bottlecaplogs | July Catch-All

[Perhaps it's attributed to that ommission for now- that lack of mention of...Mass murder, and all that fun stuff. Even if it's as little as 'he doesn't like Dark Heart! He told me not to trust him!', Emporio seems more ponderous than anything.

He also quietly warns Firepaw not to get hissy. Flowey's being rather polite, only fair to do the same.

But, needless to say, he's expecting a rough go. Rough enough that he hangs back near Tinkaton for a bit in a vain attempt to give the two space.

So much for that though. Once Flowey's grumbling meets his ears... ...well and probably the Buizel's, being honest, hah.

He keeps his voice low, but at least moves close enough that Flowey can hear.]

...I'm pretty sure this Pokemon is trying to get our guard down... ...It probably isn't actually a Buizel either, given where we are...

[Firepaw has been trying his best not to be hissy - he's just failing miserably. It seems like every time Flowey talks, Firepaw is rolling his eyes or muttering something under his breath. It... honestly is making him look worse than Flowey.

And honestly, it almost annoys him more than Flowey has a point. They've been walking for ages, surely they would be back by now if Buizel knew what they were doing.]

Do you think ghost Pokemon can fake otter-smell? They sure stink like one.

["What are you talking about?" The Buizel stops, and gives Firepaw a hard look, before turning a more cheery expression toward Flowey. Although, their tone sounds like a warning. "You have to pass that tree twice to get on the right trail! It's... just a quirk of the forest here, yep!"

Tinkaton seems just as skeptical as everyone else, but it seems she's holding back and letting her bodyguards handle this.]

[Something's definitely fishy. There are no other Buizel in this forest, but it doesn't seem like a Pokemon from Bottlecap Bay, either. And yet, if he contradicts Firepaw, it will start another argument. Flowey did just call him stupid and too easily trusting, after all.

And he was right... well, that's not fair. Firepaw's sense of smell has proven to be a powerful tool. If the smell is correct, then it can't be a ghost. It has to be something else... but certainly not a Buizel. (And besides all that, Flowey wishes he could trust as easily as Firepaw does.)

He whispers back to Emporio.] Tell Tinkaton to stay back. I'm going to try something.

[The team walks a while longer, growing more tired by the minute. That must be the Buizel's plan-- and that gives Flowey an idea.

He pretends to trip.] Whoops! How clumsy of me! [As he falls to the ground, he spits out a Worry Seed that hits Buizel square on.

"Be more careful next time," the Buizel says-- rapidly, its orange fur gives way to black, its two tails turn back into one, the flotation sac turns into a mane. The Illusion has broken, revealing it to be a Zorua. "Did you drop something? I thought I felt..."

When Flowey gets up, he has a smug, wicked grin.] Hee hee. Sorry, kiddo, you're years away from being able to pull a fast one on me. So who are you, really?

[Zorua doesn't panic-- rather, a smile cuts across their own face. "Your worst nightmare."

It moves as if weaving through the shadows themselves. One moment, it's on the path ahead; the next, it's hurtling towards Firepaw with its fangs bared.]

HEY!! WATCH OUT!!

[Flowey leaps with all his might and knocks Firepaw out of the way. He earns himself several Fury Swipes to the face. His shell is scarred; one of his leaves falls to tatters. Zorua follows up with a Knock Off, sending Flowey tumbling into a ditch. The Zorua, now with Flowey's satchel around its neck, smirks at the others.

"Now hand over the research and you won't end up like that idiot!" they demand, preparing with Hone Claws.]

[A quiet nod is what Emporio responds to his friend with. The cubone carefully pulls back with the appearance of simply passing something else on to the tinkaton, his helmet firmly in place.

And then it all goes to shit.]

Firepaw- [He starts, but Flowey's the one who takes the blow. Emporio's expression of worry quickly becomes far more distressed, watching the pieces of the seed fly off.]

FLOWEY!!

[Zorua. Dark type, he knows, because there was so much to compare between Emmet and the form of Zoroark that the subway master knew of. They're being threatened- foolishly perhaps, Tinkaton is Fairy Type, but that's not the point.

The point is, he's rather tired of watching people he cares about get hurt.

~~Or worse~~.

A power is building. Focus Energy, ensuring that whatever he does next, he'll do it well.

As far as the Zorua is concerned, all it's going to look like is a small, fragile little cubone hanging back with the adult of the group, its unarmed fists balled tight.]

[It takes Firepaw a little too long to realize that the Zorua is using Illusion... but it clicks as soon as their Buizel disguise fades, and he can smell their scent changing to something similar to Emmet's. Unfortunately, being preoccupied with his own thoughts and feelings makes it pretty easy for the attack to take him completely by surprise - he probably would have taken it at full force.]

Hey-

[Flowey knocks Firepaw out of the way, just in time to get hit with an attack, and Firepaw scrambles to get his bearings. The Zorua is likely going to go after Tinkaton, but Flowey is in much more immediate danger. He glances back at Emporio... just for a moment, before deciding that Emporio can definitely handle this, and he needs to make sure Flowey is okay.

With a frustrated little growl, Firepaw dodges past Zorua to reach the edge of the ditch Flowey fell into. Hopefully it's shallow, but it's entirely possible that Flowey has fallen back into the underground tunnels. Not that it's going to change his course of action - either he's hopping into the ditch to pull Flowey back up, or he's fully jumping underground to look for him.

It will be a while before he registers that Flowey protected him, but he did notice.]

[The ditch is short and shallow. Water might have flowed through, once, but now the earth is dry and cracked. Flowey lays face-down in the dirt, unmoving. If Firepaw carries him- like he did the first time they met- he might think that, without all the posturing and grandiosity, Flowey is incredibly light and small. Pathetic, even.

Meanwhile, Tinkaton has swung her hammer in a panic at the approaching Zorua. It flattens the Zorua like a pancake. When Tinkaton lifts her hammer, though, Zorua pops up with the same smug smile on their face. They spit out the shell of the Reviver Seed they filched from Flowey.

"Oh, did you need that?" they call down into the ditch. "Too bad!"

Zorua levels Tinkaton with a Scary Face that makes her step back nervously. She may have a giant hammer, but she's an academic, not a fighter!]

[Firepaw has gone after Flowey. The Tinkaton, despite type advantages and being twice everyone's size at the least, is backing away behind him.

But that's fine.

Emporio inhales, gathering any power he can muster, and doing little more than aiming it.

It comes out looking like Fairy Wind. It hits, like a Normal attack.

And it lowers special attack.]

BACK...OFF! [he shouts, clearly not as scared as anyone would have assumed. That much is obvious when just under the false wind comes a hurtling stone- Fling, dark type though it is, means that stone is flying under as much force as Emporio can muster.

And with Focus Energy being buffed up by natural baseball skills, it turns out that's a lot.]

[Thank StarClan, he doesn't have to be away from the battle for too long. Firepaw grabs Flowey by the shell, and drags him back up to the surface. His thoughts aren't quite as negative as Flowey might assume - all he thinks is that Flowey is light and small, and he's incredibly thankful of how easy it is to help him. It barely takes much effort at all, since Firepaw was already a pretty muscular cat and he's become a fairly high-level Litten.]

Be more careful, fluff-brain.

[He drops Flowey off once they're on solid ground, and thwaps him lightly with his tail before running over to try and help out with the Zorua. Or rather, to launch himself at the Zorua after that rock hits, taking advantage of the momentary disorientation to deliver a Fire Fang bite.]

Edited 2025-07-08 11:28 (UTC)

[Flowey is down for the count. He doesn't even stir as Firepaw thwaps him with his tail. He's still alive, but he's been badly injured. Tinkaton kneels by his side and searches in her satchel for a berry.

Meanwhile, Zorua is reeling from the special-effective attack when a stone hits them like a fastball-- a critical hit, square in the head. A bleeding welt appears on their forehead just as the Fire Fang sinks in, leaving its fur burned and smoking.

"Fine! Want to end up like your stupid little friend?" the Zorua growls. It raises its sharpened claws and attempts to unleash a string of Fury Swipes on Firepaw. Again and again the claws come down in furious desperation. If they don't win this battle, it will all have been for nothing.

The Zorua only stops to dodge another hit from Tinkaton's hammer, landing a few feet away and gasping for air. They begins to scan the horizon for getaway routes. If they can disappear into the fog long enough, they can put up another disguise.]

You're not getting away with anything-!

[He can guess what that zorua is thinking. And at the very least, a pokemon like this? He'd rather they apprehend it, than encounter them again. He's in full 'endgame' mode. Charging, grabbing whatever he can off the ground to throw once more.

But something is different this time.

There's no rock, and he isn't thinking about that. Something white comes out from the earth as well, something long and perfectly sized for his hand. Something-

Ah. Tinkaton at least, might recognize this.

This is Bone Rush.

A Ground type move, with potential to hit as many as five times.

It seems Zorua's future is not escape, but fainting, if those connect.]

[Those Fury Swipes awaken something primal in Firepaw - he doesn't know much about Pokemon battles, but he knows plenty about cat fights, and he's happy to trade with a few Fury Swipes of his own. A loud yowl escapes him as he tussles with the Zorua, digging claws in wherever they find purchase and trying his best to pin the miscreant down.

That is, until it's time to dodge out of the way and give Emporio room to attack. The new move doesn't mean much to Firepaw (although he'll be suitably impressed later), but he welcomes the chance to catch his breath, instead standing ready to grab Zorua again if it tries to escape. Not that he'll really need to worry, since the onslaught of Bone Rushes are definitely enough to knock them unconscious.]

...Is it over?

[There's blood streaked through his pelt. He doesn't seem to have noticed it yet - he's still buzzing with adrenaline.]

[Pain. That's his first sensation upon waking up. The berry that Tinkaton fed him brought him back to consciousness, but it hurts enough that he almost wishes he were still asleep. He was talking to someone in his dream-- he can almost just remember it--

Then he looks up in time to see the end of a vicious battle. Clumps of bloody fur are scattered in the grass. Firepaw is shredding Zorua with his claws, and Emporio throws an onslaught of bones that leave it battered and knocked out. The satchel Zorua stole from Flowey clatters to the ground. Half-awake, he reaches to grab it, and then remembers he- again- doesn't have arms.

"Is everyone okay?" Tinkaton asks. She hands her remaining oran berry to Firepaw, then checks to make sure Emporio is okay. "Thank you for protecting me... that miscreant would have stolen my research if it weren't for you three!

Flowey huffs. 'You three', indeed. All he did was get knocked out like some kind of idiot.

His shell is scratched up and he can't feel one of his leaves. He's still alive, so it could be worse. He thought he would have gotten used to pain after dying so many times during his resets, but this body is fresh and offers tons of new ways to hurt. What fun!]

... What happened?

[He remembers being blindsided, and he remembers tumbling down a rocky ditch... someone must have carried him back up, right?]

You really showed that thief... heh. I knew you had it in you. [Is he talking to Emporio? Firepaw? Both of them? Unclear. He can't look either of them in the eye, anyway.]

[For a moment, Emporio is just stunned. Breathing in, and out, not even comprehending that he's holding...a bone? Is this a bone?

~~There's something wet on it...~~

The cubone shakes his head, and with still shaking hands picks up the satchel to bring back. He needs to snap out of this. They could have been seriously hurt, or worse, and for that matter he was practicing medical work for a reason wasn't he??

With a numb nod toward Tinkaton, he sets the satchel down and looks over Flowey.] I... ...I couldn't... ...n...not again.

[He swallows. Blinks, trying to bring himself back to some sense. It's hard though. Flowey's just a seed by all appearances, but...]

W...where does it hurt most still- I can do something to hold you over until we get to the clinic...

[Firepaw is picking up on something from Emporio, although he's struggling to understand exactly what and how to help. There's something similar that he senses in Flowey - a little easier to understand, the frustration of not feeling helpful enough during battle.]

At least we're all still standing.

[His shoulders relax a bit and, not knowing nearly enough to help Flowey, he just leads his weight against Emporio's side in a way that he hopes is comforting and not getting in the way too much. A quiet purr rumbles out of him.]

...You took that hit for me, didn't you, Flowey?

[He's finally cooling down enough to be able to think about what happened.]

Hey... c'mon, I'm fine. [He tries to give Emporio a lopsided smile. He reminds him of himself, the first time he killed someone. Though... for some reason, he wonders if this really is the first time for him.] That oran berry's working its magic. Though if you've got another, I'm down for seconds.

[He turns to Firepaw, his smile fading. He just looks... ashamed? Embarrassed? He doesn't know how he feels. It's all numb at the base, but he can't look him in the eye.] Don't thank me. You're more useful to the team, so I wasn't going to let you get knocked out by a cheap shot like that.

... No. That's not quite it. Actually...

[He casts a glance at Tinkaton. She nods and gives them a little space. With the threat having passed, she busies herself double-checking her research.]

Firepaw, um... I... haha. Geez. I'm not good at this. About what happened... I... I'm s--

[He pauses.]

... I'm soulless.

[He begins to tell a long story. About a young, lonely prince who had a human best friend. About the human's plan to free all the monsters trapped underground. About the human dying. About himself dying. About coming back as a flower. About the tears of joy in his father's eyes, and the way his mother promised she'd never let anything hurt him again, and the underground celebrated all day and all night that the prince was back.

About feeling nothing at all, no matter how hard he tried. And about being able to turn back time, again and again, but never far enough to where it really mattered. Solving everyone's problems, making them all happy, until they stopped feeling real.

And one day, he just wanted to know what would happen. The monster he killed came right back with a reset, none the wiser, but he knew what he had done. A threshold had been crossed, something that he could never undo. But hadn't that been his failing, being too scared to get his hands dirty when it counted?]

I experimented over and over again. I killed everyone. I saved everyone. You can't imagine how it feels. Once you know how someone will react in every situation... that's it. That's all they are.

[He takes a breath, tired from all the talking.]

The fact that they're all alive now. Free, even. It doesn't change what I did. You both must hate me. I wouldn't blame you. After all... even if you still wanted to be my friend, it's not like I can really feel anything about either of you.

... But when I called for help, you were the first person to ever answer, and I wanted that to count for something. [He turns to Emporio.] And you... I think you understood me. [He doesn't say more.]

So even though I can't really mean it, um... sorry for ruining your birthday. I'll never come near either of you after this if you want.

[Tinkaton has enough time to leave a bit of a reassuring squeeze on Emporio's shoulder, before the boys are left alone. He's probably in shock, he thinks. Actually, he's definitely in shock. Is this what it would've felt like, if he hadn't been dumped into the ocean directly from...all of that?

He slow blinks into focus, partly by the sound of Flowey's voice. His hands have been moving without thought- pulling out bandages from his own satchel, doing what he can. And shaking, the entire time.

Emporio's eyes don't quite focus on anything as he nods, and he's left silent while the sunkern tells his tale. Silent. Barely comprehending.

If he thinks about it, doesn't it make sense for that to be the path of someone without...]

S....sometimes, people have that. ...It's not...it's not not having a soul. It's just...they can't feel anything. It means the people around them have to teach them, [He manages, a strange and distant tone to his voice.] T...to show them what's right, not based on feelings, but just...on what's right.

But it's not the same as...

[Having no soul.]

...

[Is he crying? He thinks he's crying. That happens a lot. He wants to think it's a cubone thing, but it's really more of a 'him' thing, isn't it. Part of him burns with a question. 'If you can't feel, how do you make yourself cry?' 'If you can't feel, why do you cry out with fear?'

This isn't the time, and he can't even fully comprehend what answers to those questions would do. He...]

....th...there was a man.

[His voice is quiet.]

...there was a man who could take...a person's memory, and their Stand. ...n...not everyone had the latter... ...but I used to think of them as like someone's soul.

...without both... ...a person just died.

...But even... [His voice Breaks.] ...Even after I watched that happen t...to someone...

[...No. No, he can't fully talk about that. Not like this. Not right now.]

...I don't know what the difference is. ...between a soul in your world, and a soul here. ...but...you're still here.

I...I think that counts, for something.

[Firepaw is quiet, while both of them speak. It's a lot of information, and he thinks he knows most of these words individually but he's struggling to build up the whole concept. Still, this feels like the wrong time to ask what a prince is, or a soul.

It does make him feel bad, about how upset he's been with Flowey. Even if he's not entirely sure it's unjustified. It's.... hard to tell, with how little he understands this conversation, whether he should reconsider or not - but he doesn't like the idea of hating someone just because he doesn't understand why they're doing things.

But Emporio is also saying a lot of things he doesn't understand, and he does manage to connect that with the knowledge that all of Emporio's friends are dead. And the fact that he still doesn't know what happens to humans when they die, if they get some version of StarClan or if they just disappear. So before anything else, he presses his body against Emporio's a little more insistantly and starts licking his face, purring loudly the whole time.]

I'm sure it made sense for you, at the time. Doing what you did.

[No he isn't, he's fully grasping at straws. But he does want to believe Flowey is a good person.]

I don't understand it. I don't understand you. But I don't hate you, either. Not everyone has a warrior code to follow, and... I'm sure it's difficult making decisions without anyone else to guide you.

[He doesn't bring it up in as many words, but he might be talking about the fact that he kills other Pokemon for food. It took a few months for him to decide he couldn't live on people food indefinitely, and he still doesn't feel completely guilt-free about it.]

[He realizes that Emporio comprehended maybe about 20% of his story and Firepaw understood about 10%. He's too tired to get angry.

Their words still resonate with him. "You're still here." He is-- he's always been too stubborn to die.

And, "I'm sure it's difficult making decisions without anyone else to guide you" is enough to make him start to tear up. It reminds him of the burden of living in a world without love, but also without Chara.]

... Sorry, Emporio. [He can't do much to comfort him. He lets Emporio bandage him up if he wants to, at least.] And you're still here, too.

[He focuses on Firepaw. He wants to just leave it at that, but it doesn't feel right if he doesn't understand.]

I'm, uh, never sure how much stuff is different from other worlds. Basically, what I'm trying to say is... I used to be able to feel love and care and happiness and all that crap. But then I died and came back. I didn't have the thing that made me me anymore. I couldn't feel anything. Imagine if you could eat, but you couldn't taste or feel full anymore.

And, 'resetting'... it's like if you went to bed tonight, and when you woke up, it was the morning of the same day you just lived through. The hunts you completed, the things you said to the other cats, they were all undone. And it was like that again and again, forever. [He realizes he probably sounds condescending. He doesn't know how to do any better.]

The point is... even if I am still here, I'm not the good person I used to be. I never can be that person again.

But even then, I want to try and do the right thing. Even though it's hard and it sucks and I just kind of want to leave forever or die or something. [It's an empty threat; he's still too scared to die.]

And although I don't feel anything... I don't want you to be upset or mad at me, either. Either of you. It's not 'care', but... [He doesn't know. He trails off without finishing the sentence.]

[It might be more than 20.

He's the sort who can't help but 'compare'. It's why he brought up what he did. It's why he thought of it at all.

It's why he thought of a man who could tear things out of a person so fundementally, they simply ceased functioning.

(Or in the case of one, almost.)

But somehow his mind had glazed over the idea of...

Resetting. Perhaps because only one noticed. Perhaps because he didn't want to hear it.

He's still shaking.

(It's laughable really. It isn't the same thing at all. It happened only once.)

(He probably understood more than 20%)

He's not sure when he moves, but his arms are around Flowey. Still shaking. Just slightly. But the hug is at least careful, even if the hug of someone in shock.]

Th...th...

[If he says what he's thinking though...

....what if Flowey compares himself to the villain in his story, instead?

...something else then.

Finish the first story.]

The man took someone's memories, but they didn't die. Th...They forgot how to do everything and they didn't die. I never knew what they were like. I'll never know what they were like. I didn't meet that person.

[. . .]

...I'll never know this you, you talked about.

...I met 'you'.

[. . .]

I'm...I'm glad I met you.

[Firepaw is getting the distinct feeling that Emporio and Flowey are having a moment, which... he thinks he's also part of, but he knows Emporio is getting much more out of it than he is. Still... if Emporio is seeing something in Flowey, it's hard not to feel like he should be seeing it too.

He backs up a step to give them space, and glances over at Tinkaton for some level of guidance. And gets... none, since she's very busy reviewing her notes. StarClan, he's so lost.]

If you want to care about us, I don't think that's very different from caring. I'm... sorry about telling you to eat crow-food.

[His words are slow and carefully weighed - a rarity from him, but he's still organizing his thoughts in real time while he speaks.]

Maybe... some other day we can walk around the city and you can explain more of this to me? Right now, I should probably try to find a way home.

[Really, it's just the jock instincts taking over. Confusion and vulnerability feel bad, he has no idea how to help, but he can go climb a tree, which is helpful in a more immediate way.]

[... Maybe he's the one who doesn't understand. He lets Emporio embrace him, not sure what to say. He can't hug back, but he leans a little into it.]

... thanks. Both of you. [His voice is very, very small.] Yeah. Let's... let's get home.

[Leaning counts as a hug, when you have no arms. It's fine.

...But. Yes. Well, Tinkaton certainly seems to be giving a look that says she, too, is eager to leave so...]

Y..yeah. ...We should get back. Let's get you to the clinic, [he adds seriously, nodding to...well, really both of them. Flowey's had it worse, but both him and Firepaw could use a trip.]

[Firepaw makes a point to bump his forehead against... where he thinks Flowey's forehead is, before running off to scout ahead. Gently, in case it makes Flowey's injuries any worse.

Lucky for them, the journey back will be a lot easier between Firepaw and Emporio's experience and Tinkaton's new notes. And on the way Firepaw will try to keep the conversation much lighter, just to give them all a break.]

July Catch-All

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cw blood mention, violence

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cw: blood + violence

cw: blood + violence

CW: PTSD implications

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CW: Starting up the Stone Ocean spoilers over here-

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