Frontier Town Main Street

[Shadow Serenity]

"Uh, hey," she said, slightly out of breath, as she came within earshot. "Kimiko, right? Someone said they'd seen you on Main, thought I'd come say hi. Um. How're you keeping? I know a lot of the team are just kindof letting all this roll off them, but I guess those guys were the ones... from not so far away."

Kimiko looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, sorry about that... when we agreed to meet up, I totally spaced and forgot to ask where. I went looking for didn't find you, so I figured if I wanted around somewhere visible, maybe you'd come to me."

She nodded slightly, picking up on Laura's subtle hint. She offered a smile in return, then turned looked out over the hustle and bustle of the town below. "You're not alone there. It's pretty weird to me, too. Honestly, I was surprised how quickly I adjusted to this... well, this." She gestured to her new, tiny body with her new vines.

"Am I the only one who thinks everyone else is being... hasty? I've been picking up odd jobs at that magical board up north. Dunno if you've heard about that, but that's a tangent. Everyone else, though seems to be settling down, finding actual work..." Kimiko lowered her voice, perhaps somewhat unnecessarily, but one could never be too careful. "I know we want to blend in, but it's a lot to take in."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura nodded sympathetically. It hadn't been too weird adjusting to a feliform body after spending an embarassing amount of her childhood imagining she was a purrloin or other cat 'mon, but it was still continually unsettling to realise she didn't know if she ought to lick herself clean or if that was weird or what. Plus, just... everything else about being a fucking cat. Her ears flicked in discomfort.

"I dunno, it sure sounded like whatever we're here to deal with is gonna take a while for us to get strong enough for," she replied, after some thought, and what felt like an uncomfortably long pause. "If there's no set-up already here for us to do nothing but train, we have to have... y'know. Lives. Day jobs. Stuff like that."

She scratched awkwardly behind her ear. "Aheheh, I do get what you mean, I guess. We're not looking to, like, immigrate here. So I guess... Think of it like a summer job? Or a foreign exchange trip. I, uh, never did one of those, but I always thought it'd be neat to."

 

[Shadow Serenity]

Laura's reply didn't exactly clear away Kimiko's troubles, but it did change the way the snivy looked at them. "I've held a summer job before... or, well, internship is more accurate, but y'know, details." She let out a small sigh as she watched the activity below. "I guess you're right. With how little information we have to go on, we'll probably be here for a bit. Maybe I should give in and find a proper job. Something stable would at least take away the uncertainty of if I'll be getting paid or not." Or, more importantly, if she could eat or not.

She turned her attention back to Laura with a shake of her head, an attempt to push her worries away for a while. Kimiko wanted to ask how Laura had been holding up so far, but there was one more important thing to mention first. "I'm not sure how to phrase this, so I'll just say it. I appreciated you asking Nico to keep an eye out for the rest of our group. Everyone else seemed to eager to get sucked into... all this," she said with a vague gesture to the town around them. "I felt like I was the only one who was concerned. So, thanks for that. Glad someone else here has a good head on their shoulders."

But then her smile slipped again. "I know a lot of the group found their way back here, but I can't help but feeling like we're still missing some... but there's really no way to ever know for sure, is there? I didn't think to get a headcount before that cloud zapped us away."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura grinned, her tail flicking straight up in an obvious sign of her flustered delight at Kimiko's thanks.

"Well, y'know, not everyone in the group seemed like a tough cookie, and the... person who brought us here said it was their first time doing this, right? It sure felt like something might go a bit wrong, and when I fell straight into the river I caught myself thinking, holy shit, what if one of us just got teleported straight into real danger? At least I could swim. And at least everyone else in weird positions seems to have turned up okay. But... I'm pretty sure we're still missing people. I've got a nagging feeling the whole party isn't quite here yet..."

Her tail quivered anxiously.

"I just hope everyone's safe."

 

[Chibi Pika]

It had been a long, long journey west. The train had taken Jade to some run-down looking mining town (Blag-something?), and she'd initially thought that that was as far as it would go before realizing almost-too-late that the line did extend a bit further west, if not all the way to Frontier Town. After a frantic run to catch the train before it left (and only barely having enough salvaged coins to pay the fare) she dared to let herself at least try to relax. While still jolting every time the compartment door slid open, half-expecting another attack at any moment. And she still couldn't help her thoughts straying back to Brisa, staying behind to fend off their attackers.

(It wasn't the same as what happened to Nine. She'd be okay. She had to.)

The last stop on the line was a tiny trading outpost. Apparently everything past that was under construction. By what felt like the first stroke of luck since she'd arrived on Forlas, a handful of wagons carrying goods for a general store were heading further west, and well... this new Meowth body was good at squeezing into tight spaces. It was certainly easier to hide than it ever had been as a human.

So Jade spent the rest of the trip to Frontier Town wedged behind a barrel of grain, already rehearsing what her cover story would be if she was found. Exhaustion crept up on her and she dozed off a few times. Until finally...

---

The late morning sun stung Jade's eyes. She'd slipped away from the goods wagon the moment she felt it come to a stop, before it could be unloaded. Now she found herself wandering down a boardwalk in the middle of what seemed to be a decently bustling town, if a little small by what she was used to. Everything felt... really old fashioned. She'd noticed it first in Blag-whatever-town, but now she had more time to pay attention to it. It hadn't really occurred to her to wonder what sort of towns Pokemon would make, if they made towns. Apparently 'Unovan West' was the vibe.

Anyway, this had to be it, right? Frontier Town? That's where Brisa had said she should go, although Jade had no idea how she'd find where the Luxio lived, let alone her family. (What was their name--the Escape people? That didn't sound right.) She'd... probably have to ask around if anyone knew where to find them. No matter how much she didn't want to. Sigh...

And that was without even getting into where the heck everyone else from the Nexus had ended up. She'd tried reaching out to the cloud-voice, but hadn't heard anything back. If she'd known they were all going to be split up, she would've thought to ask how they were supposed to find each other, but it was too late for that.

 

[Shadow Serenity]

and when I fell straight into the river I caught myself thinking, holy shit, what if one of us just got teleported straight into real danger? At least I could swim.

While hers may have been uncomfortable, Kimiko hadn't wanted to consider that anyone might have had an unsafe landing. Of course that hadn't changed the fact that it was a possibility, but...

"You landed in the river? Yikes, I-" Kimiko cut herself off, suddenly realizing she'd rather not detail exactly where she'd found herself upon arrival. "I... landed in a bar. The Wanderin' Zera, it's called, the one with the tyranitar bartender. Gerome. Quiet guy, but kind enough." You're rambling.

Motion caught her eye, sparing her from further floundering. Another meowth - Kantonian, compared to Laura's Alolan breed - heading their way, carrying some sort of shoulder bag.

"Someone's coming," Kimiko whispered.

But something about the meowth looked out of place, and it took Kimiko a moment to figure out what it was, not being used to the idea, herself. The Kantonian meowth had no accessory as far as she could tell. So either this one was what the locals called a "feral", lost whatever they were wearing, or perhaps... someone from the Nexus?

The bag they carried suggested it wasn't a feral. That, and the fact that they were smack in the middle of town.

When the new meowth was within earshot, Kimiko addressed her cautiously. "Are... you alright, there? You're looking kinda lost."

 

[Chibi Pika]

It took Jade a few seconds to realize the sudden voice was directed at her. She hadn't been expecting to get addressed out of the blue, but then--who else was wandering around looking as lost as she was?

"Oh, um. I'm from out of town. Just trying to find someone, and..." She paused, gears turning in her brain. There'd... been a violet Meowth in the Nexus, right? One of the humans had turned into one. Same with the grass snake (some Unova mon she couldn't name off the top of her head).

Jade wasn't sure how to ask without sounding like an idiot if she was wrong. She settled on: "Are... you two from out of town too?"

 

[Shadow Serenity]

Well, she didn't sound feral. At least, not based off the definition Kimiko knew. She hadn't met any feral pokemon in Forlas to compare...

Her eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation. She thought she caught the real meaning behind the the white meowth's question. But was that a genuine probe to measure their response, or was Kimiko just imagining there was meaning behind it because she and Laura had just been discussing it?

But then, why phrase it like that? Right...?

Hoping she hadn't spent too much time measuring her reply, Kimiko said, "Yyyyyyeah, you could say that. We're still settling in, but maybe we could help you find whoever you're looking for?"

You shouldn't have offered that, Kimiko thought immediately. They wanted to blend in and be friendly, but realistically, the chances of her knowing who this meowth was looking for were slim; Kimiko had not lingered much out in public beyond meals at the bar or doing the odd job for money. She wasn't sure how much of the town Laura had seen yet. Maybe Gerome would know... if they could convince him to tell them.

Well, worst case, nether she nor Laura knew and they could direct her to Nico at the Ranger HQ.

 

[Jackie Cat]

An eastern shorthair meowth? Laura was sure she'd seen one of those in the Spirit Nexus. Well, pretty sure. She hadn't seen any local ones... And there was no way "out of town" wasn't code for "from another fucking universe".

Laura lightly elbowed Kimiko in the side, trying to signal hey! that's one of us! as best she could.

"Yeah," she said to the newcomer. "Yeah, we all dropped into town a few days ago, and we're still waiting on some of our group to show up. We're not even from this region. Say, uh, you wouldn't happen to have been in some kind of weird teleport mishap too, would you?"

Yeah, that seemed about right. Not raving mad, not super obvious, but definitely a friendly signal to a 'heroic spirit' separated from the rest.

 

[Chibi Pika]

At the mention of “teleport mishap,” Jade’s tail shot up. Right, yes, these teo were definitely part of the Nexus group.

“That’s right,” she said quickly, ambling over on her too-short legs with too-long feet, hoping it would all feel natural before too long. “You guys teleported right into town?” she asked with a frown. “Not—not separated clear across the region?”

 

[Shadow Serenity]

Say, uh, you wouldn't happen to have been in some kind of weird teleport mishap too, would you?"

At the mention of “teleport mishap,” Jade’s tail shot up. Right, yes, these teo were definitely part of the Nexus group.

Well, if the light nudging wasn't a clue, the phrase teleport mishap certainly gave it away. Kimiko flashed Laura a thankful smile. She tended to stumble a bit when thinking on her feet, but Laura found a safe way to phrase their inquiry.

"Not all of us landed in town," she replied, then cast a quick glance at Laura. "Hell, we didn't even arrive together. Sounds like we all got split into several smaller groups, but most of us have found our way to this town here. I landed smack in the middle of one of the local bars. And from what I heard, at least one group was so far away that they had to take a train to get over here."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura chuckled nervously. "Thinking about it..." She started counting off on her digits. "Several solo drops in the middle of town, half a dozen in a bar the other side of town, half a dozen in a village miles north of here, half a dozen in a mining town ages away by vehicle... oh, and a couple of guys out at the edge of town at some abandoned cabin. And then there's you! And I have this nagging feeling like that's still not quite everyone."

She failed to suppress a cheeky smile. "One guy turned up in the bank vault. Now that it's not terrifying and actively happening, it's actually pretty funny."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade blinked at the other Meowth. "I guess the voice did say that this was their first time summoning anyone?" Still, that was a pretty wide assortment. And if the furthest out of them was the same mining town that she'd passed by on the way here, then...

"I'm... starting to think I landed the furthest from anyone," Jade admitted. "It took forever to get here, and... honestly, I didn't even know I'd find anyone else from the Nexus here. For all I knew, I was the only one who'd made it." Going at it against an unknown foe, all on her own--it would've been like some kind of cosmic prank.

Jade relaxed visibly. "I'm glad it's not just me that's here."

 

[Shadow Serenity]

Kimiko watched Laura count off the groups, impressed she'd been able to not only gather so much information, but retain and recall it. She hadn't even heard about the ones from the abandoned cabin.

"You landed alone alone?" she said with a frown. At least all the others who had dropped in solo were still within Frontier Town's boundaries.

"I wonder if there was some kind of interference with the cloud's teleporting..." she mused aloud. "If it was supposed to send us in waves rather than all at once... then for everyone to get so scattered... Could that really be explained away by just inexperience?"

She shook her head lightly, again to re-focus herself. "Sorry, I guess I forgot my manners back in the Nexus. I'm Kimiko."

 

[Jackie Cat]

"Oh, shit, right."

Laura's tail thrashed for a second before she composed herself and offered a paw.

"Laura. Glad to have you safely here."

 

[Chibi Pika]

"You landed alone alone?" she said with a frown.

Jade's ears fell. "I--well... not alone, alone. I did run into someone who helped me catch a train here. But, uh, I've been on the road for a while, with no sign of anyone else from our group." She flashed a relieved half-smile. "I guess I'm just glad to have found the rest of the team. Not sure how I'd go at this alone." She'd always had her team with her, even when she didn't have her human friends, her team had always been there.

She shook her head and offered a paw in return. "Anyway, uh... my name's Jade. And... I don't suppose I missed anything important? It didn't seem like we had much of a mission plan before we got sent off."

 

[Shadow Serenity]

"Good to meet ya, Jade," Kimiko responded with a smile, shaking Jade's paw with a vine. "I don't think any of us could handle... whatever we're here for alone. Not based off by just how many of us were called in, anyway. Which is mostly all we've got right now."

She leaned against the rail as she considered what was important enough to share. "Well, long story short, we've been granted temporary housing in town at a place called the Traveler's Haus, but I got the impression that it wasn't designed with long-term stays in mind... and we're probably gonna be here a while. Most of us have either found jobs to pay for food and eventual housing, or are picking up odd quest-type jobs around town." Kimiko frowned briefly... she hadn't considered it, but if they couldn't stay at the Haus long term, where else could they go?

Her gaze landed on Jade's bag. "Second... you'll probably wanna find some clothing." She turned aside just enough to flash the pink ribbon around her tail. "Apparently, it's to differentiate us from 'wild' 'mon. I'm... kinda surprised whoever you found earlier didn't mention it." Or Jade just hadn't found the shop yet... "I guess maybe carrying that bag was good enough, though."

"And third... apparently around here, humans are something of a... taboo? Controversy? Something like that." She shrugged. "Point being, if anyone asks, don't tell anyone which of our group are former humans. Some groups had already let slip that there were humans in our number, nothing we can do about that now. But that doesn't mean we have to reveal which of us they are, y'know?"

Kimiko turned to Laura. She'd known more about the split parties than Kimiko had... "I think that about covers it...? You got anything else?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade nodded along. Good to know they'd have somewhere to stay at least. (Even if this Meowth body was weirdly comfortable dozing off in odd places.) Getting jobs, though... Jade wasn't sure how she'd go about that.

"Yeah, my..."--Friend? Not friend, they barely knew each other--"traveling partner said that keeping this bag with me would be okay for now." And they hadn't exactly had time to shop...

"I'd sort of guessed from talking with her that humans were an issue here, though," Jade went on, her words growing hesitant. She wasn't sure how the next part would come off, but...

"She... she said not to trust anyone who lets on that they're human."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura's stomach dropped. That was pretty howling ominous, now, wasn't it. Shit. She glanced around, checking that the little trio wasn't being snooped-on by any locals.

"Well that's half the fucking party, I'm assuming we can trust each other, right? It's whoever's already here that's the problem... which tells us, what, that there already are a number of them here?"

Hadn't that cloud of light said something about humans? Damn it.

"There's way too much we don't know," she muttered.

 

[Shadow Serenity]

"I've heard a bit of rumors and speculation about former humans, but nothing concrete. No proof, no, solid evidence. The 'mon here in town really don't like talking about it."

What Jade's acquaintance told her lined up with Gerome's warning. Keep the human status under wraps. But Laura had a good point, too. Half their group were former humans. Surely they were safe enough to trust. "At least the cloud gives us an easy way to gauge who's part of our group or not." At least, Kimiko couldn't imagine, if there really were other humans here, that they got here via the Nexus and the Voice. It had said it was their first time transporting people.

But with that in mind...

"Just to be sure... you're confident this traveling partner of yours is... how do I put this nicely... trustworthy? Sane? I've already bumped into one local conspiracy nut. Not sure how I feel about this partner of yours just leaving you to wander around lost by yourself, especially if they knew you weren't from around here."