Chapter Text
It was the first of a hundred days of rain, yet the sun still peeked out through the ripples of the clouds. As the nomadic Ludicolo tribe drifted north to the Rainbow Wetlands for the summer, the showers followed. The tribe danced along the cliffs and hilltops in shifts: In the daytime, the younger sets tangoed ecstatically, perfecting their dances; under the moonlight, the elder folks performed their century old waltzes, all without letting a single dry moment pass. The rains brought the wetlands to life. Shy spring bulbs bloomed in full. Tiny arms of newborns broke through the shells of their eggs and finally felt the storms wash over them. For the Ludicolo tribe, the summer was the start of their year and a new era of life.
When Rey felt the first light drop plink off his head, he knew he had arrived at the wetlands. He had only gone a half day's walk from Fiana Outpost, yet the climate had already turned wet—for Rey, a welcome reprieve. Warm rain already pooled at his feet as he plodded across the soaked grass. He sighed, finally feeling the dust and soot that had clung to his legs from the journey wash away. The stench of smoke was replaced by the aroma of rain across mossy rocks and blooming wildflowers. The same heat as before, but it was humid now, every breath thick and full. Still, the Marshtomp felt an odd kinship to the area, as if finally feeling alive in his new body.
The grey-dusted trees of Fiana soon gave way to a valley marked on both sides by those lush green hills of the Ludicolo tribe. The rain came, showering the wetlands and plains, then trickled down the valley to feed the wilderness beyond. That was why the tribe danced: partly to bring the much needed rain to the valley and wetlands and marshes, but also to provide a little more nutrients to the growing wilderness at the foot of their dance hall. The tribe never felt the need to cross the threshold of those sprawling flora and trees standing as tall as the hills themselves, content with just watching that land beyond grow little by little every summer before returning to the southern sea for their own life cycles.
Rey pressed on through the wetlands, searching for the location Aivel told him about. He remembered the Lurantis speak of it as she chewed on a fresh piece of ice. “You can already feel how hot it’s getting here. It’s hot even for me. I just don’t think it’d be healthy for you to stay here over the summer.”
Rey remembered how heated he had gotten in response. How he slammed his hands on the table, sweat drenched and skin dried. “But Aivel! You’re the only person I know here! I mean, the only Pokémon. And didn’t you say I was good in your shop? I’ll sleep in the ice closet if that’s what it takes!”
“You’re not staying in the closet, boy,” sighed Aivel. “Look, I warned you that this would be temporary through the spring. You’re just gonna have to go south for a bit, at least until the end of summer. You can’t survive here when it gets as hot as it will. Besides, you were the one saying you wanted to see more of the world. This will give you a chance to see what’s around the outpost.”
“But working in a shop like this is what I’m used to! I’ve never really, y’know...” Rey’s gaze fell to the floor, the fire in his belly deflating as reality set in. “Sleeping outside. Eating whatever I can find. I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t want to.”
But Aivel just waved the ends of one of her scythes at Rey and chuckled. “Oh look at you! So positively melancholy, little Rey. Well don’t you fret. I’ve got it all worked out.”
Rey skipped from one stone to another, careful to not slip on the mossy face as he traversed the first of many muddy ponds across the wetlands. He kept his arms out to his sides, keeping himself as balanced as possible.
“What do you mean, Aivel?”
“I mean I’ve got someone in mind who you can stay with. I don’t know much about him, but his mother and I go way back. You let him know you need a place for the summer and I’m sure he’d oblige. Tell him I sent you.”
The Marshtomp pushed through more overgrown brush and wide leaves. His entire body was soaked, yet the rain rejuvenated him. Mud came and was lost with every step as the wetlands floor pooled with more wonderful rain. Heat and humidity bounced across the tree trunks and boulders, and as Rey pushed through the final margin of swampy thickets to the sight of a mighty dark hollow tree braided in vines and ancient moss, he smiled.
“Okay, so who is he?”
“A traveler about your age. He stopped by here a few days ago for supplies. He’ll be staying at his family’s hollow for the summer, and it’s square in the middle of the wetlands. You keep following the path straight south from the Outpost and you’re sure to find it. It’s a big ol’ fat tree covered in moss. Can’t miss it.”
As Rey approached the tree, he noticed the moat of mud that surrounded the bit of land that housed the hollow. Definitely not small enough to jump. How far could he even get that body of his to leap? No, it was just mud, afterall. He could wade through it, despite the bubbles that cropped up here and there along the otherwise calm surface. He was a Marshtomp right? “Marsh” in the name? He must have had some innate liking for mud, he reasoned, yet as he dipped his foot into the brown glop, he couldn't help but squirm. Like his feet were almost touching solid ground, then they went further, sinking into the licking earth. Never a solid step, yet he could keep his head above the murk. Rey splashed and floated above the muck, nearly able to slap his paw against the lip of the land and hoist himself up, but as he neared the end of the moat, he felt something coil around his ankle.
The Marshtomp was yanked beneath the surface. Panic set in for a moment for Rey, but he remembered what Aivel had said.
“Even the smallest bit of fight will scare off a feral, you hear me? You see yourself tooth and nail against a troublemaker, just blast a bit of water. They’ll take the hint and scram.”
So Rey controlled his panic, collecting himself as he sank, then unleashed a burst of water at the thing pulling him down. He always had water to spare, and even if he missed his assailant, the pond couldn’t be too deep, so he just needed to jettison himself out. And as his flurry of water fired, he felt the stream strike something solid, propelling him out of the grasp of whatever grabbed him and out of the mud. Through a trail of the wet dirt, the Marshtomp flew above the edge of the moat and landed beside the entrance of the hollow, breathing easy for a moment until he saw a figure rise out of the mud.
The Marshtomp backed away. Both his and the figure’s coat of mud were soon washed away in the rain. The mud slipped off the smooth skin of the creature, leaving only a lavender slug-like silhouette. First the antenna, then the rest of the thing slithering out into the rain, but Rey remembered what Aivel had told him. He let out a relieved chuckle.
“Hey, hey, wait a sec! Are you Xiwi?”
The Sliggoo paused at the edge of the bank and cocked his head, the horns on the top of his head turning in all directions. “You can talk? I thought you were just some trespassing feral. Oh no, don’t tell me my clan sent you. They did, didn't they! Well,” Xiwi said, approaching Rey rather closely, “what is it they want?”
Rey gulped. “Clan? Actually, Aivel sent me.”
“Oh. Of course. I see,” said Xiwi. As the Sliggoo was about to stride past Rey, he paused, turning his neck back. “Wait, yes, I finally recall that voice! The sound you’re making. It’s the same as the Marshtomp that was helping Aivel in her shop. Yes, you two must be the same. Well, you can tell Aivel I’m fine on supplies. Apologies for having kept you overlong.”
The Marshtomp sat in silence for a moment, but he had to speak up. Before Xiwi could retreat into the hollow, Rey called back to him. “Hey wait! That’s not why I came to find you!”
“Oh?” Xiwi asked, turning around and approaching Rey. “Well, if you came just to find me, I assume it must be important. So, what is it?”
There that Sliggoo was again. That Xiwi. His green eyes empty and unblinking. So close to Rey again. Rey couldn't help but scoot away and clear his throat. “Uh, can you back off a bit?” Rey asked.
Xiwi seemingly straightened himself out more than backed off. “Oh! Sorry. I didn’t realize I was so close,” he said. “Is this okay?”
“F-fine,” Rey said as he stood up. “Look, I came to find you because Aivel told me too, alright? She told me Fiana Outpost would be too hot over the summer and that I should come here. In fact, she told me you would be nice enough to give me a place to stay if I asked, but so far all you tried to do is drown me!”
Xiwi cocked his head at Rey. “Can’t you breathe underwater?”
“You know what I mean!” Rey huffed as he crossed his arms.
“Now now, I only did what I did because I have to protect my clan’s hollow. If you would have only made yourself known beforehand, we could have avoided all that,” said Xiwi. “Fortunately, you shot that water attack when you did. I was just about to begin dissolving your flesh.”
Xiwi chuckled at that. Rey did not, instead shuddering at how close he apparently was to losing his foot.
Xiwi’s horns twitched. “Oh, I don’t think you found that very funny.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” Rey said under his breath.
“Well, it seems I am unknowingly making quite the fool of myself. Though I am new to my guardianship duties as well as my new form, it would be disgraceful to my clan to continue carrying on like this. So please, if you would, accept my sincerest apology.” Xiwi clasped his front limbs together as his horns twitched, eager for Rey’s response.
The Marshtomp blinked. “Yeah, mate, you’re fine. No hard feelings.”
Xiwi smiled. “Wonderful! Now, you said you needed a place to stay? Well, I would be remiss to turn you away now. What’s your name, friend?”
“It’s Rey.”
“Ooh, a very unique name! Follow me inside, Rey. I was just about to prepare supper. Eating with someone else will be a nice change.”
Rey followed the Sliggoo through the leaves and vines draped over the entrance of the hollow. Past the thick barriers of covered foliage revealed a small chamber within. Wild grass sprouted up in patches across the muddy floor, all of it softly illuminated by the evening sunlight filtering in overhead through cracks in the hollow.
“So how long have you been living out here?” Rey asked.
“This will be my third day, but I plan to be here all summer,” said Xiwi.
“Do you plan to keep it this dark?”
“Is it dark in here? Sorry, I hadn't noticed.”
Xiwi slithered over to a chest on the far wall and began to fumble with its lock. Rey took his time as he crossed the floor, staring up towards the dark canopy overhead, wondering just how tall the tree was. Or how old it was. Still, he could tell the living arrangements were primitive; a stark and sore contrast to the feather mattress Aivel had spared him on her shop’s second floor. Some of the patches of tall swamp grass had been patted down and crushed over time into impromptu nests. Slabs of rotten wood laid in piles along the walls. Bits of crushed egg shells sat on the surface of the muddy floor. All the Marshtomp could smell was the rain.
The Sliggoo finally undid the lock on a nearby chest and flung the top open. “There we go. How are you about Orans, Rey? I don’t like them much, myself, but they grow like grass in some parts around here with all the rain, so it’s all I’ve managed to stock up on so far.”
Rey came up beside Xiwi. He peeked into the box, seeing the inside of the chest filled with grey and blue berries blotched with white fuzz. The mold even crept along the walls of the chest and festered in the wood while chunks of grass and mud lined the bottom. As Xiwi reached into the chest and began feeling around, Rey stopped him.
“Are you seriously going to eat from that?” He asked. “It looks more like a compost bin.”
“What do you mean? They taste normal to me.” Xiwi happily tossed a rotten berry into his mouth and ate it, much to Rey’s revulsion. “A little sour, but not bad.”
“They’re not supposed to be sour,” said Rey. “You don’t see the mold on it?”
“No? I can’t see anything. I’m blind.”
Rey let out a nervous laugh, assuming it to be another weirdly positioned joke from Xiwi, but the Sliggoo was silent.
“Oh, I…” Rey cut himself off before he could finish. He wanted to say he should have guessed by how Xiwi had acted, but he didn’t want to put his foot in his mouth any further.
Xiwi sighed. “Hey, you didn’t know. Don’t worry about it. This is a normal part of my clan’s lifecycle. We grow up limbless as Goomy, then lose our sight when we become Sliggoo. It’s the trial we must endure, but when I finish my training here, it will all be worth it.”
Rey though for a moment, then it clicked. “Oh. I guess that explains why you’re out in a place like this: you’re trying to evolve.”
“Yes, actually. I’m surprised you know that. Most I’ve spoken to on my journey here aren’t aware of the hollow’s significance to my clan. How did you know?”
“I’ve heard of Sliggoos trying to evolve before. And hey! If you’re trying to evolve, I can help you out with that, if you like. It’s the least I can do for you letting me stay here. Not like I had much planned anyway.”
“Really? You’d help me evolve? That would be splendid! To be honest, I was worried about what I’d be doing by myself.”
“Then why come alone in the first place?” Rey asked as he plucked what few ripe berries remained in the chest and piled them in his hand.
“Well, normally there would be a handful of our clan’s Sliggoo that would journey here together for the summer. It just so happened that I ended up being the only one eligible this year.”
“Dang. That‘s rough,” said Rey. “Well, it’s clear you can’t keep going on like this. Hardly a bit of food in here that hasn’t gone bad. I don’t know how good your training will be by eating rotten berries in the dark all alone.”
“I guess I’m fortunate that you came looking for me, then. Were you able to find some berries you could eat?”
“I found a couple that were still good. Here, hold out your hand.”
Rey put a few of the dark blue berries into Xiwi’s grasp. Xiwi ate them, his eyes lighting up as he chewed them. “They’re so sweet!”
“I know, right? If Aivel taught me one thing, it’s that Oran berries have a super short shelf life. Still, they’re really good if you can get them ripe. Have you really not tasted a good one before?”
“I guess not. The fruit that grows in the Misty Groves doesn’t have much flavor. Definitely not like these Oran berries.”
“Oh, is that where you’re from?”
“Yup. My clan lives in the groves, though we sometimes visit the wetlands here and use the hollow for special rites of passage. Still a shame I was the only one to come here this year. You should have seen how shocked my parents were to see I was the only Sliggoo chosen.”
“Wait, so there was more of you that could have come?”
“Technically yes, but they have to be chosen, and the elders only chose me this year.”
“That doesn’t sound all that great.”
“Being chosen to ascend from adolescence into adulthood is a great thing no matter what! When I evolve, I’ll finally get my sight back, ooh and I’ll get so much taller!”
Rey finished his berries and closed the chest. “You really have to be given permission to evolve?”
“Of course. Is that not a custom in your clan?” Xiwi asked.
“I don’t have a clan.”
“What about your family?”
A cold sweat ran down Rey’s neck. “I don’t want to talk about my family. Look, your supplies are all rotten. We still have a couple hours of daylight. We should go back to Fiana and get some more berries from Aivel. We can get some planters too and maybe a couple lanterns for-“
“Hold on, Rey. I can’t leave the wetlands.”
“Why not?”
“If I leave, I’ll never be able to evolve! I’ll remain as a Sliggoo for my entire life.”
“Even leaving for just a couple hours?”
“Even leaving for a second! The elders warned me of this constantly.”
Rey could feel a vein begin to throb in his forehead. “Great. I’d go by myself, but carrying those kinds of valuable supplies at night would just make me a target. Didn’t you buy anything from Aivel’s store that isn’t perishable?”
“Oh, yes! I bought some Petrify Orbs.”
Rey put a hand to his chin. “Not really helpful for the whole food situation. Looks like we’re gonna have to go out and harvest some more ourselves. We can bring the orbs too in case we get jumped.”
“About the orbs…I don’t really have them with me.”
“Then where are they?”
“Well, when you were approaching the hollow, I thought you were going to attack me, so I grabbed my orb bag, but then it slipped and all the orbs fell into the mud. I dove in to try and get them, but then you got closer and I started to panic so I just grabbed you and then you shot me with water and I completely lost track of the orbs and-“
“So they’re at the bottom of that mud puddle?”
Xiwi nodded.
Rey sighed. “Can’t be helped now. Let’s get going to where you found the Oran berries before it gets too dark.”
Xiwi stopped him. “Wait, you’re not mad?”
“No? Why would I be?” Rey shrugged. “They’re your orbs. If you wanna throw them in the mud, that’s up to you. Now come on. We’re burning daylight.”
It took him a moment to process it all, but Xiwi nodded and caught up with Rey.