The sun was low in the sky, and the docks were quiet this late in the day; just the sounds of water lapping at the shore. Lavender stretched as she stepped out of the boat. She had already apologized for her anger earlier, unprompted, and by now she seemed to have forgotten it. “Thank goodness… It’s good to be home, eh Poppy?”
Poppy chuckled quietly. “Yeah… Didn’t feel like a month, though, did it? Oh, that reminds me, since we’re close by anyway, I’d better go check up on the crew before it gets dark. I’ll meet you at home.”
Lavender shook her head. “No, Poppy. Remember last time? I’m coming with you.”
“Oh.” Poppy looked down. “Right. Sorry.”
The two of them trotted along. It always felt a little strange to bring Lavender with her to her little sanctuary, but a part of Poppy was excited. Lavender hadn’t been there in a while, so Poppy bet she would be impressed. They just had to crest this last hill, and then they would be treated to a panoramic view…
Had Poppy not been paying attention, she might not have recognized the place. The soil was barren, dry enough that a gust of wind blew dust into the air. The branches had been cleared from the river, and the riparian trees and saplings replaced with ornamental species that left the water exposed to the sun. A few hundred meters away, pokemon were pouring a foundation beside stacks of neatly cut lumber. And even from atop the hill, Poppy could recognize the purugly—that pudgy gray blob—that sat beside the site, surveying it with critical eyes. The guildmaster.
Poppy’s face flushed, and her hackles raised. Her heart pounded as she descended the gradual slope toward the construction site. She didn’t notice how fast she was running until she heard Lavender call for her to wait up.
The soil beneath Poppy’s paws was hard and warm from its exposure to sunlight. Like asphalt. Poppy tried not to think about this, or about the workers whose heads were turning toward her, or about anything, as she approached the guildmaster.
The guildmaster turned toward Poppy and gave her a smile and a nod as she approached. “Ah, Poppy,” he said in a saccharine voice. “How was your trip? You’ll have to tell me all ab—”
“What. The fuck.” Poppy’s voice was strained, her throat constricted as she tried to stop herself from growling.
The guildmaster cocked his head innocently. “Excuse me?”
Poppy’s ears started ringing. “I own. This land,” she said, nearly spitting each word. Her voice, and the sounds of the workers around her, slowly grew muffled, as though buried under a sheet of snow.
“Ah, oh, of course! You must be a little confused.” The guildmaster reached into his pouch and produced a small sheaf of paper. “Here, I figured you might want to review the guild’s special privileges. Since this land is not in use and has not had plans for development for over two years, we are, because of amendment 14, legally entitled to purchase it- Worry not! You should have received a check by now reimbursing you for—”
“I want. The land.” Poppy glared and lowered her stance.
The guildmaster gave a confused look. “But after all that work you did to clean things up, was your intention really just to leave this parcel sitting there? As a guild member, surely you must understand the importance of public service.”
Poppy heard a crackle of electricity, no louder than static, right as she summoned her vines to attack. Her legs buckled beneath her, and she fell awkwardly to the ground. A tingling sensation like pins and needles pervaded her body.
Thunder wave, of course.
“I-I’m terribly sorry for my partner’s behavior,” Lavender stuttered as she nosed under Poppy and slipped the leafeon onto her back. “The last trip was very stressful for her, and she needs some time to rest…”
Poppy could feel Lavender trembling beneath her.
“So, um, w-we’ll just be heading right home…” Lavender bowed awkwardly and turned away before the guildmaster could comment. She walked briskly, but stiffly, clearly holding herself back from breaking out into a run.
To Poppy, it felt like sleep paralysis. Adrenaline surged through her veins, dizzying her with each concussive heartbeat. The sounds of Lavender’s footsteps grew distant, spectral, drowned out by the rush of her shallow breaths. Poppy prayed that she would faint; anything to save her from this sickening anxiety, this contempt that had wrapped its gnarled claws around her heart.
But it was not to be so. Poppy was still conscious as Lavender dropped her off behind a boulder, even if her vision had narrowed to a paw-sized tunnel. She tried again to move and was able to at least curl her paws.
“Okay…” Lavender took a deep breath, and Poppy only just noticed how hard the delcatty had been panting. “Poppy, you need to calm down. I get that you’re upset, but let’s talk about it before…” She tapped her claws against the ground. “…I mean, I know this was unexpected, but in a sense it’s your goal, right? The land is clean enough for other pokemon to use, and, well, this isn’t a bad use. I think you should still be proud.”
Slowly, Poppy loosened up her limbs and rolled onto her belly. She did her best to steady herself as she got to her feet. Still so stiff—it felt like she was standing on stilts.
Lavender looked anxiously into Poppy’s eyes. “Does that make sense? I mean, if there’s something I’m missing, we can talk about it…”
Poppy nosed through the old, dried-up leaves in her bag until something cool touched her nose. Her guild badge. She glimpsed the design—an emblem that looked like the sun, and a pair of unfurled wings. She grabbed it in her mouth and bit down on its unyielding surface as hard as she could. She heard something crack as she whipped her head around and hurled the badge onto the ground, right by Lavender’s feet.
Lavender jumped back, startled; Poppy heedlessly summoned one of her vines and smashed it into the badge. The impact sent specks of dirt into the air and left a mark on the ground like a scar.
Then Poppy turned around and staggered away. She did not look back.