In chapter 3, when I wrote about Jamie swimming underwater, I didn't bother to look up how axolotls (the animal Mudkip is based on) breathe. Apparently they breath through their skin. The chapter has now been updated.




Chapter 12
Friction


Our walk through the Azure Woods is mostly uneventful; we pass by some bushes bearing plum-like fruits, and as usual, blue mushrooms are a common sight, but there don't seem to be many wild pokemon around. Maybe Krokorok has been taking them out? I think about this as I walk, until eventually, we come across a large pit blocking the path forward.

It's wide enough to cover the whole path, and going off the path isn't practical; the trees and bushes are so dense that walking through it is near impossible. The pit is also very long; probably about 10 meters. Jumping over it is completely out of the question. The good news is, the pit isn't all that deep!

The bad news is, the bottom of the pit is completely covered by blue, glowing mushrooms.

"Hey, those are the springy mushrooms!" says Snivy, and I remember how Snivy was sent flying uncontrollably through the air. Snivy starts walking towards the pit, and I run to intercept them, standing between Snivy and the pit.

"Do NOT jump in there!"

"Hey, I never said I was gonna jump in!"

"Okay, fair enough. Are you going to jump in there?"

"...Yes."

"No! Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"Yeah, it was fun! Most pokemon like having fun, you know. Besides, how else are we gonna get through here? Going back and finding another path would take way too long."

"Oh, come on, Snivy! You're being so immatu-"

Suddenly, Snivy shoves me backward, and I fall into the pit.

I land on my back against a mushroom, and I'm bounced back into the air. I fall back down and bounce on another, helplessly flailing to try and land on my feet. While I'm being tossed up and down, I notice Snivy also bouncing around, although they seem to be having an easier time. A few times, I almost land on my feel, but I fail to land properly and still can't get control.

Eventually, I'm thrown back onto solid ground. I land poorly, but I'm more dizzy than hurt. I get up and shake myself awake. I turn back toward the pit just in time to see Snivy landing on the other side.

"What was that for!?" I shout to them.

They turn to me, smirking. "Hey Mudkip, hurry up and jump over here! It's easy!"

I walk up to the edge of the pit. Snivy's on the other side already, so I guess I have to, but...

"What are you waiting for?!" Snivy shouts surprisingly loudly. I look up to see them glaring at me. "And you said I was immature, Mudkip! You think you're a grown-up, but you're just a scared baby!"

What is their problem!? That's it, I'm gonna get across this pit just to show them up! I look down and spot a nice, big mushroom with no tilt, perfect for jumping on.

I take a few steps back, and make a running start before jumping into the pit. I land on the mushroom perfectly, and it launches me into the air! I look down to see the mushroom I'm about to land on, and unfortunately, it's tilted to the right. I land on it pretty well, but I lose control when it bounces me to the right.

I end up landing on my side on the next mushroom, but I manage to right myself in the air after it launches me. I look down to see the next one. It's tilted left, but I'm starting to get the hang of this. I land well, and as it bounces me, I turn left to keep control.

I bounce from mushroom to mushroom, and it's actually pretty satisfying to be jumping around on them when I'm not tumbling through the air with all the grace of a paper bag. It's like a trampoline, but even more fun, with all the tilts on the mushrooms that I have to react to and adjust for! Gradually, I make my way forward across the pit and land safely on the other side.

"Look at you, Mudkip," Snivy says, and I turn to seem them smirking at me. "You called me immature, but you were having just as much fun as I was, bouncing around down there."

Oh. I was smiling that whole time, wasn't I? "Oh... I guess we're both pretty immature, huh?" I say with a sheepish smile.

"That's right!" Snivy says, smiling triumphantly. "Now lets take a break. I'm hungry, and we'll need to be in good condition when we find Krokorok."

We lay out our picnic blanket by a nearby bush, and we pick some of its fruit for our meal. As we set up our picnic, I notice a large body of water a little further down the path, off to the side. I recall the river I saw before we entered the dungeon. The river is probably the source of it, but from here, the water doesn't look like it's flowing very fast, if at all.

We eat our food, and the silence is awkward. Snivy seemed really angry when they shouted at me back there, so I think they might be ashamed at their outburst. I'm starting to feel bad about having made them so angry in the first place; they really didn't like it when I called them immature. I finish eating pretty quick, and I start to make my way over to the water I saw.

"Huh? Wait, where are you going?" Snivy asks.

"I'm gonna go for a swim."

"O-oh. Right. Okay."

I reach the water, and it's about the size of a large pond. The water is pretty clear, but not as clear as the water in Marine Cavern. There also seem to be some plants growing at the bottom. I've only ever been swimming in pools before, so I feel kinda uneasy about swimming with plants, but I really need to do something relaxing. I cautiously walk into the pond, and as the water touches my skin, I feel my unease wash away.

It takes a moment to remember how to swim in this body, but once I get the hang of it, it's the easiest thing in the world. I swim around and feel the water flowing over my skin. I turn and dive and flip and move, and I feel like I'm flying!

I pause for a minute and just float. It feels so good to be in the water. I liked swimming as a human, but this is totally different! I don't even have to manually breathe down here, which felt weird at first, but it's so much easier than breathing air. Everything about this just feels right... I think I might miss this when I get back to the human world.

I decide to surface for a moment, and when I do, I see Snivy standing at the edge of the water.

"U-uh, hey, um, partner..." they say, struggling to keep eye contact.

"Hey Snivy. What's up?"

"I... I wanted to, uh, apologize. For getting mad at you, and pushing you and yelling at you back there. That was... pretty mean of me."

"Oh... Well... I'm sorry for calling you immature, and treating you like a dumb little kid. That was wrong, and I didn't mean to make you angry."

"Oh, uh, alright. So, are we cool now?"

"Yeah. But could we please be a little more cautious in these dungeons? I just really don't want us to get hurt..."

"Well... Okay. But in exchange, you have to be a little more courageous! The world isn't as dangerous as you seem to think, and we'll never get anything done without taking at least some risks."

They have a good point. We took a risk just coming here, after Krokorok already beat us once. And Snivy's... 'brave' method did get us across the pit. I was acting just like Elder Torterra back there. "Alright, deal. Do you wanna move on now?"

"Actually, I wanted to swim for a bit."

"Oh? I though you said you were no good at swimming."

"That was when the swimming in question involved going through an underwater tunnel of unknown length."

"Fair point. Come on in, then!"

"Alright then!" Snivy says, stepping back from the water. They get a running start, leap into the air, and cannonball into the water with a massive splash!

We spend a while playing and laughing and splashing each other with water. Snivy can't swim nearly as well as I can, but they aren't too bad at it, and they have fun anyways. We even do some light sparring, with Snivy's grass attacks being balanced by my superior movement in the water. Eventually, Snivy swims to the land and sits down. I follow, laying down with my back legs in the water. I kinda don't wanna leave the pond.

Snivy rests for a moment. "Sorry. It's pretty tiring, trying to stay above the water for so long."

"It's fine. We should probably get moving soon anyways."

"Oh yeah, Krokorok! I totally forgot about that," Snivy says, smiling.

"Actually, so did I. I only remembered just now." I guess we both got pretty distracted.

We rest for a minute, then go to pick up our stuff and move on. It's a little weird to be on land and breathing air again, but it doesn't take long to adjust. We continue down the path through the woods, and soon enough, the path ends in a clearing. There's a few of the standard mushrooms about, along with another fruit bush, but there's also a river going by, and a pile of large bags next to the river. It looks like it might be Krokorok's hoard, but where's...

"Hey, is that Krokorok's stolen money?" Snivy says, running toward the pile.

"Wait a sec!" I yell, running after them. I notice a rustle in the brush at the edge of the clearing, and I tackle Snivy out of the way just in time to avoid a stream of fire! We both turn to see the familiar face of Krokorok, glaring at us.

"You're going to regret coming here, stupid brats."




Thanks for reading. Comments, questions, and criticisms are encouraged.