Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 74 - Collapse

Feral Kricketune punctuated the air, deafening Spice. She tried to ignore it, but Milli Town was right next to a whole nest of them. Small buildings made of clay and stone dotted a lumpy field of grass. To the left, a forest blackened by day's end sang the first few notes of its nighttime tune. To the right, boisterous singing and dancing to drums and strings rang out in friendly competition with the wild chirping.

"Ohh, I can't thank you enough for taking on this job."

Next to Spice was an elderly Mamoswine. She seemed to be enjoying the cool, outdoor air of nighttime; perhaps it was her Ice attributes. Mamoswine's eyes followed Spice's hands with each deft motion. In front of the Salazzle was an assortment of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and meats sourced from all over Kilo. Spice had gone all over the place to gather them, though she was grateful for it. This town needed it after everything they had gone through.

"It's the least I could do," Spice said. "I just had to take my mind off of things, anyway."

"Oh, because of that attack on Kilo Village? That must have been frightening. Oh, miss Spice, could you cut that one up a bit more? The chunks are a bit large."

Spice obeyed, taking some of the sliced Orans to more finely chop. Her eyes trailed left to a dim glow in the corner of her vision. "Leo, wake up."

"Buh—huh? What?" The Delphox's hand was hovering limply over a boiling pot of stew, keeping it cooked to a simmer. The chilling wind would cool the stew a bit more than necessary, but Leo's fire more than made up for it. "I'm awake."

Spice sighed, shaking her head. "Why don't you just take a nap for now? You really shouldn't have come with me."

"I'm just—" Leo suddenly yawned, nearly dipping his hand into the stew. "I'm just worried about you, Spice. You haven't slept in days."

Mamoswine gasped, turning her huge body to address the Salazzle directly. Spice narrowly ducked to avoid one of her tusks. "Days? Goodness, you could have fooled me."

"Yes, yes, days, but it's nothing to worry about. I feel perfectly fine. When I'm tired, I'm tired." Spice had to admit—though not aloud—that the fact that she wasn't even slightly tired was starting to worry her. Was something wrong with her head? Did something just snap? Or was someone slipping Chesto Berries in everything she ate? Not that they worked well on her, but pack enough into something...

What was more worrying was that Spice not only felt fine—she felt amazing. Energized. Like she could take on the world! And after the day's events of half of Kilo village being flooded with snow, living ice-sculpture family under an Aggron matriarch... and then Jerry. Spice rolled her eyes. Jerry. How he got involved with their ilk... She should ask him next time. They were in such a rush to go back to his new home that they'd left her in the dust, all because of that Zygarde.

Zygarde! Since when did he exist? She had been sure it was just a myth. Legends in general were just that—legends. They never really existed. But then not only had she met one, but Jerry spoke with Mew? After the crowd he came with, maybe he was telling the truth...

She had brushed it off as one of his insane ramblings, but in hindsight, it felt different.

"Spice, wake up."

Spice straightened, flicking her tail irritably. "I'm awake. I was just thinking."

"About Jerry?"

Spice paused for a split-second too long. "No, about Kilo Village."

"Mhm." Leo yawned again, backing away from the stew. "This batch is ready. I'll carry it over to the party."

"You do that," Spice said, suddenly aware of the Kricketune again. Seconds later, they all stopped chirping.