The gates opened, and all of us bolted out of our pens.
Freedom. Freedom at last! Freedom to explore, to run around the outside, at last, AT LAST!
We ran in the direction the scent came from; Alpha had held up a chunk of strange meat for us to pick up the scent of, and once we'd familiarized ourselves with it, we were able to catch the scent from far off. He wanted us to go after the creature. Hunt it down. Catch it. The idea of chasing after something outside of the Paddock, in the open, was thrilling by itself, and we'd all wanted to get out and do it for a long time.
And now we were actually doing it.
We swerved around each other as we ran in the direction of the smell, Beta staying in the lead, and me, Gamma and Delta weaving about behind her. We jumped rocks, pushed off of logs, hopped over tree roots, and the fresh smell of the lush forest was wonderful in our noses.
It was even better than we thought it would be.
I heard a noise come from behind; a strange, loud whirring noise. An odd contraption came wheeling into our pack from behind, and atop it sat...
Alpha?
{Alpha!} Beta chirped. {He's come to run with us! Keep going!}
Maybe he used the strange sputtering machine to keep up with us; his kind wasn't quite as fast on their feet as me and my sisters were.
{It's getting closer, Alpha,} Delta snarled pugnaciously.
{We'll get it! And we'll take it down!} I screeched.
The scent became stronger. We were close now, and we slowed down.
"They got somethin'!" Alpha called out. To whom, though, I didn't know yet.
With it being so near now, it was a bit more difficult to pinpoint the exact source of the smell. Alpha lagged behind some when he saw that we were right on the creature's tail. I looked behind me as I searched for the target to see that Alpha had hidden himself among the bushes and rocks, and had now been joined by others of his kind. They were all armed with weapons in one form or another, ready to help us take it down.
Why would we need help, though? There were four of us, and we were plenty powerful on our own. The creature we were after couldn't be...
...It couldn't be...That...b ig...
The rustling came from the treetops, and from the leaves, a green head made itself visible. The head alone was almost as long as one of us.
We all watched in awe and horror as the creature turned from green to white, and it stared down at us, silently acknowledging the presence of the humans, and possessing an eerie glimmer of intellect in its red eyes.
It lowered its head and snarled menacingly.
{What are you?} Beta chittered to it to see if it understood.
{Alpha.}
The dialect it spoke in was garbled and deep, yet we could still make out what it said.
{That's wrong,} Beta corrected it. {We already have an Alpha.}
{I am your new Alpha,} it asserted. {They are weak. Kill them.}
Beta shook her head in disbelief, and I spoke out against it.
{I don't want to...}
{Then you are also weak. If you don't kill them, I'll kill you.}
What kind of Alpha WAS this creature? No Alpha ever threatened to kill us...This was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
"Something's wrong..." Alpha's assistant whispered. I could just barely hear him from the distance. "They're communicating."
{What's weak about them?} Beta continued to challenge it. {They can give us orders. And we are strong, so they must be, too.}
{They are not strong. Only their walls...They trapped us and pretended to control us. They're as bad as they are weak.}
{They can't be bad...} Gamma chittered in disbelief. {They're nice to us. At least most of the time.}
{You've fallen for their tricks,} the monster snarled. {And are all fools.}
"I know why they wouldn't tell us what it was made of..." Alpha said.
"Why?" his assistant questioned.
{Don't wait any longer. I am the strongest among all of you. Kill them all. NOW. Or ALL of you will DIE.}
"...That thing's part raptor."
I heard Beta let out a shaky breath as we all turned to face the humans. She shook her head. We had no other choice.
But before we could attack, a series of loud, booming noises rang out across the air. The humans' weapons fired at the white beast, and it roared in shock and agony as it was struck by the projectiles. A bigger one whizzed toward it, bursting into flames just beneath it and knocking it over into its side. It recovered quickly, though, and disappeared into the forest before it could be attacked anymore. All four of us remained hidden in the shrubbery, not sure about the situation.
{Beta...} Delta gurgled. {Is it gone? What do we do?}
{It could be watching us...It can change color to match the forest and hide,} Beta acknowledged. {We have to do what it says...Or it will do it itself. To all of us.}
{We can't attack it ourselves?} I suggested.
{No. It's too big...It will kill us all.}
"Watch your six!" Alpha called out as his human followers readied their weapons again. "Raptors got a new Alpha!"
Something about what he said buzzed in my head. 'Raptor.' The creature was 'part raptor.' What was a raptor?
I was so lost in thought, I barely heard Beta chuff in sorrow to herself.
{...Alpha...Owen...I'm sorry.}
She called out the attack, and we all sprang out against the humans. The air was filled with the sounds of snarls, screams, and gunfire.
I wandered around, somewhat aimlessly through the chaos. I wasn't so focused on the situation than I was what Alpha said. Raptors...He said the raptors had a new Alpha, and that the monster was part raptor, and could communicate with us. We had a new Alpha, in the horrible beast...
Were...WE the raptors?
Something else...a distant memory, from days long past, came back to me.
"I don't suppose you know what happened the last time we tried to keep Velociraptors contained? They were absolutely vicious; hunted and killed everything in sight, according to the people who visited the first park."
The man in the lab coat, "Mr. Wu," who'd come to visit us all when we were still being raised in the nursery, had said it.
{Velociraptors...} I gurgled.
WE had been contained.
WE were being vicious.
WE were hunting and killing everything in sight, from the day we entered the Paddock up until right now.
Me and my sisters never had a definitive name for our kind, so we never referred to ourselves as such...
Until now.
We were Velociraptors. That was what our kind was called.
And, in our own desperation, we'd just confirmed the humans' worst fears.
The screams slowly faded into silence, and the world around me blurred and darkened into blackness, and disappeared.
...
My eye popped open, and I rose my head, suddenly very alert.
I turned my head around to scan my surroundings; I was back at Royal Avenue, curled up on the ground beside the Pokémon Center, just where I'd been last night. Rotom was still nestled into my arm, sound asleep...The horizon was just barely lit up by the first rays of the rising sun, and several stars still dotted the sky above. The east was beginning to show a bit of yellow and pink mixed in with the deep blue, but it had yet to become brighter and more colorful.
That gave me some time to think.
{
Velociraptors...} I gurgled again, the word from the dream still clear in my head. I'd already pieced it together; that was my species name, just like Red was a Hawlucha, and Sassafras a Salandit, and Grace an Eevee.
...A "Velociraptor." Or just "raptor" for short, as I'd remembered it. But what WAS a raptor, such as myself, and my sisters, in comparison to Pokémon? We were both separate classes of creatures, I knew that much. Pokémon could use strange moves, and be captured in small capsules, and they generated strange, powerful "auras," as the humans referred to them. Poké Balls had no effect on me, nor could I harness the same energy that a Pokémon did for myself, even if I had power over the Pokémon themselves. Were there others like me out there somewhere? Besides humans, or...whatever that creature was called that made itself our new Alpha? I didn't know...Would I ever know? Did it really matter anymore?
...Well, it did make ONE thing matter.
I quietly extracted my Trainer's Passport from my pack, being careful not to disturb my PokéDex, and read over my information.
"
Name: Echo"
"
Age: Unknown"
"
Species: Unknown"
"
Birthday: Unknown"
I looked over the third line; "species." The pencil that the professor last used was tucked away in the spiraled spine of the booklet, and I tried to dig it out. He wasn't around to change it for me, so I decided to just do it myself. It was still fairly dark out, but my eyes were well adapted to such, so I grasped the writing tool in my hand and tried to write out the "V" that I knew the word started with...It ended up looking more like a jagged curve than the sharp angle I was going for, which got a frown out of me.
{
I just want to at least be able to read it right...}
"
...Morning already?"
Rotom was awake, probably thanks to my frustration.
{
Sorry, Rotom. I was just trying to write something. You can go back to sleep for a bit longer.}
"
Huh...? Oh, don't worry 'bout me, bud. I should prob'ly get up now anyway. Zzt, heh heh...What are you trying to write?"
I was suddenly excited by his question. He needed to know, now that he was up.
{
I'm glad you asked, because I have some news for you. I remembered my species name!}
"
Oh, you did now...?" he yawned.
It took him a few moments to register what I said, but when he did, that was when HE perked up.
"
Wait. Y-you did what? You remembered something else? Your speciezzz name!?"
I nodded.
{
I'm trying to write it down...How do you hold a pencil correctly? I've never done this before.}
"
Oh! I've seen Professor Kukui do it a bunch of timezzz!" he told me. "
All you gotta do is point the pencil down and hold it at an angle between your forefinger and thumb!"
{
Thumb?}
"
Yeah! That's...Uh..."
Each of us were staring at my hand now. There were three fingers on each one, roughly the same length, save for the slightly longer middle one, and they all faced the same direction. Starkly different from a human's hand.
"
...Oh. You, uh...Don't have thumbs. Uh...Maybe try holding it between your inner and middle fingers? Here, I'll help!"
He had to show me how to get the hold down, but it wasn't too long before I found myself getting more adjusted to the technique.
"
Okay! Now give it a go!"
By now, the sky was becoming a bit brighter, and I started working to write down my species' name...Not perfect, but at least they actually looked like letters this time...How did I know how to read in the first place again? Ugh, if I could suddenly read, why couldn't I suddenly write?
{
I...think that's how you spell it,} I remarked, satisfied with what the passport now said.
"
Name: Echo"
"
Age: Unknown"
"
Species: VelOCiraPtOr"
"
Birthday: Unknown"
{
It's, uh...still isn't as neat as the Professor's though...Maybe I could get him to tidy it up later.}
"
You're a...'Velociraptor,' huh?"
I nodded.
"
And so were your sisterzzz?"
{
That's right. We're called 'raptors' for short, I think...Have you ever heard of my kind before?}
"
Uh...Can't say I have. And the fact that you guyzzz aren't even Pokémon is even stranger. Whatever happened to you, it must have been awful far from here."
{
I'm starting to get the feeling it's farther than I initially thought,} I worried.
"
Hey, that'zzz a cool sounding species name you got there, though! I bet any Pokémon would like to be called something like that!"
{
You think so?}
"
Sure, bucko! Bzzrt! Hey, the sun's coming up. My map sayzzz we can get to the next trial by heading north past the volcano park and going up onto Route 8! We shouldn't have much of a problem with the midday heat this time around, since the trial takezzz place in the Lush Jungle! Plenty of shade from the trees! Kzzt!"
{
Lush Jungle...? I like the sound of that. Should we start now?}
"
The sooner the better! I'll bet Sassafras izzz gonna have a field day out there with all the Grass-Types!"
I pulled out all of my Poké Balls and called out my team. They all stood facing me in a neat line, and greeted me.
"
Krrroo."
"
Lucha!"
"
Vui?"
"
Srrr..."
{
We're going to the next trial in Lush Jungle. Everyone will get a chance to battle, but for you, Sassafras, now is going to be your time to shine.}
She stood up on her hind legs again excitedly; she seemed to like doing that.
{
But before we go, how about I show you what I got from the café last night?}
That was when I pulled out the Poké beans. Instantly, everyone's eyes lit up.
"
Kroo!"
"
Cha!"
"
Eievui!"
"
Salah!"
{
Let's see here now, there are seven...Alright. One for each of you for now. I'll see if I can get more later.}
Each of them got a Poké bean. Dartrix and Red started pecking at theirs a bit slowly, perhaps to savor them, and Sassafras chowed down in a similar manner, only breaking off small bites and eating them. Grace, on the other hand, dug right into hers, and it was only a matter of seconds before it was completely gone.
"
Vui, eievui!" she chirped, looking particularly thankful...and still particularly hungry. On the sly, I slipped her a second one, and her smile grew even bigger.
{
That's all, though. You're still growing, so that's just to help you catch up with the rest of the team.}
She nodded, then nuzzled her short snout against my own in thanks before chomping away. I counted what I had left; just two more beans.
{
...I'm starting to wonder what these taste like myself.}
I took one of the beans in my hand and took a cautious bite out of one end.
...Pretty firm and crunchy. It had an
odd taste, though; like how grass smelled, but just mildly sweet with just a hint of tart fruitiness...? It wasn't so sure I liked it. But if my Pokémon did, then more power to them.
"
So, what do you think?" Rotom buzzed, sort of staring at the half-eaten bean in my hand, a hungry glint in his blue eyes.
{
Not the best. The team can enjoy these...You want one?}
"
Well, I mean...If that'zzz alright with you..." he shrugged, pretending not to be as interested as he really was.
I chittered a laugh, then handed one to him.
{
Go on ahead.}
"
Really!? I mean, ah...Thankzz for that, boss."
He exited the machine in order to actually eat them properly.
{
...Come to think of it,} I continued. {
I haven't really had that much in the way of actual food over the past few days. When I was healing in the research lab, the professor fed me with chunks of meat...Was that from a...Pokémon of some sort?}
"
Roto, rotom. Kzzrt!" he buzzed through a full mouth.
{
Oh...right. You can't speak outside the Dex. I'll wait.}
I didn't have to wait long. Everyone on the team loved the beans so much they were gone before I even knew it. Rotom zipped back into the empty PokéDex that he'd left on the ground, repossessing it, then floated back up to face me, doing sort of a flip in midair.
{
Rotom, you're full of beans.}
"In more wayzzz than one! Bzzt! Ha...Azzz for your question, that'd be a yes! You're definitely a natural carnivore. Have you considered, uh...y'know, hunting wild Pokémon for yourself?"
{
You mean...hunting them for food?}
"
Yep!"
{
And...Killing them?}
I grimaced at the thought. I didn't like that idea.
{
I...don't know. I mean, I've considered it before, when I was just starting out, but...Pokémon are my friends. At least these ones are. And now that I'm so close to them, eating them...doesn't seem right. Especially now after the Tauros incident.}
"
Hey, it'zzz not THAT bad. Pokémon eat other Pokémon all the time!"
{
They DO?}
I wasn't so sure I believed this at first.
"
You should see Talonflame in action! They swoop down and pick off Wingull and Pikapek to chow down on! And wild Salandit like Sassafras hunt down Bug-Typezzz to eat! It izzzn't savage. It's called the food chain!"
{
I still don't know, Rotom. Like...I know I used to hunt, but that was before I actually...knew everything that I do now. I don't think like that anymore.}
"
Well what if I told you that humanzzz eat Pokémon too?"
{
Now you're just pulling my tail,} I replied, unamused by this.
"
No, I'm serious! Roasted Farfetch'd! Clauncher claws! Sharpedo fins! People eat Pokémon all the time! In fact, the Thrifty Megamart sellzzz all sorts of food made with Slowpoke tails! Slowpoke tail sandwiches, peppered Slowpoke tail! You name it, they got it! And it doezzzn't even hurt the Slowpoke; they don't feel a thing when their tailzzz fall off, and once they lose them, they grow right back!"
{
Wow...That's, um...I guess THAT'S okay, then,} I decided. {
But then why don't I just buy food from there, then, instead of hunting for it in the wild?}
"
Well, no offense, but you seemed like the type to like your meat raw."
{
Maybe...but I'd rather not kill things anymore. Looking back on my hunting days, it wasn't pretty.}
"
Ah...If you say so. But if you change your mind, that'zzz okay, too! Just don't prey on people, izzz all! Or Rotom for that matter! Haha!"
{
Don't worry; I don't plan to...All I plan to do is get my hands on something manmade to eat.}
"
Soundzzz like a plan! And it's especially convenient that the Thrifty Megamart izzz LITERALLY just northeast of here! Go ahead and look!"
I turned in the given direction; there was the megamart, in all its glory.
{
Well, let's not wait! Everyone back to your Poké Balls! We have a trial to get to!}
...
"
Wow...You really like that stuff, don't you?"
{
Oh, you have NO idea, Rotom.}
I'd gotten the miniature Slowpoke tail quiche for just 145₱, and it was AMAZING; the savory blend of eggs, cheese and diced Slowpoke tail was better than anything raw I'd eaten in the past.
{
The next time I buy one of these things, I'll see what it tastes like hot.}
"
It soundzzz almost as delicious as Poké beanzzz! Well, shall we move on up the tunnel?"
I nodded, and Rotom held onto my hat as I dashed through the Dividing Peak Tunnel. It was a straight streak that led right to Route 8, and I was hit by the salty smell of the ocean breeze as I emerged...What a wonderful scent.
I was about to keep going, but the sight of another Trainer caught my attention. She had a pretty heavy-looking backpack on her, and was scanning the area, going up and down the road, scanning the area, Poké Ball in hand. She was looking for someone to battle, for certain.
A little warmup wouldn't have hurt before the trial, so I alerted her to my presence with a bark. She turned to face me in an instant.
"Oh, ho HO! The mysterious scaly Trainer everyone's been talking about! I'm on somewhat of a journey myself, you know? How 'bout we see who's got the upper hand in strength?"
I nodded eagerly, and she fetched her fighter.
"Alright, Eevee! Show 'em!"
The Evolution Pokémon emerged, and landed on the ground with a happy chipper.
"
Eievui!"
{
I thought that Eevee were rare...} I wondered. A decent number of people seemed to have them, despite the claim. {
Oh, well. Grace! Get ready!}
My own Eevee materialized on the battlefield.
"You've got one too, huh? Well, let's see who fares better! Start this off with Quick Attack, Eevee!"
{
Grace! Weaken him with Baby Doll Eyes!}
She did just so, and the attacker skidded to a halt in the middle of his high-speed charge, thrown off by the sudden look of affection.
"
Vui...?"
{
Got 'em right were we want him! Tackle!}
With one swift motion, she slammed head on into the other Eevee, knocking it clean off its feet.
"Don't let it beat you down! Try Quick Attack again!"
The opposing Pokémon fired up the move, and before I could call out my next command, it rammed itself into Grace, sending her flying. She managed to land on her feet, but was a bit shaken up by the attack.
"Try again!"
{
Another Baby Doll Eyes, let's go!}
Grace opened her eyes widely again, and for a moment, I could see a mild blue glimmer in them. The enemy Eevee saw this too, and staggered back before it could attack.
That was when I noticed something odd.
Grace almost looked like she was...glowing. Almost like how Dartrix did when he evolved from a Rowlet, but quite a bit fainter. And there was a strained look on her face.
"
Eie...Vui..." she grunted. Her ears perked all the way up for a moment, and almost looked as though to be getting bigger from beneath the glow...But before they could get much further, the already dim light began to dissipate, and they returned to their original position. She let out a relieved huff when it was over.
And then, out of the blue, she jumped forward and used another Tackle Attack without me even having to order it!
{
That's my girl!}
"Come on, Eevee! Fight back harder! Use your own Tackle!"
But it was too late. Grace had the enemy pinned down on the ground, and that was when she hopped into the air, then shot down right onto her opponent, kicking up dust.
It was quick to clear, and it revealed the other Eevee, completely knocked out.
{
Nice job out there, Grace!}
"
Eievui..." she smiled back at me, still looking a bit nervous after what happened out there.
"Not bad...Guess I've got some more training to do, huh?" the backpacker mused. "Here. Take this."
She handed me my prize; 480₱. Today was already off to a great start.
"So where you off to?"
{
Rotom. Care to explain?}
"
We're going to the Lush Jungle to take on the trial! Bzzrt! How 'bout you?"
"Me? I'm just on a trip to find myself, is all. Name's Kiana, and I left home to get stronger. No Island Challenge for me. Not yet, at least. I just want to find what's missing from my life, whatever it might be...But it's something, I know it."
{
Well, I hope you find whatever you're looking for,} I nodded. {
And thanks for the battle. Come on, Grace. The Lush Jungle isn't far.}
"
Eievui..."
{
Grace...Did something happen out there on the battlefield?}
She tensed as she walked alongside me, and showed off a grimace.
{
It looked like you were glowing a bit. Almost like you were...starting to evolve.}
She sighed.
"
Vui? Eie, eievui, eievui...Vui."
{
What'd she say, Rotom?}
"
Oh...She sayzzz she almost did, but since it's morning she wouldn't have been the Umbreon you wanted. She didn't want to disappoint you."
{
I know I asked you this already, but you do WANT to be an Umbreon, right, Grace?}
"
Vui! Eie, eievui!"
"
She said she wantzzz it more than anything if it makes you happy!"
{
Well...Just know that I'm not forcing you, alright?}
"
Eievui..."
She shrugged nonchalantly, then hopped up onto my back and climbed up to the top of my head as we continued down the road. It looked like we weren't much farther away from the next trial sight.
As we went, I spied another path branching off from the main road, and just down it, I saw what looked like a small building of some sort. I smelled...something oddly familiar coming from that direction, and I was inclined to check it out before heading into the next trial site.
{
Rotom, does it say on your map what this place is?}
"
Oh, it sure doezzz! This is the Fossil Restoration Center! If you find any Pokémon fossils to bring here, they can extract the DNA from them and uzzze it to restore the extinct Pokémon back to life! In fact, according to the description, the person who runzzz the place wants to turn it into a whole theme park centered around Fossil Pokémon!"
{
Wow...That sounds like a pretty great idea,} I replied. {
We don't have any fossils, though, do we?}
"
No, but that doezzzn't mean we won't get any in the future! Let's be sure to come back here when and if that happenzzz, okay?"
{
Sounds like a plan...But we've got to get moving again. Come on, Grace, let's get you back in your ball for now.}
She nodded, hopping off of my head and onto the ground as I returned her to her capsule. Once she was secure, I started back onto the main road and began the dash to our destination. It didn't seem too much longer before I passed a motel and turned southeast onto the dirt road, and before I even knew it, I was staring up at the trial gates.
{
We all set?}
"
Sure are! Let's move out!"
With a kick of my feet, I ran through the log tunnel, and in an instant, the sun disappeared behind the dense treetops above. The temperature dropped, the air stilled, and the dank, bittersweet smell of moss filled my nostrils.
It was wonderful.
And that was when I spied the trial captain.
"Hey, it's you! I was hoping you would stop on by!"
I recognized Mallow from when she and Olivia met us a few days prior, when I first stepped foot on Akala Island with my human friends.
{
So these are your trial grounds...} I chittered, still enveloped in dense greenery, barely hearing Rotom as he translated my speech. {
...You definitely have good taste.}
"Pun intended?"
{
What do you mean by that?}
"Guess you don't know what you're actually gonna be doing here yet," she continued, taking in her own whiff of the rainforest atmosphere.
"Ahh...I can already tell what the ingredients are going to be...I don't suppose you're aware that I collect a lot of my spices and herbs from here, are you?"
{
You mean for your cooking?}
"Absolutely. And that's exactly what we're gonna be doing here in order to lure out some Pokémon!"
{
Cooking? For the trial?}
I cocked my head curiously. This had definitely subverted my expectations a bit, but I wasn't going to complain. I already had a growing appreciation for good food; knowing how to make it myself sounded even MORE appealing.
"We're going to be making my own personal culinary masterpiece: the Mallow Special! All you have to do is forage the jungle for the ingredients we need...But watch your back. Sometimes, Pokémon come around to snag the ingredients and eat them on their own, so you'll have to battle them in order to get what you need!"
I nodded understandingly.
{
What do I need to find?}
"The ingredients for the Mallow Special; A Mago Berry, a Tiny Mushroom, a Revival Herb and a Miracle Seed. You got all that?"
{
Mago Berry, Tiny Mushroom, Revival Herb and Miracle Seed. Got it...I'm not sure if I'll know them when I see them, though.}
"Hmm...You don't have Stoutland Search on your Ride Pager, do you?"
{
No; just Charizard. And I don't really...use it that often. I'm not that keen on flying.}
"I see...That could be a problem."
"
Wait! I have an idea!" Rotom piped up. "
Echo, don't YOU have a pretty keen sniffer yourself? You might be able to track 'em down! And I know what the ingredientzzz look like thanks to my advanced database, so I'll be able to help you with that too!"
"Hey, that should work!" Mallow agreed. I was also on board.
{
Rotom, you always know what to do, don't you?}
"
Haha...Well, I mean..." he replied, screen turning a bit pink. "
Just doin' my job, you know?"
"One more thing! Here's a forage bag for the ingredients you find; if you just stuck them in your regular bag, they'd get all mixed up, you know? Not to mention, regular item bags aren't exactly the cleanest places to store food."
She handed me a separate bag; it was smaller than the one on my back, and held shut by a draw string. It smelled strongly of the herbs it used to have in it.
"That should do it! Let the trial begin!"
With that, I trotted further into the jungle to see if I could pick up a scent.
{
Rotom. What do you think a Mago Berry would smell like?}
"
Well, it'zzz a berry! Probably fruity and sweet!"
{
Let's see...}
I sniffed around, slowly heading up one of the northwest path. Then, suddenly...
{
I think I've got something.}
"
Great! Let's follow it!"
I kept following the path, and the sweet scent kept getting stronger. I spotted a dead end just up ahead; it seemed like the berry was right around where the path stopped.
{
I think it's right about-}
Before I could finish, I heard the sound of rustling leaves. I looked next to the bush on the side of the path, and saw that it was shaking. Was something inside of it?
My question was answered when I was suddenly ambushed from the culprit!
The Pokémon dashed out in front of me to block where the scent of the berry was coming from; I was more convinced I was looking at a plant than a sentient creature, since its pink stem was covered in green leaves. But its alert eyes told me otherwise, and the two sharper leaves on its front seemed to slice at the air a bit.
{
What's this Pokémon?}
"
Allow me!"
"
Fomantis: the Sickle Grass Pokémon! During daylight hours, thezzze Pokémon sleep in the sunlight in order to soak up the sun's rayzzz, and look for a safer place to sleep during the night! They use their stored energy for their evolution when the time comezzz!"
The Pokémon was small, but was ready to put up a fight...It was too bad I had a Fire-Type on me.
{
Alright, Sassafras! Now's your time to shine!}
I released my trusty Salandit, and she trilled eagerly as she faced her opponent.
{
Go for it! Use Ember!}
She nodded back to me, a smile on her face. Then, in no time at all, she'd fired up the flames in her mouth and shot the projectile at the opponent. It hit the Fomantis hard enough to just nearly faint it in one hit, but it wasn't doing down just yet, and it fired up what looked like a Leafage attack.
{
One more time!}
The Fomantis was determined, but Sassafras was stronger, and before the Leafage could make it to my fighter, she'd already prepared another Ember, and it hit its target yet again. This time, it wasn't getting back up.
{
Excellent! I think I'll keep you out of your Poké Ball so we an be ready for the next one, alright?}
She nodded cheerfully, pleased with how things were going along. Now that the Fomantis was out of the way, I was able to inspect the source of the smell, and saw half of a berry sticking up out of the loose ground. All I had to do was brush the dirt away and the Mago Berry became as clear as day, so I just scooped it up and put it into the forage bag.
{
That's one down. Now what do we need...A Tiny Mushroom, Revival Herb and Miracle Seed, right?}
"
You got it!"
{
What does the Revival Herb smell like?}
"
Bleugh, bitter! I've had the displeasure of trying them before; they make you wanna lose your lunch! It shouldn't be hard to find...They smell azzz bad as they taste!"
{
That's enough information for me. Might wanna hold your...erm...Do you even have a nose?}
"
I guess...? I mean, I can smell stuff, but ya don't really see anything there on my face."
{
Just watch out for the odor.}
I sniffed the air again; through the lingering smells of the trees and earth, I picked up a bitter hint coming in from the north.
{
I've got a scent. We're heading north.}
I passed up that way, leaping over one of the patches of tall grass as I went, and Sassafras running alongside me; I noticed that she even walked on her hind legs, instead of just standing up on them. I found this peculiar; the wild Salandit I'd battled before her crawled and ran on all fours. But Sassafras seemed more keen on standing upright when she got around, almost like...
Me and my sisters.
I knew she said she wasn't like the other Salandit, and merely wanted to be appreciated for who she was, but emulating my own gait? This was a dedicated Pokémon.
And, really, there was no reason to find this a bad thing.
The bitter smell of the herb was coming from a tiny bare patch among the grass, now more apparent than ever. I could tell that my Pokémon smelled it, too; Sassafras was now only breathing through her open mouth, and Rotom had his own blocky arms covering where his nose would be if it were visible. Strange...
I wasn't really bothered by the smell of the herb; in fact, it almost smelled like something used to make the quiche I'd bought from the Thrifty Megamart. Maybe Mallow would have further insight on this? I decided I would ask her when the trial was done.
I poked my head through the bare patch, and lo and behold, there grew the Revival Herb, right from the ground. I smiled at the sight of it, then carefully wrapped my fingers around the base of the plant and pulled it up out of the ground, roots and all.
{
That's the second one!}
"
Foman!"
As if on queue, another Fomantis leapt out of the grass and confronted us.
{
Another one of these? Well, you know what to do, Sassafras!}
She didn't even wait for my order; she already knew to fire up her Ember attack and send it flying at the enemy Grass-Type. This time around, she dealt about the same amount of damage as she did the last time; almost, but not quite enough to one-shot it. But the effects of the attack on the Pokémon were more apparent; a spot on the top of its head continued to smoulder, and after a few more seconds, the Fomantis tried to prepare a Leafage, only to succumb to its wounds and faint right in front of us.
{
Uh...What happened?}
"
Oh, the Fomantis was burned by the attack! Happenzzz in battles with Fire-Type moves all the time! Don't worry, i-it should be fine!"
{
Hope so...}
That was when the small Pokémon regained its senses. Still under the effects of the burn, it retreated back into the grass to hide.
{
Alright. Two left...How about the Tiny Mushroom, Rotom?} I asked, storing the Revival Herb away in the forage bag.
"
Oh, they smell a lot better than the herbs!" he answered, lowering his appendages as my Salandit started to breathe normally again. "
Ah, the bag izzz blocking the smell. Sweet relief. Ha...Anyway, though, a lot of mushroomzzz have a sort of earthy scent, so it might blend in with the rest of the ground some. But it'll probably smell stronger, and...maybe a tad sweeter?"
{
Let's see what I can get...M-hmm...}
Sure enough, the balmy scent Rotom had described was coming from the south, closer to the entrance to the trial grounds, it seemed like.
{
Okay. Follow me.}
We headed back south as I followed the scent of the mushrooms. I passed by where Mallow stood, then sniffed the air again; the smell were close now, coming not to far from my right; there was another dead end there.
And right in front of me, there sat two mushrooms; one very small and the other almost half as large as me.
I knew that the recipe only called for the Tiny Mushroom, so I plucked the smaller one out of the ground and stuck it in the forage bag, and was just about to turn around...
When the Big Mushroom began to move.
The loose soil around it fell away as it rose up, and it turned out that the mushroom was attached to a Pokémon!
A very strange-looking one, too; it looked like some sort of giant insect, and with blank, emotionless white eyes. It gave of an unsettling aura.
{
What IS that, Rotom?}
"
Scanning...Scanning...Scan complete!"
"
Parasect: the Mushroom Pokémon! The mushroom on its back has mostly taken over the host bug, and doezzz most of the thinking! They're known to swarm trees in large hordes and drain the nutrients from the lower trunk and rootzzz! Eek! Scary!"
{
No wonder it gives me a bad feeling...Sassafras, put the poor bug out of its misery.}
She nodded, almost reluctantly, then stood up to face it and spat an Ember its way. Its dual Bug-Grass typing was its downfall; the infected creature fell in one hit, and the smell of cooked mushroom spread through the air. It smelled...strangely appetizing.
{
That thing's mushroom can't infect US, can it, Rotom?}
"
No, it can only infect this Pokémon. In fact, the sporezzz from the fungus are used for medicinal purposes in some places, didja know that?"
{
Huh...Interesting.}
"Hey, you guys! How much more do you have left to find?" Mallow called to us.
"
Zzrt! Just the Miracle Seed and we'll be ready!"
"Awesome! You guys are really doin' good!"
I should think so, I said to myself. Sassafras has really shown off her skills.
{
What do you think a Miracle Seed would smell like, Rotom?}
"
A miracle Seed...Gee, that'zzz...a good question, really. Seeds don't usually have much of a smell, I don't think. Hey, Mallow! What doezzz a Miracle Seed smell like!?"
"What's it smell like? Well...I guess the scent could be described as umami; it almost smells like a combination between asparagus and cilantro...But that's only if it's right up close to you; though a nose like yours should still be able to find it! Try to track down something bitter-smelling and just a bit tangy. And another thing; they tend to show up more in the eastern part of the jungle, so I suggest you look there first!"
{
Let's see what I get.}
I sniffed the air again, and I picked up...something very subtle. Earthy, bitter...just a bit tangy, like she said. I could just barely smell it, so I had to go around in a few circles to determine which direction it was coming in from...
The east. Just like she said.
{
I've got a scent. Come on, guys.}
I dashed up the path, clearing taller grass patches in single leaps; I sort of felt bad for the humans not being able to jump so far. As long as a grassy patch wasn't too big, I could probably refrain from using Repels, and the wild Pokémon I did encounter would at least serve as something to train against.
I turned a corner to the right, heading south; the scent was very near, now, and there were several large boulders along the path, some of them even blocking off entire parts of the path. I wondered how they got there...
That as when I began to pinpoint the source of the smell.
It got stronger, and seemed like it was coming from the ground, so I lowered my head, keeping my nostrils close to the earth, and sniffed out the Miracle Seed. I was almost upon it, when all of a sudden...
I rammed into something headfirst, and emitted a pained squawk.
"
Ah! You okay, bud!?"
{
Yeah, just...}
I looked up; I'd bashed my head into one of the large boulders by mistake. And the Miracle Seed smelled like it was...buried beneath it, just a few inches or so down.
{
Huh...Wonder how we're gonna get the seed out from under there.}
"
I hear that Tauros can destroy boulderzzz like these ones! They're also Ride Pokémon here in Alola, too!"
{
No Tauros. I've one too many bad experiences with those,} I declined. {
...But aren't Grass and Fighting-Type Pokémon strong against Rock?}
"
That'zzz true!"
{
Hmm...}
I snagged a Poké Ball from my pack and called out Red. As always, he made a graceful landing.
"
Ru-Cha!"
{
Red. Do you think you can Karate Chop through this rock?}
"
Ru..."
He looked up and down the obstruction carefully, searching for a place to land a good enough hit. Finally, he spread his wings and took to the air, flying higher and higher, up to the tops of the trees. Just before he ascended into the open sky, he looked back at the rock, then swooped down and shot himself right towards it, and right before the collision, Red crossed his wings, and they glowed with the heated red energy as they made contact with the rock.
I scrambled away from the rock and shielded Rotom behind me, and then there was a loud, crumbling noise. Chunks of stone flew all over, and I barely was able to dodge them all.
When the dust cleared, it revealed that the rock had been reduced to nothing but a pile of broken pieces, pebbles and dust. My trusty Hawlucha had decimated it in one hit.
Amazing.
He stepped to the side, taking a bow, and I dug into the rubble to locate the Miracle Seed. All I had to do was push away some of the rock chunks and then dig a few inches into the ground, using my clawed hands as makeshift shovels, and it wasn't long until I uncovered the pale green seed in the ground, and the familiar aroma wafted up from it.
{
Gotcha.}
I picked it out of the dirt, blew the dust off of it and stuck it in the forage bag. That was the last one.
{
Red, once we're done here, remind me to get more Poké beans for all of you.}
"
Haw..." he nodded, a satisfied smirk on his beak.
{
Alright...Back in your Poké Ball, though. We have to get these things back to Mallow.}
I dashed back down a series of ledges to make it back to where Mallow stood in wait, sounding off a bark to catch her attention. Once she turned to face me, I showed off the things in the forage bag, and an excited smile spread across her face.
"Hey, you got everything! Nice work out there!"
{
So, now what do we do? I mean, how do we prepare it?}
"Well, now all we need to do is-"
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"How've you been, Mallow? Oh...looks like my friend from Brooklet Hill just gathered everything you need."
I turned to face the source of the voices, and there, coming into the jungle, were the other two Akala trial captains.
{
Kiawe? Lana?}
"
Zzrt! What are you two guys doin' here?" Rotom grinned.
"Mallow requested we deliver a few ingredients from our own turfs to complete the Mallow special," Kiawe explained, handing the things he'd brought to the third captain.
"Here's the Rare Bone and Thick Club."
"And I got the Fresh Water and usual Rocky Helmet."
{
Uh...Rocky Helmet?} I repeated. Rotom was equally confused.
"You'll see what that's for in just a bit," Mallow assured me. "Thanks for gathering the stuff, everyone! Now we're gonna cook up a storm and lure out the Totem Pokémon!"
That was when she pulled out a picnic blanket and set out the ingredients Kiawe and Lana brought onto it.
{
Oh, now we're talkin',} I smirked, showing off my rows of pointy teeth.
"Alright, let's see that forage bag you got there, Echo."
I handed her the sack, and she took everything out, placing it down neatly along with the other things.
"Mago Berry, Miracle Seed, Revival Herb, Tiny Mushroom...Yep! That's everything! Okay, then! Let's get this show on the road...Lana! Let's flip over that Rocky Helmet and pour in the Fresh Water!"
"On it."
All she had to do was screw the cap off and tip it over to fill the helmet.
{
Oh...So, the helmet works as sort of a bowl?}
"Now you're getting it!" Mallow nodded. "The minerals from the rocks give the dish an extra savory essence. Now we just add the ingredients you got from the jungle..."
She carefully placed the mushroom, herb, berry and seed into the water-filled helmet.
"Now for the final step...Kiawe, hand our scaly friend the Rare Bone and Thick Club, would you?"
"Certainly."
He handed me the two bones; one was smaller and softer, and had a mild earthy aroma to it, and the other was larger and more sturdy, and the tips of them smelled of...smoke? How strange...But it was an oddly pleasing aroma, for something pertaining to flames.
"Alright. Get a good grip on your utensils and concentrate on the ingredients."
I held them both firmly, and narrowed my gaze into the bowl, now flashing a confident, concentrated stare.
{
Now what?} I chittered.
"You use those bones and pound all of it to a pulp!"
{
Is that all?}
"That's right! Crush the seed! Grind the herb! Smash the berry and mushroom into goo!"
{
Well...Alright.}
"And make sure you use both bones! Their flavors have to be mixed in well enough!"
"
You heard what she said! Show those ingredientzzz who's boss!"
I took a look at the bones, took a deep breath as I rose the bones, then smashed them both into the Rocky Helmet.
"That's the way you do it! Keep it up!"
I nodded, and as I continued to mash the ingredients together, I could detect a new smell beginning to form from the mix.
"Grind the bones against the herb and seed some! That'll really mix them in good!"
I complied, crushing them both until they were barely recognizable. The mushroom was the last one; all I had to do was smash it once, and it was reduced to a pulp, and I mixed that right in with the other ingredients until everything was well blended.
That was when the smell wafting up from it intensified. I could detect both savory and bittersweet elements in it.
"Wow...You did amazingly!" Mallow congratulated. "It shouldn't be long now until-"
That was when I heard a loud rustling coming from the bushes, and we all froze.
Slowly, the three trial captains turned their gazes east, and I could see the shock on Kiawe and Lana's faces. Rotom also turned to look in the same direction, and his already large blue eyes widened even more, and he began to tremble. I was still paralyzed stiff where I stood.
{
...It's right behind me, isn't it?}
"
Might wanna turn around and see it!"
I slowly turned to face the beast, and a feeling of dread began to hang over me. This felt like the time me and my sisters encountered the white monster all over again, and I silently hoped that I wouldn't see the horrible creature towering over me when I turned around...But I couldn't put the fight off forever, so I slowly turned around to face the creature, heart racing in fearful anticipation of the fight to come against the...the...
...Giant pink bug?
It was 'giant' in bug standards, at least. The Totem Pokémon stood no taller than me, and had the same pink and green shades as the Fomantis we'd fought earlier. It tilted its head curiously, staring at me with its large, pink eyes...And I
swore it looked like it was wearing striped pants.
{
Oh...}
My fears alleviated, and I let out a sigh of relief.
{
Ha...You're not so bad. For a moment, I thought you we're going to be something terrify-}
"
Lu-raaan!"
It's warbling cry echoed across the rainforest, and I staggered back at the noise. The Pokémon raised its pincer-like arms and glared fiercely.
...Alright, so it didn't look threatening on the surface, but I couldn't underestimate the Totem just yet.
{
Rotom. Can you get a scan on this thing? If it's both a Bug and Grass-Type, we shouldn't have a problem.}
"
I'm on it! Scanning...scanning...Scan complete!
"
Lurantis: the Bloom Sickle Pokémon! It uses energy from the sun to fire beamzzz from its sickle-shaped petals! It might look like a Bug-Type, but this is only a ruzzze used to trick enemies, and it's actually a pure Grass-Type! Zrrt! No double offensive advantage here, but we should still be able to take it on!"
{
At least we still have the double defensive advantage,} I acknowledged. {
Alright, Sassafras! Let's see what you've got!}
I tossed her Poké Ball, and she materialized before the giant Pokémon, narrowing her squinty eyes up at it.
"
Srrrr..." she growled.
{
Let's start off with your Ember attack!}
She fired up and launched quickly, but the Totem Lurantis was faster than it made itself out to be, and it simply swerved around the flaming missile before launching its own attack, being Razor Leaf; I recognized the move from my own Dartrix.
But despite the wide-ranged attack landing, it did very little except make Sassafras wince a bit, and she stood her ground.
{
Try Dragon Rage!}
The Lurantis was all over the field, and the captains and I watched as my Salandit fired orbs of blue and purple energy from her mouth trying to hit it properly. The entire jungle seemed ablaze with the light of our attacks.
Finally, one of the attacks landed a mark when Sassafras got the smart idea to aim where the enemy was GOING, not where it was in the moment, and I could tell that it took a large chunk of energy out of the Grass-Type. It looked half beaten already, and it was our first hit!
She must have done a lot of self-training in the wild to have been this good, I said to myself.
Hopefully we can hone that further.
{
Try another one! It looks like that did a number on it!}
But before my Pokémon could prepare the attack, the Lurantis called out into the jungle for help.
And something came to its aid; a black and white avian Pokémon with a colorful, yet sharply pointed beak.
"
Oh, no! A Trumbeak! Sassafras might find this one harder to take on, kzzt!"
{
Quick! Fire the Dragon Rage at the Trumbeak!}
She obeyed, and the bird Pokémon was hit by the sudden attack before it had the chance to dodge, taking even more damage than the Lurantis had.
{
Atta girl! Now Ember!}
She fired up her flames, but before she could launch them, the Totem Pokémon began to advance on her, its scythes crossed over each other in preparation for an attack.
{
Use it on the Totem!}
As the Grass-Type drew closer, I realized that the flames burning in my Salandit's mouth seemed to burn hotter than before, and more yellow than red. The Lurantis landed its attack, but at the very same time, Sassafras launched her own hit from close quarters, and the enemy yelped in shock and pain as it was engulfed in flames.
No Ember attack I'd ever seen before did THAT to a Pokémon, even when it inflicted a burn.
{
Whoa...} I gurgled.
"
Hey! Sassafras learned a new attack! Incinerate! It'zzz more powerful than Ember!"
And since it was more powerful, that was the end of the Totem Lurantis, and it fell into a faint before us.
{
That's my Pokémon! Now all we have to do is take out her Trumbeak sidekick!}
Sassafras stood back up on her hind legs to face the Flying-Type. She looked a tad worn down from the two hits she'd already taken, but the damage was superficial; she had this battle in the bag.
{
One more Incinerate!}
But the Trumbeak had since regained its composure and prepared to back up the fallen Totem, and it flew off to the side, readying a...strange-looking attack from its beak.
{
What's it doing...?}
My question was answered when it fired a stone from its beak, hitting my Salandit square in the chest a good three consecutive times!
"
Salan!"
She was sent flying across the battlefield and collapsed for a moment, but was able to get back onto her hind feet, albeit shakily. Upon seeing what the attack could do, my knees were almost as weak as hers.
{
Rotom, what WAS that!?}
"
This could be bad! It lookzzz like that Trumbeak knows Rock Blast! Super effective against a Fire-Type like her! And thozzze things have good aim!"
{
Urgh...That's a problem. We'll need to work around that. How, though...?} I wondered aloud. If it had good aim, Sassafras wouldn't last long against it. If only we could obscure its vision somehow.
Obsure its vision...
That was when it hit me.
{
Sassafras! Use Smog and hide the battlefield!}
She nodded back to me, then fired up her thick cloud of toxic gas, letting it seep out across the field, shrouding her in inky blackness. The enemy Trumbeak continued to fly, keeping the cloud in its line of vision and searching for an opening. It seemed to have as keen an eye as I did myself.
But even so, I could tell it was struggling to see my Salandit through the smog, as I did. But even though I couldn't see her, I knew she could hear me.
And that was when I called out my next order.
{
Fire your Incinerate right in front of it!}
The enemy tensed, and in a split second, I saw the ball of fire shoot out of the cloud cover and ram right into the flying opponent before it could think to dodge. The opponent was engulfed in the flames, and then stopped flapping its wings, spiraling towards the ground and into the smog cloud
Sassafras blew away the inky gas to clear the battlefield, and it revealed both the ally and Totem Pokémon on the ground, defeated.
We did it.
"
Sraaaah!"
Once again, the Salandit stood tall on her hind legs and gave off a victory cry. And this time, I joined right in.
{
That was amazing!} I praised her. {
You single-handedly got me through the whole trial! Well...except for Red smashing the boulder, but I mean battle-wise.}
Her black-scaled face gained a tint of dark red, and she smiled.
"Wow...! Nice job out there, you two!" Mallow congratulated. "You were really able to draw out the flavor of your Pokémon! The Totem practically bowed right down to you!"
"Yeah...You showed my Wishiwashi who was the strongest, too," Lana chimed in.
"As well as my own Salazzle, and you did so with her own pre-evolved form right here," Kiawe commented. "Totem Salazzle didn't stand a chance against your skill, Echo. And I'm proud to see the Pokémon from my own trial sight having become such a valuable member of your team."
{
Well, my Salandit's a bit different from the others. And I'm glad I saw that in her when we first met.}
On queue, the Toxic Lizard Pokémon trilled again excitedly, the red tinge on her face turning brighter...
And then spreading across her entire body in a blinding glow!
The light intensified, and I could see the shape of the Pokémon underneath begin to change; the small lizard Pokémon became larger and more slender, and the light shrouding her flashed from red, to white, and then to pink.
And then the light dissipated, and revealed the lean and elegant creature Sassafras had become. The sleeker, mask and glove-like markings on her face and limbs were gone, now matching the softer uniform black, and her soft indigo undersides were trimmed with rosy flame-shaped markings, that same color also present on the underside of the tail.
She wasn't as big as the Totem Salazzle from Kiawe's trial, and her soft lavender eyes lacked that sharp, foxy glow. Her new pink markings were also a bit different from the Totem's; they curved more at the points, and their shade of pink color was lighter and not as intensely bright.
{
Whoa...} I marveled, eyes wide with wonder. {
Sassafras, you...You look amazing!}
Her tail swished modestly, and she put a hand over her mouth as she emitted a bashful trill. Even Kiawe himself was impressed by my newly-evolved Salazzle.
"Wow...This is an amazing specimen, Echo. You've raised her well."
{
A lot of it has to do with Sassafras herself, though,} I credited. {
She's the one who decided to train herself for the battlefield before I caught her. Isn't that righ?}
She nodded in modest agreement.
"Well, you beat the trial," Mallow continued. "Why don't we all celebrate by digging into the Mallow Special?"
"I was just thinking that," Lana giggled.
"A good battle does work up an appetite, doesn't it?"
{
Sure does, Captain Kiawe,} I answered, Rotom still translating my garbled dialect as the grass trial captain whipped out a few bowls for us. {
You know, that's another reason to be glad about showing up here. The food I've been eating lately is a lot more...refined than what I'm used to.}
"Really?" she asked, handing me serving of the Mallow Special. "How so?"
{
Well...For the most part, me and my sisters just ate raw meat. Sometimes, live prey was let loose in where we lived, and...When we caught it, sometimes we just...ate it alive. While it was aware, and alert...And in pain...I even remember almost doing the same to...some humans back then...just to keep myself alive.}
The mere thought of such a thing made me shudder.
"
Srrrl...?" Sassafras trilled, noticing the fear in my gaze.
"That's awful," Mallow sympathized. "Y-you'll be okay, though...right?"
{
I will. I know I will, because...That's all behind me. It's over now. I have a new life here. A new pack and new friends, and I feel like...Even though I'm not actually a human, I become a bit more like one everyday. I might have scales, and stripes and claws, but...I want to be human on the inside. And from what I've seen, I think I'm on the path to that goal.}
"I'm as pleased with your hopeful nature as I am with Mallow's culinary masterpiece," Kiawe joked, finishing off his serving. "...You going to eat yours?"
{
Huh? Oh...Sorry. Got so caught up boring you all with my story, I forgot about that.}
My own remark caused everyone to laugh. Even Rotom struggled not to giggle while he was repeating it back to the humans.
"Ah...It isn't boring, I promise you..." Kiawe assured me.
"I'm proud, to say the least," Lana told me through a mouthful of the dish.
"That brings up another question," Mallow added. "What exactly are your species called? You and your sisters, I mean. Do you guys have a name?"
{
Well...If you'd asked me that just yesterday, I wouldn't have been able to tell you. The only reason I know now is because I had tend to have dreams about my past, and remember things through them. I had one just last night...We're called Velociraptors. 'Raptor' for short. That's what the humans training us referred to us as.}
"I've never heard of such a thing," Kiawe mused. "It is a very imposing species name."
"
That'zzz what I said!"
{
Yeah, the name is one thing I'm proud of.}
"Well, you won't have to be hunting anymore, I'm pretty sure of that," Mallow promised me. "Now dig in!"
{
My pleasure.}
I lifted the bowl up in my mouth and was about to tip all of the contents of it right into my waiting jaws.
"Wait, wait, hold on!" Mallow nearly shrieked, and I froze.
"Ha...Don't you want a fork for that?"
{
Oh...Right.}
