(third POV)
"Rustle-rustle"
"Hah...hah..."
"Wow, the dirt is piled up over here, I wonder what's buried under it, maybe I should dig it up!"
"Scruff...scruff...wow! This is...what's this? It looks so pretty! If I bring these back, I'm sure she'll love it!"
"Hah...hah..."
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
--------------------
(Randy's POV)
"Whoosh...whoosh..."
"This dream again?" I muttered as I opened my eyes due to the brightness, I found myself floating in a tunnel, where rainbow colors flew past the white walls now and then, just like the other times. "Hello?" I called out. "...ello?...ello?...ello?" the tunnel echoed back. "Is anymon there?" I asked. "Anymon there?...anymon there?...anymon there?...hear me..." "Huh? What?"
"...Randal...can you...hear...me..." the voice calls out, just like most other times, it seemed to be a voice from either a woman or a female pokemon, though it was as blurry as always. "Hello? Miss, if you want me to understand what you're trying to tell me, you better say it louder" I shouted, but all I could hear was the echo of my voice and the faint whispers of the unknown creature.
"...I need...Randal...please...help...I need..." the voice calls out again, but it slowly fades away again just like the past few times. "If you need my help, at least tell me who you are!" I shouted and ran forward, trying to go closer. "Woosh...woosh...woosh!"
"Oof!" I groaned as I fell on my flank, looking around, I found that I was back in our house. Icy was curled up in the blanket with her Furret wrapped around her, while Blossom was sleeping in her new box, which was way bigger than her last one. "Ugh...so much for that stupid dream, making me wake up having no idea about what happened every single time, ever since I had that weird vision that morning, they've been coming again and again...I should better explain the mess to them, it's only been a few days so they should still remember that morning..."
"Morning everymon...yawn~" Blossom exclaimed when she woke up while I looked at the window. "Hey, Randy! You're already up?" she asked. "Arghff...yeah..." I said with a yawn, ever since I woke up in the night, I hadn't gotten any sleep yet at all, not even to mention the fact that I snuck out on a mission last night and returned after midnight. "I'm so fucking sleepy...I only slept for 20 minutes last night...and I didn't get much either for the last 2 days..." I muttered under my breath.
"ICY! WAKE UP!" Blossom screamed in her ear, then Icy immediately shot out of bed. "Blossom! I told you-" "Yep! I know, but I've been trying to wake you for almost a minute and you just wouldn't wake up" Blossom interrupted. "Mmmrr...I didn't sleep enough, let me go back to sleep just for a minute or two..." she grumbled. "You had to say that..." I muttered. "Randy? Why do you have dark circles around your eyes?"
"Nothing..." I replied as I wondered whether I should tell them about my dreams. "Randy? Are you still tired?" Blossom asked, then I blinked a few times just to realize I almost fell onto my side and Blossom caught me right before that happened. "Probably not...? I don't know..." I muttered. "Randy, I can help you with it if you need more sleep... let's sleep in..." Icy said with another yawn. "...please...stop yawning..." I mumble, then I felt something get stuffed into my mouth.
I munched whatever was stuffed in and gobbled it down, it felt a little dry, but I seemed to feel somewhat more energized. "Feeling better?" Blossom asked as I jolted awake. "Wha...? What did you give me?" I asked. "I stuffed a Chesto in your mouth, you like it?" she asked. "Yeah, thanks a lot...now I should probably explain the whole mess I've been experiencing..."
"You remember that morning when I did the weird thing? And got that headache and stuff?" I asked, then the two of them nodded. "Since then, I've been having weird visions, dreams, or whatever they are. I had it again last night, just like the night before, and the night before that one. The same thing happened when I stood at the window in the morning and couldn't go back to sleep...I was lucky enough to go back to nap for an hour or two the night before, but you know...this is just...I hate it..."
"Do you remember what the dreams were mainly about?" Icy asked. "It's always a blur, but I do remember a voice seemingly calling for help, and it was pretty clear last night compared to every time I had it before" I replied. "I better pack some more Chestos with me today..." I added. "Calling for help? What kind of help?" Blossom asked. "That's the main thing, I don't know. I wish I knew, but it always faded away before I could get some other idea of what it was" I replied, but I remembered something all of a sudden. "Wait, now I remember! When I first came to this world, that night, I heard the very same voice calling for help, but I had no idea what it meant, and I still don't have any idea about it"
"Perhaps the pokemon who needs your help is trying to communicate with you through some kind of special way!" Blossom said with a smile. "Some kinda power like Telepathy? Isn't that something only a few pokemon can do? And doing it through dreams? Doesn't that make it even harder?" I asked, then Icy and Blossom turned to look at each other, but weird expressions slowly grew on their faces, facial expressions that I had never seen before, especially for Blossom, she seemed...scared, afraid, horrified, for the first time, then Icy put a paw on her shoulder.
"Blossom, is everything alright?" I asked, then she gave me a slight nod. "Kinda, it's just something that happened in the past" she replied with a small voice. "Blossom used to be tormented by a long and never-ending nightmare which she couldn't wake up from, but the mon who caused that had already been defeated, and is likely dead" Icy replied. "Oh...sorry chief, didn't mean to mention it"
"That's okay, sticking to what happened in the past won't change anything. I'll forgive you if you give hug me!" Blossom exclaimed. "Wait, what?" I asked. "You're not hugging me...?" Blossom asked and gave me a disappointed look, then I sighed. "Fine...if you insist...just this once, alright?" I muttered, and my face flushed red as I approached her to hug her. "Icy, don't you even think of taking a-" "Snap!" "Too late! I already did!" "Shit..."
"Thanks, Randy!" Blossom whispered in my ear, making me blush even harder. "Blossom, I'm only doing this because you're forcing me to!" I stated and broke the hug after a few seconds. "Whoever is calling for help, they didn't get the full message through for a single time, did they? Perhaps they've been broadcasting for help this whole time" Icy said with a smile. "The whole time? Seriously that dude should have come up with some better way" I growled under my breath.
"There must be some problem that you haven't heard till now, perhaps it's some kind of link between you two, and maybe it's the reason why you're here!" Icy continued. "And once you figure out who's calling for help and what kind of situation it is, we'll go save them immediately!" Blossom exclaimed. "Yeah...sure, let's not waste any more time and go get a mission"
"Hi, guys! What are you doing here so early in the morning?" Blossom's exclaimed while we were still readying our stuff. "Blossom seems like we got quite the problem today" a familiar voice replied. "What's the matter, Kuro?" I asked, then I spotted a tall figure behind him with a sad and concerned look. "Please...I'm sorry but I must ask for your help..."
"Hello, Miss Leavanny? What do you need our help with?" Icy asked. "My son! Please find my son Swintun!" she pleaded with tears in her eyes. "Swintun? Is she..." Blossom asked. "Yeah, Swintun is a Swadloon. It was pretty early for him to evolve since he isn't 10 yet, he's Mrs.Leanna's son" Kuro replied. "So you're telling me that he's missing...but shouldn't you have kept an eye on him?"
"He was already gone when I awoke this morning. I first thought that he must have gone to play somewhere, but later Libor showed up here and asked if Swintun was here so they could go play for a while" she explained. "I've searched all of our favorite places in town after Auntie Leanna told me about it, but I couldn't find him either" a small voice came from behind Leanna, followed by a tiny Lillipup padding out from the back. "He's so cute..." I heard Icy whisper. "So much for his Intimidate ability" (I know its ability got changed, but still gotta use the meme)
"I usually wouldn't be worried since Swintun would usually come home pretty soon, but recently there's been rumors about some suspicious pokemon being out there, I can't help but worry about it as his mother...and you're also the only team of rescuers, explorers or adventurers around here..." she muttered with a sad gaze. "Got it! We'll find him!" Blossom exclaimed. "Thank you so very much..."
"Libor, do you have any clue of where he might be?" Icy asked. "I think it should be either Breezy Meadow or Inflora...never mind, just Breezy Meadows" Libor replied. "Inflora Forest?!" Leanna exclaimed and her expression seemed like she was going to faint any moment. "That's a dungeon! Have you two been playing at that dangerous place?!" she yelled. "...nope..." Libor replied with a tiny whisper. "Yup, we know"
"Kuro, you've been around here for longer, Inflora Forest is the more dangerous one, right?" I asked, then he replied with a nod. "I have no idea where that stupid green good-for-nothing went, but Duff is on his way to Breezy Meadows" Kuro explained. "Mrs.Leanna, would you mind going to Breezy Meadows with Libor? We'll go to Inflora Forest" Icy suggested. "Thank you, Glistening Hope...I'm sorry for the trouble, but we're counting on you" Leanna said and left with Libor. "What about me?"
"Kuro, can you search in town?" Blossom asked. "Sure, so I suppose I'll just be checking the place to see if he returns, good luck, you three!" he replied and hurried away. "So guess that's that, Blossom, you coming?" I asked, then she nodded. "Of course I am! Let's not run into those Amoongusses again" she replied. "So Ivy should be around here somewhere if others have questions about who's staying, let's go!"
"Randy, are you sure you're feeling more energetic than earlier?" Icy asked. "Yeah, kinda. Thanks for asking" I replied as we arrived at the small path connected to the Crossroads, which led into the deeper parts of the forest. "Alright! Let's go in!" Blossom exclaimed and ran into the forest. "Blossom, wait!" I called out. "Last one in here is a rotten Exeggcute!" she shouted. "...the good old Blossom we have...race you, Randy!" Icy exclaimed and ran after her. "Huh? Wait a minute...wait for me!"
"Do either of you know where he's at?" Icy asked, then I shook my head while Blossom replied with a shrug. "We've already been looking for him for an hour, I'm sure that we can make It faster by splitting up, this forest isn't that big after all" Blossom suggested. "I don't think that would be such a good idea. Blossom, you run into trouble all the time and we both know that Icy has a terrible sense of direction" I replied. "Randy!" yelled and blushed a little. "What? I'm just telling you about the facts!"
"How about this? Since Randy and I have been here before and we both know how to go home, we split into two teams, Icy and I go together while Randy goes alone, how does that sound?" Blossom asked. "I'm fine with it as long as Randy agrees" Icy replied. "Uh...I think it should be fine since Icy has a type advantage against most of the pokemon here...about myself, I'm not so sure, but...no problem as long as we're careful..." I muttered nervously. "It's settled then! See you later, Randy!" Blossom exclaimed, then Icy padded over to give me a few Chestos just in case I felt sleepy again. "Bye, good luck on your part!"
I had never been on an adventure on my own. Even though I had done that during the night since I always snuck out, doing it during the day was something entirely different, something just...didn't feel right. There were way more hostile pokemon on my trip compared to the mons that lurked in dungeons during midnight. However, as I got better and better at fighting, Flying types weren't hard to deal with, while most Grass types didn't bother fighting against me since the majority of them were herbivores. "So many Parases, Morelulls and Foonguses...I'm starting to wonder why this place isn't called Spore Forest or Mushroom Forest"
"Ugh...where the hell is that kid? I've been looking for so long..." I complained after searching for another hour. "Hey, Icy! Have you tried looking on the trees?" a familiar voice echo's through the forest. "Blossom, I'm not the best one at climbing" another one replied. "Those two...pokemon Biology Unit 3...Swadloons live on forest floors because they can't climb upward..." I muttered to myself. "Hey girls! Have you found anything yet?" I called out. "There is one imposter Amoonguss..." "Ah...fuck"
"Randy, you're here too?" Blossom's voice asked as I padded backward quietly. "I'm coming!" she exclaimed and fast pawstep sounds approached me, soon followed by another pair of them. "Don't come close!" I shouted, but it was already too late. "I've...already eaten 2 Chestos and we didn't have much of them to start with...how am I supposed to go through this with a single Chesto?" I muttered to myself as a few Amoongusses surrounded us, chanting their signature catchphrase.
"Randy? Nice to see you again...but...what's happening right now?" Icy asked. "Apparently, they're going to eat us" I replied. "Wh-what? E-eat us?" Icy asked and started to tremble. "Yeah, they're gonna play a game with us! We're only going to get eaten if we lose!" Blossom said with a grin. "B-Blossom! You aren't making this any better!" Icy yelled as I looked around. "At least there's only five of them...way easier than last time..."
"Red" "Blue" "Yellow" "Green" and "Purple" the 5 Amoongusses chanted in clockwise order. "So we just have to guess one, right?" Blossom asked. "Maybe...perhaps...I don't know" I replied with a frown. "That's 3 out of 5! We're definitely hitting the right one if we all go at the same time!" Blossom exclaimed confidently. "What? How does that work? That's...there's still a huge chance for us to miss" I wondered out loud. "Shh...guys, they're asking the question"
There are 3 imposters Amoonguss
Red: "Blue and Green never lie"
Blue: "Yellow is telling a lie"
Yellow: "Green is lying"
Green: "Purple is being dishonest"
Purple: "Both Blue and Green are lying"
"I think I might know the answer to this one..." I thought to myself. "I think both Red and Purple are Sus...if I miss one of them, it means that the other one must be an imposter...but there are three imposters...then it must be Red, Blue, and Green! The imposters are Red, Blue, and Green!" Icy announced. "Icy, wait!" I yelled, but it was already too late. "They were not the imposters, 2 imposters remain" the Amoongusses chanted and started emitting yellow orbs, confusing all of us for a moment, then Icy dropped to the ground, sound asleep.
"You have two chances left, now guess the imposter" the Amoongusses chanted and started circling us counter-clockwise. "Which one is which?" I asked frantically. "I don't know, I've lost count!" Blossom replied, then I came up with an idea, risky but it did have a chance to work. "You have 1 minute left, or prepare to be eliminated by the imposters" they chanted and circled us even faster. "Randy, do we just go for random choices?"
"No, Blossom. This might sound risky, but you have to help me with this" I said quietly. "Okay, so what do I do?" she asked. "I know who the imposters are, but we don't know who's who, so go for a random one!" I replied. "Alright, I love randomness! I'm counting on you if we fail, Randy!" she exclaimed and pounced onto one of them. "I know it! You're the imposter!" she exclaimed and jumped up and down on it, slowing their circling pace down a little. "10 seconds left, Green was not the imposter, 2 imposters remain" they replied and shot the same cloud of glowing spores at Blossom, putting her to sleep too. "5 seconds left, prepare to be paralyzed and face your doom"
"Purple!" I pointed at the one on Green's right. "Red!" I pointed at the next one in line. "Yellow!" I shouted, pointing skipping one and pointing at the one after. "You three are the imposters!" I announced, then they stopped circling. "Red, Yellow, and Purple were the imposters, the imposters have been found, the Rockruff was the only survivor" they chanted and bounced away as I let out a sigh of relief. "I wonder who I should give the Chesto to..."
"Well done, Blossom. Thanks, couldn't have done it without you..." I whispered into her ear, and she seemingly replied with a smile even though she was sound asleep, then she rolled toward me. "Mmraww..." she purred, and I felt my cheeks heating up when she curled up beside me, holding onto my front right paw in her sleep, they became even hotter when she gave it a few affectionate nuzzles. "...you...you aren't giving me a choice are you, chief?..."
"Mmrr...Randy? We won, didn't we?" Blossom asked as she blinked her eyes open. "Yeah, now can you please let go of my paw?" I asked. "Yep, sure! I was wondering what kind of pillow I was holding onto when I was sleeping, it was the most comfortable kind of pillow!" she exclaimed and let go of my drool-drenched paw. "Hey, what do you mean by that?!" I yelled, then she sprang up and hugged me immediately. "B-Blossom! I told you to stop doing that! I-I hate it!" I yelled, to which she responded by hugging me even tighter. "Works every time!"
"Randy, why did you choose me over Icy? You still owe her a few Chestos, you know?" Blossom asked with Icy laying on her back as we padded to the deepest parts of Inflora Forest. "Because you were hugging me in your sleep, the only thing I could do was shove the Chesto into your mouth, and I'm not sure how long my last Chesto is gonna last" I grumbled. "Then why did you ask me to carry her then? We both know that you have the best stamina among the 3 of us" Blossom asked. "No, I don't! I'm far from being a strong member of the team and everymon knows it! I'm only asking you to carry her because if she wakes up and finds herself on my back, she's definitely going to slap me silly, not to mention you're both bigger and stronger than me"
"Hey, there's a clearing ahead of us! Let's check it out!" Blossom exclaimed and pointed ahead. "Okay, but let's not risk it and run into any other Amoongusses, we can't afford to have another game against them," I said quietly and tiptoed into the shrubs ahead. "Oooo...this looks so pretty" the voice which seemed to belong to a child muttered while a green pokemon was standing still in the small clearing. "Randy, any danger?" Blossom asked. "I don't think so" I replied quietly. "Hi! Hi there Swintun!" "AUGH! Wh-what do you want?"
"Blossom, I think you scared him" I whispered in her ear. "Oh..." she muttered and padded forward. "Sorry for sneaking up on you, but your mom is worried about you and she asked us to bring you home," Blossom said with a smile. "Bring me home? I planned on heading back, I don't really see what's with the big deal, I'll go home later, right now I want to have more fun" he said with a frown. "Have you heard of a suspicious pokemon being out there recently?" "Huh? Sus?"
"Yeah, there's been news about a suspicious pokemon being out here recently, that was probably why your mother was worried, she might think that somemon poke-napped you" I added. "But I guess you're safe and didn't run into that dude, so that's great!" Blossom exclaimed. "Let's take you home," I said and pointed at the way we came. "But I still want to play!" he argued, then I let out a sigh of defeat.
"Mister, I come here all the time and I've never needed help in going home. If you're talking about suspicious pokemon, we all know that they are mostly Amoongusses, plus I'm completely immune to their powder and spore moves" he argued. "Mister, I know that you may have the Overcoat ability which protects you from the imposters, but your mother is worried sick and this place is dangerous, I want you to come home with us RIGHT NOW!" I growled. "No! I want to have more fun!" he yelled back and stuffed something red into his leaves. "Randy, can you give me a chance to try?" "Ugh...fine, I suck at dealing with kids"
"Hey Swintun, you want to have more fun, right?" Blossom asked as I observed the two. "Yeah, and I'm not going back" he yelled. "And your mother told you not to come here, didn't she?" Blossom asked with a grin. "Wh-what?!" Swintun exclaimed and his expression suddenly shifted from anger to panic. "You told us that you come here all the time, if you won't come back with us, you know what we'll do and what we're gonna tell your mom~" Blossom chanted. "I-I...okay! I'll go back with you right now! We're going home! Please don't tell my mom about anything!" he pleaded frantically. "Da fuck?... Blossom...you're amazing with children..."
"M-mom..." Swintun muttered when the four of us went back to town, Icy woke up on our way back, and for the entire trip, she kept teasing me because I was "Caring for my girlfriend" by giving her the Chesto, which was not true at all. Also, I was getting more and more tired on our way back as the effect of the last Chesto slowly wore off, now we were watching another parent-son reunion. Leanna's face had a mix of expressions, frustration, anger, upset, but the most obvious one was, of course, anxiousness...
"Swintun! Are you alright? I was so worried!" she exclaimed and ran toward us, kneeling and hugging her son as soon as she saw him. "Aww...look at them!" Icy whispered and she started wiping out tears from the edge of her eyes again. "Psst...Icy, you're such a crybaby" Blossom whispered. "...it's not my fault that I'm so easily moved to the heart!" she whispered back. "I'm...I'm sorry mom...I went to get you this..." Swintun muttered and took something out of his leaf cloak with his stubby arms. (arms? legs? which one? I have no idea)
"Th-this is..." Leanna muttered and picked up the red object. "It's a red stone, looks like a gem, doesn't it? Mom, it's your hatchday after all, soooo...I wanted to give you something!" he exclaimed, then Leanna started sobbing a little, while Icy burst into tears. "Sniff...sorry that I...sniffle...ruined the moment, but...sniff...please continue...sniffle," Icy said in a small voice, to which Blossom replied with a little snicker.
"Oh, you stupid...stupidly sweet boy..." Leanna hugged her son tightly and continued to cry while Icy tried to contain her tears with her small pawkerchief. "Great family time, isn't it?" Blossom said with a smile. "I'd rather not think of mine..." I muttered. "Why didn't you tell me that you were trying to find something for your mom? I would've gone with you if you told me about it" Libor said from the side and dove into the hug. "Ahem..."
"Mrs.Leanna, I'm sorry to interrupt your moment, but I feel like there's something I have to tell you" I called out. "What would it be, Mr.Rockruff?" she asked. "You can call me Randy, and basically...we figured out that your son had been sneaking into Inflora Forest for a while, so..." I muttered and gave Swintun a questioning glance, which made him freeze in place.
"Is Randy telling the truth?" Leanna asked her son. "Uh...hey! I thought we made a deal about not telling her about it!" he blurted out, then I started laughing while Blossom and Icy looked at me in confusion. "Well, felt like I had to say it. After all, our deal was that Blossom wouldn't say anything about it, but she didn't say anything about me unable to tell her about it" I replied with a smirk. "Ssssswintun!" Leanna yelled at her son and raised her voice. "Oh boy!"
"M-mom! I...I-I can explain!" Swintun blurted out and shrank backward while Libor look a quick flee from the scene. "Inflora Forest is extremely dangerous and I told you not to go there, didn't?!" she scolded. "S-sorry...mom..." he apologized, but it all became a little whisper. "Wow, I'm glad mom never treated me like that" Icy whispered. "And you've been going there quite often didn't you? I told you not to but you kept doing it! Do you have the slightest idea of how worried you made me?!" she yelled. "S-sorry mom...I-I really didn't mean it!"
"You're getting grounded on the punishment chair until the next week!" Leanna yelled, then Swintun's expression changed to horror. "Mom! Please, anything but the chair!" he pleaded. "Go home...NOW!" she yelled again. "B-but mom! I-I even gave you a red gem! And what about the cake?" he begged, then Leanna let out a long sigh. "No buts! I don't care if you gave me that or not! Go home, you're grounded for a week! You can have the hatchday cake with us later, but you're returning to the chair right after that!" she continued. "C'mon, mom! That's not fair!"
(note: he still gets to eat and go to the restroom, but he has to go back to the chair afterward)
"Thank you for bringing my child back, but I'm afraid I don't have much to offer in return, is there anything I could do to repay you?" Leanna asked. "Nope, that's fine, Mrs.Leanna. you don't have to give us anything in return" Icy replied. "We like to help out and do stuff like this, that's why we're explorers!" Blossom added. "How about this? I do own a small shop that sells baby products, you two do look like a pair, perhaps I could give you a big discount" she offered. "What?!"
"Uh...no thanks, we're not in a relationship yet and I'm not looking forward to being in one either," I said while my face heated up rapidly, I could tell that Blossom was having a similar reaction from Icy's crazy laughter. "Yet? Oh, Randy~ did you just say yet?" Icy said with a grin, then my face became even hotter it felt like I was going to blow up due to embarrassment any moment. "It's never too early to be prepared," Leanna said with a smile. "N-no thanks, I-I don't need those, what I really need is a bit of rest, my sleep last night was awful"
"A bit of rest? I'm certain that I could help you with that" she said with a warm smile. "Huh? You're not gonna just stuff me with a sleep seed, are you?" I asked, then she started humming a peaceful melody. My eyelids grew heavier as I tried to fight my intensifying sleepiness, until my body gave in and my eyelids slipped shut, sinking into a deep and peaceful slumber.
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(Icy's POV)
"I can't believe after all of that, he fell asleep to a simple lullaby" I muttered in disbelief as I stared at the snoring Rockruff. "I'll be taking him home, I've been able to carry heavier things since I evolved," Blossom said and gently bit his tail, careful not to injure it. "Alright, Blossom. In the meantime I'll get our lunch and wander around for a little" I said and waved her goodbye as a sly grin grew on my face. "Psst...Mrs.Leanna, where is your store located? I'd like to take a trip there"
"Chargabug baby carriage...Milktank milk powder and pacifier...Conttonee diapers...Cradily cradle...wow that's a lot...I wonder what I should give to the two of them..." I thought to myself as I looked at the shelves. "Take your time, I'll be here for the rest of the day, I work here after all" Leanna said with a warm smile. "Thanks, Mrs.Leanna," I said as I imagined a baby Shinx and a baby Rockruff laying in a cradle, while Blossom gently rocked it back and forth while Randy was teasing their children. "Found you!" "Kyaa!" "Fwump!"
"Ouch, Blossom, how did you find me?" I asked while Blossom pinned me on the ground. "Well, Aren is taking the job as the town guide and doing some community service. It was easy to ask him about it, I've also asked him to inform the others that we found Swintun already" she replied with a grin. "Just one day and he's already a guide? That's impressive...and can you please let go of me? You're crushing me" I asked. "Not before you suffer!" she exclaimed. "S-suffer? N-no! I-I haven't done any-hahaha! Blossom! Stop! Haha!"
"Thank goodness I lost her after running through all of these shelves" I mumbled to myself as I sat down and took in a few breaths. I then looked around, finding myself on more shelves of baby products. "I'd better search for some field egg group exclusive ones, I wonder where Blossom is though? I guess I'll pick a few of these..." I muttered and took a small pack of milk powder off the shelf, only to be greeted by a familiar blue face squeezing behind it. "Found you!" she exclaimed and jumped out of it!" "What?! How did you haha-fit in there? Hahaha-please stop!"
"Wait, I thought I was the only one buying things here" I muttered in confusion when I saw a few packs of baby products sticking out of Blossom's backpack as we left the store. "As Leanna said, we all have to prepare for something, don't we?" Blossom said with a grin. "Yeah? But are you planning on having an egg with Randy? Right here and right now?" I asked. "Nope, of course not! I'm preparing it for somemon else!" she exclaimed. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" I wondered. "I'm preparing it for yours and big bro's babies!" she exclaimed. "B-Blossom! Th-this isn't funny! I-I...I don't like him or...or love him or...a-anything like that! I-I don't have feelings for him, r-really! I-I'm telling the truth!" I blurted out as my face flushed into a deep shade of pink, while Blossom howled with laughter. "L-let's just go back a-and take a break for the rest of the day..."
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(that night, back to Randy's POV)
Note: May contain so-called limes or fluffs, which counts as mature content (no lemons though), so stay out if you don't like this sorta stuff.
"Wh-what...where am I?" I muttered as I slowly opened my eyes, adjusting my sight to the dim surroundings. "Why do my legs and paws hurt so much?" I wondered as I tried to stand up on my aching and tingling legs, then it was quickly answered by some familiar purrs. "I'm...at home? How did I get back? And why am I in Blossom's box? Moreover, why am I loafing? Rockruffs can't loaf!"
"I went against more Amoongusses this morning...I brought Swintun back to town and ditched him...then somehow fell asleep..." I tried to remember everything that happened earlier based on what I could recall. "That sleep was refreshing anyway, even though my paws and legs feel like they've been tied in a knot...thank you...whoever brought me home" I muttered as I stood up on my wobbly legs. "Icy's sleeping...but Blossom isn't on the bed, I'm in her box...where is she then? Well...I'm a lot more energetic than usual, time to sneak out and do another mission when I still can, Blossom's probably in one of her longs baths again"
"Great...Boros isn't here at the moment...Aren is sleeping in his nest, request board time!" I said to myself and headed to the board. As I checked on the request board, all of them seemed to be quite distant from town, except for one of them based on helping a Dugtrio with a den for his family.
"Okay, top of this big dune...there should be a sign somewhere around here" I looked at my map and checked on the request sheet after reaching one of the big dunes in the village. "We require assistance in building a house down here" a sign stood on the dune, pointing down at the ground. "I don't have any specialties in building a house, nor do I have the move dig, but I have to at least give it a shot" I muttered and started digging at the dune, trying to go down, then I heard some familiar drilling sounds coming from below. "Hey there, Randy. What are you doing out here at this time?"
"Duff? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be sleeping at this time? And I thought you told me that you live under Kuro's tree over there on top of that hill?" I asked and pointed at the hill right next to us. "Yeah, true..." he said with a slight blush. "But you see...ever since a few failed attempts on going out on missions, I decided to change my way of helping out, I'm always the mon that delays the team, you know what I mean?" he asked. "Yeah...but it's not that bad, Duff. It's great that you're helping out and I'm sure that other mons will appreciate it...how did you know that I was here anyway?" I asked. "I can sense vibrations of the ground, even small ones like pawsteps, so it's often easy for me to find a mon when they're not too far away" he replied. "Got it"
"Sorry, but I feel like I have to say this, seeing you spinning and drilling while looking at me at the same time feels so weird" I muttered. "No problem, plenty of mons complained to me about this, it may be slow but it is efficient for making big holes and dens, considering my big size," he said with a smile while his tail kept drilling underground as we headed downward. "We're here"
"I'm glad they at the very least left a list of what we have to do and the payment instead of leaving nothing while nobody is around" I muttered as I looked at the script on a small desk inside a large room, which listed where what kind of furniture should be placed. "By the way, Randy. What are you doing out here at this time? You haven't told me about it just yet..." Duff asked. "Oh...about that..."
"Have you been doing this ever since you decided to start the Paradise plan with Blossom?" Duff asked after I gave him a short explanation about what was going on while the two of us worked on the interior. I was working on moving some furniture around while Duff worked on stabilizing and reforming the walls. "Sorta, but I'd...like to keep this a secret from the rest of the team for now" I replied with a small blush. "No problem, I'm glad that I got to be part of the Paradise and a member of The Glistening Hope with you!"
"Duff, there's another thing I've been pretty curious about," I said after we were finished with the shelves, tables, and wall formations, thanks to my human strength, moving all of these small pieces of wooden furniture was pretty easy. "What is it?" he asked. "Well...you're a big snake pokemon that's short in length, you don't have limbs, where do you put your berries and poke'?" I asked. "Oh, that's easy. I keep all of them in my mouth" he replied. "Oh...right..." I muttered. "That's so dirty...how does he never have any stomachaches?" I wondered.
"Randy, I've always been curious about something, too" Duff mentioned. "A-about what?" I asked. "Randy, how do you always manage to do everything so fast? And how did you move things around just then? I'm not sure if I'm right, but...both you and Kuro have paws...yet, you're much faster than Kuro even though he has more fingers than you" he stated. "Uh...am I?" I asked, then Duff replied with a nod. "He helps out all the time just like you, but no doubt that he'd struggle when it comes to moving furniture, not to mention that you moved so much of them in such a short period. How did you move everything around so easily?" he asked. "I...I don't know...I think I'm just stronger at times?" I muttered, which was partially the truth. "I only know that his left arm is somehow stronger" Duff muttered. "Ugh...I think I know why..."
"I think you should have more of the payment since you dealt with all of the walls and rooms," I said and pushed 700 out of the 900 poke' to Duff. "Huh? No, you moved all of the furniture, I can't take all of this! You should take more of it, I couldn't have done any of that since I didn't have arms, moreover, I'm only here because I volunteered to help, I wasn't here for the payment" he stated and pushed it all back. "But I couldn't have moved the furniture if you didn't make the rooms" I insisted and pushed back the poke'. "Other than that, you still owe Mrs.Swanya some poke' after all this time, you should pay some of it back with this"
"Thanks, Randy..." Duff said with a smile after we reached an agreement to split it evenly. "You should have taken more of it...but see you tomorrow morning," I said and padded out of the long tunnel, which was the doorway Duff had made earlier. "Randy, have you looked at the weather?" he called out. "Huh?"
"I've checked the V-Wave cast, today's V-Wave was Water type, so are the upcoming ones for tomorrow and the day after, there might be a storm coming, you should check if your house has any leaks" Duff reminded me. "Oh...thanks, haven't been paying any real attention to it, but it's this a desert? Rain in a desert doesn't seem very possible" I said as I padded away. "Weird guy..." I heard him mutter when I met the chilling night breeze. "He's lived in the forests over here for his entire life...how does he not know that this is an oasis?...and how does he not remember that huge storms come every year when Water V-Waves are coming in a row?...that's the main reason why I'm helping out here at this time..."
"I'm finally home...working underground made my paws so dirty I even had to wash them before coming in...my paws are freezing..." I muttered quietly as I slowly opened the door and padded in, I was coved in dirt and in desperate need of taking a bath. Icy was still sleeping, while Blossom was still nowhere to be seen. "Where's our chief? She's...not in the box...nor on the bed...ugh, I can't think of it now, I'm dirty as heck, I'm just gonna grab a set of pajamas and rush into the bathroom"
"I'm so very taking a bath today..." I muttered and pushed open the bathroom door, taking my clothes off and throwing them aside immediately. "Mmmrr...meeew...mrraww..." a few familiar noises made me freeze all of a sudden. "Oh no...whatever's happening...please don't be what I think it is..." I pleaded to Arceus as I slowly turned to look at the bathtub, only to find a familiar figure sleeping in a tub of hot water. "Oh...nononononono...."
I tried to move away as I blushed deeply, I tried to reach out for my clothes and leave the room, but my body was frozen in place. "Move, my stupid paws! Move! Fucking move!" I growled quietly as I attempted to retreat. "Go, my stupid paws! Go!" I muttered with a bit of joy as they finally moved a little bit. "Oof!" "Mmrr? Mrraww..." "Ugh...why'd I have to slip on the slippery floor? Oh...crap..."
"B-Blossom...I-I..." I muttered, trying to find an excuse as I felt myself blush even deeper. "Randy...?" she asked and rubbed her eyes. "I-I'm sorry! I-I...I didn't mean to come in! I-I swear that I d-didn't know th-that you fell asleep in here! Th-the door wasn't c-closed a-and I...I just...p-pushed it open and tripped! I'm really not here to peep at you! I'm sorry!" I blurted out and covered my face. "Oh," she muttered. "I...am...so...dead..."
"It's okay, Randy! It's fine for you to look!" Blossom's energetic voice called out while I kept my paws in front of my face. "I'mnotlookingI'mnotlookingI'mnotlooking..." I muttered and positioned myself in a way that she wouldn't see my genitals. "C'mon, Randy! Don't be so shy! My brother looked at me during my childhood when he was helping me with taking a bath!" she exclaimed. "Th-that's not the same! Y-your brother is your brother...a-and I'm me! W-we're not the same! A-and th-that was when y-you were a kid!" I muttered. "That doesn't matter so much!" she stated. "Yes, it does!"
"Hey, Randy! How about taking a bath together?" she asked. "T-taking a b-bath together? A-are you insane?!" I exclaimed, then I felt a wave of water splash on my face. "Hey! What was that f-GUH!..." I exclaimed, only to be frozen by the condition yet again. "Told you that opening your eyes was fine! By the way, Randy. I wonder where all of your weight came from, you look so thin when your fur is drenched!" she exclaimed. "......"
"C'mon, Randy! Just come into the bathtub with me! I'm sure that it's no big deal! I'm fine with it!" she said with a smile. "B-but...but I'm not!" I blurted out, those were the only words I could find as I looked at Blossom's breasts, now completely exposed under her soaked fur. "By the way, Randy. I showed you mine, how about showing me yours?" Blossom suggested. "WH-WHAT?!" I exclaimed. "I'm sure that it's not gonna be anything bad, I've seen my brother's too!" she said with a smile. "Th-that's not h-how it works! H-hell no!"
"Randy, come on in! I promise that it's gonna be good!" she said with a smile. "I-I..." I tried to find some words to say, only to get splashed again by another wave of water. "Come in, Randy! I'm sure it's alright!" she beckoned. "There's no point going out if you're dirty everywhere, so why not join me since your clothes are already off?" she added as I reluctantly padded toward her. "This is all a nightmare, Randy...none of this is real...this is all a nightmare..."
"Told you that it would be fine! Now let's get started with scrubbing your fluff!" Blossom exclaimed and let go of the bath water, turning on the shower and rinsing my white neck fluff, scrubbing it gently which overall felt comfortable while I looked away and tried to hide my genitalia from her. "Now that's done, how about going for your head now? Or perhaps you want your back to be cleaned first? Or maybe we do both at the same time!"
"Thanks, Blossom...it does feel comfortable...but I just...don't like the thought of taking a bath together..." I muttered as Blossom scrubbed my back with some soap. "Told you that it would feel good, but why not?" she asked. "I'm not sure how it goes for you pokemon...but as a human...this just doesn't feel right..." I muttered. "But you're a Rockruff now, so you should get used to our life!" she said with a smile. "I'm talking about mentally, not physically"
"Hey, you want me to wash your chest? Maybe your legpits? And your Caterpie?" she asked enthusiastically. "No thanks, I can wash those myself" I declined. "But I showed you my breasts, didn't I? Should you be doing the same?" she asked. "Blossom, I told you that it doesn't work like that!" I yelled, then she grabbed my paw, then...dragged it toward her chest...then my face flushed into a deep shade of red.
"B-Blossom! A-are you..." again, I tried to say something, but I was completely wordless as Blossom touched her chest with my paws. "I've heard that males are curious about how it feels, and now you get to find out!" she said with a smile. "I...okay...I was a little curious...but..." I muttered as she ran my paw against her warm torso. "See? Told you! Now...is it my turn yet?" she asked. "Blossom, I do NOT like what you're doing now so STOP HARASSING ME!"
There was a minute of silence between us, except for the sound of the flowing water. Until Blossom finally decided to break the ice. "Sorry, Randy. Perhaps I...crossed the line..." she muttered and dipped her head. "I'm..." I tried to find some words to say, but everything progressed so fast, I didn't even realize what I just did. "I'm sorry too, Blossom..." were the only words I could make out. "Sorry...maybe I overreacted..." I said in a small voice. "Let's go back to what we were doing"
"Randy, are you coming out of the bathtub? I'm unplugging the drain now" Blossom's words snapped me out of my thoughts. "Oh...right..." I muttered and got out of the tub to dry myself. I was still stuck in my thoughts, I just unintentionally hurt her feelings again, and I had to find a way to try and make it up to her. "Randy, is anything the matter? You've barely said anything for the past fifteen minutes" she asked. "Oh...uh...no, nothing...just...not much..." I muttered and got myself dressed. "You've been blankly staring at the wall for all this time"
"Well...I kinda want to apologize for yelling at you earlier..." I said with a small blush. "That's fine, everymon makes mistakes sometimes! And there's always something every mon doesn't like" she said with a smile. "Thanks...I'm just asking...do you ever comb your fur? I...uh..." I muttered and felt myself blush even more. "Nope, my fur is a lot shorter than Icy's so I never have to comb" she replied. "How about returning the favor from a while ago?" I asked. "What are you talking about?" she asked back. "I'm not asking you to take off your clothes, but you can lay on the bed with your back facing me"
"Why are you spanking me?" Blossom asked as I patted her bum gently. "...I thought that most cat pokemon like it?" I asked in confusion since I wasn't sure if it was true or not. "I like the feeling...but it just feels so weird" Blossom described and raised her hindquarters. "You can tell me to stop whenever you want," I said quietly. "I don't want you to stop...it feels relaxing...but it feels so weird at the time...like tingly and the kind of feeling when you get on your paws after sitting for a long time" she commented. "You should probably lower your butt since you're taller than me...and higher," I said to her. "H-higher? What do you mean?" she asked. "Never mind" I muttered. "Faster! Faster! I want more pats!"
"Blossom...I think I have to stop now, my paws are getting sore" I muttered as I stared at her quivering butt. "More! More! More pats!" she whined. "Blossom, I really have to stop now, or I won't be able to do the next thing" I explained. "Alright...you can stop now..." she muttered in disappointment as I slowed down my patting to a stop. "As for the next one...please don't take this as any kind of sexual behavior or something, 'cause I'm not trying to do anything like that..." I explained and looked away to hide my blush. "Huh? What are you talking about?" she asked. "I might have to ask you to lift your nightdress a little bit...you don't have to take it off, I only need you to lift it a little bit and lie on your flank" I explained, feeling myself blush even more. "I can take it off if you want!" she exclaimed. "Blossom! Don't do it! I only need you to raise it a little bit!"
"Hee-hee...Randy, it tickles!" she squealed when I rubbed her legpits, slowly extending downward to her abdomen, giving it a few additional squeezes to reduce the stress of her muscles...if she had any under her big belly. "Don't worry, it'll get better soon" I said in her ear. "Mmmrr...this feels so comfortable..." she muttered, followed by a few purrs of relaxation, eventually getting to the point where I had to try and hold my laughter from her purrs while blushing vigorously as I massaged her under-belly gently.
"You can lie on your belly now, I'm switching to your back," I said in her ear, which she quickly obeyed and did as I said, letting out a few purrs when I ran my paw down her furry back. "Can I have your tail?" she asked. "Huh?!" I muttered in confusion. "It's so soft and fluffy, holding it like a pillow must feel extremely comfortable" she pleaded while I blushed again. "W-well...I-I think it would be...fine..." I muttered and gave her my tail, which she swiftly took hold of and rubbed against her warm cheeks. "It's so warm and fluffy! It's even softer than my pillow!"
"mmmrr...meew...mrraw..." she purred as I massaged her back. "You like it don't you, Blossom?" I asked as I rubbed her lower back, loosening up her muscles. "Meeew...mmrrr..." she purred as she sank into a deep sleep with my tail still in her grasp. "Sweet dreams, Blossom," I said in her ear and tugged the blanket over her. "Guess it's time for me to get some sleep too," I said to myself and grabbed my tail, but Blossom held tightly onto it and had no signs of letting go. "You've...gotta be joking..."
"Guess I don't have another choice besides sleeping next to her," I thought to myself and tried to curl up, but the posture Blossom held my tail made that impossible. "I have to somehow get my pillow, but how?" I wondered, then a dumb plan crossed my mind and a blush followed soon after. "I hate this...but Blossom, I'll have to use you as my cushion too," I said in her ear and placed my head against her warm, soft belly. "Goodnight, Blossom," I whispered and drifted to a deep relaxing sleep.
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(???'s POV)
The three of us went down the hallway until a familiar door appeared at the far end. "Vee! Vee! Vui!" the Eevee woke up in my arms and squirmed vigorously. "Whoa, everything's alright, Fluffball, calm down!" I said to him. "Vee! Vui!" it barked and slapped my arms with its soft, fluffy tail. "Aww, you're so cute!" I muttered and held him by his fluff, lifting him into the air and facing him, yet the Eevee gave me a look of annoyance and anger.
"Grar...groah..." the green lizard pokemon next to me growled. "Zane? What are you trying to say?" I asked, then he pointed at his neck and shook his head. "Oh~ no holding him by the neck? Oh, alright! Sorry about that, Fluffball" I apologized and put him back into my arms. "Vee Vee Vee Vee! Vui!" he barked. "What are you trying to tell me, Fluffball?" I asked and grabbed his tail. "Your tail is so fun!" I exclaimed and gave it a few squeezes. "VEEE! VUI!"
"Ouch!" I yelped in pain when Fluffball bit my arm, it wasn't at the point of making a fresh wound or bleeding, but it still hurt. "Gro! Grergh..." Zane growled, then Fluffball let out of my arm and pouted at me. "Aww...even though you bit me, you're still so cute!" I couldn't help but say it, I just couldn't resist it. I then spotted a few figures slowly coming into view and wrapped Fluffball back into my jacket. "Zane, time to go back" I whispered, then he nodded as I retracted him into the ball.
"...right...just like in my dream..." I muttered as I walked toward the two people laying on the sides of the hallway. "Vui! Vui!" Fluffball's muffled barks through my jacket as I bent down to check on them. "Fluffball, can you keep your voice down? I'm trying to be quiet" I whispered. "VEE! VEE!" he barked even louder, so I released him with a sigh. "Fine, I'll put you back when we go through the door, alright?"
"......." I remained wordless when I placed my hand on the two people on the floor. "Vui?" Fluffball purred. "Check it for yourself," I said to him and let go of him. Fluffball jumped out of my arms immediately and landed on the floor. He then touched the man's neck and shrank back immediately, shuddering and grabbing my leg. "Yep...he's as good as dead, but...you're still so cute" I couldn't help but whisper under my breath.
"Time to head in...this should work out as planned if I'm right about it..." I wondered out loud and took the Rank A card out of my pocket. "Fluffball, get back in, we don't want them to see you," I said softly, but he seemed to refuse. "VEE! VUI VUI!" he snarled and shook his head. "Oh, so you don't like being hugged? But...you know, you look cute even when you're angry" I said with a grin. "VEE!" Fluffball seemed to deny it, but I could see something like a blush deepening on his cheeks, mostly hidden under his brown fur. "Oh well, guess we aren't going for the stealthy route"
"Yup...just like in my dream...they're all...asleep? Dead? I...don't know..." my voice trailed off as I entered the lab labeled as highly hazardous and took in my surroundings. "Veeee..." the furry brown mon shrank into a ball and dove into my arms, he seemed to be horrified by what surrounded us. "Hey, there's nothing to be afraid of...by the way, you can come out, Zane" I comforted him and sent Zane out of his pokeball again. "Gregh..." he growled. "What's the matter, Zane?" I asked, then he started carving words out of the wall again.
"ᏖᏂᎥᏕ ᎮᏝᏗፈᏋ...ᏖᏂᏋᏒᏋ'Ꮥ ᏕᎧᎷᏋᏖᏂᎥᏁᎶ ፈᏒᏋᏋᎮᎩ ᏂᏋᏒᏋ, Ꭵ ᏦᏁᎧᏇ ᏖᏂᏗᏖ ᏕᎧᎷᏋᏖᏂᎥᏁᎶ ᎥᏕ ᏇᏒᎧᏁᎶ ᏂᏋᏒᏋ. ᎷᎩ ᎥᏁᏕᏖᎥᏁፈᏖᏕ ᏗᏒᏋ ᏕፈᏒᏋᏗᎷᎥᏁᎶ ᏗᏖ ᎷᏋ, ᏖᏒᎩᎥᏁᎶ ᏖᎧ ᏖᏋᏝᏝ ᎷᏋ ᏖᏂᏗᏖ Ꮧ ᎴᏒᏋᏗᎴᎦᏬᏝ ᎮᏒᏋᏕᏋᏁፈᏋ ᎥᏕ ᏂᏋᏒᏋ ᏇᎥᏖᏂ ᏬᏕ" he said through his carvings as his leaves bristled in caution. "Oh, I'm sure these bodies won't wake up and jump-scare any of us!" I reassured him, but he replied with a growl. "I'm sure the guy I'm taking you to isn't anything scary! He's a nice guy!"
I went down the stairs, approaching a familiar-looking cell with a prisoner kept behind purple bars coursing with electricity. "Hey! Mr.Black! I brought them here! Zane and Fluffball! Just like you told me!" I called out to the person, then he turned around to look at us as the purple bars faded away into nothing. "Mr.Black was the one who told me how to get you out, you know each other, don't you?" I asked, then Zane narrowed his eye and stared at the man, while the man stared back at him with his azure blue eyes.
"Grah!" Zane jumped backward all of a sudden with his one eye bulging wide. "Zane? Are you alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost" I asked as he backed up. "Not too far off..." the words echoed behind me, then all of a sudden, the man was somehow right next to me. "Grrar..." he growled. "Vee? Vui?" Fuffball popped his head out, seemingly clueless about the situation. "Ah...how long has it been since we last met, Zane? 50 years? Perhaps more?" the man said calmly and offered Zane a friendly handshake. "Grrrr...."
"Grah!" Zane snarled and lunged at the man all of a sudden. I exclaimed and ducked in shock while the man calmly backed up a little. "Grar! Grregh!" Zane growled and looked at Fluffball, who returned his growls with a confused face. "GRAAARGH!" Zane snarled, then Fluffball jumped out of my arms and darted away. "Fluffball, wait!" I called out and ran after him. "Clever, Zane. Putting him out of our past conflicts...yet I have no intentions to harm him. Now, I apologize for my abrupt actions, shall we talk?"
"Zane, what are you doing?!" I exclaimed in shock when Zane swung his Leaf Blades toward Black, which he dodged by sliding his body agilely from side to side. "Zane, you are aware that you're tired and weakened, how about having a short conversation?" Black asked. "Grrah!" Zane snarled and swung a Brick Break at him, which Black elegantly dodged again. "Really? Injured and Alone? Dialga chose you for a reason, I wouldn't waste the opportunity I have if I were you" Black said. "Wait, Dialga?"
Zane then shot his Bullet Seeds at Black, what amazed me was how Black canceled out the attack with a simple wave of his arms. "How? How did you do that?" I asked, but his attempt to reply was cut off as Zane went for him again. Zane then shot an Energy Ball at Black, which Black easily canceled out with another of his hand and shot a dark wave of energy back at him, exploding in front of him. "What? What was that?! Zane!" I shouted, then a few sparkling leaves shot out of the smoke surrounding him.
The sparkling leaves formed a chain, pointing at Black and swerving toward him. Black tried to dodge the attack, but this time, one of them penetrated his arm as Zane slowly walked out of the smoke, pulling out a few metal shards from his bleeding arms. "I see...you managed to learn that attack from your Celebi friend before coming to this world" Black muttered as some black misty substance oozed out of his arm. "Celebi? Do you know him? Or her?"
Suddenly, the outline of Black's body grew misty, transforming into some kind of foggy matter. "Oh my...god!" I exclaimed. "You leave me no choice then," the man said with his eyes glowing bright blue, generating a large dark sphere between his hands. "Nighty night"
The sphere expanded, covering the whole room before I could react, I then felt extremely sleepy as my eyelids became heavier. The last thing I knew was Fluffball's small, tired whimpers coming from behind as I slumped to the ground and blacked out.
--------------------
Halloween Special (short horror story)
(???'s POV)
"Hey, Spark! Your sister isn't pregnant...huh? What did I miss?" a familiar voice woke me up from my sleep. I looked at the window, it was morning already and a red quadrupedal in his pajamas was reading a letter. "To...Spark? Hey, gimme that!" I yelled and swiped the letter away from Bakey's paws. "Oh~ why can't you share, Spark? Sharing is caring, I'm sure you know that...unless..." he muttered with a grin. "Unless what? It's a letter for me and you're peeping at it" I argued. "Unless it's a love letter, Uncle!" a blue mon exclaimed. "H-huh?!"
"N-no! I-it's d-definitely not! I-I...I'm just reading the letter because it was f-for me! Th-that's all!" I blurted out as my cheeks grew a little hotter. "Oh, Uncle~ what kind of dream did you have last night then?" Matt asked with a smirk as I tried to recall what it was. "I-I don't remember! B-but I'm sure th-that...it's not a-anything dirty!" I quickly debated. "Oh, Spark~ perhaps you were talking in your sleep without you knowing it! And perhaps you were having a great time making out with my sister again~" Bakey chanted. "N-no! Sh-shut up and let me read the letter!"
"Spark, what does it say?" Matt asked after I finished reading it. "Not much, only your sister telling me that my sister is fine since her belly looks like a Snorlax'" I replied. "Are there gummi shops in the Mist continent? I want some exotic ones!" Matt asked excitedly. "I don't know, but I don't want you to get as fat as your mother"
"Chatot...am I the only one participating in Matt's and Bakey's graduation trial?" I asked after they left on their mission. "Yes," he replied, just like the past few times. "B-but...should I hold back? Because I know that I'd have to...and I don't know how much I should hold back" I questioned. "That's a question you need to figure out by yourself...unless..." he squawked. "Unless what?"
"Soloing on a Diamond Rank rescue mission in Oblivion Forest...rescuing a pair of missing pokemon, a Cyndaquil and a Buizel who have been missing for two weeks...this isn't going to be easy..." I muttered to myself as I set out on my long journey padded through the mountains. This seemed to be the most urgent among all of the rescue missions with the fact of it being located so far away from any town. I had informed the Guildmaster that I would be away for a few days, fortunately, Bibarel was nice enough to take care of my roommates in the meantime.
"The closest town is...there's a small settlement in the mountains which belongs to a...Stoutland, never mind I'm not sleeping with a dog pokemon, second closest is...wow, great! I'm glad that Brick's settlement is somewhere around here!" I said with a smile. I had never seen him again ever since he graduated and planned his future with his wife and his best friend. At the same time, as I traveled through the mountain paths, I was still wondering about my choices after my short talk with Chatot.
"Who could possibly help me out in their graduation? Bibarel's a nice mon...but she's not the kind of mon who likes to fight. Brick and Marley are good options...but one of them is afraid of Mrs.Ignite while the other comes with a severe type disadvantage...mom and dad would make horrible options because they would be in an awkward position...Andrew is too strong...so is the fossil family. Dusknoir would be impossible to beat...and I'm not sure if I want to ask for Petal's help, she's been fairly moody after losing her husband two years ago, I have no idea what she would do if she loses control by accident...what do I do? Thinking of this is giving me a headache! And my main goal is to lose the battle on purpose...in a fair fight, how am I supposed to do that?!"
"Hello?" a voice snapped me back to reality, I turned around to see a Quilava who seemed to be a little younger than me. "Uh...hello, Miss Quilava, what are you doing here in the mountains? It's quite dangerous out here" I asked. "What are you doing here then?" she asked with a grin. "Wait...sorry that I jumped into my assumptions, I suppose you're a resident here. I'm on a rescue mission and just passing through the place" I explained. "Quinn here of Team Swift! Nice to meet you!"
"Spark from Team Fleaf," I said and exchanged a friendly pawshake. "You're from Wigglytuff's guild aren't you?" she asked in excitement. "Yeah...? How did you know?" I asked, then she snickered and pointed at my backpack. "Oh right...I'm stupid" I muttered with a small blush. "Wow, you're Diamond Rank? Cool!" she exclaimed. "Oh...it's...I got lucky, my teammates did most of the work" I said as my cheeks became hotter.
"So Spark, where are you heading to?" she asked. "I'm heading to Mount Horn, a Breloom named Brick has a settlement there. I should be arriving there in the evening and spending the night there" I replied. "Since you live around here, I would appreciate some help if you could guide me through some shortcuts among the hills" I added. "Well...about that..." she murmured as she blushed a little. "Wait a minute..." I muttered and looked at her dark-green outfit. "Why do you sound like you have no idea what this place is?"
"It's because..." she muttered. "Wait, don't tell me...you're just some girl that wandered here, and you're neither a resident nor an explorer?!" I exclaimed. "Yeah...you sorta got that right" she replied in embarrassment. "I don't care, I'm taking you back to town with me, I'm setting out at daybreak tomorrow" I growled and gestured for her to go back. "B-but..."
"But what? It's dangerous for you to be here, especially with the fact that you haven't gone through any kind of training" I stated. "But the guys on the request, they're in danger! They can't wait! We have to head there right away!" she insisted. "Excuse me, miss...did you say we?" I asked. "It'll be fine if I tag along, won't it? And he's in danger, we have to go there and save him!" she said with a stern look. "Alright...take a deep breath and calm down, Spark, rule number 8...if an un-experienced mon asks to join you on a rescue mission...try to scare them away..."
"Him? No, if you're saying things this way, you head back alone, go straight down the mountain path and turn left at the bottom, go straight and turn right at the second crossroad, pad down the stairs and you should be at the foot of the mountain" I told her and turned away, but I felt a paw pulling on my tail. "Please! I want to have an adventure! I promise that I'll try not to be a burden! I can cook and...at least I can cook! You look strong enough to protect the two of us anyway!" she insisted. "I...do feel like being a little convinced...but if anything happens, I'm sending you back..." I said with a sigh. "Yes! Thanks, Spark!" she exclaimed. "...why did I even agree to this...I can cook and I'm putting somemon else in danger...Spark, you ought to resist some simple compliments instead of giving in right away next time..." I muttered in my head.
"Hello, Brick!" I called out as soon as I reached the campsite. "Heya Spark! Been a while, hasn't it?" he greeted and put down a large bottle of half-drunk ketchup. "Brick, may I stay in one of your tents tonight? I'm on a long rescue mission and I need a place to rest during the chilly night" I asked. "Sure, go ahead!" he said with a smile. "Thanks!" I said gratefully. "Last time I saw you, you were about this height" he commented, then the now-shorter-than-me Breloom put one of his pincers at the height of his chest, making me blush at his words. "Where's Marley by the way?"
"Oh, you haven't heard of it?" Brick asked. "U-um...d-did I miss something important?" I asked nervously. "Not at all, it's probably not widespread anyway...not yet perhaps...the news of Andrew and my Marley starting a guild in the Water continent" he replied with a proud smile. "What? Wow, that's awesome, but...are you not part of it?" I asked. "Well...I'm sure these can explain a few things, come with me..."
"......" I was completely wordless after seeing 12 small eggs lined up along the inner sides of the tent. "I'm gonna be a dad soon, I'm excited to have some dad duty!" Brick said with a grin. "My god, 12 eggs at a time...? Marley must have experienced a huge amount of pain..." I thought to myself. "Chief and Marley both have more knowledge about the Water continent, and Marley has a specialty in reading ancient languages, so I suppose I should take care of the babies" Brick explained. "But how do you take care of 12 toddlers though? I can barely manage 2 children" I asked. "Who knows? I'll find a way. I'm sure it'll turn out fine since I'm gonna be a full-time dad" he replied. "Why do I feel like it's being extra quiet?" I wondered.
"Psst...Quinn. You should say something, at least thank him for giving us a place to stay in the night" I whispered, but nobody replied. "Quinn?" I called out and looked around. Nobody was outside while Brick and I were the only ones in the small tent. "Who's Quinn?" he asked with a confused look. "A Quilava, she came here with me, didn't you see her?" I asked, then he shook his head. "We've been alone here, Spark. The two of us...and my children" he replied while I tried to think of what happened. Where was she? How could Brick not hear her at all? Surely it wouldn't have been another hallucination? I even shook paws with her.
"A tent and a mattress, right?" Brick asked after emerging from a dark-green tent. "Can you please make it two?" I asked. "Two?" he asked again. "Yeah, thanks" I replied. "But why two though? I don't see Icy around...no, you'd only need one in that case" he said with a smirk ."H-hey! B-Brick! W-what do you m-mean by that?! W-we're not in an r-relationship o-or a-anything!" I blurted out while he chuckled at my reaction. "Right, right, I've heard that she's off to the Mist continent with Blossom...I still can't imagine why you need two mattresses though"
"Thanks for letting me stay here, Brick," I said to him as the two of us sat around the small campfire, roasting our dinner. "Reminds me of that trip to Sky Peak...ah, feels like it's been an eternity," he said as his eyes flashed with recollection. "Yeah...but I can't help being concerned about Quinn, where could she be?" Of course, she had probably gone back to town for the night, that was the best I could assume.
"So...this Quinn we've been talking about, who is she? What is she like?" Brick asked. "A bit like my sister, not so outgoing and crazy, but still" I replied. "Do you plan on starting a relationship with her?" he asked. "No, I don't have special feelings for her, Icy holds an irreplaceable space in my heart, I'm sticking with her" I replied. "Puppy love, so mushy" Brick commented. "Huh!?...but I'm a feline!" as soon as I figured out what I just said and blushed vigorously. "Don't worry, I won't tell her, I'll be there on your wedding day though" he teased. "Brick!"
"Good evening!" a familiar voice greeted me when I entered the tent Brick set up for me. "WHAT? Quinn? Where did you go?" I asked. "Around" she replied and rolled around on her mattress. "What do you mean around? You got me worried back there!" I growled. "Having some dinner" she added with a grin. "Having dinner? Aren't we having it as soon as I drop off my stuff?" I wondered. "Spark, is anything wrong?" Brick's voice called out. "Nope, everything's fine!"
"When are we setting out tomorrow?" Quinn asked before I left the tent. "As soon as I wake up" I replied shortly. "But what if you oversleep?" she asked with a grin. "I won't, now I'm heading out for dinner, feel free to join me if you're still hungry," I said with a sigh. "Nope, I'm tired. Goodnight, Spark" she said with a yawn and curled herself into a ball. "Early sleeper, huh?"
"Eating alone? What about that friend of yours?" Brick asked. "Thanks for the dinner...turned out that she wasn't here earlier because she was having her dinner back then, she's an early sleeper, so I'll have to stay quiet later" I replied. "Oh..." Brick muttered with a strange expression. "Brick, I feel like I have to tell you this...I've got this weird feeling, I'm not sure how to describe it, but something feels wrong...something's creepy" I muttered. "The kind of feeling that you're being haunted?" he asked. "Yeah, by something I'm not sure about, how do you know?" I asked. "Do you know that the author is writing this part on Halloween?" he asked. "What do you mean by that?" I questioned in pure confusion. "Never mind, just saying...it's great to spend time with you again Spark, feels awesome to show up again, never imagined that I'd have another chance"
"I still remember the time we went to Sky Peak"
"Yeah, I'm proud to be the first one to get away from Mrs.Ignite's wrath"
"She wasn't mad since we both kept our mouths shut about the drinking thing"
"Thanks, I still remember you destroying the two of us in the drinking contest. I thought 15% was high enough for a kid like you, but you straight up went for 2 jeroboams of 58% beers"
"I'm surprised by myself, too. How did I even do that? I wonder what will happen if I try out the strongest 96% magnum"
"I still remember how Marley passed out after having one of those, I laughed at her for a good few days after that"
"Brick, don't act like you can stay completely awake after one of those"
"I'd probably not be, but surely you remember that you wet your bed that night"
"Oh, c'mon! I was like...maybe 7 at that time? A normal 7-year-old would probably wet their bed without drinking"
"Why do you look so embarrassed then?"
"Alright, fine. I know that I wet my bed without knowing it because I was extremely drunk, but let us keep this entire thing a secret to ourselves"
"I'm sure your girlfriend will find this cute"
"N-no! Sh-she won't! A-and she's not my girlfriend!"
"Whatever you say, Spark, we both know that you have other plans"
"N-no! Y-you're just imagining it!"
"When was the last time you wet your bed, Spark?
"I-I'm not telling you!"
"Eight years old?"
"......"
"Younger?"
"......"
"Surely it couldn't have happened when you were older?"
"...nine..."
"...anyway, It's getting late, we should probably call it here"
"Yeah, I have to set out pretty early tomorrow"
"Goodnight Spark"
"Goodnight Brick"
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"Wh-where am I...?" I muttered as I opened my eyes and looked around. "No way...Blizzard Island? N-no...no! This can't be true!" I exclaimed after observing my chilling surroundings covered by a heavy layer of snow. "Everything is possible in the ghost world, Spark" a voice called out from behind. "Sk-skuntank! I-I thought you died!"
"Indeed I did, and I went to the underworld" he replied with a wicked laugh, followed by two other mons. "B-but...y-you're ghosts! You aren't alive!" I yelled. "Exactly, that's why we're here" Koffing replied. "That's also the reason why you're seeing us!" Zubat added. "B-but...I'm alive! I-I even confirmed it with Dusknoir!" I stated. "How are you so sure? You are aware of how many times he has deceived you and you know how good he is at it"
"I just know! I-I'm alive!" I yelled. "Hah! We know that this is the very place you died!" Skuntank chuckled. "I...Giratina brought me back! I'm alive..." I yelled again. "Keh, that's what thought when the same happened, brought back to our forms by him all of a sudden after an enigmatic encounter! Just to figure that we're still dead, yet alive in the ghost world!" Koffing said with a laugh as I backed up. "Let's prove it right here and right now!"
As soon as Zubat said that, he flew toward a chunk of ice...and passed through it! Then flew toward me and perched on my back. "See? You're just like us" Koffing said with a grin. My jaw fell open, I tried to say something, I tried to prove them wrong, but I couldn't, I was a ghost...just like them. "You see Spark. You're just a Zombie, somemon dead who thinks that they're alive"
"N-no...you're lying..." I muttered. "You want further proof? Fine, I'll show you!" Skuntank growled and lunged at me. Surprised by the sudden action, I couldn't get out of his Poison Jab, getting struck on my flank and tumbling backward...yet...it didn't hurt. I then looked at the place where I got hit...dark substance oozed out of the wound instead of blood. "Just like when Dusknoir got cut...perhaps I really have been a ghost without knowing it this whole time" I thought to myself as my thoughts blurred. "How about we make you even more certain?"
"What...what do you mean by that?" I asked, then a white figure slowly materialized into existence, her pale face and white gown were as horrifying as ever. "F-Froslass!" I exclaimed. "Been a long while, Luxio. You...it was because of you! Because of you, all of my companions and collections were destroyed...yet...good news, you're going to be the first one of my new collection" she chanted in her ghostly voice. "N-no! I won't let you!"
Right after she said that cold winds started blowing as I shivered in bone-chilling fear. In the opening seconds of my fight with the powerful ghost, a deadly blizzard was summoned. My paws and soon more of my body were covered in snow. My body fell numb as my vision turned white and blurry from the cold. "No! No...no..." My voice trembled as the world gradually dimmed and turned white.
"Gaaaah!...hah...hah..." I screamed and shot out from my sleeping bag, I was back in the tent, panting stressfully as my eyes fixated on my surroundings. "Whoa, what?!" a voice echoed through the silence and a green mon rushed into the already-opened tent flaps. "Spark, what's happened? Are you alright?" Brick asked. "Yeah...it was just...a nightmare...but everything felt so true...a nightmare...it felt so cold..." I muttered. "Probably because you didn't close your tent?"
I looked around in confusion, then I noticed the mattress next to mine which belonged to Quinn, she wasn't there, all that was left were her ruffled covers. "Oh, Quinn probably went to the restroom and left the tent flaps open" I wondered out loud, but Brick eyed me skeptical look in his eyes. "Spark, it's only been an hour or so after our dinner chat, I haven't gone to sleep yet since I was polishing my eggs...nobody came out of your tent, Spark...nobody" Brick stated. "Huh? Nobody?" I asked in confusion. "That's right, my tent is right next to yours, I didn't hear or see anymon coming out of your tent"
"Maybe she tiptoed out...and she's a short and flat rodent pokemon, perhaps she slipped past you?" I questioned. "Probably...that could have happened..." Brick said with a sigh. "Sorry for disturbing you..." I apologized and tucked myself back into the sleeping bag. "This may sound weird...but...do you need somemon to sleep next to you? Besides your Quilava companion I mean" Brick asked. "N-no! Of course not! Thanks for the offer though" I replied and rubbed the back of my head. "What was the dream about anyway?"
"Blizzard Island..." I muttered as the image of the Froslass flashed before my eyes. "Ugh...get out of my head, you cursed witch!" I screamed internally while Brick gave me a compassionate look. "I'm...sorry, Spark. The Blizzard Island incident happened because I wasn't careful enough when I should have kept an eye on you two...I'm sorry that you have to go through all of that" he apologized and sat down. "It's...fine, Brick...you did your best trying to get us out, it's not your fault" I reassured. "Look...we're still alive...Icy's still alive...I'm still...alive" I added quietly. "Or am I..."
"Sorry for mentioning this topic, Spark. Hope you have a good sleep for the rest of the night" he said as I lay back in my sleeping bag, squirming to shake away the thought. "What's the matter, Spark? Trouble sleeping?" Brick turned around and asked, to which I replied with a weary nod. "I'm sure I can help you with that" Brick said with a smile as small yellow orbs emitted from his body, glowing in the air. "Thanks, Brick..." I murmured as I observed the pretty scene, falling back into my pillow, snoring and drowning in my sweet dreams within a few seconds.
(end of chapter 10)
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That's the end of the chapter, hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry that I've been so slow with updating these chapters, recently I experienced quite a downhill in my life. I prepared a lot for an important exam but ended up with bad grades, it affected me a lot and I stopped working on the story for a few days, thinking of the reason why or how I managed to do so badly at it.
Meanwhile, the constant heavy-Asian-school work and the pressure of our school project haven't been helping me either, even adding up with the stress of being assigned to a "Regional English Mechanical Vocabulary Competition" by the teacher without asking for my permission. The story might be on a hiatus for a few months if I still manage to do badly in my future exams or if I'm unable to catch up with my life but hope you all do well in your personal lives in the meantime, and thanks for reading my story and tolerating my bad grammar, cya next time!
Fact: I was always confused about the Halloween date and thought that it was 10/30 since people here never celebrate it...or at least I don't, I don't even celebrate my birthday, my family's been like that since I was a kid, I'm being serious about forgetting my actual age sometimes, I had to ask a foreign guy just to be sure about the exact date of Halloween.
2022/11/04 3:02 a.m. gmt+8