The following morning came far too quickly, as far as I was concerned. I woke up to Buddy lopping my face with his tongue, telling me Good morning, Buddy with excitement in his voice and like an alarm on loop. Some natural light was shining in through the front windows, and after sitting up to blink some of the sleep out of my eyes and giving Buddy some pats, I noticed that there was a strong smell of…more tea. Yum, I thought. That was some good stuff.
I stretch a bit on the couch, and stand up to see that I made something on the foot of the couch collapse. I give a quiet hm, picking up the bundle of cloth. They’re…clothes? A couple pair of jeans, two white t-shirts, and four pairs of socks are messily folded together. I can’t help but think Mark may have given me yet another gift, so I sigh, and fold them back up and place them back on the couch. I trust he’ll let me know when I see him.
Speaking of Mark, he’s nowhere to be seen. He’s probably upstairs. Or maybe he’s outside? No tellin’. “Good morning Buddy, have you seen Ranger Mark?” Buddy jumps off the couch and nuzzles up to my ankles, speaking from between my legs underneath me.
Yes, Buddy! He put the clothes on your feet and woke me up! He went outside a little while ago, Buddy! He had Pokemon!
“Oh?”
Yes! Ruff. I think he is training!
“That sounds exciting,” I say, rubbing some sleepers out of the corner of my eyes. “Wanna go check it out?”
YAAAASSSSSSS!
Buddy runs in circles around the couch, howling his response. He’s certainly in a good mood, and it puts a stupid smile on my own face seeing his enthusiasm. I elect not to touch the new clothes, instead putting on my old socks and my shoes on, and step outside with Buddy continuing to prance circles around my feet.
Lo and behold, Mark is leaning against one of the four by fours at the bridge with a mug of hot somethin’ in his hand, squinting down the path I’ll be taking when I leave today. He turns to face me, gives a wave and a loud “hey!” I wave back and walk up to him, choosing to glance down the path he was looking at when I arrived.
“Hey yourself, Ranger Mark, good morning,” I say, looking away at that point to see…nothing. “Buddy here was real excited to see what you were up to.”
“Oh, yeah, took out my boys for some exercise,” he says, sipping his drink. Looks like tea. Good man. “If we have a slow day, they won’t get much opportunity to put work in since I gotta stay ready and available for emergencies. This is as good a time as any to put some work in.”
I nod, responding “Makes sense. Are they…down that way?” I point westward, the direction he was previously facing.
“Yep, out on a jog. We’ll work on some moves when they get back. Should be any…yep, there.”
Mark points down the path where it curves slightly to the north, and I can see dust flying up as two shapes race down the path towards us. One is a dual-horned, fierce ram with shrubbery growing from its neck, and the other is a single-horned horse with an entire array of pastel colors flowing around it.
A Gogoat and regional Rapidash, then. I’m not sure where the Rapidash is from, exactly, but I’ve certainly seen pictures before.
They’re both going full-tilt, seemingly neck and neck, making a beeline for Mark and it doesn’t take them but a few seconds to clear the distance of about 500 feet. They’re really fast, I think. They stop on a dime a few feet in front of Mark, and immediately start jabbering.
Beat you again, shorty.
You did not, you overgrown easel!
Heh. Bet.
Yeah! Mark!
Mark!
Both Pokemon stand at attention after their short bickering, looking Mark in the eyes, then in uncanny sync, asked who won?
Mark laughs at his Pokemon, and gives them both a pat on the side of the head. Gogoat first, then reaching up to Rapidash. “Looked like a tie to me, fellas. Both showed damn good speed today.”
Both Pokemon grunted (in sync again) and finally noticed Buddy and I. The Rapidash spoke first.
Well, well, well. Who do we have here?
Looks like Mark found an older one this time. Criminal, maybe?
No, you short idiot, if they were criminals they wouldn’t be standing here so casually, would they?
Hey, fuck you, stupid pony.
Fuck you too, goat. Fuck you too.
“Gogoat, Rapidash, this is Silas,” I’m introduced by Mark, after his Pokemon openly question my identity. “Pretty sure he’ll be headin’ out soon, but he’s a good guy. Good friends with Tabby.”
“I wouldn’t say good friends… She’s a sweet woman, but I hardly know her,” I say. “Though I’d be happy to have the opportunity to, of course.”
“Heh, well, you must’ve made a good impression,” Mark said. “She sure did talk like she was friends with ya, so s’far as I’m concerned, you are. And I know whatcha mean. I’m taken myself. She isn’t though, friend. Nudge, nudge, all that.”
Both Gogoat and Rapidash nod at the context and greet me while I take a breath to prevent a blush from rising to my face after Mark winks at me with his final comment and literally bumps my side with his elbow as he says those final words.
“Gogoat, Rapidash, good to meet you,” I say. “Impressive race too, you two are really fast. And… Mark.” I turn to him, thinking. “Thanks. Not now, but I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Ah ha ha!” Mark laughs in response. “Kinda thought so. Y’know, I did my schooling with her a few times. Once was back in elementary before I became a trainer. Didn’t really talk to her much. Girls, right? But we went to the Ranger academy down in Cherrygrove at the same time too. Got to know her then. Good girl. Never had a man in her life neither, s’far as I know.”
I nod, making a mental note of that, but pushing it in the back of my mind. “Noted… I don’t exactly have the opportunity for that right now, but she was very kind to me. I told you what I was doing last night, so…”
Marks perpetual grin disappears as he’s reminded of what I told him about Taylor. “S’right. My bad, friend. Take care of yerself though, right? You go back through Mahogany, maybe take a day to yourself. Ain’t much of a fuckin’ town to see, but I bet she’d show it to ya just fine:”
I nod, and look down. “Sure,” I mumble. Honestly, even doing that makes me feel guilty. I need to find Taylor, and I need to get the word out. Even just one day doing that is one day where I could be getting information…
“Anyway, friend,” Mark says with a friendly pat on the back. “How’s about some breakfast? And change your clothes, I threw some stuff on the couch for ye. Must not have seen it, huh?”
“Yeah, sorry, no, I actually did,” I say, turning towards the station with Mark. “I just didn’t want to be presumptuous. I assumed, but… yknow. You never know.”
“Well now ya do,” he laughs. “Gogoat, Rapidash. Focus on grass knots. Reinforce the bridge while yer at it, it’s been ‘bout a month.”
In sync, they both say Sir yes sir and gallop off to a clearing down the river.
After getting inside, Mark pushes me over to the couch and shoves the clothes in my hand, making it clear that they’re for me, and they should fit me. Using reasoning like these damn legs were too long for me anyway, and we seem ‘bout the same size, I can’t particularly argue, and he’s so damn insistent with his kindness I don’t even consider telling him no. He also guides me to a washroom where I can clean up, and tells me to take my time before comin’ down for food and hittin’ the road.
Water pressure nonexistent, but warm water available, I rinse off the best I can and sit in a bath for a bit. There’s some no-brand soap and a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner bottle up there, and I use them, thinking I probably need it after yesterdays trek through part of Route 42. Idle thoughts hit me while I clean up, including the idea that some sort of grooming kit for Buddy would behoove us. If I can bathe, so can he, even if it doesn’t have to be as frequently, right? Plus, he loves the attention. He’d preen over a bath and the brushes afterwards.
Fully dressed in some new clothes (that fit!) and some new socks (thank Arceus), I’m back in the kitchen area with Mark, enjoying some more MRE’s with him while Buddy scarfs down his breakfast. Mark took care of that too, so I didn’t quite have to dip into the stores he gave me. A little guilt rises as I feel as if I’m taking advantage of his kindness, but I quickly remind myself he’s insisted on everything so far, and I’m still not in a position to decline aid.
After we’re finished, Mark pulls out one last thing for me. Seems to be a kind of notebook with… oh!
“So here’s a map of each route,” Mark tells me, handing me the small book. “Printed a few years ago, so there’s some terrain changes but nothing too bad has happened so it’s hardly worth mentionin’. Forgot to throw that in yer bag, I realized, so here. Don’t lose it. S’yer lifeline. Gotta know where yer goin’.”
I take the book and reach out for his hand after. He grabs it back, and we both exchange a firm handshake. Looking him in the eyes, I thank him. “Thanks, Ranger Mark. You’ve given me a lot since yesterday. Rest assured I’ll take full advantage of it, and I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart.”
He laughs and claps my shoulder with his free hand. “S’not a problem, friend, not a problem at all. I only ask one thing though.” His gaze straightens and he gives me a serious look, letting go of my shoulder and raising a finger, tightening his grip in our handshake. “Call Tabby when ya can, ‘kay? Dunno whatever you think of her, but like I said outside. I can tell she’s keen on ya, at least a bit. Even if ya have to let her down, don’t just disappear on her without a word. Got it?”
I meet his gaze and let out a sigh. “Yeah. I.. don’t think I picked up on that at the time, to be honest. I…definitely thought she was pretty, and I appreciated how good she was to me. My impression of her is great, fantastic really. But I’m…not in the headspace for something like that right now. And I don’t know when, or hell, even if I’ll ever be,” I admit. “But I’ll get in touch. Hopefully Ecruteak treats me well, I can get a phone, and I’ll reach out. Worst case, I’ll borrow one to at least give her a call. I won’t forget the kindness shown to me, at least.”
Mark smiles and claps me on the shoulder twice, gives another shake, and lets go with a grin. “S’all I ask, friend. By the way, it’s Mark. Just Mark. Good luck, Silas. Lemme walk you out.”
I smile at his candor. “Thanks again, Mark. Buddy? Ready?”
Ready!
Buddy at my heel and Mark at my side, we’re guided outside. With a pat on the back and well wishes, Buddy and I are on our way down the rest of Route 42.
Over the next half hour, Buddy and I followed the trail. All of our equipment is in our Devon-licensed Bag of Holding, including the shirt-full of berries I had collected yesterday. On that note… I just realized I went without a shirt the entire time Mark was taking care of us up until he essentially forced me to bathe and put on one of his old ones. If you asked me a couple of years ago to walk around shirtless without even realizing it, my self-consciousness could never. I guess… I dunno. I don’t even have an opinion of it. Other than belated shame, I guess. I absentmindedly rub my belly, pushing just a touch, feeling the abdominal muscles I couldn’t feel without pushing harder before. I won’t overthink it.
With the sun at our back and the only sounds around us arbitrary chirps from bird Pokemon occasionally flying overhead (I swear I saw a Pikipek, I need to learn regional nativity as soon as I can), Buddy and I progress comfortably. The sun is eventually high in the sky, signifying that it’s noon, and I can feel my stomach pang in hunger.
“Want some lunch, Buddy?”
Okay, Buddy! We’re stopping now?
“For now. Doesn’t have to be long. Everything is basically made.”
Okay!
We walk off the path for a minute, Buddy having noticed a nice stone I could sit on. Sitting down and pulling the Bag of Holding over my shoulder, I open up the backmost pocket (which is where I put all of our food), and pull out an easy-to-find bag of food suitable for fire types, followed by one suitable for rock types. I reach down into a different part of the void and manage to grab one of the many MRE’s Mark slid my way on my first attempt, and set that out as well. Zipping that up and opening the zipper in front of it, I reach in and pull out a plastic cup, two metallic bowls, and a nondescript container of water. It’s about a gallon, but Mark gave a unit of measurement I didn’t understand, so I just nodded and accepted his gratitude. There’s 19 more in there. We should be good for a while.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
I take a few minutes to set up Buddy’s food and water, then I mix mine together. Yum, paste. Eating it right out of the package as it’s intended (and Buddy from his shiny new bowl), we’re done in a matter of minutes, and cleaning up is…difficult, I realize, without running water. I elect to do nothing with the bowls and cups for now, knowing dinner is only in a few hours and… honestly, that void in my backpack. It’s gotta be hygienic, right? How would it even get cleaned? It’ll be fine. Buddy licked it clean, anyway. It’d just be slobber. I shove everything back in the pack, we make our way back to the path, and we continue westward.
Still no wild Pokemon have come our way with a challenge. Strange? Maybe? I’m not familiar enough with the ecosystem to know what exactly would trigger Pokemon to actually frequent the well-traveled and marked routes that trainers use, but we were challenged three times in the span of about five hours yesterday on the eastern side of the river. If game memory is accurate, there should be another river before we reach the final stretch of the route to Ecruteak, so maybe this pseudo-peninsula just doesn’t have as high of a Poke-population? Actually, thinking back to the games…
“Buddy.”
Yes, Buddy?
“Keep your nose out for berries in that direction,” I point to the south. “We don’t need food right now, but if we can fill up our stores a little, it’s better to have them and not need them than it is to need them and not have them.”
Okay, Buddy! Can you smell them? Is that how you know, Buddy?
“...No. Uh. So. You know how I knew that Ecruteak city was this way,” I gesture westward, “when we were in Mahogany? Even though nobody told me?”
Ruff… Yes! I do, Buddy.
“So, like, I have this reeeeeeeally rudimentary understanding of the land. I can explain more later when we don’t have to keep an eye out for danger,” I explain. “But there’s a river back the way we came, and there should be a river ahead in the direction we’re going. I’m pretty sure there’s supposed to be a notable area where we can harvest berries in between the rivers, but like.. That way. South.”
I see! Buddy is very smart! I will pay attention, yes, Buddy. Berries are good.
“Yep, berries are good.”
Not ten minutes of walking later, Buddy turns into a hunting dog again and points almost directly south. I give him a pat, and tell him to lead the way, grabbing a branch and doing the same Hansel & Gretel trail trick I did yesterday. About two minutes off the path, Buddy absolutely freezes and whispers to me
Buddy! Do not move!
I saw it too. No, not it. Her. I can see the berry bushes in all of their splendor. Maybe ten times the size of anything we found yesterday are countless berries hanging from a bush the size of the Ranger station on Route 43. I also see something that I didn’t expect at all, even though it…she?...was there in the games in this spot too.
Standing eye level with me, but with a crest on its forehead towering a foot higher is a large and absolutely beautiful blue and white canid creature. It’s facing slightly away from us, nibbling on an unidentifiable berry hanging off the bush, about 50 feet away from Buddy and I. There’s no beating around the bush as to what I see.
Suicune, in all of her glory, is on Route 43, having an afternoon snack.
I have absolutely no idea what to do in this situation, but Buddy’s hackles are up. I timidly, slowly, lean downwards and place a hand on his head. I brush his fur back and push it out of his eyes so he can more clearly see what I see. He glances up at me, and I raise a finger to my lips to instruct him to remain quiet, and I mouth “it’s okay” at him. His hackles slowly lower, but he remains standing at attention with his green eyes sparkling in the sunlight as he watches her with cautious interest.
I’m not sure how much time passes as we admire the sun shining off of it’s beautiful coat, flooding the area with aurorus light. She finishes her berry, and a few more after that, and sits down, facing away from us. Much like a dog, she raises one of her hind legs and scratches her cheek, sets it back down, and stands.
Then I am faced with a nostalgia I didn’t expect, as a voice enters my mind and I can hear a voice speak clearly, no sound in the air.
“Are you going to introduce yourself, or…”
I jump, and Buddy does too. I glance down at him, and mouth “you heard that too?” at him, pointing at my head. His eyes are wide open, fur still slicked back, and nods at me in surprise. We both turn our heads to look back to her.. To Suicune.
“Come on, I don’t bite. Messenger of God and his aide, please, come forth.”
I feel like I’m about to faint at that revelation. There’s a lot to unpack with what I just heard..well, what we just heard. Judging from Buddy’s expression and reaction, he’s hearing it too. Now isn’t the time to wrap my mind around that, though, since that description of people were unequivocally Buddy and I. Messenger of God and his aide. Me, and Buddy. And a Suicune is here, waiting for us. Ha!
I tell Buddy to “c’mon, it’s okay,” and I take a few steps forward to enter the clearing the numerous berry bushes are in. I stop, maybe about 30 feet from Suicune, and she turns around in all of her glory. I nod, and I speak.
“Hello. My name is Silas. Silas Green. This is Buddy,” I say, and bow, because nothing else feels right. My body is stiff and I’m the weirdest combination of ecstatic and terrified. “We’re…sorry, for just watching. You… sounded like you were..expecting us? Miss?” Buddy bows his head after he sees me do so, his fur flipping back over his eyes, and speaks up as well.
Hello. I am Buddy’s aide. I am Buddy.
Unblinking, sparing glances at both of us, the Suicune telepathically speaks up, as it’s mouth doesn’t budge. “A pleasure to meet the both of you, Messenger of God and his aide. Silas Green and Buddy?” I hear a telepathic chuckle after that. What even…a chuckle? A silent, telepathic, chuckle?? “And no need for the miss. I am Suicune. You may refer to me as such. It’s good to meet you.”
Suicune bows in return, nodding her head down to her knee level, then raises it back up and stares directly into my eyes, and holy shit nope I’m more terrified than ecstatic.
“Be at ease,” Suicune continues. “I am here to deliver a message. Part of your bargain.”
My mind moves a mile a minute as I put together what she says, and I take my time thinking about what I’ll say before I speak for once. “My bargain with God. Yes, God said He would be in touch.”
Buddy is ready for what God requires.
I risk a glance at Buddy, almost shocked at how seriously he said that. This…isn’t a problem, no, of course it isn’t. I made a deal, and I’m happy to fulfill it. Knowing Buddy was along for the ride to this extent, though… I hadn’t realized. Not when we first met. I just thought…he was to help me kinda just, live? Yeah, I didn’t think enough about this. Gotta do that more.
“Excellent,” Suicune transmits to our psyche. “I am unsure of the greater parts of His plan, but I am here to deliver the first. You are to enter the cavern to the north, and save a child. I know not the details, but that child is necessary.”
My mouth fails me as I reply before I can think. “Pokemon child or human child?”
“A Pokemon child,” Suicune says clearly, no nonsense in her telepathic voice. “Good luck, and farewell.”
I don’t even have the wherewithal to think of what else I could further ask before Suicune literally fades into nothingness, as if she wasn’t there to begin with. Buddy and I stare at the scene for a moment before we both snap our necks towards each others faces.
We must go! Buddy, let us save the baby!
“She said child, but yeah,” I say, turning around to head towards the mountain. “No idea where the entrance exactly is but we should find it if we get to the mountainside and follow it. Actually..”
Buddy and I walk forward and I reach into one of the side pockets of my Devon-branded super amazing bag of infinite space, and pull out the route map Mark gave us.
“Hold on a sec, Bud,” I say. “This should just take a minute. I’m gonna see if we can follow a path to the entrance where we’re at.”
Sir yes sir!
“You don’t have to do that,” I say, knowing he picked that up from Marks Gogoat and Rapidash. “We’re friends. I’m not your drill sergeant. Chill. Anyway, one minute.”
…Okay.
Buddy plops down on his butt after his serious about-face, and watches the surroundings while I flip pages over to Route 42.
“Okay, yeah, so the path is supposed to have a very noticeable spot where it forks off and leads you to the entrance to Mount Mortar,” I say, finger on the map in my hands. “I don’t remember seeing a fork. D’you?”
Not since we were with Ranger Mark, no, Buddy.
“What are you talking about? There wasn’t a fork in the road at…” I pause, then release a sigh as I facepalm. “No, not like a fork for food. A fork in the road. Like, the path we were on. It was dirt you could tell people walked on? Do you remember walking by a spot where there were two, very clear, paths of packed dirt like that? Somewhere to walk?”
Oh. No, I do not, Buddy.
“‘Kay. So let’s just go back to the main path and follow it further east. Keep an eye out for the fork,” I say, then dramatically add “I mean, where the path splits into two.”
Sir, yes, sir!
Buddy about-faces and begins to follow my branch-markers back to the path, and I sigh as he’s made it clear yet again… he’s a goof.
We reach the path in no time, and continue eastward, keeping our eyes peeled for the metaphorical fork. Buddy and I can see the river in the distance after about another half hour of walking when we come across where the path splits. Taking note that we won’t have far to go when we make it back out, we bank right and head towards the mountain.
The path twists around a few trees for another half hour and change when we arrive at the entrance. There’s no sign on this one, but there’s mounted artificial lights inside, nailed into the wall on the right side of the path. The entrance isn’t nearly as big as the one near Mahogany Town, though, and I can’t help but to wonder… Why lights and no sign, when the marked one didn’t have lights? Isn’t this one a little harder to reach?
It is at this point, when Buddy and I look at each other in a combination of trepidation and determination, that I realize…. I really should have yelled at Suicune and asked what species we were looking for. Well… Maybe fate is a thing? We’ll know it when we see it, that kind of thing? I sigh, and turn to Buddy before we go in.
“Hey. So we’re both total strangers to caves like this,” I say. “But we could very easily get lost in there and we’re gonna lose light real fast. So the time we go in doesn’t really matter. We should eat and make sure we’re ready before actually going in though.”
But the baby, Buddy! We must save it!
“Child,” I correct. “And yes, we will. But we can’t save the baby if we…dammit. We can’t save the child if we’re moving slower because we’re hungry, or we gotta take a piss real bad. Right?”
Buddy grunts like a spoiled child being told that no, they can’t have a new toy. Fine….
“Good. Real quick then. Go potty or whatever while I get food out. I eat faster than you so I’ll go afterwards.”
Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine.
Buddy prances off and does his business while I fill up a bowl of food for him and start mixing my MRE. I’m hungry enough to kill the whole thing, even though it hasn’t been that long since we ate. I think. Sun is still up, it isn’t sunset yet. Maybe it’s like, five? Dunno how long we watched Suicune. Kinda lost track of time there. Anyway. Buddy comes back and starts eating and I finish up and do my duty while he eats. Soon enough, our bellies are filled and we’re good to enter the cave.
Buddy and I walk into Mount Mortar, ready to tackle the first task God has given me. A child needs to be rescued, and God help me, I can apparently do something about it this time.
I did not white out. Not this time.