Hilltop Blitzkrieg (Private)

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The heavy, misty fog that surrounded the hill of Pricklemist was almost blinding, and it was almost obvious why there was a request for someone of the guild to come and deliver a Blast Seed and Blue Ribbon to the location. And, while Oswald had obtained a Blue Ribbon earlier on from his client, it was still strange for the customer to ask for two completely unrelated items, and to have them be delivered to a place like this was even more puzzling. Still, it wasn't Oswald's job to ask questions, he just needed to get there and deliver the items, that was all.

Still, with this blue ribbon he was carrying, he was almost positive that a certain thief would pop around and try to take it. Oswald would just have to make sure to stay on his guard, to make sure that he wouldn't be taking the first blow.

Oswald sighed in relief, jumping off of one of the rock spires before grabbing onto the ledge of the hole. He quickly pulled himself back up, laying down on his back as he looked up at Vanilla, "Thanks for the help Vanilla. I just wish I wouldn't have forgotten Meditation, that was a handy move to know..."

The mienfoo chuckled, wincing a little at the burns on his right side and how they continued to hurt him.

Vanilla sighed as she realized how badly hurt he was. "Yeah..." She idly said while digging through her pouch. She finally found an Oran berry and handed it to him. "Here." She said and turned away from Gingin as well as Oswald. She idly began to clean her tail, getting rid of dirt and the mucky spots from Gingin grabbing it. Vanilla didn't seem too keen on talking, and she wasn't sure why herself as she picked out the dirt with a blank expression. Gingin was still in his cage, his energy had deteriorated enough that he merely sat there, staring blankly and the walls of the hole. He had been taken care of, so she thought it would've been a happy ending. Right?

Oswald took the berry and chewed it up, his wounds healing up just as he swallowed the berry. He sighed with relief, carefully getting back to his paws. Sadly, the burns on his right side were too severe to be healed with a simple Oran berry, but Oswald fought through the pain, regardless of how much it hurt.

The mienfoo took notice of the Minccino's silence, and remembered the other half of the job that they needed to complete.

"Alright, let's talk to the Dugtrio family and get our reward." Oswald stated, silently hoping that the two fiery lizards wouldn't be making a return appearance.

Vanilla nodded and took out the item they had requested earlier on. The bow was definitely unique, a silky texture and a gem on the top. She followed the trail yet again down the tunnel, careful to avoid falling anywhere in case the hole was wider than they had expected. The familiar trail went down the tunnel as usual, and she heard the familiar sound of rumbling coming closer to them.

It was no surprise to the duo that the rumbling signaled the arrival of the Dugtrio family, and all three burst up from the ground in front of them, Friendship bow still sitting pretty on their son's head.

"We can't thank you enough for...well, all of this. Thank you, both of you." The husband said, waiting expectantly for their Dugtrio bow to be returned to them.

Vanilla handed over the bow, and took the Friendship Bow in return. She shook her head. "No, thanks too, for your help I mean. We wouldn't have completely stopped that Monferno in his tracks if it weren't for you guys." She replied with a tiny smile. Vanilla handed Oswald the Friendship Bow after her statement. "Here." She knew with a type of bow like that, he'd get more use out of it than her anyways.

Oswald shook his head, "No, you should take it. I've got all the friends I need right here."

Oswald handed the Friendship Bow back to Vanilla, knowing that she was a ribbon fanatic, and would certainly get more enjoyment out of the bow than Oswald certainly would.

Vanilla frowned, she wasn't sure how much she agreed with his statement. Considering their previous discussion she still wasn't happy with him dropping a chance to have friends and Pokemon close enough to be called family. She'd heard the guild was like a family. Would he really want to lose that? She thought to herself as she gripped the bow in her paws. She blinked a few times, the conflict was starting to get to her, but she swallowed and pushed it to the back of her head telling herself it was the last thing on her checklist right then and there.

The Dugtrio noticed the frown on Vanilla's face, and tilted their collective heads in confusion before asking, "What's the matter, don't you like our payment?"

Oswald quickly shook his hands defensively, "No no! Of course we do. Thank you, and I hope you don't get any more trouble from those two."

Oswald waved the Dugtrio family goodbye as the trio sank back into the ground and went on their merry way. Oswald smiled, feeling a sense of joy upon giving back to the community that trusted him with their precious heirlooms for him to retrieve and return to their rightful owners.

Vanilla watched as the Dugtrio family vanished into the ground. She wasn't entirely sure about how she felt posing as a guild member right then, but she managed to at least find a positive feeling in knowing that they had gotten a reward out of it at the least. Even if she didn't want it entirely. Vanilla wasn't sure what to say to Oswald, she certainly didn't want the Friendship Bow, as he'd get more of a benefit out of having it when it came to making friends. She shrugged and decided she'd find a way to give it to him sooner or later. "Well... Let's go." She finally said. She wanted to get out of the cave at last, and escape the awkwardness of their current situation even if she was the only one feeling awkward at the moment.

Oswald frowned, "What's wrong, you don't like it?"

Oswald looked back down the corridor they had gone through before, and then back towards the staircase leading upwards. He knew he couldn't guarantee Vanilla's safety if they continued upwards, so their best choice at this point was to travel back down to the first floor and exit through the entrance.

Vanilla sighed. "It's great, really." Was all she could say to Oswald. She knew she was probably hurting the Mienfoo's feelings, or making him feel uneasy because of her sudden change in attitude, but she couldn't quite help it. Her mind went back and forth between the happy feeling of knowing he cared for her and the dreaded feeling of knowing their lives would forever clash because of them being opposites. "It's not the ribbon I've got a problem with." She finally said after a drawn out period of silence. "But let's just get out of here first, okay?"

Oswald nodded, "Sure thing...let's go."

With that, the mienfoo led the way back to the stairwell, not sure how to interpret the long, awkward silence between the two. Sure, they would talk occasionally to one another to figure out where the stairs were as they slowly made their way back down the cave, until, at last, they reached the outside, where the air was cool and breezy, which only stung the Mienfoo's right side a little as they left.

Oswald looked to Vanilla, and as his thoughts began to focus more on their earlier discussion, he felt that he knew what was wrong with his act of kindness.

"I think I know why you don't want that Friendship Bow. It's because you think it'll be better for me, right? Look, I didn't give you that bow to remember me. I gave you that bow so that when you head out to a new region, it'll be easier for you to make allies. It'll make befriending them faster...so you won't have to be with them for too long." Oswald stated, leaning against a nearby tree, clutching his burned right arm with his left paw, still wincing every now and again from the pain.

Vanilla's head snapped up at his comment and she looked at him. She remembered he had said he'd follow her where she'd go, and now he was giving her a ribbon so she could make friends easier. She wasn't sure if he was saying goodbye now and was just trying to help her along her way.

Vanilla swallowed hard as a lump formed in her throat. The fact she'd have to leave was not easy to accept. The fact she'd be leaving behind Oswald was even worse to think about. "And if you're giving me this bow, what you're saying is... You won't come along then." She finally said after contemplating things for a while. Even if he would, she knew she'd end up leaving without telling him. There would be little to no closure, and no goodbyes involved. She would just vanish without a word.

"Would you let me? Would you even say goodbye to me? I want to go with you, but..."

There was a pause, followed by a soft, almost inaudible sniffling sound, before Oswald added on to what he had to say, "But I have things here that I need to do, things that I can't just walk out on. I want to be there for you, I do, but now that I've had time to think about it, I have my obligations here. But these obligations aren't to the guild, or any partners I might have, or any friends I make. I am obligated to figure out what is turning all these pokemon crazy, I am obligated to become strong, so that I can stop whatever that might be, and so that I can see you again when it's all over."

Another soft sob seemed move through the wind, as Oswald couldn't help but feel torn up about this. His shoulders seemed to sag a little, and the moonlight seemed to glint slightly off of his cheeks.

Vanilla turned away from Oswald.. She knew that his choice would've been the guild either way. She also knew that she was only one Pokemon, among many that could easily influence him more. After another long pause she inhaled sharply. Her breath was unsteady and her eyes were watering as she felt the tears start to fully break free from her holding them back. She stifled her sniffling, holding in every sob she could. Being an Outlaw, she wasn't one for showing any signs of weakness, especially emotional weakness. His words were turned around now, the complete opposite of what he had said earlier.

"I think... You should leave now. Just use your badge and go back to the guild." She finally said while looking in the other direction. The forest in front of her, despite how peaceful it seemed with the cool weather, was blurry because of the tears she was shedding now. She couldn't hold them back much longer, and she wanted Oswald gone and out of her sight before she let loose the waterworks.

Oswald sighed, trying to suck in his tears. He sobbed quietly once more, then his sniveling stopped, "No...I can't..."

Soft footsteps walked over to the Minccino, stopping about 2 feet away from Vanilla, but only slightly, before Oswald walked around next to Vanilla and took the Friendship Bow from her. He tied it around his neck, the red fabric matching with his watery eyes as he turned to look Vanilla in the eyes.

"I can't just lie to you like that...I thought that, that you'd be safer if you left me behind, if we just walked away from each other...but I can't do that...so please, don't forget about me. Don't forget about my promise, alright? I'll keep you safe, no matter what happens, alright? I'm sorry for lying to you...I'm so sorry."

Vanilla shook her head. His words were full of an incredible amount of emotion. They hit her hard, every single word tugged at her heart strings and she swallowed hard again. She knew better now though. What he was saying, for all she knew, could easily be turned around again. And then she'd only get hurt again on top of that.

"No. Don't make promises you can't keep. Don't make stupid promises to an Outlaw when you know you're a guild member. Just leave. Go on, get out of here!" She shouted at him. Her face was a mix of sadness of anger. The tears were still flowing down her cheeks. Vanilla felt torn in half. She wanted to cry and ask him not to go, but she had decided to push him away. I don't need him to protect me. Not here, not now, or anywhere else.

Oswald frowned, equally torn, but on the opposite side of things, as he replied, "Make me,"

Oswald set a paw on Vanilla's cheek and wiped away her tears, his own dried away now as he stared her in the eyes, his eyes full of naive, yet beautiful hope. Oswald smiled, "You know how I said I'd protect you, right? Next time I see your bounty, I'm going to take it. I promise you, I won't hurt you, and you can hit me as hard as you want then, to pay me back for not leaving like you want me too. I'll take the bounty, every time, and I'll fail it every time. If someone gets the bounty before me, I'll tear them apart because..."

Oswald paused, his face blushing profusely before he finally spat out what he felt that he needed to say, "Because you're special to me...and if you take anything to heart, if you can believe anything I'm saying right now, believe that."

The words struck Vanilla. She wasn't sure if she could trust his words. They had fought against each other, disagreed, adventured together, fought together, and ended up becoming friends. But even then, he was still a whole world away from her. And always would be. A big part of her wanted to accept his promise. Yet another part wanted to just tell him to go. To go away and for the two of them to never speak again. She stayed silent, only flinching away at his action of wiping the her tears away.

Vanilla inhaled again. "I can say I'll believe you. But when it comes down to it. They'll figure it out. They'll know what's going on. And when they do, you'll lose everything you're trying so hard to keep." She said finally.

Oswald chuckled, "I won't lose you, will I? The only things I care about are finding what's causing all these pokemon to go crazy and keeping you safe. If the guild finds out, then I'll leave, and I'll deal with it then."

She frowned at him. His responses made it seem so simple. She needed to think about this, without Oswald's influence crowding around her. Not that it was her choice in the matter of whether or not he followed her around. But when things started to escalate and either a strong team came after her that Oswald couldn't stop, or he got busted, Vanilla knew they would both have a problem on their paws.

"No. Don't protect me. You know it'll only lead to you getting in trouble. You'll lose your guild, your friends, everything you had. I may be an Outlaw, but I told you before. I'm not that selfish Oswald." She said and backed away from him. The Mienfoo with his injuries, burns, and warm smile were enough to make her want to go along with the whole thing. But she was trying to let her brain win over her heart this time.

"And when you leave, you'll be losing the same exact thing. You'll lose your friends, everything you had, and this won't be the last time, will it? I'm not going to be naive and ask you to stop, because I know you won't...but don't keep giving up everything until you have nothing left to give. Let me help you, please?" Oswald pleaded, taking a step forward, to match the distance she had moved away.

Vanilla was surprised at him comment. She'd be losing things too, he was right. She took a step back yet again as he moved closer. There was confusion. "Help me how? You can't stop them. You can't... The guild goes farther than you ever will. And besides...." She hesitated. A lump had formed in her throat yet again as she felt her eyes burning. Vanilla wasn't sure she was okay with saying what she wanted to. The two of them had memories the Minccino would remember. Happy memories she could smile about, but they were on the sad pages of their relationship now, and she wasn't sure she wanted it. She swallowed finally. "Besides... There's always... Others out there."

Oswald shook his head, trying to take another step closer, but the burns on his side were finally taking their toll on him, and he fell to his knees, exhaling briefly in pain as he sat there, his attmept to get closer having just blown up in his face. But Oswald didn't stop speaking, and weakly replied, "No...there's not. I know I've been attracted to other pokemon before...but this feels different. I don't know why, but I just feel like...like I can smile and take on the world when I'm with you."