NOTE: I realize the emotional effects of the Wildfire might resemble depression in some ways. This chapter is not meant to give the advice of "just be happy" as a cure for depression.




Chapter 24
Rainbow Rainforest


"....jamie.....up... Hey, wake up!"

I groan as I open my eyes. "Ugh, Snivy?"

"Snivy?" Treecko asks. "Who's Snivy?"

"... Oh yeah. Sorry about that, Treecko. Snivy's my partner." I can't really be blamed for getting them mixed up, as they both seem to be early birds, much to my annoyance.

"Oh. Well, did you come up with a plan last night? I can't afford to wait much longer."

I think back to last night. "... Yeah. Yeah, I got a plan. Let's go outside, I'll explain there."

We step outside of my tent, and I take a moment to gather my thoughts. "... Okay. So, we're going back into that mystery dungeon from yesterday."

"What? Why? We don't have time for that! We already know there's nothing in there!"

"We can't just snap our fingers and make the Wildfire go away; it's going to take time. Besides, once we're cured, we'll have all the time in the world, right?"

"... Right. Okay, keep going; tell me why we're going back into the dungeon."

"The Wildfire makes us focus on just one thing, and we end up ignoring everything else. So we're going to try doing the opposite. We're gonna follow three rules in that dungeon. First: We'll avoid thinking about our desires, because that just strengthens the Wildfire. Second: We won't use our fire powers at all."

"Wait a sec, why not?"

"Well, I think the use of our powers is linked to our desires; when I was distracted and lost in thought yesterday, I used water gun instead of flamethrower, so I think we should avoid using our powers. Also, it'll make battles more fun."

"Fun?"

"Yeah. Rule three: We're going to enjoy our exploration through the dungeon, and we'll do whatever we want."

"I already know what I want..."

"Hey! Rule number one!"

"Right, right. So, what's up with this rule? Didn't you say the Wildfire stops us from enjoying things?"

"Yeah. The Wildfire suppresses our emotions, and our other desires. And the effect gets stronger over time, as the Wildfire gets stronger. I think that maybe if we can bring back those emotions and those other desires, it'll weaken the Wildfire."

"You're saying a lot of 'I think' and 'maybe'. Are you sure this will work?"

"... No, I'm not. So far, the only times I've seen the Wildfire cured was when people's desires disappeared. But it might work, and that's all we can hope for."

Treecko sighs. "Yeah, okay; I'll try it. Let's go." Treecko picks up their bag and starts walking toward the denser forest of the dungeon.

"Wait a sec," I say, following after them. "What's this dungeon called?" I was so focused yesterday that I didn't even ask what the dungeon's name was. Just goes to prove my point about our obsession.

"Oh yeah. Um, it was called... the Rainbow Rainforest."

The Rainbow Rainforest... As I walk forward, the trees grow denser and the aura of the mystery dungeon surrounds me. This time, I notice how the sunlight is filtered through the trees, and the path we walk on is like a big shadow with spots of light. I point this out to Treecko, and they say they didn't notice it until I pointed it out.

I keep looking around, and I see fruits on the bushes and trees, of all sorts of colors and shapes. Red, yellow, green, blue, purple... This must be the 'rainbow' part of the name. I think about eating one, but I know I won't be able to taste the fruit, and I don't even feel hungry.

I decide I want one anyways.

I walk off to the side of the path where the bushes are growing, and take a closer look. There's a blue fruit in a crescent shape, unlike anything I've seen in either the human or pokemon world. I see other fruits, too; a red star, a yellow cube, and an orange oval. As I pluck the orange fruit from the bush, Treecko approaches me from behind.

"Hey, are you sure those are safe to eat?" they ask.

I shrug. "We won't know until we try. Aren't you curious about them?"

Treecko stops to think. Meanwhile, I turn back to my fruit. I bite into it, tearing off a piece. It tastes like... blue. Not, like, blueberries or anything, just... blue. I take another bite, and the flavor of blue is pretty decent. I can't really appreciate the taste, but I can at least tell that it doesn't taste bad.

"How is it?" Treecko asks.

"Eh, it's not bad. Try one."

Treecko grabs the yellow cube fruit, looking over it before taking a bite. As they chew, their expression turns from curiosity to confusion. They swallow, then turn to me. "Hey, is it just me, or does this taste like... yellow?"

"I know, right? It's weird." I continue to eat my fruit, trying to focus harder on the flavor. It definitely feels like I'm tasting the color blue. Soon, I finish, and I move on to a green fruit, shaped like a doughnut. As expected, it tastes like green. The more I focus on it, the more it tastes... kinda good.

"This is really weird," Treecko says. "How do you think it works?"

I take another bite out of my green fruit, then shake my head. "I have no idea. You can't taste colors!"

"Hmm... Maybe... maybe it messes with the part of your brain that lets you see? And it, like, mixes up color and flavor in your head."

"That... kinda makes sense. Green is my favorite color. Maybe that's why this green fruit tastes kinda good."

"Oh? Maybe I should try a blue fruit then," Treecko says as they finish their fruit.

"Blue's your favorite color?"

"Yeah. Anyway, we should probably-"

We're suddenly interrupted by a rustling in the bushes in front of us. We jump back just in time to avoid a sudden blast of water from the bushes! Jumping out from the bushes are a Lotad and a Joltik.

The Lotad jumps at Treecko, and they dodge out of the way just in time. "Remember," I shout to them, "don't use your Wildfire!" I'm not sure if Treecko responds, because just after I finish talking, I'm zapped with electricity! I shake it off and turn to the Joltik, and see it start to gather electricity around itself.

I see it start to move, and I jump to the side, avoiding a ball of lightning. I counter with a water gun, but it dodges with surprising speed. It starts gathering electricity again, and I use the opening to turn around and kick a mud-slap at it, landing a hit. With its attack interrupted and its eyes blinded with mud, I run up and tackle it, sending it flying backward!

"Duck!" Treecko suddenly yells from behind. I drop to the floor, and the Lotad flies over my head, slamming into the Joltik! As the Joltik evaporates into smoke, Treecko steps in front of me and extends their arm, and glowing green tendrils emerge from their hand! The tendrils grab the Lotad, which struggles in their grasp for a few seconds, before Treecko yanks their hand back, pulling the Lotad toward them through the air. Treecko smacks the airborne Lotad with their tail, sending it rolling across the ground before it evaporates.

I take a deep breath as I start to calm down. I pay attention to how I feel; my heart is pounding, and my muscles feel both energized and sore. The adrenaline of a fight is still running through me, and I feel... excited.

I turn to Treecko. "Hey, what was that move you used back there?"

"Absorb. It's tiring to use, but it heals me by draining my opponent."

"Cool." We resume walking down the path, and I continue talking. "Do you like fighting?"

"Um, I used to. It was always pretty fun, trying to figure out how to counter my opponent and stuff... What about you?"

"Me? Well... I wasn't very good at fighting for a while, so it was just painful and annoying. But lately, I've been getting into some really serious and difficult fights, so it's kinda... refreshing, to just have a simple, low-steaks fight."

"Hm. It's been a while since I've had a difficult fight; not using my Wildfire gave me an actual challenge for once, so that was kinda refreshing for me too, in a different way."

We fall silent as we walk, and I start to look around the forest. The bushes are still dotted by colorful fruits, and as we get deeper, we encounter flowers along the path. "This dungeon is pretty, don't you think?" I say.

"Huh?" Treecko takes a moment to look around. "Oh yeah. I guess so, objectively speaking. Do you... like it?"

"I..." I don't. I haven't enjoyed anything since I got the Wildfire. Still, when I'm focusing on all the colorful fruits and flowers, the frustration and the annoying itch of the Wildfire... kinda fades a little. "Well, no, I don't like it. But it's not bad, right?"

"... Yeah. Yeah, it's not bad." There's a brief moment of silence, before Treecko speaks again. "Do you... Did you like exploring mystery dungeons?"

I think for a moment. I never really realized it before, but... "Yeah, I think so. Not as much as my partner Snivy; they really love exploring. But, yeah, mystery dungeons are really cool, with the glowing lights, and the weird, magical things in them. Did I tell you about the crystals that switch your gravity?"

"Oh yeah, you did. Yeah, those sound really cool."

"... What do you like about mystery dungeons?"

"Oh, um... Well, I was always really curious about them; all the weird things in them and all the strange properties of them, like how they change their layout over time. I wanted to research them, and try to figure out how they work."

"That sounds interesting. Snivy's the polar opposite; when I'd ask them if they know how the weird stuff worked, they'd just say 'well it is a MYSTERY dungeon' and leave it at that."

"Sounds like they just enjoy the wonder and mystery of it; I have a friend back home who used to say I was 'ruining the magic' when I tried to figure out how it all worked."

"Yeah, I can understand that."

We walk awhile longer in silence. Eventually, I suggest we stop and take a break; we aren't in any rush, after all. We sit down, have some more fruit, and just take a few minutes to relax...




Thanks for reading! Comments, questions, and criticisms are encouraged and appreciated!