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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 35] (34 Pages)

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Tobias struggles to balance his emotions with his duties as a Seeker.

Tobias usually doesn’t have issues with teleportation like Nia does, but today he’s off-kilter enough for the landing in the forest to make him stagger. For once, Nia is the one steadying him with a concerned look.

He shakes her off and pulls up his hood against the sudden chill of the weather outside the guild. While the storm has finally passed (thankfully with few injuries), there was still a lot of devastation left behind, downed trees and limbs doing damage to both the guild and the homes within the forest. The cool, powerful gales and wet ground linger as well, leaving everything soggy and gray.

Nia looks at him with a level of worry that he can’t deal with right now, not when the expression reminds him so much of Maggie, so he just grunts, “Y’know where we’re going?”

Nia hesitates, but pulls out their map and nods after a minute. Then, she sets off. Tobias would be more concerned about the riolu’s terrible sense of direction if they hadn’t already teleported. They can’t be too far from the mission start point.

So instead of questioning Nia, he trudges along behind her, lost in a fog of exhaustion.

His eyes are heavy and a faint headache sits at the back of his skull. He’s not sure if it’s from all the crying he did yesterday, or from his nightmares last night. He vaguely remembers seeing Vivi again, the little charmander trying desperately to tell him something, but the more vivid moments are all Maggie.

Maggie, looking at him with a warm smile only for it to fade into something cold and apathetic as she leaves him at the foot of the mountains.

Maggie, vanishing overnight. Tobias goes to August for help, desperate, but the rest of the guild doesn’t even care. Doesn’t even try to find her to make sure she’s all right.

Maggie, nuzzling him, only for the warmth at his jaw to burn hot. Her gentle touch turns heavy, becoming an orange paw at his throat, and he can’t breathe.

Maggie. Looking at him with such disappointment.

Each picture only drives the pain in his chest deeper, making him curl into himself as he walks, as if he could make the wound stop bleeding if he pressed hard enough. He swallows back a fresh round of tears, sick of the stinging tiredness in his eyes, the skin still raw and puffy from yesterday. The hot lump in his throat is preferable, though not by much.

Tobias and Maggie have been together for so long, even before his first days at the guild. He’d thought it was a mutual comfort, a mutual affection between them. He’d thought she saw him as he saw her.

But why else would she suggest they leave, if she wasn’t finally sick of him? While it is tradition, Tobias knows it isn’t a requirement for Sage to move into her quarters. The ivysaur must’ve just given her the out she’s been looking for for years.

And oh, that thought hits him like a kick to the gut. That this might not be a recent development, that she might have only been tolerating him for so long. All of the gentle scolding looks, all the admonishments and carefully worded suggestions—they all suddenly feel less like a guardian’s gentle attempts at guiding and more like genuine annoyance, like stifled anger. Still softened, because Maggie is kind even to those she dislikes, but—

Tobias thinks he genuinely might throw up for a second. He stumbles over the leafy forest floor, pulling his cloak tight around himself as he crosses his arms over his gut and takes deep breaths to stave off the nausea.

A few tears slip free, and he swipes at them, glad at least that Nia is clearly trying to give him space. She’s still ahead of him, leading the way in silence even as her ears flick back towards him with each sniff and shaky breath.

Tobias should be embarrassed, but that’s difficult after his partner saw him last night in full breakdown mode. He actually kind of wishes they’d stayed in the tunnels, her pressed against his side as a comforting warmth as the crystals cast their soothing blue light. Away from Maggie and all of his troubles.

(How long until Nia gets sick of him too?)

Tobias holds his breath and firmly tries to focus on the forest around him instead of his tumultuous emotions, on the sound of storm-heavy winds rustling through the trees and carrying the chill of autumn. His feet step ever forward through wet clumps of leaves that stick uncomfortably under his claws. His rain cloak (from Maggie) is pulled tight and warm around him, leaves waxy and thick to the touch. He tries to avoid the largest puddles resting on the forest floor.

Nia carves an uncertain trail through the forest, west of the guild and towards where the trees thin out to open grasslands. Branches and leaves and mud snap and crunch and squish under her paws, but Tobias can tell they’re approaching the end of the woods. The sky becomes more and more visible, gray-white clouds torn through with a backdrop of blue. The wind picks up, howling and cold. And another sound slowly gets louder, a clamor of voices and a strange, layered…buzzing?

Tobias frowns, wondering what exactly Nia signed them up for when choosing today’s mission. As they break the tree line, lush green grass and dark spots of mud stretch out ahead of them, sloping into gentle hills and valleys and smaller copses of trees. Pools of rainwater reflect the sky.

And right in front of them is a group of Pokemon, more specifically a swarm of bug types.

Well, that explains the buzzing.

Larvae stage Pokemon cluster among the grass. Weedle are sharpening their horns on rocks, some grubbin are munching away at a last-minute snack of berries, and a few tiny sewaddle are being bundled up in thick leaves by a worried-looking leavanny.

Cocoons gathered into clusters are strapped securely to larger bug types by braided cords of string shot. Tobias recognizes a few of the the shells, particularly the poisonous patterns of a whirlipede and the distinct blue ridges of a pineco. Maybe a metapod, too.

Then there are the bugs large and strong enough to move more independently, who are strapping the smaller, unevolved Pokemon to their bodies with practiced ease. The fliers test their weight with a certain number of passengers before removing or adding more to their load. A beedrill is trying to lift off with a few too many cocoons and first-evolution ‘mons, and a kricketune warbles at him angrily until he returns to the ground. A butterfree and a heracross are similarly packing what looks like a week’s worth of supplies for the crowd onto the backs of a few yanma and one large yanmega.

They’re all chittering excitedly to each other and fluttering their wings as they prepare for the trek ahead of them. There are a few grass or flying type Pokemon scattered throughout, but Tobias sees just about every bug type he can name among the small crowd. Which, when combined with this time of year, can only mean one thing.

“You signed us up for migration duty?” Tobias asks, unable to sound anything but tired.

“Yeah!” Nia confirms, clearly not registering his tone. She’s too busy looking out at the crowd of bug types with sparkly eyes, particularly when she sees the colorful array of wings on some nearby vivillon and beautifly.

Tobias really should’ve picked the mission. He doesn’t have the energy for this right now.

“Oh! Excuse me, are you the Seekers sent to escort us today?”

They turn at the polite, high voice. A volbeat is approaching them, a relieved look on his blue face, framed by buzzing wings and a collar of red.

“Yes!” Nia says, giving him a smile. “I’m Nia, and this is Tobias.”

The volbeat introduces himself as Glow, his short yellow tail briefly flickering with light.

Nia turns to look out at the crowd again. “I know it said group migration, but I didn’t expect this many Pokemon! You’re all going south for the winter?”

“Oh, this isn’t nearly everyone,” the volbeat says with a smile, following her gaze. “Lots of Pokemon decide to stay behind and stick out the cold during the winter, but this is only the first bunch of migraters from the Haven.”

“So what exactly do we need to do?” Tobias asks. “We’re only here for the day, right?”

Glow nods, taking a second to shout an instruction about tying a cocoon bundle tighter to a nearby scyther. “Yup. You’re only booked to escort us until sundown. Another team should be waiting to meet us at the next checkpoint.”

“So we’re just…protection?” Nia asks, sounding unsure. Didn’t she read the mission prompt?

Granted, Tobias didn’t either, but he also didn’t pick it.

“Partially here for protection, if we need it, but mostly just as extra helping hands. With no one able to evolve, each year we have more first stage evolution Pokemon who need carried and less fully evolved ‘mons to do the carrying.”

Huh. Tobias hadn’t really thought about that. From Nia’s expression, she hadn’t either. He follows her gaze back to where a few of the capable flyers are clearly trying to push the limits of how many smaller bug types they can comfortably carry.

“We’ve hired help from the guild before in previous years, but...“ Glow looks worriedly at the sky. “We definitely need it this year, after that awful storm. The winds are stronger and less predictable than we’d like. Rivers are high too.”

“Got it,” Nia says with a nervous but determined nod. “Just, uh, tell us what you need us to do!”

Glow gives her a smile. “Will do. For now, just hang around for a few minutes. We’re almost ready to head out.”

Glow pushes off with his short legs and buzzes into the air, moving over to the beedrill (who is still trying to carry too many passengers) to coax him back to the ground.

Tobias frowns at Nia as soon as Glow is gone. “How do you even know what migration is?” Do humans do it, too?

“Oh! Some animals do that in our world! I think there’s really only one kind of butterfly that actually migrates, but there’s gotta be other bugs that do it too so—“

Tobias slaps a hand over her mouth. “Got it. Weird animal stuff.”

Nia gives him an irritated scrunch of her brow and peels his hand away. “Says the weird animal.”

Tobias doesn’t respond, too tired to get into a silly squabble right now.

Of course, Nia just can’t help her curiosity, quickly recovering and practically bouncing in place as she looks out over the colorful swarm. Her eyes linger on the few grass and flying types mixed in with the bunch.

“Are bug types the only ones who migrate?” Nia asks. “I would’ve thought grass types might too, since they’re also weak to cold.”

Tobias sighs. At least she’s keeping her voice quiet so the Pokemon around them probably won’t question why she doesn’t know this already.

“Some grass types and flying types do it too, but it’s rarer and they usually go in smaller groups. The ones here are likely mates or friends or kids of the bug types and just decided to tag along. Bug types always go in larger community swarms. I think it’s kind of like…tradition or something?”

“It is!” A small paras says on Tobias’ other side, making him jump. Nosy little thing.

“For most of us, migration is less of a strict necessity for survival,” the paras continues, idly stretching its little claw-like legs, “And more of a preference. We go in larger groups for protection, but also because it’s what we’ve been doing for decades! It’s tradition at this point. And especially in the last few years, since we have so many first and second stage ‘mon who can’t evolve to fly or walk themselves. Safety in numbers, y’know.”

“Uh-huh,” Tobias says slowly, giving the paras the stink eye.

Luckily, before Nia can start up an earnest conversation, Glow returns with the previously spotted leavanny and her children at his side, as well as the beedrill who was trying to carry too much, cocoons still strapped to his body.

“All right, I think I’ve got your first job for the day,” Glow says, unstrapping a cascoon from the beedrill. “You all right to carry?”

At Tobias and Nia’s nods of assent, the volbeat helps them shoulder on a cascoon and a silcoon, straps of woven string shot—strong and smoothed of their usual stickiness—resting heavy over their shoulders.

Nia hops to bounce the bug type higher on her back, glancing over her shoulder. “You all right back there?”

The silcoon murmurs something indistinct, and the cascoon speaks up from Tobias’ back before Nia can ask her to repeat herself.

“She said she’s fine. We’re pretty tough, y’know.”

The tone edges into something lighthearted at the end, like a joke, and Tobias snorts. Good, at least his responsibility has a sense of humor.

Glow then hands them each one of the small sewaddle as well.

Tobias’ charge is sleeping, and curls up in his arms as easily as one of the shinx kids. Most little ones like his warmth. Nia’s sewaddle is squirmier, not even trying to settle against the riolu’s soft fur. The last two sewaddle are strapped to the leavanny’s back and cradled in her arms. She gives Nia and Tobias a grateful smile as Glow and the beedrill fly off.

“Thank you so much for your help. Mine are still too little for flight, so I’m grateful for any help I can get that has them safely on the ground.”

Nia assures the leavanny—Inai, apparently—that it’s no trouble, easily starting up a conversation. On their backs, the cascoon and silcoon have a quiet conversation of their own, voices slightly muffled by their shells. Good. Tobias doesn’t have to try to entertain anyone or even appear civil. He’s not in the mood.

After a few minutes, Glow flies high in the cloudy sky and formally announces that they’re ready to head out. A few Pokemon cheer, and everyone perks up. The Pokemon that can fly slowly lift into the sky with a great wave of buzzing and wind, forming a colorful, shifting cloud of Pokemon overhead. Nia cranes her head back to watch the spectacle, eyes starry with awe.

The Pokemon on the ground follow, moving forward through the long, damp grass. Tobias bites back a sigh and follows at Nia and Inai’s side. He supposes this isn’t the worst job they could’ve taken today. He doesn’t have to interact much, at least. He focuses instead on avoiding the wettest patches of soggy ground and listening to Nia’s conversation as she tries to get the sewaddle in her arms to settle down.

“Am I holding you wrong?” Nia frets. The sewaddle squeaks in response, still too young to speak.

Inai laughs. “No, you just have the most restless of my bunch. Would you like to switch?”

Nia gratefully accepts, swapping sewaddle. The new one makes a happier squeak, curiously reaching up with little legs for Nia’s face.

“Oh, gosh. How are all of you so adorable?!” Nia squeals, leaning down obligingly.

In response, the sewaddle blinks, then sneezes right in Nia’s face. The riolu’s expression scrunches even as she laughs, holding the kid away from herself for a moment.

“Emil!” The leavanny scolds, sighing in defeat as the sewaddle simply cuddles back into Nia’s hold. “I apologize, he’s had a cold all week and just can’t seem to kick it. We’re trying to work on manners.”

Nia waves the apology off with a smile, laughing in understanding. Tobias is just glad that the Pokemon strapped to him aren’t snotting all over him. He does fine with blood, but sickness makes him squirm a bit more. He’s dealt with that in the past with the shinx kids—

(And Vivi)

—and it just always kind of grossed him out.

Maggie on the other hand is a perfect medical ‘mon, always taking care of him and any other sick or injured Pokemon without an ounce of disgust or reluctance. Once, he had a particularly nasty fever in the middle of summer, shortly after arriving at the guild. Despite the fact that it was already stiflingly hot and he was even grumpier and whinier than usual, Maggie had curled up around his overheated coal of a body without complaint. She’d taken care of him tirelessly, with cool petals pressed to his skin and gentle vines stroking his back as she helped him nibble at juicy berries to stay hydrated.

The memory just brings the low ache in his chest back to the forefront, a lance of pain shooting like a seviper’s fang through his heart.

He wonders if Sage will be better than him at handling sick Pokemon. Probably.

Tobias takes a deep breath and shakes his head. If Maggie doesn’t want him around anymore—

(Did she ever?)

—he needs to get used to there being some kind of distance between them. He doesn’t want to bother her with his stupid attachment, clinging like a child. Even if his throat feels tight and sore with tears, he won’t bother her with that. She’s already done so much for him.

When Tobias tunes back in to the conversation, the leavanny is still talking. Chatterbox.

“You know how it is with little ones—each of us was sick with it at one point! Luckily it’s just a cold, nothing serious.”

For a moment, something uncomfortable flickers across Nia’s face, but then it’s gone again, relaxed demeanor firmly in place.

“This weather hasn’t been helping,” Inai adds, casting an uncomfortable look up at the sky. “I can’t remember the last time we had a storm so dangerous.”

The cascoon on Tobias’ back makes a sound of agreement. “Or one that lasted so long. Plus, it felt…strange.”

“Strange?” Nia echoes with a tilt of her head.

“Didn’t feel natural,” the cascoon elaborates. “Too sudden, too strong. I like to watch storms, and there was something tingling in the air during this one—like when a mystery dungeon is about to form.”

Inai looks more worried at that, clutching her babies close and peering into the far distance of the open plains, as if hunting for something dangerous on the horizon.

“The world is changing,” she says, quiet.

The cascoon laughs, not unkindly. “The world has been changing for years. Heck, I would be flying up in the sky right now if evolution didn’t go sideways when I was right in the middle of it!”

The cascoon’s voice is light, but Inai’s worried gaze flicks down to her children. Her frown grows at the reminder that they’ll always be stuck in their current small forms. It’s quiet for a moment, the only sound the heavy whistle of the wind, the grass underfoot rustling softly. Around them, the swarm chats to each other, and overhead two or three Pokemon have started up a cheery song.

“Do you really think it’s the humans causing all of this?” Inai asks, voice soft.

Nia’s head whips up so hard she stumbles. Tobias yanks her back into place and glares at her, trying to impart the instruction to act normal through will alone.

Nia, of course, ignores him, instead staring wide-eyed and almost hurt at the leavanny. Not that Tobias can blame her too much—the last time they faced opinions on humans from a near-stranger, they almost got into a fight with that luxio in Ghatha.

Here and now, it’s clear Nia is trying to figure out how to prod, despite being afraid of a round two. “D-Do you really think humans could be causing it? I mean, I just don’t really see how we—how they could affect something as big as evolution.”

Subtle. Tobias sighs.

“She’s just been listening to too much gossip,” the cascoon teases.

“It was in the paper!” Inai defends, voice pitching an octave higher in embarrassment.

“The paper? There’s a newspaper?” Nia whispers, breaking out of her anxiety long enough to give Tobias an excited glance. He rolls his eyes and nods. Great, something new to add to the riolu’s endless stack of reading.

“The ‘mon at the newspaper don’t have any better of an idea of why evolution stopped than we do,” the cascoon says. “Don’t see how a bunch of humans could cause evolution to stop. Or scare the legendaries away. Or make the natural disasters more fierce.”

“I suppose so,” Inai admits, still sounding uncertain. “I just don’t know what else would explain it.” She looks down at the sleeping sewaddle in her arms. “I just worry about them. About their future.”

“They’ll be all right, even if they can’t evolve,” the cascoon soothes, tone sympathetic. “At least they still have legs!“

Tobias snorts before he can catch himself. The cascoon makes a triumphant laugh, clearly pleased to have caught someone off-guard. Nia looks like she isn’t sure whether it’s okay for her to find that funny.

“I know evolution is kind of, uh…a big deal,” Nia says. “But I was, um, still a little young when it stopped, so I guess I kind of don’t get it. Will your kids not be okay in their current form?”

Inai hums, taking a moment as she considers her words. “No, they’ll be perfectly healthy--it won’t hurt them to stay as sewaddle. And as long as they put their minds to it, they can be and do whatever they want. But…”

She hesitates, clearly trying to gather her thoughts.

“But it would be easier, if they had the option to evolve,” she finally says. “That’s just how Pokemon are—you can stay in your first stage forever and mature into an adult, but there are undeniable advantages to evolution. You’re larger, stronger, faster. More stamina, more abilities.”

Inai strokes a hand over her child’s head. “I know they’ll be okay. I just wish they had the option.” She laughs, wry humor entering her voice. “If any of them are like their father, they’ll be wanting to travel the world before they’re ten, and leavanny legs are much better for long distance hikes.”

“They can still travel,” the cascoon cuts in, that joking edge still in his voice. “After all, look at us! Practically marathon runners.”

He wiggles on Tobias’ back, prompting a giggle from Nia and the quiet silcoon.

“I suppose you’re right,” Inai admits, the good humor finally breaking through her concern. “I’m sure at least one of them will want to leave the nest one day, so it’s good to think about that day in a brighter light.”

“Won’t you miss them?” Tobias blurts, surprising himself just as much as his companions. His face immediately heats, and he trains his gaze on the ground again. “I mean. Kind of sounds like you want them to leave.”

“Of course not!” Inai says, clearly offended. “I already think they’re growing up too fast. I love having my babies home with me. It’s just…”

The following quiet prompts Tobias to peek up at the leavanny. He didn’t mean to ask such an embarrassing question, but now that he has, he needs to hear her answer. Her golden face is wistful as she looks down at the sewaddle in her arms, rocking them gently as she walks. The expression reminds him of Maggie.

“I just want them to be happy,” Inai finally says. “I want them to experience the world, and learn to stand on their own feet so they can become the best, strongest, happiest versions of themselves. And at some point, for that to happen, I’ll have to let them go. It’s like a plant growing too large for its pot—sometimes, to really bloom, you have to take them out of their comfort zone and put them somewhere new with more room to grow.”

Inai’s words makes Tobias’ chest ache with a tangle of emotions. He swallows hard, hands tightening around the cords of string shot looped over his shoulders.

“Evolution would make that easier on them,” Inai adds, glancing at Nia. “So of course I wish it was an option. But I know they’ll be happy even if they never evolve. I’ll make sure of it.”

“That’s the spirit,” the cascoon chimes in, cheery as ever. “I’m not unhappy in my current form—I’ve learned a lot about patience thanks to it. I love getting to watch the world.” He sighs, longing in his voice as he adds, “But I would also love to fly.”

Tobias sympathizes. The journey to Ghatha had only reminded him of how much he loved flight himself. Reminded him of long, leisurely glides around the mountains with his family. He feels a longing ache add to the pain in his chest, and he pointedly keeps his gaze from drifting up to the bug types flying overhead.

He knows Inai’s words are important—can feel it in his heart and his head, trying to connect and spark a revelation. Still, he tries to delay that hopeful spark as much as possible.

Those were Inai’s words, after all. Not Maggie’s.

———————————————

The swarm stops to eat lunch in the early afternoon. As their group moves south, more and more boulders and rocky outcroppings jut like teeth through the lush carpet of grass. The fliers alight with everyone else on a relatively flat plateau of rock in the middle of the fields. The wind is chilly, still damp with lingering rain, and Tobias pulls his cloak tighter around his shoulders, burying his chin in his scarf.

He sticks to eating with Nia, Inai, her children, and the two cocoons, who Tobias finally learns are named Ruby and Ike. However, when they set out again, Glow assigns them a slightly different duty, taking the cocoons and sewaddle and adding them to the load of a few new faces who had arrived from a different starting point.

“The scouts tell me the winds will be particularly rough ahead,” The volbeat explains, squinting into the distance. “So I’d like you both to focus on keeping an eye on the whole swarm.”

Tobias frowns and Nia tilts her head with confusion, so the bug type elaborates.

“The winds in this area are always more turbulent. Unpredictable. But with the storm, they’re worse than ever. I’m afraid I don’t have a specific threat for you to look out for. Just keep an eye on the fliers for anyone who might get knocked off course. Eye on the grounders for anyone light or weak enough to get swept away.”

The volbeat’s gaze flicks over to a couple of cutiefly resting on the ground nearby, laughing and huddling together for warmth as well as to avoid getting picked up by the wind.

Tobias straightens and nods. He’s not sure how much they can help the fliers since neither of them can get up in the air themselves, but they can manage the job of keeping track and making sure nobody gets separated or left behind.

After a brief discussion, Nia and Tobias decide to split up to better cover the crowd. As the fliers take off, buffeted by the winds and struggling to get their bearings, Tobias takes his spot near the middle of the group. Nia stations herself at the very back. This way, hopefully they can keep an eye on the whole swarm.

And then they’re off. The wind has picked up, but the sky is also starting to clear a bit more, wispy clouds parting to reveal deep blue. The rainwater has gathered in large puddles here as well, reflecting the sky. As the swarm takes off, their colorful carapaces and shimmering wings move like a living rainbow overhead, fractured and copied into the pools they fly over.

It’s admittedly a beautiful sight, despite everything on Tobias’ mind at the moment and weighing heavy on his shoulders. He allows himself a few brief seconds to appreciate it unabashedly before focusing on the job.

Keep the swarm safe.

Which is easier said than done. Within a half hour, Pokemon are already getting knocked around by the wind, especially those in the sky. A ledyba is blown away from the fliers, clearly fighting the gales, and Tobias shouts up at the swarm until a large vivillon notices and retrieves the battered bug, tucking the ledyba into the middle of the group.

Tobias is also trying not to worry about the many reflections surrounding them thanks to the rainwater. He doesn’t think Giratina would show himself around so many Pokemon, but more than once he thinks he sees something flicker through a pool in the corner of his eye, a flash of...pink? But he doesn’t think Giratina is pink of all colors and he can’t be sure that he isn’t imagining things with so many lively reflections from the bug types flying overhead.

Before he can ruminate on that too long, a hoppip blows past, snatched off the back of the scolipede just ahead of him. He curses and turns to chase them as they tumble away along the grassy plains. Luckily, Nia is paying attention and is much faster with her longer legs, sprinting after the hoppip and pouncing on them to keep them in place. Tobias sighs, relieved. He should’ve caught the hoppip before they could get blown so far. Nia hands the hoppip off to him with a frazzled smile, and he makes sure to wedge the little pink grass type more firmly among the satchels and Pokemon riding on the back of the apologetic scolipede.

He needs to get out of his head. Needs to stop worrying about Giratina. Needs to stop worrying about Maggie. There isn’t anything he can do about either of them right now. He can’t afford being so distracted when these Pokemon are depending on him to keep them safe.

To try and keep himself present, he listens idly to the conversation happening to his right as he scans the sky and the crowd ahead of him.

“Yeah, we’re actually really close to the lake where they say Lady Mesprit sleeps!”

Lady Mesprit? Tobias glances at the excited kricketot who’s speaking. She’s perched on top of a pinsir’s head, holding on to his horn with little hands.

“Where she used to sleep,” the pinsir amends, sounding reluctant to burst his companion’s bubble.

The kricketot’s enthusiasm falters. “I mean…I know there haven’t been any confirmed sightings in...Well, a century. But! There’s always a chance she’s still around, right? It makes me feel better, to think that she’s still watching over this land and guiding us on our journey.”

Tobias frowns but doesn’t comment, too busy trying to remember what Mesprit looked like in the few books he’s read about legendaries. She was part of a group, he thinks? A trio? A lake trio. Although he can’t remember what she looked like or what her dominion was.

Not that it matters. The only god he’s seen (arguable) proof of actually being awake is Giratina.

Lucky him. He’s back to the overgrown ekans haunting his thoughts.

The next few hours are spent in a vicious cycle of keeping an eye on the swarm as they march ever onward, occasionally retrieving a Pokemon swept away by the harsh winds, and trying not to drown in his anxious thoughts. The gales cut right through his cloak, made more for rain than warmth, and Tobias’ muscles are sore and tense. He’ll sleep well tonight.

In the Seekers quarters. In an unfamiliar nest.

Tobias huffs an irritated breath, careful to keep his fire contained to his body around so many Pokemon weak to it. His chest tightens anew, painful and choking, as he thinks of this just being his life from now on. Missing Maggie, wondering if she’s doing all right, clinging to every memory of her even as he desperately tries to shove them out of mind—

There’s a shriek, far overhead, just loud enough to be heard over the wind. Tobias, deep in thought, registers it a second late. He blinks up at the source.

Ahead of him, a powerful gust of wind has knocked a few Pokemon off-course, wings and limbs tangling. In the fuss, a small green form drops like a stone through the sky. It takes Tobias a moment of staring, dumbfounded, to realize that it’s a Pokemon—and not a flier. Even still, his body is frozen until he hears Nia, shouting something behind him.

Then, all at once it hits him. One of the passengers was knocked loose. The fliers are still recovering, panicking. A Pokemon is falling.

They’ll die from a drop that high.

Finally, Tobias’ legs move. He pushes forward and breaks from the crowd, unhooking his cloak for it to fall from his shoulders. He stretches forward and lunges into a run on all-fours, his eyes locked onto the little Pokemon plummeting to the Earth and—

He won’t be fast enough.

He’s suddenly reminded of Ghatha, of that horrible, helpless feeling of watching Nia and Junie get buried in rubble.

He’s reminded of Vivi, her tail flame slowly petering out as her grip grows slack, Tobias begging her not to leave him—

A blur of black and blue shoots past him, grass parting in her wake. Tobias stops in his tracks, holding his breath as Nia blinks forward in a quick attack. The Pokemon is close enough to the ground to see now—a caterpie. Nia pushes off one of the low boulders and leaps, high into the air. Her momentum slows just enough for Tobias to see her arms stretch out and catch the caterpie, framed by a patch of blue sky. Then the two hit the grass hard and roll.

Tobias runs forward again, mind buzzing with a numb sort of fear.

By time he makes it to her, Nia is slowly sitting up in a shallow puddle of water, shaking her head and looking dazed. The caterpie in her arms is quiet, but visibly trembling as Tobias approaches, their face buried in Nia’s fur.

“Injuries,” Tobias demands more than asks.

Nia blinks at him, then jolts and looks down at the caterpie. “A-Are you okay? I didn’t squish you, did I?”

The caterpie laughs, a hysterical noise. “N-No. No, you didn’t. I think I’m okay? Somehow?”

Before they can talk any more, the swarm snaps out of their own shock. Glow is the first to reach them, face twisted with worry that alleviates only when he spots the caterpie slowly sitting up and away from Nia. The venomoth who had been carrying the smaller Pokemon alights with teary eyes and a frantic string of apologies spilling from their mouth. They have multiple Pokemon and cocoons strapped to their sides, and one empty pocket. Others crowd in, a vespiquen with the calm demeanor of a medic pushing her way to the front to take the caterpie for examination.

“Thank you,” Glow says to Nia, voice dripping relief, before he turns to follow. A few others of the swarm offer their thanks to the riolu for her quick action, leaving her looking embarrassed.

Tobias feels guilt start to creep up on him.

He was closest, by far, and if he hadn’t been so wrapped up in his own worries, had been paying attention like he was supposed to, had acted right away, he might’ve been able to save the caterpie himself. He doesn’t want to think about what might have happened if Nia hadn’t been here.

Instead, Tobias pushes down the churning in his gut, focusing on his partner as she rises to wobbly paws.

“You okay?” He asks, circling her body to look for obvious wounds. She didn’t fall far from her jump, but she had a lot of momentum going in order to catch and counteract the caterpie.

Nia nods, but winces at the movement. She touches lightly at her upper arm, held stiff and still. “I think I might’ve bruised my shoulder on the landing, but otherwise I’m okay.”

Tobias makes an unhappy sound in his throat, gently taking her arm and having her move it to test her range of motion. “Doesn’t seem sprained or anything,” he agrees, relieved. “Just keep using it lightly, try to stretch out the muscles. You’ll probably be sore for a day or two.”

Nia gives him a smile of thanks. A galvantula approaches Tobias to hand him the cloak he’d discarded. He gratefully puts it back on, feeling soothed by the waxy texture against his skin, protecting him at least a bit from the chilly wind.

It only takes a few minutes to get the frightened caterpie stationed on the back of one of the ground Pokemon and double-check the restraints on the rest of the fliers. Then they’re off again.

Tobias keeps a close eye on the swarm, refusing to let himself think of anything else. Shame sits heavy in his chest for being so spaced out while on a mission.

It’s going to be a long rest of the day.

———————————————

By late evening, the sun is sinking low on the horizon and painting the fields in shades of red and gold. The wind has finally died down, and another Seeker team, led by a mightyena, takes over escort duty at the checkpoint. Glow once again give his thanks for their help, handing over a vanish seed and a hefty chunk of cash before sending them on their way.

Tobias and Nia put the command into their badges for retrieval, and a minute later they’re teleported back to the guild in a beam of light.

As soon as they’re done logging their trip with the psychics and confirming their mission’s success, they step into the hall. Tobias rubs at his eyes, absolutely exhausted, and debates skipping supper to go straight to bed. Nia, looking just as tired, nudges him towards the cafeteria anyways.

When they get there, it’s late enough to be mostly empty. They both grab a meal—some kind of salad with berries and nuts—and eat in relative silence. Well, until Nia breaks it, of course.

“Are you going to talk to Maggie tonight?”

Tobias spares her a tired glare. Nia just stares back at him with a furrowed brow, fingers clenching around her fork with worry.

“Maybe later,” he mumbles, stabbing at a berry and growling when it bounces away from his utensil.

Nia hesitates, but shakes her head. “I…I really think you two need to talk. Tonight. She’s really upset, and—“

“I’m upset,” Tobias snaps. “And this has nothing to do with you, so stay out of it.”

Nia frowns, looking angrier than he expected. “Maybe the argument doesn’t, but when two of my friends are this upset over a stupid misunderstanding, then it does have to do with me!”

Tobias isn’t sure what to focus on in that statement (He’s her friend? Wait—misunderstanding?), but before he can decide, Nia just sighs and looks at him with tired eyes.

“If nothing else, can you do it as my partner? Please? I need you to be there, mentally, during our missions. I can’t do this on my own.”

Tobias winces, then looks down at his salad with shame settling hot on his cheeks and heavy on his shoulders.

He pictures that caterpie again, dropping through the sky. Tries not to think about what might have happened if Nia hadn’t been paying attention or hadn’t gotten her quick attack to work.

He thinks about it anyways, gut churning.

Tobias scowls. Nia is right. As painful as the thought is, he needs to do this sooner rather than later, so he can start trying to pull himself together. He can’t be distracted during their missions like he was today. Nia or one of their clients could get hurt due to his carelessness.

“Fine,” he grunts, pushing his tray away. “I’ll go talk to her.”

Nia blinks at him in surprise, as if she didn’t expect him to agree so easily. “O-Oh. Uh, great! Do you want me to come with you?”

Tobias shakes his head. “I’ll meet you back at—at the room.”

Nia offers a quiet wish for good luck, and Tobias takes his tray back up before making his way to the staircase.

Might as well get this over with.

The entire walk up the Lexym Tree, Tobias feels dread rise higher and higher in his chest with each step. He hesitates at the training floor, wondering if he could get away with shirking this horrible talk and hide in there to train instead. Then he sees Archer, the uptight breloom inspecting some of the dummies off to the side of the room, and Tobias moves on with a roll of his eyes.

He needs to get this done, anyways. Like ripping off a bandage. He’s desperately trying to map how this conversation will go in his head, trying to figure out if Maggie will be angry or pitying or—worst of all—just cold and apathetic. He can’t imagine such an expression on her face, and it makes his gut twist to try.

By time he’s made it to the medical floor and shuffled past Fen’s closed quarters, stopping in the open doorway of their—of Maggie’s room, he still hasn’t figured it out.

And there she is.

The meganium is reading a book by the dying light of the sun spilling in through the window. It actually looks like one of the ones Nia left behind. A similar dinner of salad sits uneaten at her side, picked through and pushed around.

Then Maggie looks up, breath catching as she spots him. She stares at him with so much emotion behind her eyes, but no clear expression on her face. Like she’s feeling so many different things at once and she doesn’t know what to focus on.

“Hey,” He says, awkward and stupid.

“Tobias,” Maggie whispers.

“Nia said I should come talk to you,” Tobias mumbles, looking down at his feet and wishing that he hadn’t taken off his cloak earlier so he could hide in it now. He scuffs at the wooden floor.

“Of course. Come in, please.”

The words sound so…distant, so formal, and Tobias winces, reluctantly dragging himself over to stand a few feet from the meganium.

It’s quiet.

Tobias can’t remember it ever feeling so awkward and heavy between them. Even in the first days after he lost his family, when they were still strangers to each other, she was always his safety and comfort.

Tears prick hot at his eyes, and he tries to blink them away before she notices. She’s tired of him hanging around with his bad attitude and snappy remarks (and he can’t exactly blame her), and he will not make this parting into another situation of her feeling forced to comfort him.

“I’m sorry,” he blurts, cringing as his voice cuts through the air.

Maggie breathes a quiet sound, relaxing just a bit. She reaches out to him with a vine, and he hurriedly steps back, away from her touch. He looks up in time to see her hurt expression.

“You don’t…” he trails off, voice choked and tight. “You don’t have to keep doing that. I got the message. I’ll go. Sorry.”

Before Tobias can turn and bolt, Maggie’s vine curves around him, not quite a restraint but enough to stop him. He curses under his breath and peeks back at her.

To his confusion, Maggie is staring at him with open bewilderment. “Keep doing..? Tobias, what...what are you talking about?”

Tobias blinks in turn, brow furrowing. She’s really going to make him spell it out? She already knows, and even if she hates him she isn’t cruel, so why—

“Y-You…you want me to leave,” he summarizes, voice shaky as he says the words aloud. “I—I understand why. I’m not exactly fun to be around. I’m sorry for—for making you take care of me for so long. I’ll stay in the Seekers quarters from now on, with Nia.” He swallows past the lump in his throat. “I’ll try to stay out of your way.”

Tobias doesn’t know what he’s expecting in response—relief? Maybe even gratitude, something positive to assure him that he’s doing the right thing.

What he is not expecting is for Maggie to visibly pale, a strange expression dawning on her face. Tobias…doesn’t know what to do with that. He looks down at his feet again, hands reaching up to fiddle anxiously with his scarf. The silence is deafening.

Then, Maggie exhales, a shuddering thing. “Tobias, you…can you look at me, please?”

Her voice is choked, and he can’t deny her when she sounds so upset. Tobias swallows, blinking hard before following her request.

Her teary eyes search his, something almost desperate in her voice. “Tobias, I don’t—I don’t want you to leave.”

Tobias stares at her, uncomprehending. Somehow, this was not an option he imagined for this talk. She—but if she doesn’t want him to leave, then why—

“But Sage—“

“Sage is taking your job, and nothing more. Even if, over time, I grow close to him too, that doesn’t mean I’m trying to replace you.”

Tears build in Tobias’ eyes as Maggie repeats Nia’s words from the night before. Maggie looks and sounds genuine, staring at him desperately in the dying light as if this is the most important thing she’ll ever say to him. Hope sparks small and bright in his chest, but the tension is still heavy, like a band stretching tighter and tighter until it snaps.

“But you’re replacing me,” he rasps.

“Tobias, Sage will be my colleague, but you—“ Maggie’s voice breaks, before returning stronger than ever. “You are my son.”

Tobias stops breathing, the world itself seeming to tilt and narrow to just the two of them.

“I could never replace you, even if I wanted to,” She whispers, voice rough. “And I would never, ever want to.”

For a heartbeat, Tobias can only stare as the tears finally roll down his cheeks. His brain and his heart try to process this, after the past twenty-four hours of pain and grief, of trying to come to terms with the idea that Maggie hated him and wanted him gone, and now she’s—

Tobias sobs and reaches out for her before he can think about it. Maggie is quick to pull him into her hold, where he finally lets out the pain that’s been building in his chest like an infection. He wails into the cool petals around her neck.

Maggie cranes her neck to nuzzle him, rubbing his back with a vine and murmuring platitudes. She sound like she’s crying, too. For a moment, something in Tobias’ head whispers that she’s still doing it, that she’s just pretending because she can’t stand seeing others in pain, but—

But she didn’t have to call him that. Even if he’s seen her as his second mother for years and years, neither of them have ever said as much aloud.

Tobias gasps in a breath and inhales her floral scent, trying not to dig his claws into her petals or soft skin. She squeezes him tighter.

Tobias doesn’t know how long it takes before he calms. The light is less strong, bleeding away to dusk. The wind howls quietly through the window. Tobias is exhausted and still sniffling with tears, but no longer feels something painful rip through his chest with every passing second. He feels as safe as he ever has in Maggie’s embrace. Warm and loved.

But something is still bothering him.

“W-Why do you want us to move out?” Tobias asks, voice quiet and wrecked.

Maggie doesn’t answer for a moment, continuing to rub his back in a soothing, rhythmic motion.

Then she says, “I’m sorry. I should’ve talked to you about it before making arrangements, but I wanted you to have somewhere to cool off if you were upset.” Her hold tightens. “Of course, I didn’t know you would be this upset, I didn’t even consider that you might think—“

She cuts herself off, taking a deep breath to gather herself. Tobias leans against her with half-closed eyes, waiting.

“With Sage taking over your work, it just seemed like the perfect time to let you…spread your wings, so to speak.”

Tobias makes a questioning noise in his throat.

Maggie sighs. “Tobias, I love having you here with me in the herbalist quarters. I think you’re quite fun to be around, contrary to what you apparently think.” Oh, her voice is sharper there. He’s going to be hearing about that comment later.

“But…” Maggie hesitates. “But I’ve seen how much you’ve grown in the past month, after becoming a Seeker and teaming up with Nia. And I don’t mean in battle. You’re…happier than you’ve been. Driven. You look more alive than I’ve ever seen you. You smile. You’re making friends. It made me realize that clinging to me as a medic all these years has allowed you to stagnate.”

Tobias isn’t sure where to start with…all of that. So he starts at the easiest point, a protest. “I learned a lot from you.”

“But you were allowed to remain sad and angry and isolated, holed up with me,” Maggie says, a sad smile in her voice. “Going out into the world, meeting other Pokemon, it’s been so good for you. I just thought that having a space for you and Nia, away from here, would only further that growth.”

Growth.

That word makes Tobias think of Inai and her babies, the mother clearly attached to them and yet heart-achingly ready for their futures to unfold. He thinks of her example, of a plant growing too large for its pot. Moving it somewhere new, somewhere different, for it to flourish properly.

Somewhere with more room to grow.

A separation borne from love.

Clarity unfolds in his mind like a blossom, and a fresh wave of tears blurs his vision. Maggie isn’t urging him out into a new space because she hates him. Quite the opposite in fact.

“But I’m not going to force you out,” Maggie hurries to add. “Never. Tradition or no. If you want to stay here with me, we can set Sage up somewhere else.”

Tobias sniffs, recognizing the out for what it is. He appreciates it, even if he’s starting to feel a little silly about how badly he reacted to all of this when she’s clearly trying so hard to make him comfortable.

But…

“If I stay in the Seekers wing,” Tobias starts, hesitant. “Can…can we come visit you?”

“Of course!” Maggie says, sounding affronted at the thought that he might not. “You’d better! You’re always welcome, Tobias, any time. Day or night.”

Tobias sags against Maggie, growing more and more exhausted with each wave of relief that crashes over him. If that’s the case, then…

“I’ll give it a shot,” he says, quietly. He doesn’t know why. Even just being a few short flights of stairs away from Maggie, he’s going to miss her terribly. But maybe she has a point. Maybe it’s time for him to spread his metaphorical wings, just a little.

It helps that he has a standing invitation to return at any time. A safe nest to fall back on.

“Sounds like a plan,” Maggie says, voice fond and proud. Tobias snuggles deeper into her hold, the stress and emotions of the past day hitting him hard.

“C’n I stay here tonight?” He asks, voice fragile. “I’ll stay in the Seekers’ quarters tomorrow, but—“

“Of course you can,” Maggie murmurs, voice fond as she pulls him to her side to curl around him. She brushes her snout to his temple, her breath warm and soothing against him. “I love you, you silly little storm cloud.”

Tobias feels another surge of tears, and swallows them down. It almost feels like he’s back in his early days at the guild, curled up with Maggie. “Love you too.”

He drifts off to sleep, swept under a thick black blanket of unconsciousness. He only wakes up briefly, barely, when he hears Maggie whispering with someone. After a few moments, Tobias recognizes the voice. Nia.

Oh, she’s still waiting for him to come back. Tobias is warm and exhausted and content, but she’s waiting so he has to at least explain—

“What’s wrong?” Maggie asks, honey-soft. A vine strokes his head, stopping his struggle.

“Nia,” he manages. “She’s ‘lone.”

“She’s spending the night with Xander,” Maggie soothes. “She won’t be alone.”

Oh. Good. At least that overgrown ball of static is good for something. Tobias settles again, and he’s out in seconds.

That night he dreams of a familiar little charmander. Vivi.

For once, his sister is smiling.

#pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon #charmander #pmd fanfic #tesha writes #tesha draws #pmd seekers of soul

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