GG - Chapter 2 - Assistance Given

Duelek wasn’t sure when he and Namida split up, just that they had and instead of following a Monferno alongside his own Azumarill with another Trainer at his heels, he found himself following Undine alone as the forest grew darker and more sinister in overall feeling.

He slowed himself to a light jog then a more hesitant, creeping pace, sweeping his gaze over the area, looking at the dark figure of the trees and other surrounding foliage, the odd appearance of the stagnant, almost viscous water flowing through the clearing. 

It was wrong in every way he could imagine.

Even Undine was less confident existing in the area, moving closer to his leg and looking around with worried eyes, ears pressing closer to her head and holding onto his pant leg with a nervous grip.

Duelek found himself coming to a halt, teeth digging into his bottom lip as he turned his head, trying to see if there was anything that could be a direct danger to himself or his Azumarill. 

This place didn’t look safe, didn’t look like somewhere that should have existed here. He wasn’t sure how long he wanted to stay there, if they even should at all.

He released a sharp breath through his nose, hearing nothing but an oppressive, overwhelming stillness, and took a single step back.

Undine squeaked behind him, loud and echoing in the silence, not having expected the movement and needing to scramble out of the way of his foot before he stepped on her. 

That seemed to set the whole clearing into motion, breaking the oppressive stillness with the sudden sounds of life; water rushing and splashing as it moved through the stream, the sound of wind moving through the leaves of the trees in hollow, eerie sounds that set the hair at the back of Duelek’s neck standing on end. And Pokemon, moving around in the foliage where Duelek couldn’t quite see them.

He didn’t like this. Didn’t like any of this at all. He really wished that he wasn’t there alone.

Undine reminds him of her presence there with another soft squeak, pressing herself against his leg and joining him in looking around fretfully, not yet seeing anything around them that would clearly indicate where the noises of movement were coming from nor if they would be friend or foe.

Not a very safe position to be in to be sure.

Duelek really had to stop getting himself into situations like this, it never did him any favours.

He swallowed heavily, edging towards the closest patch of rustling bush. If they were going to be in this kind of situation then he was going to get to the bottom of what exactly was going on as quickly as he could, the better to figure out what to do from there in his opinion.

It was as simple as looking; it couldn’t have been too large else it wouldn’t have been able to hide in the bush as it was, he sincerely doubted it would be anything that could actually do a lot of damage to himself or his Azumarill.

He hoped so at least.

He really didn’t want to get into any trouble out here where no one knew to look for him, that was nothing but a recipe for disaster. He’d really like to avoid it if he could.

Thankfully, thankfully it turned out to be nothing too awful, nothing that he didn’t think he could deal with. 

It was just a little Espurr, stumbling and unable to fully stand on it’s own two legs, obviously unwell and in need of assistance. Nothing to be worried about.

Well, worried in a ‘might pose a threat to him and his own Pokemon’ way, he was actually quite a bit worried over the fact the Espurr seemed very unwell and sickly. Was it due to whatever was making the clearing as odd as it was? Whatever had turned the water sickly and viscous?

He didn’t know, he couldn’t be sure.

He wasn’t no scientist with solution investigation in his veins, wasn’t made to question and find answers, he wasn’t smart enough to do anything in that way.

But he could help, just a little bit. 

Maybe. 

He could try at least.

“Come on,” he tried to get his voice soft, tried to mimic the low, calming tones he’d heard others use for those that were unwell and unhappy before, but he found himself sounding little more than rough and hoarse, his usual blunt tone of voice removed of bone-deep exhaustion but little else. Not exactly what he wanted but what he would have to deal with. “Let’s be having a look at ya, try ta find what’s being ailing ya.”

The Espurr doesn’t seem to appreciate his attempts in any sense of the word, or it’s a little too out of it to even register, let alone react to what’s going on around it. 

Duelek’s sure that it’s only his own reflexes that keep the little Pokémon from tipping over and falling into the ground face first. Which was about what he was expecting from them if he were to be honest. 

Undine, finally registering that the little Pokémon wasn’t going to be able to do much of anything to either herself or her Trainer moved to stand at Duelek’s elbow, keeping the majority of her body resting behind his and peering around him at the confused and barely coherent psychic type. 

“Don’t real be expecting ya ta know anything ‘bout looking after another being all kinds a affected by some illness all mysterious like?” The Azumarill shakes her head at him, ears waving with the motion, and he sighed heavily. “Yeah, wasn’t thinking so.”

That left him at a little bit of a loss of what he was supposed to do with the unwell Espurr exactly.

He really wished he hadn’t been alone for this, even his twin or their-

He blinked, pulled his phone out of his back pocket and tried to call Mihal, hoping that they weren’t too busy to be some kind of help to him. 

It rings in his ear for a few long, extended minutes and he’s about to call the whole calling for help thing a failure when Mihal picks up, quiet voice calm and content in his ears. “Hey bro, whatcha calling for?”

“I gots a passed out Espurr in the woods and I ain’t being ta know what ta do with that.”

He hears Mihal’s double take through the underlying static of the call. “Ah… I see.”

“Figured ya the smart one, might be knowing what I’m supposed ta be doing?” They usually did, and if they didn’t they knew good places to start, which was a lot better than Duelek right now. 

“Where are you exactly?”

“Spooky as all hell place in the woods.”

“... What in Arceus’ name ya doing there?”

“Undine was leading me, had a buddy for a bit but they went elsewhere.”

“That isn’t really answering the-“ Mihal pauses and Duelek hears their sigh in a rush of static in his ears. “All right. Let’s be starting from the top; what’s wrong with the little thing?”

Duelek huffed a breath back over the phone at his twin, seating himself on the ground and crossing his legs instead of staying in an uncomfortable crouch, laying the unwell Espurr is his lap as he did. 

“They was wandering all confused like, ya know?” There was little way for Mihal to know as they weren’t actually there to have been able to see what he was talking about. “Didn’t real seem ta being knowin’ where they were or that I was here, then it just kinda crashed in on itself all sad like, yeah?”

“Did they get hurt from falling?”

“Why ya immediately thinking I just went and let them fall without stopping them?” Duelek scoffed, equal parts offended and bristling. “Think at least a little bit better a me, please.”

“Sorry,” they didn’t sound it at all. “They don’t sound like they’re poisoned though so ya don’t real gotta worry ‘bout that none.” 

Small mercies.

“Sounds like ya just need ta give them a bit of medicine s’all; Potion, mayhaps a Topsy-Turvy Herbal Remedy iffin ya got one. Should do the trick.”

“Alright, think I got some a those,” he usually did, side effect of needing to look out for himself was being prepared for whatever situation life decided to throw at him. “Thank ya.”

“S’good,” Mihal hummed a content sound and Duelek could swear he heard someone else in the background of the call. “Sorry but I gotta be getting back to work bro, iffin ya need anything else be sure ta text me, yeah?”

“Alright, talk ta ya later.”

He hung up, letting his twin get back to whatever work was demanding their attention at the library, and turned his focus back onto the passed out Espurr. He turned to Undine at his knee, the Azumarill looking back up at him.

“Mihal’s being thinking that they just need a bit a healing,” he told the round blue rabbit. “They should be alright after we give ‘em a bit a help.”

Hopefully. If they didn’t then there might be a bit of a problem but he really didn’t want to think about the possibility of that too much. Better to think of the best possible result that could occur.

Thankfully it turned out to be simple enough.

A Potion sprayed over the kitten Pokemon’s skin had it waking up, opening bleary eyes to stare around itself in confusion. It was easy enough to convince the Espurr to take a sip of the herbal tea he had tucked away in his bag, and then it was bouncing back to awareness, staring around itself with large, unblinking eyes.

The Espurr stared up at him for a long moment, raised a paw in some kind of gesture, and then disappeared from Duelek’s hold.

He wasn’t sure what else he’d been expecting.

He looked to Undine, his Azumarill blinked back at him.

“Seems like they’re alright now.”