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“Suguruuu, I’m bored.” Satoru huffed as he splayed out on his back, paws stretched and flexed into the air. “Aren’t there any missions for us to do?”
“What’s this? Satoru actually wanting to do work? Who are you and what have you done with my partner?” Suguru hummed as he brushed through his tails. Satoru huffed as he flopped onto his stomach, glaring at him with puffed cheeks.
“Hey, I can be motivated to do missions!” he retorted. “How cruel, you think that little of me? I oughta tell Guildmaster to give me a new partner! Perhaps one with more fluffy tails to nap on!”
“Then I’ll ask him for an easier to placate Mythical.” Suguru grinned as his partner’s pout grew bigger. The fox rose to his feet and slapped a paw on top of Satoru’s head. “C’mon, how about we pay the town a visit? See what they have on sale.”
Satoru seemed to settle at this, rising to his feet and shaking his fur.
“Fine, but I expect the plumpest, juiciest Pecha Berry on the market to make up for you bullying me!”
“Yes, yes, whatever you say~”
“Oi, I’m serious!!”
—-
“Look, look! It’s them! It’s Team Infinity!!”
As soon as the pair of explorers stepped into the town square, they were immediately surrounded by the youth from the town’s school, circling around them with an energy that only the youngest of Pokemon could muster.
“Mr. Suguru, are you getting ready for a mission?”
“Mr. Suguru, I’ve heard you’ve taken down a Steelix with only a single punch, is that true? Can you teach me to do that?!”
“Mr. Suguru, how are your tails so fluffy?? Can I have fluffy tails too when I grow up and become an awesome explorer like you?”
Satoru pouted at the small Pokemon crowding around his friend, tail tapping the ground slightly. The fox-like Pokemon noticed, grinning slightly.
“What’s wrong, Satoru?” he teased. “Jealous you’re not the center of attention?”
“What?” the cat-like Pokemon's mane fluffed slightly. “Why would I be jealous? Great Explorer Satoru’s way cooler anyways, I’m just allowing you to get all the spotlight so the little guys don't forget you exist.”
One of the smaller Pokemon– a little Pichu giggled from behind her paws.
“Mr. Suguru, I think Mr. Satoru’s jealous that you’re the cooler one.”
“HAAA?” Satoru’s shades slide down his muzzle in pure disbelief, the Pichu squealing and hiding in Suguru’s tails from his ire. The other young Pokemon squeaked as well, ready to make a run for it before the fox-like Pokemon spoke up.
“Easy, Satoru,” Suguru purred. “They’re just children. We can’t have the strongest get riled up over the taunts of a little one, can we?”
Satoru paused at the tone of his partner’s voice and settled, sitting and turning his nose up in an almost dramatic manner.
“You’re lucky you’re my partner, but I demand compensation for this later!” he huffed. “I’m gonna need three– no, six Pecha Berries for the emotional damage you let befall me!”
The young Pokemon watched Satoru closely as Suguru chuckled.
“Of course. Honestly, I can’t tell who’s a bigger child sometimes, you or the actual students here.”
“Umm… Mr. Suguru?” another Pokemon, a Shinx, pawed at his side carefully. “Is Mr. Satoru always like this?”
“Yeah, I always used to think he was this really scary, ‘don’t mess with me’ Pokemon! But he’s kind of a baby.”
“Ouch, I’m right here-” the cat-like Pokemon pouted.
“No, yeah, he can be very fussy; did you know we’re only out because he was bored?” Suguru giggled behind his paw.
“Ugh, not you too! Am I gonna have to put up a poster looking for a new partner? Guildmaster, oh Guildmaster! I’m being bullied by my own rescue partner!” he wailed dramatically. “How could such treatment befall such a wonderful Pokemon such as I? I really am gonna have to ask for a replacement!”
The Pokemon giggled loudly at the Mythical’s dramatics, the tension leaving their bodies almost instantly. As their laughter settled down, the Espurr spoke up curiously.
“Um, Mr. Suguru, Mr. Satoru? How did you two become partners anyway?”
“Oh, I wanna know too!!” Petilil chimed, hopping up and down. Sure enough the chatters of the little ones crowded them before Suguru hushed them.
“Alright, alright. Let’s get out of the middle of the plaza first, then we can tell you.” he nodded with a smile, Satoru grinning at the loud cheers of the kids.
—
“As it turned out, we got along as well as oil and water at first.”
The rescue team had sat the children at their school’s courtyard, a spread of berries and baked sweets surrounding them in a sort of mini picnic. Satoru was munching on a sweet tart, glasses tucked under his tummy.
“Yeah. You should’ve seen him on our first few missions. Suguru would always huff and puff about what being an explorer was about.” he rose into a sitting position, mane puffed. “‘Satoru, as explorers, we need to provide aid to those weaker than us and those in need.’ ‘Satoru, you can’t just do whatever you want in these dungeons, they’re dangerous and unpredictable and you can get hurt!’ ‘Satoru, you can’t just Psychic the Pokemon we encounter like a bunch of Pokedolls, you’ll scare them!’ Like sheesh, what a wet blanket.”
Suguru rolled his eyes at his partners’ mockery and shoved him back onto his stomach.
“Like I said, insufferable. But one day, there was a mission we took. A simple one, but one that changed things. It was to retrieve a special pair of items from the depths of the Star Valley Dungeon. It was an unpredictable Mystery Dungeon, and it had us separated for a long while.” the foxlike Pokemon crossed his arms.
“Jeez, I remember.” Satoru munched on a Pecha Berry. “At first, I thought it was bliss; didn’t have to deal with Mr. So-Many-Sticks-In-His-Tails-He’d-Rival-A-Braixen for a while. But something happened that usually didn’t; my wings started trembling.”
“Your wings?” A young Ralts poked at the ones on Satoru’s tail, the cat-like Pokemon gently pushing the Ralts over with feather-like precision, grinning at her giggles and pats at his tail.
“Yep. Like you, little girlie, I can sense things with my psychic power; in my case, I can sense changes in the world around me to an atomic level! Psst, that’s super duper tiny, y’know.” he stage whispered to the smiling Espurr who nodded in agreement.
“It turned out that it was because the dungeon was… Was cursed.” Suguru sighed. “The deeper I ventured in the more distorted it got. It was like the darkest thoughts and feelings of all the Pokemon there were crawling into my chest and it was getting harder and harder to breathe… But I kept pressing. For the mission, and to regroup with my partner.”
A pair of twins- a Plusle and Minun hugged each other fearfully.
“I’ve heard of cursed dungeons before!! They say that there’s monsters in there that eat you! Or worse…”
“Turn you into one of them!! How did you escape?!”
“Hahah… Honestly, I almost didn’t.” Suguru huffed a laugh. “I did in fact encounter one such cursed Pokemon. Or at least, I thought I did.”
The fox-like Pokemon looked up, lost in his thoughts…
A large, Ursaring-like Pokemon loomed over him, inky and corrosive. It bared its teeth, and Suguru shuddered. The malice in that ‘Pokemon’s’ aura made the small mane on the back of his neck stand on end. His ears perked forward before getting into a fighting stance, taking a deep breath as he felt a warm red aura wash over him, reinforcing his muscles.
As the Cursed creature lunged, Suguru met it halfway.
“It was big. Burly. It was fast, and hit like a truck. I did my best to hold my ground until I could find a means to get away, but before I knew it–”
WHAM.
Suguru coughed as the dust settled, looking to see a faint pink glow cutting through.
“Ugh, you idiot.” The cat-like Pokemon sighed as he dusted his mane off. “Leave you alone for a second and you’re already fighting for your life.”
Satoru padded along past the fainted Cursed Pokemon, ears flicking back as he heard his teammate call out to him.
.
“S…Satoru…? Is that– How did you find me–”
“Uh, I’m Psychic? Duh? I’d recognize your dumb aura anywhere.” Satoru huffed. “I really don’t feel like dealing with the Guildmaster if you wind up dead, so let’s not get separated again, mmkay?”
Suguru’s snout scrunched in annoyance before his ears pricked slightly. Now that he was there and the Cursed Pokemon was out cold, he could sense Satoru’s spirit.
It was trembling.
“..Satoru.” he called out, voice softer. The cat-like Pokemon paused almost instantly, almost a bit too long before it was covered by a loud groan.
“What?”
“..Thank you for… not leaving me. I was worried about not seeing you again.”
There was an awkward silence before Satoru hung his head, sighing deeply.
“Like I said-” he huffed. “It’d be annoying if you died. We’re supposed to be a rescue team or something, right?”
The fox-like Pokemon couldn’t help but smile at this, padding up to walk alongside him. If he saw Satoru’s cheeks flush at the others' words, he made no further comment on it.
“Yeah, we are.”
A small chorus of ‘awws’ rang out, Satoru rubbing behind his ears with a paw awkwardly.
“So Mr. Satoru’s actually a big softy!” Pichu giggled.
“Big softy, big softy~” the kids chanted. “Big Softy Satoruuuu~”
“Alright, alright! Don’t forget I’m still a top ranked explorer!” he huffed. “Suguru, you didn’t even tell them the best part yet, you idiot!”
“Best part?” Suguru blinked in surprise. “I thought after that we found the items and left?”
Satoru paused, frowning.
“You mean you don’t remember…?”
“I’m afraid not…?”
Satoru’s demeanor seemed to deflate for just a moment, long enough for Suguru to notice.
“Satoru–”
“Well, in that case, lemme fill ‘em in!” The catlike Pokemon seemed to bounce back slightly, a paw to his scarf.
“Ta-daaaah~ the items we so painstakingly had to recover! The Harmony Scarves!”
The children gathered closer with a loud ‘ooooooh’, looking between the duo’s accessories.
“Oh, wow!!”
“I thought they were a set you bought at Auntie Kangaskhan’s shop!”
“So are they special scarves?!”
“Yep!” Satoru grinned. “And they only answer to the strongest!”
Suguru blinked in surprise at this, his partner continuing his tale.
“When we finally found what we were looking for, they started glowing as we got closer. It was like ‘Ohhhh, put us on, ooooooo you wanna put us on so badly’~” he wiggled his paws at the small crowd, the kids giggling at his antics. “But when we did, it turned out to be a trap! Yes, yes, even Great Explorer Satoru falls for the most obvious of traps.”
“Ugh, so annoying!” Satoru huffed, sparks of light dancing along his fur as he charged into a Cursed Pokemon, a Dazzling Gleam launching it into another nearby.
“You made your bed, now you gotta lie in it.” Suguru retorted as he ducked, turning to land a Force Palm clean into his opponent’s stomach. “Let’s hurry and deal with these Cursed Pokemon so we can leave.”
“Way ahead of you!” Satoru growled, the wings on his back shining a faint color as he began to charge a Moonblast. As he fired, he backed up against the pedestal, hopping on top of it with Suguru. He clicked his teeth in annoyance, the stream of Cursed Pokemon seemingly endless.
The fox-like Pokemon bristled at this, looking around for an escape. They were strong, sure, but strength meant nothing if they got overwhelmed by these things.
Suguru gripped at the fur on his chest, brows furrowed deeply.
“Suguru,” Satoru called, nudging him slightly. “It’s ok. We’re the strongest, remember? As long as we have each others’ backs, we’re invincible.”
The fox-like Pokemon froze, eyes widened slightly.
“...Right.” Suguru breathed, his body relaxing as a new surge of energy coursed through him.
“Right…!”
—
“The scarf began to glow, and so did he.” Satoru’s voice grew quiet. “It was only for a moment, but it happened; something about that scarf made him evolve. The Cursed Pokemon were wiped out and we were able to get out and return safe and sound. Buuuut I guess it was a fluke, since he devolved like, right after.”
“Huh? How would I not remember something like that?” Suguru balked. Satoru only grinned and shrugged half heartedly.
“I dunno? You did look stressed for a moment there. Maybe you blocked it from your memory?”
“Satoru…”
“Mr. Satoru!” Espurr raised his paw. “Do you remember what it looked like when he evolved?”
“..I do.” he smiled. “Honestly? It was beautiful. Like watching a rainbow form from the deepest depths of the dark. A glimmer of hope breaking out of the pit of curses. If that ever happened again, I’d probably count myself the luckiest Pokemon alive.”
The children cooed in wonder. Suguru felt a strange lump in his chest and opened his mouth to speak before being cut off by the sound of the school’s bell ringing overhead.
“Oops! Sorry kiddos, storytime over!” Satoru rose to his feet, stretching with a huge yawn. Suguru’s face scrunched slightly as he sighed, getting up as well.
“Right,” he nodded. “You all hurry along now, else your teacher’s gonna explode.”
The small Pokemon giggled as they scurried along, waving their goodbyes.
As the pair walked, Suguru spoke up.
“Satoru?”
“Hmm?”
He remembers seeing a stone in his partner’s hands, black and inky, swirling like the cursed aura suffocating him.
“...Is that true? Did I really evolve? Even if it was just for a moment…?”
He remembered staring back at a sea of darkness, snarling in contempt at the Pokemon below him.
“Yeah, you did.”
Suguru crossed his arms, brows furrowed.
“Why can’t I remember that, then….? I feel like something like that would be worth remembering.”
Satoru remembers.
Through labored breath.
Through wet claws.
Through metallic stained teeth.
He remembers it all.
“Like I said, suppressed memory? I dunno, you already have so much going on inside that head of yours,” he teased, batting at Suguru playfully, who only shoved him back in response. “Don’t worry about it too much! As long as we stick together, who knows? Maybe it’ll happen again! Permanently this time!”
Suguru rolled his eyes, a small smile playing on his face.
“I suppose.” he hummed as he looked up at the sky. “Ah, it's getting late. Let’s head back to base, I’m in the mood for some noodles…”
Satoru padded next to his partner, staring at him in the corner of his vision.
Of course he doesn’t remember, Satoru thought to himself.
He didn’t remember because it never happened. Not this time around, anyways.
The cool feel of stone against the fur hidden by his mane and scarf kept him focused on his mission.
He was given one shot to fix this. One shot to keep his partner from meeting an untimely end.
Satoru was going to make sure Suguru never fell into despair again. He’d be right there with him, doing anything he could to make sure he stayed on the path he so painstakingly carved for himself.
Satoru would make sure Suguru got his payoff, even if it’d kill him.