I was standing in a circle with four other men inside dark room filled with so much smoke that I couldn’t see the walls around us. The four men with me were both strange and familiar, garbed in ostentatious tailcoats, towering top hats, and jangling jewelry. They each puffed freely on large cigars or slopped back rum and wine straight from the bottle. Their faces shifted and changed before me, at times ruddy & gruff, and at others, pale & skeletal. I couldn’t make out what they were saying to each other, but each guffawed wildly as they shouted to one another. Floating between us, the tiny, fragile world spun idly in the air.
As I watched, two of the men bellowed in laughter before grinding their lit cigars out onto the world, and acres of forest burned. Another man nearly fell over laughing him before dumping his rum onto the world, and cities flooded. The fourth hollered, red-faced and spittle flying, before smashing a bottle of wine into the world, and a mountain crumbled.
The last one laughed hardest of all. He took his rum and his wine and poured them out all over the world. Only once it was all covered did he slam his cigar into the alcohol, setting the whole world aflame.
It was that that ultimately drove me to speak. “Why are you doing this?”
They dropped into silence immediately. As one they turned to look at me. When they spoke, I could finally hear them clearly. “Why are we doing this? Why are you asking us? Ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
As they laughed, the smoke finally pulled away from us and I could see them fully. No matter where I looked, the men stood within a mirror, laughing back at me.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!”
Jerking awake from one of his more familiar dreams, Bo yawned widely. Blearily tapping Rotobi’s screen to check the time, he was surprised to see that it was already three a.m. For once, he’d somehow gotten a few hours uninterrupted sleep. Even more surprising though, was that Baron was no longer laying in the bed next to him. Instead, Zuzu lay passed out and snoring across the bed cover. Nestled in next to her were two pokeballs he recognized as Princess and Saber’s.
Reaching out with through their bond, Bo felt a twinge of concern upon feeling how far away Baron was, but calmed down once he sensed that Angel was with him. Wherever they were, Bo was confidant the two of them together would be more than safe. That just left his new bedmates.
Peering down at the slumbering fox, Bo leaned forward only to jerk back and chuckle quietly at the aroma wafting up from her. “Oh poor girl. You have got to stop letting Wicked goad you into drinking contests.”
Bo considered trying to get back to sleep but quickly abandoned the idea. He was far too excited for the day to come to settle his mind down again, and he’d already gotten far more sleep than he normally did anyways. Besides, he tried to get a run in each morning anyways. He might as well start this morning’s now.
Slipping quietly out of the bed, he scooped up Princess and Saber within their balls; a quick check telling him that the two were slumbering happily without a care in the world. As Zuzu tended to keep hold of her own ball and he had no idea where it was, Bo just gently lifted the sleeping Zoroark in his arms and tucked her under the covers. Patting her head, he smiled as she unconsciously burrowed herself deeper into the warm bed.
A few minutes later, Bo was walking softly through the silent house. He saw a few Kahale’s moving through the halls even at this time of night and he waved at them. A few flashed quick hellos in sign language before ducking out of sight, but most just silently nodded and stepped away. He wasn’t offended though, Yuzu having taught from a young age that most members of the Kahale family simply didn’t speak in favor of moving silently and unnoticed. Even Suzu, despite having spent almost all their childhoods together, hadn’t spoken a word aloud to him until she was a teenager. He’d thought it was odd when he was young, but Yuzu had assured him that it was nothing for him to worry or even think about. Ever. And then, once he’d agreed not to worry about it, she’d handed him a cookie. Good times.
It wasn’t until he was nearly out the door, that Bo came across someone who did stay put to greet him, dipping into a stately bow as Bo approached.
“Manfred,” Bo greeted the impeccably groomed elder with a respectful bow of his own. While the Kahales managed household affairs, it was Manfred and his family that actually kept the house clean, tidy & free of blood stains. “I hope you’re not up this early to work. You’ve worked enough for a lifetime, let alone enough to warrant sleeping in. If there’s something that really needs to get done, let me or one of those young bloods you trained up handle it.”
“Cinccino,” Manfred huffed back at him haughtily, apparently derisive of either the idea that he was too old to be up this early or the idea that someone else could do the job as well as him. Bo supposed he had a point. The old Cinccino had been around since the Old Man was young and took ensuring that the compound stayed clean with utmost seriousness. Even though he had a whole herd of Minccino to help nowadays, he apparently still insisted upon supervising as much as possible.
“Cin, ccino,” the fluffy normal type continued, gesturing towards Bo with a disapproving look.
Bo couldn’t quite understand Manfred as well as he did his own pokemon, but if he had to guess… “You either think I should be getting some sleep myself or you dislike my outfit.”
Manfred simply nodded once, causing Bo to roll his eyes. “I’m just going for a nighttime run, so I think I can get away with wearing yesterday’s clothes. I promise I’ll change afterwards. Thanks for worrying though.”
In response, Manfred simply huffed and started walking away, though Bo noticed a hint of blush on the old softy’s furry cheeks. Shaking his head with a fond smile, Bo left him to his business and walked out the door. After stopping to stretch for a bit, Bo was soon jogging through the village, only his footfalls and the fluttering of the Murkrows breaking the silence. Soon, he had reached the village’s limits and slipped into the forest stretching out around the mountain.
Bo breathed in a deep breath as he entered the forest. This was what he had been truly looking for. Not bothering to take any set paths, he began running through the tangled roots and hanging branches, reflexively jumping and swinging his way over obstacles. As his mind drifted on autopilot, he occasionally found himself scampering up trees and jumping from branch to branch.
Ever since he’d been young, he’d found running through the wilderness relaxing. It might occasionally get him chased by wild pokemon or yelled at by rangers, but he couldn’t help himself. Something about feeling like he was a part of the nature around him just helped settle his mind and get him ready for the day. It reminded him of some advice his guru had given him. If he emptied his head of everything held inside, he’d reach greater heights. There was no need to worry about the past, the future, or even the present. He could just drift along in a peaceful trance for a moment.
Bo kept running for several hours, delving deep into the forest before finally slowing as he felt a faint pull on his spirit. Realizing that Angel & Baron had returned to the house, he sent them a quick reassurance before turning and heading back towards the village himself. Slowing down as he reached the edge of the village, he felt himself coming back to the present. Now sweaty and physically tired, Bo nevertheless felt rejuvenated from the run. Best of all, he realized he had made it back just in time to catch the haze-rise for the first time in years.
Coming to a stop, Bo breathed deeply and slowly as he turned to look at the horizon where the edge of the sun was just starting to peak out. The rising sun bathed the world in purple and gold, but only for a brief moment. As he watched, the murder of Murkrows flying above the village moved in unison. The nocturnal birds soared over the town, leaving a deep Haze to settle in their wake and blot out the rising sun. Soon, the purple and gold world drifted into an enigmatic tapestry of gray.
Bo smiled at the sight and started walking through the village. Around him, the fog seemed to shift and spin as though alive and teeming with mysteries just out of sight. When they were younger, he and Baron used to chase the shadows in the fog, convinced that there were amazing adventures lingering just out of sight. Above him, the Murkrow began landing on rooftops and under awnings, settling in to sleep for the day now that they’d ensured they’d have enough shade. Just another start to the day for Carmine Village.
“Well, well, if my eyes do not deceive me, it appears a rainbow has appeared in Carmine once again,” a hardy voice called out, pulling Bo from his reverie. Turning, he smiled wide as the fog bent away to reveal a gap-toothed, heavily tanned man standing behind a packed food stall in a small courtyard space cluttered with tables. Sitting all around those tables, over two dozen rough looking men and women hollered out welcoming whoops towards him in between stuffing their faces. The gap-toothed man smiled back at Bo as he approached. “Glad to see you’re back, Bo.”
“Golden Gonzo,” Bo called out happily as he made his way towards the older man, stopping every few feet to clasp hands with various patrol members eating their early breakfast as he went. He knew almost all the men and women gathered there, several of them having been part of the patrol force his entire life.
Clearly, he had walked by as the morning shift of Carmine Village’s patrol force was prepping to head out on their rounds. Similar to the work rangers did throughout the region, the Carmine patrol force patrolled the forests and cave systems around Carmine Village, making sure that none of the wild pokemon in the area were about to upset the delicate balance achieved within the Mt. Moon ecosystem. They also kept an eye out for any poachers attempting to sneak into the area. That problem was something that was far more common when Bo was a kid, but apparently they still had a handful of people try each year. All in all, the patrol work tended to attract the hardier crowd even by Carmine Village’s standards, men and women who didn’t mind spending their days poking heads into dangerous locations to make sure nothing was about to explode.
Once Bo finally reached the food cart, he happily clasped the man’s proffered arm. “Hey man. It’s good to be back. How’ve you been?”
The man, Gonzo smirked back confidently. “Eh, business as usual, my man. Still got the best ramen around and everyone still knows it.”
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
“Damn straight. How’s the family,” Bo asked, causing to Gonzo to wince slightly.
“Eh,” he huffed. “They’re doing fine, but my sis hightailed it for Celadon last summer.”
“What?” Bo asked, stunned. “Little Gonzo left?”
“Yeah, she met this botanist that had been up here to do some research. Two of them went at it like a whirlwind and blew out of here just as quick. Officially, they got hitched a couple months ago, but I think that was just to keep our old man from lopping off some of the fella’s appendages if you know what I mean.”
Bo laughed at that. He could easily imagine that, even retired, Grumpy Gonzo was more than capable of following through on the threat. “I can catch the gist. So, it’s just you and Big Gonzo running things now?”
“Pretty much. He’s back in the main kitchen now. One of the cousins is also stepping up to help out too.”
“Oh, Heavy Gonzo?”
“Naw, Haircut Gonzo. Also, Heavy Gonzo’s now Skinny Gonzo.”
“Good for him,” Bo said before a cavernous rumbling cut into the conversation, causing him to blush slightly. The food stacked heavily atop Gonzo’s cart really did smell good.
Hearing his stomach’s complaints, Gonzo chuckled lightly and gestured towards a large simmering pot. “Sounds like you could use some grub too. Breakfast ramen?”
“Mmmm, sounds good,” Bo replied before stiffening slightly. Gonzo’s stand had a digital pay device, but it still wouldn’t do Bo much good as he’d left Rotobi in his room. His stomach growling eagerly, he fished through the various pockets of his clothes. He’d almost given up hope when he felt his fingers brush up against a small, round object. Plucking it out and examining it, he soon happily held up the small, shimmering pearl he’d found tucked away. “Will this cover me?”
Taking it from him and looking it over, Gonzo nodded. “This’ll work, though I don’t have the change. I can start you a tab if you want?”
“Eh, keep the change,” Bo shrugged easily. “One bowl of breakfast ramen and two dozen orders of onigiri packed to go, good sir.”
“Coming right up.”
Bo stood back as Gonzo started spooning the savory smelling broth into a bowl, but jerked around as a heavy hand gripped his shoulder. Turning, Bo was surprised to see a particularly weathered looking man that he didn’t recognize staring at him with an intense gaze. His clothes and hair were disheveled and a haunted look lingered in his eyes. Staring up at Bo, he spoke with a slow, raspy voice. “…Hunger… sir I beg… you please help… Food…Unspeakable doom… Need…”
Alarmed at the man’s desperation, Bo quickly reassured him. “Yeah, yeah, of course. Gonzo, go ahead and give him my bowl. Get him something to drink too.”
Bo was surprised to see Gonzo hesitate and glance behind him before looking at him with a serious gaze. “Are you sure?”
“Yes!” Bo replied emphatically, incredulous that Gonzo would even have to ask. Something about the man was definitely familiar even if he did not fully recognize him, and he clearly needed the help.
“Alright then,” Gonzo nodded before solemnly handing the disheveled man the bowl of ramen.
Without a word, the man eagerly gripped the wide bowl and tipped it back towards his mouth, not even bothering with utensils. Despite the intensity of the situation, Bo felt the urge to let out an impressed whistle as the man slurped the hardy noodle dish down without pause. Finally, after several seconds and a final, long slurp, he lowered the empty bowl with a satisfied sigh.
Some of the intensity leaving his eyes, the man looked back at Bo. “Satisfaction… Gratitude… young man… With this food… strength returns… my will… endures… With your aid… I once again… possess the power… to continue… my… plans… of… World… DOMINATION!!!”
As the other man finished his sentence by raising both fists high and bellowing to the heavens, Bo felt his mouth drop open at the man’s sudden vitality and apparent insanity. ‘The fuck is he talking about?’ He was just about to ask the man himself when he caught a faint movement out of the corner of his eye. Past the man, the two dozen patrol members were silently watching him and the shouting man while shaking in place. Well, almost silently. As Bo’s eyes narrowed, he saw several of the shaking men and woman were unable to hide the small snorts that escaped them. Seeing that, Bo whipped around to look at Gonzo, only to find him shaking as well. With a groan of realization, Bo slumped in place.
“Oh you assholes,” he complained, causing the quaking men and woman to finally burst out into wild laughter. Even the unknown man who’d slurped back the noodles was chuckling lightly, no longer looking anywhere near as frenzied as before. “Have you just been waiting for three years to laugh at me about that.”
“Yeah,” one of the cackling men replied as if it was obvious. “We couldn’t laugh about it back then and it’s not like we could laugh about it behind your back after you left. That would just be mean, kid.”
Twisting his head, Bo shot a baleful look at the stranger who at least had to the grace to look bashful. “Sorry,” he said with a shrug. “I’m new to the village so they knew you wouldn’t recognize me.”
Bo just rolled his eyes before turning back to the crowd.
“It’s not that funny,” Bo protested as they laughed. “I was nearly arrested over that.”
“Well, yeah kid,” a woman chuckled heartily. “You found one of the most wanted terrorists in the world, and instead of turning her in, you bought her food, gave her cab fare, and encouraged her not to give up on her dreams for good measure.”
Bo felt his own mouth try to curl upwards at the continued, good-natured laughter, but he forced his face to stay aggrieved. “How was I supposed to know she was a terrorist? I thought she was homeless.”
“Ha… She-ha! She was in uni-uni-for-or-orm,” a grizzled-looking man gasped out before devolving into squealing laughter and started banging rapidly on the table.
“Yeah, well, it looked like a thrift store cosplay. And if I was going to turn people into the coppers for looking weird I’d have to start with your ugly mugs,” Bo retorted with a faux-haughty tone, drawing even more bellows of laughter from the group. Shaking his head, he turned back towards Gonzo before letting a smile spread across his face. Looking at the older man’s quirked eye, he shrugged subtly. “Like I said, it’s good to be back.”
*
After he was done scarfing down his meal and exchanging a few more ribbing jokes with the gathered patrol corps, Bo made his way back towards the house. Now that the haze had risen, Bo could feel the rest of his team awakening and moving around, most likely seeking out food within the mess area. Even Princess and Saber had awoken with the auric equivalent of mighty yawns within their balls. Releasing them, he gave both of the freshly awake pokemon gentle rubs before passing Princess the package of rice balls and telling them to share with the others as well as grab breakfast for themselves if they were still hungry.
Carrying on as the two left, Bo felt three new presences jumping eagerly into his shadow as he stepped through compound gates. Having ghosts within your shadow was definitely an odd feeling, though Bo was used to it by now. Judging by the particular sensation running through him, something almost like someone was constantly tickling his ribs but not quite, Gizmo’s two sons, the self-named Rasputin and Erasmus, had decided to join her for the day. Trusting them to have eaten their fill already, Bo just shrugged and carried on.
Baron was waiting for him at the house’s entrance and Bo reflexively snorted at the sight of his mussed & disheveled fur, not to mention the grains of rice sticking to his mouth. He opened his mouth to ask what happened, but the Umbreon growled warningly before he could.
“Alright, alright, I won’t ask why you look like you got into a back-alley fight with a bouncer before rolling around in a bunch of hay,” he chuckled, only to notice his partner’s glowing rings take on a subtle, but distinctive, pink tint. “Wait, did you actually-” “Umbree!”
“No comment, got it. You've got rice on your face, by the way. Don't worry, I'll help you get it once we get to the showers. It looks like you could use one anyways brother.”
The duo quickly walked through the halls towards where some of the showers were. Hearing some sound on their way though, Bo leaned into one of the small, workout rooms. Inside, he was pleased to find Dani’s bandage-wrapped fists pounding rhythmically away at a punching bag while Brute spotted Carter on the weight bench. “Morning!”
“Morning Skittles,” Carter breathed out as he lifted the heavily weighted bar up before settling the weight back onto the rack.
Dani, likewise, finished with a few more punches before turning and shaking out her hands. “Sup.”
“I’m off to the showers, but I figure we can all meet up behind the house in an hour or so to start training. Sound good to you two?”
“Sure thing,” Carter said. “My team’s there now. I’m going to get in a few more sets and join them.”
“Works for me too. I just want to check out my team’s new home for myself first and then I’ll head over.”
“Perfect.”
A slight feeling of happiness that the three of them could fall so easily back into a familiar routine, Bo nodded before heading off. An hour, several unsuccessful attempts not to laugh while helping wash Baron’s fur, and several successful attempts by the Umbreon to spray water in his face later, Bo was standing alongside Dani & Carter as a mass of pokemon and humans gathered around them. Most of their teams, had already arrived, alongside the Old Man’s team, over a dozen Chansey and Clefairy, and several pokemon Bo guessed were Alice’s. Bo’s eyes in particular were drawn to a stout Blissey, easily identifiable by the several long scars crisscrossing her cuddly-seeming form. As for the humans, Old Man, along with the Pancake brothers, looked way more alert and awake than any old man should while Alice stood restlessly nearby.
Suzu and Yuzu had also joined them, though Bo was a little worried about how tired Suzu looked. When he’d tried to ask though, she had just sleepily told him she’d had a late night, and not to worry about it. Then Yuzu had handed him a cookie for some reason. He would have questioned it but, you know, free cookie.
‘What was I thinking about? Oh right, the Haze.’
Dani was currently looking up at the overcast sky with a stunned expression. “You being serious?” she asked, Bo having just explained the ever present mist cloaking the valley during the day. “This is as bright as it gets? You lot really don’t have any sun here?”
“I know, it’s great right,” Bo answered cheerfully. “Nothing but mist and moonlight from here on out.”
“How does anyone get anywhere? Straight up, the visibility is worse than the Glimwood Tangle.”
Bo shrugged slightly confused by her astonishment. She'd seen fog before after all. For Arceus' sake, she was from Galar and he knew they had fog there. “You kind of just… know where you need to go and the mist swirls around you to get you there. Distance and direction don’t even matter, either. You just keep walking until you get where you need to go. Unless wherever you’re trying to go is hidden of course. Then it’s nearly impossible to find, no matter how long you keep walking. It makes playing games in the village a blast. Me, Baron, Angel, and Suzu once played a game of capture the flag that lasted three whole days. Gramps even sent out a search party to find us, but they never did even though it turned out we were all smack in the middle of the village the whole time.”
Taking in her bewildered face, Carter just chuckled. “Give it up Dani. It was like this even back when I first came here. None of the locals even think to question how insane it is anymore.”
Bo rolled his eyes at Carter’s comment, but decided to let it go in favor of getting down to business as the last few pokemon trickled in. “Alright everyone!” he called out while clapping his hands to get their attention. He waited for the gathered group to settle down and face him before continuing. “Thank you all for being here, bright and early. In particular, I want to thank the Clefairies and Chanceys that have volunteered to act as medics while we train. That being said, I want to point two people out. Sarge, would you mind stepping forward.”
“Blissey.”
Following his request, the heavily scarred Blissey walked up towards them, several of the pokemon already familiar with her hurriedly moving out of the way. Even Dani whistled softly as she watched the pokemon move, her experienced eyes swiftly seeing past the plump exterior.
“Now that’s a Blissey,” she whispered to him softly.
“Yup,” Bo replied with a pop. “Sarge isn’t just a nickname in her case. She fought back in the war and was one of the few pokemon to be given a rank of their own for her service.”
Once the normal type had made her way over to the three of them and turned sharply to face the crowd, Bo spoke once more. “For anyone who is not familiar with her, this is Sergeant Betty Blissey. You will refer to her as either Sergeant Blissey or Sarge. She is in charge of the medics and all medical decisions. If she says to stop training and rest, you are to do so. If she instructs you to do anything, you are to comply immediately. If anyone does not comply with her orders, then…”
“Bliss-bliss-blissey,” she finished for him in a sweet, soothing voice, her words causing several pokemon to go pale or wince.
“…What she said. Now, we’re going to start off with our standard routine to get into the swing of things. Dani.”
Stepping up, Dani pointed out a group of pokemon. “Brute, Brave, Demon, Shogun, Rooster, Wrath, Saint, King, Riley, & Doc, you’re with me. We’re setting up in the bamboo area. Carter.”
“Alright, you know the drill. Apollo, Noelle, Dahlia, Hobbes, Rebel, Witch, Angel, Princess, & Huntress, we’re heading to the canyon area.”
“And for everyone else,” Bo said as he stepped forward. “Astra, you are on overwatch and coordinating with Sarge. Dawson please keep Storm & Warrior from killing each other. Old Man, I’m trusting you to get your team up and ready. Alice and Suzu, you’re going to join me, Baron, Gizmo, Wicked, Zuzu, Honor, Fang, Song, Saber, Fay, Sampson, Jaffar, & Raider in the caves. As the great Guru Capiche says, let’s work up a sweat where the sun doesn’t shine! Is everyone with me?!”
……’Huh, I really expected more rallying cries and less awkward silence.’