Wigglytuff's Guild

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Well done," said Brisa. She meant it.

Right. Here went nothin'.

Brisa approached the light, raised a paw, and hesitated. This was an opportunity to receive power at the price of pain. The pokémon who'd gone before her had touched the light only for a moment or two, and they'd yelped in shock, or pain. But she... She could stand to touch it for longer, right? She didn't know for sure that it would help to do so, but if there was a chance that she'd be stronger for it, she'd tolerate the light for as long as she could. Wasn't she here to help people? There was a world in danger. This was no time to flinch away.

She wanted power; she could bear a little pain.

She braced herself and dipped her head forward, into the light.

It started out as warmth spreading down her back, but intensified rapidly. Like a hot surface on bare paws, like a spiced shank on an unprepared tongue, the burn didn't come until a moment after she expected it. Warmth turned to heat, and heat turned to a body-wracking jolt. She'd thought it would only burn where she made contact, but after a few seconds, every fibre of her being felt as if it were alight with white fire. From her bones, to her flesh, to every inch of skin, she felt ablaze. But what was that to her? She'd been lit on fire before.

She dug her claws into the ground, and tried not to scream.

 

[Adamhuarts]

She dug her claws into the ground, and tried not to scream.

"Brisa, Are you alright?" Cynthian asked in a worried tone while he winced.

 

[Dragonfree]

"I'm afraid we've already done that, and every town we contacted said the same thing: They didn't see anything that matched the description given. If it truly is a Mew, there's a strong chance that she can also transform to disguise herself..."

Dave looked with dismay at the others touching the light one after another (had they all lost their damn minds?) but looked up at Truffle's words. "Hey, I've got this move Odor Sleuth. Is that going to be able to sniff her out?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Hmm, hmm... it very well might help!" Truffle nodded, starting toward the exit. "Though, I have to wonder what Darkwhite would smell like to such a technique. A normal Mew? Or perhaps something... else?"

 

[Negrek]

Nate grimaced. Seemed just a little fucking premature, telling everybody to go off on their own when nobody'd actually come up with any ideas for how they were going to find whatever the Darkwhite was. Wasn't like he could object to the idea of looking for more shadow-slugs around town, like they should've done that ages ago, as soon as the threat of death by magikarp had subsided, but why leave just when people were actually starting to talk options?

Well, owlboy said they could do what they wanted. Maybe what Nate wanted to do was not let him off the hook quite so fucking easy. "Hey, hootface! Wait up!"

 

[NebulaDreams]

"However... it will awaken abilities within your spirits that may be exclusive to you... It is your innermost feelings twisting and shaping your energy into something you can wield. It manifests differently for everyone."

So, it seemed to be a literal trial by fire. Or light, as it were. Curio hesitated. This wasn't like her. Usually, she'd be like 'new powers? fuck yeah!' or some other obscenity-laden exclamation. But she knew what was going on in her head, even though she didn't want to admit it. Deep inside her, there was an ever-burning ball of rage bubbling up in her gut. She didn't want that to boil over the surface, and if it did, what would happen? She tried so hard throughout these past five years to stay calm, even with the scars of all the screwed-up shit that happened to her. She didn't want to--

Crap, Brisa was having a strong reaction to it too. Her fur bristled, her hackles raised, and she dug her claws into the ground. Curio didn't even hesitate. She ran to Brisa's side and pulled her back, trying to free her from the Radiance. She tugged and tugged and tugged as if Brisa was stuck to a wall of super glue, until Curio fell on her back with Brisa free from the light.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa came free from the light with her vision flooded by afterimages and sensory overload. Wow! What a feeling! It was like she was about to burst from the light within. Even now, there was radiant light bathing her paws as she raised them to rub at her face. She got to her feet and turned to see the other pokémon in the room.

Curio was standing right there, her concerned face softened in the light from the radiant orb. Curio, her friend. Her friend. Sky and stars, it had been weeks since their first meeting and the first moments of their bonding, and only now did Brisa realise that what they had was friendship. How good it was to be beside each other. How absurd of herself to have doubted it.

"Curio!" she said, realising who must have pulled her free. "It's wonderful to see ya!"

Her own voice sounded strange to her ears. Was that because of the light? Incredible! What else could it do? It felt like she could anything she wanted. Maybe she could! That being so, she reared up on her hind legs and planted both forepaws on Curio's shoulders.

"Curio, I feel a way I never have before! I can't wait to test myself in battle!"

 

[NebulaDreams]

Curio expected Brisa to be at least a little shaken up. She didn't expect her to be so chipper after going into the light, literally. It was refreshing to see her like that, though.

"Good to see ya to-- oh!" Brisa just pounced on her. By Arceus' buttcrack, she just pounced on her. "Woah ho ho, hey!"

"Curio, I feel a way I never have before! I can't wait to test myself in battle!"

"Same! But first, I'll have what you're having."

Curio inched away from Brisa and stuck her paw into the light. It was like touching a sea of warm honey. And then it felt like hot jam. Then boiling caramel. Before she let go, energy shot through her body, from her head to her paws, like lightning struck her. The feeling didn't go away even after tearing herself away from it. Then after that, Curio felt ready to fight. She needed to let off some steam.

"Okay, that stuff's good." Curio entered a battle stance, bouncing on the tips of her feet. "Wanna test it out now?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Yeah, sure I do! Let's go throw down at the Dojo right this minute!"

Brisa bounded out, headed for her perpetual haunt.

 

[Namohysip]

<><><>
Day 15, Noon
​

Brisa's body would be aching all over, like she had been slashed over and over by so many angry Scyther. Despite this, she wore no bandages, and instead only had a simple cloth wrapped around her. There was something that smelled vaguely like mint, or perhaps coal, some strange mixture of the two, minty coal, next to her.

It was the Mimikyu, Leg. Beneath her was a very soft bed, perhaps of cotton or something else that sank and had a lot of give. The air away from Leg--the source of that minty coal smell--the acidic, sweet smell of mixed berries welcomed her instead.

She had been brought, at some point, to the Guild again, specifically the medical area down the hall. This room had enough room for two patients on the bed, and the one next to Brisa was a lot larger--it was a Meganium, looking mostly alright as he read over a book that appeared to be some kind of nonfiction.

Also in the room was a Haxorus, looking incredibly bored and waving his head left and right to pass the time. There was a book, unopened, next to him, as well as two empty containers of something that likely used to have food.

"Khhh..." Leg shifted away from Brisa, sensing that she was finally waking up.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa rubbed at her eyes, more out of unwillingness to look at the world around her than any actual bleariness. What the fuck had happened to her for her to end up here? She'd better not have amnesia like Jesse or that fella Owen—

her body ruptured outwards, in an explosion of radiant light

Aw, hell.

She looked around again, more carefully. No sign of Curio. Fuck, she'd better be okay. She had to be. Of course she was. She'd find her just as soon as she got out of this place. In the meantime...

"You must be Thyme," she said. "This wasn't how I imagined meeting you. I am sorry for it, Sir, but well met all the same."

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh, hey," Thyme greeted, glancing toward Brisa. With a bit of a strain, he rolled until he was facing her, showing that he still had some cuts and bruises on his body even after all the healing. "Fuckin' thing," he mumbled when he tried to readjust his position against the bed.

Leg nervously scooted a little closer to Brisa, prodding at part of her thigh, though otherwise she did nothing.

"I heard all about you from my kids," Thyme said to Brisa, grinning. "Really liked you, y'know."

Haxorus stopped wobbling his head and blinked several times, staring at Brisa. He said nothing; it seemed like he was waiting to be acknowledged.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Aw, fuck. From her position in a hospital bed, everything she'd been doing seemed painfully naive. She stiffened.

"Ah. Nothing embarrassing, I hope." She nodded respectfully first to Thyme, then to the small mint-scented pokémon, and to the haxorus. "Uh, good day to you all. I'm Luxio- ah, Shinx Brisa. Might I ask your names? And... what happened to me?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Marowak came screaming and crying that he heard an explosion and then just you in the middle of the arena, whole place blasted away like Giratina bore holes into the Reverse World from there." Thyme shook his head. "You really did a number to that place. Hope nobody got caught up in it... Either way, it's, like, tomorrow noon now. That one over there was tending to your spirit or something." Thyme unsheathed one of his vines from his shoulders and pointed toward Leg. "Helped you heal faster, apparently, or something. Not sure how that works."

"Khhh..." Leg shifted around within her disguise and then pulled something out, pressing it into Brisa's chest. It appeared to be a little stuffed doll in Brisa's likeness.

"And how about you, Mister Paradise?" Thyme said in a sing-song, mocking tone, though his smile was friendly.

The Haxorus blinked, looked at Thyme, then at Leg, and finally settled his gaze on Brisa. "Hi." His voice was flat, yet casual and deep. He waved, and then produced a familiar-looking letter. "I'm Pine."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa thanked Leg solemnly for her help and her gift, and took the doll with care. Ahe felt... wistful, when she held it.

"Haxorus Pine. The hero of Paradise. I wrote to you."

Oh fuck. What had she said in that fucking letter of hers?

"I truly hope you didn't trouble yourself to travel here for my sake," she said. "I've long wished to speak to a human who could set my mind right, but I sure didn't mean it to go like this."

She wanted to curl up so tightly she stopped existing. Oh gods. And fuck, where was Curio?

"I don't suppose you know where my friend is? Riolu Curio, another of my posse- uh, teammates?"

 

[Namohysip]

"No clue," Thyme said. "Been here all day finishing my recovery. Apparently the injuries we sustained are harder to heal than normal ones, but we're bouncing back..." He chuckled, cracking his long neck. "Wouldn't be much of an explorer if we couldn't."

Pine shook his head. "Planned to come here anyway," he replied, and then looked left, like he heard something that only he could perceive. After a few seconds, they would hear it, too--a gentle, but constant grinding of a large serpent over the ground.

"Got lunch!" called a cheerful Serperior holding two little bags. "Oh! Oh, she's awake! That's great!" She slithered closer and settled in a coil around herself, smiling at Brisa. "Hello! I'm, um, my name is Nanab. It's good to see you're awake, Shinx. I'm part of Team Colada, and we were actually here to help with the whole... you know, the investigating, since most of it seems to be here for now. But this letter helped us kick start that moving process."

"Where's Buffet?" asked Pine.

"Oh, he got, er, distracted. He should catch up soon..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa actually relaxed a little as someone who didn't make her think of her fucking father spoke to her. Nanab, huh? Right, the food thing.

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am," she said. "You can call me Brisket. Or, and I gotta be honest with y'all, I'm actually used to being called Luxio most times. Had to take a step back down to get to your world, like a lotta folks."

She'd figure out what happened to Curio after this. Best not think too hard about how bad it could be. What was the worst that could have happened, anyway?...

 

[Namohysip]

"Still, it's good to meet you!" Nanab nodded and handed Pine his bag. "We read your letter over, and it's really cool to meet someone like Surf and Turf! Except... your circumstances, um, they weren't the best, were they?"

Pine nodded, ripping open his bag to start eating. It seemed to be a sandwich of some kind. He jammed it against his cheek, where his tusk was, and sliced it in two before placing the first half back in the bag.

"Oh, Surf mentioned that to me," Thyme said. "Right... your folks didn't stay together, huh? Sorry about that. Must've been shitty."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Shitty. Brisa snorted. It was too absurd a situation. Here was another human-turned-pokémon, right here in the same room as her, casually assessing her family stuff. And he called it... Shitty. Gods, yes, thank you.

"Oh, stars, yeah. So shitty," she said. "Yeah, uh... the way I remember it, Jesse, that's my pa, he never got over his hangups about his old life, not that he ever told me about that, and Sierra, that's my ma, got sick of arguing. She left home, he vanished one day. So. Kinda shitty."

The conversation felt fake. An imaginary interaction. There was no authentic, reasonable way to discuss this so... She'd go with whatever came into her head.

"Uh, I'm told the power that lets us speak to each other across languages plays merry hell with names. Let's go with... Delphox Java and Luxray Sangria. If it helps."

 

[Namohysip]

"Yeah, I wasn't gonna comment on that," Thyme said, "but your names all sound like, uh... Well, anyway, sure. Java and Sangria sound way more normal." He stretched his forelegs, then his hind legs, and then his vines, which seemed to be even longer than his body length. "Urgh, feeling better at least... Hope Pepper's fine with the kids..."

"So Java missed his old life?" Pine asked. "He couldn't go back and forth?"

"Nobody else had your luck there, Pine," Thyme said. "Pita didn't remember his old life for, like, ever, and by the time he did, well, he's from the distant past. That's all long gone and he had a new life here. And then there's Bone, she chose to stay and then sort of... stayed stayed. She doesn't really talk much about why, and I'm not gonna pry. And me?" Thyme smiled wryly. "Well, my Shadow self said it pretty clear. I don't have a choice. In fact, I didn't have a choice two times. But..." That wry smile melted into something a little more genuine. "It's not so bad."