The Robust
He/Him/His
Twenty-Eight
October 30th
Bevaridge Town
Biomesexual
Pokemon Educator/Vlogger/Biome Enthusiast
Avatar/Gym Leader/Elite Ranger
See ya later, Feraligatr!
Zac's Exhibits
POSTED ON May 30, 2022 8:34:52 GMT
[attr="class","zac"] This post uses some of the Language of Flowers. Hover over the names of the flowers to show their deeper meaning.
Zac jumped down from the boat, bare feet splashing in the shallows. "Thanks for the ride, Dev!"
"No sweat Zac" said his trusty cameraman, tossing his bags down onto the hot Alolan sand. "The missus and I were nearby anyway. Extended honeymoon," he said, grinning. "When did you want me to come pick you up?"
"When? Uh, not quite sure. I've got some stuff to sort out. I'll email ya', yeah?"
"You can just text me Zac. Or call, even."
"Yeah sure! If you'd prefer. I've got texting under wraps now anyway. I use Emolgas and everything."
The cameraman laughed. "I'm sure you do. Okay well you know how to reach me. See you later Feraligatr!"
"Hey! That's my line!" Zac said, grinning as Dev backed the boat out into the bay, before speeding off out into the great blue.Zac grabbed his bags and headed up the sand. At the top of the beach was a wall of jungle plants. Fronds on ferns on vines on grasses, massed and matted into a woven wall that prevented further passage. As Zac approached the plant life shifted, pulling back to make a path deeper into the unknown. He paused, at the threshold of a new adventure. Something was different about this trip. It didn't feel like his usual missions. There would be no vlog of this one on his website. "Enough standing around, ay?" He said, yet struggled to take the last step. He thought about why he was here, about who had called him here. "This one's been a long time coming." Zac stepped forward, and the greenery swallowed him whole.
"What people don't realize about the rainforest," Zac said, "is that it's really multiple biomes. We're on the forest floor now, and this is where a huge amount of leaves and leavings gather. A huge amount to eat, and the most easily accessible layer, right?" Tapu Bulu snorted, and Zac was reminded of chryssa glasgow . She'd have some witty retort though, probably asking if I was just describing myself. He smiled. As usual, Zac hadn't brought the black bull with him. Tapu Bulu had just appeared, tromping through the jungle, bell ringing in harsh tones that seemed to suit the mood perfectly. There was a clarity to the chimes that helped Zac to think. "Yeah, and then above that you've got the understory, which is where all the vines and inner parts of the trees tangle together, and then the canopy above that, which is where the tops of most of the trees form that 'sea of green' you can see from the air. Above that is the emergent layer. That's mainly Exeggutor." Tapu Bulu showed no interest, or indication of learning. "All that's probably just talk to you, right?" Zac asked. "Jungle's the jungle. It's all the same to you." Bulu jangled onwards, and they crossed a trickling river, taking a curved path that sprung up with flowers. Clusters of purple Heliotropes pushed up through the leaf litter, and and Carnations bloomed in ruffled masses as the bases of the massive trees. Zac knew he was missing something here, but could still feel the steady growth of power. Of life, swelling up from the land itself. "This is the most lively I've ever seen you," Zac said. "Maybe you just needed that long nap in the tree, ay?"The forest floor sloped downward, leading the pair down into a basin filled with chunks of carved stone. Above them stretched a shattered stone arch, some relic of an age long passes. Zac took a moment, inspecting one of them. It was overgrown with Thyme and Chamomile. The foreign flowers stood out against the faded stone, and again Zac felt like he was missing something. "This stuff's bloody ancient! What a find!" he said, snapping a few pics, but there was no reception here. No way to upload them to anything. "I'll show these to Kazimir Wynter later. He'll get a kick outta these." Zac took a photo of Bulu, who was swaying restlessly. "Shoe's on the other foot now, isn't it," he chuckled. "I waited on you for a bloody year, you can let me take some-" Bulu butted Zac gently, pushing him onwards. "Yeah yeah, okay."The feeling of power grew as they pushed further into the ruins. This was a place of death. Of endings. But also of life, raw and wild. Bulu stopped beside a tree, head tilted as if listening to something. "What is it?" Zac asked, but the creature was still. "Time for a rest? I don't feel tired, but if you need some time-"Bulu ROARED! The deep, resonant bellow shook the leaves from the trees and made Zac's stomach jump. He covered his ears as the call continued, mixing with the harsh clang of Bulu's bell. He tried calling out, but the sound was lost in the din.Bulu stopped."What the hell was that, mate?! Coulda given me some warning!" Zac said, blinking and rubbing his ears. "Might have a bit of damage after that."ding dingBulu turned, and Zac followed their gaze. He couldn't hear it, but there was a small ringing coming from the jungle.ding ding"What? All that bloody noise attracted something?" He smiled, amused by the idea of some local fauna trying to challenge Bulu. "No problem, ay? You mess with the bull you get the-"A small, red Tapu Bulu pushed through the vines, its miniature bell ringing clearly. "-baby..." Zac said, trailing off.Mama and baby Bulu met in a clank of wood and metal, the pair finally reunited after an age apart. Zac looked on in awe as wave after wave of Honeysuckle and Magnolia bloomed around the pair, almost covering them in the fragrant flowers. They looked mismatched, burnt black and fresh red, though Zac was never surer of anything in his life: they were mother and child.Mama Bulu nuzzled her calf, and the clanging of their bells made a sweet harmony. Zac felt like a bloody idiot."I've been keeping you two apart," he said out loud. "I should have bloody realized." It all made sense now. The exhaustion, the lack of power, the milk. This whole time the signs of a new mother had been right in front of him and he'd just taken them as parts of who Bulu was. In a way, he'd been right, but he'd missed the forest for the trees. "I'm sorry ma-, uh, Mama," Zac said, moving closer to the pair. When the pair made no move to leave he joined them, wrapping his big arms around the reunited family. "Cute little bub ya got here," he said to Bulu. She clanged, and the Baby Bulu cried hungrily. Zac felt a tug. Not at his body but at something deeper. His powers. The slice of life he'd been gifted by Tapu Bulu. He took a deep breath, and pressed his hand against her dark wood. Green light burst at the seam between them, dripping out in bouquets of White Clover and Butterfly Weed. The flowers pooled at Zac's feet, and storm clouds gathered overheard.He let go, feeling drained, but strangely energized, like the powers had weighed him down as much as they'd propped him up. "Now you can give your all, ay?" He said, nodding at the hungry red Baby Bulu.Mama Bulu clanged, and Zac felt the drop in pressure, followed by the first drips of the milky rain. "I'll leave you two to it, yeah?" he said, feeling like the worst largest third wheel. "Thanks for everything Bulu. I'll be hanging around on the island for a bit, so if you want to come visit you know where to find me."Bulu let out a snort, which Zac took as confirmation. Baby Bulu butted into their Mama, and the drops strengthened into a shower. Milk pattered against the leaves, the canopy layer, slowly filtering down. Zac wiped his face. He wasn't crying. There was just milk in his eyes.As he took the tangled path back to the ruins he turned around one last time to see the mother and child watching him go. "See you later Feraligatr!" he called, smile as wide as it had ever been. The pair clanged, and Zac left them, reunited at last.He trekked back towards the beach, not worried about directions. The forest would lead him where he needed to go.
And if it didn't?
Well, that was just a new adventure. |
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