Walking back home after a successful mission, the fog is even thicker than when I left. If I didn't know these paths so well, I'd be worried about getting lost. That's been pretty common lately, and while it's given me lots of jobs, it also makes those jobs harder. But there are other things to worry about. Like nearly tripping over someone lying down in the middle of the path!

"W-whoa! Hey, what's the deal?.. Hello?" I poke at the stranger; up close, I see they're a rowlet.

The rowlet stirs at my poking, and sits up. "Mmm... Hm? Hello."

"... Uh, hi. What are you doing lying on the ground out here? Not the best place for a nap."

The rowlet looks around, though they can't see much thanks to the fog. "I don't know."

I sigh. "Come on, the town is this way. We should get out of the fog."

"... But I want to stay in the fog."

"What in the... Are you stupid!? There's fog monsters out here! Did you hit your head or something?"

"... Maybe..."

"..."

"... Where am I?"

 

As it turned out, Rowlet has amnesia. Pretty bad amnesia. They didn't even remember how to fly, though they relearned it pretty quick. With no family in town, and nowhere to go, it was a convenient opportunity for me to snag a partner for my rescue mission work.

A tepig and a rowlet, we cover each other's weaknesses rather nicely, and they've got a talent for navigating in the fog. I burn away the fog creatures while Rowlet finds lost travelers and missing items. Thanks to them, I complete way more missions, and since they also do their fair share of chores around the house, I'm happy to split the pay and let them stay over. Even if they're really weird.

One day, after picking up groceries, I come back to find them frying up some eggs and bacon. At 3pm. And no, they didn't just wake up late and this is their breakfast; despite being a literal owl, they wake up early in the morning. Yesterday I woke up to find them staring out the window at the fog. They just can't get enough of it...

I start loading the groceries into the pantry, when Rowlet says "Tepig, you like having eggs with lots of pepper, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, why?"

"Because I'm making eggs for you."

"What?" I turn and watch Rowlet sprinkle pepper into the frying pan, while an already-made plate of eggs and cheese sits on the counter. "Um... You know that's not part of chores, right? You can just make food for yourself, we don't have to cook for each other."

"I know."

"... So? Why are you making me eggs?"

"Because you haven't had lunch yet." Rowlet turns off the stove and slides the eggs onto a plate, then sits down with their own plate of eggs and cheese.

"Okay wise guy, seriously, what do you want? Did you break a vase or something?"

Rowlet raises an eyebrow in confusion, a rare moment of expression from them. "No. I wanted you to not be hungry."

"... Whyyyyy?"

"Because I like you."

... Rowlet is SO weird.

 

Rowlet and I have been a team for a few weeks now, and as people have seen us together, a few have mentioned how stoic and emotionless Rowlet seems. They're not. They might not express it much, if at all, but the more time I spend with them, the easier I notice when they like or dislike something, how they act when they're happy, or scared... or upset.

This town isn't a very friendly place, even less so now with this everlasting fog, and people... Well, I've long since grown thick skin and gotten numb to all the things they say. Rowlet hasn't. And after going to bed early yesterday, they've been in their room for the whole morning. I can't stand seeing them like this, or rather NOT seeing them I guess, so with a deep breath, I open the door and step into their room.

They jolt up at the sound of the door opening, then their head drifts back down. They're sitting on their bed. It doesn't look like they've moved all morning.

I take a seat beside them. "Hey. You still worrying about what Kadabra said?"

"Yes."

"Here." I pass them a bar of chocolate, the kind I've seen them buying a few times. "That's your favorite, right?"

"Yes." They tear away the wrapper and start eating, bite by bite.

"... Does it... help you feel a little better?"

"... A little bit."

"Forget about Kadabra. Jerks like them aren't worth the time it takes to tell them to buzz off. They don't know what they're talking about."

"But they're right. I'm weird. I don't fit in. I don't belong here."

"Come on, that's complete baloney."

"... I don't think it is."

Shoot, I'm bad at this. Well, Rowlet always does like to tell it how it is... "Okay, sure, you're different. Weird. Maybe even a 'freak', if you wanna use scary words. But how does that mean you don't belong here? The lettuce in our pantry doesn't fit in with the bread or crackers, but that doesn't mean we're gonna throw it out. You belong here just as much as anyone. I bet that psychic jerk would be singing a different tune if they were out lost in the fog without your skills to guide them back to town."

Rowlet's head sinks lower. That's good, they're thinking more. Either that, or the lettuce metaphor confused them. I wait by their side, until they've finally finished their chocolate bar.

"I think I've got another jigsaw puzzle buried in the closet. Wanna do it together?"

An eyebrow raise. "You said you didn't like puzzles."

"Well yeah, but I like you." Wait what? Why did I say that!? I didn't mean to say that!!

"... I'd like to do a puzzle with you."

And so, 10 minutes later, I'm sitting over a thousand pieces of cardboard, bored out of my mind. Hooves and puzzle pieces don't mix well, and with the fog interfering with evolution, I'm stuck with a bunch of worthless-

"I thought about what you said before. I feel better now."

"Oh. Uh, I'm relieved to hear that... Do you still want to keep doing the puzzle?"

"Yes."

Well, it'd be mean to bail on them now. But watching their pace suddenly pick up, their eyes darting around the table as they focus, it makes me happy to see my teammate back in a good mood. "Hey, uh, I don't know much about fitting in, or belonging, but... For what it's worth, I want you to stay."

"I want to stay with you, too."

 

This mission is different. Word got out about Rowlet's navigation skills, and we received a special request to investigate this mountain; it became foggy before anywhere else, and even on those rare days when the fog lifts, this place always remains cloaked in an impenetrable cloud of fog. Even expert exploration teams have gotten lost in there, returning days later with nothing to show for it, if they return at all. Normally, no amount of money could convince me to go somewhere like that, but I trust Rowlet's senses.

And I feel like I'm right to do so when Rowlet returns from another scouting flight. "The summit is close. There's lots of fog creatures, and many are large."

"Yeah, I had to fight off three of them just waiting here. There's way more on this mountain, and not just because the fog is so thick. Think this place might be the source of it after all?"

"... Maybe. I think there must be something important at the summit."

I nod. "Lead the way."

We start to walk, but the fog before us suddenly swirls and gathers into the form of a creature. But this one is different from the others; for one, its form doesn't look nearly as solid as the others. Normally you can touch and even punch or tackle a fog creature, and they can do the same to you, but this one is more loose, barely holding a vague shape. For two, other fog creatures don't talk. "Stop."

We're so surprised by the strange creature that we've already stopped, staring.

"You. Why have you taken that form? Why do you stand with a pokemon?"

Rowlet and I exchange glances, both of us equally confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I was not speaking to you, pokemon." A foggy limb reaches toward me, and before I can react, it turns solid and strikes me, knocking me back!

Rowlet flaps over, making sure I'm alright before standing between me and the creature.

"You defend them. Why? Why do you side against your kin?"

"... Are you speaking to me? I'm a rowlet."

"I understand now. You have become lost. Your senses have dulled. I will help you." A wave of fog rolls toward us, so thick it may as well be smoke. Rowlet flinches... but doesn't move. The fog swallows them whole, and then stops.

"Rowlet!" I start toward the cloud, but hesitate; what if that fog is dangerous? Instead, I shoot a flamethrower at the creature!

The fire makes the fog creature dissipate, but the voice calls out from all around. "You do not belong here, pokemon. Leave."

"Not without my partner! What are you doing to them!?"

"I am helping them learn what they are. Helping them shed their crude body."

Is that fog killing them!? I need to get them out of there! I run toward the cloud and jump through it, reaching out my arms for Rowlet! I catch something, and when I come out the other side, Rowlet is- fading away?! Their body, it's turning into fog, their eyes staring into nothingness.

"You cannot stop them from remembering now. They already know what they are. They know to take their rightful-" The voice suddenly stops, as Rowlet's body stops fading.

The fog suddenly flows back toward their body, reforming into flesh and feathers. When they're fully restored, they blink and gasp for air, their eyes darting around.

"Rowlet! Are you okay? Do you need an oran berry? What HAPPENED in there?!"

"I..." Their breathing gradually calms, and their eyes drift downward in thought. "... I'm fog. I'm a fog creature..."

"What..?"

The voice speaks again. "You understand now. Why do you still cling to a pokemon's body?.. It does not matter. The era of fog is coming. Soon, you will return to your true form, and you will join us."

I try my best to ignore what this thing is saying about Rowlet. "What do you mean the era of fog is 'coming'? It's been foggy for five years!"

"This is only preparation. When we create our world, we will flourish. Pokemon will have no place there."

"What in the world..?"

Rowlet speaks up. "Tepig, this place isn't safe for you. We should leave."

"O-okay, yeah, let's go."

The creature remains silent and makes no move to stop us. I follow Rowlet down the mountain as they effortlessly retrace our steps, navigating perfectly through the thick fog.

When we return, we report what we learned from that creature, leaving out what happened to Rowlet.

Finally back home, we eat dinner in silence.

"... So, Rowlet... What you said back there... You're a..."

"I'm a fog creature. Not one like the beasts we fight, but like that one we spoke with. When I was... born, something must have gone wrong, and I accidentally took the form of a rowlet. Then you found me."

"I... see... What exactly happened in there? In that cloud?"

They think for a long time. "I could feel the fog all around me, like a fish in water. I could feel that other fog creature's presence. I perceived them more clearly than when I see a pokemon's face. Then my body started to disappear, and I felt weightless. I was in the fog, and I was part of it... I liked it."

"You did?" I remember their gasping, their eyes darting around. They looked desperate, struggling. "Then what happened? Why did you... undo it?"

"Because I like you more. I like my life as a pokemon. I want to stay with you."

My tension vanishes, and I smile at my partner. "I want you to stay, too."

 

Over the past month, we've learned more than ever before about the fog. More of the intelligent fog-born appeared (Rowlet and I suggested calling them that, since calling Rowlet a 'creature' felt wrong), and days of especially thick fog became more common. The fog-born had a plan, and if they weren't stopped, it would be the end of life as we knew it. And with our vision getting more obscured by the day, Rowlet was our only hope.

And we did it. We learned their plan, tracked down the source of the past five years of fog, and made our way up into the sky to a fortress of solid clouds. At the final battle, I throw flame after flame at the thing I can't see, dodging in time with Rowlet's warning shouts as fog-beasts and fog-born try to stop me.

The fog starts swirling, slow at first, but soon it picks up speed, blowing against me with enough force that I have to put all my effort into staying on the ground. But the wind gets faster, until-

*FWOOOSH!!*

A gust of wind clears the fog, and I see Rowlet panting with effort; they learned that they could control fog, and by now, they've nearly mastered their power. In the clear air, I see our target: A glowing sphere of energy, rapidly refilling the thick cloud around itself. The fog heart. In the moment that I can still see it, I sprint forward, bursting with flame, and smash through the heart!

I hear something crack, and a blast of wind throws me backward. The sound of wind is overwhelming, and fog rushes past, blocking my vision completely...

Then everything goes silent.

The air is still.

And then, for the first time in weeks, the sun shines down on us. Which is especially surprising because I thought this cloud castle has a ceiling. I look up and, well, it HAD a ceiling. The fog-born retreat lower into the castle, while the fog-beasts evaporate in the midday sunlight. The fog is lifting.

"... We did it! Rowlet, we did- AAAAHHHH!!" So, it turns out that the sun burned through the floor just as fast as it did the ceiling, and now I'm plummeting toward the ground from like a million feet up. Oops. It's not a big deal, though; Rowlet was able to carry me up here from a mountaintop, and sure enough, they fly down to meet me midair. "Rowlet!" I shout over the wind rushing past me. "We did it! We won!"

Rowlet nods. "Yes. I'm very glad you're safe now, Tepig... I have something I need to tell you. Did you see what happened to those fog-beasts?"

"Huh? Yeah, they... Wait. No... No, you can't disappear! Won't you be fine since you have a solid body? And- And what about those clear days we had? You were fine then!"

"My body won't last. I was safe during clear days thanks to the fog heart's influence, but now, I feel like my body will only last for a few minutes."

"Th-then there's still time! That mountain, it was where fog-born lived before building the heart, right? It's close enough, you could make it!"

"But then who will carry you down?"

I look at the ground. It'll be a long fall. Too long to both save me and fly to the mountain. "But... I... No! You can't! You can't disappear! You're the first person in YEARS that I've actually cared about! You're the first person to care about me. You're my partner, you're my friend, you can't just- I want you to stay!!"

"I want to stay with you, too. I want that more than anything..."

"No... No!!" Tears blur my vision no matter how much I try to blink them away. Rowlet embraces me with their wings, and I close my eyes and hug them in return. I can't stop sobbing, and everything feels so fuzzy that I don't even notice when Rowlet breaks the hug and starts carrying me. I just feel the wind slowing down as they gradually glide me down, then a few flaps, and then I'm standing on the ground once more.

"Rowlet..?" I sob, opening my eyes. But despite my tears drying and the air finally being clear of fog, I don't see them. I look left, look right- did they already disappear before I could say goodbye?! I look behind me, and spot a familiar pair of wings!

... On my back.

 

Over the past few years, things have finally gone back to normal. The weather's fixed, people can see where they're going again, and there's no fog-beasts to worry about. Rescue work slowed down for a bit, but once more people were willing to go outside, it picked back up. That mountain is still shrouded in fog, and there's probably still fog-born living there, but no one wants to go check. Probably for the best that our species don't interact for a while. Give it a few decades, or maybe centuries, things might be better between us and our foggy neighbors. Well, the ones that didn't try to kill us all, at least.

After I lost Rowlet, I realized how lonely I had been before I met them, so... I tried my best to make a friend or two. It was awkward, and difficult; most people aren't very friendly around here. But I did manage to find a few people, and after befriending Rowlet, getting to know people who have normal facial expressions was a piece of cake. I even joined up with another rescuer, and we formed a team! Combine that with my new pair of wings, and rescue work is easier than ever.

Then there's the wings... They're the only thing I have left of Rowlet. I thought, I hoped, that maybe they were alive inside. I talked to them, begged them to give me some sort of sign, but... Well, even if Rowlet really is gone, at least some part of them lives on in them; whenever I eat their favorite chocolate, or do a jigsaw puzzle, I feel a little tingle in my wings.

I make sure to keep them clean and groomed, which got a lot more tedious since they grew with me when I evolved. Still, it's a good thing they grew big enough that I can still fly with them. I'm not nearly as graceful and weightless in the air as Rowlet, but being able to fly at all is amazing! Speaking of flying, I actually have plans for today.

I step outside and walk down the road that's unusually empty for this time of day. It's a foggy morning, and everyone still has some resentment toward it. I was sick to death of fog too after five straight years of it, but now... Now it reminds me of my old partner, who loved it so much. Of the journeys we went on. Of the time we spend together.

I climb to the top of a hill, and spend a while just staring out at the clouded landscape. My wings always feel most comfortable in the fog, where they belong. This is when they're at their peak. And so, I stand up, take a few steps back, run forward, and jump off the hill. I spread my wings out to catch the air, and I glide through the fog like a fish in water.