In hindsight, I can’t help but have a feeling that I overreacted to the revelation that I was being negatively gossiped about, but the hurt I feel in the pit of my stomach hasn’t abated any.
I sat with Buddy for about an hour outside the cavernous entrance to Mount Mortar, just outside of Mahogany Town. It didn’t take me long to actually stop my tear-filled pity party, maybe three minutes. I spend the rest of the time taking deep, refreshing breaths and passively observing the area, reflecting on what happened back in town.
I’m upset, and probably will be for a while. I felt like the few folks I had spoken to for more than a passing greeting in the past 24 hours (Nurse 1, 2, Tabitha, and Pryce) had left with a…. Well, I can’t say a favorable impression of me, but nothing exactly bad, right? Even if it’s just among the nurses at the Center, Nurse three Dani knew my story, or at least enough of it to harbor a negative opinion of me, even discounting my verbal gaffe of repeating what Chansey said. So they’re talking about me, right?
I guess just talking about what seems to be the only gym circuit trainer in town is to be expected. I know that just being spoken of isn’t what’s bothering me. I’m fairly certain it isn’t even the fact that nurse 1 shared my story, what little of it I shared. … I suppose Tabitha could have done so as well, since I told her the bulk of the story too. I didn’t ask, but there’s no way she mans that Ranger station alone, so she likely comes back to town when her shift is over. But no, just that shouldn’t have been enough to make me feel the way I did.
It was the fact that they were assuming the worst of me. It didn’t take more than a couple seconds after having that thought that I clearly reconciled why it hit me so hard.
That’s the same reason I died, isn’t it? That guy that shot me… or perhaps whoever hired him, if he told me the truth… had a damn strong opinion about me. That I was some monster, some creep, that would do something to a young girl. Plus… The fact that scorn came from the mouth of a girl not much older than Taylor made it worse for my psyche. I can see parallels between what happened and some of my worst nightmares, where I’ve experienced Taylor blaming me for her disappearance. For not protecting her and keeping her safe.
I’m a mess. I can logically see that what happened with her isn’t my fault, and I’ve been able to for a long time. That doesn’t displace the guilt I’ve felt, but I can see how it’s supposed to be, anyway. Same with that nurse, Dani. I.. honestly, I can completely understand why she feels the way she feels. For anyone that doesn’t know exactly what I do… yeah, that’s how I come across. A creep, a stalker, and someone that just seems no good. So… I think I’m going to stick with my decision of not returning to Mahogany for now. But here’s the kicker… I did overreact. I went onto a route, not knowing how far it was to the next city with literally nothing to my name besides the clothes on my back, my Trainer ID, and Buddy.
I could have left later. I could even go back now. I don’t have any money, but perhaps there’s a lost and found at the police station I can check out if I can talk to Officer Rando. Maybe there’s a backpack and some spare clothes I can snag, even if they’re torn asunder. It’d be better than the nothing I have now, right? I could even go back to Pryce. He’s a hell of a guy with an attitude to match, but he may be able to give me something to help out. Gym Leaders are guiding lights for trainers, or at least that’s the ideal in my own mind. He’s bound to not leave me completely on my own if I ask…right?
Yet, when I consider heading back into town, I can’t find the gumption to do it. Ugh, I feel like I’m a teenager again, worried about what my girlfriend is going to think if I don’t call her as soon as I get home. I’m just so damn concerned about what they think… And it’s weird, honestly. I was never like this before, not to this extent. I couldn’t care much less what others thought of me as long as everything was all right and Taylor was happy… Well, maybe I’ll figure more out later. I can’t just sit here all day and deep dive into my psyche, hoping for an epiphany. Plus, I’ve noticed some things since I’ve been sitting here…
Taillow flying overhead in flocks, much like the expected Pidgeys and Spearows. I haven’t really taken the opportunity to observe nature yet, having been caught up in my own world, I guess… but Taillow. So I can’t wholly rely on the games here, it seems. That’s just as well, as far as I’m concerned. It’ll prevent me from falling into some false sense of security, assuming I know what’s ahead in terms of the terrain and the wild Pokemon. So… the interior of Mount Mortar will be way different too, then, as well as its inhabitants. I wonder what’s hidden deep….Not that we can check it out any time soon. Hell, getting to Ecruteak is going to be a chore in itself. No equipment, no food…
Buddy? Ruff.. Are you okay?
I jump at how abrupt Buddy was, speaking as he did, when all I’ve really heard the past few hours were wings flapping on occasion, coming from the mouth of the cave, and trilling from the birds flying by. I’ve been absentmindedly petting Buddy the entire time, but I look down and give him a forced grin. “I’m okay, Bud. Just… overwhelmed me, I think.” Buddy nuzzled into my stomach with his head still resting on my thigh, and I heard a sigh escape him.
That woman was very mean, Buddy.
“She was, yeah,” I lightly nod and agree. “She definitely went overboard. But I was careless too.”
Buddy, you did nothing wrong.
“I also did nothing right,” I counter. “Thanks though. Uh… serious question. Been wondering this.”
Yes Buddy, what is it?
“Okay, let me lead with a different one first,” I start. “D’you know what, like, a Pidgey is? Magikarp? Meowth?” Buddy turns up to peek at me through his fluff at my query.
I do, Buddy. Well, ruff… Not the Meowth. The brown Pidgey and the red Magikarp. Sky and Sea, Buddy? Yes?
“Yeah, okay, neat,” I say. “Good to know. My actual question. Really, no offense intended, I just… Would you eat any of them? Like, voluntarily, while we’re out traveling?”
Well yes, ruff. Why wouldn’t I hunt, Buddy?
About what I suspected. “Just making sure I understood correctly,” I tell him. I give him a scritch under his jaw so he’s looking at me and I can see the green glint from his eyes looking at mine. “I don’t really wanna go back to Mahogany, so we’re on our own til the next city. We’re gonna need food, and I didn’t know what either of us would eat, is all.”
Ruff…. Okay. I will find you food, Buddy.
“Oh no, man! It’s fine, we’ll look together,” I say. “I might be able to forage for something…well…no, maybe not. I don’t know what would be edible here, the shrubbery and mushrooms are bound to be different…”
Buddy has eaten berries. I can smell some, Buddy, it will be okay.
…For real? “I don’t even remember eating berries. Like, Oran, Pecha, that kind of thing?”
Ruff… I do not know what they are called. You had a yellow one in tiny pieces with your ham last night, Buddy.
…That wasn’t pineapple? Ohhhhhhhhhhh. “Pinap Berry, then. I think. I didn’t realize it was a berry. You’re really smart, Buddy.” He lolls his tongue out on my lap in joy at the compliment.
I am smart, and you are smart too, Buddy. Yes.
Well… no time like the present. I feel a little better, anyway. “Ready to go? We gotta go…” I point to my right, westward. “That way. As far as I know, it’s a pretty straight shot. But we’ll follow signs to be safe. I don’t know how far it is though.”
Buddy pushes himself up and steps off my lap. He stretches forward, backward, and yawns with a bit of a satisfied whimper.
I am ready, Buddy.
I stand up, and we’re on our way, leaving the entrance to Mount Mortar, and Mahogany Town, behind us.
Buddy and I idly chat as we found, and followed, a trampled dirt path not far from the cavern. We decided he’d keep his nose on high alert for food we could grab, and I’d keep my head on a swivel for any potential wild Pokemon that may cause a problem. People too, I guessed. Buddy had managed to sniff out what I guessed were oran berry bushes, but it took us some time and we had to leave the path. I grabbed a few loose branches on the ground, and broke them into small pieces. I dropped them on the way to the bushes Buddy led us to so we wouldn’t lose our path, and it worked out fine. After about five minutes of weaving through some trees (evergreens, kind of? And they’re definitely not as sparse as they were on route 43), we found the bushes and Buddy ate his fill. I snacked on some too, but used the time he was chowin’ down to think about a good way to handle this. We can’t exactly come back to this exact spot when we need food, and there’s no guarantee we’ll find something after we leave. It’d be nice to bring some with us, at least to stave off another meal or two…
I ended up taking my shirt off, tying off the sleeves and the bottom hem in a double knot, and used it like a sack. Not having any better options, I guessed this seemed suitable enough, and easy enough to carry too. I filled it up without feeling like I was taking too many from the bushes… Who knows what other Pokemon routinely feed off of this?... Buddy and I left with enough berries to last us til tomorrow afternoon, at least. We then worked our way back to the main path and proceeded westward down Route 42 yet again.
After a couple hours and more idle chatter with Buddy, we still hadn’t come across the river. I had explained to Buddy what I expected to come across, and that I had no idea how far it would be because distance wasn’t to scale with what I was familiar with. We did, however, come across a few wild Pokemon that wanted to spar with Buddy.
We agreed every time, as few and far between as they were. All of our battles were to first knockdown, much like our match with Teddiursa, and I used the opportunity to help Buddy practice what Pryce preached back in the gym, and what I decided our approach would be. Technique over power, as the power will come later. Our first challenger, a reasonable Mankey, moved far too quickly for Buddy to catch up and he only landed a few stray fireballs of Ember before being Low Kicked to the ground and losing. The Mankey’s movements gave Buddy ideas as to how to adapt, though, and it paid dividends later. (Buddy also insisted we share some of our berry stores with everyone we fought after the battle. If effects from the games are the same here, then I can confirm now.. They’re oran berries. Wounds healed before my very eyes. It’s been an hour since the first battle and I’m still shook)
Our second battle was against a Rattata whose attention span issues could match Buddys, and Buddy definitely shows some improvement, though his Embers were lacking in power. We lost that one too, as the Rattata managed to do…something…with its tail and caused Buddy to trip over it. I wouldn’t guess that Tail Whip would be that aggressive, so I’ve temporarily chalked it up to a pseudo Iron Tail. That was the fight where things seemed to click for Buddy, though.
Our third battle was against a Smeargle (of all things, right?) who aggressively charged us without even asking for a spar. Buddy was quickly on the defensive, but the way the Smeargle poked and prodded at Buddy’s defenses told me that this Smeargle was here to practice her skills too. Seems like wild Pokemon, at least the ones I’ve encountered so far on the routes, have a predisposition to training themselves against wandering trainers. There’s very clearly far more land around me than what’s marked off as Route 42, so I’m guessing only the Pokemon that want to train like this approach the routes. Maybe the ones that are okay with being captured too? I’m not sure.
Buddy howled and tried chasing the Smeargle down, but she was too fast with an… agility? Must have sketched that from a passing evolved bird Pokemon, maybe. She never really tried doing anything more than a… I’d say it was a Pound, but the single time she actually hit Buddy, he had scratches on the side of his belly from her tail. Scratch, I guessed, had been sketched too. Maybe Slash or Cut? Buddy could never reach her in his assaults, but impressively managed to catch her up by shooting where she was moving instead of where she was, and seemed to have his little internal tracking system down pat. Notable, considering that Smeargle was fast with the agility. She fell a few times, and after I shouted at her that we’ve only been battling to first knockdown so nobody gets too hurt, she conceded the match with a bow and waddled towards us.
Seems Smeargle had interacted with humans before (and sure was shocked that I could understand her), and informed us she, quote, “drew” attacks yelled out by trainers she had faced in the past. Turns out it wasn’t agility. She was “drawing” Quick Attack that she copied from a Quilava, using it as a utility move to dodge instead of charging towards us to hit us, and used it constantly. The cutting attack she hit us with was from a Fury Cutter that she “drew” from a different trainers Honedge. Buddy volunteered an attack she could copy from him too, and she then showcased a hastily drawn Ember while wearing a devilish smirk, making it clear that she already took what she wanted. She was polite and generous for the battle though, and led us a few minutes off route to a large bush full of pink berries she said were great for when some Pokemon attacked her and made her sick. They looked like, and were described like, what I figured was Pecha, and they were way tastier than the Orans. We took a few handfuls for the road and waved her goodbye, heading back the route.
Buddy and I trekked alone without anyone stopping us after that for a few more hours. The sun was starting to go down, and I was thinking it’d be wise to make camp…til Buddy chimed in with some very relevant information.
I smell food, Buddy. And humans. And water.
Having been constantly baffled by his sense of smell on our little trip, I took this better than before, though I couldn’t help but ask him “you can smell water?”
Ruff, yes, Buddy. It’s refreshing. Clean. Ruff.
“Well, we certainly need some of that,” I said. “Only liquids we’ve been getting have been from the berries and I don’t think that’ll sustain us. Lead the way. Still on route? Straight ahead?”
Ruff..yes, Buddy. That way.
I learned he could orient his tail and head-fur like a pointer dog (cute), and followed him for another fifteen minutes til we saw the bridge, and a building on the other side of it, tucked tight against the side of the mountain and hidden behind the trees from further back. Looks like another Ranger station?
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Buddy sprinted up to the bridge and stepped towards the water, which was running just below ground level and flowed fairly quickly southward. He lapped and lapped, while I took in the sights. Sunset shining in our eyes, the bridge was a well put together wooden bridge with four by fours deep in the water acting as braces along the way. It was probably 250 or 300 foot across, a distance I could only gauge because of all the hours spent on the golf course with Taylor. The bridge was mostly flat, but had a steady, low gradient and peaked in the center no more than a foot higher than the starting points, and angled back down at the opposite end. After Buddy drank his fill (I was worried about parasites, but figured his high temperature may take care of that for his own digestive system? He didn’t seem concerned and he has good instincts, so I just let it happen), we crossed the bridge and I spoke to Buddy about what I had hopes for.
“I’d like to stop at that Ranger station to see if they have any equipment to spare,” I tell him. “At worst, I think they’d let us sleep outside tonight so we’re not just out in the middle of nowhere.”
Okay, Buddy. Sounds good!
This ranger station was set up a little differently from the one on Route 43. Instead of all of the walls being displaced nearly entirely by windows, there were only a token few on the front of the building on opposite sides of the entrance. It was only two stories tall and had nothing up top that signified they could use it as a lookout, either. Buddy and I went up the front door, and he sat down patiently as I gave a firm knock on the door. A few seconds passed before it was opened inwards by a stocky man a little shorter than me, muscular and fit. He was wearing a straw hat, jeans, a shirt, and a vest similar to Tabithas. He looks familiar, somehow… Oh, I got it! That guy, I think he was a gym leader. I saw him on Taylor’s switch. That’s what he reminds me of. Thank God though, I inwardly thought to myself. He doesn’t have the spandex like Tabitha did.
“”Lo!,” he greets with a high pitch and a big grin on his face. “Trainer? How ya doin’? Come on in, how can I help you? Ranger Mark, at your service.”
He sidesteps to let us in and we see..a setting nowhere near as barebones as the Route 43 station. This looks more like a homely cabin, with a kitchenette set up in the corner separated by finished wooden bars, and chairs to match. An unlit fireplace graced the western wall with a padded couch and a couple recliners around it, and a staircase against the back wall. This…is a nice place.
“Heya, Ranger Mark, thanks for letting us in,” I greet him, stepping inside. Mark closes the door and steps toward us, raising a hand in my face.
“Not a problem, friend,” he says, a firm smile on his face. He gestures towards the wooden bar in his little kitchen area. “Have a seat, let me make you some tea. Any problems on the road?”
I smile in return at his graciousness. “None at all, though…” I consider my tentative plan in asking for supplies. I don’t want to lie, but all I would get is a dressing down I’d already given myself if I lie and tell the truth, that I left without equipment. I sigh, and think that perhaps I can avoid it entirely by skirting the reasoning. “As you can see, Buddy and I, that’s my Growlithe here, have nothing really to set us up for camp for the night. I’m also not sure how far Ecruteak is from here. Oh, and I almost forgot, sorry. My name is Silas. It’s good to meet you.”
I extended my hand towards him to greet him properly, and his face undergoes a few changes in expression. The friendliness never leaves it, but he raises an eyebrow in questioning halfway through and both raise at hearing my name. He grabs my hand firmly and shakes it violently up and down, and says “Silas! Tabby mentioned ya not but a couple hours ago!”
“Tabby? Tabitha? She mentioned me?” I tilt my head, shaking his hand and letting it fall to my side. He starts pouring some already boiling water into a pot, and I can instantly smell the…green?...tea steeping. He gestures for me to sit, and I do.
“That she did! Said some greenhorn up and left Mahogany without any money or nothin’,” he laughs out. He grabs a glass cup and a metallic bowl from a cupboard and sets it next to the pot, steeping the tea. “Told me not to ask no questions, so I won’t. Just give ya a hand iffin ya stop by. Happy to see ya made it aight, friend.”
I’m…not sure how to take that, other than… well, I doubted Tabitha was spreading rumors at first, and I’m further inclined to think so now. Thinking back, she was pretty…motherly, wasn’t she? A good caretaker, I thought. Worried about me after hearing my story, helping me the best she could, and it seems that hasn’t changed. The gossip train around that place is pretty rampant though, if she heard I left. I had my suspicions, but I wasn’t even certain she was in town. Figured she’d swap off shifts with someone in town or something, but she must have heard from some local gossip about me leaving in my fit.
“Well… thanks. For both. For the help, and for not asking,” I hesitantly say. Buddy has jumped onto a chair next to me, and his chin is resting on the bar, looking between me and Mark, following the conversation. “It’s…embarrassing, and I don’t want to get into it if I don’t have to.”
“Not a problem, friend, not a problem,” Mark says, pouring the now brewed tea into a cup and the rest into the bowl. He turns and pushes the cup in front of me, and the bowl in front of Buddy. Buddy is a little surprised at this gesture, but he starts slowly lapping it up once I give him a smile and nod to go ahead. Mark smiles and continues “We all have our moments. Dunno what yours was, but that place is already in your rear view. Leave it there, and keep on, keepin’ on. Lemme grab your stuff. Make yerself at home, friend.”
I’m a little stunned at his friendliness and understanding, but I give him a nod and he walks away and goes upstairs. I’m left to my own mental musings and Buddy’s tea lapping as I take my own beverage and… Oh damn, this is good. It’s totally green tea but I’ve never had it like this. Always store bought stuff. This is amazing. My mind blanks as I enjoy my tea and watch Buddy slurp his down alongside me, and Mark comes back downstairs soon enough with a backpack in hand. He offers it to me with a gesture. I take it, setting my tea down, and he sits down next to me.
“So let me lead with this,” Mark says, a finger pointed upwards, signifying he’s about to make a point. “This is yours. Tabby said ya had nothin’, and nobody deserves to have nothin’. She says you’re good folk, so s’far as I’m concerned, you’re good folk. This, and everything in it, is for you. And you do not gotta pay nothin back, friend. Take it, lemme give you and your friend some food tonight. Get some sleep, and head onwards. It’s the least I’m gonna do, and you’re gonna take it. Got it?”
I’m stunned silent as I wrap my head around his words. He almost sounds angry with me, so…maybe he does know some details about why I left, huh? He’s pitying too though, and it’s not particularly fun to be on the receiving end of that. All that aside, I realize I’m holding the backpack tight to my chest when I sniffle. I’m not crying, and I’m not going to… but I can tell the emotion is there. I’m touched, and I’m grateful.
“Thank you, Ranger Mark,” I say, holding my voice as steady as I can. “I…yeah. Thank you. I’ll take you up on all of that. I don’t like being given things, and I’d rather earn it somehow, honestly, but… I’m not in a position to say no to this. So thank you.”
“S’not a problem, friend!” he exclaims, patting my back with his meaty hands, chuckling at me. “Alright, so go ahead and look through that. I have some MRE’s here, i’ll put one together for you and… Growlithe, you said? Got plenty of Pokemon food ‘round here so I can get your Growlithe somethin’ too. The one that’s good eatin’ for fire types don’t get used much in this neck of the woods.. I’ll throw some in your bag before you leave too, we seriously got plenty.”
I nod my head and smile, sniffling again. “Thank you. Yeah, Growlithe. But he’s a regional variant. He’s fire, yes,” I explain, not looking a gift horse in the mouth, but using what little I know about Pokemon food to better Buddy’s diet. “He’s a rock type too, and the Center gave us a mix of fire and rock specialized food. I…really do hate asking for anything else, but..” I grimace, looking away, embarrassed. I feel like a child asking for more allowance when I didn’t do anything to deserve it.
He grins and pats my back again a few times. “O’course, friend! Gotta take care of your companions. Not a problem, we’re good on rock too,” Mark tells me with a grin. “I’ll get that together. You go ahead and check out your new toys while I get everything ready.”
Mark gets off the chair and steps toward the kitchen with his back facing me. Buddy has stopped lapping at his tea, and is looking at me with that small, green glint shining through his fur and puts his front two legs on my lap, easily balancing between my leg and the chair he originally sat on.
He is a good human, Buddy!
His tail wags like a car engine.
We are fine! I said so, Buddy!
He nearly knocks over his bowl with his tail.
“Heh, yeah,” I mumble. I give him some pets on the side of his face. “Yeah. I know he said we don’t owe anything, but I’ll have to pay him back somehow. Tabitha too. They’re really good people.” Buddy pants and laps at my face a few times, then giving me a nod and an adorable pupper smile. He pushes off my lap to get back to his chair, and impressively pulls the bowl back to where it was originally, going back to his tea.
I elect to go through the backpack later, as the MRE’s are ready fairly quickly. It’s in the name, after all. It’s nothing special, but I can tell it’s more filling than the berries I’d snacked on that day. After Buddy and I eat, Mark gets us situated and gives us about two weeks worth of Pokemon food for Buddy, based off his size and how much he ate at dinner. We idly chat a bit, mainly him answering my questions about what a Ranger job entails, and I let him know that I’m looking for Taylor. I leave him with a description of what she looked like last I saw her and a general idea of her personality. I don’t delve into any further details, and hope that asking for help looking for her is as simple as this down the road. I also ask him to pass along my thanks to Tabitha, and a message that I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. I also learn about how their shift rotation works, since I realized I was a little curious about Tabitha knowing what went on. He made it clear that each station is different, and what I assumed about there being a daily rotating shift at her station was correct. This station, however, has a Ranger working for two weeks at a time before being cycled out for a week off. There’s typically two Rangers at this station at any given time, but his coworkers wife had a child recently, and he’s been working with only one other Ranger lately, making sure the area is manned at all times. He’s working more to make up for it, but as far as the both of us are concerned, a little more work is nothing in light of the circumstances. A child being born into the arms of loving parents? That’s great, and it’s beautiful. His coworker definitely needed to be there, and I’m happy Mark is the type of man who steps up to cover someone like that.
Mark goes back upstairs after chatting for a moment and brings down some pillows and blankets, setting me up on the couch and gets the fire going. He waves me off, telling me goodnight and if I need anything, he’ll be upstairs, and Buddy and I are left to our own devices.
Well, I am, anyway. Buddy is already curled up in a ball at the opposite end of the couch, snoring. Loudly, too, for that matter. Today must have tuckered him out. He did damn good though, showing significant improvement after just a few battles. I decide to go through the backpack Mark gave me.
Half an hour later with dozens of objects on the floor in front of me, I’ve come to a conclusion. Mark gave me a bag of holding.
It says “Devon” on it, and I sure as hell know what that is. Thanks, Steven, and all of your employees. This is friggin’ magic. The bag is basically a T.A.R.D.I.S, being significantly larger on the inside. I’ve no idea what the maximum capacity is, but the sheer amount of items Mark had in the bag tell me it’s a lot. Like, fill up a longbed pickup, lot.The weight too. The weight. I’m not lying when I say it’s like magic. I had put all of the food he gave me for Buddy in the bag, disappearing into a void I can’t see the bottom of. I’ve never been good at guessing weights, but I’ll do my best. 21 bags of “fire” food, 21 bags of “rock” food. Each bag is about a pound, maybe a little less. Buddy is gonna be eating about half a bag of each per meal, varying a little based off his activity. A little more if he battled, a little less if he didn’t, but it’s a solid average. He worked really hard today, and had almost a full bag of each for dinner alone. Of course, we didn’t really have a filling lunch, and we both walked and battled a lot, so.. We’ll see. Either way, that means the food is about 42 pounds total. With it all in the bag, it still looks floppy, as if it’s empty. I can pick it up with one hand easily, weighing no more than it did before I put the food in.
This is bonkers. I can roll with it, but my mind is more than blown.
In addition to the food, there’s a lot of medicine. A few first aid kits, some apparently more suited to lizards, birds, and…rocks? Geodude, I guess. A few for humans, a few for mammals. In-friggin-addition to that, there are clearly marked potions, antidotes, “heals” of various natures, like burn and ice. I had to put some of it together to be better organized, but multiple, flexible metallic poles and some canvas showed me a nice tent was also packed. Sleeping bag, fire starter, a few thermoses for water or soup… This bag has literally everything one would need to travel, and then some.
Then there’s the last little bit. In a pocket, on the side, mysteriously endless like the rest of the bag, I found it.
More Pokeballs. Empty, ready to be used, Pokeballs.
I hadn’t really thought about catching more, but it’s obvious I’m going to need to. I haven’t put any thought into who I think would be a good match for Buddy and I, and… Gosh, who knows what Arceus is going to need me to do? Will I need a full team? Will it be dangerous? Is it going to result in a fight, or is it something as simple as dropping a letter off at a mailbox? That train of thought is just stress in a bottle, so I get off that train quickly, thinking back to the idea of a team, as I put everything back in the backpack in an organized fashion, hoping it’ll be easy to find when I need to pull it out.
I don’t know how big a Hisuian Arcanine is, but with my lighter physique, I hope Buddy will be big enough to ride in a pinch. A rideable flyer would be nice too, though, and that would only ever be helpful with trying to find Taylor. For that matter, a psychic would too, if humans can be teleported.
Man, that’s an absurd thought, isn’t it?
I lay back on the couch with Buddy at my feet, still snoring like a diesel horn, and close my eyes, thinking about how much this day has rubberbanded my emotions. Truth be told, I’m…exhausted, both physically and mentally. I idly think about team members Buddy and I may seek out, but I’m going to confirm with him first… and I think making sure that the Pokemon we find actually want to come with us would be good too. Buddy is an airhead, but he’s a smart airhead. Like, he’s sapient and he’s clever, and he can learn as quickly as..no, he arguably learns faster than a human can. The last thing I want is to catch something, only to put that Pokemons parents in the same situation I was in when Taylor disappeared… yeah, that’s a great idea. Let’s make sure we follow that to the letter… Yawn.
I whited out.