Chapter 15
Boiling Point



This has been, without a doubt, the worst mystery dungeon experience I've ever had. Including the one where I got electrocuted. After getting away from the Corviknight, we took a short rest. It would have been awkward, but I was too angry to care. What will it take for Snivy to finally calm down? Immature jerk.

Our walk has been silent as usual, except for the time Snivy stumbled into a gravity wind and muttered a few swears. We climb a hill and find that the path drops off; there's a massive gap between us and the way forward, and the cliffs look impossible to climb. It reminds me of that pillar room in Circuit Cavern, except there's no platforms here. But looking closer, the area is littered with gravity winds, giving us a tricky way across.

Snivy groans. "I've had enough of these stupid winds."

And I've had enough of your attitude. I step forward and prepare myself before jumping off into a wind, which sticks me to the tunnel wall. I try to make another jump, but jumping off walls is a lot harder than in video games, and I fall down into the pit. Fortunately, the cloud floor cushions my fall, and I come out unharmed. There's a wind that leads back up to where I started, so at least I don't need Snivy to pull me out.

Speaking of that loser, Snivy tries their hand at jumping across, making it exactly one jump further than me before plummeting to the floor.

We keep trying, probably because neither of us want to show weakness by giving up. I gradually get the hang of changing gravity, and I can consistently get halfway across before dropping to the floor. It's pretty fun, especially since the whole dungeon is basically a bouncy castle. Despite my constant falling, I find myself smiling as I jump from wall to ceiling to wall, and I just giggle whenever I fall and bounce on the floor. Even Snivy is starting to cheer up! Maybe this was just what we needed...

Then suddenly, I get a really good attempt! I jump from wall to wall like an anime character, flying through the gravity winds! I'm almost there, just one last jump. I kick off the wall and launch myself toward the end...

And I make it! I cling onto the edge and barely manage to pull myself up! I turn to look at Snivy... and they aren't smiling anymore. They're just... staring at me. Wait, no, no way, are they seriously upset that I made it across before they did?!

Sure enough, Snivy's cheer disappears throughout their next few attempts. After they finally make it, they just walk right past me, deeper into the dungeon. They don't even look at me.

We continue walking in silence. I want to say something, ask something, but I decide against it; if Snivy's going to be mad at everything I do, then fine, they can be mad. We soon encounter another roadblock; a Pidgeotto hovering in the air, daring us to approach.

"I got this," Snivy says, stepping forward. I take a step to follow them, but they turn and stop me. "Seriously, stay back. I can handle this on my own."

This stupid, self-absorbed, arrogant, immature jerk! Fine! I'll just get out of your way then, clearly you don't need a partner! "Okay," I say as I take a step back and watch the fight.

The grass-type Snivy struggles against the flying-type Pidgeotto. Who would've guessed. It sure would be nice if you had a teammate who could cover your bad type matchups, but it looks like you're all on your own.

Snivy desperately thrashes their vines at the Pidgeotto, fighting through strike after strike. Finally, after a long, painful-to-watch battle, Snivy lands one final smack with their tail and knocks out the Pidgeotto. Snivy gasps for breath, clutching their arm that took the brunt of many attacks. Hopefully, FINALLY, now that Snivy's proved their strength to the NOBODY that doubted them, they can calm down.

I grab an oran berry from my bag and step toward Snivy. "Want an oran?"

Snivy turns and slaps the berry out of my hand! "I don't need your help!"

"Snivy, what is wrong with you?! We're teammates, my JOB is to help you, and you've been acting like it's an insult to offer help! You even got mad at me back there for what? Getting past the pit before you? Seriously, what is your problem?!"

"My problem is that I have a little runt at my heels that doesn't know their place! You think you're so much better than me. 'Oh look at me, I'm a super special human with magic mystery dungeon powers! I'm so much more mature than you, even though I cry when I'm called by name because I don't know how names work!' You're the worst!"

"You wanna throw insults? Okay, let me try. You've been a selfish jerk from the day we met! You only teamed up with me because you were too weak to do anything yourself. Your recklessness has put us in danger and gotten me hurt. You couldn't accept that I enjoy mystery dungeons in a different way than you, so you attacked my way of enjoying it. You've refused to show me the basic respect of calling me by name out of some obligation to the Laws of Pokemon Names, and when it turns out I'm not even a pokemon, you're too stubborn to admit you were wrong! Being your partner has been a miserable experience, and this is the last straw!"

Snivy's eyes are welling up with tears. Aw, that's cute; they're crying from the fight that THEY started. "You think you're so tough? You think you're better than me?! PROVE IT!! I'll kick your butt, just you watch! Or are you too chicken, huh?! You little runt!!"

I laugh out loud; they're so stupid! "And now you resort to violence because you can't take what you dish out! That's exactly what you do, isn't it? Never think, just fight! Never care about others' feelings, only yourself! It's not even that you're stupid, it's that you don't even TRY to think, or to care! You're just a sad little nothing that can't control your emotions! Why can't you just stop being so absolutely and completely IMMATURE!!!"

The tunnel is quiet. Tears fall from Snivy's eyes. They drop to their knees and curl up on the ground, muttering "I'm sorry" over and over again through their sobs.

I made a mistake.

I stand there in the tunnel for seconds that feel like hours, desperately wishing for something to say, but my mind is blank. Suddenly, a cry echos through the tunnel! I turn to see the Corviknight flying straight towards us! Shoot, our stupid shouting match lead it right to us!

Wait... it's aiming for Snivy! But Snivy doesn't see it! I dive forward and push Snivy out of the way, but I was a moment too late, and the Corviknight snatches me in it talons instead! I thrash and struggle in the Corviknight's grip, but I can't break free.

Corviknight's talons tighten their grip, dig into my skin. Gritting my teeth, I manage to turn my head just enough to aim properly, and I blast a water gun at its face and make it flinch! I use the opportunity to I break out of its claws, falling to the dungeon floor and tumbling down a slope.

Well that was disorienting. I get up and look around; the Corviknight seems to have flown down a different path, so I'm safe. For now. Where did it take me? Wait, where's Snivy!? Shoot, getting separated in a mystery dungeon is a big problem. How will we find each other? Well, more like how will I find Snivy, because Snivy won't be looking for... Oh no.

I've made a terrible mistake.

After how awful I was to Snivy, they won't want to be anywhere near me. They'll leave the dungeon and run off somewhere, and I'll be all alone! I need to find them and apologize, fast! But where am I? How many turns did that Corviknight take while carrying me?! I don't even know where-

A familiar cry interrupts my thoughts, and I turn around just in time to avoid Corviknight's talons; looks like I have a more immediate problem. Corviknight strikes at me with a peck, and I sidestep it, but it catches me with a wing strike and knocks me away.

Shaking it off, I shoot a water gun at Corviknight's face, but it reacts quick and ducks out of the way. It dives toward me, and I jump away to dodge, but it still manages to claw me with its talons. Even with its steel feathers weighing it down, it's got quick reflexes.

Corviknight lunges forward with another peck, and I sidestep again. It swings another steel wing at me, but I'm ready for it, and I dive forward, hiding underneath it. Taking advantage, I leap up to headbutt it before it can react, and-

OW!

Right, steel-type.

Corviknight kicks me away, and I scramble to my feet just in time to avoid another steel wing. I blast it with a water gun, but it blocks it with a wing. Shoot, I'm running low on options here; nothing I can do against its flying type, and its steel type resists normal and is weak to- Aha, mud slap! Wait, no, that won't work while it's flying! Shoot!

Corviknight pecks at me again, and I jump backward, finding my back against a wall. Well, I've never been KO'd in a mystery dungeon before, so I guess this will be a learning experience. Corviknight raises its wings, and I brace myself for the strike...

"MUDKIP!!!"

Corviknight turns its head just in time to get slammed in the face by a tail. A leafy tail? Snivy's tail! Wait, why is Snivy here?

Snivy bounces off of Corviknight's shoulder and lashes out with a vine whip, perfectly striking Corviknight's eye and making it stagger backward in pain! Snivy runs over to me, their eyes red and their face panicked.

"Mudki- I mean Jamie! I'm so sorry, for everything!"

"Wait, YOU'RE sorry? I'm the one who should be apologizing!"

"What? Uh, no, I'm pretty sure I'm the jerk here."

"And I'M pretty sure the one at fault here is-"

Suddenly, a furious screech forces us to cover our ears.

"Argue later, fight now!" Snivy says. They lash out with their vines, but the strikes deflect off of Corviknight's armor. Snivy leaps up to strike its head, but Corviknight swats them away with a wing, knocking them to the ground.

Corviknight rears back to peck the downed Snivy, and I try to interrupt it with a water gun. For once, I hit its head dead-on, and it staggers back in surprise. It turns toward me with a glare and gets ready to lunge, but Snivy strikes their head from behind with their tail. Corviknight's reactions are quick, but it can't handle multiple opponents!

"Snivy, I'll distract it, you trip it!" Before Corviknight can turn to face Snivy, I blast it with a water gun, which it blocks. I turn and run away, prompting Corviknight to take flight and chase me, but as it leaps forward, Snivy's vines wrap around its legs and hold it back, causing it to fall flat on its face!

Corviknight raises its head to look at me with a furious glare. I dig my legs into the ground, pray that my Mudkip powers won't fail me now, and kick a mud slap right into its eyes! Corviknight screeches and thrashes about, blinded by mud! Corviknight manages to stand up and swing its wings wildly, but its perfect accuracy from before is gone. Snivy leaps up and slams their tail into its head, knocking them back to the ground.

I reach into my bag for my last liechi berry and bite into it. Power floods my body, and with all my might, I blast Corviknight's face with one final water gun! It lets out one last screech before finally going limp, then evaporating into smoke.

Snivy and I collapse, sighing with relief.

"... You okay, Snivy..?"

"... My tail hurts..."

I grab an oran berry from my bag and split it in half, silently offering a piece to Snivy.

"Thanks, partner..."

We eat our berries, and the pain fades, leaving us simply exhausted.

"I... I'm sorry Mudkip. I mean Jamie! Shoot, I didn't- I mean- I..." Snivy sighs. "I messed up..."

"Yeah. I messed up too."

"... Can I... Can we talk? About..." Snivy gestures vaguely at everything. "this?"

"Yeah. Let's do that."




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