Frontier Town Greenbough Empirical Orchards

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Oh, so it was you! But wait, if you're here, and I'm here, then that means... I'm the banshee!" Ghaspius replied with a snicker as he tried to lighten the mood a bit. "Sorry 'bout the spook, but usually when someone screams, somethin' terrifying follows, yeah?"

Steven could only blink at Ghaspius in response. "Well, you are a ghost type," he deadpanned. He held his tongue with the follow up thought that more times than not, ghost types were terrifying. Thankfully, Ghaspius seemed to be the 'not terrifying' kind, even if he did appear to have their standard penchant for practical jokes.

Checking that he hadn't damaged the plants with his claw, Steven was about to ask what Ghaspius meant about 'resetting moves' when he heard the ghost say something far more interesting.

"Wait, alchemy? You're an alchemist?" Steven tried not to look offended at the 'plain old metal' part. "But... that's impossible."

He was quick to backpedal though, because as of a week ago, he would have thought being incarnated as a pokemon in a far-away world was impossible. "At least where I come from. We have plenty of science, but not alchemy."

He knew he was ignoring Ghaspius's question, but this was important. There was somewhere where alchemy existed. "Are... what kind of world are you from?"

 

[MintyMimix]

"Impossible?" Ghaspius let out a boisterous laugh. "That's exactly what alchemy aims to disprove! Makin' the impossible possible!" His grin widened to an elated degree, but quickly deflated a bit at Steven's next line. "Ah, well, alchemy is a science, just, ah..."

He cleared his throat as he adjusted his scarf. He didn't want to admit that they had recently split the subject into 'chemistry' and 'biology'. Stupid terms. "Alchemy's more mystical. It has flair. It can make medicines and poisons; it can bring about life and death; it grooves with nature to change it!"

He floated higher and higher with each declaration before settling back down. "But mostly a world that seems similar enough to this one. Lots of desert, dungeons, and disease. Stuff that goes on all around Crason makes a guy wanna see what he can do to help, you know?"

Ghaspius gently floated over to the tomato. "Take this lil' beaut for example. Did you know there's a specific compound that makes it red? But if you squeeze out the juice and mix it with a bit of bromine..." He twirled his tendril in a circle. "You get a cool rainbow! Just be sure not to drink it. Unless you like burning lungs. But see, if you mix it with some other organics, you can then make one heck of a flame repellent."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven listened with rapt attention as Ghasipus explained about the science of his world. It felt like a mix of chemistry and biology but with more of an arcane flair than anything Steven had heard of. Sure, they had modern medicine and technology in Hoenn, but he'd never heard of making flame repellent from a tomato.

"Fascinating," he murmured.

There was no denying Ghaspius's passion to his craft; it was admirable. However, it wasn't lost on Steven the way Ghaspius's smile faltered a bit at his disbelief. "My apologies, I chose my words poorly. I didn't mean to devalue your studies." He gave an apologetic laugh. "It's been a long twenty four hours."

"Though, correct me if I misheard you. Did you say your world had dungeons? And that it was like this one?" Steven hovered silent for a moment, eye downturned in thought. First the comment about moves, now this. He had the strangest feeling Ghaspius was even more interesting than he let on.

"Forgive me for being so presumptuous, but... you're not originally a human, are you."

 

[MintyMimix]

"Twenty four hours? Y'all really ought to be hittin' the hay then!" Ghaspius sighed with the shake of his head. "I know Steel-types are hardy, but ain't that pushin' it a bit?"

To the Steven's statement, he quirked a brow. It took him a moment to process through the conversation. Odd name, unfamiliar psychic powers, and now that question.

He let out a ghostly laugh. "I'd say it's more presumptuous to declare every Offworlder a human!" His jovial tone indicated it was more in jest than any real offense. "Though I suppose y'all are the cloth cut of myths and legends. Even here on Forlas you got the likes of Jesse Stranger!"

The Misdreavus tightened his scarf before rolling into an upside down stance. "I'm a 'mon through and through. And that makes you one of those two-legged folk then? Least that's what sis tells me from those skeletons she digs up. How's the Beldum life treatin' ya?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Twenty four hours? Y'all really ought to be hittin' the hay then!" Ghaspius sighed with the shake of his head. "I know Steel-types are hardy, but ain't that pushin' it a bit?"

Steven hummed thoughtfully before fixing Ghaspius with his single eye. "I know, but this is important. It's related to what the mayor had been doing and--"
He cut himself off, shaking his head. No, he was here to rest. Relax.

He let out a ghostly laugh. "I'd say it's more presumptuous to declare every Offworlder a human!" His jovial tone indicated it was more in jest than any real offense.

Steven's eye widened in surprise. "No, you're right. That is awfully presumptuous of me. It's just that I hadn't met anyone to the contrary before today."

He shook his head again, this time his eye winking into the gentle crescent of a small smile. "It seems today is full of all sorts of surprises."

"Most of all, that humans are mythical creatures to some. And here I thought that title was reserved only for pokemon. You are correct, I am human, and we are plentiful in my world. There are those that achieve great things, but it pales in comparison to what the legendary pokemon can do."

He nodded at Ghaspius's question, giving his current body a once over. "Being a beldum is... different. It's not a total surprise, my closest partner is a beldum, well, they're a metagross now, but we met when I was a young boy and we've been together ever since."

Steven paused, a wistful tone seeping into his voice. "I learned a lot from them."

He watched the misdreavus flip upside down, and the thought occurred to him that he'd never tried the same maneuver himself. But then another thought occurred to him, and his eye furrowed in thought. "Wait. It sounds like humans used to exist in your world? Did something happen to them that they vanished in all but stories and legends?"

 

[MintyMimix]

Steven hummed thoughtfully before fixing Ghaspius with his single eye. "I know, but this is important. It's related to what the mayor had been doing and--"
He cut himself off, shaking his head.

Ghaspius reached out and tapped the other floating 'mon with his forehead. "Nuh uh uh, none of that," he remarked with the shake of his head as he floated back. "Important means you get help while you rest. I can give you a summary if ya need a second or third eye."

He righted himself once more and smiled. "Well, how 'bout that. Think my sis go into cardiac arrest if she found out any 'bout what you've been sayin'." He let out a chuckle. "Legendaries ain't doin' much back home these days. Far as I'm aware, we've inherited more from mankind than the big monkind."

He hummed as he wistfully floated to basil patches serving as companions for the tomatoes. "That's a pretty spot on description, I'd say. No one really knows what happened and records stopped before anythin' that would indicate it. But for a least a century or so they ain't been a lick of a living person." He took in a sniff. "S'why there's an entire organization trying to study up on 'em, retrieve whatever's left, and then remake it to give it out to the world."

The Misdreavus gave a sympathetic smile to Steven. "Forlas sounds a bit different on that one though, so I wouldn't worry as much here. Still, I'm sorry ya got separated from your boyfriend. Maybe if we're lucky, he got called too."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Without warning, Ghaspius closed the distance between them, and Steven tensed as the ghost type reached out. It was unnecessary though, as Ghaspius's touch was gentle, and his words kind.

"Ah, thank you for your concern," said Steven, feeling a little like he was being chided by a caring parent. "I'll be alright though. Just a bit more and then I can rest."

Despite his overtired state, Steven hung on to every word of Ghaspius's tale.

"Fascinating." He had a feeling he was starting to repeat himself, but everything that Ghaspius shared truly was. "To think that humankind is considered a lost civilization."

A lost civilization that pokemon archaeologists was determined to uncover. In a funny way, it reminded him of a lot of his own studies into the ancient mysteries of his own world.

"I guess curiosity about the past is a universal constant," he said with a chuckle.

But then he tilted his head to the side, confused. "Boyfriend?" he echoed. Steven blinked, about to use the practiced line of, "oh he's not my boyfriend," but then he realized he hadn't said anything about Wallace...

And then he realized who Ghaspius was talking about. "Metagross!?" Steven spluttered a curious sound halfway between a beep and a squwak. "No, no, Metagross is my pokemon partner. I'm a trainer, and they're my teammate; my friend."

 

[MintyMimix]

"Whether it's the past, or about nature itself, curiosity carries the world!" Ghaspius gleefully replied as his robes fluttered. "I don't wanna keep ya up too long, but now I gotta know what you were up to before all this! You seem like a pretty well-read 'mon — or would that be 'man'?" He snickered to himself.

The Misdreavus tilted from side-to-side as his ectoplasmic brain bounced along with it. Supposedly. "Is that feeling mutual, I wonder~?" A slight tease of a smile encroached his lips. "All kidding aside, a personal trainer, huh? Sounds like Metagross might be a delver or a fighter of sorts? 'Cept ya said there's no dungeons, so maybe an excavator?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Ah, it's quite alright. Just being here is relaxing," said Steven sending his gaze around the orchard. A gentle breeze rustled the trees, and he settled in his hovering slightly. "And I've been enjoying the company and conversation."

Ghaspius's friendly ribbing went right over Steven's head, fatigued state having nothing to do with it. His eye furrowed in thought. "I can't say I've felt anything like that from Metagross. They're very clear about things."

His eye furrowed even further as Ghaspius spoke. "Personal trainer? No, I'm a pokemon trainer. In my world, anyone can partner with a pokemon for any sort of reason, and ultimately I chose to become a trainer because we both wanted to become stronger." He gestured with his claw, to show where Beldum had started, and if Ghaspius knew what a metagross was, he would have a good idea of what his starter had become.

"Though you're right about the kinds of things we do together. We battle, and delve, and well, I guess we excavate a little, too," Steven added sheepishly. "I have a penchant for exploring caves, perhaps a little too often if you ask anyone else."

He then fixed Ghaspius with a curious look. "Although, you keep mentioning dungeons? What are those, exactly? I recall hearing the term as it relates to this world, too. Are they like caves?"

 

[MintyMimix]

"Well, that makes us two of us," Ghaspius nodded as he smiled. "And don't sweat it; I didn't mean none 'bout your partner. I'm sure you two make a good team."

The ghost decided that being ninety degrees sideways was the best way to express his intrigue. "Really now? Huh. Ya know, there was theory that my sis talked 'bout once about how the human and Pokémon bonds givin' power or somethin' or another," he said with a hum. "Whether that's true or not, I can see it! Maybe this time around you'll have the favor returned to you, huh?" He made a bwooosh sound with his mouth to imitate what he regarded as evolution.

And upside down again he was. "Well look at that, I got all three right. Cave delvin' might not be as dangerous as dungeon delvin', but I s'pse they both got their own treasures and beauties." He made a harsh frown so it looked like it was a smile from Steven's perspective. "Hey, you ever wanna go and find me some materials, I won't say no!"

A true smile echoed onto his face as he turned ninety degrees once more. "Nah, dungeons can be anywhere. It's an area that gets all wibbly-worbly. Like ya ever get lost in a forest and it feels like you're going in circles? Imagine if the place actually warped around ya and made so you actually were goin' circles. It's crazy. But they also have some of the most magical goods hidden all over."

Finally, he righted himself as he completed his full roll. "I had a short bit of time to read about the Forlas ones when I was at Little Scriven. Apparently, they got the ones that form in nature like I just described, but they also got ones that pop up in old urban places too. If we ever get a chance to go back there, I could try to find that book for ya."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven nodded, flexing his claws once again. "There's definitely something special in our bond, I can feel it, and I know they can too. Did you know Metagross have another form they can achieve only through a powerful bond with a trainer? A fourth evolutionary form. However, it's only temporary."

Steven gave off a faint anticipatory hum. "In some ways I'm excited to evolve. To get to experience what my partner felt as they got stronger. Their first evolution, it saved me from an untimely end in a sinking desert ruin. So, perhaps I'm more suited to dungeon delving than I thought," he finished with an uneasy eye-smile.

"But, materials you say..." he mused aloud. "What sort of materials are you interested in? For your alchemical experiments, I assume?"

 

[MintyMimix]

"Really now?" Ghaspius's sleepy eyes widened in intrigue. "How 'bout that. Never of heard anythin' like it, myself, but that sounds incredible!"

He twirled around as he mused, "Wonder if y'all bein' here is meant to awaken those here in Forlas? Oh, so exciting!" He halted in place and hummed. "So then, what's a 'mon like me supposed to do then...?"

Deciding was a question that would only lead to pessimistic answers, he shook his head and focused back on the interesting conversation. "A companion like that's someone to treasure," he said with a nostalgic smile. "When you fight to protect someone ya love, you'd be surprised what amazing feats can happen. It's a bond that goes beyond blood."

After a respectful pause, the Misdreavus shrugged with a pair of tendrils. "If you ever do decide to delve, I'd be happy to accompany ya." He nodded. "And you got it. Any metals with good purity, honestly. Copper, tin, iron, cobalt, and of course any local wonders we might find. I know they got orbs and staves here, but ya gotta imagine there's something mystical new thing to discover — who knows what we'd find in an entire other world?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

He twirled around as he mused, "Wonder if y'all bein' here is meant to awaken those here in Forlas? Oh, so exciting!" He halted in place and hummed. "So then, what's a 'mon like me supposed to do then...?"

Steven's gaze fell to the tilled earth beneath them both. "You know, I hadn't considered that. It surely is an exciting possibility. Although, as far as I'm aware, any former humans in our group are here as ordinary pokemon. Meaning if there is something special to it, any pokemon should be able to achieve such a bond phenomenon. You said it yourself, doing things out of love and protection aren't unique to humans."

At Ghaspius's offer to be a dungeon delving companion, Steven's expression brightened. "I'd like that very much," he said with a spirited bob. "And I'd like to think I know a thing or two about finding metals. Rocks and minerals, too," he added hastily. He suddenly became aware of the amethyst in his pouch that he'd held onto since the gala.

The gala... the notebook... Steven's eye wandered skyward. It was such a pleasant day, and a pleasant place, and pleasant company. But he had to get back to Laura soon. There was so much to go over, and so little time. He gave a mental sigh.

"In the meantime," he turned back to Ghaspius, curious which orientation the ghost would currently be floating in, "I'll see what kinds of metals I can find in the mines where I work. Where can I find you if I come across something to share with you?"

 

[MintyMimix]

You know, I hadn't considered that. It surely is an exciting possibility. Although, as far as I'm aware, any former humans in our group are here as ordinary pokemon. Meaning if there is something special to it, any pokemon should be able to achieve such a bond phenomenon. You said it yourself, doing things out of love and protection aren't unique to humans."

Ghaspius's expression relaxed into a sincere smile as his voice lowered. "Thanks, Steven. You're a good 'mon. Man? A good fella." His next nod was more firm and less whimsical. "Bonds even beyond worlds... ain't that a thinker."

The giddiness quickly returned at Steven's acceptance of his offer. "Groovy, man! Rocks aren't too familiar to me, but I hear geodes and gems got all kinds of energies goin' on that could be really interesting to explore!" He chuckled. "And they just look nice. Sparkly."

Because of the earlier comment Steven made, Ghaspius was surprisingly oriented correctly and facing him. "Was mighy fine meetin' ya Steven. If I ain't at Drungfield's, I'm either here or in my little corner in the Haus. Ain't got a lab yet, sadly." He scratched his cheek with a tassel. "Wonder if they'll let me borrow what's left from that vault..."

<><><><>​

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven floated down the rows of the orchard, glancing at the trees and shrubs with an eye narrowed in scrutiny. After his conversation with Ridley turned the fractured patterns of his sleepless nights turned into anxiety-riddled days, he'd sought Ghaspius's council on something to calm his frazzled nerves.

The friendly misdreavus had been more than happy to help, although half of the ingredients on the list were either foreign to him, or he was just too exhausted to properly find them. Progress was already slow enough, hampered by his recovering locomotive skills.

"What on earth does a pamtre berry look like?" he muttered to himself, scanning the nearby row of trees. "Where's Aggron when you need him?" he grumbled. His gardening-obsessed partner would have been able to sniff out a whole bushel of them by now.

He was so lost in his concentration he would be hard pressed to notice anyone approaching...

 

[Weazel]

His original idea to take an easy job for the day stymied, and now with a lot more to worry about thanks to his talk with Nova, Archie found himself wandering. Just to see where his legs took him. Eventually, that place was revealed to be the orchard. The last time the Oshawott had been here, it was the sand blasted battleground of a turf war between rival feral dragons. What a time that had been. Actually, Archie hadn’t seen Silver around much since then. He hoped nothing happened to the Sneasel.

In any case, without the raging sandstorm, the place looked very different. Peaceful, even. Among the berry trees, one could almost forget the harsh desert environment around them. The Oshawott let himself relax a bit, reminding himself that he was still supposed to be taking it easy if he wanted to make a full recovery. Then he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. A flash of something blue disappearing behind a nearby tree. The Oshawott whipped around, in time to see the Beldum come out from behind the foliage, seemingly in search of some cultivar or another. Archie breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey, Steven?” he called. He certainly didn’t know of any other Beldums calling Frontier Town home. It was good to see him moving around again after the injuries he sustained at the Haus. Lucky too, Steven was one of the group members he had to warn about the Shadow Voice. The Oshawott walked after the Beldum, wondering if he should launch right into the warning, or if it might be better to make some small talk first. Eventually, he settled on a simple, “Are you doing okay?”

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

A sound gave Steven pause in his scrutiny of the treetops. Had he heard his name, or was it just a trick of the wind? There was another rustle of the foliage, closer this time, and he spun in time to see someone or something emerge from the greenery.

"Ahh--!" His startled chirp was punctuated by him dropping the several ingredients he'd already collected from Ghaspius's list.

But when the new arrival turned out to be a familiar Oshawott and not a day-walking shadow 'mon, Steven sagged toward the ground in relief.

"Oh, Archie, hello," he said weakly, dividing his attention between regathering his supplies, and greeting his new friend. "To answer your question, and maybe it's obvious, but, ah, I've been better. How are you holding up?"

 

[Weazel]

“Shit, sorry!” The Oshawott practically squeaked. He stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over his tail, and wheeled his arms through the air until he was able to regain his balance. Crisis thankfully averted, he looked down at the Beldum to discover them hard at work regathering a number of spilled berries. Now he felt extra bad, especially given the state of Steven’s injuries when last he’d seen the Pokemon.

“Here, let me…” he muttered, crouching down to help gather. The Beldum’s question made him momentarily pause, though, and place his paw on his bandaged stomach, which dully ached from the day’s walking. “Uh… I’ve, also been better.”

He shook his head, and grabbed a few of the fallen fruits to offer to the Beldum, “Actually, it’s good that I ran into you here, I have to tell you something… But first, do you… Need any help?”

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"No, no, ah, it's okay," Steven stumbled through a less-than-graceful recovery. "It's just some berries and herbs, it's no big deal."

"Thank you," he said, accepting the items Archie helped to pick up. But when he did, he followed Archie's paw to the bandages across his midsection. The night at the Haus was still fuzzy, but he didn't remember Archie looking like this at the doc's office afterward. That, and the slight urgency in the Oshawott's tone tinged his next question with concern.

"Archie... what? Did something happen?"

 

[Weazel]

“Uh…” The Oshawott frowned, “A few things happened, yeah.”

He fidgeted a bit, unsure how best to go about explaining the whole thing. It was kind of a lot to dumb on someone all at once, but, he supposed there was no better way to go about it but to start from the beginning.

“Wes and I thought that maybe with Betel’s help, we might be able to get in contract with that voice from the dream after the Drapion attack. So we went out towards Silver Ravine the other night, but instead we encountered The Wolf. He’s a Shadow Pokemon, but he’s not like the Drapion or the Charmeleon, he was still lucid. We were able to talk to him, for a little while. Apparently, that same voice from our dream has been talking to him, telling him that we’re a danger to spacetime.”

He could probably skip over the parts about getting into a fight with Seth. And the stuff about him and Wes being the same person, that wasn’t his truth to reveal.

“I was talking to Nova about it earlier, and he theorized that, if this Shadow Voice is anything like Betel, then it’s possible that, by making contact with us in our dreams, he’s able to divine our location similar to how Betel can when enough of us gather together. And if he talks to the Shadow Pokemon – and The Wolf said the voice has been talking to him for a very long time – then it’s possible that he can direct them in some way, too. Everyone was theorizing about how the Drapion was able to follow them back from Blaguarro, but, if we assume Nova’s theories are true, an obvious answer starts to present itself…”

His frown deepened. He figured he didn’t need to lay out what it all meant, but at the same time, he couldn’t stop himself. “If this Shadow Voice knows where we are, and is able to send Shadow Pokemon after us, then… All of us who’ve made contact are in danger. And not only that, but we’re also a danger to everyone else who hasn’t made contact yet.”