“Now, that you’re safe.” He popped his knuckles, I heard the sound from yards away. I cringed. “What. Were you doing. Heading to the Post Office?” Each phrase was accented by another crack.

“Woah, woah, Boss. It’s not what you think. I had a plan.” I heard the panic, I got second hand fear.

“It had better be a good one.”

“Now listen, Peliper keeps some medicine on site for his far deliveries. I figured it could be enough to stabilize Tim and hunker down to wait for either the dust to settle or help to arrive after the light orb went out.” His words were rushed and he was back peddling.

“Ada here says you were lost.” He added.

“No! No! Frackin’ Kecleon told her we were lost. I could hear the ocean in that direction and felt the wind on my face. I was about to hit the beach! They didn’t shut up enough for me to explain my plan, and since Ada told us the light was lit again, and Olivia was here, we headed back!” There was a brief silence while Boss contemplated his words. I believed him. Axe, while gutsy and often thinks before he leaps, wasn’t an idiot when it mattered. Like when a guildmate was in danger and another needed to be escorted to safety. “Please, Boss! I’m not lying. I wasn’t going to let Tim, you, or even Frackin’ Kecleon down by getting lost in a Frackin’ dust cloud. I mean, I can be an idiot sometimes, but I’m a damn rescuer. I was going to save them!”

Boss stepped forward, I could only see his back as he towered over Axe. I had no idea what his face looked like. I was just hoping he took mercy on Axe, or that the punch was soft, or that any number of things.

“You did a good job, Axe. Adapting to changing circumstances, formulating a plan in a crisis, being quick to take action, handling an uncooperative victim, hallmark traits of a great rescuer. Truly a manly effort.” He praised.

“Thank you, sir!”

“And that goes for each and everyone of you rescuers.” He turned to face his crew. “Your abilities to take effective action, work together, play to your strengths, dedicate yourselves to helping your fellow members, and put your bodies on the line to save others have been nothing short of phenomenal tonight. It has truly been an incredibly MANLY PERFORMANCE from each and everyone of you!.” He beat his chest. “You have once again proven to myself and your fellow guild members what we have long since known. Our guild, which is made up by each and every one of you, is the strongest, no contest!”

“THE STRONGEST!!” We all shouted back at him, even me, even through the pain in my chest. The feeling of being all back together, of knowing that my friends and family were here by my side. That I wasn’t alone in this crisis, that none of us were alone in this crisis. It brought the vastest sense of pride and power to my being. To be a part of something, to be a rescuer.

“But we’re not out of these woods yet. The dust may be settling, but we have injured Pokemon, not many supplies, and a half destroyed town. And part of me is extremely curious who has the energy to help us rectify those issues?

Close to a dozen hands shot into the air, including some of the townfolk and city watch, but everyone, every one of us, in the guild raised their hands. Even me. My arm screamed, my shoulder hurt, my chest burned. But I wasn’t going to sit here any more. I could do something, anything to help.

“Well that’s a downright manly number of hands. Orlov, Ditz, Pat, Bella you four are in charge of food and supplies. Ada, Lux, work with the city watch, we need shelter for the night. Find out which buildings are still structurally sound. Axe, you and I are on standby to aid Olivia and individuals here. Now go make me proud!”

“Sir!” They all leapt into action, the food crew immediately huddled up to discuss what supplies we needed and where they were likely to find them. Lux and Ada met up with Sterling and were surveying a map of town, each one of them taking turns to point at it, and I? I sat there floored, where was my job, my role?

“Boss!” I called out to him as he started walking across the hill, he turned to me. His neutral scowl on his face. “What about me, what should I do?”

“I distinctly remember telling you to rest, kept doing that.” He responded before turning off to head towards the gathered townsfolk.

“But, Boss! I want to help!” I pleaded with him. He didn’t turn to me when he responded.

“While those vines are around your chest, you are Olivia’s patient. Only once she clears you for active work again will I assign you anything, until then sit there and rest up.” I gaped at him, he didn’t look at me any further and started up a conversation with Logan and a few others. I turned towards Olivia who was still treating Tim.

“Do not even ask, Ron.” she said flatly to me.

“But Ma’am, I-” she looked at me. Her expression was like a calm fury. Boss’ facial expressions were clear, he either scowled, laughed, or glowered. Olivia was a lot more nuanced, subtle, expressive. I shut my mouth, scared of what might happen if I fought her on it. I tsked in defeat and put my head back in the dirt. My snorts of frustration kicked up little clouds of soil.

“You alright, Ron?” I looked up at the asker. It was Axe, he stood nearby, hand on his hip, a pleasant smile on his face. I was surprised at how good he looked. I was envious, here I was in the dirt with a broken sternum and he stood there like it was just another day. I had to admit, for a rescuer, it kinda was. Another day, another rescue, another crisis. Not like we fought two legendaries just a couple of hours ago. ‘Damn him and his infinite energy!’

“Peachy..” I flatly responded. He snorted.

“No, honestly. Are you okay?” His eyes were sincere and genuine. I sighed.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I simply pushed myself past my limits and now I need to heal. Not like there isn’t anything kinda important to do as I sit here taking a nap.” I sarcastically responded.

“Well if it makes you feel better I wish I was taking a nap right now.” He said as he sat next to me. He groaned as he lowered his body, maybe he wasn’t as healthy as he looked. I watched Orlov and company head off down the hill. Sterling and his birds took flight. I noticed that the stars were visible now. I sighed out my frustrations.

“I’m… glad you're okay.” I said to him.

“What? You were worried about me?” he teased.

“Considering you charged headlong into the dust without a modicum of a plan and I had no idea where you went, yes! Could you not have waited twenty seconds to discuss it?” I told him, I wasn’t filtering my frustration at him anymore. I had pushed it off for too long when other worries were more present in my mind.

“What’s the big deal? You gave Pat a light orb, that was pretty damn clever by the way.” He said.

“The big deal? Do you really not get it? Then I’ll explain the big deal. You left me! You left me and I had no idea where you went. You ran headlong into the unknown, again, and left me. You could have gotten hurt, or trapped, or worse and I wouldn’t have been around to help you. Why did you do that!?” He furrowed his eyebrows at me.

“I went to rescue the people who need it! As I understand, you did the same Frackin’ thing. How am I the bad guy for doing my job as a rescuer?”

“Because you left me, dumbass! I knew we needed to go help them. I knew what we needed to do, but instead of discussing it with me and Pat, you charged off into the unknown!” I grunted in pain as my chest flared up again, I shook my head to refocus. “You call me your rescue partner, but ran off when we needed to go do rescuing. Don’t you see how hypocritical that is?! I didn’t know where anyone was besides you and Pat and you left us! I was, I was-” I closed my eyes tightly, my emotions getting the better of me. I didn’t want to be angry, I wanted to feel relief, joy, safe. Safe knowing Axe was back by my side. I slowly opened my eyes back up and looked at him. I expected him to be angry, mad, defensive over the fact that within moments of meeting up again I was shoving accusations down his throat. He didn’t look angry. He didn’t look mad. He looked focused, on me. He looked concerned, worried.

“You were what?” He asked. I gulped down my own anger and shook my head.

“I was scared. I was frightened. I wanted to know if everyone was safe: Boss, Olivia, Tim, Ada, everyone. And I know you felt the same, I knew we weren’t going to sit there while people needed us. I wanted to go after them just as much as you did. But we weren’t separated by the meteorite, we were separated because you ran ahead. You are my rescue partner, Axe!” I bore holes into his eyes, urging him to hold on to every word as I poured out my heart to him. I relaxed a little bit. “You’re a great rescuer, second only to Boss himself, a lot stronger than me. And even then I was still worried about you. But you were gone, I had to go alone, and that scared me.” I looked at my paws. The claws on my paws were chipped and weakened. Two on my left were completely snapped off. I didn’t know certainly whether that happened in Molten Mantle or tonight anymore. I sighed. “So… I’m glad you’re safe.” I looked to the side away from him. I was drained. Every part of me felt heavy, even my eyelids. I just wanted to sleep and wake up when this whole affair was over and done with.

I felt his hand on my shoulder. “You’re right. I did charge ahead. I do charge ahead a lot. I realize now that leaving you and Pat there like I did was a mistake, Ron. I’m sorry, I’m really Frackin’ sorry.” The words were true, I believed him. “However, I want you to know that. I do that so frequently because you’re my partner." I turned to him in surprise.

"Excuse me?" I said defiantly.

"Hey, I heard you out. Please hear me out." He requested. I took a moment before nodding at him.

"Before we met, I didn't have a partner. I didn't vibe with anyone the way we do. But when I found you and brought you into the guild, it was totally different. I'm not saying we were perfect immediately, but there was this.. feeling that we'd work out. And we did, do. When we go exploring and I charge ahead, I know you're right behind me covering my back, keeping me safe, and sometimes pulling me back from danger." He patted the armor plates on my back to accent his point. "You called me strong, and I am, no doubt, but I only can go all out when I know you're with me, protecting my flank. And don't you dare ask yourself short, I've seen you do some amazing Frackin' things." I felt uncomfortable from the praise, it felt strange to hear it from him. "So, I want you to know, I trust you have my back, Ron. Cause when I'm with you, I feel invincible."

Invincible, undefeatable, invulnerable. I was speechless, I couldn't look at him. The honesty was unexpected. I could feel his eyes on me trying to gauge my reaction. I didn't have one. 'He trusts me? But.. I'm just..' Just what? The thread pulled its way through my mind, I wanted to efface the praise. 'I'm not amazing…' I turned towards him. He was looking right at me. His black sclera framed his vibrant, veracious, blood orange eyes. I couldn't focus on anything else but those eyes, they pulled me in and I couldn't escape the maelstrom wrestling me deeper and deeper. Deeper into my own mind, deeper into the place I've been hiding, deeper into the cage I put unwanted thoughts. Things I've been suppressing for ages. The lies I've told, deceptions I've put on, masks I've worn. They were pulled to the turbulent surface of my consciousness and I felt ill. My stomach twisted, my abs crunched in on themselves. I pulled my gaze away from his, if I spent any longer in those eyes I felt I was going to drown in myself. I felt so detached as I responded to him.

"I.. Thank you." Is all I said. All I could say. It was just empty words

"Yeah.." 

"I apologize, I'm just simply too tired to talk right now.” A strange excuse since I was snapping at him before.

“No, I get it.” He traced a claw into the dirt. The air between us was tense, I felt like something else was being communicated, and it had completely gone over my head. I also didn’t have the mental faculties to dive into it right now. I busied myself with watching the going ons of everyone else. Other birds from the city watch were coming and going while meeting up with Ada and Lux who were marking the map with what is and isn’t hospitable, I imagine. The food team ran back up the hill, Orlov was carrying a pot that I recognized from the many nights of meals at the guild. It was stocked full of goodies, berries, spices, vegetables. Ditz must have cleared out our pantry to fill it up. He was about to cook for an entire town afterall. Pat was pulling over handfuls of Blast seeds from the pile everyone created earlier. Boss was comforting the townsfolk, I knew from personal experience that just his presence was enough to calm me down. He just radiated security, he could do anything. I hadn’t gone on many missions with him, but everytime I did it just proved how many leagues ahead of me he was. The difference in our levels was cultivated from years of experience as a rescuer, and years as a leader.

Olivia had finished monitoring Tim and was doing the rounds with the other injured individuals. She was currently looking over Mary the Mareep. She gave her paw a little peck while Mary’s mother, Phara, looked on. She was just another example of someone with the aura to dispel the unease in others. The matron of our guild. I don’t know the entire story but it was these two who journeyed many years together as rescue partners together and started Boomer’s Rescue Guild with one mission, to be the strongest. I sighed exasperatedly.

“What’s up?” Axe asked.

“I just wish I could help, but I’m too frightened to ask Olivia if I’m cleared to return to work.” He briefly laughed at my predicament.

“An injury not enough to keep you down, huh?”

“It’s feeling numerous times better since Olivia’s vines were wrapped around it. But I know she would just say, ‘That’s good, it means you should just rest longer.’” Axe laughed again.

“That’s exactly what she would say.”

“I guess I’ll just have to trust everyone.” I said as I recalled my conversation with Olivia earlier.

“Hmm?”

“Just something Olivia said to me earlier, ‘trust us, we’re your guild, we’ll do what needs to be done’, something like that.”

“Huh. Some wise words, you should rely on us more.” Axe responded.

“Whatever do you mean? I let you help me all the time.” I countered.

“Buddy, we go on rescues together, but it’s different when you always take every challenge so personally, every failure so harshly. I mean you’ve been getting better. Like, ever since we learned you’re the ‘chosen one’ you’ve been a lot better about asking us for help. But, you know, it’s okay, you can rely on us. We’re the strongest guild, afterall..” I clamped my teeth together. ‘Craven foolish liar’. I hid my feelings, I buried them down in the cage and ducked away before their elongated claws and hooks could pull me down.

“The strongest.” I responded.

“Yeah, just something to think about, you know, if you end up staying with us…” I reeled back, I had completely forgotten. He had offered that to me, just before the meteor impacted. It was contingent on there being no way for me home, though. But, I had a way home. And I was going to tell him.

“Axe, I-”

“Alright, friends, frenemies, friendlies, and Kecleon! Foods ready, come get your fill! My super secret soup of salivation and salvation is sure to perk you all right up!!” Ditz called from his pot. I turned to see him stirring the vat of fragrant broth with a spoon twice his size. Orlov and Pat were fanning the flame below it and sometimes tossing in some blast seeds, it smelled delicious, like manna. I wanted some, my stomach had the same idea. It growled out quite loud.

“Sorry, I should go help distribute food to you and everyone. Can it wait?” ‘No! No, it can’t!’ I wanted to shout at him. The lies had been building up for months now, I didn’t want to let it go a second longer. But Axe, he was a rescuer with infinite energy and deep found desire to help. Before I even answered he was up and sideways hopping towards the pot while looking at me. I wanted him to stay, to be with me, to listen to me spill my guts to him, to absolve me of the poison of my own making, the prison of my own actions, the role I had been masquerading. I wanted him to rescue me, but he needed to go help others. So I lied.

“Yeah, it can wait.” I said with a slight smile. He returned it, before jogging off towards the pot to help out Ditz, Orlov, and Pat as they were scooping spoonfuls of steaming soup into wooden bowls from our guild, Bella dusted each serving with a smattering of petals and spores. A crowd of Pokemon gathered the food eagerly awaiting their turn. I sighed aloud. I was alone again.

Everyone looked happy, or at least, hopeful. The townsfolk received their bowls from Ditz and looked so grateful. They thanked them. Axe ran bowls to and from the pot to the injured Pokemon in Olivia’s care. I saw that Corey was back on her feet, her wing in a splint of vines, Kanga was up and feeding Khan little spoons of soup. I was relieved to see that Tim had regained consciousness and was accepting a bowl from Axe with a slap on the arm in well-wishing. Lux and Ada were holding bowls for returning members of the city watch. Pat jumped up and down excitedly. Orlov, even with his stoic demeanor, looked pleased. Everyone looked hopeful and happy.

I met eyes with Boss. He was across the hilltop, opposite of me where I lied. His arms were crossed as he looked over the scene the same as I did. His normally perpetual scowl of neutral displeasure was missing. In its place was a serene sense of pride, of a leader watching his team fulfill their roles, their purpose, helping others. Our eyes met, he nodded at me. An acknowledgement that even though I’m injured that I’m still here. That I’m a member of his team, of his guild, a rescuer. I smiled and nodded back at him. I held his gaze, it.. didn’t hurt. He turned to look behind him off down the hill. I wonder what he saw. I didn’t have to wonder long.

“Teehee, what a fun looking shindig going on here. Can I join?” My joints locked up, my vision unfocused as my eyes shook, my spine went rigid.

I felt fear. The primal kind, the nebulous kind as terror and horror meet and birthed paralysis and panic. My heart exploded in my chest, my body laced with adrenaline telling me to move, fight, or flee. But I remained still, solid, weights far greater than my own body pressed on me, an incorporeal weight. I didn’t even know I stopped breathing. I felt death. I recalled each and every one that I was forced to experience. The nightmares that no amount of waking hours would destroy. ‘No….’

“Exactly who are you?” I heard, or I thought I heard, Boss ask. ‘No…’

“Hehee! I’m Celebi! I’m here to collect someone!”

‘No.’