Frontier Town Main Street

[HelloYellow17]

Not a kid, huh? Wes looked him up and down. If his young, still-maturing voice wasn’t a dead giveaway already, the rest of him was. Small body, paws that he still had yet to fully grow into, and a vibrant, sleek coat that showed not a speck of aging. (And a blue coat, at that. Wes had heard of rare colorings for Pokémon before, though he’d never seen one himself. Apparently all it took was getting teleported into another dimension and being forcibly transformed into a Pokemon. Figures.)

“Right,” he said with a tiny amused smirk, “not a kid. My bad.”

He frowned at the kid’s next statement. A cabin and…Brisa? The name stirred something in the back of his weary, muddled mind, but he couldn’t put a finger on it in the moment. He shook himself a little and opted to worry about it later. “Well, I got dropped in the middle of some construction site way out of town. Rough folk over there. Sounds like you got the better end of the deal.” He eyed the Electrike up and down again. “What’s your name? Did you…come here with anyone?”

Not that Wes was unused to seeing kids run around unsupervised and uncared for, but…that was Orre. It somehow felt wrong that someone as young as this pup got dragged into this whole mess.

---

[[ooc: Tetra and I drafted this scene before Wes learned Brisa’s name from Gerome, so I had him wave off the name drop here to prevent the scene from getting too disrupted from what was already drafted.]]

 

[Tetra]

Koa narrowed his eyes at the Rockruff's tone. The smirk, coupled with the 'did you come here with anyone?'. The subtext wasn't lost on him. He stared disdainfully at the Rockruff.

"Koamaru," he said stiffly. "And since your ears aren't working well, I'm not a kid. I'm a trainer," he hissed, remembering to keep his voice low, although a second after he said it, he realized that the word probably might not mean the same thing to someone who lived in a world without humans. Nor did it probably mean anything here.

"I came here alone, just like everyone else." The word brought a twinge to his heart, but he didn't let it show. Especially not in front of this dull-witted dog. "And your name?" Is it rock brain?

 

[HelloYellow17]

Riiiight. This kid was a trainer, then. Probably a newbie striking out on his own for the first time and thinking he knew everything he needed to know about the world. Wes barely managed to hold back a snort. You don’t know shit. You haven’t seen shit. You have no idea.

A small part of him, mingled with a touch of envy, whispered that such naive bravado was, in its own way, a good thing. It meant that wherever this kid was from, it wasn’t a place where he needed to always be on his guard, avoiding picking fights with people bigger and stronger. It meant he wasn’t from Orre, at the very least.

Wes sighed and rolled his eyes. “Right, I’m a trainer, too. Or…was, before I came here.” He raised a paw and glared disdainfully at it, as if it was to blame for everything. “And you can call me Wes.” He scanned the pup once again. “Suppose this means we’ll be working together, so let me give you some advice. Don’t be so quick to pick fights with strangers. You never know how dangerous someone might turn out to be.”

You’re one to talk, said a voice in his mind that once again sounded way too much like Rui.

Shut up, he thought back.

 

[Tetra]

Now that piqued Koa's curiosity. Annoyance aside, that meant Wes was also a human from a world with trainers. Honestly it was a relief to know he wasn't the only one. He hadn't talked much to the others yet but he'd feared he might be one of the only trainers.

"I wasn't the one picking a fight," he retorted plainly, meeting Wes's gaze. He managed not to look angry, just firm. "Maybe you should relax. Do you bite off the head off every stranger who accidentally bumps you? Anyways, what if I was the dangerous one?" he wasn't, not in this body, but now he was more determined to get back some of his old skill. And see what new powers he could harness... This Wes would be first in the list of people whose face he'd plant in the dirt... The instinct to fight felt even stronger than he remembered. Was this his pokemon instincts?

Tucking the thought away, he looked Wes over again. His curiosity won out over his annoyance over Wes's attitude. After a quick glance to make sure there wasn't anyone listening, he asked, "So where are you from then?" The attitude made him think of Kanto. But Rockruff could mean Alolan. You're not from Hoenn. So maybe it's not regional... he mused.

 

[HelloYellow17]

"Maybe you should relax. Do you bite off the head off every stranger who accidentally bumps you? Anyways, what if I was the dangerous one?"

Wes laughed at that. Actually laughed, not a sarcastic snicker or a snide chuckle, though there was certainly an element of that, too. This kid was just unbelievable. He at least had some spunk, Wes could give him that much.

“That’s adorable, kid. Tell me, are you dangerous? Why don’t you prove it to me, then? Show me what you’ve got, I’ll wait.” He smirked and shifted his weight slightly, subtly settling into a more grounded stance. “You want to know where I’m from, do you? Then I’ll give you a hint: reckless pups like you wouldn’t last a day there.”

 

[Tetra]

Was this guy serious? The change in Wes's stance told Koa all he needed to know. It wasn't too different from what Kitto would do. Wes was trying to pick a fight. But the way he spoke suggested he wasn't just some completely dumb idiot like the people Koa had fought before. Koa's heart began to race, and excitement sparked through his body and his mind kicked into overdrive.

Well fine. A fight he wanted, a fight he'd get. He intended to wipe that smile off Wes's face. Kitto's voice rang in the back of his mind.

Attack and defend. Balance. Watch your opponent. Think.

Koa reigned his mind in. Careful. He'd barely practiced in the few days he'd been here, to his chagrin, which meant he needed to use skills instead of moves. And he was in an Electrike body here. One he wasn't used to (but hopefully, Wes wasn't either). He couldn't rely on the usual fighting moves he knew, he needed to use the principles he knew and his new body. His thoughts flashed briefly back his first time training with Kitto.

Technique, not speed.

Fights are as much mental as they are physical.

Tipping his head, he regarded Wes skeptically. He spoke, trying to sound perplexed. Relaxed. "So much for not picking a fight with strangers, huh?" he barely finished speaking before he abruptly rocked back on his hindlegs, then lurched forward, almost as if going for a full body tackle, before twisting and throwing out his paw to jab at Wes's face.

A rush of energy accompanied the movement, his paw blurring, his body responding faster than it should have been able to.

Koa used Mach Punch!

 

[HelloYellow17]

Well, damn, the kid was actually going for it. Wes hadn’t expected that—usually punks with big mouths were all talk with no follow-through.

He grinned, highly amused, but the feeling was short-lived. The pup freaking rocketed at him, far faster than Wes anticipated, and he only barely managed to move out of the way to doge the tackle when—WHAM.

He managed to hold in a yelp of pain, instead twisting it into a snarl of fury as stars flashed across his vision and his eyes watered. Holy shit. Was that a feint? He’d completely fallen for it, and then taken what felt like a Mach Punch to the face. But that wasn’t possible, Electrike couldn’t learn—

Focus, idiot.

Wes quickly regained his footing and swung around to face the snot-nosed pup, baring his fangs. A deep, burning, fighting instinct raged through his veins, setting his senses on fire. It was a sensation like never before; all his life he’d been taught to dodge, avoid, de-escalate, flee.

But now…now he was itching to fight.

And somehow, despite feeling slightly off-kilter thanks to a sore leg and the faint buzz from the drinks hours earlier, his body responded as if it were made for this.

He lunged at Koa with a speed he didn’t know he had.

Wes used Quick Attack!

 

[Tetra]

Koa couldn't help feel a sense of smug delight as his paw made contact with Wes's face. How's that for a kid?

And had he just used Mach Punch? That should have been impossible, at least for an Electrike... He'd question it later.

Wes looked angry now and Koa tensed instinctively for the counter he knew would be comin-

Wham!

His eyes barely tracked Wes's movement as Wes lunged, then slammed into him. The ruff around his neck dug into Koa and the blow sent him skidding back, but he managed to catch himself barely. Those stones stung, but the pain felt far off. Unimportant.

Shaking his head, he glared at Wes, a growl building in his throat.

Now it was really on. Koa's heart raced and his blood pumped. Some vague notion in back of his head wondered if this was his pokemon body's battle instincts kicking in. He wanted to win.

The same tackle-feint would be too risky to try twice...

Instinct took over. He rushed forward into a tackle. Then jerked to the side, rushing past Wes and trying to throw his shoulder into him as he tried to yank Wes's front leg from under him.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Koa barreled forward, but this time, Wes was ready. Or…he would have been ready, if his reflexes were up to snuff. He saw Koa dart forward in a false tackle before careening to the side once again, and while Wes wasn’t quick enough to avoid the impact (on his good leg, thank the stars), he was able to turn with it, using the momentum to swivel his body and snap his jaws around the kid’s scruff—hard enough to hurt, but not enough to cause injury.

But size was not in his favor in this fight. Why did he have to be so damn small? Letting instinct take over once again, Wes slammed a paw on the ground, and the dirt below shifted and jolted upwards from beneath Koa’s feet.

Wes used Rock Throw!

Combined with his grip on the pup’s scruff and Wes heaving his entire weight into it, the rocks propelled just enough momentum for him to fling Koa to the side and send him rolling across the dirt.

Breathing hard, Wes spat a rebuke at the kid, indignant. “You didn’t really think that would work on me twice, did you, kiddo?”

 

[Tetra]

Koa picked himself off the ground, snarling in annoyance. Stupid. He should have guessed unbalancing wouldn't work as well on a quadruped too.

"You were dumb enough to fall for it once, so I had to make sure you had something other than rocks between your ears," he snapped.

He had to be smarter. A familiar prickle built inside him, his paws fizzing. Like when he'd tried fishing with Nip. Could he use that..?

Drawing on that energy, he gathered it, focusing it, channeling it. A spark of electricity shot at Wes. Weak, but concentrated. And maybe enough to slow him down.

Koa used Thunder Wave!

Then he charged. As he ran, he focused on that same energy from his first strike at Wes and reared up, swinging one paw at Wes's face and bringing up the other upward with as much energy as he could muster to hit Wes's chin. It wasn't fancy but maybe simplicity was best.

Koa used Mach Punch!

 

[HelloYellow17]

Wes felt his body shudder, then all his muscles cramped up at once. Dammit all. He fought against the paralysis with furiously frustrated snarls, but his movement was now even more hindered than before.

He saw the kid coming from a mile away, saw him preparing two blows to his face, and there was nothing he could do to avoid them this time. Which was frustrating as all hell, considering the kid was broadcasting his next moves as blatantly as a neon sign in the Under.

Wes clenched his jaw. Fine. It was going to be like that, then.

He managed to angle his head away slightly, still taking a blow to the chin, while the other landed on his rocky mane. Gods, it hurt, but at least the kid wouldn’t come away from that blow unscathed.

Then—he allowed himself to go limp. The impact reverberated through his small frame, shaking a little bit of life back into his cramping muscles, but he let the force of the blow send him sideways and into the dirt, where he lay still.

 

[Tetra]

Koa stifled a yelp as his paw struck the spiky ruff around Wes's neck. Sloppy, slow, stupid. He was almost embarassed by his attack, and for a moment he lamented his pokemon body. If only he could have ended up as something else. Machop... Riolu even-

Wes went down hard, and a flicker of smug delight surged through Koa. He gave a yip of satisfaction before realizing how weird that felt, then shrugged it off as his tail wagged subconsciously. Heistantly, he took a step closer to Wes's limp form.

He'd used mach punch, right? Maybe some kind of holdover from his training as a human? And Rockruff's were rock-type, he was sure, so that meant it'd been super-effective! Had he... he'd won! He'd smacked that stupid smirk off that Wes's stupid face.

"How's that for a kid!" he crowed, standing over Wes's limp body, smirking. Which, given his full two feet of height wasn't much, but it felt good anyway. "Maybe you should follow your own advice about picking fights with strangers."

 

[HelloYellow17]

Gods, this kid is an idiot.

It was too early to be smug just yet. Wes focused on his sore and cramped muscles, bracing himself against the faint remnants of paralysis—thank the stars it had been a weakly delivered move, or he might have actually been done for in this fight.

This was such bullshit. All of it was, from being dragged here to being stuffed in the body of a damn puppy to getting his leg crushed to being some sort of heroic errand boy to save a world that couldn’t save itself. Frustration simmered in Wes’s chest, hot and restless and festering. He was so tired all the damn time. He had his own mess to deal with in Orre! Was that not already enough?

His silent anger continued to burn within as he lay in wait for Koa to get closer. Just as he predicted, the arrogant kid soon loomed over him, yapping about his premature victory, and Wes seized his opportunity.

WHAM.

Wes used Shadow Claw!

In an instant, he surged upwards and slashed at Koa’s shoulder, unleashing all of his pent-up aggression in a single strike. Shadows flared out around his claws and reinforced the blow, and Koa was sent sprawling across the dirt a second time.

Wes would puzzle over this move later—for now, he had a score to settle. He covered the distance between them in a couple bounds before Koa could get back up and slammed a paw on the pup’s neck, effectively pinning him in place.

He bent down and snarled into Koa’s ear. “Next time, little pup, don’t run your mouth off unless you can back it up.”

He straightened and spotted the setting sun in the distance. That felt like a cue to call an end to this whole miserable day. He released his hold on the kid. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay down until I’m gone. And next time you want to play hero, think twice before making a mess of things.”

Something in his gut twisted at the sight of Koa’s hurt and angry expression. Wes turned away and brushed aside the twinge of guilt. He asked for it. I just taught him a valuable lesson, that’s all. Someone needed to teach the punk that he was no hero, anyway.

None of them were. Himself least of all.

Without another word, he walked away, ignoring the aches all over his body and the fresh smart in his leg.

 

[Tetra]

One moment, Koa was standing triumphant and victorious. The next he was tumbling across the dirt, pain blossoming over his shoulder as the world spun. A moment later, he felt a pressure on his neck, and he found himself pinned under Wes, the stupid dog glaring at him. His lips curled and he snarled back, but his vision still swam with the force of the blow and the buzz of strength from before had deserted him.

Shame pooled in his stomach. Idiot. How could you miss that, it was obvious. Wes had played dead, faked it, and he'd fallen for it so stupidly, even when he knew better. He could practically hear Kitto chiding him, deriding his poor judgement.

He bent down and snarled into Koa’s ear. “Next time, little pup, don’t run your mouth off unless you can back it up.”

He straightened and spotted the setting sun in the distance. That felt like a cue to call an end to this whole miserable day. He released his hold on the kid. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay down until I’m gone. And next time you want to play hero, think twice before making a mess of things.”

A spark of rage lit in Koa, followed by burning resentment. What was his problem. The instant Wes let up, he scrambled to his feet, a growl forming on his lips, but almost instantly his body protested, his shoulder throbbing, weariness rushing over him. How was he so weak? Pathetic. If he'd been in his proper body...

"Coward," he snapped after Wes's retreating form. But he couldn't muster any confidence, just anger. Dirty trick or not, Wes had won, and he'd lost. Fine. He'd train, and he'd make sure next time he won. No matter what it took. Just like back home. He refused to let this loss get to him.

Even so, a tiny voice in the back of his head echod Wes's words. What made you think someone like you could play hero?

What happened when they faced a real opponent? For a long moment, long after Wes had gone, he stared after him, still simmering, before turning and finally limping away.

A vow burned inside him. Never again.

<><><><>​

 

[RJr3:2]

Aige lay flat on her back, her hat on the ground next to her. The Roggenrola had spent most of the day so far looking for holes in the foundations of the houses lining the main street and was feeling a little tired.

In the back of her head, a part of her was nagging her to stop fooling around and get to work, poking and prodding at her over and over again.

"What do you want me to do?" she murmured to herself, "What goal am I expected to work towards?"

She made a rumbling noise, rolling from side to side. "Is it too much to ask to just have a little break?"

 

[Cresselia92]

Holding a bunch of papers in his paws, Silver wandered aimlessly around the place, taking in the admittedly unique vibes of that town. If he didn't know any better, he could have believed he was in the movie Wild Wild West. He only needed a sheriff Snorlax, a bandit Machoke, and a lady Azumarill to complete the scenario. Heck, a Remoraid fight wouldn't look out of place, either, and it would have been extremely cool!

Then, he slowed down when he spotted that Roggenrola not too far from him, rolling on the floor and lifting tiny dust clouds. He quickly realized that the rolling stone was his teleport-mate. That... peculiar hat nearby her was a glaring giveaway.

Silver attempted to snap his fingers, only to realize that he didn't have thumbs anymore. So, he resorted to grabbing his papers again. "Hey. It's you." He drew nearer, gazing curiously at his teammate. "Hm... Aige, wasn't it?" He placed a paw on his hip and smirked teasingly. "So, enjoying your dust bathing?"

 

[RJr3:2]

“Hm?” Aige looked over at the Sneasel.

“Silver? I think...” The Roggenrola sat herself up. “I suppose this is a dust bath. I’ve polished myself before, but never really a bath.”

“I’m hoping that someone might mistake me for a rock when I’m all dusty,” Aige said, not really sounding serious. “Maybe they’ll talk about something secret, or barring that, at least what they think about this or that.”

“I don’t think it’ll amount to much, she added ruefully, “-but there’s not too much to go off of either way. How have you been occupying yourself?”

 

[Cresselia92]

Silver nodded slowly when Aige remembered his name, flashing a neutral smile. That didn’t last long as confusion flashed in his gaze when she mentioned pretending to be a rock to eavesdrop. Weird plan, but hey! Perhaps it worked!

“Huh. Well, never say never. You’d be cut out for that task, especially if you can stand still for hours,” he replied tentatively. “Lemme know if you find out something juicy, and I’ll tell you about the gossip I hear around the town. Sounds like a fair deal, no?”

“How have you been occupying yourself?”

“Oh, me?” He shrugged. “Hmph. Just doing what I can to get some ramen in my bowl, so to speak. Since my original profession is outta the question in this world, I work for a barber now. During my free time, I train hard to strengthen my body and mind.”

Silver began fiddling through his papers. “Also, I’ve been looking for info about… them.”

The now-Sneasel showed a poster of the same gang that dumped them in the desert. Notably, the word ‘Dead’ had been torn off. As much beef as he had about those idiots, his moral compass refused vehemently to make him wish to spill blood.

“Our old friends have quite the reputation, it turns out.”

 

[RJr3:2]

“Sounds like a deal to me, although it feels like it’s greatly in my favor in comparison,” Aige replied playfully, “Loose rocks in the street reflect on the character of the locale, so I would likely sooner be swept into an alley.”

The Roggenrola paused.

“Unless I find a decorative arrangement, you know? Maybe I’d have better luck at the mine; of course there’s a greater personal risk too, but maybe it’ll work out!”

Looking at the posters, Aige hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose we could have expected as much,” she said, “Though to be honest, a couple of thieves don’t trouble me considerably. Not to suggest we turn a blind eye, just that I would at least expect a town like this to be able to handle their own discretions if they were really that big of a problem.”

Aige seemed to think over what she was saying.

“Anyway, it’s not my place to decide, is it? You are a barber now? If you don’t mind me asking, what did you work at previously?” The Roggenrola put her hat back on. “Sorry if I’m ‘nosy’, I’m just a little curious.”

 

[Cresselia92]

“Unless I find a decorative arrangement, you know? Maybe I’d have better luck at the mine; of course there’s a greater personal risk too, but maybe it’ll work out!”

“Probably it would,” said Silver, nodding. “But hey! You could also be lucky enough to find a gold vein and become unbelievably rich! That’d be a massive accomplishment, and you could even pay your own spies and stuff.” He chuckled mischievously. “Something to consider, if you’re up for some big risk-reward approach.”

Looking at the posters, Aige hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose we could have expected as much,” she said, “Though to be honest, a couple of thieves don’t trouble me considerably. Not to suggest we turn a blind eye, just that I would at least expect a town like this to be able to handle their own discretions if they were really that big of a problem.”

Silver quirked an eyebrow. “Tch! If a town has to rely on wanted posters and bounty hunters to track down a gang of simpletons, then that says plenty about the severe deficiencies of the law enforcement,” he pointed out. “Or maybe there are more criminals than sheriffs and whatnot, and as such they must rely on bounties to help clean the town. Both scenarios aren’t really promising, are they?”

He stored the poster back into the heap. “But yeah, they don’t worry me at all. However, I’ve got plenty of words to trade with those sleep-inducing punks!”

Aige seemed to think over what she was saying.

“Anyway, it’s not my place to decide, is it? You are a barber now? If you don’t mind me asking, what did you work at previously?” The Roggenrola put her hat back on. “Sorry if I’m ‘nosy’, I’m just a little curious.”

Silver waved his paw dismissively. “Nah, it’s fine. That’s a fair question.” He paused. “However, that’s kinda sensitive information.”

The now-Sneasel tapped his chin, pondering how to talk about that topic without attracting unnecessary attention. “Hm… Well, does the term Pokémon Trainer say anything to you?”