Oh, right, I had a fanfic, didn't I? I should update it, but it's not urgent, it's only been... half a year...
Oops?
Well, suffice it to say I wasn't very motivated to continue, but now I am, so I've edited all the chapters so far, besides, well, writing another one. It's not strictly necessary to reread them all, since the editing is mainly limited to some sentence structures and was more of an excuse for ME to reread everything and have the thread to follow, as well as remembering the things I'd left unfinished.
That said, I'll try not to die for so long again; it's not good for my health, and I hope you enjoy this.
♧♧♧ Sandy's POV ♧♧♧
After things calmed down a bit, Mr. Krabs, Cap, Rex, and I sat down on the sand, trying to clear up everything that had happened in the last few days. Meanwhile, Pale Feathers returned to her nest, and the trio of Kinglers joined The 24 Claws in their training, showing great interest in what they were doing… largely driven by a desire to have nothing to do with what was going on here, which I could respect, to be honest.
That left the four of us in an awkward silence, a silence in which none of us knew exactly what to say without turning that impromptu meeting into a total disaster, but after a few hours, I think we managed to clarify everyone's motives and actions.
More or less.
"So you really haven't brainwashed everyone?" the giant crab asked again, with a touch that reminded me of a shoe sole hitting my face.
"No, Rex, I haven't brainwashed everyone," I sighed, rolling my eyes as Cap rubbed the space between his brows with the tip of his wing. "Nor am I coercing them, your and Cap's evolution isn't due to some stupidly convoluted and evil plan of mine, and I definitely don't plan to dominate the world once I leave here… I can't believe I have to clarify that last part, by the way."
"To be fair, and as much as it irritates me to side with this complete idiot, I have to admit that joking about it in the middle of a battle wasn't the best idea you've had, Sandy," Cap said reluctantly after a few seconds, quite displeased to have to agree with his almost-killer.
"I know, I know. That whole battle wasn't exactly my finest hour… But it's not all my fault!" I exclaimed suddenly, leaping to my feet and pointing at the now rather calm ghost crab. "If this idiot hadn't come looking for me in the gem chamber and had stayed in the dorm like a good boy, none of this would have happened!"
"And here we go again…" muttered Mr. Krabs, who seemed to want to be anywhere but there, gazing longingly at The 24 Claws on the other side of the beach.
"I've told you a thousand times, woman. I wasn't looking for you when I came to that chamber, I was looking for the gems," Mr. Stupid replied with apparent calm, stroking his new foamy beard with his smallest claw and exuding an air of moral superiority so, so irritating, that I wanted to punch it right out of his face. "If I'd known you were there, I wouldn't have hesitated for a second to turn around and escape through the walls with Dig if necessary."
"Oh ho, so I'm a woman now, huh? How strange, I thought I was a Phantom, or a Ghost, or even a Giratina Spawn," I laughed, with less sarcasm than I would have liked at those ridiculous titles, adjusting my super cool new sunglasses. "And anyway, I'll ask you again; where the hell did you want to run away to? We can't ignore the reason you were there in the first place."
"I'd certainly like to know what the fuck was going through your head that day, cousin," Mr. Krabs joined the discussion, now completely focused on the older crustacean's eyes, radiating an unusually concentrated anger. "Checking if someone might be a threat is one thing, but devising such an elaborate plan with the express purpose of eliminating her without having the slightest clue about her character beforehand is… stupid. There's no other word for it. Even rushing at her to fight no matter what seems better…"
"Your situation is still more understandable, too," I murmured to calm him down a bit, since the circumstances of both encounters couldn't be more different.
"Anyway, even if that were all it would still be bad, but then you decided to extend the offer without knowing our relationship with her, start a huge fight when we didn't accept it, destroy her skull and her raft, almost kill Cap here present…"
"I'm still waiting for an apology for that," added the bird in question, sitting on top of my cap and pecking at a Leppa Berry that he'd usurped from the pile of berries that had appeared at some point.
"Indeed, though truthfully I think you owe us all an apology, even your brothers," the Crawdaunt continued, the gleam in his eyes softening slightly before hardening again. "Frankly, you're lucky the little Corphish had already retreated to the cave when you appeared. If they'd been caught up in that senseless battle and one of them had been injured, we wouldn't be having this conversation, because you'd be dead."
A cold silence settled over our makeshift circle (which was more of a square since there were four of us, but whatever) after that. Rex had certainly managed to somehow earn the near-murderous wrath of three powerful Pokemon and a small army in less than two days, and that wasn't even counting The 24 Claws or other allies like Pale Feathers. It wasn't a 'good' achievement, not by a long shot, but it was still impressive.
"Good heavens, and I thought my first impressions were the most violent ones…" I thought aloud, partly to lighten the mood and partly because of the sheer absurdity of it all.
"Okay, okay, I get it!" exclaimed Mr. Stupid suddenly, apparently remembering that he existed and could speak. "I… I'm sorry."
"Well, that's something," Cap said sarcastically after a few more seconds of silence, somewhat skeptical about the sincerity of his apologies.
"And what exactly do you sorry for?" I asked in tandem, satisfied with the direction the conversation was taking.
"I… I regret my actions these past few days," he sighed, finally deciding to stop hiding behind his pride and pretending he hadn't done anything wrong. "I was afraid. Very afraid. I was terrified of having to live through another catastrophe like the Jellicent one. I was so afraid of losing them all again that… I didn't think things through."
"That's an understatement, if I've ever heard one…" I muttered to myself, assuming that this catastrophe was one of the two Mr. Krabs had mentioned before. However, from the way he said it, those catastrophes happened a long time ago, long before he was born.
How old was Rex, really?
"Phant-, I mean, Sandy," he corrected himself at the last moment, making me focus my attention on him again with one eyebrow raised. "I'm sorry for everything I've put you through. I'm not going to say that what you've done to me doesn't affect me, I'm not even going to try to pretend that I don't hate what you've turned me into with every fiber of my being, but I'll give you one point: I was wrong about Ghosts.
"In my panic, I began attributing qualities to you that you clearly don't have. Between motivations and emotions that I conveniently misinterpreted, I also granted you powers you don't wield, as well as an 'innate evil' that I was sure all Ghosts possessed… and that's simply not true. Now I realize that Jellicent and his horde weren't evil because they were Ghosts, but because…"
"Because they were irredeemable pieces of shit?" Cap chimed in with his usual foul mouth, seeing that the crab was having trouble finding the right words.
"I wouldn't have put it that way, but yes. Cap, right?" he asked for confirmation, earning a nod from the bird. "I'm deeply sorry I hurt you so badly with that Guillotine. Your creative ways of calling my mother didn't help me hold back, but the truth is, I didn't expect you to intercept that attack meant to incapacitate your Wingull companion. I misjudged the force when you leaped into my claw to stop it with your body, and I regret that mistake almost as much as I regret starting with the violence in the first place."
"I still think your reaction was excessive," said Mr. Krabs, crossing his claws over his chest.
"It was," Rex agreed. "As someone descended from those who suffered the great lake catastrophe, and given our close relationship, I thought you'd understand and accept my offer without hesitation. When you flatly rejected it, I felt betrayed, and instead of trying to understand why you did it, I lashed out in a fit of rage. Later, that same feeling combined with my panic began to fuel my paranoia, leading me to the 'logical' conclusion that Sandy had some way of controlling you, though that was after that battle."
"It's still pretty stupid, though I guess I can understand better now where you're coming from…" I muttered, biting into a Pecha Berry. "Oh, and sorry for almost killing you, by the way. Before you got there, I'd stuffed myself with gems, and I think they went to my head a little."
"Even though it frustrates me, I can't say you did anything wrong anyway," said the spectral crab, swishing his beard slightly and shaking his head. "I had already tried to kill you, and although in that cave I was more concerned with defending myself and escaping than with attacking, if I had been able, I wouldn't have hesitated to kill you."
"Wow… Is it normal to fight to the death out there?" I asked, curious, somewhat reluctant to end any sentient live if I could avoid it.
"It's not the norm, but in resource-scarce places like deserts or the ocean floor, it happens more often," Cap replied instead, earning a nod from Rex. "To be honest, this island is a paradise compared to many places out there. Abundant resources, a seemingly benevolent ruler… The energy in the air isn't as dense as in other places, since I suspect those Rules have to feed on something to sustain themselves, but it's still a much more peaceful island than most."
"Well, I guess being able to live on thin air will save me some trouble then," I said with a half-smile, finishing the berry in my hands and eating another in one bite.
"Nah, I'll give us three days of adventure before some random Pidgey attacks us for stealing their berry tree, whether we actually did it or not," the ghost bird croaked, as if remembering something.
"That's… strangely specific."
"Never trust those birds, lass. They're all conceited jerks."
Before we could continue, Mr. Krabs cleared his throat and pointed at Rex, which seemed genuinely happy to leave us to our own devices, even somewhat interested in what Cap was talking about, but he straightened up a bit when the three of us turned to look at him.
"Oh, right," I muttered scratching the back of my neck, a little embarrassed that I'd forgotten my self-proclaimed archenemy was there. "Anyway. I can't speak for everyone, but as far as I'm concerned, you've earned my forgiveness. Just… try to use your brain a little more from now on, it's not that hard. And get some therapy."
"Ahh… I can't believe you managed to make me forgive this guy, Sandy," my avian friend sighed, shrugging his shoulders… wings… whatever, before blatantly ignoring the laws of physics to practically teleport himself in front of the crab, staring him straight in the eye. "Although that doesn't mean we're going to be best friends from now on, Mr. Stupid. And you owe me a proper rematch, a real fight, not a one in the middle of some chaotic brawl."
"With pleasure," Rex agreed solemnly, accepting the challenge for what it was. I would have to make sure they didn't kill each other when that happened.
"I… I'm not sure I can forgive you as easily as they can, cousin," Mr. Krabs finally said, surprising me a little, since I'd expected him to be the first to accept his apology. "It all seemed too planned to have been something conceived in a panic attack, as you claim. Your plans may have been crap in practice, but there was a certain cold ingenuity behind them…"
"To be honest, I don't think they were so brilliant that he didn't improvise them," I chimed in, speaking up in Rex's favor.
"They weren't exactly improvised either," he corrected, surprising us a little. "Guys, I'm over 100 years old. And I've spent most of my life thinking about ways to make sure that what happened that day never happened again. All I had to do was modify some plans I'd come up with in case of a subtler, smaller-scale invasion, adapting them to the threat known as Sandy."
"He he~. You flatter me~."
"It wasn't a compliment."
"Leave it, you're not going to change her mind," Mr. Krabs interrupted with a grimace. "And getting back to the point, even if that's true, I still can't forgive you. If you interpreted my refusal as a betrayal, how do you think I interpreted your attacking us like that?"
"Krabs has a point," Cap muttered, fluttering back toward my cap.
"Decades of trust, taking in my parents in their time of greatest need, treating us like family, and one panic attack is all it takes you to destroy it all? I… I don't think things can ever be the same again, Rex."
"True," the crab agreed sadly, seeming to grasp the consequences of his actions. "It would be naive of me to expect instant acceptance of my apology and act as if all this never happened, especially when I can't promise that something like this won't happen again in the future; and even more so considering what I've become… I mean, now I know that Ghosts aren't inherently evil, but still…"
"Don't apologize, you're not wrong at all," added the spectral bird. "Being a Ghost doesn't drive you crazy or become you evil, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel somewhat more aggressive since my evolution."
"And that's something we'll have to work on at some point," I chimed in, becoming a little serious before turning my gaze back to the spectral giant crab. "Also, as impulsive as I was in making you evolve, I wasn't so lost that I couldn't see the pros and cons."
"Really?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. "You seemed quite pleased to run me through with your spear and kill me, though I suppose you did in a way. What did you think would happen if I went berserk once you left, as you've made it clear you will?"
"First, it's a shovel, not a spear. Second, I figured if that moment came, Mr. Krabs and Pincitas, along with any other members of The 24 Claws who might have evolved by then, would be able to stop you," I explained, adjusting my sunglasses slightly. "You're a Ghost-type now, and the Crawdaunts are Dark-type; it's basic Type compatibility. In an emergency, I trust my students can handle you."
"That… is a better thought-out countermeasure than I expected," Mr. Krabs half-whispered.
"Right? I thought she were going to say something about how the power of love and friendship would fix everything," Cap whispered back.
"You know I can hear you two, right?"
"Yes," they both agreed, without a hint of embarrassment, before the large red lobster cleared his throat slightly and focused on Rex again, forcing a smile. "Also, although I don't think things will ever be the same, a certain friend who may or may not be here taught me to value second chances. It's up to you to take it."
"I'll try… No. I won't fail you again. Or anyone else."
After that oath, Mr. Krabs nodded and the four of us began to chat, little more calmly and about more trivial topics.
Some of the initial tension was still there, of course, but between jokes and laughter, I could tell it wouldn't take long to dissipate, which was quite a surprise in itself. If you had told my past self that I would somehow manage to get a genuine apology from the crab and have a civilized conversation with him the following afternoon, I probably wouldn't have believed it entirely, but there we were.
As the sun approached the horizon, Howdy and Yezalel also appeared. The latter didn't get much involved in the conversation, seeming to be busy thinking about something, but the fox wasted no time in stealing a berry, sitting on my shoulder, and joining Cap and me in our jokes, much to the displeasure of both crustaceans.
Of course, as promised, after a while I asked the illusionist to show me his moves (and not just his attacks), evaluating his bases to see where he could improve. As I expected, Howdy wasn't as fast as my favorite bird, or even as fast as me on a good day, but he was certainly elusive. His mastery of Shadow Sneak was flawless, so much that I didn't know what advice I could give him there, making him a target who one moment was right in front of you, and the next had simply vanished.
That said, his offensive power wasn't all that great. His Scratch were more decent than you'd expect after a few Hone Claws, and he had somehow learned Shadow Claw, but that was about it. We'd have to work on that, and at least get him to learn Shadow Ball.
One should not underestimate the value of a good projectile up one's sleeve, after all, however much he might seem to prefer a much more physical fighting style than his species would suggest.
That said, what I feared about his personality was partially true. His more… honorable mindset, to put it mildly, didn't allow him to blatantly abuse of Moves like Curse, Torment, or Taunt, so they were rather underdeveloped. It was kind of funny, since Howdy saw no problem in sneaking up behind his enemy to attack the back of their neck with a Shadow Claw, but using Torment and creating an opening was a line he preferred not to cross.
Anyway, I'd see what I could do to change that a little.
Unfortunately, night fell sooner rather than later, and everyone started heading home. Before leaving, Yezalel managed to snap out of the trance she seemed to have fallen into and promised to pick me up the next morning, all under the guise of 'explaining things' and 'give me a tour of the island' instead of the date it clearly was.
Ha, I wish.
In the end, that day had turned out to be much more enjoyable than I'd feared when Rex decided to join the party, and the next day looked even better. I couldn't wait for dawn to break again.