Blaguarro Town Blaguarro Outskirts

[Butterfree]

Erva let out a long exhale that sounded like squeaky metal. Great. A QnA. "Fuck if I know," she replied. "I'm just going off the ramblings of a pair of drunkards who saw a rowdy wild or two. If you really want to waste your time, you can hear it from Mav and Reno. Dodrio and noctowl, before you ask.

Mav and Reno. Okay, he'd file that away and if they bumped into them sometime on the way they could see what was up with that and if it had anything to do with this supposed world-destroying threat.

(This whole thing, a ragtag bunch of misfits in the bodies of fucking children out to to save the world was almost grotesque. And yet, everything about this was already a cartoon, once again in this disconcertingly familiar way that made it seem not as fucking ludicrous as it should have been. Might as well act like he knew he was in one.)

Dave sighed as they set off walking towards town, squinting at each of the the traveling companions he'd ended up with. A grumpy blue Rockruff who'd stared at the Skarmory like a man haunted. Someone called Gladion who looked like that one weird attempted chimera from the eighties, wearing a creepy mask on his head. A quiet Sneasel. A sarcastic ghost Zorua. And of course, the Mawile with the unruly jaws. Sounded like they'd all be stuck with each other for a little while.

"So, uh, what were all your names again?"

 

[Inkedust]

"Bellatrix," she replied, louder so more than just the rockruff would catch her name, padding ahead towards the front of the group. While she'd managed to keep a cool demeanour in the initial chaos, internally she was screaming. She'd tempered her expectations to be underground from what she'd seen in the Nexus and this group couldn't even reach that. Not a single competent soul among them except maybe the sneasel.

She was going to have the time of her life trying to wrangle this group.

 

[Sinderella]

"So, uh, what were all your names again?"

“Odette,” she said. She raised a brow as the zorua, Bellatrix apparently, moved to walk in front of her. Out of pure spite, she casually fell into step beside her, all while still keeping her distance and staying nearby the others.

“Yours?” she said to the poochyena. “I didn’t get a chance to say thanks for stopping the cart, by the way. So, thanks.”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Gladion,” he repeated in case anyone had missed it.

He tried to turn his attention to the rockruff that had been squished when he’d fallen, but wasn’t actually sure where the guy was. He certainly wasn’t going to ask again if he needed help getting to the town given someone had posited it already and it would probably sound like an insult coming from him, but he was willing to if the guy asked.

 

[Butterfree]

“Yours?” she said to the poochyena. “I didn’t get a chance to say thanks for stopping the cart, by the way. So, thanks.”

"Dave," he said. "Yeah, I'm not sure Cloudy knew what the fuck they were doing when they sent us here. You right into a runaway minecart, people falling on top of each other, I got dumped inside a pile of coal. And where the fuck is everyone else, anyway? Weren't there a few dozen of us in the nexus place?"

He hadn't kept very careful track of the whole crowd back at the Nexus, mind. He glanced back at the others and then at Odette. "So were you human before you got turned into a Mawile, or what?"

 

[JFought]

"So, just out of curiosity, what do you mean by 'monsters', here? Or monsters wearing the skin of Pokémon? Are we talking nonsapient Pokémon, or some different kind of creature?"

Isidora had figured it was a pointless distinction, but the last part of his question ruffled her tail feathers. What exactly does he mean by 'non-sapient?' With the confusing nature of this 'multiple world' stuff starting to set in, she wasn't sure how fair it was to consider this a red flag, either for him or for Erva who accepted it without thought. So she buried it in the back of her mind as they began their trek towards the town in the distance.

The heat and sun were unbearable. She kept walking just fine, but it was hard to think about anything else. Her panting came out as small, cool breaths. Can I use a move? She tried to focus inwards, searching for those familiar elemental energies, but the only feelings she got were 'it is hot,' and, 'my feet are dying,' and, 'the gabite smells bad.' She'd kill to use Blizzard right now and turn this place into a snowscape. She placed her half-sheathed claws on her left shoulder. Maybe I could try drawing some magic.

I can not replicate any abilities you may be used to.

...Could she?

"So, uh, what were all your names again?"

The poocheyena's question yanked her back into reality. She sighed and focused on scratching her left arm, trying her best to appear composed. "Name's Isidora." It wasn't a proper introduction, but that could come later, she guessed. At least she wasn't alone. And, well, she'd kept worse company before.

He glanced back at the others and then at Odette. "So were you human before you got turned into a Mawile, or what?"

Wait, what.

 

[Inkedust]

“Odette,” she said. She raised a brow as the zorua, Bellatrix apparently, moved to walk in front of her. Out of pure spite, she casually fell into step beside her, all while still keeping her distance and staying nearby the others.

That earned a curious glimpse from the zorua, though it didn't linger for very long as her gaze fixed forwards towards the town. "Rather audacious, aren't we?" she asked, tone serenely neutral.

He hadn't kept very careful track of the whole crowd back at the Nexus, mind. He glanced back at the others and then at Odette. "So were you human before you got turned into a Mawile, or what?"

Bellatrix's fur stood on its end when Dave had decided to just say that. Her eyes momentarily flashed with panic as she looked around for the group that'd approached her. Thankfully, it appeared that both Erva and Ryder had long since moved out of earshot after the groups arrangements were agreed upon but Vigoroth, who was leading them along, looked at Dave and Odette with interest.

 

[Butterfree]

Dave narrowed his eyes. Why the fuck was everyone looking at him?

 

[HelloYellow17]

Erva shuffled away from the gabite so nobody else would see them together. "I'm not carrying any of you, if that's what you're asking," she said to Wes.

And thank the gods for that. He wouldn’t have taken her up on the offer if she’d given it, anyway. No way. Not a Swinub’s chance in Orre.

"Your city friend here can be the one who wants to look like he's carrying wild 'mons into town."

Vigoroth looked momentarily embarrassed. "I'll need to get back to work shortly. If you need someone to carry you because of that leg, why don't you climb on the back of Patchwork? Looks large enough to carry the lot of you and extra."

Oh, helllll no. Wes nearly said as much out loud, but managed to hold his tongue. Instead, he straightened up, shot “Patchwork” a sideways glance, then shook his head.

“No need. I’m fine,” he lied.

"So, uh, what were all your names again?"

Wes listened as everyone gave their names. Figures that Princess would have a hoity-toity name like Bellatrix, really, and the Mawile, Odette, had one that sounded equally snooty. Gladion was a hell of a name, too. Though Wes supposed he couldn’t be too judgemental, really; he was from Orre, after all. He’d heard worse.

“Name’s Wes,” he said simply. Rui might have nudged him to add, “nice to meet you,” or something equally stupid, but that would have been a lie. Not that Wes had any issues with lying, as his aching leg was so generously reminding him, but this one wasn’t worth the effort.

"So were you human before you got turned into a Mawile, or what?"

That got Wes’s attention. He perked up. “Did you say human?”

He’d assumed all of these maniacs were just random Pokémon, but…if he’d been dragged into this mess and shoved into a Pokemon form, then he supposed it wasn’t too far-fetched for others to have experienced the same. The fact that Dave brought it up first seemed to imply he was human before, at least. Wes noticed Princess—Bellatrix, whatever—visibly tense up at that. So she’d been human, too?

Nobody seemed keen to answer, so Wes cleared his throat and spoke up. “I, uh…I’m human. Or was, anyway.” File that away in things I never thought I’d say. “I take it you were, too?”

 

[Inkedust]

Dave narrowed his eyes. Why the fuck was everyone looking at him?

"Oh, very sorry. I was just daydreaming," Vigoroth chuckled. "I meant to say that, since we're all introducing ourselves, the name's Jaak. Vigoroth Jaak."

Nobody seemed keen to answer, so Wes cleared his throat and spoke up. “I, uh…I’m human. Or was, anyway.” File that away in things I never thought I’d say. “I take it you were, too?”

"That's quite the claim you're makin' there," Jaak said very nonchalantly. "Something you'd only hear in the old stories. You fellas being serious here?" he asked. To Dave he added, more quietly, "You're a believer too?"

Bellatrix said nothing. She kept walking, pretending that she didn't hear any of it. Maybe she'd elaborate more on the train but looking clinically insane in such a place was the very last thing on her current to-do list.

 

[HelloYellow17]

"That's quite the claim you're makin' there," Jaak said very nonchalantly. "Something you'd only hear in the old stories. You fellas being serious here?" he asked. To Dave he added, "You're a believer too?"

Oh. Wes had been so focused on Skarmory’s retreating form, he’d simply assumed Vigoroth—Jaak, apparently—had gone with them. He frowned at Jaak’s question.

“Believer in what?”

 

[Butterfree]

"That's quite the claim you're makin' there," Jaak said very nonchalantly. "Something you'd only hear in the old stories. You fellas being serious here?" he asked. To Dave he added, more quietly, "You're a believer too?"

What on Earth. The cloud had said there were humans here, but one would've thought even if that wasn't common knowledge that'd leave people unfamiliar with the word, not treating it like some kind of fairy tale. Were humans the fucking unicorns of Forlas?

"Sorry, we're not from around here. What kind of 'old stories' are we talking exactly?"

 

[Sinderella]

"So were you human before you got turned into a Mawile, or what?"

Odette happily opened her mouth to answer, but was startled to see the various reactions, and the eyes that darted in their direction.

“Wow, you might as well have asked me if I fucking killed someone,” she said. She had, but. That didn’t need to be said.

“Yes,” she said in a lower voice. “Definitely was human. Definitely wish I was human now. Hate this Pokemon body shit.” And the jaws weren’t even the worst part of it.

“Name’s Wes,” he said simply.

That tracked. “Wes” felt in line with the secondary school level snippiness. Probably short for something obnoxious like “Wesely” or “Weston.”

“Gladion,” he repeated in case anyone had missed it.

Odette’s double-take was fast and not at all subtle. “I’m sorry…did you just say Gladion?”

No way. It didn’t sound like Gladion. Her Gladion, at least. He’d have told her if he were summoned to something like this…wouldn’t he? Maybe she’d hit her head a little too hard against that cart. Maybe it was just…another Gladion. It was a common name…perhaps in some other universe.

“Sorry. Forget it,” she said quickly. “I have a close friend named Gladion, so that threw me.”

That earned a curious glimpse from the zorua, though it didn't linger for very long as her gaze fixed forwards towards the town. "Rather audacious, aren't we?" she asked, tone serenely neutral

Odette decided to not make eye contact with the zorua, instead just squinting toward wherever they were going.

“Didn’t realize walking next to a zorua was considered daring. I’ve certainly used my boldness toward worse.”

"That's quite the claim you're makin' there," Jaak said very nonchalantly. "Something you'd only hear in the old stories. You fellas being serious here?" he asked. To Dave he added, more quietly, "You're a believer too?"

She shot a look at the vigoroth, Jaak apparently. What was the concept of humans mythical here? In a moment of pure need to set the record straight, she opened her mouth, but with her jaw clamped shut, she found the will to calm down and approach the situation rationally.

“Believer in what? Are humans something of a…taboo or whatever?” she muttered back.

 

[Inkedust]

“Believer in what?”

“Believer in what? Are humans something of a…taboo or whatever?” she muttered back.

"Sorry, we're not from around here. What kind of 'old stories' are we talking exactly?"

"The old stories, of course!" exclaimed Jaak. "You know, of humans turning up in Forlas and saving the world with the help of an inseparable partner - wait, no, you wouldn't if you weren't, silly me. A lotta folks, especially around these parts, will laugh you out of the room if you make a claim like that but I know, no knew, they had to be true." In his excitement, the vigoroth started skipping ahead.

"Forget about what you owe me!" he then yelled. "You've done more than enough for me already! You gave me hope!"

Bellatrix watched the display dumbfounded. "I guess humans are a big deal," she whispered beneath her breath. She calmed down a fair bit, however and continued, trying to latch her mind onto anything.

“Didn’t realize walking next to a zorua was considered daring. I’ve certainly used my boldness toward worse.”

"Unaware of the tales surrounding the pale zorua?" Bellatrix replied, though it was impossible to tell if she was being serious or playful. "Or are they just not from your world?"

 

[Sinderella]

"The old stories, of course!" exclaimed Jaak. "You know, of humans turning up in Forlas and saving the world with the help of an inseparable partner - wait, no, you wouldn't if you weren't, silly me. A lotta folks, especially around these parts, will laugh you out of the room if you make a claim like that but I know, no knew, they had to be true." In his excitement, the vigoroth started skipping ahead.

"Forget about what you owe me!" he then yelled. "You've done more than enough for me already! You gave me hope!"

“Humans turning up and saving—“ Odette started to repeat under her breath as she watched Jaak skip ahead. She supposed that answered her question, but she had to wonder just what the fuck they were expecting humans to save them from. She had enough shit going on at home, but now she had the shit of this world too? Gods…

Fixated on the comment, she loosened her grip on her jaws subconsciously, and they wriggled loose.

“̸G̴o̷o̷d̷ ̴f̴u̷c̴k̵i̵n̴g̶ ̸g̸r̷i̵e̷f̵,̷ ̷y̸o̵u̴’̸d̶ ̴t̶h̵i̴n̶k̸ ̷p̸e̶o̴p̶l̵e̸ ̴w̴o̵u̴l̷d̴ ̵k̴n̵o̶w̷ ̵h̷o̵w̵ ̵t̸o̴ ̷s̸a̷v̸e̸ ̴t̸h̵e̶m̶f̵u̸c̷k̸i̵n̸g̴s̸e̴l̶v̸e̵s̵ ̵b̶y̵ ̶n̶o̵w̶.̵”̸ they cracked. Odette bristled and reached up to clamp them shut.

“Hush,” she menaced. When she was sure they had nothing more to say, she reached up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

“Well at least he seems giddy about those prospects,” she said dryly.

"Unaware of the tales surrounding the pale zorua?" Bellatrix replied, though it was impossible to tell if she was being serious or playful. "Or are they just not from your world?"

That time, she actually glanced at Bellatrix.

“You mean the tales of the evolutionary subclass of zorua that originated in ancient Sinnoh?” she queried, tilting her head. “I’m familiar. I like to think I’m more versed than the average everyman—“ she cut herself off to huff,” —or everymon, in this case, in the history of ghost types. At least, where I’m from.”

 

[Inkedust]

“You mean the tales of the evolutionary subclass of zorua that originated in ancient Sinnoh?” she queried, tilting her head. “I’m familiar. I like to think I’m more versed than the average everyman—“ she cut herself off to huff,” —or everymon, in this case, in the history of ghost types.”

A pleased look crossed Bellatrix's features for a brief moment. She could always appreciate someone well educated - even if their quirks (such as that unruly back jaw) hampered things slightly. "Quite the fascinating tale isn't it? The soul of something passed lingering purely out of spite and malice. Many other Ghost-types tend to be privy to similar folklore too," she mused. "I hear species like - ah what's it called? Banette, I believe - were similarly brought to life through a grudge. However, what piques my interest the most is where the Normal-typing comes from."

She watched Jaak skip away, though the vigoroth momentarily halted to let the group catch up. He seemed rather keen to remain in earshot of the group after the set of revelations he'd been privy to.

 

[Sinderella]

"Quite the fascinating tale isn't it? The soul of something passed lingering purely out of spite and malice. Many other Ghost-types tend to be privy to similar folklore too," she mused. "I hear species like - ah what's it called? Banette, I believe - were similarly brought to life through a grudge.

Odette didn’t do anything to mask her intrigue in the conversation at hand. If anybody wanted to talk about ghost types, she would never say no.

“It is one of my favorites, if I’m being honest,” she said. It hit far too close to home for it to not be. “And yes. Banette’s come to form in the spite held by tossed aside toys—usually dolls. One of the prime reasons I never threw away any of my own as I was growing up,” she mused.

She kicked aside a rock, and watched it roll across the sand. “It’s strange, but I think it’s the ghost type tendency to function purely on spite that has me so drawn to them. Ceruledge exists out resentment toward unfinished goals, driftloon manifest from aggravated wandering spirits, froslass are evolved out of the vengeful soul fragments of women lost on mountains. Not the most savory thing, but you can’t tell me the type isn’t resilient. Maybe that’s the part I admire the most.”

However, what piques my interest the most is where the Normal-typing comes from."

Odette began to scratch her cheek as her eyes lit up. “Well,” she said, “my mother and her partners had a theory they studied for a while. A Pokemon born out of pure spite and malice having a dual typing of two incompatible types—normal types being a ghost type’s lone weakness, both offensively and defensively—is just the truest form of spite. Therefore, its existence stacks further on the idea that its alive for the sake of hostility alone. Can’t be solely weak to normal types if you’re also a normal type, you know?”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Odette’s double-take was fast and not at all subtle. “I’m sorry…did you just say Gladion?”

No way. It didn’t sound like Gladion. Her Gladion, at least. He’d have told her if he were summoned to something like this…wouldn’t he? Maybe she’d hit her head a little too hard against that cart. Maybe it was just…another Gladion. It was a common name…perhaps in some other universe.

“Sorry. Forget it,” she said quickly. “I have a close friend named Gladion, so that threw me.”

""What?" Oh fuck. Great. She knew a version of him— was ostensibly close friends with him. Because it was another version of him, he was sure of that. It had to be. It wasn't another guy named Gladion, because Gladion wasn't a real fucking name, it was something he made up as a fourteen year old that no adult would ever conceive of naming their infant child and frankly it was kind of incredible that nobody had called him on that yet. She must've figured the same thing, too. Nobody reacts like that to hearing there's a second guy named 'Frank' out there somewhere.

Oddly, that begged a second question. If that was the case, there was something she didn't know that she really should know: What he was. His species. But no, she'd been totally blindsided by who he was which meant somewhere there was a Gladion whose close friends could conceivably not know about Hazel. One that was presumably further down the line from him given he didn't know an Odette. Which meant... Which meant...

There was one thing that could mean.

Fuck.

A terrified chill ran down Gladion's spine as he tried and failed not to process that information. He froze up for a moment, almost losing his stride and falling as another "what" escaped his throat. That one entirely involuntary, his voice shaking in spite of his attempts to keep himself under control.

(He'd never have to worry about being stuck living here for thirty years, at least...)

 

[JFought]

Well, she'd kept worse company before.

She took it back.

Now that she thought about it, the voice mentioned this, didn't they? About how there were no humans in Forlas. About how they were only ever sent here as pokémon. And about how some of the assorted guests were to be included in that number.

Isidora glanced at Wes, then at Odette. Both of them. And what was it that Dave said earlier again? And is Gladion a human name? And Bellatrix looked startled for a moment but now she was being very nonchalant with a human of all freaking things-

You're being paranoid. None of that means they're humans too, she told herself, but she couldn't stop furiously digging her claws into her arms.

And what was the vigoroth, Jaak, going on about?! Humans saving the world? With the help of an inseparable partner?! What did that imply?! Perhaps in another timeline she'd find this legend casually interesting but given her exact position at this particular moment...

Isidora flattened her ears and picked up her pace, ignoring Gladion's own crisis, ignoring Bellatrix, and the human, and her own body screaming at her with every second, until she reached Jaak's side. "Excuse me," she said, her voice coming out as an entire mix of real and forced emotions. "About those old stories, you mind telling a little bit more? How do they usually go?" Given that he seemed to believe the humans when they admitted it, the next part came easy. "Since we're a group with some humans in it, its important to know what we're in for, you get me?"

Normally she would not expect anyone to be this genuine, but for once she really, really wanted to believe that he was.

 

[Inkedust]

Bellatrix listened to Odette intently. Of course she knew, back in her world at least, that those claims were nothing more than mere folklore but Odette's world was not her world and the idea of such tales being real fascinated her. There was one thing that was real that she could offer to keep her talking. Something she was acutely familiar with.

"Yes, perhaps you're right about the conflicting typing," Bellatrix hummed. "Incredibly hardy too, which makes sense given the climate the species is usually found in." It was probably why, despite the heat (which Bellatrix did not appreciate, thank you very much) she was faring a bit better than some of the others in the group. She continued, "I think my greatest fascination from them stems from their connection to the shadows. Otherworlds. Which lets them see things nobody else can."

The reminder caused her gaze to immediately shift towards the closest shadows, but found nothing in the midst of broad daylight. Maybe, she hoped, it didn't follow her here.

A terrified chill ran down Gladion's spine as he tried and failed not to process that information. He froze up for a moment, almost losing his stride and falling as another "what" escaped his throat. That one entirely involuntary, his voice shaking in spite of his attempts to keep himself under control.

However, during her search, she noticed Gladion's sudden shift in demeanour. She'd caught Odette's comment about the chimera beforehand but ignored it given that she witnessed a very similar series of events in the Nexus and didn't feel inclined to humour such a thing again. Yet the reaction reminded her that she would much rather prefer not seeing any alternative versions of people she knew or, Arceus forbid, forgot.

"Excuse me," she said, her voice coming out as an entire mix of real and forced emotions. "About those old stories, you mind telling a little bit more? How do they usually go?" Given that he seemed to believe the humans when they admitted it, the next part came easy. "Since we're a group with some humans in it, its important to know what we're in for, you get me?"

Jaak brightened at the question, apparently it was possible for him to be happier than he already was. "Of course! See, it's said that humans carry with them immense power - far beyond the capabilities of a normal pokémon - that they can share with their trusted partner. Because of that power, they're summoned to stop a massive threat. You know, classic hero stuff. Dunno what the world needs saving from now though, except maybe some local attitude problems," he added more wearily.

Bellatrix blinked at that. This world too? she thought. Maybe it was a common trend in worlds with Mystery Dungeons, though she kept walking like nothing was amiss.