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Tarahn noticed that Corey had fallen behind. Although the Ralts was looking down, and his expression was shadowed by his hat, it was obvious from the slump of his posture that he was engaging in that bad human habit of sad introspection. Tarahn decided that what he needed was a hug and a little wrasslin', but on contact the two of them promptly overbalanced and fell into a gully.

Tarahn scrambled off of Corey, apologizing. The furrow wasn't very deep, but it hadn't been that obvious from the road's surface, and its floor had larger pebbles exposed where rain, even if infrequent, had carried away finer material.
 
“No, I… Can’t say I recall anything quite like that!” Archie lied, feeling his fur stand on end. Well, it was true at least that no portals or crazy islands were involved in him winding up here, at least! But to say he wasn’t at least a little familiar with rips in the fabric of spacetime, that was very much a lie. Thankfully, his coat hid the worst of his suddenly ruffled appearance, and he was able keep his expression straight as he turned towards the Ralts. “Why do you- Uh…”

Dang. The Oshawott didn’t need to have psychic empathy powers to realize the vibes coming off of Corey had suddenly turned absolutely rancid. Where had this come from all of a sudden? Before he could actually question the Ralts on his sudden change of mood, Tarahn.. Tackled? Leaned On? Something similar, and down the two went into a nearby ditch. Archie tried very hard not to snort in amusement, and once again managed to maintain his neutral expression as he hustled over to where the two had fallen!

“You guys okay?”
 
There were emotional gut punches, and then there were the literal ones, and Corey was now under the particular misfortune of suffering both at once as Tarahn had suddenly launched at him, sending the both of them tumbling down into a ditch. Admittedly, this did manage to distract Corey from the existential dread for a time, much as it was now replaced with confused frustration.

"W-what the hell was that!?" he remarked with a cough as he tried to wipe the dirt and debris from his face, wandering over to find his hat which had fallen off from the fall. Upon putting it back on, he was ready to do a bit more shouting at the Toxel for... whatever dumb move that was, one that very well could have caused a lot more damage, but before he could even get around to it, something caught his eye... From just where the hat had been, he noticed a peculiar little pebble with... what was that... a face? It was!

"H-hey... I think I found the thing..." he said, using his newfound slightly advanced telekinesis to pick the rock up from the ground, levitating it up in the air for the others to see.
 
"Sorry Corey," Tarahn said again, not looking very abashed. "I thought you needed a hug, and oops."

He watched as the Ralts put himself in order and then started, noticing something on the ground, and picked up a pebble with telekinesis. Apparently this was the one! Tarahn didn't understand how the rock "smiled", but he gave it an experimental sniff, and it did indeed smell like a normal-type's treasure.

"We found it! What do we do now?" Tarahn asked, glancing from Corey to Archie.
 
“Oh, wow, nice,” the Oshawott remarked, blinking in surprise. Well, that was lucky! He put his paws in his coat pockets, and looked back in the direction of the tent city. No wonder the thing had been so hard to find, buried among the other rocks in a gully that was barely visible from the road. But, their first mission had ended in success! Though Archie was also somewhat concerned by the sudden shift in mood in the Ralts, it seemed the moment had passed, so he decided to leave it be. For now.

“Well, now we head back to the quest board,” Archie said, tilting his head in the direction of said magic board, “As long as neither of you have broken anything?”

Once satisfied that neither of his companions were injured – beyond Corey’s pride, perhaps – the Oshawott lead the Ralts and Toxel back to the board. There, the group picked out an empty basket, and placed the rock and the job notice into it. They’d have to wait until their reward appeared when the board next updated – and said reward likely wouldn’t amount to much, especially once they’d split it three ways – but, for all intents and purposes, that was their first job in this strange new world completed!

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[Ch02] The Call of Battle and Adventure [Felin & Silver]
  • Threadmarks
    • "...So, this is the bulletin board everyone's been talking about."

    Silver stood in front of the board, staring intently at the various requests and commissions. He tilted his head curiously, trying to figure out the secret of that mysterious landmark. Did some ghost swap the requests or something?

    Anyway, that wasn't relevant. Now that he had both the battle experience and time, he wished to try a mission or two. Maybe something that involved fights, and beating down opponents, and becoming stronger!

    He had to admit it: Battling all those 'mons at the manor had reignited old urges. He couldn't help but grin during his recovery, and he took the time to recall memories of physical fights with roughnecks and bikers. Sure, he resented his past as a thief and bully, and he still struggled with his hotheadedness, but he couldn't deny that those moments made him feel... alive. And if he could also help some 'mon in distress, then why not indulge himself a little?

    However, was it wise to venture on a mission by himself? Maybe it was better to find a partner...
     
  • Threadmarks
    • "Ah," came a voice behind the Sneasel. The voice belonged to Felin, who had just arrived for her daily job routine.

    "If it isn't…" she paused for a moment to recollect his name. "Silver!"

    Felin grinned at him as she approached like a prowling cat. She maintained eye contact and sat on her haunches.

    "First time I've ever seen you come here," Felin remarked. She held out her paw for a shake. "Guess I'm not the only one taking a job so soon after ruining a blue bird's night, eh?"
     
    "Hm?"

    Silver turned around and glanced at the green cat in front of him. That 'mon... Hmm, was her species called a Springcat or something? She looked like some spring creature, at least.

    "Huh, yes. Silver's my name." The former human leaned down and shook paws with... Felix? No, wait, it was... "Felin, right? And yeah, you've got it. I'm a first-timer."

    Silver flashed a cocky smirk and crossed his arms. "Well! What can I say? Kicking Birdbrain's lackeys has been entertaining, so I decided to look for a job here. Something stimulating and exciting." He hummed for a moment, before staring intently at Felin. "Hey. D'you come here often, right? If you do, perhaps you could suggest something to me?"
     
    "Depends on what you're in the mood for," she drawled.

    Felin walked past Silver, a paw tapping at her chin as she eyed the various job posts on the board. She glanced past the simpler jobs. They'd gotten a bit stronger. There was no need to keep charting roads to guarantee her next meal.

    "You can always try your paw at fending off a few wildeners. There's no shortage of them creeping too close to settlements," Felin said, glancing back at him over her shoulder. A chuckle escaped her lips as an idea sprung to her mind. "Could also see if we're strong enough to challenge a dungeon, eh? It might be fun. Who knows?""
     
    “Challenge a dungeon…” murmured Silver thoughtfully, running the flat of his claw on his mouth. “Are you talking about those shapeshifting places full of distortion and all that stuff?”

    He narrowed his eyes. “Hm, maybe. They aren’t really a thing where I come from, so I wouldn’t know what to expect. But I’m used to exploring new and dangerous places, so I’m not opposed to the idea.”

    Silver took a few quick glances at the various tents, focusing mostly on the various supplies and battle gear.

    “Say, are they a thing in your world?” he asked, focusing again on Felin. “I guess there must be some kinda preparation to explore a dungeon, like emergency Escape Ropes and berries.”
     
    "I don't know about Escape ropes, but yes you do need an escape orb if you ever wander into one," Felin said. She was standing on her hind toes to reach a request note. "You can't be too safe even in a low risk passage dungeon or any of the like."

    Felin bit the corner of her lip as she stretched upward. At last her paw reached the note, though she skidded forward and nearly slammed face first into the bulletin board. That would've been embarrassing.

    "Right," she said as she turned around. "So let me guess. You're one of the human folk, aren't you? Unless you're about to tell me you've always been a mon and somehow your world didn't have dungeons."

    Felin couldn't help but think such a world would be a boring place to live in indeed.
     
    Silver mentally smacked himself at his slip-up. Right. Orb. In that world they had Escape Orbs. They had orbs for… everything, apparently? Light, healing, status changes, and who knew what else.

    However, his slip of the tongue had an obvious side effect…

    Smart Cat said:
    "Right," she said as she turned around. "So let me guess. You're one of the human folk, aren't you? Unless you're about to tell me you've always been a mon and somehow your world didn't have dungeons."
    Click to expand...

    Silver frowned, displeased with his mistake. ‘Ugh! So much for keeping a low profile!’

    He shot a few cautious glances around, making sure than nobody was looking at them nor listening. Then, with a displeased sigh, he turned back to Felin.

    “Heh. No point in hiding that anymore, I guess. Yeah, I’m a former human.” He reached out for a few letters, taking advantage of his weasel-y flexibility, and extended a few of them to Felin. “I… hope that’s not a problem for you. In this world there’s some kinda stigma about humans, so… I wanna make sure.”
     
    "Oh, I assure you it's not a problem at all," Felin said, waving her paw disarmingly. Her eyes remained on him inquisitively as she collected the papers, not even pausing to look at whatever job descriptions they held. When she averted her eyes it was to make sure no one was within earshot eavesdropping on them. Seeing none, she spoke again.

    "You know, I'm starting to think there's way more of you guys than I thought. Makes a regular ol mon like me feel a bit extra special for being an odd one out," she remarked, chuckling. "Say, what's life like where you're from? I still don't know much at all about your kind."

    She smiled like a fox and added, "Only that you come in all kinds of shapes and personalities."
     
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    Silver chuckled back in amusement. "Well, what can I say? Perhaps Talking Cloud has a thing for humans and summoned a bunch of 'em? Though, we still need the cool ol' 'mons like you to watch the backs of us 'wanted humans' and teach us how to behave like true 'mons."

    He smirked and shifted his stance, holding a paw to his hip and rubbing his chin with the other paw, mulling things over.

    "But you aren't wrong, y'know? Humans are particular in the sense that they both look alike and vastly different. Height, skin tone, eye colors, hair... those are some ways to distinguish humans from different cultures and ethnicities. Think of, let's say, a dark Sneasel and a poison Sneasel. Same physique, but different colors and homes."

    Silver looked down, his mind wandering to his own world. "Now, life in my world. First things first, there's a strong sense of harmony and union between humans and 'mons. We all look out for each other, learning how to coexist and how to balance out our strengths and weaknesses. And most kids of my age or younger often embark on big journeys to learn everything they can about the world, accompanied by Pokémon partners who keep them safe. Battles, adventures, sports, even flashy contests! There're a lot of potential paths to pick." He sighed wistfully. "And I've got my own Pokémon partners back home, too. Kinda wish they were here with me..."
     
    Felin stared at him wide eyed and blinked a few times.

    The way Silver described his word struck Felin as idyllic. If anything that would have been what she thought human worlds were like, up until she met Odette and Ridley and had her perfect image torn apart like a ceramic mug shoved off a table.

    Felin recovered from her frozen state quickly. "How does that relationship work though? It might be different for you, but the humans I've heard about don't actually have anything extraordinary about them in their worlds."

    She scratched her cheek and tilted her head. "You fight side by side with pokemon even like that? Won't that be... precarious?"
     
    Silver narrowed his eyes, surprised by what Felin just said. What… kinda people did she talk to?

    “I dunno what those humans told you, but perhaps laws in their worlds are different from mine.” He shrugged. “Probably they said that humans aren’t extraordinary because our abilities aren’t too flashy. Most humans rely on invisible protective auras to keep themselves safe from attacks and hazards, but I know of some humans who can use psychic powers or have incredibly strong life forces. They’re really rare, though.”

    Silver shook his head. “But… no. We don’t fight together in that sense. Or at least, that’s not something that happens under normal circumstances. We’re more leaders than fighters, and we contribute by sharing some of our aura with our partners. That gives them a great boost in power, which is ideal to face most difficult challenges.”
     
    "Hmm! I think I get it now," Felin said with a vigorous nod. "More leaders than fighters... So, does that make you commanders and pokemon your soldiers?"
     
    Silver scratched his head. That was a common misconception, he had noticed. “Huh, ‘soldiers’ might be a tad strong as a word, but… yeah, the dynamic is kinda similar. We prefer to see each other as teammates who perform different roles, with a captain and companions.”

    He motioned with his paw to Felin. “But what about you? I assume you world is one of those without humans, right?”
     
    Felin nodded in response.

    "Yeah. Aside from the three great heroes of my world, we've never had any humans whatsoever." She rubbed the back of her head and chuckled. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that there's entire worlds filled with humans for that matter."

    Felin finally spared a glance at the job requests Silver had handed to her earlier. She hummed in amusement at them. They all seemed like a good time.

    "Where I'm from, humans are the stuff of myth and legends. The three great heroes were all quite elusive as well, though the third of them left quite a mark in the Mist Continent." She cocked her head to the side. "Or so i've heard at least."
     
    At hearing that, Silver couldn’t help but laugh softly. Humans as the stuff of myths and legends, like some elusive fairytale creatures? Even after hearing a similar story with Rodion, that was still such an intriguing yet hilarious concept. If he said something like that to people in his world, they’d probably think he had lost his marbles or something.

    “I guess we’re on a similar boat. It still feels so weird to be in a world without humans. Or at least, without transformed humans.”

    The Sneasel began fiddling through the various requests. Escorting some ‘mon to a faraway place, tracking down some petty thief (oh, isn’t that ironic?), charting a new room of a dungeon… How could they even pick?

    “…So, the humans in your world are heroes. What kinda heroic feats did they accomplish?”
     
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