The Pulled String
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The whole thing... it was a bit of a shock. Rhodes had grown up in that forest, as far back as he could remember. He knew much of it by heart and could always find his way around it. Better than most of his Sneasel brethren, even! To see the trees felled everywhere by Sorbet’s rampage left an empty feeling, like he was looking at his home destroyed. Of course, many villagers would now have that feeling, but it was one he would understand better than they might realize. The Sneasel hardly even kept his eyes forward as he traveled on, distracted by the displeasing scenery.
“Hey... it’s not that bad, you know...”
Apparently, his feelings didn’t go unnoticed by the Dragonite following alongside him. She had taken to using her wings to hover, rather than wander as he did on two legs. The gentle beating noise they made was hardly even noticeable after a while, falling into a rhythm that Rhodes had gotten used to. So much so, that he’d almost forgotten she was accompanying him until she spoke up.
“Isn’t it?” Rhodes replied, lifting his head to look up to the larger Dragonite. She didn’t look happy, though neither did he. The worried Sneasel clasped his big claws together in front of himself, once again averting his gaze as he spotted another downed tree, outright snapped in two. “I’ve never seen the forest this way. It’s kinda scary...”
Abruptly, the beating of Udon’s wings came to an end as she lowered her large form to the ground, opting to walk alongside Rhodes. He wasn’t certain why, until he noticed she was still looking at him. Then, he realized it: she was staring at his scar. His first reaction was to look away nervously, shielding the offending mark with one of his large claws. Other Pokemon actually didn’t stare at it very often... even he didn’t quite realize he was so self-conscious about it.
“Did you stop following him around after he... you know...” Udon tried to ask. Her voice trailed off though. She seemed reluctant to finish, perhaps realizing that such a question was kind of insensitive. As a result, she stuttered into awkward silence. It wasn’t often that someone would leave Udon speechless. Living her life in the care of Merlot, she wouldn’t have been able to imagine what it was like to be in the care of someone who would leave a life-long mark on your face out of spur-of-the-moment anger.
Regardless of how sensitive it was or wasn’t, Rhodes voiced a calmed sigh, and let his claw rest at his side as he walked. Once again, his three-pronged facial scar was visible. There wasn’t a real point in hiding it, anyway. “He was no good. I would have been no good too, if I just kept listening to him,” he began. “I just... wish... hm?”
Something was off. There was a commotion in the distance that caused Rhodes to perk up all of a sudden. “What is it?” Udon attempted to ask, only to be shushed hastily by Rhodes. She may have been confused by the gesture, but it had to happen. He needed silence. He needed to hear this.
Approaching closer, Rhodes could gradually make out more and more of what was being said, with a now-curious Dragonite following closely behind him. Unfortunately, she did not share his acute sense of hearing.
“... if they won’t even … you’re wasting your time!”
“No … wrong! You can’t make us do that!”
“Well... you don’t have much choice in the matter, huh?”
The conversation got clearer as Rhodes closed in on the source of what was going on. His approach wouldn’t be stealthy, due mostly in part to the company of Udon. However, he was nervous. If some of the straggling gang members were involved, a fight might break out. It’d be nice to have a big, strong Dragonite backing him up in such a case.
Stepping turned to sprinting and nimble leaping over any obstacle in his path. Was Udon keeping up? He only had sound to go on as his eyes were busy spotting forward, but he could hear those wings of hers beating again as she once again took flight.
“What’s that noise..?”
They knew. It had to happen fast, before they tried to cover up whatever they were doing. As quickly as he could, Rhodes sprinted, pushing his claws flat against most trees that neared his sides along the way, just for that crucial bit of momentum provided.
As he dreaded, the sight unfolded from behind several obscuring tree trunks. Fellow Sneasels. Five of them. Two, he recognized as friends that followed him to Tao, to live a better life. The other three... he didn’t know so well. Most worrying was the fact that his two friends were bound to one of the trees that was still standing strong, at the mercy of the other three. There was no time to survey further; depending on how Slasher trained these three, the captives could very well be in grave danger!
“Stop right there!” Rhodes yelled, frustrated that, yet again, his former gang brethren couldn’t get along. The three Sneasels who were antagonizing his bound friends turned to face him with unimpressed glares and outright sneering, though their victims were a mixture of surprised and hopeful. It would have been a little intimidating for Rhodes to stand up to them... but if he didn’t, who would?
“Heh! If it isn’t the little traitor!” the tallest of the three remarked. Not at all deterred, he stepped forward while the other two stayed close to their captives. His appearance was bedraggled, looking as though he’d had a scuffle or two already. Once he approached Rhodes, an unsettling smirk crossed his face. “I was wondering if you were gonna show up. Guess he was right.”
Those were words that lead into an ambush if he ever heard them. Suddenly, Rhodes found himself putting one foot backwards, ready to book it if something went wrong. “I dunno who you’re listenin’ to, but I’m not leaving without them, so cut ‘em down!” he demanded. Trap or no trap, he came out here to bring them back safely, and he would one way or another.
The supposed leader of the three simply scoffed, crossing his arms in front of himself. “Yeah? You and what army?” he asked with a confident chuckle, eliciting minor laughter from his apparent lackeys behind him. However, they’d become so complacent with the fact that their target had shown up, that they forgot one thing. The noise of beating wings had gotten closer.
Right above them, in fact. The downed trees gave enough of a break in the forest canopy for a rather large, uniform-clad Dragonite to let herself harmlessly drop through, landing behind the leader and in front of his lackeys. The scuffed-looking Sneasel turned in surprise to face the beast, only to see the surprised looks on his captives, and his two partners immediately running for their lives.
“H-hey!” the remaining, now-surrounded Sneasel yelled out, “get back here, ya cowards!”
Before he knew it, the Sneasel was lifted up... by his head. The Dragonite had outright grasped it in her entire claw. All of the flailing he immediately attempted was futile. Perhaps worse for him, he could hear a girlish giggle emanate from her as she watched him try. How embarrassing!
Of course, Rhodes couldn’t get enough of this. All that big talk, and look what happened! It was enough to make him giggle along with Udon, forgetting all the frustration he’d built up before. He looked up to the elevated Sneasel with a bright smile, “I guess ‘he’ didn’t tell you about Miss Udon, huh?”
The captor-turned-captive grunted with anger, only to be swiveled around as the Dragonite performed an about-face. He was now facing the two Sneasels he’d tied up, both of which looking upon him with amusement.
“Cut them down, okay?” Udon asked rather nicely. However, the Sneasel in her grasp didn’t play along, sulking and crossing his arms. With another giggle, she added, “Did you know? I can crush a Watmel Berry in one claw!”
That sure got his rear in gear. With some minor flailing, the Sneasel began reaching out, attempting to cut the looping rope with his claws. He snapped one loop... only to be interrupted.
“Are you really going to go down without a fight? Sheesh!”
Rhodes and Udon alike turned their attention to the right, where the voice seemed to have originated. From the top of the nearest tree in that direction, a strange figure lowered itself. It was a Banette! All the way down from the branches to the ground, it fell at a feather’s pace, posing as though it was lying on its side and propping its head up on its elbow for dramatic effect.
“Uhm...” Rhodes began, not at all knowing where this was going. He’d never seen this Pokemon before. From the looks of it, neither had his two friends, or Udon. “Who are you?”
“I think the better question is, who’re you?” the Banette asked in retaliation. As though lifted with some sort of unseen strings, he was pulled from side-laying position to stand up, placing his arms behind himself and pacing directly toward Rhodes.
This seemed to make Udon uneasy. “Hey, no funny business!” she demanded, swinging herself around once more to face the approaching Banette. Unfortunately for the Sneasel she was still holding, this turned out to be a bit of an uncomfortable ride for him.
“It ain’t funny business, doll. It’s just business,” the Banette responded. He now stood before Rhodes. Like the Sneasel currently in Udon’s grasp, he was somewhat taller, so he looked down upon the scar-faced pathfinder. That zipper-like mouth of his contorted into an unsettling grin. “Take a look at this guy,” he said, gesturing toward the Sneasel that was now hanging in Udon’s grasp without any struggle whatsoever. In fact, he looked a little dazed. “He doesn’t respect you, and he ain’t gonna start now just because you had somebody else beat him up, right?”
This didn’t add up. Rhodes didn’t trust this guy one bit. In fact, a certain feature made him rather uneasy. This Banette’s face was bearing a patch, probably to hide some sort of rip in his cloth-like body. However, the patch looked remarkably similar to a facial scar on his left cheek. Needless to say, it made Rhodes nervous. “I don’t think it’s really your business...”
The strange Banette leaned his head in closer, which forced Rhodes to take a step back. His uneasy feelings became rather obvious. “Didn’t you kids always settle this with one of your little canopy duels in the gang? Seemed like there was no question on who to listen to after one of those...”
Immediately, Rhodes went wide-eyed with shock. “How do you know about that?!” he yelled. Even his two bound friends seemed surprised. That was an activity they never spread outside of the gang, for fear of being caught unaware while doing it. The fact that this Banette they’d never seen before knew it... and that scar... it was enough for an uncertain fear to begin building within Rhodes.
The Sneasel in Udon’s claw didn’t seem fazed at all, however. In fact, a bit of a smirk came over his face. “You’re nothin’! I’m gonna tell everybody you had to have one of Merlot’s stooges help you!” he threatened.
Udon herself didn’t take to this very well. “Stooge?!” she exclaimed, lifting the smart-mouthed Sneasel up and rearing back with all of her might. It looked as though she was going to spike him to the ground like a football.
“Miss Udon!” Rhodes interjected, immediately running to her side while the strange puppet-ghost watched with amusement. Thankfully, it caused her to pause her motion, not immediately going through with forcibly planting the now-terrified Sneasel in the ground. Rhodes gazed up at the lifted Sneasel, and their eyes met for that moment. He knew it had to be this way.
“... I’ll do it... let him down, please.”
A minor glare gave way to the idea that Udon didn’t like this. Still, after a moment of contemplation, she sighed, and reluctantly released the Sneasel, letting him drop into the grass with an unceremonious thud. “Fine...” she agreed, crossing her arms and turning her head away with a huff, “I just hope you know what you’re doing!”
The now-freed Sneasel gave a brief rub to the back of his own neck, perhaps feeling the strain from being held in such a brutish manner. Still, all things considered, he looked no worse than he started out. He acted no worse either, given that he immediately reared back and hopped to his feet in an agile display.
“Um... miss dragon lady?” a meek voice called out. It caught Udon’s attention, bringing her out of her sulking as she averted her gaze to one of the two Sneasels that were bound to a tree before. It would seem that they had managed to wiggle free, just from the one cut in the loop made prior. Rather than run in terror like their antagonizing brethren, they stuck around. “... Thank you!” he said after a moment of fidgeting.
Slasher’s gang members were generally aware of Merlot’s distaste for them. This would be a first, in which any of them actually felt grateful toward one of her servants. It would seem that some were following the example Rhodes was setting. Tickled by the very idea, this lightened Udon’s expression right up! “Oh... how sweet!” she exclaimed, pressing her own plump claws together pleasantly. “I’ll have to tell Lady Merlot that you’ve developed manners, she’ll be very impressed!”
The display made the more antagonistic Sneasel scoff. “See? You’re already ruinin’ our reputation!” he accused. Both he and Rhodes had begun making distance between each other, each approaching a different standing tree. “If I win, all three of you gotta do what I say, got it? No more of this bein’ buddy-buddy with Merlot crap!”
This was risky... what if he did lose? No, he couldn’t think that way. It was distracting. Rhodes placed one of his claws up against the trunk of the nearest tree, gazing toward his adversary. He was doing the same, ready to partake in their gang’s so-called decision-making process. There was something else that was distracting, though.
That Banette. Rhodes shot a glance over to him. Ever since he’d instigated this, he was silent. He just watched like a quiet spectator, always with a grin of interest.
No! Another distraction. Answers would have to wait. The other Sneasel was already clawing his way up one of the trees, prompting Rhodes to do the same. Both of them watched each other for the few moments they still could, until they disappeared into the leafy canopy above, leaving nothing but sound and smell to guide them to each other.
“How does this work..?” Udon asked, peeking up at the leaves above. She was the only one among them who honestly had no idea what was going on, it would seem.
“It’s pretty simple,” the Banette replied, perhaps the only other pokemon present who shouldn’t know what was happening. He turned his gaze to Udon, outstretching his arms in a casual, disdainful shrug, “First one to hit the ground loses. That’s it.”
To everyone below, it was almost impossible to follow except by the occasional rustle of leaves. For Rhodes, it was a tense bout of survival. His every move along the branches mattered. Slow and silent, or quick and evasive. It was all a matter of adapting to the situation.
On foot and claw, Rhodes crawled over the sturdiest branches he could. Every crack, every creak, even the sound of leaves against his fur as he moved, could give him away. His opponent had the same weakness, though. It was the nature of this competition to exploit these things, but more importantly, to avoid being exploited.
This practice was kept secret from outsiders, because it was how they put to the test their expertise in traversing and tracking within the forest. There was never a tougher target than a fellow gang member. They knew all the tricks, and maybe more.
Rustling. They were both doing it as they moved. The question was never whether they could attain complete silence in search of each other -- in the treetops, it was impossible. Their senses were too sharp to miss the sounds of moving leaves and branches. Trickery and cleverness were key.
A louder rustle. The other Sneasel was close. Rhodes planned accordingly, planting his feet and claws on the same extended branch in a perched position. If there was an opportunity to pounce, either toward or away, he would have to take it. The abundance of leaves masked clear vision of his target, but he could see it. The tinges of black fur moving along. However...
Rhodes made a mistake. He attempted to leap through the leaves at what he saw, attempting to end the engagement quickly... only to have his adversary hop and grab a higher branch, leaving him at a disadvantage. Before Rhodes could do more than gain footing on the new branch and hastily look upward, his error had already cost him. In one quick swipe, the other Sneasel had grabbed one of the hanging ends of his green scarf.
In a panic, Rhodes began to tug away. He realized this could be the end right away if he didn’t do something drastic. The other Sneasel had begun to pull, attempting to make him lose balance. It was also starting to work. His footing was being lost, leaving him little choice. A heavy lurch away from his assailant freed him, at the cost of ripping his scarf free. He wouldn’t get a chance to survey the damage until he was able to slink away, but at least he’d be able to.
On along several branches Rhodes leaped, turning his head to notice he wasn’t followed. That was to be expected. Committing to a chase usually had to be quite thought-out, in these cases. This gave Rhodes precious moments to think. In one of his large claws, he lifted the end of his scarf and peered down at it. Gazing upon the two gashes left upon it caused a sinking feeling to well up inside him. If not for the advent of a sudden idea, he might not have perked back up.
“Yer lucky that wasn’t yer feathers!” the other Sneasel taunted. He was creeping around once more. Whether he was looking for a vantage to strike from, or another trick to pull, Rhodes couldn’t be sure. It wouldn’t matter, if his idea worked. He slid a claw between his neck and his scarf, tugging the accessory from his body. To mask the sound it made, he began to move once more, creeping in the opposite direction of his opponent. Leaves rustled against his fur, and so did the cloth he removed, leaving the scarf draped loosely over his claw.
The other Sneasel was stalking him. He could hear it. Perfect. Rhodes surveyed above himself for a sturdy branch to leap higher to. Not just any branch, though. One that was well-concealed by the many leaves. Eventually, he crept upon one, and leapt right up to it. It was just sturdy enough that there was only minor swaying, though that was enough to gain attention.
The taller, bedraggled Sneasel finally closed in on Rhodes’s position. He managed to spot that green scarf hanging in the sea of equally-green leaves. An impressive feat to anyone else, though one that was natural for their sharp eyes. It was the kind of thing one would easily overlook, and he was going to take full advantage. With a hearty pounce, the branch he was on cracked and wobbled. It’d likely be unsafe to put weight on again, committing him to his attempt to pull Rhodes down by the scarf!
That was the cue. The hanging scarf pulled up like a lure, causing the pouncing Sneasel to look up as he adjusted his shaky footing on the branch he just transferred to. The only thing he could see was the tinges of black fur past the leaves... followed by a claw-toed foot striking him right in the face as its owner swung down from his perch.
His footing was lost.
Onlookers from the ground had been watching in suspense, barely able to see the action other than mild movements of the tree’s parts. They couldn’t see how the duel was going until the very end, when one of the Sneasels plummeted to the ground. At least the landing wasn’t gruesome, allowing him to mostly catch himself on his claws, though the force of gravity still made him buckle and roll to his side, avoiding most of the physical pain from the fall. It looked as though his ego was bruised more than anything else.
Shortly after, Rhodes fell as well, landing much more gracefully at the other Sneasel’s side, on his feet. His scarf was still in his claw. Having outlived its usefulness as bait, it was thrown back over his own neck and tightened. Rhodes turned to see the surprise on his comrades’ faces become excited joy... and then he turned to the Banette. It was staring at him. That smile, it was even more unsettling now. Did he want this to happen? Rhodes shot the puppet-like ghost a brief glare as their red eyes met each other, before turning back to the grounded Sneasel.
The scarred pathfinder extended his claw to the downed Sneasel, who looked up to him, defeated. Rhodes took a turn for the cheerful, flashing him a smile. “I didn't wanna do that just to beat you up, ya know. We should all work together instead of fightin',” he explained. His extended claw was like an olive branch, of sorts. It seemed to confuse the other Sneasel, making him look away.
“Why should I do anything you say? Yer just disrespectin' the boss, sidin' us with the villagers...” the downed Sneasel defied, refusing to look Rhodes in the eye.
“It's... it's not about whether or not we respect the boss,” Rhodes replied. It was a bit tougher than he thought to say such a thing. Bitterness overflowed within him toward Slasher, but... that was his own problem. It wouldn't help to dwell on it here, if he wanted to get through to this Sneasel. “Nobody will ever respect us if we just keep tryin' to bully people just because we can. He's gone, but we still have to live here, and we gotta do it our own way.”
With that statement, Rhodes reached his claw out a little more, as if to offer it further. “We've got a chance to get respect by helpin' everyone, instead of just helpin' ourselves. Do you really wanna keep robbin' the villagers when we get so much more outta helpin' 'em out? Come on...”
The grounded Sneasel was clearly confused. It was a new way of thinking to a lot of the old gang members. Eventually, he began pulling himself to his feet before Rhodes. It wasn't certain what he thought about the speech he was given as their gazes met... until his claw met the one offered to him, cupping the two together in a handshake of sorts.
“I still dunno about this... but you make a lotta sense. It might be better than sittin' out here bein' hungry every night...” the Sneasel surrendered, bringing a smile to Rhodes's face. The other present Sneasels cheered with happiness from behind Udon, having stuck around for the entire duel.
As expected, so did that Banette. After the resolution, he approached behind Rhodes, seeming to float as he moved, and put one of his soft, stuffed hands upon the boy's shoulder. It startled him momentarily, causing him to drop the handshake he was performing.
“Touching. Now that you've got all that squared away, I need you to take me somewhere,” the Banette revealed.
It was shady at best. Rhodes peered at the red-eyed ghost for a moment, then averted his gaze back to the Sneasel he'd just recruited to his cause. “You and my other friends should go meet the rest of the villagers at Merlot's castle. They're staying there for now,” he instructed, before turning and approaching Udon, who had been onlooking with amusement, interest, or both. He couldn't be sure. He did, however, miss the part where the Sneasel, who was now behind him, became quite worried at the mention of going to Merlot's castle. “Can you please make sure they get there, Miss Udon?”
For once, Udon looked a little troubled. “Well... we still have to go to Tao to extend Lady Merlot's invitation to the rest...”
“Ah! That's right! ...” Rhodes responded. He had almost forgotten about that in all the commotion... especially when there was something very troubling nagging at the back of his mind, due to that Banette.
One of the friendlier Sneasels stepped out from behind Udon to speak up, “We can go on ahead, I think... there's prolly so much goin' on there, they won't notice us join up with the rest of the villagers, right?”
“Now hang on!” The 'new recruit' stomped forward in a fuss, quickly gaining the attention of everyone else. “I don't remember agreein' to go to Merlot!” he exclaimed. His eyes then wandered to Udon once more, who looked just a little bit ticked-off. That was enough to settle him down a bit, clasping his claws together as he peeked away with sheepish nervousness. “I uh... I mean, she's kinda scary, is all...”
Fortunately, this admittance was enough to appease Udon. “Oh, is that all that’s bothering you?” she asked in a bubbly, cheerful voice. “Lady Merlot is very busy. Though she’s graciously extended her castle as a temporary home to all Tao villagers, you’ll still be far beneath her notice!”
This seemed to calm the worried Sneasel down, at least a little. “So uh... no maid stuff?”
The question caused Udon to stare at the one who asked it for a moment, only to burst into laughter. “Goodness, no! Lady Merlot outright despises the idea of Sneasel servants. Your figures and body colors don’t make her favorite outfits stand out well enough for her tastes. You’re still welcome to a room, though.”
Every Sneasel present felt a moment of mild awkwardness, learning this fact. Still, it was... good news? More or less, anyway. Relations between Merlot and the Sneasels of the forest were shaky at best, though at least with Slasher out of the way, there was room for improvement. … Hopefully not in any way that would make them appealing as servants, but still.
“Well...” the Sneasel pondered, thinking it over momentarily, “... okay. I’m boltin’ if it ain’t how you say it is, though!” With that, he and the two more agreeable Sneasels congregated, and began heading off in the direction of the castle.
However, one did stop and turn to Rhodes briefly. “Um... thanks for helpin’ us out,” he said, before flashing a glance to the ever-present Banette, then back to Rhodes, “... be careful, okay?”
Though there was impending worry in Rhodes’s heart, he returned a smile to his concerned friend. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon. Make sure to try the food there; it’s really good, and they have lots of it!”
With that, the other Sneasel parted on pleasant terms, leaving only Rhodes, Udon, and the strange Banette together.
Rhodes had said he would head to Tao with Udon, but... he had to get to the bottom of this. It was important. “Miss Udon...” he began, though not taking his eyes off of the Banette, who looked somewhat impatient by now. “I think you should go ahead to the village without me.”
“I’m not sure about leaving you with... whoever this is!” Udon replied, briefly scowling at the Banette, who hadn’t really been much more than rude this whole time. He seemed thoroughly unfazed by the notion.
“I’ve gotta find something, and I was told he’s the best. Like I said, it’s business,” the Banette chimed in. All things considered, he’d been remarkably calm about the events that had taken place.
Hiding some building frustration, Rhodes gave Udon a reassuring glance. “I’ll be fine... everybody’s counting on at least one of us to go to Tao right now! I’ll catch up when we’re done here, okay?”
Though Udon began turning around, she still hesitated. That wasn’t enough to put her mind at ease. It was entirely possible that nothing would, in this case. It wasn’t as though she didn’t also notice certain similarities, here.
However, Rhodes remained confident. “I’ll be there, I promise!” he assured once more. Perhaps the worst part was the Banette watching this exchange with amusement. Whatever was going through his head, Rhodes didn’t like it.
Finally, Udon flashed a brief smile. “Okay... see you soon!” she bid farewell, beating those powerful wings of hers to take flight above the trees. In the end, it was probably better this way, as she covered ground much faster while flying unhindered.
And so there were two. The Banette scoffed and trudged over to the nearest tree, leaning against it casually. “Well, you managed to get all of your buddies to take a hike before saying a single thing to me. What gives?” he asked, never wiping that grin from his own face.
With everyone else gone, Rhodes felt as though he could be more straightforward with the puppet-like ghost. It may have been a little scary, but he needed to know what was going on here. “I wanna know why you know stuff about our gang... and I wanna know why you have that scar! Is this some kinda joke to you or what?!” Rhodes asked, raising his voice more and more as he let his frustration come through loud and clear.
“Easy, kid! I ain’t flesh and blood like you,” the Banette shot back, reaching up to point at the mark on his cheek. “It’s a patch. That stupid little “tailor” cut my face ‘cause he was stumbling around with scissors. This is what he called fixing it,” he explained, picking at the soft cloth on his cheek in brief dismay. “I got no clue why it bugs you, unless you just think it’s that ugly, in which case I agree.”
“Oh... uh...” Rhodes didn’t expect that sort of answer. Right away, some of his suspicions started to feel out of place. The strange puppet-like ghost didn’t quite act like who he was reminding Rhodes of. It did connect this particular Banette to the one that was assaulting the tailors, though! With a perk of his feathery ear, Rhodes pointed accusingly toward the ghost, “Hey! You better not have hurt Winston! Mr. Chrys will be really mad!”
In response to such accusations, the Banette frowned for the first time, looking agitated. “What do you take me for, kid? Did I not just finish telling you how he cut my face wide open?! I didn’t lay a finger on him!” he explained, crossing his arms in a huff. “After he told me about you, I told him he was a worthless tailor and kicked him out of the hut,” the Banette concluded, though after a brief moment of thought, he outstretched one of his arms and rolled his eyes, adding, “eh... metaphorically, of course. He probably could’ve used a real kick in the ass, though.”
This was a lot to take in at once, and still didn’t answer everything on Rhodes’s mind. His stance relaxed somewhat, though. The more the Banette talked, the less of a threat he seemed... though he was still a jerk. “Seems kinda harsh... but you didn’t answer before. How do you know stuff about our gang?” Rhodes asked once more. It was the more important question to him, when it came down to it.
“Heh... well, that’s the mystery!” the Banette replied, returning to his previous state of being happy for no apparent reason. “I know bits and pieces of stuff. I shouldn’t, but I do. That’s where you come in,” he explained, leaving his relaxed lean to pace toward an untrusting Rhodes. “You’ll help me get to the bottom of this, right?”
Things were starting to come together... or maybe Rhodes’s imagination was being over-active. He couldn’t be sure. Still somewhat nervous, he took a step back as the Banette approached. “W-well... how can I help with that? I don’t... I mean, I don’t know how to handle ghosts. Maybe you should ask Mr. Devonshire...”
The Banette stopped in his tracks, seeming surprised to hear that name. However, he quickly disregarded it with a shake of his head, not at all letting it break his somewhat creepy stride. “I don’t need whoever that is. I already know what’s going on, y’see,” he explained, beginning to pace around Rhodes in a circle. The young Sneasel’s gaze never broke from him, in a continued show of distrust. “I can’t remember a lot of stuff, only bits and pieces. Aside from that, I keep getting a nagging feeling to come to this forest. So, I come here, and...” he trailed off momentarily, stopping in his tracks and turning his head to meet Rhodes’s gaze, “... I remembered more. The feeling’s still there too. It’s tellin’ me to go somewhere important, but I don’t know where. That’s where you come in!”
Rhodes couldn’t help but be a little confused. This was an issue that went over his head, somewhat. “So... it’ll help you remember stuff if we go somewhere? How does that work?”
“Hell if I know,” the Banette replied. A hint of annoyance in his tone suggested that perhaps he was getting tired of the nonstop questions. “I don’t know anything for sure except that I woke up in that stupid hut with that stupid little face-butchering fuzzball. It’s like the whole rest of my life doesn’t exist, unless I can figure this out,” he explained, while pacing further away. His head eventually turned to look back at Rhodes, showing that his oddly cheerful demeanor was beginning to wane. “Are you gonna help me or not?”
That sounded kind of sad, when it was put that way. Rhodes couldn’t help but give it some actual thought. “Well... normally Mr. Shroomsworth says I should charge, and Miss PK says ‘No freebies unless they’re gonna die’, but...” he thought aloud, pondering to himself with a claw held up to his lower lip. Rhodes himself was now curious as to what would happen if he did this. “Can you tell me... uh... anything? We have more than one important place here!”
This brightened the Banette’s expression right up. “Hey, you’re a pal! I almost feel bad about... uh... ... your friends getting tied up, yeah! Glad that’s over!” With that sudden hasty admittance out of the way, he began looking about at nothing in particular, as if discerning a direction. “I dunno... I remember water. Lots of rushing water! Like a river, y’know?”
A river? … That was an interesting coincidence. However, many more activities went on at the riversides in Creeping Forest than... well, the most recent death. Perhaps taking him up the river rather than straight to the waterfall would cause something to give, and put to rest the notion that the Banette was who he resembled. “That’s easy! It’s not far this way,” Rhodes called out, beginning to hike in the direction of the river. He was always excited to put his knowledge to the test for someone, even in this case.
And so, the Banette followed in full, jolly steps, somehow easily able to eventually catch up alongside Rhodes. It was an interesting choice for him to walk, considering he seemed to have the ability to float. Furthermore... after all that chatting, the trek was conspicuously silent.
It made Rhodes worry, as his imagination went wild again. What if this was all some big prank? Or maybe some sort of actual, dangerous trick? Should he really be doing this? Maybe the ghost wants to hurt him..? If that was the case though, why didn’t he hurt Winston, even after Winston cut his face? The more Rhodes thought about it... the more he realized he wanted to do this. If the Banette remembered what he needed to, it’d answer all of these questions.
Minutes of walking went by. The silence remained unbroken for a time. For Rhodes, it felt a little awkward. Not to mention, a slight bit physically uncomfortable. He was enjoying the cold weather, but since Sorbet was dealt with, things rapidly became rather warm again, giving him little time to adjust.
“What’s with you?” the Banette suddenly asked. He leaned his head in close to Rhodes as they walked, which forced Rhodes to lean, and eventually distance himself slightly, “Are you... scared? Heh!”
“No..!” Rhodes shot back defiantly, appearing a little flustered. “I just... I don’t really know you, okay? Please don’t get in my face and stuff...” the young Sneasel politely requested. He was never much of the type to pick fights with anyone, and despite his distrust of the Banette aside him, he wasn’t going to start now.
Surprisingly, the Banette backed off, though not without a brief scoff. “Eh, you’re no fun. Not like we’ve had a chance to know each other!” he complained. His zipper-mouth curled into a more heartfelt smile as he continued to gaze toward the uncomfortable Sneasel, “The name’s Gnasher. That enough of a good start for ya?”
Gnasher... the coincidences just piled up. Rhodes gritted his teeth at the thought of such a similarity and stopped in his tracks. At this point, he felt like he was being toyed with, and he didn’t like it one bit.
The Banette walked a few more steps before realizing this, then stopped to look back, puzzled. He raised a brow, then turned to face Rhodes, “What?”
“Just... just stop it!” Rhodes exclaimed, throwing his claws in the air. He’d never been so frustrated in his life, and he couldn’t hide it anymore. He pointed one of them at the offending ghost accusingly, “You have that patch that looks like his scar, you somehow know stuff about our gang that you’re not supposed to, and your name is almost the same! Tell me why... or...--”
“Hey! You got some nerve, kid!” Gnasher yelled and interrupted. He frowned in anger, balling his fists and throwing his arms forward in a gesture of his own frustration, “I told you before, I got no idea what you’re going on about! Whoever you’re thinking about can screw off, ‘cause it’s not me! Know why I know anything about your stupid gang? I sure don’t! I can hardly think straight for all the garbage floating around in my head!!”
Despite the fact that Rhodes still felt like his anger was justified... it was fading. Did he really not know anything? It made sense... if Slasher were standing before him, he’d be acting much differently. “... Is that really true? If you’re messin’ with me, I’m not gonna take it!” Rhodes warned, gritting his teeth tensely. He hadn’t felt that upset in a while... though maybe the sudden hotter day didn’t help matters for him.
“You think I’m gonna pull something?! I’m going nuts here! I need your help!” Gnasher exclaimed. He no longer looked as though he was angry, more like... worried. His aggressive stance drooped, and his tone quieted to match, “I need to figure out what all these thoughts I keep having are. They take over every time I try to think at all. I can’t go on like this!”
He sounded like he was pleading. “Eh... um...” Rhodes stammered. If this was some kind of trap, he’d be falling right into it... but if it wasn’t, it’d be horrible of him to just let Gnasher lose his mind. It took him a moment to resolve to do so, but he once again began taking steps in the direction of the river, past Gnasher, “... I’m sorry. Let’s just go, okay? I don’t wanna fight.”
It took a moment for Gnasher to begin following, seemingly in disbelief. “You really mean it? Huh...” he remarked, beginning to stride along to catch up.
Once again, they resumed their trek, but with some tension out of the way. It was a welcome thing, really. The only question was... what was going to happen when they got to their destination?
The answer would become apparent soon enough. As the two moved forward, the shimmering surface of flowing water became visible through the obscuring tree trunks. Perhaps both feeling a bit of caution, the Sneasel and Banette approached the bank of the river. The water flowed at a brisk pace, leading to an eventual waterfall, though that wasn’t in sight.
Rhodes hoped they wouldn’t have to go there. They stepped right up to the bank, able to stare into the clear water, but his eyes averted. They wandered toward Gnasher. He had to know what would happen here, perhaps just as much as Gnasher needed to know. The whole situation with him was so... strange, maybe otherworldly. He had heard that sometimes ghost-types worked in odd ways, but this was quite an overwhelming introduction to that fact.
Alongside Rhodes, Gnasher was peeking into the water... but something was different. His gaze was becoming increasingly intense, as though he could see something. … Could he? Curious, but still cautious, Rhodes edged ever-so-slightly closer, “Um... what do you see?”
No response, at first. The Banette just stared into the water without distraction. The way he eventually lifted his head and turned away from Rhodes was more than a little unsettling. There was no response to the question, not even a reaction. Gnasher simply began walking downstream.
However... that wasn’t even the creepy part. He began speaking. It was tough for Rhodes to discern at first, even as he tried to follow along at the ghost’s side while he walked. The Banette, like the rest of his kind, didn’t speak with his zipper-like mouth, making reading his lips impossible. However, Gnasher went from mumbling to giving a full, coherent speech, all while his eyes fixated forward in some sort of trance.
“... they don’t care, they’d sooner let ya starve! We gotta band together... we deserve somethin’, even if they won’t give it to us! We just hafta take it...”
As the Banette’s rambling went on, Rhodes’s eyes suddenly widened with a realization. He’d heard this before, and with every spoken word, it confirmed itself further. It called back to a historic occurrence at that very riverside.
It was Slasher’s initial speech to him and his kin.
The whole speech had been forgotten to Rhodes. He was even younger then, after all. With it being recited once more right in front of him, memories were jarred. His own steps slowed down, as grim realizations took hold, and so did some confusion. This ghost was Slasher. He had to be. But... he was different. There was less anger. Less malice.
They would eventually be there, if the Banette kept trudging forward in his seemingly mindless state. That fateful drop that the rushing water was heading for. Rhodes dreaded going there... usually. In this case, he found himself nervously looking forward to it. If coming to the river itself got that kind of reaction out of the Banette... perhaps the place of Slasher’s death would put everything together. Maybe something would finally make sense.
The rumbling falls could be heard. Rhodes kept his distance from Gnasher, but still followed him. At this point, the ghost moved on his own with purpose. It didn’t even seem to matter to him whether Rhodes was there or not, which may have been fortunate, as it allowed the boy to observe without feeling endangered.
“... Bring her here, I’ll do the rest... no questions, got it?” Gnasher recited, just as he stopped. He had neared the edge of the falls, simply staring into the distance.
If Rhodes had to guess, that was regarding Sandy. Slasher’s last order to the gang, though one Rhodes wasn’t present for, to take her and throw her from the cliff. Of course, he only later learned it was all premeditated for his boss to take a shot at Shroomsworth. The very idea that he was lied to like that upset Rhodes to think about. He approached behind the seemingly dazed Banette, flipping through the options in his mind. Revenge was but a forceful slip of his claw points away, right into the Banette’s puppet-like body.
He considered it. Closer and closer, Rhodes crept behind Slasher. He still seemed to be mumbling to himself, but it was no longer coherent. Rhodes lifted one of his claws, leaving it poised to strike. It would only take a bend of his elbow, then a shove forward, and it’d all be over...
… But he couldn’t. Rhodes’s claw wouldn’t even lift into full position for such a strike, simply trembling in its attempt. It wasn’t in him to do that to anyone; especially in this case, when the Banette hardly even seemed self-aware. It always scared him that anyone else in the gang could.
Given this chance by Rhodes’s reluctance, the Banette... took a step forward. Toward the cliff. “... S-so that’s...” he managed to say clearly, relative to all the previous mumbling. It sounded less flat and entranced than before, as though he was coming back around, though in a dazed state. He gazed down into the destination of the falls below. It wasn’t dark and abyssal as it was on that one snowy night. The sun shone upon it, revealing the entire incline and the mild mist of falling water below. “... That can’t be right..!” he exclaimed with sudden worry, followed by incredulous laughter.
The Banette’s sudden regaining of senses left Rhodes on edge. What would happen now? Did he do the right thing in bringing Gnasher here? The young Sneasel took a nervous step backward... he may even have needed to run away, if it turned out to be...
“I’d never try to kill somebody! It... it can’t be me...” Gnasher exclaimed in defiance, only to wind down and sink to his knees, overlooking the cliff just ahead of him. After a moment, he reached up to touch that patch that was sewn onto his face. Then, he turned his head, facing Rhodes in shock, particularly gazing upon his scar, “You... I was a downright scumbag to you... I’m sorry.”
In any given person’s lifespan, they’d never expect someone who antagonized them to come back from the dead and apologize to them. Rhodes was just as shocked and confused as anyone would be. But... it was like he felt before. This was different. “No...” Rhodes began, retracting his earlier step backward. He wouldn’t be running away from this. “He wouldn’t ever say that. I feel like... you’re right. You can’t be him!”
“But I remember it! All the things I did! I arranged to have that Deino thrown off this cliff! I was gonna kill that Merchant just ‘cause I wanted his money!” Gnasher admitted in a panic, pulling himself to his feet and turning to face Rhodes. “That ain’t even the worst of what I remember doing, kid... I shouldn’t be alive!”
“You didn’t!” Rhodes shot back, stamping his foot in defiance. Nobody deserved to think they shouldn’t be alive, especially for a reason like that. “I knew the guy who did all that stuff! He never felt bad about any of it... he liked it. He hurt people for fun, and used us just to get what he wanted... then he hurt us too. I...” Rhodes trailed off. Dredging up such memories was beginning to make him tear up. “... I knew the stuff he was doin’. I knew him better than anybody! If he were really here right now, he’d...”
“He’d try to kill you...” Gnasher responded, finishing the thought. It would have been foreboding, if not for the self-deprecating tone he took. He lowered his head and gazed to the side in thought, “He’d kill you for talking to him like that... I ain’t gonna do that. I’m... different.” It clicked in Gnasher’s head, at that point. He seemed to get it.
To see Gnasher pondering that realization brought a feeling of cautious optimism to Rhodes. He looked on with a sniffle, reaching up to wipe his eyes dry with the back of one of his smooth claws. While doing so, his ears caught the sound of the Banette’s feet shuffling forward in a walking motion. Quickly, Rhodes lowered his claw to look, just in time to see Gnasher walk by his side, and past him. He felt a little bad that, for that brief moment, he thought something bad might happen. Still, he about-faced in order to keep the puppet-like ghost in his sights.
Gnasher appeared to be simply pacing forward, rather than doing anything dubious. It was understandable, since he had a lot to think about all of a sudden. Eventually, he turned his head to peer at Rhodes once more, having a genuine, albeit somewhat weak, smile on his face for the first time since they reached the river, “I think I can deal with this, kid. I ain’t that guy. He’s dead, and he’s staying that way.”
Rhodes couldn’t find it in himself to smile, after that emotional outburst. Still, hearing that brought him comfort that he couldn’t deny. He never liked the fact that Slasher had died, but... he didn’t want him back. That was the cold, hard truth. After the hardships Tao just went through, the last thing they needed was for Slasher to bring his hatred and selfishness back to haunt them all.
A gentle wind began to blow in the moment of silence that followed. For the first time, it wasn’t a particularly chilled one. Less desirable for Rhodes than the previous colder temperatures, of course, but it was yet another sign of normalcy as it blew along, rustling the leaves of the trees, as well as the Sneasel’s feathers, and the elongated back of the Banette’s head.
As the leaves above bounced and jittered with the minor gust, Gnasher peered up at them, apparently with interest. “Heh...” he began, turning to Rhodes and approaching him amiably. His eyes wandered to the Sneasel’s ripped scarf for a moment, and he put his own fingers up to his chin in thought, “Hmm... you were on your way to the village, right kid?”
What a strange question, all of a sudden! Still, the Banette was acting friendly enough now that a lot of the edge had been taken off for Rhodes. “Oh... yeah! I’ve gotta go there real soon!” he responded, glancing over the nearby cliff at the horizon. It told him what the canopy tended to hide: the sun had moved significantly further than he’d expected. Udon and his friends would worry if he didn’t show up soon!
Another problem would arise right at that moment. In textbook trickster fashion, Gnasher grasped Rhodes’s scarf at the neck with both of his hands, deftly unraveling it and beginning to float away backwards with it in tow. “See ya there!” he bid, as his dark form smoothly drifted between the tree trunks and quickly vanished from sight.
“Hey! Give that back!” Rhodes wouldn’t take that lying down. That scarf was important to him, after all. To others, it might have just been an article of cloth on his person, but to him, it was like a symbol of his acceptance of civilized life. Immediately, he bounded into the forest, intending to approach Tao as fast as he could! Unfortunately, he’d already lost sight of Gnasher. All that jarring of his memory must have reminded him of all of their routes, as he apparently had no problem finding his way this time. Why would he steal the scarf, after all that? It didn’t make sense...
Through the broken forest, Rhodes leapt, until he closed in on the village. At first sight, it made him forget that he hadn’t yet laid eyes on it since they had to evacuate. It was... a mess. Maybe even more of a mess than the forest. The buildings were all destroyed, and not a soul was in sight. Odd, since Udon had gone ahead of him. He could only guess that she already found all of the remaining Pokemon and already guided them away. No problem with that, really... there was still someone else he had business with, though. Not only that, he knew just where to look.
The Tao Tailor building. Built in the shape of a Leavanny’s head, it was by far the least scathed building. Fortunate, since someone was stuck inside. In fact, someone had to be inside at that very moment, as Rhodes heard faint noises. The shuffling of minor movement. Could Gnasher be in there? Maybe Winston re-entered the building since Gnasher kicked him out. Given that neither outcome was particularly threatening at this point, Rhodes simply walked right on in.
The place was a bit of a shambles since the last time Rhodes had been there. The building may not have been destroyed, but many of Chrysanthos’s supplies laid scattered. Some was clearly from the shelves, while others were likely being worked on at the time of the disaster among half-finished accessories. In the middle of it all, a familiar face toiled over the table.
“Hey kid,” the Banette welcomed, as though nothing was wrong.
“Don’t ‘hey kid’ me! You stole my scarf! Give it back!” Rhodes demanded. After all he’d done for the ghost, he didn’t feel entirely out-of-place being a bit upset at the theft. It didn’t help when he glanced down at the table and noticed that whatever was being worked on was suspiciously green.
Gnasher paused what appeared to be some sort of needle-threading to roll his eyes. “Like I’m gonna just take your stuff, give me a break! It was just theatrics. I like to show off...” he alluded, before threading a few more loops into whatever he was making. Just then, he lifted Rhodes’s scarf from the table, letting the end hang over one of his hands to show it off.
The ripped end of the scarf had been worked on... but not in a usual manner. The rips were still there, but smoothed and masked by the addition of Sneasel-like feathers over each gap. Their ends were heavily sewed into the scarf itself to keep them bound to it, though this was hidden by another addition: an oval, amber jewel, much like the ones that adorn any given Sneasel’s forehead. The jewel itself had a slot on the underside that the scarf slid into, bunching the scarf’s width into it snugly so that the jewel stayed on with ease, yet not so much as to cause an overt crease in the rest of the cloth.
Rhodes stared at the surprising addition to his accessory, and couldn’t help but be impressed. Not only by the job done on his scarf, but the fact that it was completed in such a short time. He must have had it in mind the moment he made it back to the building, and even then, it was quick!
“Those rips took part of the thing clean off. There was no way to really fix it up like new without remaking the whole damn thing, so I thought you might appreciate a custom job, yeah? I picked out some good-lookin’ feathers from what’s left on the shelves, and I even made sure the weight of the jewel wasn’t enough to be significant,” Gnasher explained, pointing at each part as he went on about it. He handed the touched-up scarf over to Rhodes, who graciously accepted it into his claws. Proud of his work, the Banette crossed his arms and scoffed, “Heh! Ya wouldn’t get more than a patchwork fix from that little cotton ball!”
In truth. Rhodes wasn’t even entirely thinking about everything Gnasher had said. The gesture itself was actually rather kind, and to him, the result actually looked pretty nice. Just as he had many times before, the Sneasel wrapped his trusty scarf over his neck, looking down at the new addition. It felt natural. “Eheh, I like it!” Rhodes eventually declared, managing a smile. Needless to say, this gift did wonders in taking out a lot of his tension from the earlier encounters. “Thank you! I didn’t know you were good at this kind of stuff!”
“Eh, neither did I,” Gnasher replied, shrugging in a mildly smug manner. “Good for showing off, though. I ain’t gonna complain about an outlet for everybody to see my genius at work!”
Had he created a lesser monster..? That sure was some confidence! Still, however grateful Rhodes was, there was still business to attend to elsewhere. His feathery ear perked as he stepped forward, placing his claws on the table and leaning forward, “Hey! Why don’t you come to Merlot’s castle with me? I bet the villagers would like to see what you can do!”
Gnasher looked away awkwardly. “Uhh... I dunno if I’m ready to tolerate that many Pokemon yet. I mean... now that I don’t have a bunch of unfinished thoughts nagging at me, it’s actually kinda peaceful to hang out on my own, and I’d kinda like it for a bit, y’know?” he explained, giving a hopeful smile. A smile that hoped for some privacy.
Looking a little saddened, Rhodes stood upright again and sighed. “I guess I understand... oh!” he perked up, looking about and leaning in order to see behind some of the shelves easier. “Um... where’s Winston?”
“Who knows, who cares. He ain’t coming back in here as long as I’ve got anything to say about it,” Gnasher declared rather nonchalantly. His distaste for Winston was almost as impressive as his good qualities, somehow.
Impressive as it may have been, it still worried Rhodes. “Don’t you think you’re bein’ kinda mean to him..?” he questioned, crossing his arms as though he was making a point. After all that had transpired before, he’d expected a little better.
“Look, I ain’t gonna go killing or torturing anybody... but I ain’t here to be nice to little no-talent fuzzballs who slice my perfect face open,” Gnasher complained, rummaging through various things until he found a blank piece of paper, and a pencil with which to write upon it, “so he can plant himself outside the door if he really wants to be here. I’ll be in here, enjoying the peace and quiet.”
It was definitely not nice to Winston, and Rhodes still didn’t like it. Still, compared to what it could have been, it was at least fairly harmless. As the Banette began scribbling ideas onto paper, Rhodes decided to turn and take his leave. “Everybody’ll be coming back here soon enough, probably. See you then, if you’re still here.”
“Yeah yeah, I’ll be here,” Gnasher replied, looking up from his work briefly. He flashed one last grin at Rhodes, “Got nowhere else to go.”
The Banette was left to his devices, for the time being.
Rhodes took one last look at the destruction around him before he’d attempt to catch up with everyone else. It gave him the same feeling as when he observed the forest, like his home was destroyed. In a way, he could appreciate that both locations gave him the same feeling. A silver lining, of sorts. With his newly-adorned scarf in tow, the Sneasel hastily made his way for the imposing Draclugia Castle.
The villagers of Tao would have a strange new addition to come back to, indeed.
