(1900 words)
Chapter 11
Partners


Thorn is dreaming again, the muffled voice speaking to them. No, wait, it's much clearer now. Well, relatively clearer. Still muffled, but they can make out a few sounds. "...hu.....r.l....el....av...wo...Al..." Most of it is nonsense, but the last bit pulls at Thorn's chained memories. Al... Al... That's... their name! Or at least part of it!

"Hey, wait, do you know my name?!"

"...es......eas....he........."

The voice fades away, along with the rest of the dream. Thorn is waking up. They desperately try to hold on, but...



Thorn opens their eyes and spots Compass by the table.

"Oh, you're awake."

Thorn nods and sits up. "I'm awake. G'morning, partner."

Compass giggles. "Technically it's noon."

"... Oh. Nice." Thorn gets up and walks over to the table, looking at Compass's lunch. "Are those... crackers shaped like legendary pokemon?"

"Yup. Mom and I call them God Munchies. They go great with cheese."

"Cool. Can I have some?"

"... Y-yes! Yes, absolutely!" Compass pours some crackers on a plate and hands it to Thorn.

Thorn tosses a cracker in their mouth. "Okay so, new lore just dropped from the voice in my head-"

"Wait, what?"

"Oh yeah, I hear a voice in my dreams sometimes, but it's usually really muffled, BUT! Last night, it was way clearer, and I think I heard it tell me my name!"

"... Okay? Oh wait you mean your old name!"

"Bingo! I only heard a bit, but I'm like 90% sure my name starts with 'Al'."

"Al... So maybe it could be Ally? Or Altruist?"

"Compass, buddy, you're too optimistic. It was probably more like Alert, or Alloy, or... No wait, those aren't names."

"Oh yeah, your homeland uses different names. Maybe it was your species' name, like Alakazam, or Alteria?"

"No, that's not right... Well, whatever, point is, if that voice keeps getting clearer, I might finally get some answers!"

"That's great! But for now, ready to do some jobs?"

"You bet!"



Thorn meets up with Compass in Pokemon Square after doing some shopping. "Hey partner, found a job?"

"Yeah, it's a- Oh what's that?"

"Oh, I noticed it's getting pretty cold out lately, so I bought you a cloak to stay warm."

"Aww, thanks! That's so nice of... Wait. I'm a fire-type."

"Oh... I may be stupid."

Compass giggles. "Better to be a kind fool than an evil genius. Why don't you keep it? It's perfect for a ground-type like you."

"Oh yeah, good point!" Thorn dons the cloak. "So, what job did you find?"

"Oh, right! Someone lost a child in Fractured Grove!"

"Oh shit, let's get moving!"



Team Rose arrives in the aptly named Fractured Grove; the ground is cracked, tilted, and uneven, with many large areas rising high or sinking deep, creating small cliffs. Many trees are toppled over, and the ones that aren't are tilted with the ground.

"So is this place an earthquake magnet or something?" Thorn asks, climbing up a ledge.

"Kind of. It gets as many quakes as anywhere else, but the quakes here have been much stronger."

"Damn. Do any wild pokemon still live here after all this?"

"Hopefully not, it'll make our job easier. Machop!" Compass calls as the team walks deeper into the grove. "Hello? Machop, we're here to rescue you!"

Thorn spots a grapevine climbing up a cliff. "Yo, check it out!" They jump up and snatch a bunch of grapes, offering it to Compass.

"Oh. Thanks, but... why are you giving this to me?"

"What do you mean? You like grapes, right?"

"I guess so... You know, you've been really nice today. If you're trying to make up for yesterday, then-"

"What? Nah, the only thing I'm doing to make up for yesterday is not punching you and not dragging you out after bedtime. I'm just being nice because you're my partner."

"But it's really sudden. You accepted food from me at lunch with no hesitation. What changed?"

"... Huh. That is sudden. Well, I guess it's hard not to trust someone after they jump in front of a bullet for you."

"What's a bullet?"

"A dangerous, high-velocity projectile."

"Wait, did you remember that from your past?"

"Oh yeah, I did. Progress!"

"That's good. Sorry, I'm probably just overthinking-"

"Rose, look out!" Thorn jumps in front of Compass just in time to block a razor leaf, falling to the ground.

Compass looks up to see a group of bellsprout looking down on them from a raised section of ground. Compass spews out a smokescreen before they can shoot more leaves, dragging Thorn into a nearby bush. The bellsprout do a quick search before assuming the team had run off and leaving.

Compass puts an oran berry into Thorn's mouth, which they manage to chew. "Thorn, why would you do that?! That was a grass attack, it would've hurt me less!"

Thorn stands up. "Sorry- Ow! Reflex. I believe we've already established that I may be stupid."

"You... You called me Rose."

Hearing the name is the final piece. With reminder after reminder, a chain around Thorn's memories finally breaks, and a single memory rushes back to them. "... Oh shit I had a partner. Rose was my partner! And- And they must've liked grapes, and they... and they..." Thorn clutches their head. "God DAMN IT!! Why can't I remember!?"

"No, Thorn, this is great! This is a lead! We can look for people named Rose now! And if they know what's going on, we might get more info about the world's balance!"

"Right, I know, it's just... It's right there. All of my memories are right there, right inside my mind, and I just... Why don't I want to remember?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know. But you're getting closer, bit by bit. Have patience, it'll come back eventually."



Compass is about to call out for Machop, when a scream echos through the grove. The team sprints toward it, and soon enough they find Machop running toward them.

"Help me!" Machop cries. "Please, hel-" Machop suddenly trips, and is pulled backward by a thread around their ankle. They claw at the ground, but can't stop themself from being pulled toward an ariados that steps out from around a corner.

"Thought you could escape, you little- Huh?" Ariados notices the team. "What are you outsiders doing here?"

"What are YOU doing with that machop!?" Compass demands.

"This annoying runt barged into my turf and woke me up from my nap! Brats like this need to be taught a lesson!" Ariados's threat renews Machop's struggles, and they desperately pull at the thread around their ankle.

"Dude, what the hell?" Thorn says. "That's a child. Could you like. Not?"

"Oh, you must be one of those rescue teams. Well, I guess I could let them off the hook... if you give me everything in those bags. But make it quick, it's been too long since I've had the chance to sink my fangs into something-"

Compass shoots Ariados with a concentrated bolt of fire, making them stagger backward in surprise. Thorn jumps in and takes Machop away, the sudden pull on the thread making Ariados trip. With Machop out of the way, Compass takes a deep breath and blasts Ariados with a giant wave of fire!

Ariados shouts in pain! "Y-you little devils! I'll make you regret messing with-"

*BONK*

The thrown bone is enough to finish off Ariados, making them collapse. Thorn walks over to retrieve their club and check. "... Yep, out cold. See how easy fights are when you don't hold back, Compass?"
But Compass had rushed over to Machop. "Are you okay? Did that brute injure you? Do you need-"

Machop bursts into tears and latches onto Compass in a desperate hug.

"Whoa, u-um..." Compass awkwardly pats Machop on the back. "There there, little one, don't cry! You're safe now! There's nothing to be afraid of, so um, don't worry-"

"Compass, you suck at this." Thorn pulls Machop away and wraps them in a hug. "I know," they whisper, "that was really scary. It was really scary, and you were really brave. We're gonna take you back home now, okay? Back to your parents. It's been really scary, but now we're here to keep you safe. We'll get you back home, and everything will be okay..."

Machop continues crying, and Thorn waits, letting the minutes pass, until they finally calm down enough to speak through their sobs. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for running off, and getting lost..."

"It's okay. No one is mad at you. It's okay... Ready to go home now?"

Machop nods.

As the team heads off, Compass stares in awe at Thorn, who is holding Machop's hand. "... Wow. You're way better at this than me."

"Well I'd imagine it be pretty difficult to comfort a crying child for someone who has no empathy and hates hugs."

"Wha- Excuse me?!"

"What? You suck at reading people and dealing with feelings. That's why you always use the same line when negotiating."

"Okay, yeah, you're better at reading people than me, but I don't hate hugs!"

"... Did I also mention you suck at lying?"

"Okay fine, they're not my favorite, but I can tolerate them."

"You shouldn't, not if you don't like them."

"Yes, I should. People just want to express their gratitude, or affection, and it would be rude to say no. And sometimes-" Compass gestures to Machop "-people need to be comforted."

"A crying child is one thing, but you seriously need to set some boundaries. If it were 'rude' to get mad about being punched in the face, would you let people beat you up?"

"That's completely different!"

"It's not. And besides, if people care about you, they won't want to make you uncomfortable."

"That's... But, I don't want to say no when they're just being nice..."



"Oh thank you so much! We were so worried!" The machoke family says, embracing Machop.

"We're happy to help!" Compass says.

"We're so happy this town has rescue teams as brave and capable as you!" One of the machoke steps forward with arms spread wide-

Compass steps back. "Oh, um, I uh... I don't like hugs, sorry."

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be rude..."

"No no, it's okay. Please direct all physical affection to the grouchy cubone."

"What what-" was all Thorn managed to say before being smothered by gratitude-fueled muscles.



"I know I deserved that, but that was kinda petty," Thorn says.

Compass smiles. "I might be bad at reading most people, but I know you, Thorn. You've grown to like hugs."

"Huh. I guess I underestimated you."

The team walks in silence for a bit. "... Thorn, when you were being nice to me this morning, it was because you mixed me up with Rose, right?"

"Yeah. Why else would I buy a cloak for a fire-type?"

"Right..."

"... So, your mom's making pie for dinner, right?"

"Yeah... Oh! Would you like some?"

"Hell yeah, that shit always smells delicious!"

"Awesome! I'll go tell mom to make sure we have enough!"



Late that night, Thorn lies awake under the stars. Rose... That was what they were missing, that was what they lost. But Alakazam said they can't remember because they don't want to. But they trusted Rose, they must have! Who is Rose? What happened to make them forget? What can they...

They stare up at the big, bright moon, glowing in the dark night. Maybe Compass was right; just be patient, just keep going. It'll work itself out.




First person to guess Thorn's real name gets a free 500 word story request.

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