“~C'mon, keep up!~”
The schoolgirl stared over her shoulder with a flat expression, foot tapping on the underbrush as she waited for her classmate to catch up with her.
Despite her determination, though, he wasn’t anywhere near as eager for their entire plan, especially as it hit him just how bad this entire trip could go. “~S-Susie, maybe we really should t-turn back—~”
“~Joeeeeey, I told you nothing bad’s gonna happen!~”
“~B-but it’s still a wild Mismagius!~”
“~It’s our Mismagius, it won’t hurt us!~”
The boy was well aware of the bespoke local attraction of a ghost not having hurt anyone in recorded history, but that fact filled him with much less confidence than he hoped it would. Nice or not, it was still a wild mon, a powerful wild mon, a powerful wild mon that really enjoyed scaring the nearby kids. Encountering it in person was all but a codified rite of passage at their shoddy little school—enough so to make the headmaster put up larger and larger fences in the backyard to stop them from doing just that—but that didn’t make it any less terrifying.
He would never forget all the examples his personal safety classes gave of just how much wild mons could hurt them. “~C-can’t you do it on your own then? I’ll be back—~”
Before he could even finish turning around, Joey found himself being dragged backwards by the collar of his shirt.
“~You promised it’d be both of us!~” His friend reminded. “~Nothing bad is gonna happen to us, come ooooon!~”
“~T-the headmaster is gonna be so upset...~”
“~She’s upset at everyone; we’ll be fine. *Sigh*...~”
After having to waddle in reverse for the past few moments to keep his balance, the boy suddenly could stand up straight again. Susie pleaded, distraught, “~Don’t you wanna meet it, Joey? Not every hole in the ground has their own friendly ghost, you know.~”
That particular line of persuasion was much more effective, giving the boy a pause. It was true, ’their’ Mismagius sure looked to be much friendlier than almost all other wild mons—and definitely more so than other wild ghosts—but it still left doubts. What if one moment it would just... stop being friendly? What if they suddenly went from an undead prankster landmark to an active threat that the League would have to send someone in to deal with?
He’s had this kind of chat many times in the past, both with Susie and his other classmates. They were right in that nothing stopped a human with a gun from also turning on their friends on a whim and killing them in moments, but it never quite sat right with him. The distinction between man and mon was still there, right?
Wild mons loved to fight, after all. That was supposed to be the one trait they all shared, the love of fighting that was then fulfilled in league battles. Obviously, ’their’ Mismagius would’ve been battling plenty in its ‘spare’ time and getting their fill that way, but what if it just didn’t? What if it had to make do with using them as targets for its practice? It was dumb; it didn’t sound all too plausible even for him, but it was still possible, right?
And if it happened, there would be absolutely nothing they could do to save themselves.
“~Joey?~” his friend asked.
The body shuddered, “~S-sorry, it’s... it’s scary.~”
“~A bit, but it’s gonna be alright! Worst case happens you can use me as a meat shield, ha!~”
Susie’s joking tone sent a shiver down Joey’s back as he begrudgingly continued. No matter how much he wanted to turn back, he knew he’d be kicking himself down for not taking the chance, even without taking others’ goading into account. Plus, there were a couple of trainers in Lillywood right now, right? They’d keep them all safe.
That’s what they were here for, after all.
“~Okay, I think we’re there!~” the girl squeed as her friend took the area in. All that distinguished this particular stretch of snowy woodland from any other one was its thick, suffocating silence.
Already their companion before then; it had grown more intense in here, even getting to Susie. She asked, “~Can you see it anywhere?~”
The boy looked over his shoulder before completing a full spin, not making out any purple amidst the hibernating trees. “~N-no—~”
*crack!*
The sound of a snapping stick had both schoolkids dash over to the nearest tree, trying to peek from behind it. Their hearts hammered, their eyes dashed to the sides, their ears desperately tried to hear something, anything. Again and again, only them, only the wintry forest, only silence.
“~Do you think that was it?~” Susie whispered, making Joey shake harder as he grew close to hyperventilating. Knowing about the infamous ghost was one thing; feeling like he was now completely at its mercy was worse, much worse.
His feet felt rooted to the dirt and his hands to the rough, dark bark; mind bounced between ‘flight’ and ‘freeze’ like a pinball machine. “~I-I hope not, please t-turn back...~”
“~Come—come on, it has to be near—~”
“What are you two looking for...?”
The sequence of actions played out just like dozens of others Cypress had seen and caused in the past, letting her savor the scares around her as her prediction was fulfilled yet again. A pair of screams, some shrieked words, then two sets of steps racing away, nourishing and amusing her in equal measure—
...
Oh...?
A louder thud ended one set of crunching steps, breaking the routine. The associated fearful emotions seemed to have stopped in place too—and only kept growing stronger. Unusual, but hardly something she couldn’t handle. Though she would likely need a more... gentle approach here. Cheap scares were one thing, but the kind of terror going through this kid’s head was downright dangerous, if not resolved quickly.
Taking a deep breath, Cypress opened her eyes and looked around, the sight confirming her other senses. One of the kids had indeed tripped, and now was attempting to play dead. Badly. A silly course of action when dealing with ghosts in its own right, though ultimately understandable. Especially when born of a genuine, itself-haunting fear of death.
Something Cypress could help with, at least.
After floating over to the curled up child—whistling a cheerful tune the entire time to let them know where she was—the Mismagius got to work with her chants. This one she hadn’t had to use too often, the incident with Anne a couple of days ago notwithstanding. She was really glad it worked then, and was reasonably confident it would do so now, too.
Ethereal sounds wove themselves into an eldritch chant, its impact perceptible right away. The child’s hammering heart eased out by the moment, as did the powerful shaking that gripped them. Word by word, Cypress devoured their terror, sating herself while leaving only a cool calmness behind. Hardly the most nourishing of treats, especially when this intense, but between the undead equivalent to a heartburn and this innocent kid possibly developing a traumatic disorder, Cypress knew which one she preferred.
By the time she was done, the lil’ human had gone from being certain they were about to die, to observing her floating horizontally above them with curiosity. Not the most subtle of shifts, but that didn’t make it any less appreciated.
“There we go. Now let’s get you up...” the Mismagius whispered, reaching over to grasp the child’s hand with her tendrils. Even after she began to pull, it took them a while to piece together what she was doing; muted calmness turning to slight embarrassment as they picked themselves up. By the time they were on their feet, their friend had finally emerged from behind the nearby tree and dared to get closer again.
Not wanting to waste a good spooking opportunity, Cypress had hovered right in front of their friend’s face in the time it took them to take a step. It sent them scrambling backwards with enough suddenness to make their hat fall off, unleashing more long hair than the ghost expected to see. The first kid found it funny, letting the Mismagius laugh at the second one’s expense guilt-free.
She was glad that she could help her friends and people in this silly way.
Once the second child was up again, the two humans exchanged some words for a while, contents unknown beyond a general feeling of excitement. Hardly unearned, making her feel a bit proud for turning this nigh-accident around. Both the kids were fine now; they each got their thrills—and now, it was time for them to leave.
The Scary Face that followed was as gentle as the Mismagius could manage. Enough to send them scrambling with some fright, but not to elicit the same ‘I’m going to die’ reaction as earlier. Hell, it was weak enough for the two kids to even break out into laughter in the distance; the ghost not hesitating to join them once she’d heard the telltale sound.
Cypress sometimes felt bad that her particular role as a scout was so amusing, whereas everyone else’s... wasn’t.
They had all reassured her they didn’t mind, and even the Elders had stressed that being a living distraction was immensely helpful, but the doubts kept creeping back up, anyway. Could be Anne’s messy situation, could be her pushing this one kid way too hard earlier, could be her forgetting to bring Anne breakfast and leaving the poor kid starving for half of yesterday.
Having to use her own advice wasn’t ever pleasant, but sometimes she needed it.
Her people trust her, and it’s only right for her to extend that grace to herself.
Still, that didn’t mean she couldn’t reflect and think about where she’d gone wrong. Her usual whispered jumpscare tended to work just fine for kids the age of these two, slightly older than Anne. She hadn’t had anyone react too intensely to one of those in a while, and wondered how much of that was her versus any preexisting fear.
...
Yeah, it was likely the latter. Little she could do but try to rein it back next time. It was a bit worrisome considering Anne’s situation, though, and Cypress hoped that their oversized reaction had nothing to do with the other human’s disappearance. Sure didn’t feel like it did, at least.
And now; it was time to wait for the next group of thrill-seeking kids.
Over the past few years, she’d come up with a pretty simple mental flowchart on how to scare the different age groups coming her way. Younger kids needed forewarning, even something as underwhelming as her just slowly floating at them from a distance was plenty scary. Many of the oldest kids, though, needed more to really get them rattled, up to and including a weak Hex to confuse them combined with an Astonish.
Some didn’t care about any of that either way, and just... hung out in the vicinity sometimes. Cypress liked to think she remembered all the ‘regulars’ by now, enough to skip on any frights in the future—except for the adrenaline junkies that came over specifically to get absolutely spooked. Definitely a couple of repeat offenders like that, the thought making the Mismagius chuckle, echoing through the cold woods.
Hmm.
Oh dear, she’d spent so much time thinking that she hadn’t even noticed more humans approach. Focusing on them, she clearly recognized the two kids from earlier, paired with a third, slightly older aura. One of the older kids came to escort them back here? She supposed that deserved another of her typical openings—
Suddenly, a movement in her peripheral vision, something flying at her,
And darkness.
----------------------------------------
…
"What is…"
you will be safe you are safe
it will be okay it will be okay
there is nothing to fear it will be okay
"Is this a dream..."
a better life awaits you you are loved
you are loved i love you you will love it you are loved
a better life awaits you i love you no more worries a better life awaits you
i won't hurt you
"No, this isn’t real, where am I..."
you belong here i love you your past was hell
give in this is your purpose you belong here i won't hurt you i will save you this is your purpose
give in you are lost on your own give in your past was hell
no more pain your past was hell the wilderness hurts you will love it
"No, it wasn’t, I have friends, I have family..."
it will be okay it will be okay give in you have no choice you have no choice
you love this feeling you have no choice i love you give in i love you
you will die on your own you have no choice you will die on your own
you want this this is your purpose you need this you will die on your own
you have no choice you want this i love you it will be okay this or death you need this
you love this feeling
"This is a lie, let go of me…"
i love you
struggling is pointless i love you don't fight this you want this let it happen
i love you let it happen you love this feeling i will save you i love you
you are mine struggling is pointless i love you you love this feeling you are mine
don't fight this you need this you want this you are mine struggling is pointless
don't fight this you want this give in
let it happen you are mine
"LET GO OF ME!"
you are mine you have no choice
you are mine it will be okay I LOVE YOU
you love this feeling I LOVE YOU you love this feeling
i will save you you have no choice i will save you you have no choice I LOVE YOU it will be okay it will be okay
i will save you I LOVE YOU submit
struggling is pointless you love this feeling give in submit
it will be okay it will be okay let it happen don't fight this it will be okay submit it will be okay don't fight this
you have no choice you love this feeling submit
let it happen YOU WANT THIS
"I—
i will save you give in you can't resist give up give in
i will save you i will save you i will save you I LOVE YOU
YOU NEED THIS submit YOU NEED THIS YOU NEED THIS
give in you can't resist give up give in you can't resist submit I LOVE YOU give up i will save you
give in submit i will save you i will save you
i will save you I LOVE YOU YOU NEED THIS give in
i will save you YOU NEED THIS YOU NEED THIS
submit I LOVE YOU i will save you I LOVE YOU let it happen
give up i will save you give in
give up i will save you
—ALREADY—
GIVE IN YOU LOVE THIS you can't resist
submit LET IT HAPPEN give up submit YOU LOVE THIS
submit you can't resist GIVE IN YOU NEED THIS
SURRENDER YOU NEED THIS SURRENDER submit
YOU LOVE THIS SURRENDER SURRENDER submit
SURRENDER SURRENDER YOU NEED THIS I LOVE YOU
GIVE IN give up YOU LOVE THIS LET IT HAPPEN you can't resist
YOU NEED THIS I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU YOU NEED THIS SURRENDER give up GIVE IN give up YOU NEED THIS give up GIVE IN YOU NEED THIS
YOU LOVE THIS I LOVE YOU YOU LOVE THIS I LOVE YOU
I LOVE YOU YOU NEED THIS submit give up SURRENDER
submit give up I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU
YOU NEED THIS YOU NEED THIS give up
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
—HAVE—
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN GIVE IN
—A HOME!"
----------------------------------------
An instant later, the world had returned.
And everything hurt.
Her soul was crushed, her mind was torn. She had been shoved out of the warmest, most blissful sensation of her existence into the frigid nothing. It wasn’t real, but it blinded her all the same; tormented her through its disappearance.
A part of her begged for that warmth to return no matter how large a price—she needed it, it would keep her safe, it would keep her loved! She resisted the call, but knew that no earthly joy could replicate the lie that had almost crushed her mind in its grasp.
Her eyes looked, but could barely see.
On the snow beneath her, scraps of metal, of white, of black, of yellow. In the distance, the two children from before near the third human, older and wearier. The Snubbull beside the latter reeled back at her reappearance, catching the humans’ attention. She saw the trainer turn to her in shock, backing a couple of paces.
Her ears heard, but could barely listen.
The kids’ angry shouts at the trainer turned into gasps at their ghostly friend escaping the ball, and then into cheers. Ecstatic, relieved, all but unnoticed as the Mismagius’ focus remained on the older human. Aghast whispers, soon accompanied by their mon’s high-pitched growls.
And then, the trainer reached for another of their cursed balls, and something snapped deep inside Cypress.
The little ones returned to shouting, going as far as trying to tackle the older human and pry the ball out of their hands. The Mismagius couldn’t see, couldn’t notice any of that. There was no warmth left in her, no joy, none that could compare to the blinding lies she barely clawed herself away from. Nothing but the freezing coldness of regular existence, nobody but the monster of a human before her.
It angered her, and with no love to counterbalance them, the flames of her fury consumed her.
Cypress’s body thrashed as a fierce flare took over her eyes and searing rage over her mind. She only felt the emotions of the trainer turn fearful and the children—surprised. She glared at them, through them, her gaze’s intensity freezing the humans in place as her worst impulses soared, unopposed.
They deserved to suffer.
She lifted a tentacle, brought it to her neck—
“CURSE UPON YOU.”
—and slashed across it.
The trainer shrieked as their hands reached for their neck. They needed to tear at it, their skin was too tight, they had to claw it open now now NOW NOW NOW—
The kids backed off in terror at seeing this stranger forcibly hurting themselves. They turned to the Mismagius, pleading for help in panic, but she only stared, her crooked grin turning even wider. This worthless trainer bled, and Cypress’ burning anger roared in glee. Their pet watched in horror, growls turning to pitiful yelps.
Terrified as they were, the Snubbull knew they had to do something.
The Fairy-type leaped at her, snapping Cypress out of her immediate shock as her Curse continued. She saw the pitch-black energy gather around the other mon’s maw an instant before it would’ve clamped down on her, Shadow Sneaking away just in time. They were guilty; they were a part of this; they deserved to suffer too.
Cypress’ eyes glowed with a red flare as tentacles slashed the air. Each of their slices tore through reality, unleashing erratic, purple Hexes that honed in on the Snubbull. With a well-practiced motion, the Fairy-type dodged sideways at the last moment, following up with another attempted Bite.
Leaving themselves open for another Ghost-type barrage.
The Mismagius floated backwards, leaving more Hexes in her wake, striking true with their target airborne. They should’ve been left reeling, barely alive—if even that. Instead, they only flinched for a second after landing, before attacking yet again.
Cypress stared wide-eyed before retreating into another Shadow Sneak, the sight not making any sense. They were just a pre-evolved juvenile, and yet they kept on fighting after taking the brunt of her move, something she doubted even many of her fellow scouts would’ve managed. Didn’t matter.
The rage-consumed Mismagius focused her strength in one spot this time, coalescing her power into a Shadow Ball. She launched it with a shriek, honing it on the constantly moving Snubbull. They stood their ground this time, a flare of a Protect surrounding their body as they headbutted the spectral projectile, deflecting it downwards, the resulting explosion sending a cloud of snowy mist into the air.
And dashed again, not letting Cypress rest even for a moment. She had to stop them.
With a backwards dodge, she came to a stop, focusing on the twitchy Fairy-type and letting them approach. The instant they’d dash in front of her, she’d lock them down with a Mean Look and dispatch with another Shadow Ball—
Unfortunately for Cypress, her opponent had the bare minimum of combat experience and saw the most obvious bait in the world for what it was. The Snubbull’s ear-wrenching shriek only threw further kindling onto the flames of Cypress’ fury, shattering any strategic restraint she might’ve forced upon herself. Taunted, she immediately tried striking back, focusing for another Shadow Ball.
And then, burning pain shot through her entire side, knocking her out of her hateful fever. She got a glimpse of the Snubbull with the piece of her in their maw before retreating again as sudden clarity hit her. The past few minutes felt like she’d been a prisoner in her own body, only able to watch as it spread its suffering and dispensed what it considered justice.
To her relief, the trainer was still alive, constantly thrashing against their Curse as the two kids forcibly kept their blood-stained hands away from their throat. She’d done this; she’d scarred them for life, and there was nothing she could do to undo this. Her single whisper undid the human’s compulsion, making them cry out in pain.
Another dodge had the Mismagius hovering away from the horror of her own creation, mind torn between loathing at what she’d just done and evading the Snubbull. Guilt could come later; now she had to get out of there.
Her opponent wouldn’t let her. Each time she tried to Shadow Sneak, or even just dodge, they’d be waiting for her, pushing her back towards her sins with each attempted Bite. Even once she attacked them again, it amounted to nothing; the few Hexes that hit only barely slowed them down.
Everyone, please help me!
Even if her fellow scouts heard her cry, it’d take time she didn’t have until they’d arrive. All the while, the gaping wound in her spectral flesh barraged her with pain, each dodge coming harder and harder. In desperation, she attempted another Shadow Ball from up close, hoping they wouldn’t manage to Protect themselves in time—
And indeed, they didn’t.
The shadowy projectile went right through where the Snubbull was, dispelling the Double Team illusion before careening towards the small band of humans. The kids froze in the middle of dragging the trainer away from the battle, paralyzed in fear as it approached too fast to react to. With her utmost effort, Cypress steered the bolt away from them at the last moment, the nearby bang making them shriek in fear.
And left herself exposed.
Another Bite left her barely standing, leaving glowing teeth marks in its wake. They struck again before she could even finish reeling. She only made it halfway through her Shadow Sneak before having to stop, the last of her strength waning fast. In desperation, she tried hovering into the trunk of a nearby tree right after a dodge, hoping her opponent would lose track of her.
Instead, a Crunch ripped the tree in half just an inch below where she hid, a grazing Bite finishing her before she got over her own shock. She went from hiding to splayed out on the snow in a matter of seconds, barely clinging to her afterlife.
A pitiful way to go, but hardly undeserved.
Cypress could only watch the trained mon approach as she laid incapacitated, pain gripping her body in a vise. Whether they were about to tear her spectral throat out or merely let their human have another go at her with their demonic balls, she was as good as dead.
She’d only barely resisted that hell the first time; she wouldn’t last an instant now.
Cypress closed her eyes and waited as the Snubbull approached, their growls terrifying despite their whininess. For a split second, she tried concentrating on a Pain Split, just needing them to come just that bit closer—
And only earned herself yet another Taunt, forcing the weakest of whines out of her, and nothing else. She couldn’t move as she watched the trainer slowly pick themselves back up in the distance; couldn’t act as they approached, pressing a scarf to their throat. The human kids weren’t far behind, gasping at seeing ‘their’ ghost in her current state, shouting something at the older human.
Right as she was about to give up entirely, the trainer’s confused, aghast words echoing in her mind, the Mismagius felt a familiar aura approach fast. With a quiet wail, she reached out a tentacle, attempting to drag herself away as a distraction. The Fairy behind her growled louder, preparing for another strike to put her in her place.
Only for a Bullet Punch to send them rocketing back towards their trainer.
Before Cypress knew it, Lariat stood before her. His usual dispassionate focus had turned intense and ferocious, bangles raised as he predicted the Fairy-type’s next move. Despite taking a Steel-type move, the Snubbull barely looked worse for the wear, effortlessly pushing through the painful bruise on their side.
The trainer gasped at the Fighting-type’s sudden appearance, shouting something at their mon. They reached for another ball attached to their belt, but by then, their Snubbull was already on the move, paw glowing as they prepared for a Brick Break—
Lariat’s Iron Head knocked them out mid-swing.
The Fairy’s pink body smashed into a small pile of snow, twitching as they desperately tried to keep fighting. A glowing red beam stopped them in their tracks before they disappeared, leaving just the two scouts, the two onlooker children, and a trainer paralyzed in pain and fear.
“Cypress—” the Lucario shouted.
“We need to get away, now...”
As much as Lariat wanted to enact justice on the humans for daring to hurt his friend, he knew that avoiding further fighting was the correct choice, deep inside. Inching backwards, he picked Cypress’ damaged body up. She clung onto him with whatever strength she had left, peeking over his shoulder as they backed off.
The trainer collapsed whether they stood, shaking as they reached out for another of those balls. It made Lariat stop and brace himself, fists raised at the potential threat. The human didn’t even notice, pressing a button on the device’s side. An instant later, a Servine stood before them, dazedly taking their surroundings in, growing more terrified by the moment.
Cypress looked at the two human kids she was friendly with just moments ago, and saw the same lethal fear as one of them had earlier.
And this time, to her horror, it was justified.
----------------------------------------
The Mismagius barely paid any attention to where Lariat was taking her; barely capable of thinking about anything but her guilt. Even the pain of her body screaming at all the blows it took paled compared to the awareness of just what she had done in her burst of rage. Even if they were an actual trainer, the kind that wished only to contain them and use them for battling, she still almost murdered them with their own hands.
If not for ‘their’ mon snapping her out of her fury, she would’ve succeeded, the thought making her nauseous.
Was it even truly her doing it? That Snubbull striking her felt like it had forced her out of her furious thoughts, like everything before then was her psyche’s violent reaction to what the trainer’s ball had inflicted upon her. Was that the case? Was her mind just making it up to absolve her conscience of guilt? Did any of it even matter in the light of her almost having taken a life?
If she had enough strength left in her to cry, she would’ve.
A distant shuddering sensation made Cypress look up to see her coworker Teleport in and run over, aghast. Before the Gardevoir could even say anything, a bird cry coming from above marked the arrival of another scout; Lucere no less distraught at the scene than Aria was.
“^Cypress, Lariat, what happened?^” the Gardevoir gasped, stepping closer to tend to the ghost’s injuries without waiting for a response.
She wasn’t a healer, but even an unskilled Heal Pulse beat no Heal Pulse, making her focus on applying whichever healing she could as the Lucario spoke up, “After I heard their alarm, I ran over to Cypress’ position. They were being attacked by a trainer’s Snubbull, whom I then incapacitated. We then made our way out without further fighting.”
“Trainer attack ya, Cypress?” Lucere asked, her chirped out question making the Mismagius flinch. The answer was simultaneously dead simple—yes, they have—and made messier by their mon’s actions being entirely reasonable considering what she then did.
She wasn’t looking forward to explaining it one bit, but knew she had to. “There’s… *pant* more to it than that...”
Aria appreciated the confirmation, but the unspoken implication left her even more worried than before. “^What do you mean, Cypress?^”
“They—they hit me with one of their balls...”
The frigid hilltop grew dead silent at the Mismagius’ revelation. All of her coworkers were wrestling with a mix of ‘I’m so sorry’, ‘how did you survive that’, and ‘what was it like’ in their minds, but it would be the Gardevoir that gave the voice to these questions first, “^Was it that ball that hurt you this badly?^”
“Hardly... it doesn’t hurt the body, merely the mind...” the Mismagius whispered. Her explanation didn’t make a lick of sense, and she was well aware.
“^What did you see?^”
Aria didn’t want to rush her, giving her all the time she needed to process what she’d seen and describe it, if possible. The sounds, the sights, they escaped description, refusing to even let themselves be remembered. All Cypress could do was go over how it felt, itself a nigh impossible task because of the sheer magnitudes involved. “Heaven. Love so intense, I almost believed in it. Hell.”
Neither Aria nor Lariat put words to their subsequent confusion. They didn’t need to, the brief glimpses they saw of the Mismagius’ recollection harrowing enough to answer for the ghost plenty. Lucere didn’t have access to that, though, leaving her tilting her head in bewilderment. “That doesn’t say much.”
“Words fail to even come close to describing it…”
The Gardevoir was unsure how to respond, torn between offering the ghost comfort and giving her time and space after having to recall something so overwhelming. Eventually, she settled on the latter; the choice appreciated by the Mismagius in question. After she’d gotten a grip on herself again, the Mismagius continued, “After I broke out, my mind felt broken. I felt an intense rage at the trainer, and couldn’t stop, or even control it. It was as if it took over me, and I attacked them...”
As harrowing as the previous admission was, this one was even more dire for their village as a whole. Cypress wasn’t blind to that fact, clarifying soon after, “My Curse didn’t kill them, but it came close. Their Snubbull attacked to defend them, understandably so...”
The elaboration provided relief, but only so much. The other scouts were still concerned about the ramifications of one of them having attacked a human, even if they were a ‘trainer’. For a moment, Aria wondered whether dashing in there and trying to erase that entire incident from their memories could’ve been an option, but discarded it soon after.
She’d seen memory meddling cause enough pain already; there was no way to use it here without raising further alarm. “^The trainer is still alive, right?^”
“They were when we left, yes,” Lariat confirmed.
“I don’t think they lost enough blood to be at risk of death...”
‘Think’ was the load-bearing word of that sense, and everyone gathered was well aware.
“Sounds like ya need another role then, Cy!” Lucere chirped. “If that one there got so infamous you got a trainer on ya tail, who knows if all this won’t happen again.”
The thought about abandoning her current post hurt Cypress even harder than the Bite that tore a part of her body off. She didn’t disagree with the Altaria’s observation—she couldn’t go back there, not after subjecting these poor kids to all that. They wouldn’t ever think of her as anything but a bloodthirsty, terrifying beast ever again—and considering what had happened today, they were entirely justified in that.
It didn’t make any of it hurt any less.
“I concur... An ordinary sort of patrol route, or-or another location to haunt a-and draw attention to...”
All three scouts could tell something was very wrong, be it by sensing the ghost’s emotions or by focusing on her wavering voice. With Lariat and Lucere alike playing their expectant focus on Aria, the Gardevoir sighed and asked again, more softly this time, “^Cypress, did something else happen?^”
The Gardevoir offered the ghost a hand, eagerly accepted and held as firmly as the Mismagius could manage. This was almost entirely unlike the Cypress they knew, leaving the trio concerned for their coworker. The Lucario didn’t know how to express that emotion at all, and all the Altaria did was perch beside the ghost and try to pat her back with her wing, but it was appreciated all the same.
A part of the ghost didn’t want to bring it up at all, not with her current company. And if she’d been any less worn down, that part might’ve even come out on top—but not this time. “I have crossed a line. I had grown closer and closer to these little humans that would visit me, but now can never go back. I’ll only ever be a monster to them now...”
Lariat kept his eye roll under his eyelids while Aria held the ghost’s tentacle tighter. She might not have had any particular platitudes or advice for a situation like this, but the Gardevoir still hoped she’d be able to make all this at least slightly less terrible for her friend.
Lucere, unfortunately, didn’t keep her response in her throat. “*Sigh*, as if that wasn’t already the case. They’d never think of us as people.”
The audacity of these words snapped the Mismagius out of her loathing spiral in an instant; her red eyes narrowed on the Altaria. What followed might not have been a magical incantation, but was just as spirited. “No, it was not. They never thought of me as someone that would bring them harm. Scare them for fun, indeed, but never beyond that. Never, ever hurt them...”
No matter how forceful Cypress was in her delivery, her point kept flying over its recipient’s blue head. A part of her wanted to snap at them for continuing their affection despite the terrible things they were saying, but couldn’t find the strength for it.
The Altaria continued, “I’ve no idea why ya keep insistin’ that, Cy! That’s what all humans see us as, lesser things to be scorned or hated that are gonna hurt them, and nothin’ more!”
Despite not feeling like she had the strength for anything but levitating anymore—and even that was only thanks to Aria’s help—the Mismagius felt a nigh-irresistible urge to Shadow Ball the bird.
“You know nothing about what these kids thought of me. I have seen human little ones run to me for protection from their older peers, one I granted them each time. I have seen children so profoundly sad they felt mere meters away from the brink. I couldn’t talk with them about it, I couldn’t chant away that kind of sadness—but I could be there for them. Keep them company as they wept, as they screamed, as they processed their pain...”
Cypress’s point of view didn’t let her see the reaction on Lucere’s face. She saw Aria’s, though, one of equal parts surprise, gratitude, and awe—and it was enough to keep her going.
“At no point did they think of me as a ‘lesser thing to be scorned’. As someone different, yes, but they treated me with kindness, regardless. Even if they couldn’t understand me, even if I couldn’t understand them, I was still someone they could turn to beyond just a cheap scare. I was just as much a person to them as they were to me…”
Even if the Mismagius kept her anger in check much better here than she did with the human, she knew full well it wasn’t any more productive. It was a deeply personal topic to her, and she hoped this pointed explanation was enough to get Lucere to respect her experiences, even if not necessarily agree—
“Pleeease, even our kin can’t get over the smallest of differences! Why would humans be any better?”
Cypress had enough. “What ‘our kin’, Lucere? Are you implying that our village is near as virulently hateful as how you are, or imagine all humans to be...?”
At last, she’d hit where it hurt. The Altaria wasted no time flying around to look the ghost in the eye, her anger quickly matching Cypress’. “I’m not hateful! The frickin’ humans are! I’m just sayin’—”
“Just saying what, that you’re more eager to paint all humans as equal monsters than to believe my own experiences with them? To project your own bigotry onto an entire kin!?”
“How—how could you call me bigoted!? Don’t you know what I’ve been—”
“I can because I do know. Not everyone is as cruel as your flock was, Lucere. Certainly not everyone of a kin. And...” A part of Cypress wanted to stop there and then, to convey her point without going directly for the jugular. She said ‘fuck it’ to that concern, though—Lucere has had it coming for a while. “And if you keep up your bigotry against untold myriads of people just because they look different to you, then you’re no better than your flock exiling you because of what’s between your bloody legs…”
The staring contest that followed almost turned hot despite only lasting seconds.
Cypress felt Lucere’s visceral rage and pain at being compared to her own oppressors, felt the subconscious thrashes of darker emotions that had almost persuaded her to pay her back for such an insult. Underneath those—sadness, grief, and guilt—constantly attempted to be covered up with anger. She had struck deep, and hoped it’d be enough to get through to someone who used to look up to her as a mentor.
The Altaria’s knee-jerk fury wouldn’t last for long, not with the emotional injury it disguised being so painful. The other two scouts were too stunned to butt in beyond focusing on being able to put up a Protect should the situation grow even worse. Eventually, Lucere’s pain finally breached her eyes and flew down her cheeks, making her take off without a word.
And then; there were three.
With the Altaria gone, Cypress clung even tighter to Lariat, left drained after the spat. Next to her, Aria chewed through what to do now. Changing the Mismagius’ patrolling route was an obvious next step, but the specifics were the kind of thing they’d ideally consult the Elders about. Her previous spot was perfect, drawing a lot of attention from the surrounding humans—including those that would otherwise go deeper into the woods and possibly stumble upon their village.
The Gardevoir had no idea if there was any other location nearby that would be as effective at pulling the humans’ attention towards itself as Cypress’ spot was—
...
But there was someone who could know.
The thought redirected her attention over to the Lucario beside her, the awkward situation from earlier leaving him standing idly, uncertain of what he was supposed to do now. Helping his coworker back to safety was the obvious next step, but it felt like the current discussion wasn’t over, either. Lariat focused on Aria at sensing her thinking about him, making her finally speak up.
“^I’m wondering where else could Cypress go to keep on drawing attention once they recover.^”
A telepathic whisper sent the Mismagius’ way let her know to remain quiet. Persuading Lucere to a less bigoted position went... about as well as it could realistically have, but Aria had higher hopes for the Lucario. Whether they’d be justified, it remained to be seen.
Fingers crossed.
After a solid minute of agonizing silence, Lariat finally picked up the conversation, just so that someone would. “What were you considering, Aria?”
“^Not a whole lot myself, sadly. I don’t know what the nearby humans consider landmarks, and figure that Cypress focusing her efforts on one of them would work out the best for us. Though... there is someone who does know that, much more so than I do.^”
The most obvious rhetorical trap has been laid, now to see whether it would end up catching—
“The human in our village?”
That was easy.
“^Indeed! Anne is a local. She surely knows of a better place for Cypress to haunt.^”
To Aria’s consternation, she couldn’t see a single iota of reaction leave Lariat’s ironclad head at that observation. It was understood perfectly well, and yet it somehow did not bring any thought to him. As if he just... sincerely didn’t care one bit about that. Cypress might not have been able to pick up on his emotions with as much clarity as the Gardevoir, but a lack of spoken response let her figure that too.
And, as opposed to Aria, she had a better idea about where to steer the discussion instead. “I can’t believe she just spat at my words...”
The underlying emotions were as genuine as they got, helping in catching the Lucario’s attention as the ghost continued, “I meant all I said in my recollection. These kids really thought of me as a person, as one of them, even...”
Aria and Lariat alike paid close focus, curious to see where the ghost would take that insight.
“We had no way of talking, no way of understanding. And yet, they all knew I wasn’t all that different. Certainly scary, but not evil...”
Cypress feared that the last point wouldn’t remain true for long, but this wasn’t the time to fret about it.
“If our dear Anne is any indication, these kids knew enough about my kin to ought to be terrified. But they weren’t. They thought of me as one of them, even without communication, even if we couldn’t do much together...”
As the Mismagius thought on, she lost the battle against her own tears, clenching her eyes soon after.
“It makes me imagine what could’ve been. If we spoke a shared language, if we understood each other as equals. If they could talk with me about what ails them, if I could be more than a spectral head to lean on. Infeasible now with my specific situation, yes, but...”
She didn’t have to finish the sentence to sense Lucario’s thoughts having gone where she wanted them to. This topic elicited much more thought than the previous one—in that it elicited any thought at all—bringing quiet reassurance to Cypress and Aria alike. Whether it would end up amounting to anything, they would see in a few hours.
Until then, though, one ghost in particular needed medical attention post haste.
“^Cypress, take it easy today,^” Aria reassured. “^Don’t worry about your scouting; we’ll pick up the slack until you get better. There’s a lil’ deathborn ghost at the clinic. She might appreciate you showing her some ropes once you get there~.^”
With the main reason behind the Mismagius being eager for her scouting gone, Aria’s reassurances fell flat. She wasn’t worrying about her duty, but instead about the dozens upon dozens of human kids that might end up traumatized by proxy at hearing what she’d done.
The remark about the ghost at the clinic, however, caught her attention right back. It wouldn’t be the same, she knew that well, but she sure as hell wouldn’t oppose helping a lil’ kid feel better. “Curious... Well, dear Aria, you have caught my interest...”
“^In which case, let’s not waste any more time here~.^”
Lariat didn’t have to be implied at twice, making sure Cypress was holding onto him well before taking off into another Extreme Speed. In a blink, Aria was left alone once more. All that remained was to turn back around towards her patrol route, head out,
And keep hoping that the nervous thoughts she kept having about Marco were just her overactive anxiety.