Pokémon Wings

[Superbeans]

Hey there guys. A slightly grimdark fic I started back in 2012, so yeah it's been floating around on the internet for some while. I figured I'd transfer it over here because new website.

It's the story of Sparky the Emolga, who wakes up one morning to find out her trainer's not there. In her efforts to find out exactly where, she and her sibling Pokemon, Socks the Furret and Sir Higglesworth the Kadabra, uncover something awful. And it only gets worse from there.

(If there are formatting issues, I'll figure them out at some point.)

(Tags to go here)

There is a content warning for Suicide, plus some upsetting imagery at times. Anyways, without any further ado;

Chapter 1: Someone's Missing​

​

Accumula Town never was the busiest of places, only really serving as a gateway for those venturing to nearby Striaton. The famed Professor Cypress may have lived just a few kilometres away, but this sleepy little hamlet survived on a gentle trickle of tourism.

Besides, some liked it that way.

Around the corner, across the field and alongside a row of trees sat a quaint little house. Tumbledown and half overtaken by vines, the tiny abode was home to a family of four.

Roused by a thin beam of light creeping its way through the badly closed curtains was Sparky the Emolga. With a stretch prickling its way down her back, she yawned animatedly, rubbed her eyes, and peeled away from the enormous beanbag she’d practically submerged into. The beanbag crumpled and Socks the Furret flopped from around the shoulders of Sir Higglesworth the Kadabra and folded up around herself like an accordion. Sparky thanked her lucky stars that both of them remained asleep.

Sparky liked her name. It was a nice name, and easy to remember because she could make sparks and stuff. It wasn’t as funny as Sir Higgleworth’s, or as cute as Socks’, but her lovely trainer gave her this name, and because of that it was lovely.

And with that thought, her memory was spurred. Sparky jumped and scrabbled in her efforts to climb onto the big bed next to the beanbag, but confusion blossomed at the sight of a lot of nothing.

“…huh? Where’s Miss Holly?” Sparky mumbled. The sheets were all crumpled and stuff, which meant Miss Holly had slept there last night, and she definitely remembered her trainer tucking them in, plus Miss Holly was at that age where humans were lazy, so there was no way she was gonna get out of bed before the rest of them, especially her. Because Sparky always had lots of energy, and was always always the first one to get up in the mornings.

But her trainer wasn’t in bed. And that was weird, because there was this one time where Miss Holly stayed in bed until lunchtime, and Sparky’s stomach had been groaning at her for hours at that point.

Sparky tapped fingers against her chin. Was it a special day or something?

Her eyes lit up. Maybe Miss Holly was making a special breakfast for the special day?!

A soft tingle started rumbling from somewhere deep within her at the thought of Miss Holly’s homemade poffins – always perfect, and always a different combination of berries!

With a gasp, Sparky leapt from the bed and landed softly on the carpet. Sir Higglesworth and Socks stayed where they were as she scampered down the hallway. Practically gliding down the stairs, the thought of poffins was almost too much to resist!

But after scrabbling to a halt on the kitchen lino with a notable lack of poffins to smell, confusion struck again.

“Hmm... Miss Holly isn’t preparing a super special breakfast?”

Maybe getting excited over nothing wasn’t the best of approaches. Whatever Miss Holly was doing this early, she probably had her reasons. A cursory scoot into the sitting room let her confirm that her trainer wasn’t in there, either.

The Saturday sun was getting ever higher in the sky, casting a golden glow onto the squishy pink carpet and beaten up old couch. Miss Holly wasn’t even knitting in her chair like she always liked to do, either.

“Where is she…?” Sparky said. A shadow flashed past the room for a brief moment and Sparky’s excitement rose again. Had Miss Holly gone to the shops? It was a bit early to do that but maybe?

But it withered and died quickly when no one tried to open the front door. A wavy bluish silhouette wobbled up close to the lumpy windows, but it was only the mail lady because one, two three letters flopped through the mailbox instead of Miss Holly.

Sparky picked them up and rearranged them by colour; red first because that was an important colour, then the two yellowish ones.

“I wish I could read human…” she squinted at the squiggles. “Ahh well. Once I find Miss Holly, she can read them to me!”

Another slow venture had Sparky toddling up the stairs once again, passing by the photos on the wall. They were always fun to look at, because Miss Holly liked taking photos of them all and they were like a diary but with pictures instead of words because they showed what Miss Holly was like years ago.

There was the picture of her and Sir Higglesworth, back when he was an Abra and she was younger. Then there was the one where Socks joined her as a shy little Sentret, huddling close to her. Because Miss Holly was a careful and patient trainer, Sir Higglesworth quickly turned into a Kadabra and Socks became a Furret in no time.

Sparky didn’t meet up with Miss Holly until after she’d gotten on the big boat and moved to Unova, but she remembered it like it was yesterday. She had gotten up early – a lot like today! – and gathered herself a big pile of Chesto Berries for breakfast because they were her favourite. But a silly Natu flew past and shocked her, and she fell out of her tree.

The next thing she knew she was inside a pokeball, and then a part of Miss Holly’s family. Sir Higglesworth was the first one to reach out to her, teaching her the rules and nice things about being Miss Holly’s Pokémon, and why it was better than being a wild Pokémon.

The last photo on the stairs was taken outside the house they lived in now. The ivy wasn’t as bad back then, but it was a really windy day that day and the autumn leaves were blowing everywhere and so was Miss Holly’s hair.

“She looks so tired in this picture…” Sparky mumbled. Her trainer was still smiling, but there were dark rings under her eyes. She was also wearing a long hoodie instead of one of her usual t-shirts, though that could’ve been because it was windy.

“So many fun memories…” She said, looking away from the nostalgia and hopping up the last stair. The bathroom was just ahead, and it was about time she washed her face.

“I’ll give these to Miss Holly later.” She dropped the letters down on the little table outside and pushed the door open. She stumbled up the steps to reach the kitchen sink and made sure to pay extra attention to the sleepy dust in her eyes. But then an unusual sight in the mirror caught her attention.

“Huh…?” She span around, squinting. “Hey, wow!

Jumping down from the little steps, Sparky finally found her trainer. “Miss Holly, I didn’t know you could fly!”

But weirdly enough, Holly did not respond.

“Does it take a lot of concentration to fly like that?” Sparky prompted again.

Still no response.

“Oh yeah, I don’t speak human do I?” She chuckled. “I know! I’ll go get everyone! Stay there Miss Holly I’ll be right back!”

Sparky zipped back down the hallway and into the bedroom, where both Socks and Sir Higglesworth were still fast asleep.

“Guys, come quick!” Sparky shook the pair of them awake. “It’s amazing!”

“…what is it, Sparky?” Sir Higglesworth’s deep voice grumbled. With a heavy sigh, the Kadabra rose slowly and smoothly from his sleeping position. Socks remained asleep.

“It’s Miss Holly!” Sparky cried. “She’s flying!”

“Flying…?” Sir Higglesworth faltered. His mind still foggy, he summoned the energy to raise an eyebrow at Sparky. Was this another one of her pranks?

“Come quick, I’ll show you!” She tried to grab Sir Higglesworth’s arm and drag him out of the beanbag.

“Alright, all right, Sparky…” He grumbled again, rising to his feet. Meanwhile the still sleeping Socks just uncoiled on top of the beanbag.

“Flying. Peh.” Sir Higglesworth yawned, slowly padding after Sparky along the soft carpet. “I shall believe that when I see it. Whatever has her so excitable today is beyond me.”

“C’monnn, Sir Higglesworth!” Sparky flailed at the bathroom door. “Miss Holly can’t fly forever!”

“I assure you, Sparky,” Sir Higglesworth rose a knowing finger. “Believe what you will, but humans cannot-”

And then he saw. Panic curdled within him like a viscous slime, and his spoon fell to the ground with a clatter. For a few moments, all he could do was stare.

“See? See! I told ya she could fly!” Sparky just jumped about in her excitement.

“Y-y-yes, it is… indeed, a rather brilliant example of flying!” Sir Higglesworth’s voice cracked. “Did you want some breakfast, Sparky? I’m awfully hungry all of a sudden!”

“No way, not yet!” Sparky cried. “I’ve gotta show Socks! She’ll wanna see this!”

“No no no, don’t do that!” Sir Higglesworth said sharply, but it fell on deaf ears as Sparky charged out of the bathroom again.

Sir Higglesworth groaned. That was not going to end well, he could already tell.

But there was a more pressing issue at hand.

“Lady Holly, respond!” He snapped his fingers. Holly did nothing.

“Lady Holly I implore you, please respond!” He cried, floating up and shaking her by the shoulders. His efforts were in vain…

Meanwhile Socks was continuing to prod Socks in an attempt to rouse her.

“C’mon Socks! C’monnnnnnn!” She poked the young Furret repeatedly.

“Noo, I don’t wanna go to Day Care…” Socks mumbled in her half-asleep state, rolling over and burying herself farther into the beanbag. “…you can’t make me.”

“Gah!” Sparky grumbled. But with a glint in her eye, she charged up a little spark of electricity in her palm and jabbed Socks with the static.

“Yagh!” Socks yelped, bursting out of the beanbag and several feet into the air. “W-what the?!”

“Oh yay, you’re awake!” Sparky giggled, curling her hand into a fist behind her back.

“…yup, I’m up.” Socks said, smacking her lips. “But not for long. Come at me, beanbag.”

She spread her little arms out and collapsed forward toward the beanbag.

“Nooo, no no no, no more sleep!” Sparky dove underneath Socks to hold her up. “I’ve gotta show you something! It’s awesome!”

“Wha? Awesome?” Socks murmured, a shudder rippling along her skinny body as she stretched. “What’s awesome?”

“Miss Holly’s flying!” Sparky said. “Come see!”

“Flying?” Sparky frowned, her voice just as sceptical as Sir Higglesworth’s. She rubbed her eyes, “Whaddya mean flying? She’s a human. Humans can’t fly… can they?”

“Yeah, I thought that myself!” Sparky said. “B-but then I saw it and Sir Higglesworth agrees with me, and he knows everything so it’s gotta be true!”

“Higgle says so?” Socks’ eyes widened. “S-so you’re not making it all up?”

“Nope! It really really is true! Quick, come see!”

“Alrighty then…” Socks yawned. “You’re gonna have to drag me though. My legs are still asleep.”

Sparky just chuckled, grabbing onto a leg and attempting to drag Socks’ lazy body towards the bathroom, where a panicky Sir Higglesworth was still fretting.

“Oh bother, what shall I do?!” He pleaded with the very air. The odds of an ingenious answer spawning from the ether before more innocent eyes could be scarred were slim at best. But the grunting of Sparky dragging Socks’ unwilling body ever closer was going to have to force some drastic measures.

“That will have to do!” He exited the room and closed the door sharply. Just in time for Socks and Sparky to appear from around the corner.

“Heyyy, Higgle!” Sparky grunted, still dragging Socks for all she was worth. “Is Miss Holly still flying?!”

“Umm…” Sir Higglesworth merely plastered on a smile.

“Aww, don’t tell me she made it up?” Socks’ face fell. “And I fell for it again?! Stupid Socks, stupid!”

“No no, Lady Holly is indeed flying!” Sir Higglesworth stammered. “She just wishes for more time to practice and improve her technique, so that she may impress you further next time!”

“But I haven’t seen this time yet…” Socks mumbled. “C-can I see Trainer now please?”

“I am afraid she has locked the door, Socks!” Sir Higglesworth flailed an excuse. “She must really want to practice!”

“Locked?” Socks gave a suspicious frown. “…that door has a lock?”

“Yes it does, Socks!” Sir Higglesworth insisted, slapping her hand as she reached for the handle.

“Oww! Hey, what was that for, Higgle?!” Socks recoiled.

“That was for disbelieving in my integrity.” Sir Higglesworth snapped. “Now, please refrain from repeating that in the future. I abhor being doubted.”

“…okay, you just said a lotta really long words…” Socks yawned. “But whatever it means, I don’t agree with it. I wanna see trainer flying!”

“And I am under strict instruction to prevent that from happening!” Sir Higglesworth followed his arms. “I do apologise Socks, but Lady Holly has left me in charge. Now shall we put this awful moment behind us and get some breakfast?”

“Breakfast?!” Both girls shouted at once.

“It’s about time!” Sparky practically swooped downstairs. “I’ve been waiting all morning!”

Socks ambled after Sparky, wobbling down the stairs with her long, unwieldy body, and Sir Higglesworth watched the both of them disappear from eyeshot.
Before immediately breaking down.

“Oh, heavens above…” he sniffled. Hot, stinging guilt threatened to break loose from his depths. “Why did you do it, Lady Holly? Was there anything I could have done?”

“C’monnn, Higgle!” Socks’ voice echoed from downstairs. “Breakfast means you gotta make it dude! Don’t trust me with fire!”

Sir Higglesworth stared blankly at the row of photos on the wall. “…how will I tell them?”

 

[Superbeans]

Chapter 2: Scars​

An ashen faced Sir Higglesworth took slow, lumbering steps down the stairs, the wrenching feeling of guilt gnawing away at his insides.

“Whatever happened?” He mumbled to no one. “Oh Lady Holly, if only you had told – hm?”

The soft carpeting of the hallway floor had suddenly changed to a sticky, messy one. Sir Higglesworth looked down and found a perfectly stubborn patch of syrup seeping under the doorway.

“Oh dear… what have those two done…” He sighed, wobbling on one foot to minimise the mess. “N-now is not the time to worry. I must keep our family together! Lady Holly would be displeased if I just let things fall apart.”

He edged the kitchen door opened and hopped through, before immediately snorting in disgust as the acrid stench of smoke invaded his nostrils. “Wh-what has happened here?”

“About time, Higgle!” Socks squeaked, her face black with smoke – along with the chef’s hat she’d acquired from somewhere – but her eyes shining with achievement. “Remember when I said you shouldn’t trust me with fire? Well these are only burned so there!”

Sir Higglesworth groaned heavily. ‘Only’ burned wasn’t quite the phrase. In the few minutes it took him to get downstairs, the sink had been piled high with dirty dishes, an enormous bottle of syrup had been spilled over the floor, and both Sparky and Socks were sitting on stools to avoid it. To their credit though, they had managed to cook a stack of pancakes, which were also drowned in syrup and swaying dangerously.

“Didn’t we do awesome?!” Sparky giggled. She casually threw the spatula she was holding, which landed in the mess of syrup on the floor with a damp slap.

Sir Higglesworth sighed once more. “Y-yes, good job girls. Now shall we move to the kitchen?”

“Err…” Socks said. “I dunno if you’ve noticed, but the floor’s all syrupy, Higgle.”

His grimace stretched wider. “Yes, Socks. I had noticed.”

“How could he miss it, Socks? It’s everywhere!” Sparky laughed, provoking a tiny moan from the Furret.

Yet more distractions. How lovely. Sparky was practically glowing when he pried the stack of pancakes from her and splashed across the syrupy floor into the kitchen, but all of this was hardly necessary. A distraction from reality, maybe, but sooner or later he was going to have to burst that happy bubble.

How long would they last before someone got suspicious? An hour? A few hours? A couple of days?

They said ignorance was bliss, Sir Higglesworth mused to himself. Reality was certainly torturous enough to have him believe it. Was the rest of their time together going to be naught but lies?

The plate hit the table with a dull clatter. After opening a window to clear out some of the smoke, he fell into the nearest seat as Socks balled herself up into an adjacent seat, and Sparky scampered up a stack of books to reach hers.

“Heyyy, why’re you in Trainer’s seat, Higgle?” Socks’ head tilted sideways. “What if she gets hungry for these amazing pancakes we made?”

“…r-right!” Higgle stammered, shuffling around to the other side of the table. “Sorry Socks, I was just… rather distracted. I-I shall get those pancakes served now.”

The pancakes were easily shared out into four piles, for the girls’ sakes. Floating pancakes wasn’t much, but it was something he could still do at least. How dull his powers had grown over the years. He was a laughing stock. He couldn’t he have known? What manner of Psychic-type was he, to fail at basic telepathy? To not even know when his beloved trainer needed him most?

He was a disgrace of a Pokémon. If he couldn’t protect his trainer, then what use was he? It was all just so-

“Hey Higgle, gonna eat those?”

The angry mist thinned out, and Socks’ wide eyes blurred into his vision. Her eyes were wide and hopeful.

It was them. It had to be. He’d failed Lady Holly, but absolutely could not fail Socks and Sparky, no matter the cost. They were all he had.

Higgle summoned up a response, “…oh. Y-you can have them, Socks. I am not that hungry today.”

“Awesome, thanks again Higgle! You’re a star!”

All but one of his pancakes were swiped away, removed from his static line of vision. But of course, a fresh batch of guilt surged through his system at the sight of Holly’s empty seat, with her pancakes just sitting innocently in front of it.

A sudden twinge forced him to blink and look away. How long had he just been staring? His eyes were starting to hurt from it. This wasn’t good; he was unravelling already. For the good of the girls, he had to stay strong.

“M-make sure that you do not touch Lady Holly’s breakfast, okay girls?” He stammered, dismounting his seat with a flourish. “Like you said Socks, she may become… hungry.”

“Sure thing, Higgle!” She beamed at him, mouth bulging with pancakes. Socks’ smile slowly eroded as she watched Higgle slowly walk through the kitchen, not even caring about the syrup on the floor anymore.

That was weird. He was so mad about it earlier.

“H-hey, is it just me, or is Higgle acting kinda weird today?” She said to Sparky.

“Iunno?” Sparky shrugged, swallowing down her weight in pancakes. “I guess he’s just shocked about Miss Holly flying, maybe?”

“Huh. Musta been a big surprise then,” Socks glanced over to the sole uneaten pancake. “I mean, he didn’t touch his food, and he loves pancakes.”

“He loves Miss Holly’s pancakes.” Sparky raised a knowing finger.

“That’s true…” Socks mumbled. "Trainer’s pancakes are the best in the world, huh?”

“Mm-hmm!”

“A-and she’s gonna be so proud of us when she sees that we made breakfast on our own! I mean sure, we made some mess, got the place a little smoky, but the food’s great and we only set the house on fire once!”

“Not to mention me getting the stove started by myself!”

“Yeah, that was amazing Sparky! Where’d you learn that?!”

“You know those clicky sounds it normally makes before the fire starts? That’s electricity! A-and I make electricity, so I just put two and two together, y’know?!”

“Yeah, you sure taught that silly stove!”

“Yeah, ‘cause I’m awesome, huh?”

“…”

Suddenly the conversation wasn’t fun anymore. Sparky just wanted her to say nice things about her instead of conversationy things, and where was the fun in that?

“Aw c’mon, say it!” Sparky pleaded. “We’d still be hungry if it wasn’t for me!”

“But if I do you’ll spend like the next week screaming about it!” Socks cried. “A-and Trainer doesn’t like it when you’re loud!”

“B-but she’d be so proud of m…us!” Sparky got up from her book ladder and walked across the table to her. “You said it yourself!”

“Then go make her say it!” Socks huffed. “I-I don’t wanna break any rules!”

“Say it.”

“…nu!”

“Say it.”

“Nooo…!”

“Say it!” Sparky jabbed Socks in the waist with a spark of electricity.

“Yow…!” Socks flailed in protest. “Don’t do that, Sparky! Wait a minute… did you do that earlier too?!”

“Maybe I did…” Sparky smirked. “And I might do it again if you don’t say it!”

“Ohh… that’s super not fair, Sparky!”

“I’m listening…” The little Emolga cupped a hand to her ear.

Socks just groaned. Sparky was being mean and it wasn’t fair, but she didn’t have much of a choice.

“…you’re awesome.”

It was best to just get it out of the way. At least then she’d stop being mean.

“Yeaaaahh, I’m awesome!” Sparky cried, whooshing past Socks and charging around the kitchen, “Woohoo!”

Sparky’s shouting was extra loud today, so Socks got up and left the kitchen as quickly as she could. Maybe it was time to go see what Higgle was up to. Sparky was going to be busy shouting about herself for a while anyway, and the house was boring when she was on her own.

Socks mumbled to herself, noodling away across the floors and peering around corners to find Higgle. He wasn’t in the TV room or the hallway, and definitely wasn’t in the kitchen because it was still covered in syrup and she saw him leave it. So that just left upstairs.

Luckily she didn’t have to search for too long, because Higgle was sat at the top of the stairs. He was squashed up against the top wall and looking at a letter, but he wasn’t reading it because his eyes weren’t moving and because he couldn’t read human.

“Huh. Higgle’s zoned out again?” She frowned. “Weird.”

She wobbled her way up the stairs, landing softly on the carpet and squashing herself next to him.

“Hey there, Higgle.”

Even with her nuzzling her head into his shoulder, it took him a weirdly long time to say anything.

“…hunh? Who? What?!”

“Are you okay, dude?” She eyed him worriedly. “You’ve been acting weird all morning. Like, I spilled all that syrup earlier and you didn’t even yell. What’s wrong?”

“I-it’s nothing Socks, really.” Higgle looked away from her. “I’m just…”

“Distracted?” Socks mewled.

“Y-yes. Nothing to worry about though, however I thank you for your concern. H-how is Sparky doing?”

“She’s… awesome,” Socks grimaced. “But we’re talking about you now Higgle. Wanna tell me what’s up?”

“I am fine, Socks. Seriously. Please st-”

“But you’re not fine, Higgle.” Socks said, with more strength in her voice. Higgle’s eyes narrowed at her.

“I… I’m not so smart, I know that.” Socks rubbed her paws together. “But you know what else I know? I know you, Higgle. And I know that I know you, because we’ve been together forever, so I know that I know when you’re not being you, s-so c’mon, what’s wrong with you today?”

Higgle’s eyes bounced all over the place and his skin went clammy, like when you randomly get icky at night-time. He sighed and said. “It’s these letters that were delivered for Lady Holly. I am having trouble transcribing the text.”

“Uh huh…?” Socks nodded. “A-and what does that mean?”

“Read, Socks. I am trying to read them.” Higgle said more simply, with words that actual people used. “I understand that there is an abundance of red writing on these letters, and I can perceive that red writing is ominous, but I cannot for the life of me…”

Higgle’s lips continued moving, but the words just got longer and more complicated, and it just started to sound like the TV when there weren’t any channels on it, and before long her brain was starting to hurt.

“Agh…” She winced. “W-why is reading these letters so important Higgle? Can’t you just get Trainer to do it?”

“Because they contain information, Socks.” Higgle said flatly. “If I am able to decipher them, it may provide me with reasons.”

“…reasons?”

“Yes, reasons.”

“What kinda reasons?”

“Reasons as to why…” the letters in Higgle’s hands were shaking. “W-why…”

But then Higgle let out a loud, noisy sob, and his head crashed forwards into his knees. Her best friend was whimpering next to her, and all she could do was stare. She’d known Higgle for years, and he never ever got upset, even when sad stuff happened. But then tears started dripping onto the carpet, so something must’ve been really wrong.

Socks’ mouth tightened. Did she give Higgle space or comfort right now? She always seemed to pick the wrong one…

“…this had something to do with Trainer, doesn’t it?” Socks dared, the clues forming in her mind like a block puzzle. She wrapped her long, skinny body around Higgle. “I mean… you normally just let Trainer read her mail, so it’s gotta be something big, right?”

Higgle looked up, his face stricken. He didn’t look like he was about to cry any more but somehow Socks felt worse at the sight of him.

“…yes.”

“Can I… see Trainer?” She let out a tentative mumble. “I’d really really like to see her…”

“…alright,” Higgle sighed. Lips thin, he stood up straight again and offered Socks a hand up. “You deserve that much.”

“Thank you, Higgle.” Socks nuzzled against him again. “She’s just through here, right?”

“…yes.”

“A-and I can see her? No more hand slapping and stuff?”

“N-no more.”

Socks put a paw against the door. It felt cold to the touch, creaking gently. She glanced back and saw that Higgle’s eyes were gleaming. Whatever was going on here, it was behind this door.

“I-I don’t like this,” Socks mumbled. “Like, why’re you so scared, Higgle? It’s just Trainer… right?”

“You shall find out soon enough, Socks.” Higgle didn’t look her in the eye. “But just remember one thing for me, okay?”

“B-but I remember lots of things, Higgle?”

“But especially this, okay?”

“S-sure thing, Higgle.”

Higgle gulped. His arms started trembling. This was getting scary.

“Remember that we are a family, okay Socks? N-no matter what.”

“Th-that’s a silly thing to say, Higgle!” Socks’ voice cracked. “Why wouldn’t we be a family? I mean, we’re all under this roof and we love each other lots and we have fun together, a-and-”

Socks stumbled backwards and edged the door open.

And she saw.

 

[Superbeans]

Chapter 3: Six Feet​

A high pitched yowl tore through the house.

“Hunh?!” Sparky’s celebrations were shuffled to a halt. “Wh-what happened there?”

Hopping through the sticky mess of the kitchen, she scrambled down the hallway and up the stairs, only to find a devastated looking Higgle at the top of them.

“H-Higgle?” She mumbled. “What’s… going on?”

Higgle’s grimace stretched wider, and Sparky finally noticed that the door to his left was half open.

“…oh! Did Socks see Miss Holly?!”

Again, Higgle didn’t really respond. He just buried his face between his arms and sighed loudly. So Sparky edged the door open and tiptoed her way into the bathroom, only to find Socks curled up on the cold tile floor, shivering.

“Socks…?” She shook the little Furret. “A-are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Eyes wide and glistening with tears, she mumbled nonsense to herself while staring at nothing.

Sparky glanced up at Holly. She hadn’t moved since earlier, and it was awesome then. So why was Socks so scared?

Sparky sat down next to Socks and wrapped her arms around the Furret’s head. “Hey, it’s okay… wanna talk about it?”

Socks just continued whimpering at nothing. Maybe she was just so overwhelmed by it all, Sparky thought. It wasn’t a normal reaction, sure, but Socks got spooked easy so it sorta made sense.

But if she didn’t know any better, she could’ve sworn Socks was upset by all of this. Higgle didn’t look too pleased either. Something was definitely up here…

“C’mon Socks, you can talk to me…” she rubbed Socks’ back. “I-isn’t it awesome? Trainer’s fly-”

“No!” Socks’ voice was shrill and choked. “It’s not awesome! It’s really really scary, Sparky! D-don’t you know what this means?!”

Suddenly the world felt like it was falling away from her. What started off as a happy, fluffy feeling quickly dissolved away to an unpleasant, empty sensation in the pit of her stomach.

“B-but isn’t she flying?” Sparky felt the threat of tears stinging. Did she get something wrong?

“No, no no no, she’s not!” Socks wailed. “When a human does that, it means that they’re-”

---

Higgle was brought out of his melancholy with a gasp as Sparky released a similar shriek to the one from earlier. Eyes wide, he watched as both of the girls dashed out of the bathroom in a panic, screaming down the hallway and into the bedroom again.

“Oh… dear,” Higgle sobbed.

What was he thinking, trying to keep them from seeing it? They would have had to eventually, no matter what he could have done to stop it. And now things were probably so much worse, and it was all his fault.

Higgle pushed himself to his feet. Even his footfalls felt heavy as he plodded his way down the hall.

Now it was his turn to squeak through the half-open door.

“…Socks? Sparky? Where are you both?”

He slowly scanned the room for signs of either of the girls, but the tiny slip of light peering through the curtains was not helping. The bed was empty, there was no one on the beanbag, or even just sprawled out across the floor like he had first expected.

He opened the curtains and found no one, and the wardrobe was empty too.

“Where could they have gone?” He mumbled. There were few hiding places in this room, and he definitely saw them both run in here, yet they were not to be found.

Higgle collapsed onto the bed and conceded. Grief took hold, and tears slipped from his eyes. After a few furious swipes, they kept streaming however, and eventually an almighty sob burst out of him.

What were they going to do now? Not only had they lost Lady Holly, but he had lied to them about it and now they probably hated him for it.

He was a failure as a psychic type. As a Pokémon. As a living being. Some mind reader he was, not even knowing that his beloved trainer was suffering.

Sir Higglesworth sniffled loudly. He supposed there was a silver lining in the girls hiding from him; they would not see him like this. Pathetic and helpless, crying on his own in a dark-

The beanbag rustled.

Higgle sat bolt upright with an ugly snort and wiped at his face. “W-who is there?!”

He was met with more silence.

A snuffly judder escaping his depths, Higgle squirmed out of the bed and approached the beanbag. It couldn’t have moved on its own, could it?

Tentative footfalls on carpet.

“…Socks?” He prodded at the beanbag. “S-Sparky? Are you in there? Let us talk about this, okay?”

“No! I’m not coming out!” Socks sniffled from within the beanbag. “I’m staying in here forever now! The world’s all nasty without Trainer!”

“Ohh, I know it is, Socks,” Higgle put on his softest voice. “But you cannot stay in there. You’ll never know the dangers from amidst that beanbag.”

“I’m fine with that!” Socks cried. “What you don’t know can’t hurt you!”

“B-but you know that is a fallacy, Socks…” Higgle knelt down next to the beanbag.

“Agh, quit it with the long words Higgle!” Socks screamed out at him. The beanbag rustled violently as Socks coiled up tighter in its centre.

“The dangers still exist, whether you know about them or not,” Higgle stammered, placing his hand on top of the beanbag. “You cannot protect yourself from danger if you don’t know about it, Socks. A-and then it could come and gobble you up in the night…”

“Well that’s fine with me!” Socks cried. So much for the metaphor. “That way I can be with Trainer!”

“Oh, that is it, Socks!” Higgle yelled. “Come out of there at once!”

“No!” Socks coiled up tighter still. “It’s nice in here!”

“You cannot stay in there forever, Socks!” Higgle strained to unwrap the beanbag from around her. “Let us face the nasty things together, okay?!”

“But why?!” Socks shouted. “There is no together without Trainer!”

“You still,” Higgle found a long tail and grabbed onto it. “Have. US!”

“Noo!” Socks resisted. “I’m not comin’ out! Never ever ever!”

“Yes you are!” Higgle gave an almighty tug, actually shifting the entire beanbag with his efforts.

“Yaaaagh!” Sock screeched, turning around and raking his face with a seething set of slashes. “I said I’m not coming outta-”

Her boiling rage simmered and died almost instantly when she saw what she’d done. Her best friend’s face was covered with bright, glistening red scratches. One eye closed, Higgle just gave her a defeated stare.

“Ohh, Higgle…” She collapsed into his shoulder and sobbed. “I-I… I’m so so so sorry.”

“It is alright, Socks,” Higgle stroked the back of her head. “If anything, I should be the one apologising to you, for putting you both through this.”

Socks shuffled in his arms, and the lightbulb flickered.

“W-where is Sparky, anyway?”

A painful silence rippled through the bedroom.

Higgle could almost hear his shame. Both of them ran off, after what they had seen, and yet he chose to comfort only one of them.

Every hurdle he had met so far, he had missed.

“I’m right here.” A muffled voice deadpanned from the wardrobe. Higgle glanced over to see a narrow strip of white and yellow glowering at them from the half-closed doors.

“S-Sparky?” He gasped. “How long have you been in there, dear?”

“Since forever,” Sparky pouted. “You looked right at me, but I guess I wasn’t important enough…”

“Ohh, you know that isn’t true, Sparky…” Higgle extended an arm towards her. “P…perhaps you just… blended in with the towels behind you so perfectly that I did not see you.”

“…they’re blue.” Sparky didn’t even blink.

“I am sorry, Sparky. I truly am.” Higgle said. What point was there in arguing? He was just showing what a horrible Pokémon he was with every extra word. Blinking slowly and sucking in a long breath, he fluttered the fingers of his free hand.

Sparky groaned and shuffled out of the wardrobe. With puffed out cheeked and rubbed red eyes, she let Higgle pull her into a hug.

Higgle squeezed her tight. She was all full of static again, and it was probably his fault. Like everything else today.

“So… Miss Holly’s not really flying?” Sparky mumbled.

“I…” Higgle started, but his sentence froze where it stood. What could he even tell them? Would they understand? And even then, would they understand why?

He was unsure if he knew that part himself…

“Lady Holly has… fallen into the eternal sleep, I am afraid.” He said, blinking furiously at the ceiling.

“Eternal sleep?” Sparky’s eyes widened. “What’s that mean?”

Higgle sighed. Maybe a different analogy would work.

“It means she has… passed away.”

“Passed away?!” Sparky cried. “But she’s right there! How can she be away when she’s there?!”

“Sparky…” Higgle rubbed at his eyes. “Lady Holly is-”

“Dead.” Socks deadpanned. “That’s all you needed to say, Higgle.”

The word tore into him like a knife through butter. Scalding, dangerous tears prickled and he brought both girls tighter, sobbing into Socks’ fur.

“Dead?!” Sparky yelped. “B-but how, Higgle? Why? Why didn’t you tell me-”

“To try and protect you, Sparky.” Higgle spluttered. “I-if you remained ignorant, then… then-”

“Then we’d still be a family?” Sparky looked up at him.

“Ohh, of course we are still a family!” Higgle insisted. “A-and we will always be a family no matter what, Sparky!”

“But now we’re a broken one…” Socks mumbled. “And you know what happens to broken things. They get thrown away.”

The urge to defy Socks bubbled, but he just lacked the strength to do it. It was a very real possibility. What was to become of them now?

Lady Holly would disappear periodically from the house and return with food. How were they going to get food? Where did she even get it from?

“What’re we… going to do now, Higgle?” Sparky asked after a few minutes.

Staring off into the distance, a defeated Sir Higglesworth just shook his head slowly.

“I don’t know.”

---

Accumula Town’s conifer trees swayed gently against a stormy backdrop as three Pokémon moped in the darkening kitchen. It was dinnertime, but there was no loving Trainer to provide them with food. How Sparky managed to work the stove earlier was little short of a miracle, and the kitchen was still covered in syrup because of it. What was going to happen the next time? Would someone get injured? Would they set the house on fire? Why wasn’t the old stove working anyway?

Lady Holly made it look so easy. Just another mystery he supposed he was going to have to solve, lest they starve.

With a little sigh, he snuck back into the kitchen. He hopped through around patches of syrup to open the door to the fridge, and then the cupboards, and then the pantry. His sigh deepened each time.

“Ohh, Lady Holly, what are we to do.” Higgle grimaced. The shelves were almost empty, save for a few oddly shaped packages. Did Lady Holly use these to make food, he wondered. Some of them rustled, others crinkled, one released a bizarre powder, but then there was the sticky yet not altogether unpleasant texture of plastic wrap.

“Hmm?” Higgle narrowed his eyes. The discovery was wrapped under so many layers he couldn’t even determine the contents, but there was a post-it note attached to it with a hastily drawn picture of… him.

Something inside of him withered at the sight, settling in his stomach like a lead weight.

“A-apology accepted, Lady Holly.” He almost managed a chuckle. “It would appear you can read the future far better than I…”

Meanwhile in the other room…​

“Hey, who’s Higgle talking to?” Socks mumbled, her sharp ears pricking up. “He’s all mumbles and stuff.”

“Probably himself, Socks,” Sparky sighed. “’Cos there’s no one else, remember?”

“Oh yeah…” Socks deflated. Sparky just mumbled something dejected next to her.

That was until a heavy plate clattered onto the table.

“Huh?” Socks frowned. “W-what’s in here, Higgle?

“I am not certain,” Higgle tugged at the mound of plastic wrap. The tough, sticky wrap slowly unpeeled to unveil about thirty oval-shaped bread rolls.

“Poffins?” Socks said. “How did you make them so fast, Higgle?”

“Lady Holly must have left them for us,” Higgle stared at the confection in his hands. A mild, bitter tang wafted from it. He’d always loved Rawst…

“You were always so smart, Trainer.” Socks’ face scrunched up.

Higgle took a seat opposite the girls. “It seems as though she still cared for us deeply. In spite of everything.”

Rain was spattering against the windows now. With the skies rapidly darkening, Higgle could barely make out the poffin in his hands any more. It was little more than a bitter lump of coal in the dusk, except that it smelled nice. He breathed in deeply and felt the minty fragrance calm him.

Silence descended. Prospects were already bleak, Higgle frowned. Lady Holly had the foresight to make them a stack of poffins, but how long were they going to last? Socks had eaten two already.

Just how long had Lady Holly been planning this, he groaned internally. How long had she been this way, and he none the w-

“Hey Higgle?” Socks picked her words slowly. “W-what’re we gonna do now? We can’t stay here much longer, I know that much…”

“What… what makes you say that, dear?” Higgle glanced up at her. Beetle black eyes glinting against her darkened silhouette, he could barely see her any more in this darkness.

“Well…” Socks mumbled. “Trainer used to go into town sometimes and come back with food, right?”

“…yes?” Higgle narrowed his eyes.

“D’you… think that’s why there’s so many poffins?” She started nibbling on her third. “Be-because she knew that we wouldn’t be able to go into town and get food like she did…”

“That does seem feasible, yes.” Higgle put a hand to his chin. It looked like he wasn’t the only one to reach this conclusion.

“But wait…” Sparky said. “So what’re we gonna do when we run outta food?”

The world suddenly fell away from Higgle. Both of the girls had made the same deduction as he, and he had the advantage of context.

“O-oh…” He stumbled. That will teach him for underestimating them. “I um… I suppose we shall have to cross that bridge as we come to it, okay girls? I-if we ration the food it should last longer, and I shall brainstorm until then. How does that sound?”

“I… I don’t know,” Socks mumbled. “Like, I can’t help but feel like we’re gonna get thrown away now, cause-”

“-Calm down, dear.” Higgle said. “You are overthinking, Socks. I assure you, we will be fine. I’ll not let anyone throw us away. Broken or not, we are a family!”

Sparky just huffed at him. “Some family we are. Just how long were you gonna keep this a secret from us, Higgle?”

Socks’ face crumpled in front of them, and Higgle wrestled the urge to shout into a huge intake of breath.

“It was…” He swallowed down warring emotions. “To try and protect you both. There are things that are not to be seen, and that was one of them.”

“But I had seen already!” Sparky threw her little arms outwards. “Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d just told me the truth there and then?!”

“Now now, Sparky,” Higgle showed her gentle palms. “Let us both take a deep breath and think about this, okay?”

“Think, Higgle? Think? That’s all I’ve been doing since you told us about this, dammit!” Sparky seethed. Electricity arcing dangerously from her body, she glared up at him with hollow eyes. “You wanna tell me what I’m missing, smarty pants?! Thinking's not gonna bring her back now, is it?!”

Something with Higgle burned. Whether it was guilt or fury, he wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t show either right now. Not while Sparky was like this.

“If I had told you straight away…” He sighed. “You would have argued about it, insisting that Lady Holly was indeed flying, and when I continued to correct you, you would have gone and gotten Socks, to get her to agree with you. And you saw what happened when Socks s-”

“Oh, so it’s perfectly fine for me to see her there, dead as a Doduo, but not Socks?!” Sparky raged. “Why’s she so special? Once again, Socks gets all the special hugs while I’m stuck in the damn closet! Just admit you like her more, okay Higg-”

“Sparky!” Socks shrieked at her. “S-s-stop being so mean to us! Higgle was just trying to help, okay?! Now that’s Trainer’s g… gone, he’s gonna be helping us a-a lot more! So you just shut up for once and let him help… okay?!”

Socks’ outburst stunned the both of them into silence. Face screwed up, eyes streaming, she dropped the remains of her poffin and burst from the table, disappearing into another room.

Higgle cradled his forehead. “…that is why, Sparky. I was just fortunate that you hadn’t realised exactly what had happened.”

“…I was dumb there, wasn’t I?” Sparky mumbled. “S-Socks has had a bad enough day, and then I go and make it worse because I dunno how to shut up!”

“Berate yourself no further, Sparky.” Higgle pulled the tiny Emolga into his arms. “You were right. I should have told you straight away. In the situation we are currently within, it would have made no difference…”

“I’m so sorry I got mad, Higgle,” Sparky mumbled into his shoulder. “I mean, you’re just trying to keep us together, a-and I-”

“There is no need for an apology, dear,” Higgle stood up from the table. “If anything, I believe it is Socks that we need to apologise to.”

Sparky nodded slowly. “Once w-we find her, m-maybe we could all sit in the big beanbag together and eat poffins and watch cartoons on TV? Socks likes the cartoons…”

“A pertinent idea, Sparky.” Higgle smiled. “And I have an idea where she might be. Come, let us go and be a family.”

Balancing a trio of fresh poffins in one arm and Sparky in the other, Higgle quickly glanced into the sitting room, just in case. The darkness of evening had all but washed out the colour, leaving behind a gloomy greyscale.

Carefully bumping his foot against each and every stair to check for distance, he slowly made his way to the top floor, where Socks was sniffling loudly at the end of the stairs. Tail wrapped around herself and coiled tightly, she was staring intently at the bathroom door.

“G-go away!” She picked up on them instantly, her voice thick and harsh. “I-I don’t wanna talk right now…”

“We cannot leave you like this, Socks…” Higgle let Sparky down. “You shall become ill, crying yourself to sleep in a dark hallway.”

"M-maybe I wanna," Socks sniffled, coiling herself up ever tighter.

"What would that achieve, Socks?" Higgle sighed.

“…it’s not gonna be like this every day, is it?” Socks sniffled. “All of us getting mad at each other over nothing? I mean, I scratched your face lots earlier, and I yelled at Sparky just now a-and I don’t even like shouting because it makes my voice hurt! Is this what life is now?!”

“O-of course not, Socks…” Higgle dared to reach forward and stroke her head. She flinched at the touch. “Things will get better, I just know it.”

A heavy sniffle left her. “When, Higgle? When?”

“S-soon, I promise.” Higgle said. “P… perhaps you would like to join us in the beanbag? We can eat some poffins there, and I shall see if I can find some cartoons on the television?”

Socks’ head tilted upwards. “…that does sound a little bit nice. Better than the floor, anyway.”

The little Furret uncoiled and wobbled back to her feet, showing her face again at last. “I-I’m sorry you guys. I shouldn’t get all mad like that…”

“Worry not, Socks.” Higgle forestalled. “We have all made mistakes today, and we are all tired. So you two take a seat, and I shall see what is showing on the television.”

“N-no scary movies, please Higgle.” Socks mumbled. “I-I don’t like those very much…”

“Of course not.” Higgle’s voice was muffled from behind the TV cabinet. It was an ancient model, possibly older than any of them. The darkening skies were only making things more difficult, but despite his persistence, complete with appropriate switch flicking and wire jiggling, the appliance was not powering up.

“Hmm,” He frowned at it. “All of the wires and power connectors appear to be in the correct positions, and all of the appropriate switches are in the right places. So why are you not working, television?”

“H-have you tried hitting it on the side, Higgle?” Sparky suggested. “That always worked with me.”

“I am not sure it will work this time, Sparky…” Higgle groaned, squashing into the beanbag. “It seems to be lacking power, and therefore I don’t think we can operate it.”

“…oh.” Sparky sighed. “Does that mean no cartoons before bed?”

“Unfortunately, I believe so.” Higgle glanced over to the window, where a lone streetlight cast a distant glow against the curtains. “I do apologise, girls. Will you be okay getting to sleep?”

“U-uhmm…” Socks shivered. “It’s… kinda dark and scary.”

Higgle and Sparky shared a nervous glance. Lady Holly had taken years coaxing her out of this fear, and now it was back in just one night.

Guilt clawed at his stomach. Were things just going to spiral out of control?

“H-hold on, I’ve got an idea…” Sparky muttered, closing her eyes and concentrating. Her face marred into a frown, a little glow of static electricity started bouncing across her body, lighting the room up just enough for the trio to see.

“Wow… thanks Sparky,” Socks snuggled up to her. “Y-you guys have been so nice to me today…”

Higgle’s frown slowly melted away. “That is what family is for, Socks.”

But his comment fell on deaf ears. Half-eaten poffin under one arm, Sparky the nightlight under the other, Socks had dozed off already.

Higgle felt a smile rising within him. “And they say a chipped vase is worthless.”

Shuffling alongside the pair and wrapping his arms around them, Higgle was finally able to put this long day to rest. Whatever the future held, it was his duty to keep their little family together.

 

[Superbeans]

Chapter 4: Broken Home​

Higgle was the first to wake that morning. Rubbing at tired eyes, he was immediately flooded with sadness at the sight of his still sleeping siblings.

It wasn’t just a horrible dream. This was their horrible reality now. Any other morning Sparky would have been up and about hours ago, but the little Emolga just laid there, grey and dulled. Socks looked no less exhausted, sprawled out next to her.

A heavy sigh escaped him as he gently shuffled out of the beanbag. Neither of the girls stirred, even when he stumbled.

“The poor darlings,” he mumbled. He crept around the squeaky floorboard and out of the room to give them some peace. Waking them up wasn’t going to help anyone.

His limbs felt heavy as he made his way down the stairs, glancing away from the pictures on the wall. What were they to do now, he pondered. The food wasn’t going to last forever, as Socks so bluntly stated last night.

Higgle groaned at the sight of the bottom floor. Everything just felt like the colour had been drained out of it, although the kitchen still smelled violently of syrup.

“Reverting back to a wild state certainly would not do…” he mused, taking his usual position at the dining table and rubbing at his forehead. “Would it even be possible? It has been so many years.”

Hopping his way through the kitchen – something else he was probably going to have to fix soon – he snatched a plate from the handful next to the sink and carried on through to the kitchen. Maybe the girls would appreciate waking up to something nice.

He grabbed two poffins from the dwindling supply and hopped back through the kitchen.

“I suppose we could still live here, but go out and forage for berries and such?” He muttered to no-one. “Yes, perhaps that is a viable alternative. There should be plentiful berry trees growing nearby.”

He edged the bedroom door open again and gently placed the plate on the carpet next to the beanbag.

“No noo…” Socks muttered in her sleep, her little arms shuffling as Higgle made his exit from the room. “Don’t go, Trainer. I need-”

Her sentence dissolved into intangible mumbling, but she had said enough.

“Oh dear…” he blinked away lamentations. Dreaming about Lady Holly was all well and good, but was that just going to make them twice as miserable when they woke up?

“I suppose it is better than having bad dreams…” he insisted. “If that were the case, they would have nowhere to run…”

Leaving the bedroom as quietly as he could, he paced his way back downstairs and stretched for the front door key. Hanging innocently from a little wooden hook in the stairwell, his attempts to grasp it were nevertheless in vain. Grumbling with frustration, Higgle closed his eyes and focused for a moment, before glowing a soft blue and floating towards the key. His face wrinkling with concentration, he desperately snatched the key from the hook before falling back to earth with a stumble.

His palm thudded against the front door as he gasped for breath. Why did he allow himself to get this weak? So comfortable with life that he’d forgotten to be a Pokémon? Sparky could still use her electric abilities to her fullest, as far as he was aware, and Socks was as agile as ever. So why was he the only one who had succumbed to complacency?

“…despicable.” He muttered to the door. His fist shaking, he forced the tiny silver key into the lock and twisted. The heavy door slowly lurched open, blowing a gust of fresh country air into the house.

Higgle shielded his eyes. Was the outside always this bright?

Closing the door behind him and taking a few tentative steps, he could feel his spirits already starting to crumble. His dreams of berry trees were shattered with the awful reality that these trees – the only trees he could see in every direction – didn’t grow any berries. Instead, enormous pine trees taunted him from the distance, vaulting up into the iron grey skies and creaking in the breeze.

Accumula Town was a lovely town – Lady Holly had said so on many occasions, so it must be true – but he was finding it hard to appreciate that beauty right now. Even Socks wouldn’t want pinecones for breakfast…

“Another plan, fruitless.” Higgle groaned. He collapsed onto the nearby kerb and buried his head in his hand.

Life carried on in Accumula Town. Trainers passed through now and again, their prized training partners in tow, while locals gossiped and laughed, and the occasional car trundled past, splashing puddles down the cobblestone roads.

The little Kadabra down the end of the side street next to the house with all the ivy continued to mope.

“Maybe… it is time to run away again,” He mumbled to no one. “Perhaps if I take Socks and Sparky with me, we could escape to somewhere new, a-and…”

But that ounce of inspiration fell away as quickly as it spawned, as if it were water dripping from his cupped hands. Running away wasn’t going to solve anything, was it? At least here they had a roof over their heads. Getting lost in the wilderness somewhere was just going to make things harder…

“Hello there!” A sprightly voice chimed from across the road, stirring Higgle from his thoughts. The Kadabra looked up from his arms to find a small, chubby, tan and pink Pokémon waving at him from the distance. With bell-shaped ears and bright blue eyes, the Pokémon carefully looked both ways across the empty road before toddling across.

“Is something troubling you, dear?” The fat pink Pokémon squashed down next to him, its eyes glowing with concern. “My ears could hear you making unhappy noises.”

“Your ears can… hear?” Higgle frowned up at the Pokémon. What an odd way to say something.

“Yes yes!” The Pokémon smiled. “And my eyes can see that you’re all sad…”

Shame burned within him. Was it really so obvious that a complete stranger could tell at a glance?

“You… could say that, I suppose…” Higgle sighed. Staring desperately at the mossy cobblestones, he clenched a fist. “We… we lost our dear trainer yesterday.”

“Oh dear!” The fat pink Pokémon threw hands to its mouth. “H-how-”

“Lady Holly, she was so wonderful…” Higgle said abruptly. “A-and now that she is no longer with us, I… I don’t know what to do.”

“You poor thing.” The pink Pokémon shuffled closer. Instantly Higgle felt the unwelcome prickle run down his right-hand side. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Umm…” Higgle shuffled a few inches away from this stranger. Could he really trust someone he’d just met? Then again, any knowledge was better than absolutely none, even if they were a stranger.

“You… know how the humans acquire food, yes?”

The desire for knowledge was more important than mistrust of strangers, he supposed. Worst case scenario, they would have no answer for him, and he would lose perhaps a minute to conversation.

“Y-yes yes I do!” The pink Pokémon squeaked. “That’s called ‘shopping’! Humans travel over to this place called the ‘Market’.” She gestured over to a small collection of brightly coloured structures in the distance. Even as they said it, Higgle could pick out a smattering of humans meandering between them, sharing distant gestures and silent conversations.

“Hm hm!” They continued. “They trade these shiny circles for food! Sometimes it looks like paper too, yes yes, but it must be really nice, because it’s worth food!”

“…I see.” Higgle nodded. “But that only creates more issues, I am afraid. We have no means of attaining these shiny circles you speak off, and that means we cannot trade them for food. A-and if we cannot obtain any food, I…”

“Hmm…” The pink Pokémon absorbed his situation. “Wait here a second, yes yes!”

Suddenly it dashed off towards the tall grass across the way. Higgle just frowned as it stood there, twitching its ears. It wiggled its arms slowly one direction, and then the other, and then both of its ears lit up and the grass itself began to shake in time. Suddenly, another identical Pokémon burst out of the long grass.

Higgle’s eyes widened as the two danced to each other in near unison. A few soft gestures and some inaudible conversation later, and the second one handed something to the first before disappearing back into the long grass again.

The first one span around in obvious delight before slowly wobbling back towards him. Higgle was still staring wide-eyed at them by the time they had pushed something round and blue into his hands, “Here, take this!”

Higgle looked down at the blue handful and frowned some more. “This is… a berry?”

“Yes yes!” They chimed, “A-and it’s also a food! If you plant it into the ground and treat it nicely, feed it loooots of water, it’ll grow into more food!”

“R-really?!” Higgle gasped. “My word, that is auspicious news! I thank you, Madam uhh…”

“Camellia.” They flounced. “My owner didn’t like calling me Audino all the time because lots of them live here, so she called me Camellia, and it makes my ears happy to hear it! Wouldn’t you agree?”

“It is a lovely name, and you have my utmost gratitude, Madam Camellia.” Higgle found his feet.

“You’re very welcome, yes yes!” Camellia beamed at him. “Now you go grow some food, okay? Feed those hungry bellies!”

“I-I shall!” Higgle cried. Bowing to the chubby Audino, there was a spring in his step as he let himself back inside. The back garden was a perfect place to grow berries, with high fences and long grass to keep it safe while it grew. How quickly it grew was a different matter, but maybe, just maybe, they weren’t going to go hungry after all.

He hopped through the kitchen once again, but his plans were halted by the sight of Sparky with her face buried in the table.

“Sparky dear?” He approached gently. The berry was put to one side for the time being. “Are you quite alright?”

“Not really…” Sparky mumbled, not even looking up. “I had a nasty dream about Miss Holly…”

“Oh dear…” Higgle took a seat next to hear. “But I thought dreaming about Lady Holly would make you happy?”

“I-it kinda did at first…” She said, showing red puffy cheeks. “We were both riding on those swing-a-things you get at the park and stuff? A-and you and Socks were there too. You were helping Socks build a sandcastle because hers weren’t coming out so good…”

“That… does sound accurate, I must say.” Higgle put a comforting hand on her back. “How did it turn bad, if I may ask?”

“Ugh…” Sparky shuddered. “It was awful.”

“I will not force you, Sparky.” He kept his voice soft. “I understand that it may-”

“I-it’s okay,” Sparky insisted. “If I don’t it’ll be stuck in the back of my mind forever and haunt me and I don’t want that!”

Higgle looked at her with her soggy eyes and puffy cheeks. So much for happy dreams, he sighed internally.

“…alright then.” He brought her to his chest. “Just take things slowly, okay? No sense in rushing, after all…”

“Well uh…” Sparky nuzzled against him. “Well umm… something happened, and I got knocked off the swing-a-thing. I got a mouthful of sand from it and it tasted real bad, but when I looked up again it was all dark and you guys were gone!”

“U-us guys?” Higgle frowned. “Everyone?”

“No, not everyone…” Sparky gulped. “Miss Holly was still there. B-but the ropes of the swing had… tightened around her, a-and I was forced to watch it all again! I tried to help her but I couldn’t move and all I could do was stare! I couldn’t do anything!”

Sparky let out a tortured wail and sobbed into Higgle’s chest, tears streaming from her face like a burst tap.

“Oh, gosh…!” Higgle gasped. “Oh you poor thing, Sparky! That must have been dreadful!”

“Mhmm!” Sparky snorted. “I-wa… don-wan… ever!”

Higgle cradled the tiny Emolga in his arms. “It’s okay, dear. Just let it all out…”

Less than one day, and Sparky had already been reduced to a snivelling mess in his arms. Another hurdle missed, Higgle groaned to himself. What was he thinking, making the assumption that they were having happy, pleasant dreams about Lady Holly? And then he wasn’t even there to offer comfort when she woke up.

How many more times was he going to fail as a guardian? How much harder was it going to get before it got easier?

Why did she have to leave him with this?

Grief surged through him like the rising tide. This was his life now, and he was terrible at it. He was doing his best, and still awful. Every sinew of his being ached with sadness, and suddenly the Kadabra found himself holding Sparky ever tighter to his chest.

Tears stung at his eyes, and he desperately stared at the ceiling. He had to be strong for the girls. Who else was going to? It was his job now that Lady Holly-

There was a sniffle, and an embattled gasp.

“Ohh, Lady Holly, why?” He whimpered. “Why did you leave us? Why couldn’t you tell us?!”

Sparky tensed up in his hands.

What was happening? Higgle never cried, but here he was, a sobbing mess. His hands were shaking like a bounce house as he cradled her, and looking about as far away from her as he could manage.

“…Higgle?” She mumbled up to him. “H-hey, are you okay?”

She pawed at his chin and felt the flinch ripple through them both.

“Hng?!” He sniffled. “O-oh. I am so sorry, Sparky. I suppose those nasty emotions just got the better of me, eheh…”

“Don’t worry about it Higgle,” Sparky managed a weak smile. “Lots has changed lately, and you’ve been stuck dealing with it. Honestly, I-I’m kinda glad? Because it means you’re not some emotionless robot after all?”

Higgle snorted again. Moving his limbs squarely, he adopted a monotone voice.

“Take, me, to, your, leader?”

“Bahahah!” Sparky burst into wet chuckles in his arms. “I like robot Higgle! He sounds like he gets stuff done!”

“I will do my best to get stuff done, I promise.” Higgle smiled down at her. “So… Socks is still asleep, I presume?”

“Yup.” Sparky nodded. “I think she was having bad dreams too, because she kept mumbling things in her sleep.”

Higgle deflated. “Well I suppose we can at least be there to support her when she wakes. Did you find the poffins I left you both?”

“I-I did, yeah…” Sparky said. “But I-I’m… not really hungry. Socks can have mine, I don’t mind.”

“I do, Sparky.” Higgle said, his voice coming out harsher than he meant. “You must eat, okay? It isn’t good for you.”

“I know Higgle, don’t worry.” Sparky said. “I’ll eat later, I promise. It’s just… that dream, it kinda made me feel sick…”

“Hmm. Well, at least it is out of your system now, right?” He enthused. “…oh! And speaking of food…”

He picked up the berry again. “I believe I may have solved one of our problems, Sparky.”

“You have?” Sparky gasped. “How?!”

“The kindly Audino from across the road has gifted us this berry,” Higgle explained, pushing the squeaky back door open. “She told me that if we are to plant this berry and give it sufficient water, we can grow more berries! A-and then we can plant some of those, and grow more, and we shall have lots of food!”

“Ooh, that’s great news Higgle!” Sparky cried. “I mean, berries every day is kinda samey, but any food’s better than no food, right? Any idea how long it’ll take?”

Higgle froze mid crouch. Berry in one hand, Sparky tucked into his arm, rain pattering gently against his back.

“I… am not sure.” He muttered after a while. “Perhaps we should ask…”

Letting Sparky down, he parted the soft soil with his hands and placed the berry into the hole. The little blue fruit was his hopes and dreams, sitting happily in the mud. Higgle covered it over again with a sigh. It wasn’t much, but maybe a tiny ray of hope was all they needed right now.

“Now, we just need to make sure to water it regularly.” He said, shaking mud from his hands. “It is already raining today, so that should be fine until tomorrow I suppose.”

“How hard could it be?” Sparky followed after him through the house. “I mean, it’s only watering a berry…”

“It never hurts to double check,” Higgle raised a knowing finger. “And who would be a better source of information than the, uh… source?”

Sparky shrugged. “I guess so.”

The pair of them exited through the front door, and Higgle looked around only to find the place strangely empty. He squinted off into the distance, but could only make out the mocking silhouette of a Murkrow on the buildings opposite. No humans, no other Pokémon, barely even a gasp of wind. It was as if the town itself were holding its breath.

“Hm,” He stroked his chin. “Where has Madam Camellia gone?”

Surely a bright pink fluffy creature would stand out against the drab greys and greens of town, he reasoned.

“Maybe she went back to her… owner.” Sparky’s voice quivered. “H-how long’s it gonna keep hurting, Higgle?” She blinked several times.

“A-an informed question, Sparky.” Higgle’s voice sounded tight. “Once your mind can accept the fact, the pain will start to lessen, and then I suppose you can work towards finding – oh, there you are!”

Crouching down and peering carefully, he spied Camellia the Audino squashed underneath a picnic bench. Her once demure features stricken, she stared into the distance unblinking.

Higgle made a cursory glance across the road before approaching. “I-is something wrong, Madam Ca-”

“Oh no!” Camellia quivered furiously, squashing herself down farther still. “Quick quick, you need to hide!”

“Why, what’s wrong?!”

“My ears can hear scary noises…” Camellia mumbled. “Get behind something, please!”

“O…okay!” Higgle cried. “Sparky, get over here please!”

“What’s wrong, Higgle?” Sparky zipped over the road, just before a heavy rumbling had the ground shaking violently. The skies themselves were swallowed up by an ominous shadow rounding the corner. Impossibly tall, dark metal beasts rumbled across the cobblestones, swallowing the very path before them. Sparky staggered over to Higgle and the pair of them hid under the bench next to Camellia. Her entire body quivered with fright, watching desperately as the metal monsters growled to a stop. They both belched out a cloud of black smoke in near unison.

“Oh no…!” Camellia squeaked in fear as an enormous door swung open. “It’s the Takers!”

A human clambered out of the contraption, clad in a bright blue jumpsuit. A scrap of paper in hand, he scanned the street of houses before waving to his cohort in the other.

“What are the Takers?” Higgle whispered.

“M-my friend Heather, she lives in Striaton City, yes yes.” Camellia quivered. “She told me that they turn up at people’s houses, a-and they… take things…”

“What right have they to do that?!” Higgle sprung to his feet. “They believe they can just claim ownership of others’ possessions?! Why I have half a mind to-”

“Higgle!”

“What, Sparky?!”

“…look.”

Higgle calmed down long enough to follow Sparky’s direction, and his jaw dropped.

The strange men were entering their house.

“What?!”

Face twisted with fury, Higgle charged forward. “How dare they! I-I am going to-”

“Noooo, no no no!” Camellia burst from the safety of the bench and held him back. “Stay here, please! These are bad humans! They might take you too!”

“I don’t care!” Higgle tore himself from her grip. “Those are our possessions, our home! They cannot take our things!”

“But Higgle, wait!” Sparky jumped forward. “So what if they take a couple of things! We’re fine as long as we’ve got each other, okay?! We don’t need stuff to be a family…”

Higgle’s chest rose and fell heavily. Raw, primitive emotions flooded his veins, and the desire to teach these awful humans a jolly good lesson was intoxicating. But Sparky’s wide-eyed gaze pleaded up at him silently, and the throbbing fury slowly ebbed away…

Higgle massaged his forehead. “I-I suppose.”

Retreating back behind the bench, the three of them watched silently as their possessions were carried from the house by the strange men; the couch, the old TV, the dining table…

“Why must they do this?” Higgle seethed.

“You remember those shiny circles I told you about earlier?” Camellia said as two men walked right past them carrying stacks of chairs. “Well, you can trade things for those shiny circles, yes yes. And big things like TVs are worth a lot of circles, so that means they can get lots of food…”

“By the looks of it, they don’t need any more feeding.” Sparky growled. “That one looks like he’s had enough for all of them.”

“Now now, Sparky.” Higgle’s voice softened. “They may be taking our possessions, but that is no reason to-”

“Hey! What the?! Noo! Lemme goooo!”

“Socks?!” Both Higgle and Sparky yelled in unison. Two burly men were struggling to pull the little Furret from the building, who was wrestling with all her might to escape.

“Let me go, you nasty yucky humans! I don’t like this! Arghhh! Trainerrr!”

“No!” Higgle leapt forward. “I am sorry, Madam Camellia!”

The two men finally succeeded in throwing Socks into the back of one of the trucks, when one of them was knocked sideways by Higgle launching himself at them.

“Desist!” He brandished his spoon like a dagger, meanwhile Sparky coated herself in electricity and bodily tackled the other.

“Yaah!” The man gasped. “H-hey, we’ve got hostiles here!”

On his word, more men in jumpsuits appeared from nowhere. Higgle found himself forcefully extracted from the man he had just attacked, and then thrown into the van with a dull clang, followed shortly by a livid Sparky.

“H-hey, what’re you doing?!” She flailed at the closing door. “You guys are stealing our stuff, and then you complain when we fight b-”

“…Sparky.” Higgle muttered, a trickle of blood journeying down his face. “It is alright, dear. We are all together again, so it is o-”

“Silence!” Another voice ordered, hushing the pair of them instantly. Both Sparky and Higgle turned to find a tall brown Pokémon staring them down. With two sharp front teeth and a pair of overlarge eyes, its stare alone was enough. The Pokémon kicked a barely conscious Socks towards them, who fell limply.

“Take your friend, sit down, and shut up. Understand?!”

Higgle nodded quietly, and carefully dragged Socks towards the back corner of the truck.

Their possessions rattled helplessly as the truck’s engine spluttered into life. Gathering the girls into his arms, Higgle held onto what was left.