Chapter Text
“This is a crisis!” declared Felicia, slamming her paw down on the table. “Several more mystery dungeons have appeared in the city, and we’re still unable to disable the one occupying the main square.”
The council meeting room was cramped. Felicia, Charlie, Eugene, and Larry were huddled around a wooden table battered by scratches and claw marks. The room’s only source of light came from a few lone oil lamps hanging from the ceiling. Andrew was awkwardly positioned at the end of the table closest to the door, his eyeline far below that of any other Pokemon.
Larry grumbled, raising his arm to speak, though not hesitating to stand up and address the room as soon as Felicia stopped. “This could be the death of this nation if something isn’t done! This isn’t just a crisis. It’s an emergency!”
“Thanks for the insight, Larry,” groaned Felicia, crossing her arms.
Charlie cleared his throat. “I’ve been in some really bad dungeons. I’m talking thirty feral Pokemon on your tail, lava, explosions, and completely unfair obstacles kinds of dungeons. These ones aren’t that bad. I doubt many Pokemon will die.”
“And why do you believe that Mister Raichu?” questioned Eugene. The Tyrantrum was hunched over the table with his head millimeters away from the ceiling, liable to hit it with so much as a sneeze.
“I have evidence,” said Charlie, pointing at Andrew. “ He survived in the dungeon by himself.”
The Marshtomp perked up. “Who, me?”
Felicia humphed. “Were you in the mystery dungeon or not?”
“Oh yeah, I was in there. It was a pretty weird place. The building got super tall and started teleporting around, and these giant bull Pokemon—Tauroses—I think, chased me around.”
Andrew paused, taking a breath and thinking about how to elaborate. He opened his mouth to speak once more. However, he felt a light zap on his back as Charlie poked him with his tail. It bought the Raichu just enough time to interject.
“Now, think about it. Andrew has never been in a dungeon and has zero survival skills. But, he made it out. So we can calm down about the whole ‘end of our nation’ crap. Let’s just take a step back and–”
“I understand where you’re coming from, but this is serious, Charlie,” Felicia interrupted. “Andrew might not be the most… battle-tested, disciplined, strong, intelligent, cunning…”
Andrew rolled his eyes. “I think we get the idea.”
“...Hard-working, patient, clever, fast, street-smart, land-suited, capable Pokemon out there,” she finished despite the objection.
“‘Land suited?’” Are you kidding me? I only lived in the ocean when I was homeless, and it really sucked!” Andrew yelled.
Felicia continued to tune him out, facing Charlie. “However, that doesn’t prove much of anything. There are thousands of Pokemon unaccounted for at the moment. We have no idea how many are alive. Andrew could be an anomaly.”
“Would you stop ignoring me, Felicia?!” the Marshtomp shouted, climbing on top of his chair and pointing at her. “I am right here! Instead of insulting me with false accusations of my physical and psychological capabilities, perhaps you want to ask me how I survived the mystery dungeon even though I’d never been in one? Maybe I have some useful information that could help save lives.”
“Maybe,” Felicia sighed.
Eugene snorted. “Potentially.”
“I think that’s quite unlikely,” chuckled Larry.
Charlie sighed and shook his head. “Alright, Andrew. I’ll bite. How did you survive the dungeon?”
“It’s quite simple, really,” he explained, holding up a finger. “I was backed into a corner by a Tauros. That guy was super pissed, like he wanted to kill me. Reminded me of most of the guild leaders. Regardless, the Tauros was about to ram me when this guy came out from nowhere and killed it. And that guy… was me.”
Andrew paused. He glanced around the table only to see the council members giving him simultaneously bored and confused looks.
“You defeated the Tauros yourself, Marshtomp?” questioned Eugene.
Andrew frowned. “What? No! That’s not what I said. A mostly-identical copy of me came out of nowhere and saved my life. Then he discussed some crap with me about why he existed and showed me how to escape. That’s how I survived.”
“Excuse me?” Felicia asked, raising her brow.
Charlie facepalmed.
“If I have a copy of myself living in the dungeon, I’m sure other Pokemon do too. They just have to all find their counterparts and that should get them out.”
The Raichu shot a glare at Andrew. “I’ve never heard of anything like that happening in a dungeon. I know I didn’t see a copy of myself in there.”
“Well, I did,” said Andrew, crossing his arms.
Charlie growled, leaning forward. “I don’t believe you, Andrew. You’ve always told us these tall tales . How can we trust any of this? Maybe this just some scam to–”
“Enough!” Felicia interrupted, stomping. The thud from her foot echoed through the room. “Each minute we spend arguing, more citizens are being mauled by feral Tauroses. We need an injection of experienced rescuers to disable these dungeons.”
Larry threw up his arms and scoffed. “ Hooow insightful! ”
“To do this, unfortunately, I believe we are going to need Andrew’s help,” she explained, ignoring the Gallade and turning to look down at the Marshtomp.
He grinned, straightening his bowtie. “I’m always happy to help!”
“Good,” Felicia said with a monotone voice. “Because you are going to have to walk back a policy we instituted a little while ago. And I have a feeling you aren’t going to like it.”
“What?”
Felicia took a deep breath in. “We need to bring back the Grandeport Guild. I had my issues with them—but this never would have happened if the guild still existed. If we can get enough of their prior members back, we might have a fighting chance against these dungeons.”
“WHAT?!” Andrew shouted angrily, his fingers curling into a fist. “I shut down the Grandeport Guild because they were a threat to our power over the country—er, I mean democracy. They weren’t good for anything! Bringing them back would be a mistake.”
The Lucario scowled. “We don’t have any other choice. It could be years before we deactivate every dungeon if we do have skilled Pokemon working at it. I didn’t like the Guild either, but we’re out of options. Unless you have a genius idea, Andrew.”
He wracked his mind, rubbing his temples. How about a new Guild… the Andrew Guild! No, that wouldn’t fix this. I could ask Arceus, except that now probably isn’t a good time to fall asleep. Maybe Thomas has an idea? Hopefully, they’d be willing to let me run back home. Oh no, but they wouldn’t do that because it now takes twice as long since I have to avoid all the dungeons.
“Well?” Felicia pressed. “Has our wise president thought of anything?
Andrew grinned sheepishly. “I don’t suppose you’d let me sleep on it and we could pick this up tomorrow? I think we’re all pretty tired.”
“No Andrew, you don’t get to sleep on this. The longer we put this off the more Pokemon die,” Charlie snapped. “And we all know how you feel about Pokemon dying. Going home now would be reckless and selfish.”
Felicia nodded. “Agreed. We make the decision now to mitigate any further damage.”
“But you can’t make a decision without everyone agreeeeeing,” whined Andrew pleadingly.
The Lucario smirked. “All in favor of using emergency funds to reestablish the Grandeport Guild?”
Two paws, one humanoid arm, and one comically-small dinosaur arm, all rose in agreement. No flippers were raised.
“Oh, come on. Now you’re all ganging up on me?” the Marshtomp groaned.
Eugene narrowed his eyes. “Andrew Marshtomp, we’re not ‘ganging up’ on you, or anything of the sort. The council has never ruled by unanimous consent, only a simple majority.”
“It wouldn’t matter anyway,” Felicia clarified. “Andrew’s not a member of the council.”
I AM BEING TARGETED! How dare these insolent pieces of shit do this! Felicia wants to kill me! Charlie wants to kill me! The council wants me dead!
Andrew faced Felicia, sticking his chin up. “Alright, asshole . If you love the guild so much, then you can do all the work to bring it back.”
“Okay,” said the Lucario with a shrug. “There’s no way I’d let you do all the administrative work for this.”
Andrew pouted, crossing his flippers and tensing up. “They’re all a bunch of Resistance criminals! You can’t do this! It’s not fair, you’re gonna get me killed. I’m going to die and it’s all going to be your fault, Felicia!”
“Stop being so dramatic,” Larry sneered.
Felicia bit her lip. Her aura sensors twitched, and her ears drooped. “Pulling former Resistance members out of prisons is a last resort only . We know of Pokemon who worked for the guild that never joined the Resistance, and are living normal, crime-free lives. They will be called upon first!”
“But Leo–”
“Will not be leaving his cell,” she interrupted. “You wanted to nationalize the Grandeport Guild because you believed it was exploiting common Pokemon. Right, Marshtomp ?”
Andrew scoffed, frowning. “Yeah, whatever. Maybe I said that. I just wanted to get back at Jason for being annoying.”
Felicia groaned before slamming her elbows onto the table and resting her head in her paws. “Why are you like this, Andrew Marshtomp…? I went along with that whole plan… so you could get back at some Pokemon named Jason?”
Andrew raised his flippers beside his head. “Hey, don’t let what I said distract you from the plight of common Pokemon. Nobody cares more about the citizens of Grandeport than me.”
“You’re very lucky, Andrew. I hope you realize that. The only reason I’m not firing you as president right here is because of the current crisis. After this is dealt with, we will need to reevaluate your relationship with the council and your position.”
Andrew’s heart began to throb. He felt a burning anger well from deep inside him. How dare she, how fucking DARE she even say that !
How fucking dare she…! How fucking DARE she! the Marshtomp’s mind repeated. His heart beat as fast as it was capable of. His chest was tight and burning. He wanted to erupt, to explode, to let all of his emotions out on the Lucario.
From across the table, he jolted forward. It was like he was about to pounce on her.
But Andrew quickly stopped himself. Felicia didn’t flinch at his threat, and the same anxiety that led him to pounce told him that attacking her would be the last thing he ever did. His chest was heaving as he looked around at the other council members. They were staring at him intensely.
Andrew pushed his chair back from the table. The Marshtomp climbed down, then proceeded to stomp across the room toward the door and promptly exit. He slammed the door behind him.
Once in the hallway outside the meeting room, he leaned against the wall. He slumped down slowly, after a moment sitting and holding his knees.
This sucks… I need to get my mind off this. Maybe Charlie will come out and say something. Maybe it’ll even be nice!
He could hear muffled voices inside the meeting room. It was Felicia’s voice, speaking in her usual matter-of-fact tone. He couldn’t make out the exact words, only hearing the few comprehensible bits sneaking out the door, but she didn’t seem angry or surprised in the slightest. Felicia was still speaking with her signature neutral, stoic voice.
Larry made a comment. He spoke in a vindictive, harsh tone.
But that’s always how he sounds, thought Andrew. It doesn’t matter to them that I’m not there… It’s all business as usual. They aren’t your friends. Charlie, sort of, maybe. But the others? Felicia is a passive-aggressive acquaintance on a good day. They’re probably plotting my death. I know they are.
Charlie began to speak. Like Felicia’s, his tone was nothing out of the ordinary, except for a small hint of anger. It was subtle at best.
Andrew could feel his lip begin to quiver. A pressure built up in his throat, and moisture in his eyes.
No! Don’t cry. You can’t cry about this, it's not a big deal.
He curled up onto the floor and shielded his view of the hallway with his flippers. Against his will, the Marshtomp began to sob. He felt his whole body convulse with each breath. His nostrils had become congested and a river of tears was flowing from his eyes.
For a few minutes, Andrew lay crying. His sobs had gotten steadily louder, causing him to wonder if the council members had heard him Oh god, please say that they didn’t. Charlie would ACTUALLY kill me.
While unable to stop the tears, he forced his sobbing to grow quieter. Less tears trickled from his eyes, and he felt air flow through his nostrils again.
As he began to get up from his fetal position, the door opened. Charlie, Felicia, Larry, and somehow Eugene, exited the room. Each of the Pokemon took a moment to glance at Andrew. Larry scoffed. Felicia shook her head. Eugene didn’t even acknowledge him. The Lucario, Tyrantrum, and Gallade quickly made their way down the hallway and soon were out of sight.
However, Charlie remained behind. He slid against the back of the wall and sat down next to Andrew.
“It’s been crazy these past few weeks, hasn’t it?”
Andrew sniffled. “Y-Yeah.”
“I’m not going to try and sugarcoat things,” Charlie sighed. “You're in some hot water. Frankly, after the crap you pulled with the Flaaffy, I think you deserve to be.”
“No I don’t.”
Charlie quickly raised his paw and lightly slapped the back of Andrew’s head.
“What’s wrong with you?!” the Raichu scoffed. “Andrew, I’ve tried to be there for you. I’ve bailed you out more times than I can count, and I do consider you a friend. I don’t have many other friends. Or… any, come to think of it.” He let out a light chuckle and gave the Marshtomp an awkward grin. “But, I can’t keep doing this. I keep thinking that at some point you’ll learn. I thought it was possible that…”
Andrew narrowed his eyes. “Possible that what ?”
“Possible that you’d stop being so Arceusdamned stupid. Every time you get an opportunity to make a good decision, you make a bad one. Like, what just happened in the meeting back there? You flipped out at Felicia? Were you trying to threaten her?! Are you out of your mind?”
Upon hearing Charlie’s final comment, something sparked within Andrew. Rage built up inside him as images of him spraying the rodent with water and mud—drowning him in it, the Raichu sputtering and gasping as the muck snuffed the life from his body—filled his mind. He was angry—beyond angry. Andrew began to shout.
“Am I out of my mind?! I’m fine! I didn’t hit my stupid head, I’m not crazy, I’m not the goddamn problem! Everyone else just went insane! I don’t know how to explain it. They woke up one day and then suddenly, their brains just broke! And they started to pretend that I, me, Andrew Marshtomp, because that’s my name. Marshtomp! What a great last name! Because that’s my name now because that’s what I am. I don’t get to have nice things. I’m not happy—I want to be Andrew—not stupid Andrew Marshtomp—but that’s not allowed. The world is crazy. It went nuts and took me along and forced me to be Andrew Marshtomp, President Andrew Marshtomp. Not if Felicia has anything to say about it. I’m not crazy, Charlie. I’m fully within my mind. The whole world just went NUTS!.”
Andrew panted. He was completely out of breath, his lungs begging for oxygen as he raved. Charlie, however, seemed unphased by the rant. The Raichu sighed, leaning forward before resting his head on his paw.
“I know you have the memory of a Goldeen, but what did I just tell you?”
The Marshtomp gritted his teeth. “You said that I was out of my mind, so I disproved it.”
“Before that,” Charlie said, rolling his eyes.
Andrew shrugged. “I dunno.”
Charlie facepalmed for the second time that afternoon. “Oh my Arceus, there really is no hope for you.”
“I don’t need your pity,” Andrew humphed, turning away from Charlie.
The Raichu got up and slid to the side so Andrew was forced to stare directly at him. “Like clockwork, you make a bad decision every time you could make a good one. That insane rambling could have been an apology for everything you’ve put me through.”
“As if!” Andrew pouted. “You’ve been plotting against me from the start. All of you have! But now that I’m realizing it, you’re all trying to pretend I’m crazy to throw me off!”
Charlie growled, his teeth bared and sparks flying from his cheeks. “I’m not plotting against you! Felicia might be… but nobody else is! There isn’t some grand conspiracy against you, you’re actually crazy. I never should have made you president. This whole thing has made you delusional.”
“I’m not delusional! This is all part of your plan!” Andrew snapped. He shot up onto his feet and pointed a finger in Charlie’s face.
The Raichu groaned. “I’m sorry, Andrew. You’re not the fun, but admittedly kind of strange guy I met on the beach, anymore.”
“You’re right,” Andrew conceded. “I’ve grown since then.”
Charlie snorted, brandishing a smirk. “No you haven’t! You’re just as selfish and pathetic as you were then. The only way you’ve grown is that the power—the power that you don’t have —has completely gone to your head and now you’re losing it.”
The Marshtomp stuck up his finger. “I assure you that I still have it.”
“Alright, prophet of Arceus ,” Charlie remarked, rolling his eyes.
Andrew brushed himself off, wiping away dirt or dust he had accumulated while rolling on the floor previously. “I’ve had some odd dreams. There’s a lot of things we don’t understand about the world. Who’s to say I’m not the chosen one? How else do you explain me suddenly becoming another species?”
“You’re not the first human to become a Pokemon. None of them have claimed to be in contact with Arceus, or whatever it is you’ve been going around saying.”
The Marshtomp shrugged. “I guess that I’m special, then.”
Charlie hopped up to his feet. He came up uncomfortably close to Andrew and firmly placed a paw on his shoulder. “I’m telling you this as a friend, Andrew. Once this whole dungeon thing is over with, resign . Get out of this stupid place. There’s a whole world out there beyond Grandeport, and this city is eating you from the inside out. I don’t want to lose you.”
“I’m not going to die,” said Andrew, taking Charlie’s paw off his shoulder.
“No, not like that,” the Raichu explained, rubbing his temples. “I don’t want to lose you to whatever madness is brewing in your head. This isn’t okay. Either fix it yourself or find someone who can help you do it…”
Charlie paused. He gave the Marshtomp one last glance before turning around and beginning to walk where the rest of the council had.
“Andrew is my best friend,” the Raichu said solemnly, not even facing him “Not this Marshtomp accusing me of trying to kill him.”
Andrew sat at his desk. Evening sunlight softly shined into his officer, coating his back and the surrounding furniture. He let out a yawn.
Probably should be heading home. Don’t want to worry Thomas, especially with the mystery dungeons still out there.
He stretched his short, stubby legs, then his flippers. With a content sigh, Andrew climbed down from his chair and began to head toward the door.
However, before he could reach it–
Knock knock.
“Come in,” Andrew said instinctively.
The door creaked open and from behind it appeared Chloe. She walked quietly into the office.
The Flaaffy looked exhausted—her tufts of wool were ruffled, knotted, and messy—and there were dark bags beneath her eyes. She walked sluggishly as if being pulled along by some invisible force.
To his surprise, Chloe did not stop in front of him to talk. She walked right past and up to his desk before facing the empty chair.
The Marshtomp raised a brow. “Uh, Chloe? I’m over here.”
She sniffled, rubbing her snout.
Was she crying? Andrew wondered.
He went back over to his desk, peering over Chloe’s shoulder. “Is everything alright? You seem upset, more than you usually are.”
“I can’t keep doing this,” she muttered.
“What?” asked Andrew. “Can’t keep doing what?”
She rubbed the tuft of wool on her neck. “All of this, Andrew. It’s killing me, I feel terrible. I can’t stomach it. I won’t be able to live with myself if I keep stealing for you—my mom—everyone. This is all so wrong. I’m quitting.”
“Qu-Quitting? You don’t actually mean that, right?” the Marshtomp questioned nervously, tugging at his bowtie.
Chloe turned around to face him. She bit her lip in an attempt to stifle her frown, a lone tear had welled beneath her eye. “Yes, I mean it.”
“You can’t do that! Not now! Not ever, but especially not now!”
Her gaze left Andrew as she looked toward the ground. “I would say it isn’t your fault, and this job isn’t for me. But, no. That’s kind of true I guess, I do hate doing the work you’ve made me do… but I hate you too, Andrew. You’re horrible. I don’t know how many times I’ve said it. Maybe things would’ve been different if you treated me like a Pokemon instead of a tool.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a tool!” exclaimed Andrew, letting out a nervous chuckle.
“Do you hear yourself, Andrew?”
“Sure I do!” he assured as he pointed to his left gill. “Can’t you hear me too?”
Chloe growled. “Stop being dense with me. I’m not stupid. Treat me like a fucking Pokemon for once.”
“Woah! No need to use that language. We’re having a civil, calm, conversation, and there’s no need for things to get heated,” said Andrew in a tone that was hardly close to confident.
“My language? Oh, I’m so fucking sorry Andrew. But you’ve used that language with me. Liberally. But I guess I’m not allowed to fucking use it, right?” Chloe asked. She raised her arm and forcefully poked Andrew square in the orange target painted on his stomach.
He winced and stumbled back. “Hey!”
“Fuck you, Andrew Marshtomp,” sneered the Flaafyas she moved forward, closing the gap she had created between them. “You’re a stupid, whiny, bitchy, immature fucking brat and I’ve had it with you! I quit! I’m done! Fuck your stupid money games. Fuck you, Andrew. Fuck you!” Chloe screamed, her face bright red.
Andrew shrunk. His flipper had come up to shield his head in case Chloe attacked. His heart was pounding with stress and fear as he looked into her eyes, which had an almost primal, burning anger stoking within them.
The Flaaffy, realizing what she had done, suddenly straightened her posture. She turned the enraged scowl on her face into a neutral, controlled expression. She cleared her throat.
“To put it simply, I am handing in my resignation. Consider it effective as of right now.”
Andrew stood up fully, looking up several inches to meet Chloe’s eyes. “So… I can see there are a lot of tense emotions in the room right now...”
“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me–”
“But!” Andrew interrupted. “Now really is the worst time you could have chosen to resign. You might have heard about this whole mystery dungeon thing going around—it’s pretty bad—and a lot of people are scared.”
Chloe put a paw to her forehead. “Wait, let me get this straight. You want me to put off my resignation because of the mystery dungeons? I don’t have anything to do with the dungeons, nothing would change from me being gone.”
“It’s a bad look,” explained Andrew with a frown.
“Yeah, I guess you're right,” the Flaaffy acknowledged. “It is a bad look. For you . But why should I care?”
Andrew scratched his head fin. “I’m in a bit of hot water due to some stuff with the council. I’m not gonna lie, it’s not looking too good for me. If the only government employee I appointed resigned in what might be the biggest moment of crisis this country has faced… I think my time as president would come to an end.”
“After all I’ve done for you, and after how you’ve treated me, you want me to do you a favor?” questioned Chloe with an incredulous tone.
Andrew shrugged. “Well… yeah. It certainly wouldn’t hurt.”
“You’re fucking crazy, Andrew. I’m not going to help you. I’m not your friend, I’m not even your ally anymore. After all the Taurosshit that you’ve put me through, kicking you out of this stupid castle would be the softest punishment they could give you,” the Flaafy shot back before letting out a short laugh and shaking her head seemingly in disbelief. “I never thought you were a particularly nice or mean Pokemon, at first. Mirage completely neglected those of us outside of the city. When I heard that you even knew who we were, that you knew about my mom, I had some optimism. I thought that maybe the new king wouldn’t be so bad.”
Andrew furrowed his brow. “I’m not a king. I’m the president.”
“You’re like Mirage, if the council completely sidelined him. I heard that’s what they did around the end of his reign, but then he pushed back. And then you came along! What a strange coincidence,” the Flaaffy remarked with a smirk.
Andrew stomped his foot. Who does she think she is? She comes into my office, berates me, calls me a king, and worst of all, she swears at me? That’s not fair!
Andrew’s right eye twitched. His mouth began to contort into a vicious grimace, but Andrew corrected it before it could fully reshape.
“Fine. You’ve quit. That means you don’t work here anymore, and you have no right to be in this castle, especially not in my office. So, why don’t you do everyone a favor and get the hell out before I tell the guards you’re trespassing.”
Chloe smiled. It was a self-satisfied, smug, victorious expression. Andrew felt a boiling rage build up in his stomach just looking at it. With wide strides—and an almost cartoonish nature to her movements—Chloe galavanted her way to the exit, brandishing her smile all the while.
The Marshtomp began to shake. A vein on his forehead swelled and flippers curled into fists.
I’m so screwed, I’m so goddamn fucking screwed holy shit this is it for me. It’s all downhill from here. I have to make the correct decision, maybe I can make things right, Charlie. Oh, Charlie, you better believe in me.
“Wait!” cried Andrew as Chloe put her paw on the doorknob.
She turned around to face him and groaned. “What do you want?”
“Can I say something?”
She crossed her arms. “Fine, but make it quick.”
Andrew approached her. He cleared his throat and mustered up the most sincere voice he could.
“I think that when… I think that you’ve been…”
He stomped once more. “Ugh! Why is this so hard?!” He paused, taking in a deep breath.
“...I’ve never really seen myself as a bad guy. But I’ve realized over these past few months that I might not be the greatest Pokemon. Look, mistakes were made. Some people got hurt, and I feel bad about it. But I can fix things! I know that I’ve treated you like shit, Chloe. I’m sorry for how I’ve behaved. I was angry and immature…”
He wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead. “...But I don’t want to go down like this! Maybe it makes me selfish, but this can’t be how I’m remembered. I don’t deserve a favor. Hell, I probably owe you a million times over. Still, if you could find it in yourself to hold off from resigning for a few weeks, it’d mean the world to me.”
Chloe put her head down in thought. For about thirty seconds, Andrew’s office was enveloped in nothing but silence.
Without warning, the Flaaffy walked away from the door. She moved toward the large window behind Andrew’s desk. She looked at the ground several stories below, still silent.
“So?” Andrew asked before joining her by the window. “What do you say?”
She rubbed her chin, still not facing him. “I’m surprised. I didn’t expect I’d ever hear you say those things. I can’t tell if you’re saying that because you mean it or because you want something.”
“Well, nobody said it couldn’t be both!” Andrew chuckled, throwing up his flippers.
Chloe bore a weary smile. She sighed. “It’s over, Andrew. I dug our graves yesterday, and what’s done is done. I’m sorry, kind of, if you really are too.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” the Marshtomp asked, tilting his head.
“I know you probably would say it wasn’t that bad, but I couldn’t do it. I’m sorry. All of those secrets, those letters sending money everywhere, all of it stolen… I’m not a thief! But now I am!” she explained, her voice becoming more erratic. “I can’t keep that to myself! I should have moved on from all of this, I have to… but I couldn’t. I can’t live keeping this secret from everyone I robbed. My dad always told me the best medicine was the truth… and this country is sick.”
Andrew felt a chill run down his spine. His face went pale “A-Alright then. Did you tell your d-dad about what we’ve been doing? I’d assumed he’d have known.”
“H-He’s not… with us anymore,” said Chloe with a quiver in her voice, a tear running down her cheek. “But th-that’s something I’ve always lived by.”
“Then who did you tell?” interrogated Andrew.
“P-Pokemon had to -know. There was this reporter I contacted. I think his name was… Bobby Medicham?”
Andrew’s eyes widened. Any sign of kindness or sympathy, or the will to emulate those emotions, left him as soon as he registered the meaning of the sounds coming from Chloe’s mouth. His stomach rumbled. His flippers trembled. He could feel the room around him growing hotter.
“Wh-What did you just say?” asked Andrew, barely being able to force out the words as water began to bubble up from his throat.
Chloe grabbed the sides of her head. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know what else to do!” Her tears sniffles turned to sobs, and her tears into rivers. “I had to tell everyone! They had to know! I couldn’t keep it in!”
As the Flaafycried, Andrew just stood there, staring at her with his mouth agape.
“You… You’ve ruined me,” he muttered as his head shook in rage. “You’ve RUINED me!”
The Flaaffy took a deep breath as if to force her dismay back inside her, but it was no use. She covered her eyes as the tears kept flowing. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
Andrew felt lightheaded, the world spinning around him. She WAS plotting! his mind screamed. She was plotting and you did nothing, you fool!
“You bitch!” cried Andrew. “Do you understand what you’ve done?! After everything I’ve done for you, after all the money I’ve showered you in! Who were you before me? Some random fucking hick-sheep whose mom pretended to be important?!”
Chloe lurched back, shaking her head ferociously and squeezing her eyes shut.
“This is what I get, betrayal? How dare you!” Andrew screamed at the top of his lungs.
His logical side was not just gone, it was dead. There were no rational thoughts rushing through his head—no thoughts telling him that this was all part of Chloe’s plan—and no voice urging him to take pity on her.
Andrew began to growl, the vocalization animalistic and gravelly in nature. He didn’t command his voice to or resist it when it came. Nor did he resist as he backed up, taking slow, heavy footsteps.
There was no thinking.
There were no thoughts.
Nobody was in control.
Utterly consumed by rage, Andrew shot forward, barreling as fast as his stubby legs could. He thrusted his flippers forward.
The Flaafy didn’t have time to react. She opened her eyes just in time to see Andrew, who now also had tears streaming down his face, upon her. His flippers struck her shoulders, creating a loud SMACK .
The surprising force caused her to stumble back, losing her footing. She yelped and her feet lifted off the ground as she reeled. Her back smashed into the large window, causing it to shatter to pieces in an instant, the glass cascading down everywhere.
For Andrew, time began to stall. Chloe was falling back in slow motion. The Marshtomp gasped, trying to command his flipper to reach out and grab her, but it did not obey. His muscles were too intent on what they had just done, operating solely on anger.
The high-pitched screech of shattering glass resounded through the office. Shards of glass fell onto the Flaaffy and sliced her soft, pink skin.
Chloe’s head tilted back, fully passing through the window. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was agape in shock. Her arms followed, then her legs, glass raining down around her under the same delayed pull of gravity.
Time resumed its normal speed. Chloe completely disappeared from Andrew’s sight. He waited a moment, motionless.
Did she just…. Did I just? his thoughts blathered, the impact of what he had done not quite registered. No, she’s fine. We’re not that far up. She’s tough, right? Yeah! I mean she probably tripped after I—no stop—it’s not my fault. What just… Chloe?
Suddenly from below, there was a distant soft, dull, unmistakable thud .
Andrew stood still as a statue for what felt like an eternity, but in truth was only a couple of minutes. Minutes of him frozen, staring at the night sky, occasionally allowing himself the luxury of a breath. A wind blew across the darkening horizon, with a soft, melancholy whistle, and a chill across Andrew’s damp skin.
Finally, he regained control of his body, bringing his flippers up to his mouth and eliciting an emphatic, pained gasp.
Slowly and carefully, so as to avoid the shards of glass, Andrew stepped forward. He slowly turned his gaze to the grass below, reluctant to confirm what he had done was real.
A horrible sensation erupted from his stomach. Something wanted to force its way up, something burning and bubbling and intense, but it was not water or mud. His insides were twisting into painful, tight knots.
I just… Chloe, I… Oh shit oh shit oh shit what did I do what did I what did I do! No no no no no no…!
Andrew Marshtomp tried to squeeze his eyes shut. They did not obey. His mouth twisted into a horrified, pained frown. It then hung open, the utter shock at Chloe’s dilapidated corpse freezing it in place Tears flooded down the sides of his face as he let out a panicked screech, continuing to stare at the Flaaffy’s body as the sound filled the evening air.
The Marshtomp retreated back into the safety of his office. He backed away slowly, the ground outside disappearing from view. He turned around and his stride became quicker, then quicker. He broke out into a sprint, until he was at his office door. He quickly grabbed the door handle and flung it open before sprinting down the hall as though the floor under his feet was chasing him.
A strange smile came upon his face as he ran faster and faster.
Maybe… maybe it never happened! It’s all just a daydream, Chloe’s not… I can schedule another meeting with her tomorrow, I can convince her not to quit…! Yeah, that’ll make it okay! She’s still… it’ll all be okay!