, Kenneth. It’s not that easy for eevees to evolve. Outside of some very specific circumstances, most of them use special items to evolve. They also gotta use them in special places, and those can be a little hard to find.”
Cacturne added in. “Grass Continent’s got one place for that, called Luminous Spring. It don’t open up often, and it closes a long time.”
I felt horrible knowing that. This job definitely cost him more than it paid. At least he’d have the reward money when he returned to his guild to cover some of the cost.
If he got a room, he was still in town. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check in with him and make sure he was alright, so I asked Spoink if he knew which one was Adrian’s. He told me it was at the end of the hall on the second floor. I explained my plans and left the inn.
I returned with two bottles. A gold gummi and white gummi soda. The kecleons assured me that eevees would like them the most. The only thing I understood about types was that there was one color gummi that they’d specifically like.
I found his room tucked in the back and knocked on the door. When I did, the door just pushed open. He didn’t lock it?
I took it as an invitation to enter. “Adrian?” I called out. No response. The room was dark. The lights weren’t lit, and the curtains were closed. It didn’t seem like he was there. Spoink told me he hadn’t left his room, though, so I stepped inside and looked for the light.
There was a lamp hanging from the wall near the door, and a mechanism for lighting it. I turned it on, and an orange flame cast golden light across the small room.
It was an absolute mess.
There was one table against the right wall and a nightstand by the bed in the left corner. Both were full of bottles and bowls. One of the bottles on the nightstand had been knocked on the ground and shattered on the floor. There was a bloody bag leaning against the bed. A torn up, red cloak stuck out of it, the ends of it singed black.
The blankets were pulled off the mattress, leaving the hay underneath fully exposed. They were crumpled up on the ground like a nest, with the pillows on top. Sat on the pillows was the small brown furball, his face planted in an empty bowl. His eyes were half open, staring into the bowl.
I just stood there for a moment. I didn’t know what to say to him. If I should say anything. Turning around and walking out was an option too, but he didn’t look like someone who should be alone.
“Erm... are you feeling okay?” I asked.
He didn’t answer. It was a stupid question; I couldn’t blame him. The answer was all around me.
Keeping my distance probably didn’t make him feel better, so I set the bottles down and walked up to him. I pulled the bowl off his face. He didn’t react. A bit of liquor spilled out onto his nest. It stained the fur covering his face, too.
It was a pitiful sight. The bold, fearless explorer fueled by anger I’d met two nights ago wasn’t here anymore. Just a broken, burnt-out Pokémon who’d been drowning his thoughts away. Bringing that white gummi soda didn’t seem like such a good idea anymore.
I sat down beside him in his makeshift nest, leaning against the bed frame. It was the first thing I asked about. “Why aren’t you using your bed?”
“It got too hot,” he mumbled.
That was probably why the light was off, too. That or he just didn’t have the energy to turn it on. Didn’t know how wrapping himself in this mess cooled him off, though.
There weren’t any other questions I could think to ask, so I just stuck to my original plan. “Um... I came to say thank you for your help yesterday.”
I waited for some response, but I didn’t get one. I just continued. “If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be rotting in a jail cell.”
Still nothing from him. I didn’t know what to do. One idea came to mind, though.
I couldn’t read too deep without physical contact, but I could maybe get a reading from his head. Perhaps it could give me an idea of what to do.
When I peered inside his mind, I didn’t get too much insight. A combination of my poorly developed skills and his muddled thoughts made things difficult. All I could make out was vague shapes. Large imposing figures, faint voices. The only thing I could make out was the words “you’d never understand”. The voice bore a slight resemblance to Machamp.
It was a starting point at least.
“Are you thinking about what he said yesterday?”
One of his ears flickered when I said that. He didn’t move besides that, but I knew he was listening now. Good to keep pressing. “I uh... imagine it was scary for you. I thought he’d kill you for sure.”
“I wish...”
I was certainly not prepared for this conversation. I’d had this talk with only one person before. That was as a human, it was with a family member, and it was totally different circumstances. I’d barely known him two days, maybe eight hours total. He was still a stranger.
So, what else could I ask him? “Why?” was all I could think of.
Adrian took a long, drawn-out breath. “I’m a bad person.”
“Well... I disagree.”
I was trying my best.
Somehow that got him to turn his head and look at me. “You watched me kill someone in cold blood.”
Sure, it was true. It was seriously fucked up. Still, I didn't get the impression he was an evil person. “It was in the heat of the moment," I told him. "You weren’t really thinking.”
“Yes, I was,” he said. “I remember every second of what happened yesterday. I remember pinning Golbat to the ground and torching the life out of him. I remember what it felt like when he stopped struggling. I just can’t get over the fact that I felt no remorse.”
“But you feel remorse now,” I pointed out.
“No, I feel shame. Not guilt. I just can’t believe this is who I am.”
“I mean... you’ve definitely got issues.” I admitted. “But do you remember why you took my job to begin with?”
“Yes. I needed to make Vaporeon think I was going back to work.”
Adrian stopped looking at me again. It was difficult to argue with him. He had a response for everything I said. I couldn’t get through to someone as stubborn as him.
I didn’t even respond before he decided to continue. “Vaporeon was right. I’m not cut out for this. It’s only fueling my bloodlust, and the longer I do this the worse it’s gonna get.”
I tried to interject. “I don’t understand why you’re like this. If you hate yourself this much, why not change?”
“I can’t!” He yelled. “I’ve been like this my whole life. A fucking psychopath who can’t control himself. Everywhere I go I’m making problems for people, hurting people. I don’t know why I’m like this, but I’m tired of it all.”
“Well, what are you going to do about it?”
Adrian slumped deeper into his nest. “I’m gonna go far away. Somewhere nobody will find me. I can't keep being a burden on people.”
I suppose there were worse things he could've planned. Still, this wasn't a solution. “You can’t live in isolation for the rest of your life. That’s a miserable existence.”
“I don’t need people.”
“Well don't you have people who need you? Like, your guild? You said yesterday you represented a team there.”
“I’m not close with them,” Adrian said. “There’s always been a disconnect between them and me. Same goes for the rest of the guild.”
He didn’t seem that antisocial to me. He had been pretty open despite only knowing each other for two days. It could’ve just been the liquor and depression, I suppose.
Still, being in that guild for so long, somebody had to care about him. “You really don’t think your team wants you there? After being with them for… however long you’ve been there?”
“They definitely don't want me anymore,” he replied. “Among the long list of issues I gave them, the last time I was with them, I destroyed a priceless treasure we found after a mission.”
This seemed like a better line of questioning. “Why’d you destroy it?”
“It reminded me of home,” he answered.
That was an absurd thought to me. He did that just cause it made him homesick? “You’ve been here for a long time, haven't you? Wasn't it a little nice to be able to… I dunno. Reminisce on?”
“Hell no,” he said. “When I first came to this world, I was so annoyed. I kept thinking of how much better my life was as a human. I was so pissed off at the circumstances surrounding me that I got this fantasy of what things would be like if I just when back home. It got me through the day most of the time.
“But now that I've been forced to remember things as they actually were,” he continued. “There was never anything good there to begin with. I was doing the exact same shit here as I did at home. I fought with people, I argued all the time, and I hated everybody. I wanted to get into law enforcement so I could have a productive outlet for my anger, just as I did as a rescuer. Can you imagine how horrible that would've been if I got the opportunity?”
It was a rhetorical question, for sure. He wouldn't have been a great cop given his temperament. It wasn't black and white, though. I didn't believe He only had selfish intentions with it.
“Adrian, I know I haven't known you very long, but I know you're not the monster you say you are. You really didn't have to help me. If you just wanted that Pokémon to leave you alone, I feel like you'd have just told him to fuck off.”
“I basically did-”
“Hey, stop that!” I said, cutting him off. “You told him to go back to his family. That's way different. As for your life right now, I don't think you really tried to change at all. You said yourself that you were bogged down by the idea that your old life was better. Well now you realize it wasn't, so why let it keep you down?”
I really did perform better under pressure. I at least got him thinking. For a few minutes he stayed in silence, trying to find fault in something I said.
All he had to say was, “I missed my chance. I abandoned my guild. I can't just walk back in like nothing happened.”
I didn't understand the logistics or culture of guilds, so it was hard for me to understand. “I don't know what to tell you on that front. I found my place with the circus the day I got here. Well, more like they found me. Freezing to death.”
It got a light chuckled out of Adrian. “I woke up in the middle of the wilderness alone. Nobody took care of me when I showed up.”
“Well, I’m sorry about your luck,” I told him. “It sounds like you’ve been getting bad hands dealt to you for a while. It's not a reason to stop playing, though. Laws of probability say that eventually good things will come your way.”
“Been waiting over two decades for things to get better,” he responded. “Don't know how much longer I'm willing to wait.”
Now felt like a better time for that soda. I reached for the bottle and bowl and pulled them towards me. “Well, we’ll hope it's soon,” I said. “We can kill some time if we have to, though.”
For the next few hours, the two of us just talked to each other. In this liquored up state, he had a lot to say about himself and his past. I got the impression it was the first time he’d ever willingly spoken about it to someone. There were definitely details left out, but I didn't pry. I was lucky to make him talk at all, and I think he just appreciated having someone to vent to.
He got a few stories out of me as well. I got to talk about some of my street performances as a human. That led to a conversation about how I left home cause of my belligerent mother and annoying half-brother. It got some laughter out of him. It was a little insulting to me, but probably a good thing that it raised his spirits
Overall, it was kind of what I initially wanted when I found out there were other humans in the world. A chance to just sit and talk with one about the crazy situation we found ourselves in.
A little while after the sun set, I heard the familiar sound of someone springing down the hallway. Spoink knocked on the door, so I got up to answer him.
The metallic pig was surprised to see me for a second. “Oh, Kenneth. You're still here?”
I just shrugged. “Didn't have any other plans today. Do you need me for something?”
“Actually, I came to tell our explorer friend something.”
Adrian got up from his nest. “What's going on?”
I stepped out of the way so Spoink could address him directly. “Well, yesterday you told Magnezone that you’d be sending a message to your team, correct?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Well, you and Kenneth ran off on your investigation immediately. I figured you’d forgotten, so I took the liberty of sending it myself. To Team Moonshine of the Clover Guild if I’m not mistaken.”
Adrian's eyes widened. If his face could get pale, it’d probably be chalk white. “And… you're telling me now because?”
“Because three badge-wearing explorers just showed up looking for you.”
He looked about ready to faint. I couldn't exactly blame him. It had been months since he’d last seen them apparently. Now they just magically appeared in town.
Spoink and I could both feel his anxiety, but he didn't understand it like I did. “They had some drama,” I told him. He nodded back to me.
“Well, Adrian, they're waiting downstairs. I can bring them up here if you'd like.”
The eevee didn't say a word. He was still processing it, visibly shaking.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Spoink said before bouncing away.
I slinked back to the hay mattress to sit. It was gonna be a little awkward to watch, but better than leaving Adrian alone for the few minutes he’d be stuck waiting.
Before long, they entered the room. Two flower type Pokémon, and one… flowery Pokémon that bore a vague resemblance to Adrian’s species. The three looked at the mess around the room. It was a little cramped with five people inside, but most of us were pretty small to begin with. By human standards, at least.
The larger, blue flower guy was the first to speak. “Yeah, this is definitely your work.”
The smaller girl looked at me. “You're the abra Spoink mentioned in his letter?”
“That would be me,” I answered.
Then the pink and white thing with ribbons came up to me. “Pleasure to meet you sir! My name’s Enny. You have a name?”
Oh God.
“Er… just Abra is fine,” I told him. Yes, him.
The whole time, Adrian just sat in his nest silently. As if he was planning his next move. Figuring out what to do.
The blue one spoke to him first. “We really didn't think we’d find you, dude.”
Adrian responded with, “That was my goal.”
“Addy, you can't get away from us that easily.” He was still using that annoying voice. Was it just the default now?
The little flower was next. “I just don't understand why you left. It was so sudden.”
“I thought you’d all be better without me.”
“Not true,” the blue guy said.
And the smaller flower affirmed him. “None of us can fight like you, so we failed almost every mission we took.”
Then Enny added, “Stolen items in Beach Cave are manageable. Pay’s trash, though.”
Adrian looked away from them. I could sense some guilt from him. “How’d you get here so quickly?”
“Percival,” the blue one said. “Should really ask for his help more often. Saved a lot of money.”
“And he’s handsome,” Enny said.
Who was Percival? What was Percival? How’d he bring this team here in one day?
Adrian didn’t question it, though. “I don’t get why you came here. I can’t fix that camera.”
The little green girl answered him. “We came here for you, Adrian. We had to make sure you were okay, at least.”
The blue one nodded. “You disappeared without telling us. We didn’t know why at first, but we got the general idea pretty quick.”
And the flower girl chimed in again. “I’m sorry we didn't realize sooner. It probably wasn't nice seeing that again.”
It was interesting to see that Adrian’s description of his team was almost entirely misaligned with reality. They didn't seem to hate him at all. It wasn’t just some coworker kind of relationship with them like he said.
Adrian didn't look like he knew how to feel. He tried responding though. “I just want to get away from it. Ever since I first showed up here. It's well past the point of being resolved.”
The blue one shrugged. “I’m not an expert on emotional things. Take it up with Bill if you gotta."
The flower girl gave the blue guy a mean look before stepping past him toward Adrian. “We are here for you, though. We care about you.”
Something about that resonated with Adrian. He was able to look at her directly, then. He finally stood up and walked towards her, before leaning into her. She reciprocated it with a hug.
The other two stood by and watched. The flower girl was the only one at his height, so there wasn't much they could add. They seemed stunned though. Must not have expected it.
For just a few brief moments, it seemed that everything was at peace. No tension, no sadness or regrets.
Then, it was suddenly interrupted. Adrian’s body started to glow, and the flower girl stepped back. The surprise on everyone’s faces grew bigger. I had no clue what was happening.
His shape started to change. He grew larger, his mane disappeared and was thinner overall. When the light dimmed, everyone saw he had blackened fur and golden ring markings on his body that continued to glow.
He opened his eyes, now a crimson red. Slowly scanning the room, before speaking.
“None of this ever leaves this room.”
And everyone laughed, including myself. I had no idea what to make of the situation. I probably shouldn't have stuck around in hindsight, given how personal it was. That, and it was really confusing. They found a camera in this world?
Enny snickered before eventually pulling himself together. “I didn't think you had it in you to be so cute and sweet.”
Adrian gave him a dead glare. “I was a stupid eevee drinking all day.”
“Suuure.”
The blue guy cut between them before Adrian could talk back. “I think we can agree that everything’s settled now, right?”
The other three nodded, so the blue one continued. “Alright, I don't think having Percival pull an all nighter for us is a great idea, so we should probably get a bigger room.
After a short discussion of logistics, the group left the room. Adrian stayed at the doorway for just a moment and looked back at me.
“Thank you, Kenneth.”
And with that said, he walked away. An interesting interaction with the first human I’d met here.