Chapter 29: Ice-Heal and Chill

Brockton Bay, NH, USA

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Type: Ice

I was so dead tired last night that I didn’t even notice my aura shift. When I woke up, for a moment, I thought I’d received another typeless day. I wouldn’t have been surprised, given how much I pushed myself yesterday. Thankfully, Arceus was a gracious and kind alpaca.

Ice. Ice rested in my soul, leaving me with a cool, refreshing burn. Slowly, I crawled out of bed to face the day. Well, it wasn’t really a bed so much as a cozy hole in the ground layered with tarp, a foam mattress, and a sleeping bag.

My back was killing me. I groaned in discomfort as I slowly got to my feet, wondering why the fuck I’d decided to camp out in the abandoned ferry station. There had been a time when I used to do this kind of thing every day for months on end, but this new life had spoiled me rotten. Clearly, I needed to brush up on my wilderness survival skills.

Then, I remembered: I’d told Mrs. Wells that I’d spend the night with a friend. I felt a little guilty at that. Lying to tell the orphanage matron that someone I knew lost a parent wasn’t exactly my best moment, but it did give me the weekend free.

I climbed up the dugout and into the ferry station proper. My body was physically fine, if a bit stiff, but I couldn’t say the same for my soul. It felt strained, sore like Giratina used me as a chew toy.

Worse, there wasn’t a whole lot I could do about the aura exhaustion either. As much as I wanted to spend the day in bed today, I had shit to do and no amount of bedrest and chicken soup would help fix it.

I bought a disposable toothbrush at a nearby gas station and checked into the YMCA across the street. I knew I could take a free shower there because it was the one Emily used, back when she slept here instead of the women’s shelter.

Freshened up and feeling marginally better about the day, I bought myself a cinnamon bun from an overpriced coffee shop and thought about what I wanted to do.

X

Truthfully, I felt a little wrung out. It felt like one thing after another. I captured Kaiser, dealt with Coil, and then stopped this whole breakout mess, all in less than two weeks.

There were lots of great things that happened in that time too. I made the Mystery Dungeon game, gave Dragon blueprints for Silph Co. hammerspace bags and teleporters, and introduced Amy to the wonders of drugs. And of course, there was Victini; her arrival couldn’t be overstated.

But in the end, I was the main actor in the push against the gangs. I… I’d wanted to avoid that exact thing when I started out. Kaiser and Coil, for all their pettiness and cruelty, were just that: petty. They did not pose a universal threat as Cyrus had. Hell, they weren’t even multinational criminals like Giovanni. They weren’t pissing off gods or doing anything else that would cause massive loss of life.

They were just a pair of worms with delusions of grandeur and I felt… Maybe it was a little arrogant to say, but I felt that they were a little beneath me. The fact that I had to get involved when I wanted nothing more than to make people smile was… vexing.

“That does it,” I spoke aloud. I shoveled the last of my cinnamon bun into my mouth, dusted off the crumbs, and marched out of the coffee store. “I need to get back to my roots. Menagerie was never meant to be a rough ‘n’ tumble, beat ‘em up kind of hero. Menagerie stands for silliness, random hijinks, and trolling Amy. Clearly, I’ve lost the plot here.”

X

My mind was a chaotic mess of ideas as I headed back to the ferry station. There, I put on my costume again and got ready for the day. I was tired of fighting, but I’d never get tired of showing off different pokemon.

There were plenty of ice type pokemon for me to choose from in my Day of Silliness™. Hell, I’d been plenty of them already. I’d given people rides on my back as aurorus, dazzled the unwashed masses with my beauty as Alolan ninetales, had sabah make my costume out of snom silk, and of course, shattered Vista’s emotional wellbeing as spheal.

But I’d be a poor pokemon master if I couldn’t think of anything else to do. I could build an ice rink; I seriously doubted anyone would raise a stink over it after the show of force I displayed yesterday. I could serve ice cream as vanillite, tap dance as Mr. Rime, or give out presents as delibird. Hell, just for the little ones, I could be convinced to remove the explosives.

A part of me just wanted to build a statue of Arceus. It’d be magnificent, as tall as ten grown men. Then, I’d hold a sermon as the Paragon of Arceus, the great high priest of the Alpaca Supreme. Sure, I’d actually have to make up a sermon off the top of my head, but the looks on people’s faces might be worth it.

Then, as I was heading out for the day, a storm of ideas fighting for dominance in my mind, I received a text from my nominal girlfriend.

Amy: Yo. Wake up, loser.

I frowned. This wouldn’t do. This was a reversal of the natural order, an upheaval of all that was right and proper. I mocked Amy, not the other way around.

This could not be allowed to stand.

Menagerie: Loser? Rude, and first thing in the morning, too. Can’t you show your boyfriend some love?

Amy: I’m not texting you my tits, loser.

Menagerie: Would it help if I sent you furry porn in exchange?

Amy: F@*# you, $#!@& @$$#*!%.

Menagerie: Love you too, darling.

Amy: Gross. Like, I actually threw up a little in my mouth. Anyway, since you’re up, come to the hospital.

Menagerie: Hospital? Is it busy right now?

Amy: Yeah, there was a riot yesterday. It’s just more of the same, but a lot more than usual, you know?

Menagerie: Alright, I’ll be right there. I’m kinda tired from yesterday though. I don’t know if I can heal that many people one by one.

Amy: Then never mind. Go back to sleep.

Menagerie: Nah, it’s fine. I’ll figure something out.

Amy: Seriously, if you’re going to stress your power, don’t come. It’s not bad enough that you have to be here.

Menagerie: Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Now that I think about it, today’s type is uniquely suited for this. Can you have all the less injured people gather around the hospital fountain? You know, the big one outside the main square.

Amy: What? You’re going to baptize them in the name of your donkey-god or something?

Menagerie: Alpaca, actually, but that’s a wonderful idea. A benediction to invite his divine presence into our lives is exactly what we need. Thanks, Ames!

Amy: What? No, that was a joke, you $#!t.

Amy: ?

Amy: Menagerie???

Amy: Fuck, you’re going to start a cult for real, aren’t you?

I hummed nonchalantly as I headed to the hospital, ignoring the vibrating phone in my pocket. Trolling Amy did as much to get me in the right mood as that coffee and cinnamon bun. Truly, all was right with the world once more.

X

I took the bus.

I, Menagerie, badass hero extraordinaire and legendary aura master, took the bus.

It was hilarious. I shuffled sullenly onto public transportation, digging into my armor pockets for the two dollar bus fare. My bulky ass squeezed through the aisles before plopping down next to a rather stoned looking man. After all, aura conservation was key here.

Twenty awkward minutes later, I stepped off the bus, right outside Brockton General.

X

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

The hospital fountain was massive, a personal donation from the Heith Anders Charitable Trust. I didn’t know too much about it, but I remembered reading somewhere that Max Anders, President of Medhall, wrote a massive check for its construction as part of a hospital renovation project several years ago.

There was a small crowd outside the hospital, probably courtesy of Amy. For all her sass and backtalk, she trusted me enough to figure I could heal them all. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

I took a deep breath. Ignoring the soreness in my soul, I pulled deep from my aura. There was no way I could heal all these people one at a time, but there was another way to spread the love. It wouldn’t be as effective, but it should be enough to fix a few of the minor injuries like fractured bones, bad scrapes, colds and fevers, and other noncritical cases.

I had just the creature in mind for the job. People took notice of me as I pumped my fist and windmilled my arms. I leapt into the air with a triumphant shout.

“Shift, lapras!”

And then, I was something else, a pokemon lauded since time immemorial as a friend of humanity. I was a creature of ice and water, and maybe a bit of draconic strength, too.

Lapras were some of the most graceful of all pokemon, a perfect blend of power and beauty. Their long, slender necks hid corded muscle. Their flippers could ferry them through any storm. Their shells were so sturdy that even a shiver of sharpedo might consider easier prey. To brave the sea atop the back of one of these majestic pokemon had been the dream of countless sailors.

Alas, there was the rub.

The sea.

I was not, in fact, on open water. So, gravity, being the heartless bitch she was, caused me to thud onto the cement like a plesiosaur out of water.

I landed with a dull, wet slap, a squelching noise like a wet towel being beaten into submission. Admittedly, that diminished the majesty of my current form somewhat.

Still, I was a massive plesiosaur, a pokemon coveted by coordinators and battlers alike. I raised my head high. What did I have to be ashamed of?

Primly, with as much dignity as I could possibly retain, I began to drag myself forward. My two front flippers flopped down in front of me. My hind flippers pushed, scraping my tummy against the sidewalk, not unlike a sea turtle coming up out of the sea to lay eggs. Thankfully, my scales were quite thick so it wasn’t like I’d chafe my tummy raw or anything.

I saw the phones come out and felt increasingly awkward. This wasn’t working. I could launch myself, belly-flopping my way forward, but that’d be silly. I couldn’t even shift out of this; I’d already committed!

I raised a flipper in a cheery wave. When in doubt, I ought to sell the bit.

“Hello~” I crooned, my voice sounding like honey to the ears. All lapras were phenomenal singers, after all. “Do you mind clearing the way a bit? I need to reach the fountain.”

“A-Ah, yeah, sure, Menagerie,” one of the security guards said. He and a partner began to nudge people out of the way, giving me a clear line to the water.

“Lovely, thank you. Now then…” I drew a deep breath. Ice type aura gathered in my open maw. I’d always thought it looked more like lightning than ice, the cold energy arcing along a central orb like static. “Ice Beam!”

I cut loose, spraying the attack in front of me in a straight line. A clear, raised platform of ice formed from my location to the fountain. It was only about ankle-height, but that was fine; I wasn’t trying to show off right now.

With a heave of exertion, I raised myself onto the platform before skating along with far more grace than before.

“C-Cool…” a little boy gasped, holding out a hand in wonder.

I preened at that. Lapras were some of the gentlest souls in the pokemon world. They loved humans, perhaps more than they should. At one point, they almost went extinct from the Kanto and Johto regions because they were hunted to scarcity.

That overly trusting personality also meant they were somewhat vain. Which wasn’t to say that they were arrogant or considered themselves superior, but that they loved to be pampered.

I could feel that personality bleeding over. Seeing nothing wrong with indulging the boy, I held out my flipper for him to shake.

“Why yes, I am very cool. I’m an ice type, in fact,” I said proudly. “Now stand back.”

“What are you going to do, Menagerie?” one of the adults asked. “Don’t get me wrong, that form looks great and all, but I don’t think it’s good for much on land.”

I couldn’t help it. I promised Amy, after all. And what kind of aura master would I be if I didn’t keep my promises?

I slipped into the fountain, the shallow pool doing barely anything to hold my weight. Still, even that much water was refreshing, a comforting reminder of the sea that was my true home.

Turning, I reared my head back as tall as I could and addressed the crowd.

“Oh, ye of little faith, why do you doubt?” I crooned, each word layered with a soothing echo that reached their hearts.

The voice of a lapras was haunting and soulful, sublime in a way that defied easy description. It was, quite literally, a voice made to communicate in melodies rather than words. Pods could communicate across vast oceans, and I was happy to use that ability now.

My voice resonated with all who heard me. The talking ceased as everyone, young and old, leaned closer to hear. It wasn’t a master effect, no one would be made to act against their will, but the underlying melody of my voice captured everyone’s attention as though they were deaf all their lives and mine was the first song they’d ever heard.

“Behold, Arceus, the Alpaca Supreme, the Origin of All, has blessed you this day. He was the Great Llama who spat into the eye of the void. It was by his Thousand Hands that existence came to be. Rejoice, for today, you shall see but one more example of his countless miracles,” I said, raising my flippers in benediction.

“Holy shit, he’s actually going to give us a sermon,” someone whispered.

“Is this really the time though?” another asked.

“He’s probably advertising a new game, that Legacy of Steel stuff. It had a bunch of references to the Origin,” a third noted. “Have you played it? It’s actually really well-made.”

“Nay!” I shouted above them. “This is no game, a medium of entertainment for mortal minds! Rather, the game imitates reality. Open your eyes! It was an homage to the truth, a glimpse of the deeper mysteries that you were blessed to witness.

“Just as the Great Llama spat into the void and brought forth creation, I too spit upon your injuries!

“I baptize you in the name of the Origin, by whose hands we were made. I lower you into the waters, for life itself came from the Primordial Sea. I raise you from the waters, for the Prince of the Sea is kind and gracious. May all who partake of the waters here be healed. Life Dew!”

So saying, I lowered my head until my mouth was in the fountain. There, I began to barf out a clear, nourishing wave, each drop suffused with revitalizing aura.

The people were silent. Truly, what was there to say? How could any mortal words describe the glory of Arceus, the unfathomable depths of Kyogre, or the benevolence of Manaphy? It was right and good that I blessed them in their names.

“I… I think he wants us to drink the fountain water…?” someone spoke finally, more a question than a statement.

“Is it… Is it safe? I mean, it’s fountain water. But then again, it’s also Menagerie…” another said.

“You risk it.”

“No, I think he’s spitting in it!”

“Eww… I mean, why, Menagerie…”

“Come on, it’s probably fine,” a third person said. He came up to the fountain and dipped his hand inside. He gasped as the soothing water covered his fractured arm. Raising his hand out of the water, he moved it around before nodding in satisfaction. “I-I don’t think we need to drink it, everyone.”

“We don’t? For fuck’s sake, Menagerie, just say that!” the first man grumbled before taking off his shoe to stick his foot inside. “Ahh, shit, that’s the stuff.”

That kicked off a mad scramble to enter the fountain. Adults and children alike happily dove inside, some even taking off their shirts to start an impromptu pool day.

That was probably against the rules, but also wasn’t my problem. I was a happy, not-so-little lapras. I laid in the center of the fountain, mouth gargling more Life Dew, as people pampered me. They rode my shell and scratched my horn.

Surely a little nap wouldn’t go amiss?

X

Despite my best efforts, I did not in fact get to sleep. Turned out, having dozens of people clamoring around you, taking selfies, and petting you, was rather distracting. That was made worse when someone got the bright idea to try and interview me. Another tried to bottle Life Dew, probably so they could sell it to someone else.

Still, I dozed, tiptoeing that line between consciousness and unconsciousness. The security guards could handle a few rowdy patients. They started a timer per person so everyone would settle sooner rather than later.

“You’re such bullshit, you know that?” I heard my snarky girlfriend say. I wasn’t sure how much time passed exactly, but the sun had begun to color the clouds so dusk was near.

I opened one lazy eye. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You healed people while literally taking a snooze.”

“Hate the game, not the player.”

“You wish you had game, you oversized gecko.”

“Gasp! Amy Dallon! How could you say such hurtful things?”

“Your idea of flirting is puns.”

“Puns are the highest form of humor.”

“You’re disgusting,” she snorted. Still, she waded into the fountain to touch my new form. She could never resist the biological wonders that were pokemon.

“And you just want me for my body,” I said with an exaggerated sob.

Amy punched me right in the beak, not even a shred of hesitation. “Jerk. Stop saying things people will misunderstand.”

“I mean… if the shoe fits…”

“Ass.”

“So, you done for the day?”

“No, I’ll be here for a while. I’m just on break.”

“Amy…”

“I’ll be out by nine, promise.”

“Alright, take care of yourself.”

“What about you? Weren’t you saying you overtaxed your power yesterday?”

“A little,” I admitted. “It’s more like sore muscles from working out too hard. That’s why I’m doing this. I can’t devote too much attention to the bigger injuries.”

“I noticed. I treated some of the guys who couldn’t get everything fixed here.”

“Figured that’d be the case.” I shifted back to everyone’s audible disappointment. “I’m going to head back now, maybe relax a bit.”

“Alright, you do that, Menagerie.”

Author’s Note

This is the very last chapter that chat/Akun will have a say in. Last live, we had a vote to see if I should turn this into a story (not a quest).

Rather than write each day as a chapter, I’ll publish shorter chapters of 3-5k words. I think I’ll use the X.X format. So for the next day (chapter 30), you’ll see 30.1, 30.2, etc.

Anyway, this also means that I’ll be getting rid of quest-specific mechanics. Rolling for Blake feels like playing chess by myself. It’s kinda depressing tbh. Instead, I think I’ll introduce a quest system in which different Legends offer Blake quests to borrow their powers and/or summon them to Earth-Bet.

It also means I can stop trying to make type-related puns for chapter titles lol.

Thank you for reading. To reach a wider audience, and because I enjoy a more forum-like setup to facilitate discussion, I like to crosspost to a wide variety of websites. You can find them all on my Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/fabled.webs.