RE: Enigmatic Star
CRYSTAL USES MEGA-REVIVE!
Oh, but it's not without reason, dear people. CRYSTAL ACTUALLY HAS THE NEXT INSTALLMENT.
I'm pretty sure this is where the world is supposed to end
ANYWAYS. COMMENTS. RIGHT. I NEVER MADE THEM BACK. (I seem to have a habit of doing that.)
I think I like DNA's substitution better. Moar drama. Soz Zy. |3
DNA: Good catching on those booboos. I'll edit them in a bit. :V Anyways, Leichi was intentional as a pun on the fruit/berry. You know, cus Cherubi is close to being a berry itself. HAHAHA AIN'T I WITTY.
Zy: o u an ur anti 'was' parade. ...I'll be fixing that bit probably. :B
Also, the Ekans doesn't actually appear until the Sinister Woods mission as a minor character, but there is actually a reason for sticking him and that water scene in there. I can't say why yet (SPOLERZ), but everything I write and every reaction a character has has a reason in generally ALL of my stories.
Apollo: I have actually yet to play the Explorer games. I've seen so many comics of them that they kinda put me off a little. They seemed a little less 'urgent' than the Rescue games, if you know what I mean.
ANYWAYS, thanks. :3
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So now that I have those comments out of the way, obligatory reason post. I have been working on RQO a lot, as well as convention stuff, so this story (as well as the comic) kinda got neglected. However, since there was so much support on the comic and in completing NaNoWriMo, AND since it was on my to-do list to sit down and write out the ENTIRETY of ES within a month, I've fully decided to pick it back up. I'm only gonna post one or two more chapters outta the hopefully next 17, as I'll need this super duper proofread through and through after I'm finished. After that, I'll post up a chapter every two weeks (some of you may have to remind me >_>) BUT YES IT WILL HAPPEN. ES WILL BE COMPLETED.
And after I get into a steady ES comic stream, RQO WILL BE NEXT. *dramatic lightning*
Don't mind the silly nut.
Anyways, this was meant to be with Chapter 2, but for obvious length reasons it became its own chapter. It may also be choppy at the end, especially since it's gonna take some time for me to get back into the swing of things and the mood of things with this story (even after reading over everything I had already written, haha)! So please excuse the mess.
I think I've cliff-hung for long enough. >:3
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Chapter 3- Rescue
The newly transformed human bit her tongue as the dreary ceiling of the trees gave way to a patch of cool gray sky. An almost artificial circle of trees showed a stump in the middle of the clearing.
And on that stump was a tiny, berry-like Pokemon. A large claw held the poor Pokemon by his twig, as the bird above twisted its head in hunger.
“Come on, stop squirming! It’ll make everything less painful,” the bird squawked, pecking down and hitting the hard wood a literal inch from the Cherubi’s head. “Just…accept that these things happen in life and…come on, a Pidgey has to eat!” Again and again the female with odd eye markings pecked and pecked, to no avail.
“I-I’m not tasty, though! I’ll give you indigestion! I’ll come back as a Gengar and you’ll never live it down!” Leichi squeaked, barely dodging another strike.
“Too bad I’m a normal type. Now, here’s to lunchtime!” squawked the bird, raising her pink beak again.
Within a blink, Flare had leapt from her hiding place in the nearby bramble and extended her talons. A sudden feeling of remorse for the Pidgey pulsed through Asa’s veins as she watched the birds flutter madly in close combat.
“Flare! W-wait a sec!”
“Oh Flare! Please help!” Leichi, still captive prisoner of the Pidgey, pleaded before being forced to dodge another peck.
“I’ll help once you’re in your new home- my stomach!”
“You beast! Leave him alone!” Flare roared, ears deaf to Asa’s words. “His real home’s with his worried mother! Just find something inanimate to eat!”
“There’s not a thing you can do to stop me once I get enough airlift, flightless freak!” shrieked the enemy.
“Airlift my tail feathers, moltbeak!” Flare countered, embers dancing from her mouth again. “You couldn’t fly thirty feet in the air, with or without him in your grasp!”
Insulted, the Pidgey gasped, before tightening her grasp on her prey in seething rage. Asa found herself baring her canine teeth. She…she has no right to cause him pain, regardless of the fact that I feel like I know her…I have to do…something… “That trick may get dumber Pokemon to drop their meal and prove you wrong, but I’m hungry and smart! Peace to you! And bon appetite to me!”
“Don’t you DARE touch him anymore!” Asa shrieked as she flew into the clearing in sheer rage. Instinct cleared all thoughts from her mind, and her monster body suddenly behaved on its own accord. Seconds slowed to a near stop in time as she left the ground and targeted herself at the bird. Unknown energy was bursting from her emotions and body. Claws immediately extended on her forepaws. The Pidgey’s eyes grew in surprise, then her pupil covered the vast majority of her irises. Finally she lifted her grasp from her prey, in attempt to escape, yet it was in vain; fur and feathers clashed against each other as their hearts beat in disunity. Bones bent in uncomfortable positions. Asa’s breath was knocked from her chest as the collision worsened. The bird fell towards the ground behind the stump, and the Eevee made sure she was going to land on top and make her feel like the victim. Claws tightly caught in the knotted feathers of the creature. Asa’s entire body crushed the tiny bird as they landed and gravity took its toll.
Action returned to its normal speed. The eyelids of the Pidgey swiftly shut tight in pain. Adrenaline still pumped through the transformed human’s veins as she tumbled off the now unconscious Pokemon with a groan. Landing on her back, she finally took a breath of air as herself.
“A…Asa?! Are you alright?!”
“I…I think so,” she shook her head as she returned to a sitting position. Her balance returned as the fluid in her ears leaked into position, and she stumbled to her feet. She eyed Flare dubiously. The Cherubi was quietly sobbing at her side. “What…did I…do?”
“I’m not quite sure…that was either a very strong ‘Tackle’ or by the looks of your condition, ‘Take Down’, but either way, you attacked that Pidgey and clean knocked it out.”
“I…tackled it?” The words were foreign on her tongue. Once again her gaze set to the sleeping bird. The past and present meshed together. So…that’s what it feels like to use a Pokemon move? It was so…weird…I can’t…describe it. But it was somewhat…no, I can’t think of anything to describe it.
Her attention reverted to the weeping Cherubi, Leichi. Flare sighed at Asa’s ignorance, but turned to the little berry. “Hey, are you okay, Leichi?”
“I…I wanna go home,” he bawled. The Eevee couldn’t help a small smile. The gray cloud front looming above was starting to clear in small patches.
“It’s alright. We’ll take you to Mrs. Cherrim. You’ll be okay.”
“Oooogh…” A groan from behind made Asa leap. “…my head…my wings…my dignity.” Whipping around, she saw the Pidgey writhing in pain. Instantly there was a shriek of panic from Leichi as Flare readied another fire attack. “By the legendaries, are you secretly a log or something? That was not nice…”
“Have you ever tried to think about poor Leichi’s feelings?!” Asa’s rage bubbled up again, her tail swishing angrily. “He has a mother that’s crying in fear she lost her son-”
“Yeah, sure, furball. Ow…” As she scuttled to her feet, she glared at the two. “Relax, I’m not going after him anymore. You two owe me lunch for stealing mine, though.”
“We owe you nothing!” spat Flare, her flames still at the ready.
“Yeah, and don’t call me a furball! My name’s Asa!” retorted the Eevee. The yellow chick glanced over, questioning her introduction.
A bemused expression crawled over the Pidgey’s face as she suddenly backed up. “…Asa…? Your name…is Asa?” A look of faint recognition was spreading across her beak as she clicked it.
“Uh…yeah?”
Within seconds the Pidgey had fluttered over and began pecking at her head. “Why in the good legendaries’ NAME would you attack- wait, ASA?”
“Ow!” the Eevee cried as she attempted to protect her head with her paws.
“Uh, I think we’ve established her name a few times already,” the Torchic exasperatedly sighed, extinguishing her flames.
“But…how?!” the Pidgey continued, ignoring the chick. “I mean, before, you were…were tall, and…and what’s that word…fleshy, and…” As the Pidgey hopped around her, the Eevee shrunk back.
“I’m sorry…I’m not…following…”
The tiny bird suddenly used her right wing to drag her into closer proximity. “Asa! Asa! This is some kinda cruel joke, right? She set you up for this? Huh? It’s been cute, girl. Spill the beans. You have no idea who I am!”
“I’m afraid we don’t…” Flare offered. “Asa, we should get going…”
“M-mommy…” Leichi whimpered.
“I’ll catch up in a little…”
“It’s much safer to go through the forest as a group of three.” Reprimanding eyes darted to the Pidgey.
“Oh, so because I have to eat like every other Pokemon in the world, I’m suddenly evil. Okay. I’ll make this short. You can’t be Asa, because Asa would know in a heartbeat her closest friend in the whole world, wouldn’t she?”
A peculiar and strong sense of deja-vu swept through Asa’s blood, and needles poked at the sealed away memories of her heart. Staring deeper and deeper into the birds eyes, the fog lifted between her and a small memory. There she was, an amorphous shadow of a human, giggling and feeding the Pidgey.
“B-Breeze?!” she exclaimed as the name suddenly made itself known from thin air. “Oh, Breeze, it’s you!”
“Krahhh?!” Breeze gave a guttural cry as she was once again knocked back by a tackle.
“Oh, Breeze, I’m sorry! I don’t remember anything, and then I felt like I knew you, but then I remember feeding you on that one bench wherever that was, and you’re here too! Please tell me you remember something!”
Flare sweat as the Eevee continued to bombard Breeze with questions.
“I’ll answer you if you get off me. By the legendaries, you’re heavy…” she squawked.
“Ah, sorry!” she rapidly apologized, clambering off.
“Ugh, there’s a couple questions I’d like to ask back, Ms. Furball.” Busily she began preening away at her rustled feathers.
“I’d…kind of like to know what chaos is going on here, too, if you don’t mind…” Flare added in. Breeze shot her a glare mid-preen. “…I thought you said you didn’t remember anything. …we really should get going.”
“I didn’t…but I guess she triggered a memory for me, somehow,” the Eevee stated. “Still, I asked first…we can talk as we walk…or fly along.” Anxiously the Cherubi whimpered at the decision. A glance from Asa assured that all would be well. It wasn’t long before the company departed, the two longtime-friends hanging behind to keep their conversation hush-hush.
“…well, given how you did ask first…” Breeze began, hopping and fluttering along. “…I…actually don’t remember much of anything else either. I remember that I don’t belong here, that we lived somewhere far away from here…that you and I have been together for a long time ever since you saved my life from my bad wing. Oh, and you fed me whenever I wanted you to when you were around.”
Asa glared over. The memories of the pleading stare were beginning to come back to her. Breeze glared back. “What’s your problem?”
“Nothing, continue…” she sighed, leaping over a fallen log. The light began to poke through the trees more often as they climbed up through the forest trail.
“Uh, nothing else to continue. That’s all I remember. …What I’d like to know,” she now whispered, eyes darting towards the Torchic as she hopped along, “…is how the heck you went from being a…human to a furball.”
“Stop calling me a furball, will you? …it’s not like I need to be reminded of it…” Asa groaned. “…I don’t know. The only things I can remember are my name and a few facts about you. Everything else is…locked away somewhere, it feels. It’s hinting to me that it is there, but there’s this thick cloud of fog hanging over them in my head, and I can’t find anything. It’s too hard to see any memories…”
She glanced over. The Pidgey’s beak was slightly hung open. Asa rose a furry eyebrow. “Man, if I knew you were such a poetic loser, you didn’t save my life and we weren’t in this crazy situation, I’d ditch you in a heartbeat.”
“Breeze!”
“Haha, this is gonna be fun, communicating with you,” she clicked her beak, before setting her beady eyes on Flare and the ever-nervous Cherubi. “…so who’s that ‘righteous’ chick?”
“Uh, well her name is Flare…that’s just about all I know about her at this point. I rescued her out of a rock slide, and that’s when I found out…you know…” Asa’s eyes made sure to watch for any reaction from the Torchic. She simply kept trekking along, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. “…I freaked out, until I met the mother of your would-be lunch-”
“I was hungry, drop it,” the bird whistled through her beak.
“Regardless, she was just torn…I couldn’t feel selfish for myself at that time. So I kinda temporarily paired up with her.”
“I see. Ahhh, blasted wing,” she cursed as she hopped down and extended her left wing. Busily she attempted to perfect the feathers and soothe the pain of it before jumping along again. “So you know nothing about her and she knows…nothing about you.”
“No.”
“Let’s keep it that way. Something gives me the feeling that these Pokemon don’t know what a human is, or they don’t want to know. And when we get back to safety wherever that is, you are getting me lunch again.”
“You always were a little moocher, weren’t you? …oh, look…”
Both Asa and Breeze turned their heads when a cry of rejoice echoed throughout the clearing. Mrs. Cherrim’s petals folded away in the sunlight as she offered out her petite arms to her son. Anxiously Leichi hopped over and into his mother’s grasp. Babbling of praise and maternal instincts echoed throughout the scene. The reunion, to Asa, was almost overbearing, and she turned away happily. Breeze clicked her beak, muttering something incoherent. Flare beamed, enjoying every moment of the two’s safety and gratefulness.
“…yeah, yeah, that’s nice and all,” Breeze offered lamely, preening at her feathers. “…but I’m still hungry.”
“Can’t you think less about your stomach and more about your own kind?” the Eevee reprimanded.
“Nope,” she bluntly retorted. “…but, come to think of it…given we just got here, we’ll have nowhere to roost for the night…and nothing to eat, either…” The Pidgey’s expression suddenly went sour.
“Oh, oh by the legendaries that so kindly watch over us! Flare! How could I ever repay you for rescuing my son?!”
“Haha, it’s okay, Mrs. Cherrim,” the Torchic began, but was swiftly cut off.
“No, no, I insist! What will it be? Oh, and we can’t forget Ms. Eevee over there either, she made a large effort on her part to help too!” Large ears perked at the sound of her name.
“R-really, that’s…quite okay…”
“You have no idea what it is to mother a child, though!” Mrs. Cherrim prattled on, son still tight in her grip. “To lose a child…it’s bad enough to imagine it, worse to actually suffer through it! I must give you something for your troubles!” Bringing her petals forward, she yanked her purse out of its hiding place and recklessly dove into it with a free hand.
“Oh, Mrs. Cherrim…”
“Enough Flare. I’m not accepting charity for your deeds. Come, come here. Here’s two hundred Pokedollars for the both of you. That should get you each a nice meal.” Hurriedly, she pressed the coins into the Torchic’s wings, and with child still in arm, did the same to Asa’s paw.
“But Mrs. Cherrim-” the Torchic mindlessly giggled, still trying to make her point.
“Oh, but the two of you look famished!” she continued, completely ignoring the opposition. “How about some candy to hold you over till you get home, hmmm?”
“Mrs. Cherrim…” Flare kept skipping the record, but Asa finally got it on track.
“We would like that very much, Mrs. Cherrim,” she politely offered. “Thank you greatly for your kindness…” She knew, too, that the Pidgey was hungrily watching the mother now, waiting for her to remove any food.
“Oh, please, Ms. Eevee!” It was hard to try and realize for Asa that she was being talked about. “I’m the one that simply cannot thank you enough!” Within moments she had dove into that purse of hers. Soon enough, she withdrew two jelly-bean-shaped delights. One shone a brilliant candy red; the other was a brilliant white. Less reluctant to accept her gift now that Asa had thanked her for her generosity, Flare swooped down on the crimson gummy and swallowed it eagerly without mashing it up in her beak.
The Eevee was left to gaze in curiosity at the white candy. Taking it, she sniffed it; the smell of apple and some undistinguishable, edible flower filled her nose. It took every ounce of willpower against her empty stomach not to eat it as Flare had. Instead, she picked it up carefully with just her dry lips and placed the treat down at her friend’s talons.
The Pidgey dipped her head to hastily peck at it, but not before she glanced over weirdly. “…what…”
“Go on, have it,” Asa offered. “You said you were hungry. I can wait until we get back ‘home’.” The entire last part was a lie between her sharp canines, and Breeze knew it.
“Asa,” she nearly warned her, attempting to nudge the gummy toward her, but the human turned away.
“It’ll go to waste. You better eat it,” she coolly retorted.
“Oh, such a sweet dear. I think you’ve found a really good friend finally, Flare. Oh, my! It’s gotten so late. Leichi, we best head home before it gets dark. I apologize that we have to leave so soon…”
“Ah, no problem at all,” Flare offered awkwardly. There’s something in those eyes…what’s wrong? Asa wondered as she heard the vicious gobbling up of the gummy.
“Well, may the blessings of the legendaries be upon you, children. If you need any help at any time that can fall under my jurisdiction, please let me know! I’ll be sure to activate my ability to help you two out when you’re in a tight spot, you hear?”
“Of course, Mrs. Cherrim,” the Torchic nodded.
“Bye!” Asa offered with a small wave of her paw. It took her a moment to realize how awkward it felt to do so…and how awkward it appeared in the eyes of the other Pokemon around her.
“Oh, and Flare, do say hi to that grandmother of yours! It’s been too long since I’ve spoken to that old lady!”
“Haha, of course.”
* * *
The band of Pokemon moved through the calmer parts of Tiny Woods; no Pokemon were provoked from their nests for whatever reason. The trio had been fairly silent, until at one point when the trees began to clear, Flare spoke up.
“So…Asa.” The raspberry-colored Eevee glanced over, her attention piqued. “Is it a right assumption that…you don’t have any home to actually go home to?”
“Huh? Uh…” She hesitated, shaking her paws. She was most definitely not used to walking long distances. Absently she wondered to herself how long it would take to reach ‘town’. “…no, not really…”
“Hey, what about me? I’m here too, less you forgot,” Breeze hissed. “Or do I account for nothing?”
“I never meant it that way…”
“I took it that way.”
“Fine, fine…point being, you two…don’t really remember much of anything, do you?”
“No…” Asa groaned. “I’m surprised I remembered my own name, and some stuff with Breeze. Everything’s…so foggy for me…”
“I don’t doubt it…maybe it was a freak Amnesia accident. Lots of weird things have been happening, so much rescue teams have their paws and wings filled with rescue requests.” A dark chill came with her words.
“What are these rescue teams, anyways?”
“As you saw in the forest,” she began, that distant look in her eyes, “…it’s just awful. Pokemon have been freaking out about all of the natural disasters lately. Normally Pokemon don’t attack others, unless their homes are defiled. Even then, we’re typically pretty sensible about working things out, you know?”
“Yeah,” Asa lied, waiting for her to continue.
“I’m…not sure. Pokemon are getting more and more upset and apathetic towards each other. They don’t want to trust anyone if they can’t trust their senses in feeling earthquakes and weather fronts any more. I…kinda can’t blame them for that, but I don’t think they have any right to take it out on other Pokemon.
“That’s what rescue teams are for,” she continued, as the forest turned into rolling grasslands. “Pokemon that unknowingly get into trouble from other Pokemon just attacking back without reason often need to be rescued. Teams of two or more dive into these situations to help out those in need. They try and do things in a intelligent manner, but if all intelligence is lost from a situation, they have the strength and durability to resolve it with just enough force. Rescue teams…they’re the most respectable Pokemon around these days.” With that, she heaved a sigh, gazing off in thought. Silence followed for a moment more as the sky began to turn brilliant shades of red, yellow and pink.
A large hill and the smell of sea-salt greeted the travelers as Flare announced, “Well, town’s just over this hill. I think I know of a place that we can have you guys stay in temporarily. It belonged to my father when he was younger, so it’s small, but it’ll do, I think.”
The fire type tilted her head up and over the crest of the hill. It wasn’t long before the town revealed itself to Asa and Breeze; bush-like huts dotted the countryside. The scent of the nearby twinkling sea immediately relaxed weary muscles. Stone cobble roads appeared as a yellow mesh, but the Eevee decided that the square held great significance.
“There it is…Zansun Town, and Pokemon Square,” Flare noted, somewhat happily. “It’s the biggest town in the Damoria region, and pretty much the only one that avoids hostility.”
“Zansun…Damoria…” Asa repeated, attempting to commit it to memory. “It’s really…wonderful. I feel like it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, before and after I lost my memory.”
“Yeah, Zansun definitely is one of the more beautiful towns. Maybe I’m biased…I do love home.” Flare smiled gently, before frowning. “Well, we should get down there quickly. I gotta make curfew before my grandparents burn my butt, and I have to ask them if it’s okay for you guys to stay at my place. I’ll go on ahead so I won’t keep you guys waiting.”
Flare shot down the hill with near Extremespeed. The Eevee was forced to watch as the little fire type dashed headlong down to the town before completely disappearing almost seconds later. Sharing a bizarre look with the bird, soon the both of them were not-so-quickly in pursuit.
* * *
“T-this?!”
It was only moments when they strolled into town that the Torchic brought them to a small hut separated on a small hill. It shone in the light differently than the other occupied houses; something spoke of home to the girl as her tail wagged back and forth excitedly. Her ears were perked forward, paying as much attention as was possible.
“What? Is it too shabby for your tastes?” Flare muttered sarcastically.
“No, no! It’s…it’s…I’m coming to tears, it’s so perfect!” Practically bouncing in excitement, Asa zoomed around the little land surrounding the hut. “The trees, that little mailbox, the air is so pure, and just…wow! I don’t know why, but I just absolutely love it!”
“Haha! Glad you like it so much. It’s almost like you’ve never had a home of your own before.”
“Not bad,” Breeze offered, fluttering over to a protruded branch of the nearby tree. Oran berries littered the stems. Freely she gulped one down whole. “Sturdy branch for sleeping and…mmph, berries. Food is food.”
“Breeze, let’s look at the insides! This is so cool!” the Eevee continued to babble, poking her nose inside before dashing around the small living space. “Wow!”
“…she’s so tiring,” Flare weakly sighed.
“That’s Asa for you,” Breeze concurred before shoving another Oran berry in her beak.
“-there’s a fruit bowl and a map of Damoria and a great bed and everything! Wow! I can’t say it enough! Wow! I love it!”
“Can I say something here?” the tired Torchic attempted to interject.
“Yeah! Go right ahead!”
“Well, I just wanted to say-”
“Shut up so some of us can eat and sleep in peace,” Breeze cackled from her perch. She was working on her fourth berry.
“Breeze!” Asa hollered to the deaf bird, though her tail wouldn’t stop swishing. Her eyes focused back on Flare.
“Um…I know this sounds really selfish, but it was really kinda…gutsy and stupid at the same time to jump in and help with Mrs. Cherrim’s son.”
“Then why did you follow me, knowing it was dumb?”
Her talons became wetter as she hesitated, looking for an answer.
“Traveling in pairs isn’t stupid! And I had a feeling you would need help, too. Point being! …how did you feel about fighting Pokemon?”
The transformed human now was silent for a moment. She pawed at the ground anxiously.
“It was…I don’t even really think I knew what I was doing…but it was saddening. I know that much.”
“Mmm…but how did it feel to see Mrs. Cherrim and Leichi back together again?”
“Hungry,” Breeze cawed from her perch.
Asa didn’t reprimand the bird. She was too busy having her breath taken away. The sight of the happy pair, so glad that the other was safe and that they’d be together again…a warm sense of being loved poured through the cat-fox’s veins.
“I…it was wonderful. It made me really happy. It was like…I had just found a long lost relative I thought was gone from my life. Or something like that…”
“I…see,” the fire type nodded. Her sapphire eyes were set to the east to the ocean, her back to the sun. Stars were beginning to dot the night sky as bug Pokemon practices their songs before the evening began. She just stood there for a moment, completely silent, before she finally spoke, far more serious. “Asa.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I…I want to help more Pokemon like Leichi and Mrs. Cherrim,” she began softly. The sound of waves crashing against a beach not too far away almost timed her next few sentences. “Even if it means fighting against Pokemon, my ‘soul’ brothers and sisters, that do know better but are too scared to think properly…I just want to see that grateful face again, time and again. I…I know I’m selfish, and I have no right to probably ask or bribe you into this…”
“What…is it?” the Eevee asked uncertainly. A chill flew through her bones.
“Well, you said you really liked the house…and I left out the fact that my father can’t really use the house anymore. He’s far too big for it, so he gave it to me as a playhouse…I’d be willing to let you stay in it permanently, but on one condition…”
“Say no, whatever it is!” the Pidgey hissed.
“I want to make a rescue team with you.”
A moment of uncertainty and shock blew between the two grounded Pokemon. Before the roosting one could shriek out a line of indignity, Flare hastily continued. “I…I know I just met you and all, and I know you probably want to really search for who you are... I just thought, maybe, I could carry on in the tradition of…” she paused momentarily, a look of uncertainty in her eyes. “…other Square Pokemon and try and manage an ounce of courage to help those really in need. I can’t do it alone, though…and, well, no-one else will even give me the time of day.”
Asa bit her lip. As she once again tried to look into her past, the fog returned. “…Flare…I…”
“Gee, I wonder why no one will give you the time of day,” Breeze jeered. “Sure, you ask her, but what does that make me? Pompous little fire-butt… you’re as good as a Chimchar,” she scoffed and ‘accidentally’ knocked an Oran berry down and the Torchic’s way. She barely sidestepped the fruit, locking eyes with the Pidgey somewhat angrily.
“Breeze…”
“She could be on our rescue team as well, if she behaved more like a mature bird and not a moltbeak-”
“Look at the flightless one calling the beautiful beak rough,” she countered as she fluffed up her feathers.
“This is MY land, you know, and I could very easily arrange for you not to have a suitable perch with an Ember attack-”
“Come on, you two! Stop fighting! It’s not right!” Asa whined, before a recollection of her past self showed through in her thoughts. That’s right…it’s not fair for Pokemon to have to fight like this, endlessly. It just hurts so many in the end…but, it’s also not right to just sit around and have innocent creatures or sons or daughters get hurt by these Pokemon just out for a fight because they’re hurt…there’s…only one thing I can do, despite this situation of mine… “…Flare? Breeze?”
“I have nothing to say to the worm-breath down there,” Breeze coolly noted as she plucked off another piece of fruit from the tree.
“Nor do I to the glutton,” Flare muttered as she drew small symbols out in the sand with her talons. However, she was quick to notice that the Eevee had her face turned to the ground, appearing as though struggling with words. “…Asa?”
Said Pokemon drew in a breath slowly. The fog shifted and continuously blew in over her memories. “Flare…I…I really can’t talk for Breeze. She may be my best friend, but that doesn’t mean I know her too well. But…I mean, I can’t really be selfish right now. It really hurts to not be able to remember things, but when I think of all the potential cases out there like Mrs. Cherrim, I can’t help but feel guilty for trying to think of doing otherwise. And…I really don’t even know where to start to get my memories back. I…honestly don’t know what to tell you.”
“Well, I don’t want to pressure you or anything…”
“To be fair, I really don’t have anything else to do other than try hard to get my memories back…” And to become human again and to go back home… “Unless…you know someone that could get our memories back quickly?”
Flare slowly shook her head, shooting a glance up at the Pidgey as she gave a short belch. “Not one comes to mind. The only one I could think of…well, she’s never in town.” Her eyes lost their shimmer as the light continued to die from the sky, darker and darker. “Maybe if you travel a bit,” she added hopefully, “you’ll naturally begin to remember things as you see trigger items or Pokemon?”
“…I guess…” Asa coldly muttered. That simple idea soon became more and more convincing, though. “…yeah, that is true…yeah!”
“So, you’ll make a rescue team with me?!” Flare excitedly picked up her head, her cheeks turning a slight orange color.
“Sure…no offense, but just for the time being, yeah? I just…if something does come up, such as home and family being in need of me for a long time, I may have to go and leave. Breeze, too, if she’s interested.”
“Which I am not. I just want to get home and keep full,” she grunted.
“…well, anyways! Our basic Rescue Team has been formed!” Flare chirped ecstatically. “Here to help Pokemon, Team, uh…Team…”
“Team…?”
“Yeah. We gotta have a name.”
“How about Team Flareon? I’m sure everyone would get a kick outta that-”
“Does that bird ever come with a mute button?” Flare grumbled. “Ah well, I’ll sleep on some material or other. Still, the team is formed!” she sung, before parading around Asa. The transformed human couldn’t help but giggle. “Oh, this is so cool! I’ll have to run home and tell Grandpa and Grandma right away! There’s so much to be done, but you relax, I’ll deal with it all, I know just what to do! Have a good night, Asa, and Breeze! I’ll see you tomorrow morning with some team name ideas! Bye!”
“Bye, Flare, have a good night, too!” the Eevee called out after her. Talons tore through the ground at a godly speed, and within seconds she had disappeared into the town. Uncertain eyes glanced back to see the setting rays of the sun completely wilt and die away for the night. Yeah…Asa noted to herself as she trotted inside of the house, the events of the day taking its toll on her, I’ll see you tomorrow, Flare…still, what a weird dream this all is…maybe I’ll find out just what I was thinking when I wake up tomorrow wherever home is, as a human again…this…can’t be real, after all. It’s a nice dream, but all good things do have to come to an end. Just wish I could remember…
CRYSTAL USES MEGA-REVIVE!
Oh, but it's not without reason, dear people. CRYSTAL ACTUALLY HAS THE NEXT INSTALLMENT.
ANYWAYS. COMMENTS. RIGHT. I NEVER MADE THEM BACK. (I seem to have a habit of doing that.)
I think I like DNA's substitution better. Moar drama. Soz Zy. |3
DNA: Good catching on those booboos. I'll edit them in a bit. :V Anyways, Leichi was intentional as a pun on the fruit/berry. You know, cus Cherubi is close to being a berry itself. HAHAHA AIN'T I WITTY.
Zy: o u an ur anti 'was' parade. ...I'll be fixing that bit probably. :B
Also, the Ekans doesn't actually appear until the Sinister Woods mission as a minor character, but there is actually a reason for sticking him and that water scene in there. I can't say why yet (SPOLERZ), but everything I write and every reaction a character has has a reason in generally ALL of my stories.
Apollo: I have actually yet to play the Explorer games. I've seen so many comics of them that they kinda put me off a little. They seemed a little less 'urgent' than the Rescue games, if you know what I mean.
ANYWAYS, thanks. :3
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So now that I have those comments out of the way, obligatory reason post. I have been working on RQO a lot, as well as convention stuff, so this story (as well as the comic) kinda got neglected. However, since there was so much support on the comic and in completing NaNoWriMo, AND since it was on my to-do list to sit down and write out the ENTIRETY of ES within a month, I've fully decided to pick it back up. I'm only gonna post one or two more chapters outta the hopefully next 17, as I'll need this super duper proofread through and through after I'm finished. After that, I'll post up a chapter every two weeks (some of you may have to remind me >_>) BUT YES IT WILL HAPPEN. ES WILL BE COMPLETED.
And after I get into a steady ES comic stream, RQO WILL BE NEXT. *dramatic lightning*
Don't mind the silly nut.
Anyways, this was meant to be with Chapter 2, but for obvious length reasons it became its own chapter. It may also be choppy at the end, especially since it's gonna take some time for me to get back into the swing of things and the mood of things with this story (even after reading over everything I had already written, haha)! So please excuse the mess.
I think I've cliff-hung for long enough. >:3
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Chapter 3- Rescue
The newly transformed human bit her tongue as the dreary ceiling of the trees gave way to a patch of cool gray sky. An almost artificial circle of trees showed a stump in the middle of the clearing.
And on that stump was a tiny, berry-like Pokemon. A large claw held the poor Pokemon by his twig, as the bird above twisted its head in hunger.
“Come on, stop squirming! It’ll make everything less painful,” the bird squawked, pecking down and hitting the hard wood a literal inch from the Cherubi’s head. “Just…accept that these things happen in life and…come on, a Pidgey has to eat!” Again and again the female with odd eye markings pecked and pecked, to no avail.
“I-I’m not tasty, though! I’ll give you indigestion! I’ll come back as a Gengar and you’ll never live it down!” Leichi squeaked, barely dodging another strike.
“Too bad I’m a normal type. Now, here’s to lunchtime!” squawked the bird, raising her pink beak again.
Within a blink, Flare had leapt from her hiding place in the nearby bramble and extended her talons. A sudden feeling of remorse for the Pidgey pulsed through Asa’s veins as she watched the birds flutter madly in close combat.
“Flare! W-wait a sec!”
“Oh Flare! Please help!” Leichi, still captive prisoner of the Pidgey, pleaded before being forced to dodge another peck.
“I’ll help once you’re in your new home- my stomach!”
“You beast! Leave him alone!” Flare roared, ears deaf to Asa’s words. “His real home’s with his worried mother! Just find something inanimate to eat!”
“There’s not a thing you can do to stop me once I get enough airlift, flightless freak!” shrieked the enemy.
“Airlift my tail feathers, moltbeak!” Flare countered, embers dancing from her mouth again. “You couldn’t fly thirty feet in the air, with or without him in your grasp!”
Insulted, the Pidgey gasped, before tightening her grasp on her prey in seething rage. Asa found herself baring her canine teeth. She…she has no right to cause him pain, regardless of the fact that I feel like I know her…I have to do…something… “That trick may get dumber Pokemon to drop their meal and prove you wrong, but I’m hungry and smart! Peace to you! And bon appetite to me!”
“Don’t you DARE touch him anymore!” Asa shrieked as she flew into the clearing in sheer rage. Instinct cleared all thoughts from her mind, and her monster body suddenly behaved on its own accord. Seconds slowed to a near stop in time as she left the ground and targeted herself at the bird. Unknown energy was bursting from her emotions and body. Claws immediately extended on her forepaws. The Pidgey’s eyes grew in surprise, then her pupil covered the vast majority of her irises. Finally she lifted her grasp from her prey, in attempt to escape, yet it was in vain; fur and feathers clashed against each other as their hearts beat in disunity. Bones bent in uncomfortable positions. Asa’s breath was knocked from her chest as the collision worsened. The bird fell towards the ground behind the stump, and the Eevee made sure she was going to land on top and make her feel like the victim. Claws tightly caught in the knotted feathers of the creature. Asa’s entire body crushed the tiny bird as they landed and gravity took its toll.
Action returned to its normal speed. The eyelids of the Pidgey swiftly shut tight in pain. Adrenaline still pumped through the transformed human’s veins as she tumbled off the now unconscious Pokemon with a groan. Landing on her back, she finally took a breath of air as herself.
“A…Asa?! Are you alright?!”
“I…I think so,” she shook her head as she returned to a sitting position. Her balance returned as the fluid in her ears leaked into position, and she stumbled to her feet. She eyed Flare dubiously. The Cherubi was quietly sobbing at her side. “What…did I…do?”
“I’m not quite sure…that was either a very strong ‘Tackle’ or by the looks of your condition, ‘Take Down’, but either way, you attacked that Pidgey and clean knocked it out.”
“I…tackled it?” The words were foreign on her tongue. Once again her gaze set to the sleeping bird. The past and present meshed together. So…that’s what it feels like to use a Pokemon move? It was so…weird…I can’t…describe it. But it was somewhat…no, I can’t think of anything to describe it.
Her attention reverted to the weeping Cherubi, Leichi. Flare sighed at Asa’s ignorance, but turned to the little berry. “Hey, are you okay, Leichi?”
“I…I wanna go home,” he bawled. The Eevee couldn’t help a small smile. The gray cloud front looming above was starting to clear in small patches.
“It’s alright. We’ll take you to Mrs. Cherrim. You’ll be okay.”
“Oooogh…” A groan from behind made Asa leap. “…my head…my wings…my dignity.” Whipping around, she saw the Pidgey writhing in pain. Instantly there was a shriek of panic from Leichi as Flare readied another fire attack. “By the legendaries, are you secretly a log or something? That was not nice…”
“Have you ever tried to think about poor Leichi’s feelings?!” Asa’s rage bubbled up again, her tail swishing angrily. “He has a mother that’s crying in fear she lost her son-”
“Yeah, sure, furball. Ow…” As she scuttled to her feet, she glared at the two. “Relax, I’m not going after him anymore. You two owe me lunch for stealing mine, though.”
“We owe you nothing!” spat Flare, her flames still at the ready.
“Yeah, and don’t call me a furball! My name’s Asa!” retorted the Eevee. The yellow chick glanced over, questioning her introduction.
A bemused expression crawled over the Pidgey’s face as she suddenly backed up. “…Asa…? Your name…is Asa?” A look of faint recognition was spreading across her beak as she clicked it.
“Uh…yeah?”
Within seconds the Pidgey had fluttered over and began pecking at her head. “Why in the good legendaries’ NAME would you attack- wait, ASA?”
“Ow!” the Eevee cried as she attempted to protect her head with her paws.
“Uh, I think we’ve established her name a few times already,” the Torchic exasperatedly sighed, extinguishing her flames.
“But…how?!” the Pidgey continued, ignoring the chick. “I mean, before, you were…were tall, and…and what’s that word…fleshy, and…” As the Pidgey hopped around her, the Eevee shrunk back.
“I’m sorry…I’m not…following…”
The tiny bird suddenly used her right wing to drag her into closer proximity. “Asa! Asa! This is some kinda cruel joke, right? She set you up for this? Huh? It’s been cute, girl. Spill the beans. You have no idea who I am!”
“I’m afraid we don’t…” Flare offered. “Asa, we should get going…”
“M-mommy…” Leichi whimpered.
“I’ll catch up in a little…”
“It’s much safer to go through the forest as a group of three.” Reprimanding eyes darted to the Pidgey.
“Oh, so because I have to eat like every other Pokemon in the world, I’m suddenly evil. Okay. I’ll make this short. You can’t be Asa, because Asa would know in a heartbeat her closest friend in the whole world, wouldn’t she?”
A peculiar and strong sense of deja-vu swept through Asa’s blood, and needles poked at the sealed away memories of her heart. Staring deeper and deeper into the birds eyes, the fog lifted between her and a small memory. There she was, an amorphous shadow of a human, giggling and feeding the Pidgey.
“B-Breeze?!” she exclaimed as the name suddenly made itself known from thin air. “Oh, Breeze, it’s you!”
“Krahhh?!” Breeze gave a guttural cry as she was once again knocked back by a tackle.
“Oh, Breeze, I’m sorry! I don’t remember anything, and then I felt like I knew you, but then I remember feeding you on that one bench wherever that was, and you’re here too! Please tell me you remember something!”
Flare sweat as the Eevee continued to bombard Breeze with questions.
“I’ll answer you if you get off me. By the legendaries, you’re heavy…” she squawked.
“Ah, sorry!” she rapidly apologized, clambering off.
“Ugh, there’s a couple questions I’d like to ask back, Ms. Furball.” Busily she began preening away at her rustled feathers.
“I’d…kind of like to know what chaos is going on here, too, if you don’t mind…” Flare added in. Breeze shot her a glare mid-preen. “…I thought you said you didn’t remember anything. …we really should get going.”
“I didn’t…but I guess she triggered a memory for me, somehow,” the Eevee stated. “Still, I asked first…we can talk as we walk…or fly along.” Anxiously the Cherubi whimpered at the decision. A glance from Asa assured that all would be well. It wasn’t long before the company departed, the two longtime-friends hanging behind to keep their conversation hush-hush.
“…well, given how you did ask first…” Breeze began, hopping and fluttering along. “…I…actually don’t remember much of anything else either. I remember that I don’t belong here, that we lived somewhere far away from here…that you and I have been together for a long time ever since you saved my life from my bad wing. Oh, and you fed me whenever I wanted you to when you were around.”
Asa glared over. The memories of the pleading stare were beginning to come back to her. Breeze glared back. “What’s your problem?”
“Nothing, continue…” she sighed, leaping over a fallen log. The light began to poke through the trees more often as they climbed up through the forest trail.
“Uh, nothing else to continue. That’s all I remember. …What I’d like to know,” she now whispered, eyes darting towards the Torchic as she hopped along, “…is how the heck you went from being a…human to a furball.”
“Stop calling me a furball, will you? …it’s not like I need to be reminded of it…” Asa groaned. “…I don’t know. The only things I can remember are my name and a few facts about you. Everything else is…locked away somewhere, it feels. It’s hinting to me that it is there, but there’s this thick cloud of fog hanging over them in my head, and I can’t find anything. It’s too hard to see any memories…”
She glanced over. The Pidgey’s beak was slightly hung open. Asa rose a furry eyebrow. “Man, if I knew you were such a poetic loser, you didn’t save my life and we weren’t in this crazy situation, I’d ditch you in a heartbeat.”
“Breeze!”
“Haha, this is gonna be fun, communicating with you,” she clicked her beak, before setting her beady eyes on Flare and the ever-nervous Cherubi. “…so who’s that ‘righteous’ chick?”
“Uh, well her name is Flare…that’s just about all I know about her at this point. I rescued her out of a rock slide, and that’s when I found out…you know…” Asa’s eyes made sure to watch for any reaction from the Torchic. She simply kept trekking along, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. “…I freaked out, until I met the mother of your would-be lunch-”
“I was hungry, drop it,” the bird whistled through her beak.
“Regardless, she was just torn…I couldn’t feel selfish for myself at that time. So I kinda temporarily paired up with her.”
“I see. Ahhh, blasted wing,” she cursed as she hopped down and extended her left wing. Busily she attempted to perfect the feathers and soothe the pain of it before jumping along again. “So you know nothing about her and she knows…nothing about you.”
“No.”
“Let’s keep it that way. Something gives me the feeling that these Pokemon don’t know what a human is, or they don’t want to know. And when we get back to safety wherever that is, you are getting me lunch again.”
“You always were a little moocher, weren’t you? …oh, look…”
Both Asa and Breeze turned their heads when a cry of rejoice echoed throughout the clearing. Mrs. Cherrim’s petals folded away in the sunlight as she offered out her petite arms to her son. Anxiously Leichi hopped over and into his mother’s grasp. Babbling of praise and maternal instincts echoed throughout the scene. The reunion, to Asa, was almost overbearing, and she turned away happily. Breeze clicked her beak, muttering something incoherent. Flare beamed, enjoying every moment of the two’s safety and gratefulness.
“…yeah, yeah, that’s nice and all,” Breeze offered lamely, preening at her feathers. “…but I’m still hungry.”
“Can’t you think less about your stomach and more about your own kind?” the Eevee reprimanded.
“Nope,” she bluntly retorted. “…but, come to think of it…given we just got here, we’ll have nowhere to roost for the night…and nothing to eat, either…” The Pidgey’s expression suddenly went sour.
“Oh, oh by the legendaries that so kindly watch over us! Flare! How could I ever repay you for rescuing my son?!”
“Haha, it’s okay, Mrs. Cherrim,” the Torchic began, but was swiftly cut off.
“No, no, I insist! What will it be? Oh, and we can’t forget Ms. Eevee over there either, she made a large effort on her part to help too!” Large ears perked at the sound of her name.
“R-really, that’s…quite okay…”
“You have no idea what it is to mother a child, though!” Mrs. Cherrim prattled on, son still tight in her grip. “To lose a child…it’s bad enough to imagine it, worse to actually suffer through it! I must give you something for your troubles!” Bringing her petals forward, she yanked her purse out of its hiding place and recklessly dove into it with a free hand.
“Oh, Mrs. Cherrim…”
“Enough Flare. I’m not accepting charity for your deeds. Come, come here. Here’s two hundred Pokedollars for the both of you. That should get you each a nice meal.” Hurriedly, she pressed the coins into the Torchic’s wings, and with child still in arm, did the same to Asa’s paw.
“But Mrs. Cherrim-” the Torchic mindlessly giggled, still trying to make her point.
“Oh, but the two of you look famished!” she continued, completely ignoring the opposition. “How about some candy to hold you over till you get home, hmmm?”
“Mrs. Cherrim…” Flare kept skipping the record, but Asa finally got it on track.
“We would like that very much, Mrs. Cherrim,” she politely offered. “Thank you greatly for your kindness…” She knew, too, that the Pidgey was hungrily watching the mother now, waiting for her to remove any food.
“Oh, please, Ms. Eevee!” It was hard to try and realize for Asa that she was being talked about. “I’m the one that simply cannot thank you enough!” Within moments she had dove into that purse of hers. Soon enough, she withdrew two jelly-bean-shaped delights. One shone a brilliant candy red; the other was a brilliant white. Less reluctant to accept her gift now that Asa had thanked her for her generosity, Flare swooped down on the crimson gummy and swallowed it eagerly without mashing it up in her beak.
The Eevee was left to gaze in curiosity at the white candy. Taking it, she sniffed it; the smell of apple and some undistinguishable, edible flower filled her nose. It took every ounce of willpower against her empty stomach not to eat it as Flare had. Instead, she picked it up carefully with just her dry lips and placed the treat down at her friend’s talons.
The Pidgey dipped her head to hastily peck at it, but not before she glanced over weirdly. “…what…”
“Go on, have it,” Asa offered. “You said you were hungry. I can wait until we get back ‘home’.” The entire last part was a lie between her sharp canines, and Breeze knew it.
“Asa,” she nearly warned her, attempting to nudge the gummy toward her, but the human turned away.
“It’ll go to waste. You better eat it,” she coolly retorted.
“Oh, such a sweet dear. I think you’ve found a really good friend finally, Flare. Oh, my! It’s gotten so late. Leichi, we best head home before it gets dark. I apologize that we have to leave so soon…”
“Ah, no problem at all,” Flare offered awkwardly. There’s something in those eyes…what’s wrong? Asa wondered as she heard the vicious gobbling up of the gummy.
“Well, may the blessings of the legendaries be upon you, children. If you need any help at any time that can fall under my jurisdiction, please let me know! I’ll be sure to activate my ability to help you two out when you’re in a tight spot, you hear?”
“Of course, Mrs. Cherrim,” the Torchic nodded.
“Bye!” Asa offered with a small wave of her paw. It took her a moment to realize how awkward it felt to do so…and how awkward it appeared in the eyes of the other Pokemon around her.
“Oh, and Flare, do say hi to that grandmother of yours! It’s been too long since I’ve spoken to that old lady!”
“Haha, of course.”
* * *
The band of Pokemon moved through the calmer parts of Tiny Woods; no Pokemon were provoked from their nests for whatever reason. The trio had been fairly silent, until at one point when the trees began to clear, Flare spoke up.
“So…Asa.” The raspberry-colored Eevee glanced over, her attention piqued. “Is it a right assumption that…you don’t have any home to actually go home to?”
“Huh? Uh…” She hesitated, shaking her paws. She was most definitely not used to walking long distances. Absently she wondered to herself how long it would take to reach ‘town’. “…no, not really…”
“Hey, what about me? I’m here too, less you forgot,” Breeze hissed. “Or do I account for nothing?”
“I never meant it that way…”
“I took it that way.”
“Fine, fine…point being, you two…don’t really remember much of anything, do you?”
“No…” Asa groaned. “I’m surprised I remembered my own name, and some stuff with Breeze. Everything’s…so foggy for me…”
“I don’t doubt it…maybe it was a freak Amnesia accident. Lots of weird things have been happening, so much rescue teams have their paws and wings filled with rescue requests.” A dark chill came with her words.
“What are these rescue teams, anyways?”
“As you saw in the forest,” she began, that distant look in her eyes, “…it’s just awful. Pokemon have been freaking out about all of the natural disasters lately. Normally Pokemon don’t attack others, unless their homes are defiled. Even then, we’re typically pretty sensible about working things out, you know?”
“Yeah,” Asa lied, waiting for her to continue.
“I’m…not sure. Pokemon are getting more and more upset and apathetic towards each other. They don’t want to trust anyone if they can’t trust their senses in feeling earthquakes and weather fronts any more. I…kinda can’t blame them for that, but I don’t think they have any right to take it out on other Pokemon.
“That’s what rescue teams are for,” she continued, as the forest turned into rolling grasslands. “Pokemon that unknowingly get into trouble from other Pokemon just attacking back without reason often need to be rescued. Teams of two or more dive into these situations to help out those in need. They try and do things in a intelligent manner, but if all intelligence is lost from a situation, they have the strength and durability to resolve it with just enough force. Rescue teams…they’re the most respectable Pokemon around these days.” With that, she heaved a sigh, gazing off in thought. Silence followed for a moment more as the sky began to turn brilliant shades of red, yellow and pink.
A large hill and the smell of sea-salt greeted the travelers as Flare announced, “Well, town’s just over this hill. I think I know of a place that we can have you guys stay in temporarily. It belonged to my father when he was younger, so it’s small, but it’ll do, I think.”
The fire type tilted her head up and over the crest of the hill. It wasn’t long before the town revealed itself to Asa and Breeze; bush-like huts dotted the countryside. The scent of the nearby twinkling sea immediately relaxed weary muscles. Stone cobble roads appeared as a yellow mesh, but the Eevee decided that the square held great significance.
“There it is…Zansun Town, and Pokemon Square,” Flare noted, somewhat happily. “It’s the biggest town in the Damoria region, and pretty much the only one that avoids hostility.”
“Zansun…Damoria…” Asa repeated, attempting to commit it to memory. “It’s really…wonderful. I feel like it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, before and after I lost my memory.”
“Yeah, Zansun definitely is one of the more beautiful towns. Maybe I’m biased…I do love home.” Flare smiled gently, before frowning. “Well, we should get down there quickly. I gotta make curfew before my grandparents burn my butt, and I have to ask them if it’s okay for you guys to stay at my place. I’ll go on ahead so I won’t keep you guys waiting.”
Flare shot down the hill with near Extremespeed. The Eevee was forced to watch as the little fire type dashed headlong down to the town before completely disappearing almost seconds later. Sharing a bizarre look with the bird, soon the both of them were not-so-quickly in pursuit.
* * *
“T-this?!”
It was only moments when they strolled into town that the Torchic brought them to a small hut separated on a small hill. It shone in the light differently than the other occupied houses; something spoke of home to the girl as her tail wagged back and forth excitedly. Her ears were perked forward, paying as much attention as was possible.
“What? Is it too shabby for your tastes?” Flare muttered sarcastically.
“No, no! It’s…it’s…I’m coming to tears, it’s so perfect!” Practically bouncing in excitement, Asa zoomed around the little land surrounding the hut. “The trees, that little mailbox, the air is so pure, and just…wow! I don’t know why, but I just absolutely love it!”
“Haha! Glad you like it so much. It’s almost like you’ve never had a home of your own before.”
“Not bad,” Breeze offered, fluttering over to a protruded branch of the nearby tree. Oran berries littered the stems. Freely she gulped one down whole. “Sturdy branch for sleeping and…mmph, berries. Food is food.”
“Breeze, let’s look at the insides! This is so cool!” the Eevee continued to babble, poking her nose inside before dashing around the small living space. “Wow!”
“…she’s so tiring,” Flare weakly sighed.
“That’s Asa for you,” Breeze concurred before shoving another Oran berry in her beak.
“-there’s a fruit bowl and a map of Damoria and a great bed and everything! Wow! I can’t say it enough! Wow! I love it!”
“Can I say something here?” the tired Torchic attempted to interject.
“Yeah! Go right ahead!”
“Well, I just wanted to say-”
“Shut up so some of us can eat and sleep in peace,” Breeze cackled from her perch. She was working on her fourth berry.
“Breeze!” Asa hollered to the deaf bird, though her tail wouldn’t stop swishing. Her eyes focused back on Flare.
“Um…I know this sounds really selfish, but it was really kinda…gutsy and stupid at the same time to jump in and help with Mrs. Cherrim’s son.”
“Then why did you follow me, knowing it was dumb?”
Her talons became wetter as she hesitated, looking for an answer.
“Traveling in pairs isn’t stupid! And I had a feeling you would need help, too. Point being! …how did you feel about fighting Pokemon?”
The transformed human now was silent for a moment. She pawed at the ground anxiously.
“It was…I don’t even really think I knew what I was doing…but it was saddening. I know that much.”
“Mmm…but how did it feel to see Mrs. Cherrim and Leichi back together again?”
“Hungry,” Breeze cawed from her perch.
Asa didn’t reprimand the bird. She was too busy having her breath taken away. The sight of the happy pair, so glad that the other was safe and that they’d be together again…a warm sense of being loved poured through the cat-fox’s veins.
“I…it was wonderful. It made me really happy. It was like…I had just found a long lost relative I thought was gone from my life. Or something like that…”
“I…see,” the fire type nodded. Her sapphire eyes were set to the east to the ocean, her back to the sun. Stars were beginning to dot the night sky as bug Pokemon practices their songs before the evening began. She just stood there for a moment, completely silent, before she finally spoke, far more serious. “Asa.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I…I want to help more Pokemon like Leichi and Mrs. Cherrim,” she began softly. The sound of waves crashing against a beach not too far away almost timed her next few sentences. “Even if it means fighting against Pokemon, my ‘soul’ brothers and sisters, that do know better but are too scared to think properly…I just want to see that grateful face again, time and again. I…I know I’m selfish, and I have no right to probably ask or bribe you into this…”
“What…is it?” the Eevee asked uncertainly. A chill flew through her bones.
“Well, you said you really liked the house…and I left out the fact that my father can’t really use the house anymore. He’s far too big for it, so he gave it to me as a playhouse…I’d be willing to let you stay in it permanently, but on one condition…”
“Say no, whatever it is!” the Pidgey hissed.
“I want to make a rescue team with you.”
A moment of uncertainty and shock blew between the two grounded Pokemon. Before the roosting one could shriek out a line of indignity, Flare hastily continued. “I…I know I just met you and all, and I know you probably want to really search for who you are... I just thought, maybe, I could carry on in the tradition of…” she paused momentarily, a look of uncertainty in her eyes. “…other Square Pokemon and try and manage an ounce of courage to help those really in need. I can’t do it alone, though…and, well, no-one else will even give me the time of day.”
Asa bit her lip. As she once again tried to look into her past, the fog returned. “…Flare…I…”
“Gee, I wonder why no one will give you the time of day,” Breeze jeered. “Sure, you ask her, but what does that make me? Pompous little fire-butt… you’re as good as a Chimchar,” she scoffed and ‘accidentally’ knocked an Oran berry down and the Torchic’s way. She barely sidestepped the fruit, locking eyes with the Pidgey somewhat angrily.
“Breeze…”
“She could be on our rescue team as well, if she behaved more like a mature bird and not a moltbeak-”
“Look at the flightless one calling the beautiful beak rough,” she countered as she fluffed up her feathers.
“This is MY land, you know, and I could very easily arrange for you not to have a suitable perch with an Ember attack-”
“Come on, you two! Stop fighting! It’s not right!” Asa whined, before a recollection of her past self showed through in her thoughts. That’s right…it’s not fair for Pokemon to have to fight like this, endlessly. It just hurts so many in the end…but, it’s also not right to just sit around and have innocent creatures or sons or daughters get hurt by these Pokemon just out for a fight because they’re hurt…there’s…only one thing I can do, despite this situation of mine… “…Flare? Breeze?”
“I have nothing to say to the worm-breath down there,” Breeze coolly noted as she plucked off another piece of fruit from the tree.
“Nor do I to the glutton,” Flare muttered as she drew small symbols out in the sand with her talons. However, she was quick to notice that the Eevee had her face turned to the ground, appearing as though struggling with words. “…Asa?”
Said Pokemon drew in a breath slowly. The fog shifted and continuously blew in over her memories. “Flare…I…I really can’t talk for Breeze. She may be my best friend, but that doesn’t mean I know her too well. But…I mean, I can’t really be selfish right now. It really hurts to not be able to remember things, but when I think of all the potential cases out there like Mrs. Cherrim, I can’t help but feel guilty for trying to think of doing otherwise. And…I really don’t even know where to start to get my memories back. I…honestly don’t know what to tell you.”
“Well, I don’t want to pressure you or anything…”
“To be fair, I really don’t have anything else to do other than try hard to get my memories back…” And to become human again and to go back home… “Unless…you know someone that could get our memories back quickly?”
Flare slowly shook her head, shooting a glance up at the Pidgey as she gave a short belch. “Not one comes to mind. The only one I could think of…well, she’s never in town.” Her eyes lost their shimmer as the light continued to die from the sky, darker and darker. “Maybe if you travel a bit,” she added hopefully, “you’ll naturally begin to remember things as you see trigger items or Pokemon?”
“…I guess…” Asa coldly muttered. That simple idea soon became more and more convincing, though. “…yeah, that is true…yeah!”
“So, you’ll make a rescue team with me?!” Flare excitedly picked up her head, her cheeks turning a slight orange color.
“Sure…no offense, but just for the time being, yeah? I just…if something does come up, such as home and family being in need of me for a long time, I may have to go and leave. Breeze, too, if she’s interested.”
“Which I am not. I just want to get home and keep full,” she grunted.
“…well, anyways! Our basic Rescue Team has been formed!” Flare chirped ecstatically. “Here to help Pokemon, Team, uh…Team…”
“Team…?”
“Yeah. We gotta have a name.”
“How about Team Flareon? I’m sure everyone would get a kick outta that-”
“Does that bird ever come with a mute button?” Flare grumbled. “Ah well, I’ll sleep on some material or other. Still, the team is formed!” she sung, before parading around Asa. The transformed human couldn’t help but giggle. “Oh, this is so cool! I’ll have to run home and tell Grandpa and Grandma right away! There’s so much to be done, but you relax, I’ll deal with it all, I know just what to do! Have a good night, Asa, and Breeze! I’ll see you tomorrow morning with some team name ideas! Bye!”
“Bye, Flare, have a good night, too!” the Eevee called out after her. Talons tore through the ground at a godly speed, and within seconds she had disappeared into the town. Uncertain eyes glanced back to see the setting rays of the sun completely wilt and die away for the night. Yeah…Asa noted to herself as she trotted inside of the house, the events of the day taking its toll on her, I’ll see you tomorrow, Flare…still, what a weird dream this all is…maybe I’ll find out just what I was thinking when I wake up tomorrow wherever home is, as a human again…this…can’t be real, after all. It’s a nice dream, but all good things do have to come to an end. Just wish I could remember…
