Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Imagine for a moment, if you will, the world of Pokemon. That sprawling fictional universe, depicted and expanded upon throughout the years by countless games, shows, stories, and all other manner of media.

What do you think of?

A world of extraordinary creatures and fantastical lands, where excitement is said to await around every corner?

A world where humans live in harmony with hundreds of other species, their every path of life affected in countless ways by this world-spanning partnership?

A world where myths and legends come to life, and the gods themselves walk the planet?

...or, perhaps, the world that you are now apparently in, for reasons as of yet completely unknown to you.

Like me.

I push my way past a bush, looking around in search of the symbol I carved into one of the trees when I passed by earlier. It was nothing fancy, just a simple "X", but I've found that it's far too easy to get lost around here without marking the way I came in some fashion. I do wonder if I wouldn't be better off if I wasn't wandering around so much, but staying in one place doesn't get me anywhere, and I'd like to at least try to get the lay of the surrounding land, futile as that is proving to be thus far.

Eventually spotting the tree I'm looking for, I move over to it and immediately start looking for the next one. The next few thankfully turn out to be close enough together that I don't have to search too hard to find them, allowing me the concentration to think back and silently reflect on what my life has been like as of late.

I've been here for about a week now, I think. In that time, I still have yet to come up with a decent explanation regarding how or why that might be. One does not typically wake up in an entirely different universe than the one they went to sleep in after all, much less one previously thought to be wholly fictitious. It's not as though I did anything that could have somehow caused this, at least so far as I recall — hell, the most interesting thing I did that night was fall unconscious, which, as the generally expected result when attempting to fall asleep, doesn't strike me as particularly unusual. Overall, there was nothing notably different about it from any other night.

...but then I woke up, and found myself lying in a patch of dirt, situated in the middle of a freaking forest. One that I quickly discovered to be inhabited by creatures I never once thought I'd see walking around in reality, because the world that they originate from isn't supposed to be real.

At first, I kind of figured I was just dreaming, and was honestly pretty thrilled at finally having managed proper lucidity within one. Evidence started mounting against that theory pretty quickly however, and at this point, I've been here for far too long to continue hoping that I'm actually still just asleep and having the most vivid dream of my entire life. No, seems this just IS my life now. Cast into another world, dumped in the middle of some random woodland, left to try and figure things out completely on my own-

Too lost in my mental rant to notice where I'm walking, I accidentally trip over a small root poking up out of the grass. Letting out a high-pitched cry of surprise, I go sprawling head over mini hakama pants, my giant jaw-shaped horns flipping over my eyes and smashing into a nearby tree. Dazed, I let myself just lie there for a moment, the tiny claws of my three-fingered hands digging ever so slightly into the dirt.

...and oh yeah: for some reason, I'm now a Mawile.

Aren't I lucky? 

Slightly scuffed, but largely unhurt from my sudden pratfall, I stand back up, using my horns as a counterbalance to lever myself to my feet. This regrettably does not elevate my point of view by all that much, as I now stand at a positively minuscule two feet tall. Maybe a little more than that? It's difficult to tell without any way to properly measure myself, but the fact remains that I'm now short as all hell. It's not like I was exactly a giant before this, and in fact I would have preferred to be a little shorter even then, but this is too much by an order of magnitude. I'd like my growth spurt back, please!

Taking a moment to brush my fur off of the worst of the dirt I just faceplanted in, I resume following my trail of marked trees back towards what I've been treating as my home base for the past couple of days. Mind, "home base" in this scenario is little more than a cluster of relatively large rocks that I shoved together into the rough shape of a tiny room and then stuck a thin covering of leaves and branches over top of, but it's still a better place to sleep than the inside of a bush, or underneath a random tree, like I did for the first few days.

...in case it wasn't already obvious, being a Mawile has not been a particularly charmed life thus far.

Don't get me wrong: whatever the cause of this, there are certainly worse things I could have ended up as. I mean, at least I still have limbs, and actually functional ones at that. That may sound like an absurdly low bar to clear, but it isn't something that can be said of a ridiculous number of other Pokemon — I shudder to think how much worse this would be if I had woken up here as, say, a Shellos, or a Voltorb, or (god forbid) a Dunsparce. Not to mention, there's a whole plethora of Pokemon out there that don't have any real means of locomotion, period. Compared to them, I suppose I actually DID luck out... though, I feel rather pathetic to have to be considering "still having working arms and legs" as a stroke of good fortune.

On a more legitimate and considerably less pitiful-sounding bright side, my typing as a Mawile is genuinely amazing. Being part-steel and part-fairy makes me innately resistant to more than half of all attack types, and outright immune to two others. In a world where elemental rock-paper-scissors rules ultimately dictate the outcome of a huge variety of scenarios, that's a massive advantage, the importance of which cannot be overstated. In that regard, at least, I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

...the problem is, those natural resistances are pretty much the only thing that Mawile have going for them. Not only are they barely a third of a normal person's size, their base stats are fairly low, and (to my admittedly-limited recollection) there aren't a lot of useful moves that they learn naturally. In other words, unless I can somehow reverse this, I'm most likely doomed to be a tiny, relative weakling in the Pokemon pecking order for as long as I'm trapped in this world. Which is seeming increasingly likely to be “forever”, given my total lack of clues as to how any of this happened to begin with.

My jaws tighten, grinding against each other in response to my silent annoyance. It just seems so unfair. If I have to be a Pokemon now, why I couldn't I at least be one whose potential for growth — from both a figurative and literal standpoint — isn't so heavily limited right from the outset? I can't even hold out hope of that one day maybe changing, because in addition to being weak, Mawile are also a single-stage Pokemon. Sure, they technically have a mega evolution, but not only is that state a temporary one, it would be nearly impossible for me to attain due to requiring not just the appropriate mega stone, but also a key stone, and (most crucially) a trainer. None of which I have, and the latter of which I don't even want... but with that possibility eliminated, my only remaining choice is to do the best I can with what I've got.

Which, sadly, isn't much.

I stop for a moment, having suddenly spotted what I'm pretty sure is an Oran bush just a few meters away from my tree path. I must have somehow missed it the first time I passed through here. Oh please, let this one have not already been picked clean!

I make my way over to the bush, hoping against hope to find something there, but am disheartened to find that my worries were in fact well-founded. A brief inspection of the greenery turns up little but hard, tiny buds, inedible in their current state. Any berries that may have hung here earlier are long gone by now, leaving nothing of any worth to me.

Grimacing, I turn back around, my stomach growling at me discontentedly. This has not been a good day so far... in fact, it's this sort of situation that makes me wonder if I actually should deliberately try to get myself caught, which I admit I've found myself considering more than once now. After all, I'd presumably at least have food provided for me, and thus wouldn't have to spend so much time just trying to find some like I've been doing for most of the morning now. It would probably be a lot less dangerous than staying out in the wild like I currently am as well, and likely a lot more comfortable to boot. From a logical standpoint, there are genuinely a lot of upsides to the idea.

I sigh internally. Still, I can't help but feel that letting myself get caught would be too akin to letting my fate be determined essentially by lottery. Throwing myself into some random person's care and just hoping everything works out would be a huge gamble, especially when most people are more likely to see me as a pet now than a person. Not to mention there's a distinct possibility of being mistreated or abused as well, and the idea of having someone literally own me is already distasteful enough without adding that on top of it. I just can't bring myself to risk it...

My grimace deepens into an outright scowl. Not that I could currently go offer myself up for capture even if I wanted to, as I've still yet to find an exit to this godforsaken forest. You'd really think “pick a direction and walk until you're no longer surrounded by trees” would be a pretty simple plan to carry out, but that idea has already failed me three times thus far, so evidently no, it's not that easy. I don't know if it's because I cover so much less ground in a given time now, or because there's just something about this forest that makes it extra difficult to navigate, but suffice to say, there's more than one reason I've taken to leaving X's everywhere I go.

Speaking of which, a quick look around brings me to the rapid realization that I don't see my next mark anywhere. Shoot, which direction was it? I don't think I turned around at any point while coming this way, did I?

I spin around in a circle, trying not to lose track of where I just came from in the process, but failing to see where to go next. Argh, I hate when this happens. I can't go crazy with the X's, or they quickly become all but useless for pathfinding, but if I don't make enough, I end up stuck in place for at least a short while, and have to systematically check every tree in the vicinity until I finally figure out where I'm going again. I really need to find a better method of navigation...

After a couple of minutes, I manage to find my lost tree — turns out I made the mark too low on the bark, and it ended up getting obscured by some tall grass. I drag the upper teeth of my horns against the side of the tree to make another one, slightly higher up this time, then get myself back on track again, hoping I'm getting close to my base at this point.

At the risk of repeating myself, I seriously do need to figure out a better way of finding my way through this forest. Not just because my current way is unreliable, and probably unsustainable in the long run, but because if I keep making glorified breadcrumb trails of X-marked trees everywhere I go, eventually some Pokemon is likely going to take issue with me “vandalizing” its territory. It hasn't happened yet, but as I've recently learned, some Pokemon can be extremely territorial over the area they consider to be theirs. The local Beedrill for example are really not fond of the neighboring Combee wandering too close, and the Starly and Pidgey flocks seem to be engaged in the middle of an ongoing turf war every time I see them.

...on that note, for all that's it clear I'm not in my own world anymore, I still have very little idea where specifically in this one I am. I don't even know what region this is, let alone which particular forest, and it's not like I have a GPS on hand to figure it out. The sheer variety of Pokemon that seem to live here isn't helping narrow it down any — even discounting the already-noted birds and bees, I've thus far seen Bidoofs, Stantler, Spinarak, Burmys, Wurmples, Pinsir, Seedot, Cherubis, and at least an entire second Pokerap's verse worth of others. With there being at least four different generations of Pokemon wandering around this place, my location remains an utter mystery to me... I could even be in a region that was never featured in any of the games at all. Or, hell, given that I'm now a Pokemon for some reason, and have yet to see any solid proof of human existence here, this might even be the Mystery Dungeon universe for all I know!

The thought brings me to a pause mid-stride.

Huh. Actually, that could potentially explain why I “spawned” in the middle of a forest as well, despite the fact that I'm pretty sure Mawile generally live in caves. I don't think it's all that likely I'm really in the Mystery Dungeon verse; I was mostly just spitballing, but... hmm. Still something to keep in mind.

A ruffle of wings prompts me to look up, spotting a Starly coming to rest on a nearby tree. I tilt my head at it — a Starly, all on its own? That's a first... but maybe without the rest of its flock around...

“Excuse me?” I call up to it, my new voice high, childish-sounding, and slightly scratchy from lack of use. “Um, hello! Have you seen any-”

The Starly looks in my direction, spots me, and immediately takes off before I can even finish my sentence.

Despite having largely expected that, I can't help but slump in disappointment before resuming my previous course. I don't get why this keeps happening... maybe it's just that no one around here has ever actually seen a Mawile before (probably owing to that whole “living in caves” thing), but every interaction I've had with other Pokemon thus far has consisted of them either getting angry at me, being utterly unwilling to talk to me, or seeming bizarrely scared of me, none of which I quite understand the reasons for. I mean, I am admittedly like 50 percent mouth, but I've been trying my best to seem friendly, and it's not like I've been walking up to them backwards with my horns open and on full display. Yet every time, I'm either told to get lost, am completely ignored, or the Pokemon I'm trying to talk to at the time suddenly bolts. I don't even know if I'm doing something wrong, if I'm deliberately being shunned for some reason, or if Pokemon groups are all just that insular...

I let my thought process trail off there as I finally emerge into a small clearing, smiling in relief as I spot my temporary housing sitting in the center of it. I built it on top of where I first woke up in this world, and the small cluster of rocks is quickly becoming an oddly comforting sight for me. I suppose that's simply because it signifies that I know roughly where I am again, and can now rest for a while.

I wince as I feel my stomach growl, a pang of hunger making me clutch at my side. Unfortunately, rest is probably not in the cards just yet. I haven't found any berries to eat all morning, and from the look of the sun, it's nearly noon...

Damn, looks like I'm not gonna have any choice again. I really wish I didn't have to keep doing this.

Resigning myself to the inevitable, I follow another one of my tree paths to an empty, relatively quiet spot of forest not too far away from my base, where I quickly locate a nearby bush large enough to hide myself inside of. If there's one advantage I've found so far to being so short, it's that keeping out of sight is now much, much easier than it would be otherwise, which has already come in handy multiple times thus far.

This in mind, I push my way into the bush, making sure to position myself almost exactly opposite to the way I actually want to look. Mawile apparently have excellent peripheral vision, so as long as there's still a few small holes in the foliage to see through, this doesn't inconvenience me at all.

Once I've gotten myself adequately ensconced within my leafy cover, I take in a long, deep breath, letting the air simply sit in my stomach for a moment. Then, I slowly breathe it out through my horns, simultaneously opening the small, internal gland required to slightly alter its composition as I do so. A pleasant, almost sugary smell begins to suffuse the nearby air, wafting out of the front of the bush and slowly drifting over the forest in the same direction I'm releasing it.

Sweet Scent isn't a move I would have ever considered useful before, but for the past week? It's actually turned out to be my saving grace. I do need to keep it somewhat contained however — last time, I accidentally overdid it, and ended up with the entire section of forest around me smelling like an oversweetened fruit stand. The sheer number of bugs that attracted... no, I definitely don't want a repeat of that.

Thankfully, I seem to have gotten the amount correct this time, as another Pokemon soon comes wandering into the clearing. A Bidoof, to be specific. Probably not a very old one, based on its size, but it'll do.

The Bidoof sniffs at the air contentedly, seeming slightly entranced by the scent I'm releasing. I lessen my output a little, diffusing the aroma less and letting it concentrate it around the bush I'm in. Come on...

The other Pokemon continues to follow its nose, probably thinking that the scent is coming from a berry cluster of some sort. Eventually, it begins to narrow in on the source, and slowly starts walking towards my hiding spot. I remain absolutely still as it approaches, not daring to do anything prematurely.

Wait for it...

The Bidoof sniffs tentatively at the outside of my cover.

Wait for it...

A smile comes over the beaver Pokemon's face. It definitely thinks it's found food.

Wait for it...

A furry head pushes its way into the bush.

... now.

I lunge, my horns surging through the foliage and clamping down on the Bidoof's head like a vice. Before it can even process what's happening, I whip the conjoined appendages upwards with all my strength, making the motion as sharp and abrupt as I possibly can. There's a loud squeal, a sudden snap of bone... and then silence, once again.

I emerge from the bush, my kill still clutched tightly between the teeth of my titular maw. From the way the Bidoof's body is now swinging at a crooked, obviously wrong angle to its head, my swing must have almost instantly broken its neck. Good, I managed to make it quick this time — the last one took almost twenty seconds of concerted thrashing before finally going still.

Ending my use of Sweet Scent, I lay the body down and start eating, trying hard to not to be too sloppy about it this time. I know by now that no matter what I do, my horns are going to end up covered in gore by the end of this, but if I get too overzealous, I'll get it all over my fur too, and the sticky, blotchy brown it stains makes me feel absolutely disgusting.

...you know, maybe this is why no one wants to talk to me.

Chapter Text

I finish off my meal before too long, the small Bidoof thankfully still large enough to satisfy my appetite. As usual, it doesn't taste like anything, owing to how the inside of my horns lack any actual taste buds, but the feeling of tearing flesh and crunching bone within my crocodilian rear jaws remains oddly satisfying all the same. Swallowing things through the back of my head is still a pretty weird sensation as well, but not an unpleasant one, all told.

Unfortunately, a quick look over my shoulder once I'm done confirms that my horns are now absolutely coated in both blood and small bits of viscera, which regrettably isn't something I've found any way to avoid as of yet. It's difficult not to make a mess when the only utensil I have available to me is my teeth. Looks like I'm going to have to head to the river to clean all this off again...

Leaving an uneven scattering of dark red droplets behind me as I go, I make my way back to my base, taking care to skirt around the clearing proper once I get there. No sense tracking this mess through the place I sleep in. Though, this is really just keeping the mess out of sight, as I'm still smearing blood all over the grass I'm walking through right now... I think I can even see some from one of the previous times I had to do this.

I frown. Hopefully the rain will eventually come and wash this all away, because even if I'm not constantly stepping in it, leaving various trails of dried blood around my living quarters like I'm preparing some sort of demonic ritual cannot possibly be particularly hygienic.

Locating the nearby tree I marked with a vaguely wave-like symbol, indicating the way to the only nearby source of water I've found as of yet, I set off in that direction, my thoughts soon turning inwards again.

It's not as though it hasn't occurred to me before that my recent eating habits may be at fault for my apparent shunning by the local Pokemon community. Most of the ones I've seen around here look to be either herbivores or insectivores after all, and a good number of them are actually even smaller than I am. Combined with the way I keep having to traipse through the forest looking like some sort of pint-sized ax murderer, perhaps I shouldn't find it strange if other Pokemon are deliberately taking steps to avoid me.

I spot a few Pidgey flying low overhead, something that looks vaguely like a Spinarak leg sticking out of the beak of one of them, and glare.

That said, those insectivorous Pokemon presumably subsist off of hunting others just as much as I do, so it really doesn't seem fair that I seem to be getting singled out just for being different. I mean, I can't help having to eat, and it's not like I'm some voracious monster... well, okay, I have admittedly eaten two Bidoof, three Buneary, and that one Teddiursa I saw in the past week alone. For such a small body, I seem to take an awful lot of food to satiate. Not really sure where it's all going...

I shake my head. Still, the fact I eat a little more than most shouldn't be that big a deal, especially since Mawile aren't even fully carnivorous. Sure, I may have been pretty vegetable-and-fruit averse when I was human, but the berries I've managed to get my hands on here thus far have actually been pretty tasty, so I'll gladly stick to them so long as I actually have the option to do so.

...then again, that's sort of the problem: most days, I don't end up having that option. I spent literal hours scavenging this morning, systematically checking every berry tree and bush I've managed to find thus far, but there was just nothing to be found. Even ranging further out didn't end up helping at all, which is pretty much how it's been for most of the time I've been here. Berries seem to grow back at an unnaturally fast rate in this world, but as the primary dietary components of so much of the surrounding wildlife, they get picked off just as quickly. Thus, anyone who doesn't get to them early enough is forced to seek food elsewhere... or through other means, so to speak.

I stop walking for a moment, feeling something stuck under one of my teeth. Carefully bringing my horns around in front of me, I pluck out a small sliver of bone that seems to have gotten lodged in one of the upper gums before tossing it off into the underbrush.

...ah, crap, I got red on me. Good thing I'm already heading to wash myself off.

Wiping my hands on the grass to remove the worst of the sticky crimson fluid, I resume moving forward, wondering at just how utterly banal this is starting to seem. Perhaps I should be more bothered about the fact that I've gotten used to the idea of killing and eating other Pokemon so quickly, but frankly, the most disturbing thing about all this is just how little it actually seems to disturb me. I realize that I probably ought to feel somewhat nauseated by the thought of snapping a small animal's neck before proceeding to consume its corpse (and raw, at that), but while it doesn't exactly bring me pleasure, it doesn't really summon up any sort of visceral disgust in me either. Which is a little worrisome, in all honesty, because... well, I really should feel worse about this, shouldn't I?

I frown with both of my mouths simultaneously. I've been deliberately avoiding thinking about this for the past few days, but I probably can't avoid it forever — unless I'm in a version of the Pokemon universe that I'm completely unfamiliar with, I'm pretty sure that nearly all Pokemon qualify as intelligent beings to at least some extent. The vast majority are theoretically smart enough to at least be considered sentient, and being able to outright understand them now only serves to hammer that in more, even if most of what I've heard so far is just various iterations of “go away”. Some should even be fairly close to sapient, if not outright so.

...and yet, despite being fully aware of that, rather than feeling bad about what I did to that Bidoof, I'm just sort of vaguely annoyed. Mostly that I once again wasn't fast enough this morning to avoid ending up in that sort of scenario to begin with. Even thinking back on the rest of the week, I just can't seem to find it in myself to care that much about the other Pokemon I've eaten... and I don't understand why that would be. It's not that I'm just that callous, is it?

I bring a claw to my chin in contemplation. Perhaps... perhaps this is just my Mawile instincts coming to the fore? I assuredly must have them; I wouldn't be able to move my horns nearly so effortlessly otherwise, nor both know of and how to open the gland used to make Sweet Scent. If preying on other Pokemon is simply instinctive for my current species, then it would only make sense that I don't feel particularly bad or strange about doing it now either. In which case...

Well, I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing?

I consider that for a moment more before nodding to myself. I'd probably have starved by now if I'd completely balked at the idea of eating other Pokemon earlier this week, so it's likely only thanks to those instincts that I've even lasted this long. Given the world I now find myself in, I refuse to consider myself a bad person for simply trying to survive in it as best I can with the cards I've been dealt. In the end, I suppose no matter how smart the things I'm eating are, they're still prey, and as much as it doesn't feel like it, I'm technically a predator. Meaning this is just... the natural way of things, as it were.

Eventually, still silently musing on this subject, I arrive at the river, where I gladly let the topic slip from mind. The body of water is most likely fairly small on the whole, but from my current perspective seems vast and deep, though thankfully also slow enough that I'm not particularly worried about accidentally getting swept away by the current.

There are a couple of Buizels floating around near the shore, but as soon as they notice me emerging from the treeline, they dive under the surface of the water and speed away. I just shrug, not particularly surprised this time. Hanging around here, they'd know better than anyone the kind of dietary regimen I've been on as of late, and even if they didn't already know, I imagine that all the blood I'm still covered in right now is a pretty big tip off.

Kneeling down on the riverbank, I dip my hands and horns into the cool, flowing liquid, watching the water turn a dull coppery color and slowly drift downstream. I almost lean down further to take a quick drink as well, but catch myself and wait until the water runs clear before moving slightly upstream to do that. The liquid is still rather bitter, and not particularly pleasant, but at least I'm not inhaling particles of blood into the mouth that I can actually taste with.

After checking myself for any stray flecks of red, I stand back up and start back towards my base, not having any further reason to stick around here. I don't get very far however before a familiar buzzing noise suddenly comes into earshot, causing me to almost instantly freeze in place.

Combee don't sound like that — has to be Beedrill. Probably more than one.

As the noise steadily begins growing louder, I quickly step into the shadow of a nearby tree, pressing myself up against the side of the bark and doing my best to keep absolutely still. Damn... I'm pretty sure the path I'm taking back right now circumnavigates the edges of Beedrill territory by a decent margin, but hearing them this close is suddenly making me doubt that, and as there aren't exactly clear boundaries to begin with, I'd rather not end up a pincushion if it turns out I'm wrong. Better to just wait it out, and hopefully not be noticed by them in the first place.

A tense couple of minutes go by, most of which I spend feeling like an extra in a horror movie, before the buzzing blessedly distances itself and dies away again. Swiftly vacating my sub-par hiding spot, I hurry the rest of the way back to my base, and soon reemerge into the familiar clearing without further incident.

Phew... made it...

Stepping inside of my base, which is just barely large enough for me to fully fit myself inside of, I gratefully collapse to the “floor” in relief. As if the idea of enormous, territorial, and ultra-aggressive bees wasn't terrifying enough in abstract, it's even more so now that they have a good foot of height on me. I'm gonna have to update my markers...

I close my eyes for a moment, the fatigue of this morning's excursion finally beginning to catch up to me. This is actually the first time I've sat down properly in hours... the sad thing is, I think I actually have more stamina like this than I did when I was human. Since I also have roughly one-third the stride length however, walking around for several hours without rest is ultimately no less tiring than it would have been before. Hence my current semi-exhausted state.

Maybe I'll just take a short break... just for a little bit...

By the time I finally move to get up again, the shadows of the trees outside have visibly lengthened, proving that even if everything else about me has changed, my lack of personal discipline has clearly not. I do eventually get up however, stepping out of my base feeling slightly ashamed of myself, despite there being no one around to actually reprimand me. I didn't mean to rest for quite that long...

Looking around for a brief moment, I confirm to myself that I'm just as alone as usual before cracking my neck to either side. Alright, I've wasted more than enough time already. Now that I'm full, washed, rested, and not in any obvious danger?

It's time to train.

I whirl my horns around a few times to stretch them, then follow suit with the rest of my limbs, feeling it only prudent. I may not be a Pokemon powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination, but that's no reason not to at least know how to defend myself as best I can. In fact, one might even say that makes it all the more important that I get the hang of it as quickly as possible, because despite just how meat-heavy my meals have been as of late, my conclusion that I'm weak still stands — Mawile may be predators, but they're ambush predators, and tiny ones at that. By and large, they just aren't really built for fighting... but all Pokemon can do it to at least some extent, and seeing as I am one now, it only behooves me to follow suit. Sure, if I ever end up in any sort of actual combat, I'll probably get my butt kicked by anything that isn't quite as inherently feeble as me, but knowing how to put up some manner of resistance will still be better than nothing.

...besides, being able to use Pokemon moves now is exciting, alright? If there's anything I actually like about being a Mawile — other than my horns, which I admit I've rather quickly grown fond of — it's that I'm now able to do things that are basically half a step away from being literal magic. I'd still rather not be in this situation to begin with, but I'll take what joy I can get from it all the same.

Eager to get started, I begin by concentrating on the internal well of energy that now resides within me. While Sweet Scent seems to operate almost purely on biological functions, the rest of my moves seem to require me to utilize this personal reservoir of... well, “power”, which sounds difficult, but has proven surprisingly simple thus far. Chalk another one up for my new instincts, I guess. Due to this innate familiarity, I probably don't need to be doing this at all, but the sensation of what may as well be pure potential sitting inside of me, ready and waiting to be unleashed at any given moment, remains enough of a novelty even after a week that I'm still just trying to get used to it. I wonder what this feels like for Pokemon that are actually strong...?

Still privately marveling, I force myself back on task, opening up my horns as wide as I'm able to make them go. Owing to their strangely high degree of flexibility, this is an almost absurdly large amount, coming very close to a full 180 degree angle. As soon as they've reached their apparent limit, I reach into my reservoir and extract a small amount of its contents, the energy changing and quickly flowing through me to seep into the teeth of my horns-

*!-SNAP-!*

-just before I swing them shut like a living bear trap, a loud, metallic crack of noise briefly ringing out through the air around them.

I grin. Bite is the easiest move I know, and functions exactly as one might expect it to. The only real difference to a normal bite is having to suffuse my teeth with Dark-type energy first. It's also inordinately satisfying to pull off in proportion to the level of effort required, primarily due to how pleasing the sound it makes when done at its maximum potential is... though, I should probably try to keep the noise down. Don't want to annoy any particularly testy “neighbors” I might have.

I repeat my use of the move a number of times, varying the amount of jaw open-ness for each repetition, and trying not to make as much of a racket as I did with the first one. Even at lesser degrees, Bite is probably the most powerful move in my current arsenal — before I realized that actively destroying the forest around me probably wasn't a good idea, I managed to use it to chomp straight through a good-sized tree trunk. Though, that admittedly may have had less to do with the move itself, and more just with the amount of force my horns can naturally put out. If Mawile have anything going for them other than their typing, it's probably that.

Once I've finished opening and closing my jaws enough times to give any normal person a mandibular disorder, I decide to move on to my next attack. Unlike Bite, which I did more as a warm up than anything else, this move I definitely need to practice.

Closing my eyes, I begin to summon energy to my horns again, though the process feels drastically different this time. Moves of different types requires appropriately different energy after all, and while the conversion process to create them from the base pool in my reservoir seems to be nigh-automatic, each of those energies also has a distinct “feel” to it upon being used. For example, Dark-type energy feels sort of heavy, but also smooth, like a thick fog slowly rolling through my insides. In contrast, Fairy-type energy is light, but strangely jittery, almost bouncy, as though incredibly eager to break free of its confines. It's not an uncomfortable sensation really, but it does kind of make me feel like I have Pop Rocks flowing through my veins.

Regardless, I continue pouring Fairy-type power from my reservoir into my horns. Once they're reasonably “full”, I cut the flow, the process not taking more than a scant few moments in total... but then, that was the easy part. Now comes the hard part.

Targeting a tree on the edge of the clearing, I pull my horns back, chambering them like an unusually-shaped baseball bat. Then, pivoting on one foot, I spin myself around a full 360 degrees and swing my horns forward, “throwing” the pent-up energy out of them as I do. The energy mixes into the wind stirred up by the motion and strengthens it, causing the air to fill with light pink sparkles before surging forward and slamming into the target tree.

Its branches rustle slightly in the breeze, while the rest of it remains largely unaffected.

I sigh, disappointed. Well, at least I managed to hit the tree this time. It's fairly difficult to aim an attack that requires you to basically do a pirouette in order to use it. Fairy Wind does kind of go everywhere even vaguely in front of me, so I suppose that isn't a huge issue, but I definitely have some concerns about its power... still, it's my only Fairy-type move at the moment, so it's what I have to work with.

As with Bite, I repeat this process multiple times over, sending out scattered, shimmering pink gusts in every which direction across the clearing, though they continue to be highly ineffectual at actually doing anything. I kind of have to wonder if I'm doing something wrong, or if Fairy Wind is just naturally this weak. It is a fairly low-powered move in the games, and Mawile are generally physical attackers, but this seems a bit underwhelming even when taking those facts into account.

Hmm... I wonder if it would be more powerful if I had something better than my horns to stir up the wind with? If I ever make it out of this forest, I should try to find a fan or something so I can test that theory.

Inevitably growing tired of creating less-than-stiff breezes, not to mention dizzy from repeatedly spinning myself around like an oversized top, I eventually come to a halt, waiting a few minutes for my growing headache to recede before doing anything else. Ugh, I should have stopped sooner — my horns probably make up over half my total body weight now, and repeatedly throwing them around like that isn't made any easier by the fact that they're supported pretty much exclusively by the muscles in the back of my head. My neck is gonna be so sore tomorrow...

Once I'm done lamenting my own poor choices, I continue on to my final attack, which is definitely the weirdest of the four I currently know. For the first few days, I wasn't even sure what exactly it did besides make my body start emitting a slight red aura, created by the oddly viscous Ghost-type energy required for it slowly leaking out of my skin. It took using the move while looking into the river the other day to figure out that it's not just an aura: my eyes also start glowing solid red, and my face gets all shadowed and creepy, as though I've suddenly been possessed by the devil or something. Seeing my reflection in the water actually startled me when I first discovered that, which had the interesting effect of making me feel like I'd just been punched in the heart — no wonder Astonish tends to make opponents flinch.

I smirk for a moment at the thought of literally scaring someone so hard it hurts, before quickly resuming my task.

In any event, because Astonish doesn't have any effect on inanimate objects (it being rather difficult to frighten things such as rocks or trees), practicing the move pretty much just involves me putting on the widest, scariest-looking grin I can manage in tandem with summoning the energy to activate it. I've also taken to bringing my horns around from behind me and abruptly opening them at the same time, which I'm hoping might make it more effective. Hard to know without anyone to actually test it on, but I can't imagine adding a pair of huge, slavering, sharp-toothed jaws to the mix is likely to make an opponent any less startled, at least.

After enough iterations of this that my face starts to hurt from smiling so much, I finally stop pulling on my energy, letting my facial features slowly relax and return to normal. I suppose I could technically move on to practicing Sweet Scent now, but doing so would almost certainly be more trouble than it's worth, and frankly, I feel like I'm getting more than enough “practice” with the move at mealtimes already.

I nod to myself. I guess that means I'm done with training for the time being.

...and thank goodness for that.

Mentally exhausted for the first time today and physically exhausted for the second, I flop backwards onto the ground, my horns ending up splayed out behind me like an entirely separate entity. Despite doing little more than biting, spinning, and grinning that entire time, I can feel my body starting to ache in a variety of places, signaling that I probably pushed myself too far again. Though, I suppose the ache could also be because I just drained my internal reservoir nearly to dry for the third day in a row. You'd think that I'd eventually learn when to stop...

I roll myself into a slightly more comfortable position, probably getting dirt all over myself in the process, but unable to find the will to stand up at the moment. To be honest, I'm fairly certain that repeatedly pushing myself to the point of debility like this isn't particularly wise, but I also kind of feel like I have to — even with all this practice, I'm still pretty concerned about what might happen if I ever end up in an actual fight. Not that I particularly want to get into a fight, but as I myself am proof of, the nature of Pokemon in the wild tends to be rather more brutal than the show and games would have one believe. Whether from accidentally pissing another Pokemon off, attempting to ambush one and failing, or something just randomly taking issue with my presence here for whatever reason, I figure it's practically bound to happen sooner or later, and I'd like to be as prepared as I can be for when it does.

...if I only I weren't so limited in what I can actually do in that regard. I'm trying my best here, but I really only have so much to work with. My training could easily end up being all for naught, simply because I don't have the natural capabilities that many “better” Pokemon possess from birth.

I exhale loudly in frustration, a sound that's become increasingly familiar to hear from me in these past few days. None of this would be as big a deal if I had any indication that my current predicament wasn't a permanent state of affairs from now on... but I don't, and so it is. Once again, I can't help but think that this would be so much less stressful if I at least knew I had the possibility of evolution in the future. With mega evolution essentially being a pipe dream however, I can only conclude that it's just never going to happen.

Although... I wonder if the reason Mawile aren't known to evolve is just because none of them have ever ended up in the proper conditions to do so? There are all sorts of weird evolution prerequisites that Pokemon can have, from having to be in or near a certain location, to needing to know a specific move, to having to have another Pokemon be present at the same time, and so on and so forth. In which case, perhaps the only reason a Mawile evolution has never been discovered is just that no one has figured out the very specific circumstances that would be required for it...

The thought elicits a small, soft laugh from me. The idea that I could potentially be the one to figure out such an “unknown method” is probably even more of a fantasy than mega evolution would be, but it's kind of nice to at least pretend.

Suddenly realizing just how dark everything seems to look, I raise my head upwards to stare up at the sky. The deep, reddish-black expanse of sunset passing into night looks back, already filled with more stars than I can ever remember seeing when I was human.

...what the heck; it's already this late? I can't have been training for that long... I guess I must have been resting for even longer than I thought I was earlier. Or maybe it was just later than I realized when I initially got back here this morning? Bah, it's so hard to keep track of time anymore!

I slowly pull myself up off the ground again, rather annoyed at having apparently literally trained the rest of the day away. This isn't even the first time this has happened — I almost have to wonder if this world doesn't just have literally shorter days than I'm used to. I mean, it's not like the cosmology of the Pokemon universe was ever really gone into in any depth, at least not beyond the factual existence of more than a couple alien Pokemon...

Regardless, I guess it's time to go to sleep. If I was still in my own world, I'd consider this way too early to be turning in, but out here in nature, when the sun goes down, so too does everything else — myself included, as I have no intention of leaving this clearing again now that it's this dark. Mawile may have pretty decent night vision, but I have enough issues keeping track of where I am in these woods without adding a near-complete lack of illumination on top of that. Besides, considering just how tired I've once again made myself, I suppose I can't exactly object to the idea of getting some shut-eye at the moment... though I wish I'd at least gotten around to finding dinner.

With no small amount of effort, I manage to drag myself back into my base, where I immediately flop backwards onto the small mat of grass and leaves that I've set up to serve as my bed. Curling my horns around myself like a tiny nest, I allow my eyes to slowly drift close.

Hopefully tomorrow will be the day I finally get out of this stupid forest...

Chapter Text

I awaken the next morning to the sound of what must be at least thirty separate birds, all of them screeching furiously at each other in an utterly unintelligible chorus. Angry squawks and cries of pain ring out from somewhere in the near distance, coalescing into a grating symphony of pure noise.

Groaning, I squeeze my eyes back shut and pull my horns around myself even tighter. Ugh, the flocks are at it again. Could they not do this somewhere else? Why right next to where I'm sleeping? I just want five more minutes...

Inevitably finding the ongoing commotion all but impossible to ignore, I blearily drag myself to my feet. Mechanically stretching as I stand up, I wince when I reach my neck — yep, it's sore. Shock and surprise.

Stepping out of my base, I immediately move my horns over my head to shield my eyes from the surprisingly intense sunlight. Oh great, I think I'm up even later than usual... the Pidgey and Starly must be fighting over one of the closer berry plants. No way I'm getting anything from those today if so.

My stomach moans for attention, reminding me that I didn't end up getting anything to eat last night. My reservoir isn't fully recovered yet either — I suspect that there's a pretty strong correlation between the two factors, if not a direct link. I need food.

I sigh. Honestly, I'm highly tempted to just skip straight to the carnivore option for breakfast, and save myself roughly half a day of scavenging that will almost certainly end up being pointless anyways. I mean, I'd still like to at least try to minimize my body count, but I did decide yesterday that hunting was only natural for me to do now, and my attempts at avoiding doing so have been going incredibly poorly thus far anyways...

...yeah, screw it. I'm tired of wasting so much time in the mornings.

I take a different trail from the one I used yesterday, heading in the opposite direction of the continuing aerial violence until the noise is distant enough that I can no longer hear it. It takes me a little while to find a bush large enough to fully hide myself in this time, and when I do, I accidentally end up scaring off an Ekans that was curled up underneath of it (which slithers off into the undergrowth before I can even apologize), but eventually I've got myself situated and set up as normal.

As I start releasing Sweet Scent, waiting patiently for something to come along and take the bait, my mind begins to wander. I wonder if there's any appropriate real-world analogue for what I'm doing right now. Are there any actual animals that deliberately imitate the scent of food to lure in smaller prey? The only thing in that vein that I can think of is a couple of carnivorous plants. I suppose that does line up with the fact that most of the Pokemon that can use Sweet Scent are Grass-types... actually, I can't really think of any non Grass-type Pokemon that can use the move other than Mawile, at least not off the top of my head. Does that make me an honorary plant?

I giggle for a moment at the thought, then abruptly stop upon realizing just how unfamiliar it sounds. I'm still not used to how different my voice is now... which I suppose really only makes sense, seeing as how I've barely had any opportunity to use it thus far. I'm sure I'll get accustomed to it eventually though. Maybe one day, I won't even remember it ever sounding any different...

I shake my head to clear it, not particularly wanting to think about that. There's no reason for me to-

*!-BOOOOOM-!*

I'm startled from my thoughts as a thunderous noise rings out from somewhere in the distance, too far away for me to accurately pinpoint its source. After a moment, the sound fades, and nothing follows after it.

...um, the heck was that? A tree falling down? I can't think of anything else around here that could make a noise that loud, but... honestly, it almost sounded more like something exploding...

I don't get to ponder this for very long, as another Pokemon finally comes wandering into the area, prompting me to quickly turn my attention to it. Blue and black fur, rounded ears, and a star-shaped yellow tail... a Shinx? Interesting. I think I've only had Normal types up until now — hopefully an Electric type won't cause any problems going down.

As expected, the Shinx begins sniffing at the air, immediately becoming excited once as it does so. It runs around in a circle for a moment, presumably trying to figure out where the Sweet Scent is coming from, before inevitably, albeit rather clumsily tracing it back to my hiding spot. I ready myself as the smaller Pokemon approaches. Just a little closer...

The Shinx walks up and stares at the outside of my leafy cover, its large eyes wide and bright. I tense my horns as it inclines its head forward-

“Hello?”

I freeze. Uh oh. Did it just-

“Why are you hiding in the bushes like that?” the Shinx continues.

Crap, I have been spotted! Ambush failed; I need to attack before it tries to-!

“Are you stuck?”

My rising panic at being discovered simmers down slightly at that question, replaced by minor confusion.

“Ah... no?” I awkwardly reply. “I'm not stuck.”

“Then why are you in there?”

I squint out of the corner of my eye. Unless it's just pretending to be oblivious for some reason, I don't think this Shinx has any idea what I was about to do to it... is it a kid? It might only be because it's so small, but it certainly sounds like one.

“I was- well, looking for food, actually.” I say, not exactly untruthfully.

“Oh! Are you searching for whatever that great smell is?” the Shinx asks excitedly. “Did you find it? Can we share? I'm really hungry!”

...yeah, definitely a kid. That voice sounds vaguely male, so maybe the rough equivalent of a six-year-old boy? Something along those lines, at least.

I debate with myself for a moment over simply attacking and eating the small, vaguely leonine Pokemon anyways, before swiftly deciding against it. Kid or not, this is the first time any other Pokemon has seemed even remotely willing to talk with me as of yet, and I absolutely do not want to waste this chance.

“Sorry, I didn't find anything.” I inform the Shinx cub, cutting off Sweet Scent and swiveling around inside the bush so as to properly face him. “I think that whatever it was coming from might already be gone.”

“Aww...” the Shinx whines, seeming crestfallen. “I'd never smelled berries like that before. I really wanted to try some...”

Heh, yeah, I'll bet you did.

“Are you gonna come out then?” the Shinx asks innocently.

I hesitate to respond. I don't really think a Shinx this young is likely to pose any significant threat to me, but if I leave my hiding spot, there's a good chance I'm just going to scare him off. This is the first real conversation I've had in days; there must be some way I can avoid that.

“I suppose I could...” I reply after a moment. “Just... give me a second.”

Walking forward, I emerge from the cover of the bush... but only partially, exposing most of my body while leaving my horns still hidden inside of the foliage behind me. There, that should do it, right?

“Wow, I've never seen a Pokemon that looks like you before!” the Shinx exclaims as I step into view.

Only a scant moment later however, a frightened expression replaces his excited grin, and he flinches away from me.

“You're kind of scary though...” he adds, starting to shake.

I scowl. Seriously? This kid very clearly doesn't know what I am or what I eat, and my horns aren't even in view right now!

I quickly look myself over, wondering if I missed a spot of blood or something while rinsing off yesterday, but I don't see anything, or at least not anything obvious. If it's not that though, then what is it?

“Am I really?” I ask, deciding to just be direct about it. “Why do you say that?”

The Shinx quivers, backing away from me a little more. “I don't know... you just are...”

His fur abruptly begins to glow and sparkle, presumably as some sort of automatic fear response given that the Shinx himself seems surprised by it. I pay it no real mind however, too frustrated by his words to really care.

I'm scary because I “just am”? That doesn't make any sense! What, am I just emanating some sort of invisible aura of menace or something?! One of Mawile's defining traits is explicitly supposed to be how cute and nonthreatening they look from the front, so what exactly about me is so intimidating that even when I'm doing nothing at all, I'm apparently-

...wait a second. Intimidating — don't Mawile have Intimidate as one of their natural abilities?

Because... if that's also my ability... and I've been unknowingly affecting pretty much everyone I try to talk to with it...

My right palm slowly comes up to meet my face. More and more does my status as a Pokemon pariah begin to make sense — though, it's still at least a little strange, because even if I'm right, I wouldn't think Intimidate would activate unless I actually wanted it to. Seems kind of counterproductive for a species called the Deceiver Pokemon to be constantly terrifying everything they encounter, even when they're actively trying to act nice. Is there any way to turn an ability off?

Not completely certain how, or even if I'm actually doing it to begin with, I close my eyes, slowly exhale, and try my best to just relax for a moment. Gradually, my muscles begin to untense, and my jaws loosen from the clamped position I didn't even realize I had them in.

When I open my eyes again, the Shinx has stopped shaking.

“Huh?” he says, the glow slowly dissipating from his fur. “Hey, wait, you're not scary anymore!”

...guess that worked. So, Intimidate activates whenever I'm tense or stressed then? Jeez, have I really been that on edge every time I've tried to talk to another Pokemon so far? I mean, the first couple days it was really nerve-wracking, yeah, just because I wasn't used to any of this yet... and then I was usually sort of concerned about being attacked, after so many Pokemon got angry at me seemingly just for trying to talk to them... not to mention I've always found talking with people I don't know kind of stressful to begin with...

Hmm. Actually, this does kind of make sense.

“How did you do that?” the Shinx asks curiously.

“Er... sorry, I can't tell you that.” I reply, not sure how else to answer. “It's a secret, you see.”

“Aww, come on!” the Shinx protests. “Pleeeeease?”

“Nope, I can't.” I say, smiling mischievously. “A secret is a secret.”

Juvenile though this dialogue may be, man is it nice to properly talk with someone again. I didn't realize just how much I missed that... though, if I listen closely, I can tell that the Shinx's words are actually coming out as various repetitions of “shi”, “shin”, and “inx”. Similarly, my words are coming out as “maw”, “wile”, and other variants thereof, yet it all still seems perfectly understandable despite that. How does that work? Am I still speaking English, and it's just automatically being translated into Pokemon language as I speak, or has my knowledge of English somehow been replaced wholesale? I certainly hope it's the former... but I should really be focusing on more important things right now.

“Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where we are right now, would you?” I ask.

The Shinx blinks at me confusedly. “What do you mean? This is the forest.”

“Yes, I know that, but do you know which one?” I clarify.

“There's another forest?” the Shinx gasps, eyes going wide.

...right, forgot that I was talking to a child for a second. One who's probably never once left this place in his life, and thus knows little, if anything about the world outside it.

“Nevermind.” I say, waving off the Shinx's question. “In that case, I'm guessing you probably don't know if there are any nearby cities either?”

“What's a city?”

I sigh. “Forget it, it's not important.”

Based on those answers, I don't think I'm going to be getting anything else useful out of this conversation. Still, it was a pretty productive one all the same, and I feel like it would be rather ungrateful of me to eat the Pokemon who helped me figure out something this important, so...

“Hey kid, don't you have somewhere to be?” I ask.

The Shinx gasps. “Oh no, you're right! I've gotta get back to Mama before she worries where I went!”

He quickly spins around, then looks over his shoulder at me. “It was nice talking to you, whatever-you-are! Bye now!”

“Um, right. Goodby-”

The Shinx is gone before I can get the entire word out, running off and disappearing into the surrounding greenery within just a few seconds. Huh, awful fast for such a little guy...

As if sensing that the interaction has ended, my stomach grumbles again, reminding me that despite recent revelations, I still need to find some actual sustenance. Rolling my eyes, I reactivate Sweet Scent and step back inside of the bush, hoping that something slightly larger decides to show up soon.

I ultimately end up catching another Buneary, which isn't quite as large a meal as I would have liked right now, but should be good enough to at least get me by for the time being. It takes some effort to finish it off this time, as the tip of my jaws end up overshooting its neck slightly and latching onto its collarbone instead, but after about 15 seconds of continuous thrashing, the bipedal rabbit finally goes still.

As soon as I've polished off my food, I start heading back to my clearing, reflecting on the new information I've obtained as I go.

Well, it certainly would have been nice to know what I was doing wrong while trying to talk to others a week ago, but better late than never. And hey, at least Intimidate is a pretty good ability!... when utilized in the proper circumstances, that is. I'll definitely have to make sure to monitor my mood a little more closely from now on, at least when I'm trying to interact with others in a non-hostile manner.

I smile to myself. Still, I'm pretty excited! Maybe now that I can actually talk to other Pokemon without constantly giving off what amounts to an unconscious pseudo-psychic threat display, someone will finally be willing to tell me where exactly I am... maybe even which direction to go to get out of this forest, in fact. Surely at least the bird Pokemon would have to know, right?

Bolstered by the thought of finally leaving this seemingly endless woodland, I cheerfully continue strolling forward, feeling like things are looking up. Soon, the familiar clearing comes back into view...

And I gasp, stopping dead in my tracks as I see what's become of it.

The area has been completely torn apart. The rocks that formerly made up the walls of my base seem to have been taken and thrown in every possible direction, and the foliage that composed its fragile roof is mostly gone, presumably scattered to the four winds. Even the dirt has been heavily disturbed, as though something huge and heavy was digging into it, and, most unsettling of all, there are gigantic five-clawed slash marks carved into several of the nearby trees.

I take an involuntary step backwards, balking at the sight of the rampant destruction. What the hell...? What could have done this, and why? I haven't even seen any Pokemon around here with claws big enough to make marks like-

“YOU!!!”

The unexpected scream of rage that sounds from behind me is immediately followed by a sudden hard blow to the back of my horns, sending me sprawling forward into the torn-up dirt of the ruined clearing. I don't even get the chance to get back to my feet before something wraps around my neck and lifts me into the air, then slams me back-first into a nearby tree trunk, prompting me to cry out in pain as the impact reverberates through my tiny body.

I open my eyes again, having instinctively closed them upon faceplanting into the ground, and find myself staring up at a very angry-looking Ursaring. At almost three times my height, she looms and towers over me like a giant, just one paw large enough to completely envelop my neck.

“You... you're the one who did it, aren't you...” the bear-like Pokemon growls in a deep, but unmistakably female voice.

“Did... what...?!” I choke out, struggling desperately against her grip.

“What have you done with my child?!” the Ursaring roars in my face.

“What are you... talking about...?!”

“Don't try to deny it!” the Ursaring continues to shout. “I can smell his blood all around us! All around YOU!”

My eyes widen. That Teddiursa I ate a couple days ago...

The Ursaring's gaze drifts down to my horns, which are still covered in the blood of my most recent meal. Her expression promptly manages to turn even angrier than it already was.

“Did- did you eat him?!” she snarls at me. “You ATE my son?!”

I don't respond verbally, instead swiftly bringing up my horns and lashing out at my assailant with a rapid Bite attack- only to miss her face by mere inches. Her arm is so large compared to me that I can't reach !

The Ursaring seems to startle for a moment at the sight of my jaws, before growling again and slamming her other paw into them, pinning their base to the bark just over my head. Shit-!

I strain, trying with all my might to get my only real weapons free, but the Ursaring's combined leverage and strength are simply too much for me to overcome.

“How dare you...” she seethes. “How DARE you...”

“I didn't... know...!” I squeak, unable to raise my voice any louder with my neck still trapped in her grip.

The Ursaring glares down at me, her eyes bulging with unrestrained fury.

“Well then...” she growls in a lone tone, “I suppose it would only be right of me to eat you in turn...”

My struggles cease for a brief moment, a wave of fear all but freezing my muscles.

Unlike most other Steel types, I'm not actually made of metal. So far as I can tell, the only parts of me that are actually "steel" are my horns, my hands, and the two strands of not-hair that hang down next to my face. The rest of me is just as squishy and fleshy as most other mammalian Pokemon... and presumably just as edible.

I frantically summon forth the energy for Astonish, the subtle red glow springing into existence around me... but the Ursaring doesn't even seem to notice. Damn it, that's right, she's a Normal-type, but with my horns pinned to the tree I can't use anything else-!

The Ursaring slowly leans in, her sharp-toothed mouth opening wide. I kick and scratch, but my tiny claws and feet are unable to so much as get past her fur, let alone do enough damage to actually make her let go of me. Quivering in terror, I watch as the bear's fangs draw ever closer to my arm.

...I'm going to die. I'm literally going to die from being eaten by a bear, as some sort of twisted retribution for having eaten a different, much smaller bear two days earlier. I didn't make it half a month in this world before it ended up getting me killed. I... I...

Twin streams of tears begin to trickle down my cheeks, and I gasp quietly, a combination of a sob and an increasingly desperate need for air. Noticing this, the Ursaring pulls back slightly, glowering down at me in disgust.

“Do you seriously believe tears will buy you any mercy from me?!” she demands, pounding my horns against the tree again.

An idea suddenly comes to mind, and my tears dry up almost immediately. No, I didn't believe that, but they did actually buy me another few seconds to think of a way out of this, so while that wasn't exactly the plan...!

Unable to move my horns forward against the Ursaring's strength, I instead rotate them in her grip by ninety degrees, leaving her pressing into the side of them instead of the bottom. Before my captor can react to this, I quickly reopen my jaws and swivel them backwards, facing them directly away from her.

Then I wrap them around the tree I'm currently being held against, and Bite my way straight through the trunk.

*!-CRUNCH-!*

The top half of the tree immediately begins to fall forward. The Ursaring looks up and flinches in surprise, her grip on my neck loosening ever so slightly as she does. I immediately take advantage of this by kicking off the bark behind me and heaving myself out of her claws, falling back to the ground and sucking in huge gulps of air through both of my mouths. Thank god...

I hear the sound of wood impacting flesh behind me, but when I turn around to look, I find to my horror that the Ursaring has managed to catch the falling tree on her claws. She's visibly straining against its weight, but seems to be managing it all the same.

Seeing this, I immediately turn around and start running away from the clearing for all I'm worth. Another scream of rage sounds out from behind me, and something heavy crashes to the ground, the resulting tremor causing my footing to stumble for half a second or so. I think the Ursaring just threw the tree off herself; I need to get away from here, NOW!

I sprint through the forest in a mad dash, hearing my attacker beginning to chase after me. I'm unfortunately well aware of how little chance I have of outrunning an angry bear — I'm not nearly fast enough to outpace her, especially with my horns weighing me down. But hopefully, if I managed to run the right way...!

I can hear the Ursaring gaining on me, her growling huffs growing steadily closer, to the point that I can practically feel her breathing down my neck. Where are they, she's almost on top of me-!

“INTRUDERS!” “TRESPASSERS!” “INVADERS!” “GET OUT!” “GET OUT!” “GET OUT!”

A loud buzz kicks up from all around as a swarm of black and yellow abruptly descends from the nearby treetops. In a stroke of luck, despite their clear use of plural tense, every single one of the Beedrill all but ignores me in favor of pouncing on the Ursaring charging in my wake, presumably due to her being a much larger and more obvious target. Yes! Save me, bees!

Hearing the Ursaring crying out in pain behind me and the drone of the swarm rapidly growing more distant, I allow myself a small grin. It slips off my face almost immediately however, as the droning noise I thought I was leaving behind abruptly begins getting closer again. Huh...?

Before I even realize what's happening, the Beedrill have suddenly caught up and are flying next to me, then past me, apparently now fleeing from my enraged attacker in much the same manner I am. Oh come on, really?! Cowards!

As the Beedrill scatter upwards and away, I burst through a bush and abruptly find myself in another clearing, this one much larger than the one I just vacated. To my surprise, it's occupied, and not by a Pokemon — there's a purple-haired guy in a blue jacket and gray pants standing at the edge of it, who turns around to look at me with narrowed eyes.

Before I can get over the surprise of encountering a human for the first time since I arrived here, another person suddenly comes stumbling out of the trees, a Turtwig following close at his heels. The boy is wearing a black-and-yellow jacket, and has spiky black hair, topped by a red-and-black baseball cap with a blue insignia at the center-

I almost fall over in shock. That- that's Ash! Which means- hang on, is that other kid-?!

I don't manage to complete the thought before an extremely close at hand roar brings my attention back to my current problem. I swivel around just in time to see the Ursaring burst into the clearing as well, the claws of her right paw glowing white and already in mid-swing.

Acting on instinct, I frantically interpose my horns between my body and the oncoming Slash attack. My impromptu shield succeeds, the Ursaring's claws scraping off their metallic exterior, but the force behind them is still more than enough to send me skidding backwards across the ground, my footing sliding out from beneath me in the process. I clamber back to my feet as fast as I can, my breaths coming out in heaving gasps.

Damn it... my plan with the Beedrill didn't work, and I'll never be able to hide from the Ursaring's nose, even if I somehow managed to get away from her. I don't think I have any other options left — I'm almost certain I'll lose, but the only thing I can do now is fight.

The Ursaring charges at me, a pink glow enveloping her and concentrating in her raised right arm. This time, instead of trying to get away, I force myself to stand still and wait for her to reach me. God I hope I time this right...!

As the Ursaring brings her arm down, I throw myself to the side in a leaping dive. The fist slams into the dirt beside me, the energy of whatever attack she was trying to use expending itself on the ground. With no time to be relieved by that, I take the opportunity to lash out backwards with my horns — this time, they're close enough to reach their target, and my Bite sinks deep into the flesh of her arm.

The Ursaring roars in pain and hastily withdraws her limb, only to end up bringing me along with it. Her roar turns to one of anger as she begins wildly swinging her arm around, trying to force me to let go of the limb. I just clamp down even tighter in response, but the sheer violence behind her movements is enough to make me nauseous within seconds, and being yanked around by the back of my head like an oversized yo-yo rapidly begins to legitimately hurt. I can't hold on-!

Unable to sustain my attack any longer, I release my grip, the motion of the Ursaring's final swing flinging me clear across the clearing. I crash into the ground, thankfully taking most of the impact on my horns as the force of the throw causes them to dig a miniature furrow into the dirt, gradually bringing me to a stop.

Bruised, scraped, and with a rapidly-growing headache, I scramble back to my feet, just in time to witness my attacker bellowing in rage at the state of her arm. The attentions of my teeth combined with her chaotic flailing movements have all but shredded the limb, blood rapidly welling up and gushing from enormous gashes all along its length. I almost wince in sympathy, before remembering that the arm's owner is actively trying to murder me right now.

With my opponent in what almost seems like a state of minor shock over her injury, I take the opportunity to send energy to my horns, hoping to capitalize on the moment with Fairy Wind. Before I can finish doing that however, the Ursaring snaps out of her momentary trance, glaring murderously in my direction.

“I'LL KILL YOU!” she howls.

An orb of yellow-orange energy suddenly begins taking shape in front of her mouth. I stumble out of the spin I was about to do, the mere sight of the glowing sphere enough to make me hesitate. Hold on, is that a-?!

The Ursaring rears back, and I abort my attack completely in favor of throwing myself to the ground, just in time for the Hyper Beam to go sailing over my head. The massive ray of energy impacts somewhere behind me, and the resulting shockwave washes over me like a solid object, followed by the subsequent reverberating impacts of what I can only assume to be multiple falling trees.

...if I get hit by that, I'm pretty sure it really will kill me.

The Ursaring bares her teeth at me as I frantically stand up again, but before she can fully recover from the exertion of her own move-

“Turtwig, use Razor Leaf!”

-a storm of sharpened leaves suddenly begins pelting her from the side, courtesy of Ash and his Turtwig, who I'd almost forgotten were present. Silently thanking them for the distraction, I start running forward, knowing at this point that I'll only be worse off at range.

“STAY OUT OF THIS!” the Ursaring roars, forming and firing off another Hyper Beam, this time directed at the Turtwig attacking her and the trainer that directed it to do so. Both of them let out panicked cries before diving headfirst into the nearest bush, leaving the energy beam to lance out and destroy another good chunk of forest. All the while, the other trainer, still standing at the opposite end of the clearing, continues to simply watch on impassively.

Snarling, the Ursaring turns back to me, far sooner than I would have liked.

“DIE!!!” she screams, recovering what feels like way too quickly from her previous Hyper Beam and quickly beginning to form another one. Her head tracks me as I continue to charge towards her, her aim seeming unerringly locked onto my person.

Far too close at this point to avoid the attack if it's released, I make perhaps the most ill-thought snap decision of my entire life — as I come into range of the Ursaring, I jump upwards, directly towards the still-growing ball of energy taking shape over her mouth.

Then, swinging my horns around myself, I smash the half-formed attack backwards into her face.

The unfinished Hyper Beam promptly explodes. I feel myself go flying again, spinning through the air in a wild, uncontrolled tumble, before smashing horns-first into the base of a nearby tree, followed swiftly thereafter by the rest of me.

O... owwwww ...

Pushing myself through the haze of my injuries, I haltingly rise, staring apprehensively into the massive dust cloud that's enveloped the center of the clearing. It slowly begins to settle and thin, gradually dissipating like the morning fog...

And when it finally clears, I'm witness to the sight of the Ursaring lying face up on the ground, knocked out cold.

Ha... ha ha...

A disbelieving smile slowly begins to creep onto my face.

I- I did it... I survived... no, I actually WON-!

“Chimchar, Flame Wheel.”

I turn my gaze to the side, just in time to see the giant flaming ring before it bears down on me like the chariot of hell.

AGONY

I hear myself screaming as though from far away, my entire world suddenly becoming engulfed in fire. Every part of me burns as one, the flames eating away at my body and horns in equal measure, consuming me like a million hungry mouths. My torture lasts for what's probably only a few seconds, but feels like hours, before I'm abruptly and ignominiously ejected from the miniature inferno like so much garbage.

I crash to the ground again, the pain coursing through me leaving me completely unable to break my fall this time. The smell of my own burning fur and skin quickly reaches my nostrils, and I gag, the mere motion sending another, further wave of pain racing through me.

W-why...

I somehow, somehow manage to struggle back to my feet again, barely even able to move from the sheer amount of hurt flowing through my body right now... only to see the purple-haired boy pulling a large red-and-white orb out of his pocket. Oh no, no no no no NO-!

The Pokeball comes flying forward, smacking me dead center in the middle of my forehead. I don't even get the chance to reel back from the impact before my body vanishes into a swirl of red energy, which rapidly begins collapsing into the sphere itself. I try my best to struggle, in as much as I can even do that without a body anymore, but with barely even a scrap of strength remaining, my meager attempts at resistance amount to basically nothing.

No...

The walls close in around me, and everything goes dark.

Chapter Text

When I next become aware again, I'm already in the process of being released from the miniature prison I've been forced into. As my body reforms and returns to solidity, I find myself standing in the middle of a grassy field, staring up at the object of my current ire.

“Mawile, I'm Paul.” the purple-haired boy states. “You're mine now.”

“Like HELL I am!” I snap.

I turn around to run, only to immediately bump into an Elekid that's apparently standing behind me. Despite being a “baby” Pokemon, it's just as tall as I am, and comparatively bulkier, prompting me to automatically take a step back... whereupon I almost collapse to one knee from the pain that I'm still very much in.

“And where exactly are you going?” the Elekid asks in a surprisingly mature, but annoyingly smug-sounding male voice.

“I'm leaving, obviously!” I snarl.

The other Pokemon backs up a step as Intimidate presumably activates, but otherwise stands his ground.

“What, like that?” he asks, gesturing at me.

I grit my teeth, well aware that I probably look like death warmed over right now. The injuries I sustained in my recent fight for my life weren't exactly light... nor are the ones I took from the disgustingly cheap shot that directly followed it.

“Paul didn't immediately release you.” the Elekid continues. “That means he thinks you've got potential.”

“What, the potential to be a fun new punching bag?” I retort. “I know how his kind works.”

The Elekid shrugs. “Eh, humans ain't all bad. A lot of 'em are just stupid.”

“Humans aren't the kind I was referring to.”

“Do you two plan on chatting all day?” Paul speaks up from behind us. “Stop wasting my time.”

At that, I round on my new “trainer”, opening my jaws wide and activating Astonish while giving him the most hateful glare I can manage. Frankly, it hurts to move this much right now, but out of sheer desire to knock the condescension out of his voice, I nonetheless manage it... only for Paul to utterly ignore the enormous maw now positioned all of a foot away from his face, continuing to look down at me like I'm some sort of hateful bug that crawled into his shoe.

“Am I supposed to be impressed?” he asks.

Though his response only makes me even angrier, I'm too hurt and drained right now to do anything about it. Astonish fades away as my jaws inexorably begin drifting closed, slowly falling back towards the ground as the strength to keep them raised fails me. I tremble in place, on the verge of collapsing where I stand.

Paul suddenly kneels down in front of me. I growl at him and step backwards... but to my surprise, he then proceeds to pull what I recognize as a Potion out of his pocket. Suddenly grabbing hold of my right arm, he begins applying the spray to my wounds, starting with the largest of my numerous burns. The liquid stings where it hits my skin, but the sensation becomes an incredibly soothing one just a few seconds later, making me loathe to pull away despite who it's coming from.

By the time about half the bottle has been expended, my labored breathing has finally evened out. I don't feel completely healed, but at least I don't feel like I'm at risk of suddenly keeling over in a dead faint anymore. My partially-charred fur even looks a lot better... but I still draw back from Paul as soon as it's clear he's finished. I'm hardly particularly grateful to him for treating my wounds when he was also the one who caused the worst of them to begin with, if only indirectly via ordering the attack.

“You want to be stronger, don't you?” Paul asks, standing back up and stowing the Potion away.

I growl wordlessly at him again.

“Don't you?” Paul repeats.

Clenching both sets of jaws together, I slowly, grudgingly nod. Yes, I do want to be stronger, if just so I don't have to worry quite so much about potentially being eaten, which I admit I hadn't really considered the possibility of until it almost literally bit me in the face. Having the tables turned on me that way really sucked...

“Then I'll make you stronger.” Paul says with utter self-assurance. “Assuming you're worthy of my time, that is.”

He turns away and points off to his left. “Go clean yourself off. We're getting started immediately.”

I look over at where he's pointing, and realize that we're currently situated next to a stream, smaller than the river I've been using up until now, but just as clear. Looking back at my horns, I then also realize that despite having been turned into and reformed from a shapeless mass of energy, I'm still decorated with quite a lot of blood from my earlier meal, as well as from the giant rents I left in that Ursaring's arm.

Yech... fine. No matter what I do next, I suppose I do need to take a bath first anyways.

The water of the stream is fairly cold, but no more so than I've mostly gotten used to by now. Submerging myself up to my shoulders, I sullenly begin to wash myself, furiously thinking over my present situation as I do.

Paul. Of all people, why did it have to be him that caught me? All I really remember about this guy is that he's kind of an enormous jerk, valuing virtually nothing about his Pokemon beyond how powerful they are and how well they perform in battle. I won't fault him for his pragmatism in seeking to create the strongest team he can, but that doesn't excuse how incredibly callous and nasty he is, not only to his Pokemon, but to other people as well. The guy has a chip on his shoulder the size of a small country, and while I don't exactly know if he's guilty of physical abuse, he's definitely guilty of the verbal kind, what with how he constantly berates his party members for any perceived inadequacies they may or may not even have. I think he does eventually get a little better, but I have no intention of sticking around long enough for his smidgen of character development to maybe make him slightly less of a jackass.

I open up my rear jaws, letting the current flow through them and wash away their dried crimson coating as I scrub at my arms, dearly wishing I had some soap on hand right now.

Admittedly, it is kind of nice that Paul seems to think I was worth picking up to begin with, if only because I know he only does that for Pokemon that he considers to be strong, or that he at least thinks easily could be so. Doesn't even remotely make up for the excruciatingly cruel way he went about doing it, but at least it's kind of an implicit compliment, I suppose. I can only assume he got that mistaken impression of me because I somehow managed, against all odds, to come out on top against an Ursaring that was flinging Hyper Beams around like they were going out of style. Maybe I should have just lost that fight... although if I had, I'd be dead, and even as much as I dislike what winning seems to have led to, it's still better than being a corpse.

I splash some water on my face and sigh. While this is exactly the sort of scenario I was hoping to avoid if I ever got captured, I suppose there is at least some good news, in that Paul is probably the most prolific Pokemon “releaser” in the entirety of the franchise. Any Pokemon he doesn't consider to be living up to his standards, he ditches without a second thought. As such, it should theoretically be quite easy to get him to release me if I just deliberately let him think (or rather, realize) that I'm considerably weaker than he believed.

I frown. The problem with that, however, is two-fold. Specifically in that 1) I don't want to have to let myself be repeatedly beaten into the ground just to convince Paul I'm truly not “worthy of his time”, and 2) if I wait for Paul to let me leave of his own volition instead of taking things into my own hands, I'll have no real control over where I get released at. Hell, he might even just hand me over to some random kid and say that they can have me, which I'm pretty sure he did at least once in the anime.

...on that subject, I guess I now have confirmation that I'm in the anime version of the Pokemon universe. Which is really rather concerning, truth be told. Not necessarily because of anything that happens in the show itself — though, the number of potentially world-ending events that occurred in it is definitely sort of worrisome — but because... well, what exactly are the chances that I just happened to show up in this world at both the correct time and the correct place to end up running into not only its main character, but also one of the more prominent rival characters, without something having actively engineered that scenario to take place?

Staring down at my blurry reflection in the water, I shake my head. Exceedingly close to zero, I'd imagine. The fact that I encountered both Ash and Paul on the one day that they both happened to be passing through the area seems to just smack of deliberate intention to me. In which case, something more than likely wants me here — presumably the same something responsible for my unexplained transmigration to this world in the first place, in fact. But even in a universe like this one, what entities exist that both could and would do something like this, and more importantly, for what purpose?

Questions of this manner still spinning in my head, I step out of the stream, doing my best to shake the water from myself as I do. I also wring as much as I can out of my “pants”, though they're still quite damp by the end of it. I hate how long these things take to dry.

Setting my larger problems aside for the moment, I take a quick look around at my current surroundings. The stream that I just exited seems to originate from a nearby lake, which is surrounded on most sides by extremely tall and thick reed grass. In the opposite direction, the large field I'm now in continues on for a while before gently sloping downwards, tapering off into what looks to be another forest... assuming that's not the one I was just in, that is. I guess I finally got out of that place at least, if only in a very “monkey's paw” sort of fashion...

Glancing up at the sky, I note that the sun looks to be in the process of descending over some distant mountains — definitely couldn't see those while I was stuck in the woods — so it must be at least late afternoon by now. Lovely, as if my sense of time wasn't screwed up enough already, I literally had part of my day skipped over while I was stuck in that Pokeball. It's like I fell unconscious for several hours, and then suddenly woke up somewhere completely different- actually, no, that's not like what happened, that essentially is what happened, for all intents and purposes. How disorienting.

My gaze drifts back downwards. Paul is currently setting up what looks to be a small tent, about fifty yards away from where I'm currently standing, and is paying no attention to me whatsoever... I could probably try to make a run for it, right here and now. Paul might not even bother chasing me, in fact, especially if he doesn't notice me leave. I'm still fairly injured however, and given my recently-recognized status as a potential food item for any Pokemon big enough and carnivorous enough to try its luck, attempting to flee might be particularly ill-advised at the moment. Not to mention I currently have no idea where I'd even go, other than into, or possibly back into the forest, which I'd prefer to avoid for rather obvious reasons. Meaning...

I heave a long, incredibly reluctant sigh. Based on my own logic, my best option right now somehow seems to be sticking with Paul for the time being, much as I absolutely detest the idea. Which in turn means not biting off the fingers of his throwing hand at the earliest available opportunity, and doing my best to tolerate being “his” Pokemon until I can at least figure out what direction to head in that won't just land me right back in the same situation I've been in for the past week, or worse. I sure as hell don't plan on hanging around the jerk for any longer than I absolutely have to, but as things currently stand, I think I'm just going to have to treat it as a necessary evil.

Already hating this decision, I trudge over to Paul's bare-bones campsite, which appears to consist of little more than the already-noted tent and a small square blanket that's been laid out nearby. I'm a little surprised that he seems to be settling down for the night so early — Paul strikes me more as the type of person to push on straight into the morning hours if he can, but evidently that's not the case.

Elekid is still out of his ball, and seems to be assisting Paul in setting up the tent stakes. Coming up behind the pair, I cough, and both of them turn to look at me.

“Hmmph. Took you long enough.” Paul says, scowling.

“Heh, quick tip for you newbie,” Elekid comments with a smirk, “next time Paul says 'immediately', you might want to try and move a little faster.”

“Well, sorry for not moving in accordance with his imaginary schedule.” I sarcastically reply.

Paul has already turned away from us, likely because he has absolutely no idea what either of us are saying. If I wrote a message in the dirt, would he understand that, I wonder? It sounds like he's speaking English to me — and thank goodness I can at least still comprehend the language, if not speak it — but that doesn't necessarily mean that the writing system in this world is the same as the one I know. I could certainly at least try... but then again, I don't think I want to catch Paul's attention any more than I already apparently have. The more interesting I am to him, the more chance that he'll actually want to keep me around, so I think I'll just let discretion be the better part of valor for the time being.

“Murkrow, stand by for training!” Paul calls out, throwing a Pokeball up in the air.

In a flash of light, the Murkrow in question appears in the sky overhead. Its eyes cast around for a quick moment before immediately narrowing in on me.

“Well well, fresh meat, hmm?” she hums, her voice almost parodically close to that of a stereotypical witch, albeit much younger-sounding. “I doubt you'll last long.”

“Who said I wanted to?” I mutter under my breath.

“Murkrow, put Mawile through its paces.” Paul orders, walking a good distance away from us before turning back around with a judging stare and his arms crossed.

“Certainly!” Murkrow cackles, descending to hover just a few yards in front of me.

I eye the crow-like Pokemon warily. Training, huh... well, I did say I want to get stronger, and I suppose there's no reason I shouldn't at least try to take advantage of the opportunity while it's available to me. Not that I'm being given any real choice in the matter anyways...

“Fine, how does this work then?” I ask. “What am I supposed to do?”

My answer comes in the form of a glowing wing to my stomach, the Wing Attack briefly doubling me over as Murkrow rushes past me.

“What do you do?” Murkrow mockingly repeats as she curves upwards into the sky. “You fight me, obviously!”

“Wha- fight you?!” I sputter, holding my stomach. “I can't even reach you!”

“Well now, that's your problem, isn't it?” Murkrow laughs.

I ball my tiny claws into fists. I should have expected this — this is Paul, of course his version of “training” would consist of throwing me directly into a fight, even though I've only been partially healed from my earlier one. I don't even know why I'm surprised.

Still laughing, Murkrow suddenly dives, lines of white energy streaming off the front of her beak in what I vaguely recall to be how the anime depicts Aerial Ace. I make an attempt to dodge, but the Flying-type merely adjusts her course by a fraction, and her attack strikes me in the side of the face, sending me sprawling.

“What are you doing?!” Paul yells at me from the sidelines. “Fight back!”

“Fight back how?!” I demand as I push myself back up. “I can't FLY, genius!”

Circling up and around, Murkrow begins another Aerial Ace, doing a quick mid-air loop before coming careening down at me again. I don't even bother trying to evade it this time (which was probably stupid to attempt anyways against a move that supposedly never misses), instead bringing my horns around in front of me and opening them wide. Maybe if I can just keep her down here-

Murkrow speeds forward, and I snap my jaws down, attempting to catch her with Bite. My reaction speed proves too slow however, and Murkrow simply dodges over my still-closing maw to ram into my shoulder, the force of her attack spinning me in a small circle. Hissing in pain, I try again when she comes around for another pass, only for nearly the exact same event to repeat itself, except this time with Murkrow dodging under my jaws and slamming into my other shoulder.

“Hah! I did say you wouldn't last long, but I thought you'd have more to offer than this!” Murkrow cackles, back up in the sky once more.

I glare up at her from below, my upper body smarting from the blows she's landed. Fine, since catching her clearly isn't going to work, new plan:

Shifting energy to my horns, I wait until Murkrow comes swooping down for a fourth time, then spin myself around again and swing them forward, conjuring a Fairy Wind that blows directly into her flight path.

Unlike my previous efforts, this does do something — more than I expected even, as Murkrow suddenly slows, seeming almost entranced by the cloud of sparkles now filling the air. At least, until said sparkles suddenly begin snapping and popping on contact with her feathers, lighting up the sky around her like a miniature fireworks display. Ah, so that's how Fairy Wind does damage...

Crying out in pain, Murkrow's attack falters in tandem with her wings, and she begins to plummet from the sky. I feel myself smirk at the sight — Fairy beats Dark, jerk.

Before I can try to capitalize on the moment however, Murkrow manages to recover, her flight stabilizing far enough over the ground that she manages to safely pull out of her unplanned dive. Worse, she's dropped out of Fairy Wind's effect, which is already dissipating into the sky above.

“Hmm, perhaps you're not completely hopeless.” Murkrow says, smiling crookedly. “But it's time for me to end this, I think.”

My opponent quickly ascends back into the air, her entire body beginning to glow with a roiling gold aura. I hurriedly start preparing Fairy Wind again, but don't get the chance to actually release it before Murkrow shoots down at me like a bullet, far faster than any of her previous attacks, and slams herself directly into my torso.

Every scrap of air in my lungs is forcibly ejected by the impact of her body into mine. I hit the ground behind me so hard I bounce, and a fraction of a second later go flying backwards at speeds not incomparable to the ones Murkrow just showed. Rolling end over end through the grass, I eventually skid to a stop some distance away, facing up into the sky.

For several seconds I just lie there, alternating between gasps of air and groans of pain. Then I hear footsteps approaching, and slowly lever my head off the ground to see Paul striding towards me. Murkrow is now hovering over his shoulder, looking irritatingly smug.

Paul comes to a stop just a few feet away from me. Making no motion whatsoever to help me up, he instead pulls out his Pokedex before aiming the device in my direction.

“Sweet Scent, Fake Tears, Astonish, Fairy Wind, and Bite.” Paul lists off, sounding utterly dispassionate as he glares down at my battered form. “Your moves are almost as pathetic as that performance was.”

I glare right back at him. “Yeah, well, I think you're pretty pathetic too.” I spit, trying and failing to lever myself to my feet.

“The crucial difference being that you're the one lying in the dirt right now.” Murkrow snickers. “Really, you should consider yourself lucky that-”

“And just what are you laughing at?” Paul interrupts, turning his attention to Murkrow. “Your performance was just as bad. You spent so much time pointlessly taunting and toying with your opponent that not only did you take a hit, you almost got knocked out of the sky. A Murkrow straight out of its egg could have done better.”

Murkrow droops, seeming legitimately chastened by the criticism. Despite myself, I actually feel a small pang of sympathy for her, while my anger at Paul surges again.

“Go do some diving drills.” Paul orders. “You obviously need them.”

Murkrow immediately flies off, while Paul turns back to me.

“Get up.”

“Do you think I'm not trying?!” I snap, raising my arms and then letting them flop back down in demonstration.

“You're not that weak.” Paul says. “I know you're not. Now get up.”

Glowering, I plant my horns on the ground behind me, then slowly use them to push the rest of my body back into a standing position, using their weight to help keep me from falling forward once I have. Seeming satisfied, Paul kneels down and brings out the half-used Potion bottle again.

“Don't make me waste another one of these on you.” he states as he begins using the rest of the healing spray on me.

I growl, a habit that seems to be becoming increasingly common the longer I stay in Paul's presence. I cannot wait to get away from this guy...

As relieved as I am that I'm getting healing at all, it rapidly becomes apparent that Paul is using the Potion with a lot less discretion or general care than the last time. Quickly getting fed up with having to shield my eyes from his seemingly randomly-aimed sprays, I smack the Potion bottle out of Paul's hands, then grab it off the ground before he can recover from his surprise.

“I think I'll do it myself, thanks.” I say flatly, beginning to do exactly that.

Paul raises an eyebrow at me, but says nothing, continuing to simply glare. I'm starting to wonder if that's just his permanent resting facial expression.

Unfortunately, the Potion bottle clearly wasn't made for someone with less than five fingers, nor for hands too small to fully close around it. I manage to make do by propping it up against my horns, then positioning my various injuries in front of the nozzle before pushing the trigger in with both hands. Thankfully, I don't feel nearly as bad right now as I did after being hit by Flame Wheel, though I do ache pretty much everywhere again, and I'm covered in dirt and grass stains from tumbling across the ground... makes me wonder why I even bothered washing myself earlier.

Honestly, considering my preexisting damage going into that “training”, I lasted a lot longer than I'd have thought I would. If Intimidate works the same way it does in the games, then it and my natural resistance to Flying-type moves are probably the only things that kept me standing that long.

Once I'm done treating my own injuries, using up the last of the Potion in the process, Paul takes the empty container from me and stands back up.

“Most of your attacks are basically worthless, and the ones that aren't you're slow as mud at using.” Paul says in an insultingly matter-of-fact manner. “We'll work on the second issue first.”

I cross my arms in front of myself. Oh, so we're doing actual training now? Or am I just going to get thrown into another glorified pit fight?

“Might as work on your resistance at the same time.” Paul continues, not even looking at me. “Elekid, get over here!”

At Paul's summons, Elekid (who until now has just been standing near the tent, continually spinning his arms around for some reason) walks over to us, coming to a stop about ten feet away from me.

“Mawile, use Fairy Wind on Elekid.”

I bristle at the command, but in the hope of whatever this is actually perhaps being helpful, I nonetheless begin to do as asked, shifting my energy and beginning to spin-

“Elekid, Thundershock.”

A burst of hot, sharp pain suddenly stabs into me, causing me to cry out and tumble to the ground as I feel the attack pass through my body, my horns, and my teeth. Looking up from where I've fallen, I see Elekid smirking down at me, his horns crackling with electricity.

“Now keep doing that until Mawile either manages to attack before you, or stops reacting to it. Understood?” Paul says.

Elekid nods and barks an affirmative, while I just look up at Paul in disbelief.

“Good, get to it.”

“No, stop, are you kidding me?!” I protest, pushing myself back to my feet as Paul begins to walk away. “There is no such thing as building up a resistance to being electrified-!”

Another Thundershock hits me before I can finish, causing me to briefly spasm in place.

“I get the feeling this is gonna be fun.” Elekid says, grinning. “For me, at least.”

...I wonder if this world has a specific word for “the killing of one's trainer”...

Chapter Text

After what has to be upwards of at least half an hour, going by how dark it's starting to get, Paul finally walks back over and calls a stop to the so-called “training” by declaring that it's time to eat. Hearing this, Elekid immediately stops what he's doing and follows Paul back to the tent.

I, having been treated as a miniature lightning rod for the past thirty or so minutes, linger behind, seething with unspent fury.

To be honest, my earlier thought about offing Paul was mostly just bluster — I've only been killing for the sake of food up until now; as a means to an end rather than the intended end itself. At this point however, I seriously am having trouble not contemplating murder, or at the very least a minor-to-major maiming. Just one little bite, and Paul would be down a foot, maybe even a hand. I could do it so easily, if I wasn't fairly sure Elekid and Murkrow would immediately stomp me into the ground afterwards...

Oh, and also if I wasn't currently twitching like a downed electrical wire, still paralyzed from one of the last few Thundershocks I took to the face. God this sucks!

With several of my muscles dead to the world, and several more of them randomly juddering and contracting every few seconds, I haltingly reach out for the bottle of Paralyze Heal that Paul came and sat down next to me a while ago. Having shown him that I'm capable of using such things myself, he apparently decided to excuse himself from the process entirely, adding a warning not to use the entire bottle up “because I wouldn't be getting any more”. Thankfully it only seemed to take a few quick sprays for the medicine to take effect each time, but with the sheer number of times I got shocked, it's a wonder there's even anything left in the bottle right now.

Feeling like a Parkinson's patient, I eventually manage to position the bottle to spray myself again, the liquid of the Paralyze Heal sinking into my skin and nigh-instantly relaxing my twitching muscles. Feeling begins to return to my formerly deadened left arm, starting with an all over pins-and-needles-like sensation that gradually recedes until I can flex the limb again... though it aches horribly to do so, and feels a lot like it's been lightly cooked from the inside out.

Wincing, I carefully stretch the rest of my limbs, rotating my horns around few times as well to make sure nothing is still compromised. Truthfully, after a while the Thundershocks actually did start hurting less, but I'm pretty sure that was just due to my pain receptors starting to go numb than any growing “resistance” to electric attacks. It didn't help that I kept falling over due to being shocked mid-spin, which not only hurt, but which Elekid kept goddamn laughing at.

I grind my teeth together at the already-infuriating memory. Even more galling than that, however, is that for the absolutely ludicrous number of times I got shocked, I only managed to hit Elekid with Fairy Wind twice in retaliation. Once was through a quick use of Astonish, which startled him just long enough for me to get my next move off, and the other was when he suddenly ran out of electricity, giving me a prime opportunity to strike while he was busy whirling his arms around again, which is apparently how he recharges.

Elekid, of course, didn't consider either instance to be sufficient reason to actually stop the training, despite the way Paul phrased his instructions. I rather strongly disagreed, but without attacking Elekid with intent to outright kill — a battle I surely would have lost in my current state anyways — I couldn't really do anything about it.

Slumping to the ground, I find myself caught somewhere between stewing and sulking — loathe though I am to admit it, Paul may have a point about my attack speed being too slow. Fairy Wind only takes a few seconds to execute in total, but I didn't once beat Elekid to the punch without extenuating circumstances, and none of the other strategies I attempted managed to change that. I tried sending the energy to my horns while already in the process of spinning, but kept failing to finish in time to expel it in the swing. I tried just powering through the Thundershocks, but every time I got zapped it completely broke my concentration, destabilizing the build-up of energy and forcing me to restart. I tried evading Elekid's attacks before even starting my own, but it turns out that dodging what equates to miniature bolts of lightning from all of ten feet away is just as hopeless an endeavor as one would think. So fine, maybe this really is something I need to work on... but if this isn't one of the most painful, miserable, and maddening possible ways of doing so, I don't know what is.

I dig my claws into the grass beneath me. If I practiced Fairy Wind a little more, I bet I could actually get storing the energy during the spin to work, but that certainly isn't going to happen if I have to do it while essentially being tased every five or six seconds. To be honest, I'm not even sure how I'm still conscious right now after all that. Paul didn't offer another Potion to go with the Paralyze Heal, and I should have passed out long ago from the number of attacks I took. Unless Elekid was secretly going easy on me...

“Hey, newbie!” I hear the Pokemon in question call out from not too far away. “Unless you up and died over there while no one was looking, you might wanna get a move on!”

I scowl, immediately dismissing my previous thought. Maybe Elekid was going easy on me, but if so, it was probably just because he wanted to watch me suffer through that “training” for as long as possible. Sadistic little jerk...

Mentally weighing my options, I take a moment to debate with myself if I'd rather just try to run off here and now than put up with this sort of treatment any longer, all prior logic be damned. Ultimately concluding that such should probably wait until I at least feel slightly less like overcooked hamburger (and that I'd prefer to at least get dinner before risking ending up as something's dinner myself), I unenthusiastically stand and limp my way back over to the campsite.

Elekid is sitting in the grass near Paul's tent, as is Murkrow, having evidently finished her “diving drills” and made her way back over from wherever it is she went. Paul is nowhere in sight, but going by the way the tent is currently rustling, he's presumably inside of it. Good, I really don't want to see his face right now anyways, lest I be tempted to bite it off.

Dragging the mostly empty bottle of Paralyze Heal behind me, I toss it in front of the tent flap, then make my way over to the blanket. As soon as I set foot on it however-

“That's for Paul, not us.” I hear Elekid say from behind me.

My immediate urge upon hearing that is to simply ball up the blanket in its entirety and shove it straight down my maw, or perhaps simply shred it into tiny, tissue-sized pieces in petty revenge. After a few seconds however, I force myself to settle down — if I'm going to do that, I'll wait until after I've gotten food. No sense in pissing Paul off until after he can't withhold one of the only things I actually want from him at the moment.

This in mind, I join Elekid and Murkrow in the grass, though I keep a fair amount of distance from both of them. Paul soon exits the tent and walks over to us with a backpack in hand, which I don't actually recall seeing him carrying earlier, but before I can wonder about that for too long, he unclips a Pokeball from his belt, presses the button on the front to enlarge it, and opens it without a word. A flash of light ejects from the spherical container, which rapidly coalesces into-

The memory of being burned alive in a raging hellstorm of flame flashes through my mind, and I automatically find myself on the verge of baring my teeth. Chimchar, having come into being directly facing me, immediately flinches away, Intimidate presumably making my internal feelings on the matter a fair bit less internal.

“Uh... um...” Chimchar stutters.

His voice is that of a small boy's, almost higher than my own in pitch. My ire lessens slightly upon realizing just how young he must be — but only slightly.

“We're eating now.” Paul says from behind Chimchar, his eyebrows slanting down even further than usual. “Sit down.”

Chimchar momentarily looks back at Paul, not seeming terribly keen on approaching me or his other team members, but after a few seconds he seems to manage to gather himself. Visibly drawing up his courage, he tentatively steps towards me.

“H-hello!” Chimchar says, sounding exceedingly nervous. “It's... nice to meet you...”

Despite the relative kindness of his words, I can't quite find it in myself to greet him back, and instead just narrow my eyes at him and wordlessly scoot away. Chimchar's expression falls, the small fire monkey seeming rather crestfallen, and a heavy spike of guilt abruptly stabs into me. Oh come on, I don't feel guilty about literally eating other Pokemon, but I do about not wanting to talk to the one who's half the reason I'm even in this situation?!

While I'm busy wrestling with my conscience, Paul reaches into the backpack and pulls out a trio of metal canisters. One of them is rectangular, shaped somewhat like a large sardine tin, while the other two are more typical cylindrical cans, albeit rather wide ones.

Pulling open the canisters' tops, Paul places the rectangular one down in front of Murkrow. He then moves to place one of the others down in front of Chimchar... but just as Chimchar reaches out for it, Paul pulls it back away from him.

“...huh?” Chimchar says, looking up at Paul in confusion.

“Consider yourself lucky you're getting food tonight.” Paul says reprovingly. “Your performance against that Turtwig today was shameful. You should have been able to win both of those fights within the first minute of the match. If you're not going to use the energy you get, don't expect me to keep providing meals for you.”

Chimchar tilts his head down in dejection, while I turn and scowl up at Paul again.

“Jackass...”

Perhaps luckily having no idea what I just said, Paul finally sets down Chimchar's can, then turns to me and sets down the remaining one.

I take a brief moment to inspect the can's contents, which turns out to be a bunch of small, brown, pellet-like objects I can only assume to be Poke-kibble. Yeah, that figures... not that it would have made much of a difference if Paul had slapped an entire raw steak down in front of me instead, since I wouldn't actually be tasting anything one way or the other, but it still rather rankles to be served something that literally looks like dog food.

Paul silently turns away and walks back over to the aforementioned blanket, evidently finished distributing food. To my right, Murkrow and Chimchar quickly start eating- but not Elekid, who seems to have been either unintentionally or deliberately forgotten.

“So, there a reason Paul didn't give you anything to eat?” I ask, part of me honestly rather hoping he's going hungry tonight.

“Nah, I just make my own meals is all.” Elekid replies with a smirk.

He starts spinning his arms around again, a charge quickly building up between his horns as he does so.

“Unlike you wusses, a good dose of electricity is all I really need to keep me going.” he boasts.

I stare at him for a moment, wondering how electricity alone could possibly provide the nutrients he presumably needs to live, before quickly deciding not to think about it. Trying to make sense of Pokemon biology is likely a fool's errand — hell, I eat far more than something my size really should, almost to the point of absurdity, so if I'm wondering about any Pokemon's eating habits, it should probably be my own.

Speaking of which...

I look down at the can of kibble with a scrutinizing gaze. This stuff looks pretty dense, I'll give it that. The can is actually fairly large as well — at my current size, it comes up most of the way to my knees. If I was still human, a meal scaled up to the same relative proportions would be enough to feed three or four of me, at minimum, and probably still leave extremely copious leftovers.

...unfortunately, I'm not still human, and this isn't even half the size of most of the things I've been eating up until now. I don't actually feel as hungry as I'd have expected given the “training” I was just made to endure, but unless this stuff is specifically made to be incredibly filling, I highly doubt this is going to be enough food for me. Not to mention I'd vastly prefer something I might actually want to taste... but then again, maybe I should at least give this stuff a chance before saying that?

I reach into the can and pluck out one of the pellets, trying to keep an open mind. I suppose I am technically one of the target species for this stuff now. For all I know, it might actually be pretty good... though, the idea of eating something that looks like this remains utterly unappealing to me no matter how I think about it. Maybe if I close my eyes first...

Doing so and hoping for the best, I tentatively place the pellet in my mouth, frowning as I begin to chew.

Hmm... well, it's not bad, exactly — mostly just tastes like dry, slightly spiced meat and grain — but it's nothing I'd consider particularly enjoyable either. As I thought, no real point in taking my time then.

Bringing my jaws around over my shoulder, I use them to bite down gently on the sides of the can, just enough to get a decent grip on it. Then, with a flick of my neck, I swing them directly upwards, causing gravity to dump the entirety of the receptacle's contents straight into my maw. Letting the empty container fall back to the grass, I immediately snap my jaws shut again and chew, rapidly reducing the kibble to little more than pulp before swallowing it all down at once.

The entire process takes me less than five seconds in total. I'd slay in a speed-eating competition.

Figuring I'll find out just how filling that was soon enough, I glance over at my “teammates”, who as expected aren't even close to being done with their own food yet. In fact, Chimchar seems to have stopped eating entirely in favor of staring at me, or more specifically, at my horns. Elekid is actually looking at them as well, albeit with a much more bemused-seeming expression.

Uncomfortable with the attention, I turn away again — I guess seeing me eat is something of a sight, but that doesn't mean I particularly want to be stared at. Regardless, since I finished eating so fast, I guess that means I have some time to simply think and rest for a little while... and thank goodness for that.

Laying my horns on the ground behind me, I let myself lean back on them, using them as a backrest to support my still-aching body as I consider my present situation.

So... given that this is the anime version of the Pokemon world, combined with the person I'm currently stuck with and the fact that Ash had Turtwig with him, I assume I'm in the Diamond and Pearl season of the show right now. Probably fairly early on in it at that, judging by the fact Paul still has Chimchar instead of Ash. Sadly, I'm not sure if knowing that actually helps me all that much — it's been years since I watched Pokemon just in general, and I didn't watch the D&P episodes all that carefully even when I did. All I really remember about them are a few rather broad strokes... though, unless I intend to get directly involved in them, I suppose none of the events they depicted are likely to be all that relevant to me anyways, especially not in my current state as a small, part-metal fairy thing with-

I pause, frowning at that thought. Hang on a second; Fairy-types weren't even a thing at this point in the franchise, right? In which case, how exactly does that mesh with the fact that I now am one? Is it just that no one has properly classified the type yet, or did the Fairy-type straight up not exist until later generations? Is it possible I'm not actually a dual-typed Pokemon after all, simply by virtue of when I appeared in this world's timeline?

...no, no, that can't be it. One of my moves is Fairy Wind, and it was recognized by Paul's Pokedex, so presumably it isn't anything new or unknown. I guess this world can't be exactly the same as the anime then, though it surely has to at least be close, given that Ash and Paul even exist... I should probably keep on the lookout for any other discrepancies in that vein though, lest one of them end up somehow screwing me over.

I shake my head, trying to re-rail my train of thought.

In more immediate concerns, Paul is thus far proving himself to be exactly as bad as I'd expected him to be, if not worse. I'm still not sure running away from him will really improve my situation however, so much as just make it differently bad, at least not until I have a plan regarding where to go from here that isn't simply “elsewhere”. Unfortunately, such a plan is a fairly difficult thing to make when I don't even know where here is, beyond that I'm presumably in Sinnoh. Knowing which Route we're on right now wouldn't help, assuming this even is a Route, as I don't remember the game map in nearly enough detail for that to tell me anything...

Although, we can't be that far from the forest I was stuck in yet, right? That might be a decent landmark.

“Hey, does anyone know what the name of the forest Paul passed through earlier today was?” I ask aloud. “The one that he caught me in, I mean?”

Murkrow completely ignores me, while Elekid just snorts.

“Wasn't out for that, but if you're already feeling homesick, you'd better get over it quick. Even if Paul does end up ditching you, you still ain't gonna be anywhere near the place anymore. If it happens, just suck it up and find a new place to live.”

“Not actually why I was asking, but thanks, that was real helpful.” I say, rolling my eyes.

“...um!”

I turn to Chimchar, who sounded excited, but reverts to nervousness as soon as I look at him, as though regretting having even spoken up in the first place. Thankfully, he manages to soldier on after just a brief moment's hesitation.

“Where you were caught- Paul called it 'Bewilder Forest', I think?” he says. “He also said it's called that because there are a bunch of Stantler that live there, who trick travelers with illusions to keep them from leaving... er, if that matters...”

I raise one of my now nonexistent eyebrows at him.

Huh... the name doesn't ring any particular bells, so that regrettably doesn't tell me anything about where we are at the moment. If that second part is true however, that might explain why I couldn't seem to get out of the place on my own — that time I tried following the river downstream and somehow ended up doubling back on myself would suddenly make a lot more sense, at least. Though, I'm not sure why any of the Stantler would have bothered messing with me if that truly is what happened, as I'd assume Chimchar is talking about human travelers, and while I saw a few Stantler around once or twice, I don't recall ever interacting with them. I don't think I ever even tried to talk to one, in fact... but I guess it doesn't really matter anymore.

“Thank you.” I say to Chimchar, just as a better question springs to mind. “On a similar note, any idea where it is Paul is heading right now?”

“The first gym of this region.” Murkrow abruptly cuts in, somehow managing to sound like she's talking down to me despite currently being beak-deep in a tin of food. “Don't expect me to explain what that actually means unless you're somehow still around by then though.”

I smile out of the corner of my mouth. No worries, I don't plan to be... wow, I'm really early on in the timeline then. Let's see, Sinnoh's first proper city was... Oreburgh, I think? No, wait, there was one before that, wasn't there? Argh, hell if I can remember...

“I don't suppose you also know what direction that's in?” I try.

Unfortunately, Murkrow has already gone back to ignoring me, and Chimchar has retreated back to his food, leaving Elekid to answer in their place.

“Who cares? Paul's the one doing the walking, not us.”

I grimace. Alright, not getting any help there then... still, if I can't find a better opportunity to leave, ditching Paul as soon as we reach the nearest city seems like a pretty viable plan. In fact, if I had an actual heading, and wasn't currently trying to rest off the effects of who-even-knows-how-many Thundershocks, I might just try to trek the rest of the way there myself...

My stomach chooses that moment to let out a loud, unhappy groan. Evidently, I was correct in my assumption that a single can of Pokemon food was not going to be enough to satisfy me.

Grumbling, I look over at Paul. Somehow I doubt asking him for seconds is likely to go over well... but do I really have anything to lose by doing so?

“Screw it.” I mutter under my breath.

Picking the now-empty can up from the ground, I walk over to where Paul is seated. He's gotten out his own dinner by now, which appears to consist of little more than cold rice, jerky, and trail rations. Good to know he's not really eating any better than his Pokemon, at least.

“Hmm?” Paul grunts, looking up from his food at my approach. “What do you want?”

“I'm still hungry.” I say, holding the can out in way of explanation.

Paul just stares at me, uncomprehending. Sighing, I point at my stomach and mouth, then thrust the can out at him again, which seems get the point across slightly better.

“You want more?” Paul says coldly, seeming almost offended by the notion. “If you ate all of that, you've had more than enough already. Get out of my face, and don't ask me that again.”

Narrowing my eyes at his curt dismissal, I bring my jaws around in front of me, slowly opening them to show in detail the viscous strings of drool dripping from my fangs.

“Allow me to ask it in a slightly different way then.” I growl. “I'm still hungry, Paul.”

Just like before, Paul silently stares into the depths of my maw, his expression utterly unchanging. This time however, I manage to find the strength to keep my jaws raised for more than a scant few moments. Our unspoken contest of wills continues for at least a good fifteen seconds, neither of us moving an inch, before Paul suddenly growls as well and tosses his bag of trail mix at my feet.

“If you're still hungry after that, go find your own food.” Paul says sharply. “Now again, get out of my face.”

Figuring that's probably the best I'm going to get from him, I grab the trail mix and limp back to my previous spot, picking out and attempting to nibble on a piece of it as I do. Frustratingly, while it's got a slightly better taste to it than the Poke-kibble, the individual pieces are annoyingly hard, to the point that they're difficult for me to chew without the assistance of my horns. I sure wish my normal mouth had teeth...

“Well, that was interesting.”

I glance over at Elekid, who's looking at me with an oddly appraising expression.

“Gotta say, I'm kinda impressed, newbie.” he continues. “Never seen Paul actually relent like that before.”

Murkrow remains silent, but she's staring at me as well, as is Chimchar, though I'm not sure if his wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression is supposed to be conveying surprise or awe. I'm guessing they had similar expectations to Elekid's... though, I doubt this trail mix is really going to do much for my hunger either. Thankfully, while it may not have been meant to be taken seriously, I was just given a third option.

Giving up on the trail mix entirely, I empty the rest of the bag into my rear jaws, then wordlessly begin walking away.

“...oi!” Elekid belatedly calls after me. “Where are you going?”

“To find some actual food!” I call back.

Though I don't turn around, I do keep watch in my peripheral vision, somewhat worried that at any second I'm going to get jumped from behind. When nothing happens after about half a minute however, I slowly begin to relax.

Good, so Paul did mean what he said when he told me to go find my own food... that, or it didn't even occur to him that I might just not bother coming back. Running away might end up being even easier than I thought.

Still enfeebled by my injuries, I slowly continue onward, heading towards the lake. My logic in doing so is simply that where there's water, there's also likely plant life, and thus, perhaps, berries. Given just how late it is, I probably have no hope of actually finding any, but it's worth a shot, and if there's nothing... well, I'll find something else to eat instead. Hopefully something that doesn't put up a fight, because I really don't think I can handle that right now.

Coming up on the tall reed grass I noticed earlier, I walk my way around the outside of the brush, gradually circumnavigating the outer perimeter of the lake. With my expectations being as low as they are, only half of my attention is really focused on searching for berries, the other half already on the lookout for a decently-sized bush to use Sweet Scent in.

...to my shock however, that quickly proves to be unnecessary.

My eyes nearly bulge straight out of my head when the very first large bush I come across turns out to be not only an Oran bush, but a flourishing one, completely covered with fully grown, perfectly ripe berries. It isn't the only one either — not ten feet away from it is a Cheri bush, equally verdant with its respective fruit, and next to that, a small Pecha tree, seeming much the same. There's a few more berry plants in the vicinity as well, and even more varieties thereof, including Nanabs, Sitruses, and a type that look like large blue grape clusters that I can't even identify off the top of my head.

Did- did I just walk into someone's secret berry garden? Where the heck were all these back when I was stuck in the woods?!

Shaking off my astonishment, I allow it to be replaced with rapidly growing excitement as I begin plucking berry after berry from the nearby greenery. A fair few of them end up being too high up for me to reach with my annoyingly puny arms, but by using my horns as a third, much longer limb (and once or twice simply like a large piñata bat), I manage to knock most of those down as well.

Within a span of less than five minutes, I've accumulated a nearly 12-inch tall pile of food, a miniature pyramid of fresh picked berries that threatens to overflow the small bed of grass I've been stacking it on. Figuring that I probably have more than enough by this point, I cease my collecting and step back to simply admire my haul, almost laughing at how greatly my expectations were just shattered. Finally some good luck...

Eager to sample the literal fruits of my admittedly minimal labor, I lick my lips, wondering which kind to try first. I already know how Cheris, Pechas, and Orans taste, having been lucky enough to get a hold of them once or twice back in Bewilder Forest. Of those three, the Orans were my favorite — though Pechas are nicely sweet, and Cheris are oddly decent for being so spicy, Orans somehow manage to encompass an entire spectrum of flavors without having any of them clash. It's a taste I'm honestly quite anxious to experience again, at least as much for novelty as for flavor... but, I suppose I should probably try the berry varieties I haven't sampled before first, just to see what they're like.

This in mind, I pick up one of the Sitruses from the pile and bite into it, the yellow, vaguely pear-shaped berries being the kind I'm most curious about. To my delight, not only does it taste remarkably good — rather like a refined, smoother version of an Oran — it also sends a sudden surge of pleasant warmth through me, which seeps into my body and leaves it gently tingling. Ooh...!

Quite enjoying the sensation, I end up devouring the rest of the berry in a jubilant haze. Though the tingling dies away soon after, the excitement of finally getting something genuinely good to eat still causes a silly grin to crawl over my face, my mood significantly improved by that alone. I really needed that. My situation hasn't actually changed, but I feel so much better, almost like I-

Blinking, I look down at myself, suddenly realizing that it's not just my attitude — I literally, physically feel a lot better than I did just a minute ago. Several of the lingering aches and pains from earlier that I've been trying my best to ignore have simply vanished, and while others still remain, they're now noticeably less intense. Holy crap...

I shift my widening gaze to the berry pile at my feet. I've been looking for these things solely due to their value as sustenance all week, so I guess it kind of slipped my mind that in most of the games, they're generally considered much more valuable for their various curative properties. Even if it hadn't though, I don't think I'd have expected those properties to be nearly so potent in this world, nor would I have expected them to work so incredibly fast. If all the other berries' effects from the games translate just as directly, these things are basically outright miracle food.

Grabbing another pair of Sitruses from the pile, I quickly start scarfing them down, though I still make sure to savor every bite. My body immediately begins tingling again, wounds rapidly healing over — and by the time I'm finished with both of the berries, it's like I was never even hurt at all. My power reservoir remains unaffected, still somewhat diminished on the whole from the day's various hardships, but every physical pain I accumulated earlier is just... gone.

A giddy laugh bubbles up in my throat, and I spin on one foot, greatly enjoying my regained freedom of motion. I run back and forth a few times, swinging my arms around just to prove that I can-

Then abruptly stop, as I realize that my situation actually has changed now.

My mood quickly grows serious again. Thanks to this stroke of fortune, I'm now fully healed. However, I highly doubt I'll remain that way if I stay with Paul, even just up until tomorrow morning — though, frankly, I'm already way past fed up with him anyways. I thought that I could deal with his crappy attitude for a couple of days at least, but I'm already close to hitting my boiling point after just a couple of hours, and as he doesn't seem to realize just how much food I require, there's even less advantage to staying with him than I would have hoped. Still, at present moment, he's also my only method of reaching civilization...

Then again, not being human anymore, should I even want that? I mean, there's a lot of tall grass around this lake — if I just hide myself away in the brush for the night, I doubt Paul would be willing to search through it in its entirety. He'd probably just move on without me in the morning, leaving me free to set up shop here.

I take a moment to consider the notion. With berries this plentiful, I doubt I'd have any of the same problems feeding myself that I was having in the forest, which would in turn presumably make other predators less of a concern for much the same reasons. I suppose that Ursaring might still after me, but I'd assume that being in a Pokeball for at least couple hours will have disguised my scent, and without knowing that Paul caught me after I knocked her out, I doubt that she'll be able to trail me here. This could be my new home, if I wanted it to be...

I give it another half minute of thought before dismissing that idea. I may be a Pokemon now, but that doesn't mean I have to live like one. As verdant and pleasant as this place seems at a glance, I think I've had more than enough of slumming it out in the wilderness already.

...that being said, I also don't think I want to put off escaping from Paul for any longer than I've already had to. The negatives of doing so have very rapidly begun to outweigh the positives, and I'm a lot more willing to risk heading into the unknown now that I'm back in fighting shape. I just wish I had some way of actually knowing where I was going...

Hmm. Don't Pokedexes have built-in maps?

Chapter Text

Before doing anything else, I take a minute to fully consider the best way of going about this. Getting my hands on Paul's Pokedex isn't likely to be easy, after all.

Sadly, I don't expect I'm going to be able to just sneak back over, quickly swipe the Pokedex, and immediately run off. Not without anyone noticing me, at least. Paul has set up his camp in the middle of a nearly-flat field, meaning there's nothing around for me to hide behind, and while the sun has by now vanished behind the distant mountains, the moon has risen high and bright in its place, making it pretty likely I'll be spotted no matter what I do. So, that's out.

Thankfully, there's another obvious plan that's nearly as simple: I just wait until Paul eventually falls asleep. At that point, so as long as I don't wake him (or any of the others) up, it should be fairly easy to do what I intend to, then sneak off into the night with no one the wiser. Given that Paul in all likelihood has his Pokedex on his person right now, waiting until he's unconscious to try and do anything really only seems logical anyways. I'm certainly not going to try and pickpocket it off him while he's awake, after all.

I nod to myself, relatively satisfied with that plan — though, if that is what I'm going with, I do still need to figure out what I'm doing up until that point. I could just stay where I am right now, but if Paul notices I haven't come back and actually cares enough to come looking for me, it might take significantly longer for him to turn in for the night. Not to mention that if he actually found me, I might end up under a much tighter watch than I currently seem to be... would Paul really even bother searching for me though?

I frown. The problem is that I'm not entirely sure just how invested Paul is in keeping me around. The anime shows him as being quick to release any Pokemon he's not impressed with, as well as ones that fail to live up to his expectations, but I suspect the latter isn't really a hard-and-fast rule, given that Chimchar “failed” in that fashion for quite a while before Paul actually decided to get rid of him. Despite his unending criticism of the little fire monkey, Paul was just too interested in him to write him off right away... and if his interest in me is even remotely comparable, I probably shouldn't just assume he won't care if I don't come back.

Does that mean I should I go back to the camp for now then? Given my uncertainty regarding how much Paul “values” me, it would probably be best not to give him any reason to suspect I'm trying to leave before I actually do it, but I'd really rather not spend any more time in his presence than I've already had to... is it worth the risk to try and avoid it though?

I sigh. No, probably not. Ugh, fine... hopefully I can continue putting up with Paul until he finally decides to turn in for the night. It's already dark anyways, so as long as he doesn't stay up too much longer, I think I can probably endure.

...probably, at least.

I turn around, looking over in the direction of the camp. Might as well head back then... I'm taking the rest of these berries with me though. No way in hell am I leaving all this behind.

Before attempting to gather up the rest of my spoils, I decide to sample the other two berries I've yet to try, reaching for one of the Nanabs first. Regrettably, the taste turns out to not really agree with me, though I can't honestly say I'm surprised — I've never been much of a fan of bananas, and while their Poke-world equivalents are significantly less stringy, they're very similar in flavor otherwise. These ones just aren't for me, I don't think.

Luckily, the cluster-like berry I try next ends up being significantly more to my liking. Though slightly more sour than I'd really prefer, it's quite fun to eat, with each individual nodule bursting apart in my mouth like a tiny water balloon as soon as I bite into it. I've never had caviar before, but I imagine it's very similar experience, at least in terms of texture.

After finishing off the Bluk berry (Bluks! That was what these cluster ones were called!), I attempt to gather the rest of the pile into my arms to bring back to the campsite with me. Annoyingly, this seemingly simple task turns out to be rather more difficult than I expected, mostly due to some of the berries being the size of fully grown fruits — the Sitruses and Bluks in particular keep spilling out of my grip, as I'm just not large enough to hold more than a few of them at a time. Curse these tiny arms of mine!

Deciding to try a different tactic, I bend my horns around the front of my body, creating a sort of large, improvised platform pressed flush against my waist. It's not ideal, but after removing the remaining Nanabs and popping a few more of the smaller berries into my mouth, I manage to get the rest of them piled up and balanced on myself. Steady now...

Moving carefully, I begin gradually waddling my way back to the campsite. I'm well aware that my awkward setup undoubtedly makes me look utterly ridiculous, a thought only further confirmed when my return is ultimately met with a loud, amused-sounding snort.

“That's an interesting look, newbie.” Elekid snickers as I come walking up, glancing at the load of berries stacked up against my side. “You certainly found a haul though... where exactly do you plan on putting all that?”

“In my stomach, obviously.” I dryly reply, uncurling my horns and letting the berries tumble down onto the cleanest patch of grass I can find.

“Uh huh.” Elekid replies. “Didn't realize you were secretly a Snorlax in disguise, but whatever. Anyways, don't mind if I do...”

He reaches out for one of the Sitrus berries, only for me to quickly smack his hand away.

“As it happens, I do mind if you do.” I growl, not feeling particularly inclined to share with him. “I didn't pluck these for you, so hands off.”

Elekid's eyes narrow, and for a second I think he's going to try and attack me for real. The moment passes however, and all he does is cross his arms and huff at me.

“Fine, be greedy like that.”

He walks away, leaving me to turn my attention onto the others. Murkrow and Chimchar both appear to have finished eating, and the former is now busy preening herself, while the latter is just sitting quietly in the grass nearby, still seeming slightly downcast.

I look over at Paul next. He also appears to have finished his bare-bones dinner, though he doesn't seem to have moved — in fact, he doesn't even seem to have noticed I'm back, his attention too otherwise preoccupied by the dark blue Pokedex in his hands. Looks like I was right about him having it on his person, so I guess it's a good thing I decided against my first plan.

Having nothing much else to do at the moment, I sit down and grab an Oran berry from the pile before idly biting into it. The flavor doesn't quite measure up to that of a Sitrus, but it's certainly close, and remains highly enjoyable even without the accompanying “healing warmth” from earlier. I chew slowly, relishing the taste on my tongue before swallowing.

…I don't get to enjoy myself for very long however, as I only make it through about half the berry before abruptly realizing that I'm actually full.

I stare down at the half-eaten Oran in my hands, rather surprised at my own reluctance to take another bite. Only one other time since getting here have I actually managed to eat enough to not still feel like I have room for more. Though, I guess I shouldn't be that shocked, as even from my rather limited experience with them, berries have always seemed much more filling pound for pound than other Pokemon are — if only they were always this freely available.

“Hey, um...”

I turn. Chimchar is looking in my direction, though not really looking at me, his eyes darting away from mine as soon as I try to meet them.

“I, uh- I just wanted to say sorry.” Chimchar says, head lowered in contrition. “About attacking you earlier, I mean. Paul told me to do it, but you looked really, really hurt afterwards...”

My immediate instinct is to tell him no, of course I don't accept his apology for putting me through what has to be the worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life. I stop myself from actually doing so however, trying to force myself to remember that it wasn't actually his decision — he may have gone along with it, but it isn't fair of me to expect Chimchar to have disobeyed Paul for my sake, especially when he technically didn't even do anything unusual by this world's standards. Catching a Pokemon by first weakening it with another is common practice here, after all...

“It's fine.” I eventually murmur, deciding to at least try and let go of my lingering enmity. “Won't say it didn't hurt, but it's not your fault.”

Chimchar smiles, visibly relieved by my reluctant forgiveness, and scoots slightly closer. I squint back at him, finding it rather strange how friendly he's being, or at least is very clearly trying to be. After seeing how angry I was with him before, combined with Intimidate's effects, I'd imagine he'd be much more inclined to stick with Elekid and Murkrow than hang around near me...

Then again, given what I've seen of those two's attitudes thus far, perhaps it's not that strange at all.

“Thanks for not being mad.” Chimchar says, seeming slightly more confident now. “I- I hope that...”

He stops midway through the sentence, seeming to lose his nerve before actually finishing. Not knowing whether or not I should encourage him to continue, I ultimately say nothing, and the two of us lapse back into silence.

I turn back to Paul, who's still staring nigh-unblinkingly at his Pokedex's dual screens. As I idly wonder to myself what he could possibly be doing with the device that it's taking him this long, I notice Chimchar glancing at my berry pile out of the corner of my eye. He looks over his shoulder at his mostly-finished can of food, then back at the berries again, before seeming to force himself to turn away from the latter.

...oh, fine. I'm already full, and it's not like I'll be able to carry all these with me when I leave anyways.

“Here, you want one?” I ask, grabbing and holding out a Pecha berry to him.

Chimchar's expression lights up in excitement, then immediately dims again.

“I don't know if Paul will let me...” he says softly.

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, well, this is my food, not Paul's, so he doesn't actually get to say what happens to it. Besides, he's so focused on his Pokedex right now I doubt he'd notice if Ho-oh dropped down in front of him.”

Chimchar stifles a small giggle. “M-maybe, but I'm not really sure if-”

“Look, just take the berry already.” I say, thrusting the Pecha into Chimchar's hands before he can protest again. “Unless you wanted a different one?”

“Uh...” Chimchar says, staring down at the fruit he's now holding with wide, surprised eyes. “No, this one is... fine...”

I watch as Chimchar takes a small, tentative bite of the Pecha, nibbling gently at its soft exterior... and then, like the flip of a switch, starts digging into the berry with ravenous intent, his enthusiasm increasing tenfold in an instant. Not that I blame him, as I get the feeling all he's had to eat lately is the same dry, mostly-tasteless kibble Paul just served us. Besides, I probably looked quite similar just a few minutes ago, so I very much understand where he's coming from.

Soon, all that remains of the Pecha berry is the small pit at its center. Chimchar lets it fall to the ground, then turns to me with a close-eyed smile.

“Thank you!”

I shrug. “You're welcome. Feel free to help yourself to another if you'd like.”

I start to turn away again, only to stop as I notice Elekid start marching back over. Chimchar notices as well, flinching slightly as Elekid stops right in front of him.

“Heh,” Elekid grins down at Chimchar, repeatedly moving his hands together in mocking imitation of a clap, “well played, weakling.”

“...huh?” Chimchar replies.

“Didn't know you had it in you to be that devious.” Elekid elaborates. “Cozying up with the newbie just to scam some free food. Nicely done.”

Chimchar's expression flips from confusion to panic, glancing over at me for a moment before switching back to Elekid. “Th-that wasn't why! I just wanted to-”

“Minus major points for apologizing though.” Elekid interrupts, steamrolling over Chimchar's protests. “I mean, really? Saying sorry for doing exactly what you were supposed to do? You actually do something right for once, and then you go and ruin it like that... you're such a weakling.”

“No I'm not!” Chimchar cries.

Unfortunately, between the quaver in his voice and the slight trembling in his legs, I find it hard to buy that Chimchar actually believes what's he saying right now. Having been on the wrong end of one his Flame Wheels, I certainly don't think he's weak, but I'm not entirely sure that he thinks the same.

“Yes, you are.” Elekid replies, grinning nastily. “It's honestly a mystery to me how you survived as long as you did in the wild. I'd have expected you to be eaten by something ages before Paul found you.”

“Stop it!” Chimchar yells.

“Frankly, I don't get why he hasn't released you by now.” Elekid continues. “You're a complete waste of space on this team, and we all know it. You'll never be strong.”

Chimchar balls his hands into fists and opens his mouth to retort again, only for me to beat him to the punch.

“Shut up.”

Elekid's gaze shifts to me. “You got something to say, newbie?”

I really, really shouldn't be involving myself in this, but I just can't make myself sit here and continue to listen to it either.

“Yeah, that Paul's definition of strength is so narrow it's a wonder he hasn't stabbed himself with it.” I reply. “As such, I really wouldn't advise taking your cues on the subject from him.”

Elekid laughs. “Fun turn of phrase, but what exactly do you know about Paul, hmm? You haven't even been with him for a full day.”

“You're right, I haven't.” I reply. “So it really says something that I could already tell you exactly the kind of person he is, based solely on his terrible attitude.”

“Oh?” Elekid raises an eyebrow. “And what kind of person is that?”

“Someone I can't imagine anyone would ever want to be around.”

Elekid's false mirth disappears.

“What a pathetic answer.” he sneers. “Here I was actually startin' to think you might have what it takes to stick around, but I guess you're just as pitiful as the weakling after all.”

The words stoke my still-smoldering anger from the earlier pain I endured at Elekid's hands, igniting it back into a burning rage.

“You wanna test that?!” I snarl unthinkingly, leaping up to face him.

I regret the words the second they leave my mouth, a bucket of ice water immediately dousing the flames of my ire. What the hell am I doing?! I should absolutely NOT be getting into a fight right now, especially with someone I could barely even land a hit on earlier! Abort, abort, abort!

I quickly wrack my brain for a way to back out of the mess I just made for myself. Unfortunately, Elekid looks quite prepared to take me up on my ill-thought offer, smirking widely as he swivels to face me head on, and I really don't think he's going to let me back out of it now.

...well, shit. In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.

Both of us simply stand there leering at each other for a moment, Elekid's horns beginning to spark as I grit my teeth and ready Astonish. Elekid knows that I can use the move, so he'll most likely be prepared for it, but if I can make him cringe for even just a second-

“What is going on over here?”

The sparks building between Elekid's horns die away as the two of us turn to see Paul striding over, the light of the moon making it easy to see his intensely displeased expression. For a moment, I'm actually slightly relieved... at least, that is, until he continues talking.

“If you two intend on fighting each other, do it away from my tent.” Paul orders. “And if you try to-”

He cuts off rather abruptly, his gaze locking on to the pile of berries sitting on the ground behind me, which I assume he hadn't noticed up until just now. He then turns his eyes to me, smiling thinly as he takes in my newly-restored condition.

“Sitrus berries...” Paul mutters. “Well then, since you seem to have suddenly found some extra energy, let's test something.”

I glare up at him with the force of a thousand suns. I swear, if he tries to tell me we're doing more “training” right now, I really will go completely ballistic. I don't care if Elekid, Murkrow, and Chimchar all try to stop me; I'll make sure Paul is down at least one limb before they manage to-

“Mawile, use Thunder Fang.”

My anger sputters to a halt, replaced by flat confusion.

Did he just tell me to... what?

“You should know what electricity feels like extremely well by now,” Paul says in response to my utterly perplexed stare, “and you already know how to use Bite. It's as simple as combining the two. Now use Thunder Fang.”

...he can't be serious. He cannot actually think that learning how to harness Electric-type energy is as simple as repeatedly being hit by Electric-type attacks. Paul is a certified asshole, but I don't recall him being particularly stupid, so what is this? Some sort of screwed up way of asserting his dominance?!

“Do it!” Paul shouts.

Seething, I begin to ready an attack — specifically a Bite, the knowledge that Paul quite obviously intends for me to fail this little “test” finally pushing me over the edge. The memory of Elekid's Thundershocks striking me on his orders echoes in my mind a hundred times over, bolstering my anger even further-

*Zpppppt*

-and then I gasp as that same crackling, stinging sensation returns, but this time from inside of me, energy pulling itself out of my reservoir and beginning to flow through my body in a completely unexpected, but all-too-familiar manner. The feeling of it is nigh-identical to the way it felt being zapped by Elekid earlier — save, critically, in that it doesn't hurt this time.

Both of my mouths nearly drop open in shock. No, that's- there's no way...

My incredulity growing every second, I bring my horns around in front of me and move the unfocused energy to their teeth, exactly the same way that I normally would for Bite. Immediately, the crackling sensation becomes an actual, audible crackling, and I watch in utter disbelief as my teeth light up with yellow-white light, electricity now visibly sparking around them.

...un-freaking-believable.

I turn back to Paul, who's now looking down at me with an expression so smug and self-satisfied that I almost wish that hadn't worked.

“Good.” he says simply. “You'll be learning another new move tomorrow.”

Before I can even think how to react, he walks away and ducks into his tent. Still rather dumbfounded, I let the Electric-type energy dissipate and return to my reservoir, then look back to Elekid.

“...feh.” Elekid snorts, crossing his arms in front of him. “I'd say nice job, but we both know I deserve most of the credit for that.”

Seeming to have mostly lost interest in our argument, he turns his back on me.

“We'll fight for real later.” he declares. “Go ahead and get some better moves first... and maybe drop the weakling, before he drags you down along with him.”

He stalks away, passing by Murkrow in the process, who finally seems to have finished preening herself. She makes eye contact with me as I watch Elekid leave.

“Hmmph. Learn all the new moves you like.” Murkrow says haughtily, speaking up for the first time since I returned to the camp. “They still won't help you against me.”

Despite her proud words, I can't help but notice that her feathers seem awfully ruffled for having just been tidied up, and she look away from me again fairly quickly. I'm guessing the idea of being caught between electrified fangs large enough to go straight through her neck is perhaps more unnerving than she'd like to let on.

I feel a tap on my shoulder, and turn to see Chimchar looking at me as well.

“Um... thanks for sticking up for me...” he says quietly.

I shake my head to indicate that it was no big deal. Honestly, I don't think I ended up really sticking up for him so much as just criticizing Paul, but at least I stopped that from going any further.

“A-anyways!” Chimchar says, brightening up again. “That was amazing! You learned that move so fast!”

“Ah... thanks.” I reply. “To be honest, I didn't really think that would work.”

...which brings me right back around to my disbelief that it actually did. If I recall correctly, the anime has dedicated entire arcs to certain Pokemon trying to learn new moves, some of which spanned over multiple weeks of in-universe time. Meanwhile, it took me all of thirty minutes to learn Thunder Fang, and I didn't even know it was happening. Can all moves actually be learned this easily?!

My mind races at the prospect, but I quickly come to the conclusion that no, that can't possibly be true. This was... special, or something, probably because unlike most other Pokemon elements, electricity can actually enter and pass through the body, and thus be felt from within. Most other attacks just physically impact on their target, striking them externally rather than internally, meaning that Electric-type moves are likely just comparably simple to learn... but hell if I ever would've thought to try Paul's method on my own.

I gnaw gently on my lower lip. Damn it. I'm still pretty angry about that “resistance training” Paul put me through, but now I'm forced to admit that there may have been a legitimate point to it, even if I was misled on precisely what that point was. I may have to rethink if leaving is the best course of action after all — I do want to get stronger, for both personal and safety-related reasons, so do I stay with Paul for the opportunity to do that, or leave and try to make my own way in this world?

…

Leave. Definitely still leave.

I nod to myself. Being screamed at by Paul to do something he couldn't possibly know for certain I'd succeed at would have sealed it for me, even if Elekid and Murkrow weren't also jerks, and I hadn't already decided on this earlier. I may now have some pretty compelling evidence that there is actually something to be said Paul's training methods, but his “help” still comes with too many downsides to be worth it — such as having to remain in his company for any longer than I already have. I can get better at protecting myself on my own terms, without being repeatedly forced to eat dirt by a guy at least as suited to be a drill instructor as he is a trainer.

As I'm silently reaffirming my earlier choice to myself, Paul reemerges from the tent, now with a large, rectangular plastic container in hand. Walking back over to me, he kneels down and starts scouring through my berry pile, grabbing up the Sitruses and Orans to place in the container while throwing most of the rest aside.

“Hey!” I object. “Those are mine you-!”

“I'm just putting these away for now.” Paul interrupts in a surprisingly calm manner. “We can't carry all of them, so I'm taking the more useful ones. Either hurry up and eat the rest now, or leave them for wild Pokemon to find later.”

Somewhat mollified by that, I back off. Fine, fair enough... I'm not thrilled to see Paul stowing away the berries as though they're his to take, but it's not like I can do anything with them myself at this point anyways.

Paul continues cleaning up, dumping the rest of Chimchar's unfinished kibble into a second, smaller storage box before placing both containers inside of his backpack. He then has Elekid smash the empty food tins flat with a couple of Brick Breaks, which get thrown into a plastic bag and stowed away as well. Well, at least he's eco-conscious.

“Alright,” Paul announces once he's done, “time to sleep.”

Grateful that the time has finally come, I lay down right where I'm standing, assuming that we Pokemon are just going to be told to sleep out here in the dirt. However, I then notice Paul bringing out a pair of Pokeballs, his arms outstretched and already aiming. Oh no-

“Chimchar, Elekid, return.”

Twin beams of red light shoot out and connect with the Pokemon in question, sucking them both back inside of the red-and-white spheres. Paul places them back on his belt, then withdraws two more as I hurriedly scramble to my feet and start backpedaling away from him. No, I need to stay out here, I shouldn't have come back-!

“Murkrow, Mawile, return.”

I try to dodge away from the beam, but it manages to clip the end of my horns anyways. As my body is nigh-instantly converted into pale red energy, I feel myself being funneled up into the Pokeball, and everything goes dark again.

...except... I'm still awake?

Chapter Text

I mentally blink, confused as to how it is I'm still conscious and aware right now. I don't remember it being like this the first time... was that just because I ended up passing out from the pain? Hang on-

Everything suddenly shifts, my entire tiny world at the moment beginning to swiftly move downwards. Despite the abruptness of the motion, I'm not hit by any accompanying sense of vertigo, and can even hear what sounds vaguely like the rustling of clothes. I can still sense what's going on outside!

My brief flash of excitement upon realizing this dims as the motion stops, and I hear something softly click. Realizing that Paul must have just clipped my Pokeball to his belt, I curse internally, lamenting that I didn't see this coming.

Damn it, I can't let myself be stuck in here all night... can I get out of this thing on my own?

Unsure whether or not I can even move right now given my present state and location, I start by simply attempting to wriggle around a bit. To my relief, I feel myself shift slightly in response to my efforts — granted, I'm not sure how that's even possible when I no longer possess a physical body, but I'm not complaining!

Encouraged, I shift around more, trying to test the limits of my confinement.

The results are... odd. Despite the fact that I'm little more than a mass of energy at the moment, I almost feel like I'm curled up right now, as though I've assumed some sort of ethereal fetal position. It's remarkably comfy in here too, now that I notice. I feel a little like I'm swaddled in a soft blanket, safe and warm and cozy... to be honest, I almost don't even want to move. Maybe this wouldn't be a bad place to stay for the night after all-

I mentally force that thought back down, smacking it with a few equally mental oversized hammers as I do so. No, I am NOT staying in this thing! Come on, me!

I redouble my struggles, turning them into outright thrashing. Once again, I feel myself shift, but nothing seems to actually happen as a result. Argh, this isn't working! I can't even tell exactly what I'm doing-

Oh, wait a second. What if I tried this?

Ceasing my largely ineffectual flailing, I switch to simply trying to straighten myself out, attempting to “uncurl” from the odd position it feels like I'm in right now. It takes some effort, the sheer comfiness of the Pokeball making doing so a real challenge, but after a few seconds I feel something give-

And with a sudden release of pressure, I find myself outside again, standing in the grass beneath the star-studded night sky.

Unable to help myself, I laugh loudly in relief and do a happy, spontaneous little twirl. I did it! I got out of the-

“Get in the ball and stay in it.”

Before I can even think to move, I find myself returned to my previous position, with naught but blackness surrounding me once more. What the- hey!

Channeling my annoyance, I force myself to uncurl again, reappearing in the outside world for a second time. This time, I come out facing Paul, allowing me to see the mixture of surprise and growing irritation in his expression.

“What is your problem?” he growls, raising the Pokeball in his hand towards me again. “Stay put this time, or I'll have Elekid knock you out and make you stay put.”

Once again I attempt to dodge the Pokeball's recall beam, and once again I fail to do so, the thin red ray simply too quick for me to get out of the way in time. Fuming as I'm returned to the void for a third time over, I almost spring out again immediately, but ultimately stop myself from actually doing so. I hardly want Paul to make good on his threat, and even if he doesn't, we'll still be doing this all night at this rate.

...alright, fine, a slight adjustment to the plan: if Paul won't let me stay outside, I'll just wait around in here until he falls asleep instead. I know that I can get out now, so there's no real reason to try and do things the hard way. Next time, he won't be awake to catch me at it anyways.

Annoyed, but still committed, I settle down to wait things out.

All I need to do bide my time until Paul inevitably slips into dreamland... shouldn't be too hard.

- ??? minutes later -

I wonder if I've ever been this utterly wrong before?

I scream internally, wishing that it was external, if just so I could have something to listen to other than dead silence. Paul isn't moving anymore, but I don't know if that means he's asleep, if he's still trying to get to sleep, or if he just took my Pokeball off his person at some point, and I don't want to risk jumping out again if he isn't actually unconscious yet.

I don't know how much longer I can make myself wait however, or how much longer I'm even physically capable of waiting, because it is taking everything I have not to fall asleep right now.

How long have I been in here for? An hour? Two hours? Thirty minutes? I have no real frame of reference to judge by other than the vague notions of my internal clock, and I don't think I can really trust that, because it feels like I've been in here for ages. Mostly because I've been desperately fighting off slumber ever since the first few minutes passed.

I rock myself from side to side, moving around as much as I can without actually exiting the Pokeball. These things are perhaps a little too comfortable, if you ask me. Though, it doesn't exactly help that I'm bored out of my currently-nonexistent skull — I'm usually pretty content to just sit back and daydream when I have nothing else to do, but I can't let my mind wander like that right now, or I'm definitely going to fall asleep.

Doing my best to fight the bleary cloud threatening to descend over my brain, I try to think of a better way to keep myself awake and alert. Maybe I just need to think of this like meditation? Clearing the mind of all distractions to achieve a state of perfect tranquility, without actually being asleep... huh, I wonder if that's how Calm Mind works in this world? Given how most moves seem to function, I'd assume some sort of Psychic assistance is required though. Maybe they literally push the thoughts out of mind? Or maybe that's just over-complicating it... oh, and there are human psychics in the Pokemon world too, come to think of it. Can they use Calm Mind, or other Psychic-type moves and attacks? Could a powerful enough one potentially fight a Pokemon one-on-one? That could be-

Recognizing the complete tangent my train of thought is starting to wander off in, I halt it there and do the best imitation I can of shaking my head. Ugh, I'm getting loopy, which means I'm also getting sleepy, or at least more sleepy- er, sleepier, I mean. Gah, grammar is frustrating. I guess that's at least sort of a perk about not speaking English anymore, in that nobody can really tell if I'm saying something wrong now. Or at least, no humans can... wait, no, there were at least a few people in the anime that could understand Pokemon language, weren't there? In which case I guess I can't actually say-

I mentally groan, forcing the stray thoughts out of mind for the second time this minute.

Alright, that does it; I am seriously going to pass out if I have to stay in here any longer. Whether or not Paul is actually asleep yet, I need to get out of this Pokeball now.

Even merely attempting to uncurl myself proves to be a major hardship this time, my intense lethargy making the task even more difficult than it was before. After what feels like a full minute of struggling with my own unwilling body however, something finally releases, and my vision goes from black to white to slightly-less black as I'm abruptly returned to physical existence, some of my alertness blessedly returning to me along with my limbs. Oh thank god, I-

“Nn...”

I freeze at the sound of Paul's voice, my blood abruptly turning to ice. Shit, he was still awake!

Unable to see just yet due to the barely-existent lighting, I can't even tell where to go to get away from him, and so simply resign myself to getting returned to the Pokeball again. However, when nothing actually happens within the next few seconds, my certainty in that panicked thought begins to subside. Maybe that wasn't him after all...?

As my vision gradually adjusts, my current surroundings begin to become more apparent. As I'd largely expected, I appear to now be inside of Paul's tent, the floor of which has been covered by the same blanket he was sitting on outside earlier. Paul himself is currently laying on top of it, not a foot away from me, having evidently eschewed a sleeping bag entirely. He also seems to have decided against bothering with sleeping clothes, or to even take off any of his normal clothes — despite how uncomfortable it surely must be, he even still has his belt on, with all four of his Pokeballs still clipped to it.

I let out a small, silent sigh of relief. Whether or not Paul is sleeping in his traveling outfit out of laziness or pragmatism, I can't really say, but the important part is that contrary to my fears, he is indeed asleep. That noise he made just now must have just been an unconscious mumble or something.

...possibly one caused by the bright white flash of my reemergence momentarily disturbing his slumber, actually. Er, whoops. Not that I could really control that, but good thing Paul is apparently a fairly heavy sleeper; I didn't even consider that might be an issue up until just now.

My fears temporarily assuaged, I force myself to focus. I've gotten out of my Pokeball, Paul is asleep, and at least so far as I'm aware, so are the rest of his Pokemon, meaning there's no one else out here to stop me from leaving. This is the best chance at getting away from Paul that I'm likely to get any time soon, so I need to not screw it up.

This in mind, I anxiously start looking Paul over for any sign of his Pokedex. I don't see its telltale shape in any of his pant's pockets, but his backpack is sitting in the other corner of the tent, so it's an easy enough assumption to make that he placed it in there before going to sleep.

I start to move towards the pack, then almost immediately stop, cursing under my breath. In theory, the Pokedex no longer being on Paul's person should be a good thing, since it means I don't need to go ferreting through his clothes while he's still dressed in them to get at it. In practice however, this isn't much better, as I can't actually get any closer to said backpack without literally stepping on top of Paul. Because, of course, my legs are too short to simply step over him instead.

I bite down on my bottom lip. I can technically still reach the bag, I think, but this could be tricky...

Doing a cautious about face, I carefully extend my horns over top of Paul's sleeping body. Luckily, they turn out to indeed be long enough to reach the bag, though only just barely, little more than the very tips of them even able to brush up against it. Please let that be all I need...

Crossing my fingers and opening my jaws, I attempt to slip one of my lower teeth under the backpack's nearest strap. It takes me a few tries to get it sufficiently hooked, but eventually I manage it, allowing me to gradually lift the bag off the ground until it's dangling in the air.

Got it... now for the hard part.

Holding my breath, I slowly, slowly begin to draw the bag back towards myself, my nerves climbing higher with every passing second. There's barely enough clearance in this tent for the backpack to not be dragging itself over Paul's chest right now, and that's entirely dependent on my tenuous hold on it not slipping at all. If I drop this pack even an inch, it's going to fall directly on top of him, at which point I imagine I'm going to have a very groggy, very angry trainer staring me directly in the face.

Thankfully, my hold on the bag manages to remain firm despite its considerable weight, and I succeed in lifting it over to myself without too much issue. At least beyond my legs threatening to give out beneath me from my increasingly shot nerves, that is.

Then, however, comes the problem of getting out of the tent. Paul's body is taking up most of the available space, forcing me to try and edge my way around him by pressing myself flush against the only slightly malleable canvas walls. The fact that I'm still carrying the increasingly pendulous backpack doesn't make this task any easier, nor does the fact that every slight movement I make causes the entire structure to move with me. My adrenaline spikes with each tiny rustle and sway, worried that every step I take is going to be the one to end up awakening the sleeping giant.

Fortunately, for all my caution, staying in a near constant state of barely-restrained anger must make one very tired — Paul doesn't even stir as I make my way around him, peel open the tent flap, and tiptoe out into the night. Quickly walking a good fifty feet away from the tent, I carefully lower the bag to the grass beside me, then immediately follow after it in rather less dignified fashion, all but collapsing to the ground in relief.

...I did it. I'm out.

Now I just have to make good on the rest of my escape.

Some of my tension fading away in favor of excitement, I turn to the backpack and hurriedly begin rifling through its pockets. I find Paul's Pokedex buried within the front-most one, though it takes me a minute to find the tiny power button hiding on its bottom edge. Once I do though, the device boots up almost instantaneously, and I find myself staring at a highly polished-looking main menu. Ooh, fancy!

Finding the device somewhat difficult to hold like a person would, it being about the relative size of a small laptop to me now, I cross my legs and prop it on top of them before continuing. Then, using the device's D-pad, I start scrolling through the available options.

Let's see here, Pokemon Index, Camera, Status Analyzer, ID Card... jeez, I hope this thing even has a map. The ones in the later games all do, and there's clearly more functions to the Pokedex than the anime really showed, but come to think of it, Ash and co sure got lost an awful lot for a map to be one of them. Please don't tell me I wasted my time hanging around in that ball for nothing...

Thankfully, I do in fact find a map after a minute, the function having been hiding in a minuscule icon at the top right of the screen. While it only seems to show the Sinnoh region, and nothing else of the world, the detail is better than I'd honestly expected, being more along the lines of what I'd expect on a physical map than the tinier, more stylized version the games use. Even better, it also includes a small blinking blip representing my current position in the region — according to that, I'm currently somewhere in between Sandgem Town and Jubilife City.

I look up for a moment in thought. Jubilife, Jubilife... ah, that was was the city I forgot about that comes before Oreburgh! Can't say I remember anything else about it, but according to the map, I'm significantly closer to it than I am to Sandgem, so I guess I know where I'm heading now.

Using the nearby mountains as a reference point, I manage to determine that I'll need to head in roughly the opposite direction of the lake to get to the city. That means passing through more forested area, but thankfully not Bewilder Forest, which is already fairly far behind me. I have no intention of heading back there ever again if I can help it, so that works just fine for me.

I shut the Pokedex off, momentarily considering putting it back in the backpack now that I've got a basic heading to go off of. Not that I'm particularly concerned about whether or not Paul will be able to get along alright without it, but I don't exactly have a convenient way of carrying the device around with me, which might make it more trouble than it's worth.

That said, I'm fairly certain that a single, solitary look at this thing is not going to be enough to keep me from getting lost again, and while I wouldn't usually consider myself a thief, I can't say I feel that bad about the prospect right now given who I would be stealing from. So... yeah, I think I'll be keeping this. Sorry Paul, my Pokedex now.

That decided, I start closing up the bag's various zippers... only to notice the plastic container with my leftover berries in it sitting near the top of the main pocket as I do.

Hmm, I wonder if I should steal this too? Technically all I'd be stealing is the box, as the berries aren't actually Paul's to begin with. Unfortunately, the Pokedex is going to be a hassle to tote around on its own, and the backpack is too awkwardly large for someone my size to really carry, even if I emptied everything else out of it, so I don't see any way I could take this container with me... unless?

Curious if the idea I just had will work, I pop the lip open and remove a couple of Oran berries from the top, which promptly go straight down my gullet. With a little space now freed up inside of it, I replace the berries with my newly-gained Pokedex, then shut the lid again and bring my jaws around in front of me, slipping the plastic box inside of them before shutting them as well. Hope this thing is relatively airtight.

I shift my jaws from side to side, testing how uncomfortable it is to keep the container held inside of them. It's... barely noticeable, actually. I'm not going to be able to really use my jaws without taking the container out first, but I think this'll work. I'm not particularly keen on the idea of keeping my belongings where I keep my saliva, but it's good enough until I can find some better method of carrying things around, at least.

Leaving Paul's bag lying where it is, I quickly run down a brief mental checklist. Pokedex, check. Heading, check. Extra supplies for the road, check. Ball...

I sigh. I probably shouldn't leave my Pokeball with Paul, come to think of it. I highly doubt the recall beam will work on something he can't actually aim at, but it's possible the balls have some sort of long-distance retrieval function as well. I don't really expect they do, or else Team Rocket's attempts to steal Pikachu and other trainers' Pokemon wouldn't be nearly as much of an issue, but I already know I can't count on this world to be exactly the same as the anime, so better safe than sorry.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, I make my way back over to the tent and gently creep inside. Paul doesn't appear to have moved even an inch, completely lost to the realm of Darkrai and Cresselia, but I still can't help but feel as though I'm really rather pushing my luck right now.

Standing over my soon to be ex-trainer's unconscious form, I have a brief moment of hesitation regarding which of the Pokeballs on his belt is mine. All of them look virtually identical after all, and whichever one it was that released me seems to have automatically shut itself.

Thankfully, I manage to logic out which ball is mine in fairly short order: since I forced Paul to put me away last, my Pokeball must be one of the ones on the end. That eliminates the middle two, and while the remaining pair mostly still looks identical, the far left one has a few notable scuff marks on it, presumably from simple wear and tear, while the far right one looks brand new. Since I was just caught today, the right one therefore must be mine.

Feeling rather proud of myself for my impromptu detective skills, I carefully pluck the ball in question off of Paul's belt. It comes off with only minor resistance, and without anything needing to be unfastened — I think the belt might just be slightly magnetic, actually. That's kind of clever.

Not wanting to linger here, I move to exit the tent... then hesitate, turning back around to stare at Paul's remaining three Pokeballs.

My initial anger with him aside, Chimchar doesn't deserve to be stuck with Paul for however long he's going to be. Between what I remember of how he was treated in the anime before Paul got rid of him, and what I saw of his behavior tonight, I can't imagine he's going to be anything but miserable left where he is. I could easily take him away from that, right here and now, and undoubtedly improve his life immensely just by releasing him back into the wild... but I'm not sure if that's actually a good idea in the long term. I mean, if I just leave things alone, Chimchar will eventually end up with Ash, while if I take him with me, he probably never will. But does the fact that I know he'll eventually find happiness justify leaving him to suffer at Paul's hands until that actually happens...?

I shake my head. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't, but either way, I still probably shouldn't mess with this. Taking Chimchar means not just that he won't have Ash later, but that Ash won't have him, and I don't want to run the risk of screwing with canon and getting the world destroyed because the main character didn't have one of his most reliable Sinnoh team members when he most needed him.

...besides, I can't actually tell which of the remaining Pokeballs is Chimchar's anyways, and grabbing Elekid or Murkrow by mistake would be a disaster. Best for me to just leave well enough alone.

I step back out of the tent, turning the Pokeball over in my hands as I do. In its shrunken form, the metal sphere is actually small enough to fit in even my palm. Hard to believe I was inside of this thing a few minutes ago...

I briefly entertain the notion of destroying the ball here and now, then leaving the broken bits in front of Paul's tent for him to discover in the morning — it would certainly be an entertaining way of announcing my departure, even if I'd never actually see the result. I reconsider fairly quickly however upon recalling a rather pertinent detail from the anime: any Pokemon who already has a Pokeball can't be caught by a different one. I don't know if the ball being intact is actually necessary for that, but there's no sense in giving up that sort of perk simply out of spite, so I think I'll be keeping this with me as well.

Smirking cheekily, I push the ball into the side of my faux-pants, the fur that comprises them being both stiff and long enough to hold the ball firmly in place. It's not quite a substitute for a pocket, but for something this small? It'll do.

Having accomplished everything I intended to with my miniature heist, I use a claw to carve a brief parting message for Paul in the dirt nearby, then set off in the direction I determined earlier.

Jubilife, here I come!

Chapter Text

Paul stared down at the ground outside his tent, the anger bubbling within his chest battling for dominance with a surprising amount of curiosity.

When he'd first woken up to discover that he'd seemingly been robbed some time last night, his immediate thought had been that the morons with the talking Meowth had to be responsible. Despite his rapidly increasing disdain for a certain Pikachu-owning annoyance, the other boy's attitude seemed too similar to Reggie's to realistically imagine he had anything to do with this, and the same likely went for his pair of hanger-ons, who seemed to simply be following along in said annoyance's bumbling wake. That, along with how Paul had deliberately chosen a highly roundabout way of getting from Sandgem to Jubilife in the apparently futile hope of avoiding other people, meant that not only were the self-proclaimed thieves likely the only other individuals in the area, but also the only ones likely to try something like this, and thus the only logical culprits.

Paul scowled. The very idea of being stolen from by such utter incompetents was infuriating beyond measure, though less because of the theft itself, so much as what it in turn implied about his own competence. If he truly hadn't managed to stop idiots like that from getting the better of him, then he quite frankly deserved to be robbed.

Thankfully for the sake of his self-respect, after a bit more thought he'd soon concluded the theft couldn't possibly have been the work of the supposed Team Rocket members after all. Despite their clear association with a gang best known for stealing both money and Pokemon, from what he'd witnessed, those three were too inept to successfully steal literally anything — certainly not without making an extremely loud, obvious production of it in the process, at least.

Unfortunately, eliminating the pathetic trio as suspects meant that the thief's true identity remained something of a mystery. Not that Paul particularly cared exactly who it was that had stolen from him, beyond how that information might be useful in hunting them down and enacting an appropriate level of retribution, but he still couldn't help but notice that something seemed odd about this — so far as he could tell, the only things he was missing were one Pokeball, his Pokedex, and the plastic container he'd filled with berries last night. However, if the thief's goal had been to take his Pokemon, they'd presumably have taken all four of them, while if their goal was to take his supplies, they'd have taken his entire bag instead. Thus, the fact that everything besides those three specific items had apparently been completely disregarded seemed bizarre, something Paul was internally having a great deal of trouble making sense of.

...and then he'd noticed the message scrawled into the dirt just outside his tent.

You took me, so I'll take these — not quite an eye for an eye, but close enough.

Seeya, Paul.

Once again, Paul squinted down at the words, scrutinizing and puzzling over them in turn.

He'd initially thought the culprit to be a fool to have left something like this behind, as despite its short nature and irritating vagueness, the message was more than enough to clarify not only the culprit's motive, but also their likely identity. However, the more Paul actually thought about that identity, the more he began to doubt his own conclusion. Could he possibly be missing something...?

He knelt down, crouching to examine the words of the message in closer detail. Upon closer inspection, it was easy enough to tell that they had been carved into the soil by a thin, sharp object. Something like a small, pointed stick...

Or perhaps a similarly-sized claw.

Paul stood back up, his brow furrowing in irritation.

Between the message, the berries, and the stolen Pokeball, he was still left with only one apparent answer... but while he had heard of cases of Pokemon running off on their trainers before, he had never heard of a Pokemon attempting to get even with its trainer for a supposed injustice it had experienced at their hands. Not in any fashion remotely similar to this, at least.

Regardless, he had an answer now, and one that made a fair amount of sense — apparently, that Mawile had decided it would rather remain weak after all. Surprising, given just how deep its stubborn streak seemed to run, but perhaps what it had displayed was ultimately less akin to “stubbornness” so much as “willfulness”.

Paul squinted down at his belt in annoyance. Theft aside, he probably should have expected the Mawile might try something like this. Not only had it popped out of its ball twice over last night in direct violation of his orders, but while he hadn't realized it initially, it seemed almost certain at this point that the deceptively cutesy Pokemon had previously had at least one other trainer... and seeing as how it obviously wasn't still with that trainer, the partnership presumably hadn't ended well. Most likely, the Mawile had either been deliberately abandoned — possibly due to its absurdly voracious appetite — or, for whatever reason, it had taken off on its own.

A small scoff escaped his lips. Given recent events, Paul was heavily inclined to believe the latter scenario over the former. Either way, the Mawile's clear familiarity with Potions and other medicines, combined with the fact that it had been living in a place where no Mawile would normally have any reason to be, seemed to make a prior history with humans all but indisputable.

Paul frowned. Though, even if that was true, the fact that it was apparently able to write was more than a little unexpected. He'd known that Mawile was smart when it had figured out Thunder Fang so quickly — he'd genuinely expected it to require at least a couple more days, despite the calculated pressure he'd applied to the situation — but an aptitude for learning new moves was entirely different from an aptitude for... this.

The frown deepened as he turned back to the message.

While Paul was well aware that even wild Pokemon could typically get at least the general gist of what people said to them, an understanding of human language thorough enough to actually communicate back implied a higher level of comprehension than he honestly liked. He'd thought that talking Meowth to be an exception, or possibly even some sort of genetic experiment, given that it was apparently part of Team Rocket. Yet that Mawile was clearly possessed of equal, or at least similar mental faculties, and the same explanation couldn't really be applied to it. Meaning, its intelligence was likely just... natural.

And possibly not even all that unusual.

An odd feeling arose in Paul's stomach, the idea making him strangely uneasy. He'd never found the need to mince words or hold back with his criticism when it came to his Pokemon — in fact, oftentimes he'd even deliberately exaggerate his actual anger or disappointment with them, which helped to not only keep them in line, but made sure he got his point across through tone alone. He'd always figured it hardly mattered what he said in the end, since he assumed the actual meaning of most of his words was largely lost on them anyways.

...but if that wasn't the case, and more, or even all Pokemon were smart enough to comprehend human language in its totality...

Paul shook his head, casting the thought aside and letting his expression fall back into its familiar resting scowl.

He was overthinking this. Regardless of the Mawile's intelligence, its language skills surely couldn't be inherent, nor something that could possibly be generalized to all other Pokemon species. More likely, it owed its ability in that field to its previous trainer. Perhaps they'd forced it to pour over a dictionary or something of the like for months on end in an effort to give it a more complex vocabulary. Even then, the apparent success of that effort was probably only because the Mawile was already smarter than most others of its kind — like the Meowth, it was an exception, not the rule, and he shouldn't treat it as anything more.

Paul turned back to his tent, refocusing on his more immediate issues.

In any event, regardless of anything else about the Mawile, he needed to get his Pokedex back from it. He hardly cared about it running off with a few berries, or even its own Pokeball, as a Pokemon that determined to run away from its trainer at the first opportunity wasn't useful no matter what other qualities it might possess. Taking his dex, however, had been an unfortunately effective act of revenge — unjustified revenge, as it wasn't as though he'd caused the thing any permanent harm, but effective revenge nonetheless.

Paul grimaced. Aside from the sheer inconvenience of not having access to the device's Status Analyzer function, it was also the only form of ID he generally kept on his person, as well as the only map he'd currently had on hand. Pokedexes typically weren't replaceable either, barring truly exceptional circumstances, so he couldn't exactly just go back to Professor Rowan and demand another, even if his pride would allow it of him.

Thankfully, Pokedexes were also designed to withstand just about anything, so it was highly unlikely that the Mawile had managed to destroy it, assuming it had even tried — based on how the little walking mouth's message had said “take” not “break”, Paul figured there was actually a fairly good chance the Mawile intended to keep the device anyways, and possibly even use it, assuming that it could figure out how. As such, simply tracking it down and taking his property back from it seemed like a perfectly valid option...

Or at least, it would be, if Paul had idea which way the tiny Pokemon might have gone. While he highly doubted the Mawile had gotten very far, even with an entire night's head start, it apparently didn't weigh enough to leave any obvious tracks, at least not on healthy, springy grass like the kind he'd set up camp on. He also didn't have any of his more scent-sensitive Pokemon on hand at the moment, so trying to track the Mawile by smell wasn't possible either.

Unfortunately, his next best option was... inconvenient. Paul was fairly certain that the Pokedex's satellite signal could be picked up and tracked from an external device, but he'd still need to talk to Professor Rowan for that. Meaning, he'd either have to backtrack all the way to Sandgem after all, or head the rest of the way Jubilife and contact the man from there. Which, without a map...

Ugh. How irritating.

“Murkrow, stand by!” Paul called, grabbing and throwing its Pokeball into the air.

In a flash of light, Murkrow appeared in the air roughly five feet above him, squawking its name to the sky.

“Find the nearest Route or path, then come back here and lead me to it.” Paul ordered. “While you're at it, keep on the lookout for the Mawile from yesterday. It ran off in the middle of the night, so if you spot it, knock it out and drag it back here, along with anything it might have with it.”

Murkrow tilted its head at him questioningly, but cawed what Paul assumed to be an affirmative before turning around and flying off. He watched as it sped away over the nearby forest, rapidly becoming a mere speck in the distance.

Paul shook his head again. Given the sheer number of trees likely to be blocking the view of the ground from above, he thought it fairly unlikely that Murkrow would actually manage to spot the Mawile, even on the off chance that it had gone in the same direction, and that Murkrow had even understood enough of his instructions to realize what he'd wanted from it. But it didn't hurt to cover his bases.

As he turned around to begin taking down his tent, Paul idly wondered if perhaps he should consider “re-catching” the Mawile after all, once he inevitably caught up with it. The considerable payback he owed it aside, if it was as fast at learning other moves as it had been with Thunder Fang, and intelligent enough to understand more complex strategy than he could normally use with his Pokemon, it had the potential to be a shockingly effective fighter. It remained a fact that a Pokemon too rebellious or flighty to control wasn't useful, but the message the Mawile had left implied that it was mostly angry at having been “taken”, as in taken by him against its will. In which case, would it have still run off if Paul had simply asked it to come with him, like he had with Chimchar?

Hmm. A question for another time, perhaps.

As he clicked Murkrow's Pokeball back into place, Paul glanced down at the other two red-and-white spheres attached to his belt and frowned.

Now that he looked closer, something seemed... off. If the Mawile had taken its own Pokeball with it, then why was one still placed where he'd-

Paul's eyes widened as he realized what was wrong. As a quick press of a button and an empty click confirmed his suspicions a few moments later, his mouth twisted into a contemptuous sneer.

...well then. Evidently, he owed that Mawile a little more “payback” than he'd initially thought.

Chapter Text

Sometimes I hate myself.

I stop for a moment in the middle of the dirt road of Route 202, unwilling to make myself take another step. My legs feel like jelly, my feet feel like pudding, and my horns might as well be a cartoonishly oversized ball-and-chain attached to the back of my head. Internally, I find myself regretting every choice I made that led me to this point.

Turns out, if Paul was actually heading to Jubilife? He was apparently quite a ways off the beaten path. Even with the help of his Pokedex, it took me the rest of the night just to find and get back on the “normal” Route intended to connect Sandgem and Jubilife together... frankly though, I'm not entirely sure this tiny dirt path even is Route 202, regardless of what the device claims. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I might actually think I was back in Bewilder Forest again, because since finding and beginning to follow this supposed “Route”, the scenery has failed to change in the slightest, and the blip on the dex's digital map barely seems to have moved. This time however, I'm fairly sure it's not because I'm being messed with by random Stantler, or somehow getting myself turned around by accident.

It's that I'm just this goddamn slow.

I place my claw-tipped palms on my knees, leaning against them for support. Why did I ever think this would work? I am attempting to travel across the countryside, on foot, despite being roughly the size and height of a toddler. I am NEVER going to make it to Jubilife at this rate. Hell, if Paul manages to make it back onto the Route proper without his Pokedex, I'll be shocked if he doesn't catch up to me by midday, likely without even trying.

I take a moment to glance up at the sky. I can't actually see the sun over the treetops, but judging by how bright it's gotten, daytime proper is well underway at this point. I'd guess that I've been following this path for at least two or three hours now... but for all the progress it feels like I've made, I might as well have spent that time walking in place.

I growl quietly in frustration. This is stupid. I was lucky enough to only come across a few small Pokemon during the night, all of which thankfully saw fit to leave me alone, but if I keep going like this and come across an actual threat, I'll be too tired to even attempt to defend myself. I need to rest, at least for a little while.

With this slightly-thin justification in mind, I proceed to wander a few yards off the side of the road and all but collapse against the nearest tree trunk, causing a Weedle that was resting low on the bark to quickly scurry up into the branches above. Propping my feet up as best I can on a nearby root and hoping they'll stop aching soon, I find myself sighing heavily.

Well, if it wasn't already obvious before, at least I'm now very sure that Mawile are not built for long-distance walking. Ambush predators are not intended to be persistence predators, and attempting to imitate one is clearly going to bring me nothing but misery. I really, really need to figure out a faster way to get around than this.

I frown. Actually, I really need to figure out a lot of different things — particularly what exactly I plan on doing in the long run here. I mean, I got out of Bewilder Forest; good. I got away from Paul; great. I'm heading to Jubilife City, where I am significantly less likely to end up as something's lunch; amazing! But what the hell am I doing from that point? What is my long-term plan here, now that I'm more in the know about where I am and what continuity I'm in?

Setting my horns to the side of me, I lean back against the tree, considering my options.

Do I just try to accept this, and attempt to live the best life I can from here on out as a Mawile? Do I go looking for whatever “destiny” I may or may not have been brought here for? Do I attempt to actively defy that destiny by finding someone or something that can make me human again, and maybe send me back to my own world? Or do I do something else entirely?

I don't end up thinking about the question for all that long — much as I honestly wish it was a slightly harder decision, I quickly find myself rather strongly leaning towards option 3.

Sure, there are some cool parts about being in a world of Pokemon, and even about being a Pokemon myself, but overall? I'd give the general experience a major thumbs down. Just yesterday, I was beaten, electrified, and almost eaten, none of which are things I've ever particularly desired to experience. I will happily trade away the ability to bite through a tree for the ability to walk around without having to constantly be on guard for something that might want to make me its next meal.

I grimace. The annoying thing is, I can't even really blame any Pokemon inclined towards seeing me as food. Not without being massively hypocritical at least, since much like me, I'm sure that most of them are ultimately just trying to eat. If I have a choice in the matter however, then I don't particularly want to remain as part of that food chain.

...well, in that case, I suppose I now have a different question to address. Namely, what beings or entities do I know of that exist in the Pokemon universe who could potentially send me back to my own, or at least make me human again if not?

Shifting slightly to lean against my horns, I idly tap a claw against their metallic surface as I think.

The obvious first thought is, of course, Arceus. I'd assume that Pokemon's literal answer to God would be more than capable of remedying my situation, and I'm in the right region to encounter it- er, him? Her? Them?

I shake my head. Arceus has no gender, and probably deserves a capital title, so let's just go with Them. Regardless, Sinnoh is the right place to be to find Them, since Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum were the only games in which Arceus was actually possible to encounter... however, I still have to consider that this isn't the game version of the Pokemon world. As such, Arceus probably isn't just standing around on an ethereal staircase at the top of Mount Coronet, which naturally is going to make finding and pleading my case to Them rather more difficult. I also have no assurance that Arceus would even care enough to help me even if I did find Them, rather than just smiting/Judging me where I stand — I don't recall the Poke-God being particularly nice in the 12 ^th movie until Ash fixes the past, so maybe seeking Arceus out isn't necessarily the best idea.

Alright then, what about Dialga and Palkia? Assuming they both have complete dominion over their associated concepts, either one of them could probably help. Dialga's control over time could rewind me to before I ended up here, both in this world and in this body, and hopefully stop whatever caused it from happening again, while Palkia's control over space could send me back to my home dimension, and presumably make me human again by simply warping my physical form/“space”. Like Arceus, they're also conveniently from Sinnoh...

I sigh. But again, not really, because this is the anime-verse, where it's shown that they actually live in their own private dimensions or something. The only time they're seen to come out of those is during the events of the 10^th movie, where they emerge to pointlessly fight each other for some reason I can't actually recall, both of them too furious with the other to pay attention to literally anything else around them. Meaning, my chances of being able to talk to them and actually having them listen without getting blasted out of existence in the process are, again, slim-to none. Damn.

I continue thinking in this vein for a few more minutes, silently evaluating any other Pokemon or methods that could potentially help me. It's a surprisingly long list actually, but each option comes with its own issues and drawbacks to consider:

• Mew knows every move in existence, including those of other legendaries, and could thus probably work out a way to fix me and get me home with just a little work. It's implied to be rather capricious however, and even assuming that giant tree-thing from the 8^th movie was supposed to be its permanent home (which I'm a little unsure of, given that I'm pretty sure Mew was previously implied to live nowhere in particular), I'd probably get obliterated by the guardian Regis before I even made it anywhere close to where Mew resides inside the structure... assuming I could even find the place to begin with, that is. Next.
  
  
• Celebi has time powers, so I imagine that much like Dialga, it could also potentially rewind me to a point before I both became like this and ended up in this world. Only potentially though, because Celebi has only ever been shown to “travel” through time, not control it. Besides which, while I know it lives in some forest in Johto from the 4^th movie, it's also apparently constantly moving through different eras of time, meaning I probably won't be in the right when even if I find the right place. I am not going to sit in the same spot for years on end, hoping that one day I'll get to talk to a specific mythical Pokemon that may never even show up, or necessarily be able to solve my problems even if it does. Next.
  
  
• Hoopa has dimensional transportation powers, and so at least theoretically could send me back to my home dimension without much real difficulty. Going by its prankster-like nature however, as seen in the... 17^th? 18^th? movie, it'd be more likely to send me to some other dimension I don't know than back to my own. Not to mention, it lives on some isolated island that I don't even remember the name of (and thus have no way of finding), and doesn't have a fix for me being a Mawile anyways, so I'd still be stuck like this even if it cooperated. Next.
  
  
• Jirachi can grant wishes, and could presumably fix my problems quite easily by simply playing genie — a more “contemporate” type than the kind Hoopa is based on, that is. I'm not sure if Jirachi can determine specifically how a wish is granted however, or that it even has the power necessary to resolve the kind I'd have to make, given how small scale the only ones it granted in the 6^th movie were... and it doesn't really matter, since at this point in the anime timeline, it's going to be asleep for another thousand years anyways. Next!
  
  
• The Unown, while being near useless in the games, are shown in the 3^rd movie to have extremely strong reality-warping abilities in sufficient numbers. The seemingly unrestricted nature of this power means they'd actually have a better chance of fixing both of my primary issues than almost all of my other options... if not for the fact that, like Dialga and Palkia, they live in a separate dimension to this one. Molly's dad managed to find a connection point between the two, but I have no idea where he was at the time other than “some ruins”. Maybe the Ruins of Alph? That would make sense, but even if that's correct, I'd need those little stone tablet things to summon the Unown, and I have no guarantee that they would take a shine to me the way they did Molly — I could just as easily get sucked into their dimension and trapped there like Molly's dad did, possibly forever. Next!
  
  
• Argh... I think Solgaleo and Lunala can make portals to Ultra Space at will, and to other dimensions from there? I only played the original Pokemon Moon, but I vaguely remember seeing gameplay footage of that from the Ultra version. Unfortunately, that's only assuming that the anime lines up with the games — by the time it got to Alola, I was no longer watching it — and even if it does, neither legendary should yet exist, because they're currently a Cosmog/Nebbie, and will be for quite a while. There's still the Ultra Wormholes that popped up on their own I guess, but those were implied to be utterly random in when and where they appeared, so I can't guarantee they'd show up in Alola even if I managed to get there, and that still presents no solution for my current body regardless. Plus there's the fact that the Ultra Beasts themselves may not take kindly to my presence in their dimension, and there's a near-zero chance of finding my own dimension amongst the theoretically countless others. NEXT- oh, what's the point?
  
  

I lean back and groan my frustration to the sky. This seems to have quickly turned from a list of potential methods by which to solve my problems, to a list of elaborate ways I could get myself killed or otherwise screwed over in attempting to do so. Couldn't there be a single easy option?

Also, I can't help but notice that one particular issue seems to keep cropping up for pretty much every potential solution I can think of — namely, where to even FIND the solution in question. None of the information from the anime I can recall off the top of my head is exact enough to be particularly helpful in that regard, and even if that wasn't the case, every option I've come up with so far (barring the Unown) is still either a Legendary or Mythical Pokemon, which are known as such not just for their power, but because they're so hidden, secretive, or otherwise hard to find that they're literally considered the stuff of legends and myth. Sure, Ash and company tend to come across them with a ridiculous degree of regularity, but I'm pretty sure that's something that applies to them and only them, not-

I bolt upright.

Hang on. It's still early on in the Diamond and Pearl timeline, right? And assuming that the movies happen in the same continuity as the main series, as they're obviously supposed to, Ash and co are eventually going to encounter a significant number of the Pokemon I just listed off, including Dialga, Palkia, and Arceus. In which case...

As a plan rapidly begins to take shape in my mind, I can't help but to laugh aloud — based on my current line of thought, my best shot at returning to my own universe and body ironically may lie in finding and joining up with this universe's main character, preferably before the events of the 10^th and/or 12^th movies occur. What kind of a cosmic joke is that?

I make an attempt to calm my humor, though I can't seem to help the small smirk that stubbornly and repeatedly creeps back onto my face. Well, at least the “finding” part shouldn't be too hard — I mean, I saw Ash just yesterday, so he and his current traveling buddies have to be pretty close by. I have no way of knowing exactly how far Paul got from them after he caught me, but they were almost certainly heading in the same direction, so they might even show up on this Route... though, as I noted last night, Ash is infamously bad with directions, so I have no guarantee I'll meet up with him, Dawn, and Brock by just staying on this road.

I shrug. Still, they'll have to make it to Jubilife eventually. As such, I should probably just continue on to the city, which I was planning on doing anyways, and then hide or wait around the local gym until they inevitably show up. Not exactly sure how I'm going to convince them to let me tag along with them just yet, but I'll figure it out when I get there — frankly, I'm just glad to have a better idea of what I'm actually doing now.

My stomach suddenly growls, pulling my thoughts to a different subject. Oh, right, it's got to be past time for breakfast by now. With all the walking I've been doing, I could certainly use the energy, I suppose.

Thankful that I have a less bloody food option available to me for once, I extract the now-somewhat slimy berry container from within the cavity of my horns and set it down on the grass in front of me. While I'm slightly disgusted by the gobs of saliva currently dripping down its sides, upon popping the box's lid open, I find that its interior is thankfully a lot less wet, as are its contents. That's a relief; I'd have hated to have been toting this thing around all night just to find out I'd ruined everything inside it later, simply by virtue of having nowhere else to keep it but within my second mouth.

Carefully setting aside my newly gained Pokedex, I help myself to a Sitrus, bringing the fruit to my normal mouth and biting into its flesh with relish. Luckily, the berry's time in my maw doesn't seem to have affected its taste, the indescribable mix of flavors just as wondrous as those of the Sitruses I had yesterday — something only underscored by how my feet almost immediately stop aching as soon I finish swallowing.

...well, now I feel stupid.

Wiggling my two-toed feet to test that they're truly back in peak condition, I shake my head, wishing that I'd thought of that sooner. I've really got to keep on the lookout for more of these berries in the future, especially if I can find a more convenient way of carrying them around. Even setting aside how good they taste, having a stockpile of edible cure-alls on hand is just too useful to ignore the potential utility of... meaning I should also probably try to conserve the ones I still have, actually.

Promising myself that I won't have more than three, I finish off the rest of the berry and start in on a second. It's just as good as the first one, albeit a little warmer than I'd prefer. How fast do berries go bad once plucked, anyways? Do they go bad at all? In the games you can carry them for a theoretically infinite amount of time and they'll still be perfectly fine, but as that doesn't seem to make much realistic sense, I doubt that feature applies here, and I can't imagine that the warm, rather damp climate of my maw is particularly good for preservation purposes. I can't do anything about that right now, but I'd still like to know, if just to be prepared for the future.

And speaking of preparing for the future...

I fish the Pokeball out of the fur of my “pants”, where it's dutifully remained since I stuck it there last night.

Honestly, now that I think about it, it might not be such a great idea to keep carrying this around with me. I'm still glad I took it, since I certainly didn't want to leave it with Paul, but if someone besides me manages to get their hands on this, they could use it just the same as Paul could, and make themselves my “new” trainer. I may know how to escape from this thing now, but it still probably isn't in my best interest to be toting around the tool of my own captivity.

I turn the Pokeball over in my palm. Having this does potentially give me immunity from any other Pokeballs, but I don't think that effect actually depends on me keeping it nearby. In which case, I might as well just leave this thing under a shrub or something, where no one will be likely to ever find it, and be on my merry way.

With this in mind, I turn to a rather thick-looking bush on my left and lightly lob the spherical device to land underneath it, never to be seen again.

-only for the ball to suddenly enlarge as soon as it hits the ground, then open itself and eject a brilliant flash of white light. Startled, I nearly conk the back of my head on the tree behind me as I scramble to my feet, watching wide-eyed as the light rapidly coalesces into a small, familiar form.

“...huh?” Chimchar says, briefly looking from side to side before his gaze settles on me. “Wait, what's going on?”

For a moment, all I can do is stare back at him in shock. Then I look down, close my eyes, and slowly move my hands over my face.

Chapter Text

God damnit.

“Um, where are we?”

I took the wrong Pokeball. Which means that not only do I have Chimchar's ball, and by extension Chimchar himself, but that Paul still has mine. Now I really hope there's no way for him to use it to retrieve me at a distance...

“Where's Paul?”

How did this even happen? Assuming my Pokeball was actually the scuffed up one on the far left of Paul's belt, why the hell was it so damaged?! That ball looked like it had been used and thrown into things way more often than the one that turned out to be Chimchar's, even though the only time it should have ever actually been used was on me!

“Why are you the only one here?”

Wait... are Pokeballs reusable in the anime? I vaguely recall it being implied during Paul's first appearance that it's common practice for him to catch a bunch of Pokemon, check their stats, and then release any or all of them if he doesn't think they're good enough. Doing that repeatedly would presumably be prohibitively expensive if he had to keep buying new Pokeballs, but if he was just using the same ones every time, because he almost never actually kept any Pokemon, then-

“Hey!”

I slide my hands down my face and crack open my left eye to see Chimchar standing all of a foot away from me, his expression one of both total confusion and rapidly increasing panic.

“I'm sorry for yelling, it's just- do you know what happened?” Chimchar frets. “Did- did Paul abandon us?!”

“...no. No he did not.” I murmur.

Bizarrely, that actually seems to calm Chimchar somewhat, some of the alarm fading from his stance.

“He didn't...?” Chimchar breathes. “Phew... where is he then?”

Slowly exhaling, I turn to fully face the young Pokemon that I've apparently yoinked completely out of his canon position, despite having explicitly intended not to do so. God, I'd better hope the universe can somehow compensate if he never ends up with Ash now, because if Chimchar played even a remotely critical role in any of the more serious events of this season or its movies, then the world, if not universe, may be utterly screwed.

“About an eight or so hour walk back that way.” I reply, gesturing with my head. “Last I checked, at least. No idea if he's moved by now or not.”

Chimchar just looks befuddled by that answer for a moment, before his eyes abruptly widen in realization.

“Wait, you- you mean you ran away?!”

“Yep,” I confirm, “and apparently, I brought you along with me.”

Chimchar stills.

“You... brought me with you?” he repeats.

“Not intentionally, but yeah.” I say, crossing my arms. “I thought I was taking my own Pokeball, but evidently I grabbed yours instead. You're welcome, I guess.”

To my surprise, the relative relief I'd expected from Chimchar fails to manifest, his expression instead turning almost horror-struck.

“What do you mean 'you're welcome'?!” he cries. “This is bad! I have to get back to Paul!”

I blink. Wait, he... wants to go back?

“Why, exactly?” I ask, genuinely unsure what the rationale is there.

“Because he's our trainer!” Chimchar replies like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

I snort. “He's certainly not my trainer, and I don't really see why you'd want him as yours.”

Chimchar balls his hands into fists, though his face begins to fall even as he does so.

“Because- because Paul is going to make me stronger.” he says, his voice quickly losing strength. “After all, I'm...”

His next words are spoken so low as to barely be audible, even as close as I currently am to him.

“I'm too weak for anyone else to want me...”

...oh wow.

“Did Paul seriously say that to you.” I ask flatly, the dampened flames of my anger with the purple-haired jerk rapidly beginning to rekindle themselves.

Chimchar flinches back from me, rapidly shaking his head from side to side. “No, it's- he didn't! I just- I can't-!”

Realizing that I must have just activated Intimidate again by accident, I turn away for a moment, take a deep breath, and try to calm myself. I do not need that right now... jeez, this poor kid. I had a feeling he didn't believe his own words last night, but I didn't realize that his self-esteem was quite this bad. Just how little does he have to think of himself to seriously believe what he just said?

Managing to untense enough to deactivate Intimidate — I think I actually “feel” the ability turn off this time — I turn back to Chimchar.

“Look,” I say, doing my best to keep my voice even, “I'm sorry for taking you away from Paul, even if only unintentionally. However, if you're truly set on having a trainer, I'd highly suggest finding someone other than him to fill that role anyways.”

“H-huh?” Chimchar stutters. “I can't... I told you, I'm-”

“Weak, yeah, I heard you.” I interrupt. “Except you're not. You're really, really not.”

Honestly, I kind of feel like I'm working against my own interests by trying to convince Chimchar of this, but much like last night, I just can't find it in myself to say nothing either. Besides, while I suppose Chimchar returning to Paul could potentially get canon back on track, I'd highly doubt it at this point — Paul's presumed reaction to Chimchar disappearing has most likely already altered things too much for future events involving either of them to play out exactly the same way I know, so I might as well just speak my mind.

“Maybe you just don't have anyone to really compare Paul to, but I have absolutely no doubt that there are many, many trainers out there that wouldn't think that you're weak in the slightest.” I continue. “People who would probably value you a lot more than the guy who was threatening to withhold food from you last night because you didn't win a couple of battles fast enough for his liking.”

“He didn't actually do that though!” Chimchar objects.

“The threat of it is bad enough on its own.” I rebut. “Kind trainers don't do that. Normal trainers don't do that.”

Even without having directly interacted with any other trainers, or even any other humans in this world as of yet other than Paul, I feel pretty safe in saying that much.

“Paul is an angry and unpleasant person who treats his Pokemon like tools.” I summarize, holding up a hand to forestall Chimchar's immediate protests. “If you can name ONE time that he's complimented or encouraged you in a fashion that wasn't either derisive or belittling in some way, I'll take that back... but I bet you can't.”

I was kind of going out on a limb there, but from the hint of doubt that flashes across Chimchar's face, I can tell that I was right. Unfortunately, that doubt remain there for barely a second before disappearing, replaced by something I can only describe as “determined resignation”.

“...you're right. I can't.” Chimchar quietly admits, looking down at the ground. “But it doesn't matter. I still need to go back.”

I close my eyes and shake my head. Well, I tried — as sorry as I feel for Chimchar, I can't help someone who clearly doesn't want to be helped, and it's not like I can force him to do anything.

“Well, head back along the path in that direction then.” I say, pointing back the way I came. “Or just wait around in the middle of the Route I guess, and if Paul manages to find his way back to it, he'll eventually find you too.”

Chimchar glances anxiously down the seemingly endless dirt path.

“I guess...” he concedes after a moment, turning back to me. “What about you though?”

“Unlike you, I do not want to go back to Paul.” I reply. “As I would assume is obvious from the fact that I ran off to begin with. Him managing to catch me doesn't make me beholden to him, and if I have my way, I will never have to see nor interact with him ever again.”

Admittedly, it does now occur to me that I'd probably have been able to find Ash and company pretty easily if I'd just stayed with Paul, who's pretty much bound to encounter the group again some time down the road, but that ship has already long since sailed at this point. It wouldn't have been a certain thing anyways — even assuming I could have continued putting up with Paul that long, I'm pretty sure he also switches out his Pokemon a lot more than Ash ever did, and there would have been no guarantee he'd ever let me out while in front of the group, let alone let me “defect” to them. Traveling speed aside, this is still vastly preferable.

“You're really just... leaving, then?” Chimchar asks in a strangely sad tone.

“I already left.” I correct. “Your choices are your own, so if you really want to go back to Paul, you can, or can at least try. My choices are also my own however, so if you plan on doing that, then no, I will definitely not be going back with you.”

Chimchar lowers his head again, looking almost hurt to hear that. Not sure why he seems so disappointed. Maybe it's just because I was the only one who was even remotely nice to him, which again begs the question why he seems to think that going back to Paul is worth doing in the first place.

“You're sure that Paul will come this way...?” Chimchar asks, turning back to the path.

“No idea.” I answer truthfully. “Maybe? I'm pretty sure this Route is the most common way to get to Jubilife City, which I assume is where he was going, but considering how long it took me to get here from where we were, I doubt Paul was actually trying to use it. So I suppose he might end up going some other way entirely.”

If I'm lucky, maybe even in the exact opposite direction.

“What?!” Chimchar cries, rounding on me once more. “I can't do that then! What if he never comes? What if I never find him again?!”

It's all I can do not to roll my eyes — the way Chimchar makes it sound, you'd think never reuniting with Paul would mean the end of the world. Which, I suppose it actually could, in a roundabout sort of way, but it's not like he knows that. I've never met anyone so utterly determined to place themselves right back into a terrible situation they already got out of.

“Fine,” I say, getting rather frustrated, “then in that case... I don't know, head to Jubilife City like I'm doing and hang around the local Pokemon Center until Paul shows up?”

“Head to- wait, you're going to the human city?” Chimchar says, tilting his head at me. “If you dislike Paul so much, why are you going where he's going anyways?”

“Personal reasons.” I brush off, not wanting to get into it. “In any event, Paul will presumably have to visit the place once he gets there, if just to heal up Elekid and Murkrow, and once he arrives, you should be perfectly free to join right back up with him. In fact...”

I walk over and pick Chimchar's fallen Pokeball back up from the grass, then hold it out for him to see. “Since you have this, the nurses might even recognize you as a lost trainer's Pokemon, and just transfer you to wherever Paul's other Pokemon are kept so he can pick you up later.”

Can't say I remember exactly where that is — I think Paul had some sort of ranch he used, kind of like Professor Oak's? — but I suppose it doesn't really matter so long as I don't also end up there.

“Sound like a better plan to you?” I finish.

Chimchar hesitates again, but eventually nods.

“Great, glad to hear.” I say before he can do more than that, not wanting to discuss this honestly kind of upsetting topic with him any longer. “Off you go then. Best of luck with that.”

I turn away-

“Wait!”

I turn back. Chimchar is staring at me, last night's familiar nervousness plain to see on his face.

“What?” I ask.

“It's just, um...” he starts, his voice fluctuating in strength, “if we're going to the same place... can I come with you, for now?”

I blink back at him.

Huh. Didn't really think about that, but I guess it would make sense — no real reason for us to head to Jubilife separately if we're taking the same Route. Can't say I was exactly expecting a traveling companion, but it could be nice... plus, if I happen to find Ash before we find the Pokemon Center, I might be able to get the two together by just handing Chimchar over to him personally. Not sure how likely that would be to actually work, given how weirdly dedicated Chimchar presently seems to be to Paul, but I suppose I have to at least try to rerail this train.

“...sure.” I finally answer. “Just don't expect me to jump back into Paul's arms along with you.”

Or even let him know I'm around, for that matter.

Chimchar smiles widely, seeming oddly cheered by the idea of traveling with the only reason he's not presently where he wants to be to begin with. Don't think I quite understand that, but it's not like I want him angry at me, so I'm not going to question it either.

“I suppose I should ask if you want to travel by Pokeball or not?” I say, fiddling with the tiny orb still clutched in my claws. “I've been carrying you around for the past few hours without knowing, so I guess I can just keep doing that if you want.”

“Ah... no, I'll stay out here I think.” Chimchar replies, looking somewhat taken aback by the idea.

I shrug. “Fine by me.”

I slip the shrunken Pokeball back into my fur, then look down at the berry-filled container sitting next to me. I wasn't finished eating, but truth be told, I don't think I'm really all that hungry anymore — guess I must still be pretty full from last night. That, or Sitrus berries are just incredibly filling for some reason, which I suppose could be possible. They're already basically miracle fruits, after all.

Deciding to pack things up and get back on the road, I lift the Pokedex off the ground, intending to return it to the container for storage. Chimchar startles slightly, evidently not having even noticed the device up until just now.

“Wait, isn't that Paul's?” he asks.

“It was.” I idly reply, fiddling with the edge of the strange semi-circular attachment depressed into the right side of the device. What is this part for, anyways?

“You stole that from him too?”

“'Liberated' might be a better word for it in this case, but yes.” I say. “Sorry, I needed it more than he did.”

Still do, honestly, so I really hope Paul's Pokedex isn't so important to him that he'd try and hunt me down just to get it back. Although come to think of it, he might come after me to get Chimchar back as well, especially if he thinks I “stole” Chimchar on purpose rather than just having accidentally grabbed the wrong Pokeball. Meaning that by making that mistake, I may have unwittingly given Paul even more reason to take the exact course of action I don't want him to take. Lovely.

“I don't even really know what that thing does, but I still don't think you should have taken it...” Chimchar mutters.

I shrug. I'd defend myself further, but I doubt that it would change Chimchar's mind... since Paul apparently never told him what this machine is actually for though, perhaps I should make this a teaching moment.

“For future reference, this is called a Pokedex.” I explain, opening up the device in question and navigating to the Status Analyzer option. “It has several different functions, perhaps most importantly a map of the local region, but its main purpose is to scan and display data on different Pokemon, like so.”

I wave the Pokedex in Chimchar's general direction, and the device reacts immediately, an image of a Chimchar appearing on its top screen as a digitized female voice rings out from the speakers.

“Chimchar, the Chimp Pokémon. Chimchar easily climbs the sheerest of walls and lives on mountain tops. When it sleeps, its flames go out.”

Chimchar jumps backwards a bit, while I just nod, having expected the brief audio blurb. Good to know that works as expected, even after its time spent in my maw.

“Make sense?” I ask.

“I- maybe?” Chimchar says, though based on the uncertainty in his voice, I'm guessing the actual answer is a resounding “no”.

“...eh, I'll tell you more about it later.” I say, deciding to shelve the topic for now. “This isn't really the time to get into it.”

“Right...” Chimchar agrees, his eyes now drifting to the berry container at my feet. “Those are the berries from last night?”

I groan internally, readying myself for another soft indictment of my actions. “Yes, and before you ask, the container is Paul's-”

“No, it's not that.” Chimchar timidly interrupts. “It's just... could I have one, please?”

Oh, so he's just hungry.

Perhaps somewhat selfishly, I don't answer immediately, finding myself rather reluctant to give up any of my limited portable food and medical supplies. Still, I did remove Chimchar from his normal source of food, however unintentionally, so I probably owe him this much.

“Yeah, sure, help yourself.” I say, trying not to sound annoyed.

Chimchar does so, stepping forward and extracting a Sitrus from the box before biting into it with relish. Meanwhile, I make to close and stow the Pokedex away again — only to suddenly realize that the top screen isn't the only one that the scan of Chimchar populated. The bottom screen now has a bright green text box on it, as well as a large, partially transparent image of a Pokeball and what looks like a frozen audio visualizer bar. The text box is endlessly scrolling upwards, whole paragraphs of words flying by slightly too quickly to actually read. Hmm, what's this say?

I take a closer look at the tiny writing, pressing one of the two arrows to the side of the text box to stop the auto-scroll. The top section is just the same short description of what a Chimchar is that the dex read aloud a minute ago, but below that is what appears to be a much longer, considerably more thorough analysis of the species, followed by a few more bits of information that seem to be specific to the Chimchar currently standing in front of me:

Sex: Male

Health: Good

Ability: Blaze

Known Moves: Scratch, Ember, Flame Wheel, Dig

I raise one of my nonexistent eyebrows. Huh, well, that's useful. I'd forgotten that the Pokedex can scan a Pokemon's known moves... though to be honest, I probably should have remembered that sooner, since Paul clearly used that function on me at some point yesterday.

I frown. That reminds me... when Paul came over to harangue me about how pathetic my moves were after I lost to Murkrow yesterday evening, I'm pretty sure I remember him listing off Fake Tears alongside the rest of my attacks. Except, I don't know how to use Fake Tears... do I?

Curious, I make a brief attempt at forcing myself to cry — and a pair of large, almost globule-like tears nigh-instantly manifest at the corners of my eyes, quickly soaking through the fur beneath them and beginning to roll down the sides of my face. They're followed shortly thereafter by several more of their kind, which continue to rapidly bead and well up from my eyes practically of their own accord.

Startled, I stop trying to cry, and the flow of water ceases just as quickly as it started. Well, that was a little unexpected...

“Huh...?”

I look up at Chimchar, who's staring at me a shocked expression, presumably having noticed the remaining droplets of water still dribbling down my chin.

“Wait, what's wrong?!” Chimchar exclaims. “Why are you crying?!”

“It's nothing...” I murmur, wiping the rest of the water away.

Evidently I DO know Fake Tears after all. It didn't even require me to dip into my reservoir to use it — I guess crying at will is just something I can do now. Must have “learned” it during the encounter with the Ursaring... although, those tears were definitely real.

“I'm sorry I asked for a berry!” Chimchar continues to babble, holding out the half-eaten Sitrus to me. “Here, you can have the rest!"

“What- no, really, it's nothing.” I say, shaking my head. “You're not at fault; don't worry about it.”

I tilt my eyes down at him to show him the lack of new tears. “See? Already dried up.”

“A-are you sure...?” Chimchar stutters.

“Yes, I'm sure.” I reiterate. “In fact, if you see me crying again later, don't automatically assume that it means anything. I did that on purpose; it literally meant nothing.”

Seriously, I appreciate the concern and all, especially since inspiring that sort of thing in others is pretty much exactly what Fake Tears is meant for, but it's really not needed right now.

Chimchar still seems unconvinced, continuing to stare at me and fidget in place. Not wanting to linger on this subject any longer, I decide to try and move things along.

“Look, let's just get going.” I say, finally placing the Pokedex back inside the berry container and walking forward slightly to gesture down the road. “We've got a long, long trip ahead of us, so we should really-”

The ground around me abruptly turns dark, as though the night came back and fell in an instant. Then I hear something rushing through the air behind me, just before it slams directly into the back of my horns.

...couldn't even let me finish my damn sentence, huh?

Chapter Text

Before the force of whatever just hit me has even fully registered, I feel several long, thin objects scrape themselves across the outer surface of my horns, producing a horribly loud, grating noise that reminds me of nails being dragged across sheet metal. Then the rest of the impact catches up with me, and the objects tear free as I'm sent tumbling away from them, rolling to a painful stop directly in the middle of the dirt road.

Hearing Chimchar cry out in panic behind me, I hurriedly push myself back up off the ground, wincing from the pain of my newly-scraped face. Did Paul send Murkrow after me?! I considered that he might, but I didn't think she'd catch up so fast!

I make it back to my feet, and pan my gaze up to meet the eyes of my attacker-

That is not Murkrow.

“Hmm, that wasn't right...” the Staraptor mutters in a deep, oddly resonant voice, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his talons. “I really must be getting old. Never used to take me more than one strike to bring down prey.”

I involuntarily suck in a breath. Oh no, it's happening! I knew something was going to try to make a meal out of me sooner or later!

“Ah well.” the Staraptor continues, sounding almost bored. “No harm in taking my time, I suppose.”

I clench my horns together and stare my assailant down as he turns his gaze to me, doing my best not to look cowed. While not quite the size of the Ursaring from before, he's still over twice my height, and hovering several feet off the ground on top of that, making him hardly much less terrifying to face off against.

“I am nobody's food,” I grit out, trying not to let my fear show, “and if you try to make me yours...”

I bring my horns around in front of me and open them wide, Intimidate activating in tandem with the action as I focus my eyes into a glare.

“Then it will be the most painful meal you have ever had.” I finish.

Please just leave, please just leave...

Unfortunately, my silent prayers go unanswered, as the Staraptor does not seem remotely deterred by my display. In fact, save what might be some minor surprise, he looks more amused now than anything else, even eager, his eyes turning upwards as though to smile-

A sudden wave of fear crashes over me, redoubling that which I'm already feeling. In a scant moment, my impression of the enormous raptor bird goes from scary to straight-up terrifying, his form seeming to almost loom over mine far larger than the Ursaring's ever did. Unable to stop myself, I stagger back a couple of steps, my tiny heart pounding in my chest.

Wh-what is this-?!

“Not bad, little morsel.” the Staraptor chuckles. “But you've still got a lot to learn.”

My eyes widen. He- he has Intimidate too-!

“Shame that you'll never have the chance.”

Without any further warning, the Staraptor dives down at me, completely uncaring of my still-open maw. SHIT!

Panicking, I activate Thunder Fang, instinctively drawing my horns backwards to shield the rest of my body as my many teeth light up with crackling yellow energy. Seeing my entire mouth suddenly become what amounts to a giant electrified shield, the Staraptor swiftly pulls up, immediately aborting his own attack.

A surge of relief cuts through my terror, and I take the opportunity to lash out with the Thunder Fang proper, trying to snag the Staraptor before he can get out of reach. Unfortunately, my heightened fear of the massive bird causes me to hesitate for a fraction of a second too long — all I manage to do is brush the tip of my maw against one of the Staraptor's talons. A small amount of electricity still jumps from me to him at the contact, but aside from provoking a minor flinch, the attack does nothing of much note.

“Hmm, a little more dangerous than I'd thought...” the Staraptor casually comments as he ascends back into the sky over the Route. “Perhaps this will actually be interesting.”

I grit my teeth as Thunder Fang dissipates, doing my best to push past Intimidate's effects as the Staraptor leisurely circles overhead, clearly not particularly concerned about his chances of winning this fight. Which, he's probably right not to be — even with strategic use of my one Electric-type attack, this is a fully-evolved Pokemon I'm up against, and much like Murkrow, he has an exceedingly easy way of staying out of range of all but one of my moves. I probably can't beat him.

...but maybe if I can just convince him that I'm more trouble than I'm worth...

“S-scared of electricity, huh?” I yell upwards, an unintentional stutter regrettably taking a fair bit of punch out of my words. I'm really starting to hate being on the other end of this ability. “Sure you want to continue this?”

The Staraptor scoffs, his voice more than loud enough for me to hear him even down on the ground.

“An adorable bluff, but I'm hardly going to let myself be chased off by my morning meal.” he calls down, amusement heavily coloring his tone.

I scowl. Great, guess that's not gonna work. Looks like once again, it's up to me somehow coming out on top against a Pokemon that massively outclasses me in a one-on-one fight...

-actually, hang on, isn't there someone else here who should also be fighting for their life right now?

I swivel my gaze around until I find Chimchar, who's just standing gormlessly off to the side of the road, his mouth slightly agape as he watches the proceedings. What is he doing?!

“Could I get a little HELP here please?!” I all but scream in Chimchar's direction.

In the brief moment that I'm not watching the skies above me, the Staraptor dives down again, his significantly higher starting position allowing him to come in much faster than he did the first time. My maw still held out defensively in front of me, I attempt to activate Thunder Fang again, but before I can even pull the energy for the move out of my reservoir, the Staraptor is upon me, knocking my horns aside with a casual sweep of his wing.

The force behind the blow easily knocks me off my feet again, sending me tumbling across the road for the second time in the last two minutes. Landing with my head facing the sky, my anger spikes, and some of my fear seems to wither. Does Intimidate stop working when I'm not actively looking at him...?

I try to rise, but as I do, the Staraptor leisurely moves into the air in front of me. He flaps his wings just once, and the resulting miniature air pressure wave knocks my hands out from under me, forcing me back to the ground again.

I desperately look over at Chimchar, only to find that he's still doing nothing. Does he not realize he's going to be the second course here if he doesn't do something soon?!

“Chimchar, seriously, HELP!”

Chimchar jolts in place, as though having just been snapped out of a trance.

“I- h-how-?” he stutters.

How?! For the love of-

“Use Flame Wheel!!!” I yelp as the Staraptor descends, calling out the first move name that comes to mind.

With that, Chimchar finally springs into action, running forward and front-flipping into the air towards the Staraptor while spewing fire from his mouth. The fire quickly becomes caught in his spin and grows to engulf the entirety of his body, and barely half a second later, an enormous ring of fire is whirling through the air towards the hovering bird Pokemon... who simply flies up and out of the way, easily dodging the attack.

Thankfully, Chimchar's failed move still distracts the Staraptor for long enough that I manage to get a moment to find my footing again. As soon as I do however, the wave of heat given off by the Flame Wheel proceeds to wash over me like a physical object, and I instinctively flinch back from the sensation, my skin prickling as though I'm being poked all over by a thousand tiny needles. Okay, maybe that wasn't the best idea!

Chimchar's Flame Wheel hits the ground again and dies away, leaving Chimchar to skid to a halt on all fours just a short distance away. I start towards him, then stop as the Staraptor descends again, tilting his head at the smaller Pokemon.

“Ah, you two are together then?” he asks, seeming slightly intrigued. “What an exciting breakfast this is turning out to be.”

The Staraptor abruptly multiplies, spreading over 20 identical looking copies of himself throughout the surrounding air. I open my mouth, but before Chimchar can do anything, or I can tell him to do anything, the many Staraptor clones all flap their wings rapidly in tandem, and an enormous, concentrated gust of wind sends Chimchar flying down the road.

Thinking quickly, I send Fairy-type energy to my horns and spin in place, releasing Fairy Wind towards the rough middle of the various Double Team images. In what I can only call a lucky break, the attack actually spreads enough to pop every one of the duplicates almost simultaneously — but even once revealed, the real Staraptor hardly seems to care, all but ignoring the pinkish energy now popping and crackling around his body as he swoops down at me again.

I try to call forth Thunder Fang again, but I guess that was too predictable, because even as my teeth once again light up with sparking yellow energy, the Staraptor sweeps my legs out from under me with a glowing white wing, my fur doing little to cushion the blow. I land painfully on my back, my maw clacking closed as I hit the ground once more.

Before I can do anything else, the Staraptor sets down immediately behind my head and steps forward, slamming his right foot down on top of my horns hard enough to make my skull ring. I struggle to throw him off, but from my current position, I have absolutely no leverage — he's effectively both pinned me to the ground and prevented me from retaliating with the exact same motion.

“There we go.” the Staraptor says conversationally, as though having finally figured out the answer to a bothersome trivia question. “Thank you for the entertainment.”

He raises his head upwards, his heavily-scarred beak poised to plunge down directly into my chest. Literally seeing my death coming towards me, I desperately try to redirect the Electric-type energy I just sent to my maw to somewhere, anywhere else in my body. Come on...!

For a split second, the energy resists, seeming extremely reluctant to move from its current position. I somehow manage to get a small bit of it to my right hand however, whereupon the rest of it nigh-immediately follows, as though some sort of conduit just opened up inside my arm. I feel my teeth abruptly stop sparking as my right hand lights up with electricity instead.

With no time to think about what I just did, I ball my hand into a fist and punch upwards, aiming at the Staraptor's rapidly descending neck. I feel it connect-

Pain rushes through my body as the attack backfires, the contained electricity bursting apart on contact with the other Pokemon and shocking both of us simultaneously. The Staraptor cries out, abruptly withdrawing his foot from my horns, but I'm not left much better off, feeling quite a bit like I'm back with Elekid again. Owww!!!

As the Staraptor stumbles back, I manage to stagger back to my feet, only to immediately realize that my right hand seems to have gone completely numb. Okay, won't be doing that again...

I take some consolation in the fact that the Staraptor has to be hurting from my attack as well, and probably worse than me. When I actually look at him however, not only has he already recovered, he's smirking, as though greatly enjoying every moment of this.

The Staraptor lifts off again and opens his beak, but before he can actually say anything I spot Chimchar running back up from behind me, looking slightly scraped up from his trip down the road, but otherwise fine. I don't know if he's going to attack on his own now, but I'm not going to risk it either.

“Chimchar, use Ember!” I call out.

Chimchar breathes in deeply, then opens his mouth and breathes out a steady stream of small, glowing red orbs. The Staraptor snaps his beak shut and lazily rolls through the air to avoid the attack, then abruptly streaks forward, a blinding white trail of energy following in his wake. I don't get the chance to even try to react before the much larger Pokemon has blitzed right past me, the force of the wind produced by the Quick Attack alone nearly knocking me off my feet again.

In the split second it takes for me to steady myself, I hear a loud impact and a high-pitched cry ring out from behind me, and whirl around just in time to see Chimchar come crashing to the ground as the Staraptor glides back up into the sky. Damn it!

I hurry over to Chimchar's side. His eyes are squeezed shut, little whimpers of pain escaping his mouth as he curls in on his stomach, where I assume he was hit. He's clearly struggling to stay conscious.

I frantically look around for something to help, and spot Chimchar's half-eaten Sitrus berry lying on the path, presumably having been dropped at some point. As the Staraptor once again slowly circles around overhead, all but silently gloating about just how much he's toying with the two of us, I grab the slighty-dirtied berry up from the ground and shove it into Chimchar's mouth, squeezing some of the juice out and then forcing him to chew. Come on, get up, you can't pass out right now!

Chimchar stirs and begins to chew more fervently, his eyes slowly opening as several of his wounds fade away before my eyes. A few moments later, he's back on his feet, still gingerly holding his stomach with one hand, but at least able to function in some capacity.

“Hurry, get up in the trees!” I quickly say, not waiting for him to speak. “I can't hit him from here; you're the only one who can get anywhere close!”

Chimchar looks startled, but does as asked and quickly begins to scrabble up the nearest tree trunk. I back up against the same tree myself a moment later, figuring that at least if I'm up against a solid surface, the Staraptor won't be able to use any attack so fast that he'll potentially crash right into it. Or that's the theory, at least.

The Staraptor finally turns to face us again, just as Chimchar passes into the tree's upper foliage.

“Use Ember repeatedly!” I shout upwards.

More of the tiny glowing orbs begin shooting out of the top of the tree, blanketing the sky overhead with pinpricks of reddish-orange light. Unfortunately, they're just not fast enough to hit the Staraptor, who dodges and weaves around every single one of them with ease.

Frustrated, I try to use Fairy Wind to help, but the Staraptor easily evades that as well, and all my attack ultimately does is push Chimchar's Embers upwards, further spreading them around as they begin drifting down onto the trees below. For a second I find myself worried about that, but decide in the next second that I really can't be concerned about it right now.

The Staraptor suddenly dives, swooping down out of Chimchar's line of fire and gliding down the Route in the opposite direction. For a brief moment my hope soars, thinking that we actually managed to drive him off, but after flying a fair distance away, the Staraptor just swivels back around again, turning to face me while hovering barely a foot off the ground. What is he-

With a flap of his wings, the Staraptor begins rapidly accelerating forwards, causing my heart to nearly jump out of my throat as a brilliant blue aura suddenly envelops the predatory Pokemon, wreathing him in what looks almost like technicolor fire. Oh no, that's Brave Bird-!

I smash my horns against the side of the tree trunk I'm pressed up again, using the force of the impact to help push myself out of the way of the incoming attack. Not a moment too soon, as barely a split second later, the Staraptor zooms right through the space I was just occupying and smashes straight through the tree trunk, coming out the other side without slowing down in the slightest.

I don't get to see where the Staraptor goes in the moment after, as the tree, now lacking any actual connection to the ground, quickly begins to tip over, prompting me to start running before it does so directly on top of me. In my peripheral vision, I see Chimchar leap down from the branches of the falling tree into those of an adjacent one, but I, sadly, have no such option.

“HELP!” I cry out as the falling lumber crashes down into the middle of the route, the impact knocking me clean off my feet and sending me sprawling into the nearby grass.

Chimchar springs down from the tree he just jumped to and rushes over to me as I flip onto my back, my eyes rapidly scanning back and forth across the skies — the Staraptor is nowhere to be seen. Where'd he go...?

A thought that perhaps he's recovering from the recoil damage from his last move flits across my mind, but even if that's true, there's no way that'll buy us long. I need to move!

I try to push myself up with my right hand, forgetting that it's still numb, and nearly have it crumple out from under me. Luckily, Chimchar manages to grab me before I can fall again and hauls me back to my feet, though he's clearly even less calm than I am right now.

“What do we do?!” Chimchar asks, frantically looking to me for advice.

I silently ball my one working hand into a fist, not having an answer to give him — we can't hit the Staraptor with physical attacks while he's up in the sky, and he's fast enough to easily dodge the only two long range attacks we have, not that he even seemed to feel it when I managed to hit him with Fairy Wind anyways. Even when he comes in close to attack, it's pretty clear that he's just playing with his food. He could easily decimate both of us from afar with whatever that wind attack he used earlier was, but he's deliberately drawing things out, seemingly just for the fun of it. We'd need to do something truly unexpected to catch him off guard, but without either of us being able to even approach the Staraptor on anything but his own terms, that's essentially impossible.

Unless...

“Quick, climb on my horns.” I say hurriedly, turning and setting them down in front of Chimchar. “I need to test something.”

Chimchar balks for a brief moment, but a turn of my head and a tiny glare is all it takes to get him moving. Once he's perched on top of me, I try to lift my horns again, and find his weight to be negligible — even though Chimchar almost certainly has to equal a significant portion of my own weight, he might as well not be there for all the difference it seems to make. In which case, this could actually work. That is, assuming I time it right, and Chimchar times it right, and the Staraptor doesn't dodge...

Oh, who am I kidding? This is a completely ridiculous plan, which has every possible reason to fail. But it's also all I've got right now, and it's not like they didn't manage to pull off some far more ridiculous stunts in the show, so let's try it anyways.

“Hang on tight.” I quietly instruct Chimchar, slowly walking out into the middle of the Route as I continue to search the skies overhead. “When I say 'now', jump as high as you can, okay?”

Chimchar nods — just as the Staraptor bursts out of foliage behind us, both of his wings shining bright white. Flying perpendicular to the ground, he extends his right wing downwards, positioning it to slam into both me and Chimchar simultaneously.

Having seen him coming from the back of my vision, I spin out of the way, the glowing wing passing barely an inch in front of my face and eliciting a startled gasp from Chimchar. Even once it passes by however, I don't stop spinning, continuing to build my momentum further while pooling energy from my reservoir into my horns. Please let me not screw this up-!

The Staraptor glides back up above the route, ceasing his ascent and beginning to turn just as I complete my final rotation.

“NOW! USE FLAME WHEEL!” I shout as I swing my horns towards the heavens.

Chimchar leaps off of me as I unleash the pent up Fairy Wind, thankfully managing to aim it properly despite my spin-induced dizziness. Bolstered by the force of my additional twirls, the gust produced by the move surges forth with slightly more power than usual, which, combined with the force of both my initial swing and Chimchar's own jump, sends him rocketing into the air — directly towards our mutual enemy.

The Staraptor finishes turning around and squawks in alarm as Chimchar comes flying up to meet him, the tiny monkey curling into a ball as he goes and once again becoming engulfed in a giant wheel of fire. Surprisingly, a fair amount of my Fairy Wind ends up getting swept up into the move's rotation in the process, the snapping, crackling sparkles transforming the Flame Wheel into more of a Catherine Wheel as the technique whirls up into the sky like the firework it now appears as.

The unexpected spectacle of the attack thankfully makes it no less dangerous — caught completely by surprise, the Staraptor belatedly attempts to juke to the right, but too late, as the boosted Flame Wheel slams directly into his left wing. The force of the impact snaps the entire limb backwards at a rather sickening angle, while the heat and flames nigh-instantly burn off the vast majority of its feathers. Despite the rather gruesome sight, I almost can't help but laugh aloud out of sheer amazement — my ridiculous “plan” somehow actually succeeded.

Flame Wheel dies away, and my heart leaps as Chimchar begins to fall from the sky — I hadn't thought at all about what would happen after the attack actually finished. Thankfully, he manages to steer himself to land atop a nearby tree without too much apparent issue, not even seeming to hurt himself at all in the fall. In contrast, the Staraptor plummets from the air straight down into the middle of the Route, crashing beak-first directly into the dirt.

...we've won.

I hurry over to Chimchar as he clambers down from the tree he just touched down on. Coincidentally, it appears to be the exact same one I was resting underneath when this started, my berry container still sitting exactly where I left it.

“That was amazing!” I immediately gush as soon as Chimchar has reached the ground. “I can't believe how well that worked! Awesome job!”

Chimchar flinches back, his eyes going wide as saucers, prompting me to back off slightly. Er, guess that was a bit too enthusiastic for him. Can you really blame me though? I'm still riding an adrenaline high here!

“Anyways, um. Thanks for being willing to listen to me.” I say, slightly more reservedly this time. “There's no way I could have done that on my own.”

Honestly, that setup worked way better than I'd have expected it to. I almost felt like a trainer there for a bit, albeit one that was rather more actively involved in the fighting than just shouting out commands from the sidelines.

“Y-you're welcome,” Chimchar replies, still seeming slightly flustered. “You seemed to know what you were doing, so I...”

His words abruptly die in his throat mid-sentence. At the same time, I hear something shift behind me, and spot something black moving in my peripheral vision.

No. You can't be serious...

I turn around to see exactly what I already knew I would — the Staraptor has gotten back to his feet. He's holding his ruined wing closely to his side, a thin stream of fresh blood seeping from what remains of the limb's blackened feathers, but judging by his still fierce expression, he has no intention of letting this be the end of it.

“Haaah...” the Staraptor exhales, his breathing ragged, but his tone just as light as before. “You two are just full of surprises, aren't you? I have half a mind to let you live just to see what you'd become... ”

I clench my horns together so hard I fear for a moment they might break. What is it going to take to put this guy down?! Does he really believe the value the two of us would provide as food is worth continuing this fight?! If it were me standing there with a snapped limb, I'd have fled by now and gone to try and find something to fix it-

A thought abruptly occurs to me, which rapidly evolves into a larger idea. Maybe... maybe this doesn't have to end in further bloodshed. Maybe if I just-

The Staraptor charges, moving startlingly quickly even without the use of his wings. With no further time to consider things, I make a snap decision.

“TIME OUT!”

My declaration is so unexpected that, amazingly, it actually works — the Staraptor screeches to an abrupt stop, planting his talons firmly into the ground to halt his momentum, even as his eyes continue boring into mine.

“Time out...?” he repeats.

“Yes, time out.” I say, trying to speak quickly before the shock wears off. “I want to make a deal with you.”

Chimchar looks at me like I'm completely crazy — and maybe he's right. I'm taking a serious gamble here, with no guarantee of it paying off. Still, this bird currently wants us not only dead, but in his stomach, so it's not like this can possibly make things much worse if it doesn't work anyways... and if it does, we'll all be much better off for it.

“You're only doing this for food, right?” I ask, turning my gaze slightly to the side of the Staraptor before Intimidate turns me into a babbling mess. “Well, I have food.”

I gesture to the container at my feet, still mostly full of my stockpiled berries, and see the Staraptor's gaze follow. “Food that isn't us, and which I'm pretty sure will even fix your wing in the process of eating it. I'll gladly give it to you, on the condition that you stop attacking us.”

The Staraptor narrows his eyes and opens his beak to reply, but I'm not quite finished.

“...and also fly us to the nearest human city.”

For a brief moment, the Staraptor appears caught completely flat-footed by that addition, his expression turning to one of utter surprise... and then, without warning, he breaks out into full-blown, almost manic-sounding laughter. Chimchar and I meet each other's gazes for a moment, both of us equally unsure what to think.

“Oh, I like you, little morsel!” the Staraptor crows as his laughter winds down. “How very daring... tell me though; why shouldn't I just kill you two, then eat both you and all those lovely little berries anyways?”

In response, I reach into the container, extract one of the Sitrus berries, and pop it straight into my maw, reducing the fruit to pulp in barely a second and swallowing it down another second later. While I'm annoyed at not getting to taste the berry, it still has the effect I was looking for, as my right arm rapidly begins to regain its feeling, and several more of my injuries rapidly (and hopefully visibly) improve.

“Because, as things stand, you cannot win this battle.” I reply, doing my best to keep my voice steady. “If you accept my offer, you'll get both food and instant healing for that wing, as well as the other injuries you've taken, and all it'll cost you is a little time. If you don't, the two of us will wear you down through sheer attrition... and I'll make you MY food instead.”

I display my teeth again to emphasize my point. I'm aware that doing so might not be the best strategy, as I get the feeling this guy actually rather likes challenging the odds, and he also pretty much immediately called my bluff earlier. This time though, I'm not bluffing — if he really wants to keep going, I plan on following through with exactly what I just told him. And if he can tell as much...

Silence falls, several extremely tense moments passing by before the Staraptor finally responds.

“And exactly what assurance do I have that you won't try to take a bite of me anyways while we're up in the air, hmm?” he asks slowly.

I try not to show any outward reaction to that, despite very much wanting to. He's considering it!

“Because if I did, both of us-” I point at Chimchar, who startles at being even indirectly addressed, “-would immediately drop hundreds of feet from the sky and die on impact with the ground. I'm not an idiot... besides, uncooked bird isn't really one of my preferred foods anyways.”

Though, I suppose he actually did just sort of get cooked, at least on the one side, but- ugh, this is not helpful to be thinking about right now!

Another tense pause ensues, seconds seeming to stretch into minutes as the Staraptor thinks over my offer. I force myself not to fidget, not wanting to make any sort of movement until I'm sure of what's going to happen next.

Finally, far too long later, the Staraptor lets out a small, quiet laugh, far more restrained than his previous mirth. Folding up his undamaged wing to match his broken one, he turns to look me directly in the eyes.

“Alright... deal.”

I very nearly collapse to my knees in relief on the spot.

Chapter Text

I've always rather liked the idea of flying.

I can't really say why, honestly. There's just something about the concept that makes it seem almost inherently fantastical; dream-like even outside of dreams. Perhaps that's over-romanticizing it a bit — I've certainly never felt particularly awestruck by the experience of riding on a modern airline — but the idea of seeing things from on high, silently watching over all beneath, utterly unfettered by the chains of gravity... something about that really does appeal to me.

...it appeals to me slightly less, however, when the method by which I am flying is “gripped within the talons of an enormous, highly predatory bird”.

Trying to ignore our current altitude, I nervously tighten my right hand's grip around the Staraptor's right leg. My left hand remains firmly clenched around Chimchar's Pokeball, which Chimchar is currently inside of — I'd have just left it in my fur, where it miraculously managed to stay put during the entirety of the recent fight, but since this ended up being the Staraptor's idea of “flying us to the city”, I'm holding on to it directly to make absolutely sure it doesn't accidentally fall. Which honestly is only making this worse, since I would REALLY prefer to have both of my hands available right now.

Presumably having felt me anxiously adjusting my grip again, the Staraptor laughs aloud and tilts his head down to look at me.

“What, not afraid of a little fall, are you?” he asks, by all measures actively enjoying my discomfort. “Where'd that fearless front from earlier go?”

I glare up at him, but say nothing, even as I mentally curse him out.

After I struck my deal with the Staraptor, I helped him reset his wing (with Chimchar's uneasy assistance), then gave him a couple Sitrus berries to mend the broken bone and help fix some of his feathers. Once that was done however, I closed the container up again, promising the rest of the berries on delivery as a sort of weak insurance. Thankfully, the Staraptor took no real issue with that, nor with me keeping the container inside of my maw — he even already knew how to get to the “nearest human city” by simply following the Route. Negotiations were going rather smoothly, all told.

Unfortunately, the Staraptor had a stipulation of his own as well. That being, despite the fact that he could easily have carried me on his back if he'd wanted to — hell, he could have carried both me and Chimchar without issue — he refused to allow that, citing that he wanted us both “where he could see us” if he was going to do this. Given the incredibly smug tone of voice he'd delivered that pronouncement in, it was almost certainly just a power move rather than something he truly cared about, but I didn't want to risk resuming hostilities by protesting, and so held myself back from actually doing so.

...so now, I'm stuck dealing with this absolutely terrifying setup, where virtually the only thing separating me from terminal velocity is the uncertain good will and honor of the Staraptor carrying me. I'm on my own in this as well, Chimchar having happily opted to bail out of the actual “experience” of being flown to Jubilife this way — can't really blame him; I'd have done the exact same thing if I had the option.

For the third time in the past minute, I take a moment to silently hope and pray that the Staraptor doesn't have an abrupt change of heart. If he happens to suddenly decide I'm not worth the effort of toting around anymore, or that he'd rather simply dine on my pancaked remains than bother waiting for the rest of the berries, all he'd really have to do is flex his feet, and down I'd go. There wouldn't even be much I could do about it other than hold on tight and try to drag him down with me — hence the near death grip I've currently got on his leg.

And on top of that...

“You're sure we can't fly any lower than this?” I call out over the sound of the wind rushing past my face.

The Staraptor laughs again.

“This IS low little morsel!” he calls back. “Compared to how high I usually fly, we're practically skimming the ground at this height!”

I look down again, unable to even guess just how far away the earth is from us right now, and quickly look back up. I can't tell if he's serious or if he's just screwing with me, but I don't want to argue and piss him off, so I guess I'll just say nothing.

...why didn't I try to find a different, friendlier Flying-type to take us to Jubilife? I don't think I've ever been this high-strung in my life.

I draw in a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down a little- wow, that Flame Wheel certainly left its mark. Despite those Sitrus berries having mostly fixed up the Staraptor's wounds earlier, I swear I can still smell roasted poultry even now.

...it's... kind of making me hungry again, actually. Almost makes me want to bring my horns around and-

I squeeze my eyes shut and violently shake my head back and forth as though to physically fling that thought away. No, no, NO; what the hell am I thinking?! I couldn't take a bite of this guy even if I tried without dropping both the berry container and the Pokedex out of my mouth, and even if I succeeded, I'd go plummeting to my doom in very short order, as I noted aloud not fifteen minutes ago! I meant it when I said I'm not an idiot; don't do this to me Mawile instincts!

I reopen my eyes, only to jolt in surprise upon seeing the Staraptor staring directly into them, his head tilted down to look at me again.

“I highly suggest you stop wriggling around like that.” he advises. “That is, unless you want me to drop you?”

“No, no, I'll stop!” I hurriedly reply. “S-sorry...”

The Staraptor continues to stare at me through partially-lidded eyes for a moment, then hmmphs and looks back up again. Phew...

Fervently attempting to put my previous line of thought out of mind, I turn my eyes to the landscape currently sprawled out beneath me, trying to force myself to focus on that instead. Vertigo aside, the scenery is at least pretty nice — nature is absolutely everywhere, and I can see quite a few Pokemon scattered about as well, though many are only visible as vague specks and silhouettes on the ground from this high up. It's honestly a pretty beautiful view... I just wish it was easier for me to actually appreciate any of it right now.

My gaze turns towards the mountains in the distance. I wonder if any of those are Mount Coronet... and if not, just how big is this region that I can't see it, even from all the way up here? Sinnoh is based on the northmost island of Japan I think, but I'm not exactly an expert on the geographical makeup of foreign countries, and I have no guarantee that the region's actual size would necessarily equate to its “real world basis” anyways. I should check the Pokedex's map function again to see if I can at least estimate it when I get a chance.

A few more minutes pass by in relative silence, during which time some of my nervousness gradually fades away. I figure if the Staraptor was going to drop me, he'd surely have already done it by now. As such, I'm probably safe to assume he's not going to, or at least not planning to.

This in mind, I attempt to relax, closing my eyes and letting most of my body go limp, save for my grip on the Staraptor's leg and Chimchar's Pokeball. If I can just release a little tension, maybe I'll be able to actually enjoy this...

Everything suddenly lurches and tilts forward, the wind whipping by me drastically increasing in both volume and force. I quickly open my eyes, only to find we now appear to be diving, dropping from the air like a missile plummeting from low earth orbit. What-?!

“W-what are you doing?!” I cry, frantically tugging on the Staraptor's leg. “Stop! Pull up! PULL UP!”

The Staraptor does not pull up. As the ground of the forest below rapidly rushes up to meet me, I hear myself screaming.

“IIIIEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH-!!!!!”

The Staraptor suddenly flares his wings upwards, pulling out of his dive mere feet over the forest canopy. My toes practically skim the leaves underneath us as we zip over the roof of the foliage, badly startling not only several other Pokemon resting in the upper branches, but also me, my breaths now coming so short and fast that I feel like I'm hyperventilating.

After a few seconds of this, the Staraptor gradually begin to ascend again, slowly climbing back up into the sky. Only once we've just about reached our previous height, however, do I finally find both the air and wherewithal to speak again.

“What... *gasp* ...the hell... *gasp* ...was THAT about?!” I yell, stopping between words to take in large, panicked gulps of slightly thin air.

“Oh, just felt like you were starting to fall asleep down there is all.” the Staraptor responds. “Thought I'd give you a quick wake-up call — sounds like it was pretty effective.”

I glance up in the rough direction of the Staraptor's face with an expression of utter incredulity.

I... definitely should have found a different Flying-type...

Thankfully, despite my newly re-heightened nerves, the Staraptor does not choose to repeat that trick, and the rest of the flight proceeds without further incident. Or really anything of note at all, for that matter — I spot what looks like some sort of factory sequestered near the edge of the forest at one point, but we pass by it in just a minute or so, and it's soon out of sight entirely. I can't help but find it almost boring after a while, honestly... though, after the recent “excitement” provided by my ride, I'm pretty content to just be bored for the rest of the time anyways.

Finally, after what has to be at least an hour or two, a city begins to appear on the horizon.

...a very, VERY large city.

My eyes widen at the sight of the massive, skyscraper-filled metropolis as it gradually comes more and more into view, various buildings at least a couple dozen stories tall beginning to make themselves known. Holy crap, this is Jubilife? I know this isn't the world of the games, where the average town has maybe five or six buildings total, but this is way bigger than I'd been imagining...

As the Staraptor continues to approach the city, further details begin to become apparent. The most bizarre of these details is that there doesn't really seem to be a gradually growing building density of any kind — it's just forest, forest, forest, SKYSCRAPER, seemingly without anything in-between. Am I even seeing that right...?

Regardless of the answer, it at least makes it very easy to find a place to land — the Staraptor heads towards one of the taller buildings at the very edge of the city, then begins to descend, this time doing so by gradually spiraling downwards instead of practically falling out of the sky. As we get closer to the ground, I note that while some of the greenery next to the building we're landing near looks to have been neatly trimmed back, the transition from wilderness to city is indeed still nigh-instantaneous, with said greenery only stretching about 30 or so feet before transitioning directly to a currently-empty sidewalk that seems to ring around the outer edge of the city. Weird.

As the talons wrapped around my shoulders release and my feet finally re-alight on grass, I find myself stumbling forward a bit, my legs unprepared to suddenly be supporting my weight again. I manage to steady myself after a moment, then turn to the Staraptor, who's just set down on the ground behind me.

Well, we're here... and I suppose I really have to give the Staraptor credit. Fake out aside, he did actually honor our agreement in the end. I'm glad that my tentative trust in him wasn't misplaced- well, maybe “trust” isn't the right word, but I'm glad he decided not to do anything worse than briefly terrify me again, at least.

“Thank you.” I say, slipping Chimchar's Pokeball back into my fur to free up my left hand. “For holding up your end of the deal, I mean. I appreciate that you-”

“Oh, please do skip the useless platitudes.” the Staraptor interrupts, sounding quite bored. “They only make you less interesting... now then, my payment?”

Deciding not to bother trying to finish my sentence when my audience clearly isn't interested in hearing it, I open my maw and extract the rather wet berry container held within. Lifting the Pokedex out and setting it next to my feet for the moment, I hold the remaining contents up towards the Staraptor's face.

“Heh...” the Staraptor smirks. “Thanks, little morsel. I'll make sure to remember you.”

The way the words are spoken strikes a sudden chord of fear in me. Wait, no, surely he wouldn't wait until now if he was still going to-?!

The Staraptor's beak spears down, and I instinctively fall backwards, certain that I'm about to be impaled. The container falls from my hands as I roll away, springing back to my feet a few seconds later with my maw already opening-

Only to find the Staraptor no longer even looking at me, or in fact even present at all.

I stare for a moment at the empty space he was just occupying, slightly confused, then quickly crane my neck upwards. I spot the Staraptor almost immediately, already nearly above the treetops again — and with the entire plastic container clenched between his beak.

“...wait, not the whole THING you jerk!” I yell up at him, scrambling to find my words again.

The Staraptor does not slow, either already too far away to hear me, or just plain ignoring me as he continues to fly upwards and away. Barely a few seconds later, he's passed completely out of sight, his form disappearing beyond the treeline.

I growl loudly and kick the grass beneath me in annoyance. Stupid sadomasochistic terror bird! I expected to lose all of the berries, but not the container too! That was my only method of carrying anything even moderately large with me without it getting ruined by my own spit! I can't even bring the Pokedex with me now!

A minute later, still grumbling a little under my breath, I turn around to look at the city that now stands behind me. Well, at least I made it here... pretty far ahead of schedule too, at least in as much as I had a “schedule” to begin with. I bet I made way better time than Ash will — though, that also means I'll probably have to wait around the city for a day or two before he, Dawn, and Brock actually show up.

I shake my head. Still, that's not necessarily a bad thing. At least I'll have plenty of time to scope things out and locate the Gym beforehand. I'll also need to find the local Pokemon Center so I can drop Chimchar off... speaking of which.

I fish Chimchar's Pokeball back out of my fur “pocket”, turning it over it my palms as I try to decide what to do with him. I'm unsure if bringing Chimchar into the city outside of his Pokeball is a good idea — a lone Mawile walking around the streets with no apparent owner already might attract attention, and a Mawile and a Chimchar together would probably attract even more. Still, I don't know if it's fair to just leave him in his ball either, since he has a fairly vested interest in locating the Jubilife Pokemon Center, even I don't really understand his reasons for that interest myself.

I groan under my breath, once again wishing that I'd grabbed the Pokeball I'd actually intended to take last night. Chimchar being here just complicates everything... but, I guess I should at least get his input on this.

I enlarge the Pokeball, then lightly toss it to the ground at my feet. The orb pops open and ejects a flash of bright white light, which quickly reforms into Chimchar.

Chimchar immediately opens his mouth to say something, then pauses, distracted by the sight of the nearby buildings now towering over both of us.

“We made it?” he asks, turning in a small circle to take in the rest of our new surroundings.

“Yep, this is Jubilife City.” I reply. “Or the outskirts of it, anyways. Our ride got us here pretty quick — although, if you couldn't hear it happening from inside that ball, he then promptly took not only the rest of the berries, but the entire container I was carrying them in, so we kind of got ripped off on the fare.”

Chimchar blinks at the word “fare”.

“Container... you mean that box you took from Paul?” he clarifies.

“...yes, that one.” I dryly confirm. “Anyways, I'm about to go explore the city and try to find the local Gym and Pokemon Center. Since that second one involves you, I figured I'd ask if you wanted to look around with me, or if you just wanted to stay in your Pokeball for now.”

Chimchar goes silent, his expression turning pensive.

“It's alright if you don't.” I add. “Frankly, it'd probably be easier without having both of us wandering around the streets like-”

“Did you have a trainer before Paul?” Chimchar suddenly blurts out.

I pause, slightly taken aback by the unexpected question. “I- why do you ask?”

“It's just- you seem to know a lot about human stuff.” Chimchar says. “And I don't know how that could be unless you'd been with a human before, or at least around them...”

That's... kind of true, I guess? But also not really, at least not in the way he's thinking. Should I even bother denying it though?

I take a moment to consider the idea, but ultimately decide against it. I suppose I could just “confirm” what Chimchar currently suspects — it'd certainly make for an easier explanation, at least — but on the whole, I don't think this is something that's really worth lying about. I'd prefer not to have to get into the specifics of my actual, much more bizarre situation at the moment, but I probably won't be traveling with Chimchar for much longer anyways, so I don't see the harm in letting a few things slip.

“No, I've never had a trainer before.” I reply.

Chimchar blinks at me in surprise. “Huh? How do you know all this stuff then?”

“It's a long, complicated story that I'd really rather not get into right now.” I say truthfully. “For the time being, let's just say my knowledge of most human stuff comes from first-hand experience.”

Chimchar tilts his head at me, not seeming to know what to make of that answer.

“O... kay?” he says, sounding rather perplexed.

“Regardless, city exploring.” I continue. “Are you in or out?”

Chimchar looks back at the nearest building with a nervous expression.

“It's... crowded in there, isn't it?”

“I don't know for sure, but it is a city, so I'd assume so, yes.”

“...I think I'd actually prefer to stay in my ball then.” Chimchar says quietly. “I'm not really comfortable being around that many humans at once.”

I nod in understanding.

“Alright then.” I say, picking up and aiming his Pokeball at him. “Chimchar, return.”

I press the button on the front of the ball, and Chimchar disappears into it in a swirl of red energy. Shrinking the ball back into miniature mode, I tuck it into my fur again. Alright, that's one thing dealt with.

I look down at the Pokedex still sitting near my feet. I guess I have to figure out what do with this thing now too. It shouldn't be as necessary to keep it on my person now that I've made it to Jubilife, but I still don't want to just ditch it — it seems like it could actually be really helpful, and I've barely even gotten the chance to make use of it yet. Maybe I can just hide it somewhere around here for the time being?

Deciding that'll probably work, at least for the moment, I pick up the Pokedex and carry it over to the edge of the treeline, stowing it beneath a decently dense bush. Let's hope it doesn't rain...

Figuring I'll also need some way to remember which bush the Pokedex is in, I decide to go with my Bewilder Forest strategy and use my maw to carve a large X at the base of the closest tree. There, that should be good enough... well, assuming I don't go too far into the city at least, and forget how to get back to the edge of it. I'll have to look into finding some sort of replacement container or carrying case — though, if I actually manage to join up with Ash, that might not end up being necessary anyways.

With that done, I slowly walk over to the nearby building, tentatively stepping onto the pavement-lined walkway surrounding its exterior. The material feels strange on my bare feet, being both flatter and rougher than anything I've stood on for the past week. Unsure exactly how this will turn out, I draw in a deep breath to try and prepare myself.

Here we go...

As soon as I round the corner of the building and pass through the narrow alleyway behind it, I find myself stepping out onto a much wider sidewalk — one which is currently occupied by several dozen people. Multiple passersby immediately turn to look at me, and I involuntarily freeze, alarmed by just how small I feel right now. Not that I haven't felt small since I first got here, but never have I been simultaneously surrounded by this many living beings that all so thoroughly outsize me. I feel like I just walked into the land of the giants.

Shaking myself, I turn right and start heading further down the sidewalk, attempting to casually join the flow of walking traffic. Luckily, while I'm getting a lot of stares, no one seems intent on actually stopping me. Hopefully, things will stay that way.

Trying to ignore the myriad of eyes still focused on me, I decide that my first order of business should simply be finding a map of the city. It's obvious that Jubilife is way too big for me to just wander around at random hoping I eventually stumble across the places I'm looking for, so while that was pretty much my original plan, I think I'm going have to be slightly more sensible than that. Not that I can't still look for the Pokemon Center and the Gym while looking for a map — the former especially should be pretty easy to recognize simply due to the giant “P” logo I'm pretty sure all Pokemon Centers use — but I should still try to prioritize the latter. I've got plenty of time to look, thankfully, so at least there's no real need to rush things.

My stomach suddenly growls, prompting me to quietly growl right back at it. Oh come on, it's not even that late yet! Stupid bird, putting me back in the mood — where am I gonna find food around here?

The very moment I think this, the scent of something savory hits my nose, causing my eyes to alight on a nearby café. Out in front of it are several small outdoor tables, each of which is presently occupied by people enjoying various plates of food. A little further down the block, I also spot a sign for what appears to be a small bistro, and on the opposite side of the street, there's a large, garish logo for what I think might be some sort of fast food place.

...okay, so maybe that was a stupid question when I'm standing in a city this modern, where there's undoubtedly a restaurant or two within easy walking distance from practically any given point inside of it. Still, I meant food that I can actually get — I have no money, and even if I somehow got some, I'm still a Mawile. I doubt just walking into a restaurant and grabbing a seat will incline anyone to actually serve me.

Although... maybe if I just go up to someone and look hungry enough, they'll be nice enough to give me some of their food? I am basically a tiny animal now, and I'm not too proud to refuse handouts if they're willingly given.

Figuring that I've got nothing to lose by trying, I put on my best begging face and walk over to one of the café tables, where an auburn-haired teenager with a pair of sunglasses perched atop her head is indulging in a plate of sweet-looking pastries. She notices me before too long, blinking down at me in surprise.

“A Pokemon...?” the girl says to herself. “Huh. Well, hello there!” she says, giving me a little wave.

“Hi...” I quietly reply, deliberately trying to both look and sound ever-so slightly pathetic.

The girl's expression abruptly melts.

“Aww, aren't you cute!” she coos, holding one hand over her heart.

Yep, that's me, the cutest little Mawile you ever did see. Give me food now please?

“I wonder what kind of Pokemon you are?” the girl continues, idly taking a bite of the pastry in her hand. “I don't recognize your species...”

Realizing that I'm apparently being too subtle, I make a small, low rumbling noise from the bottom of my throat, doing my best to mimic the sound of a growling stomach. Then, just to make it extra clear, I activate Fake Tears, letting my eyes become slightly watery as I stare longingly at the girl's food.

That seems to do the trick, as the girl follows my line of sight to her plate of food and smiles.

“Oh... you're hungry, aren't you?” she says, picking up one of her remaining pastries and holding it out to me. “Here, want one?”

I enthusiastically nod and quickly take the offered dessert, biting into it as soon as it's fully in my hands. I'm not entirely sure what it even is, but the breading is still soft and warm, and the filling is sweet and creamy and delicious and oh god I've missed food like this!

I take my time consuming the treat, making sure to savor every last bit of it. When I'm finished, I look up to see the girl still watching me with that same wide smile.

“Thank you!” I say happily.

Hopefully the sentiment still comes across despite the language barrier — sure, I may have just technically scammed this girl, but I'm still genuinely grateful for the food.

“Oooooh, you're adorable!” the girl exclaims, raising her hands to her cheeks as though to physically contain her excitement, then almost immediately lowering them, as though slightly embarrassed to have done that. “Ah- hey, you don't have an owner or trainer, right? What do you think about letting me catch you?”

...not that grateful though.

I quickly turn and run, ignoring the girl's plaintive cries to come back as I cross the street and duck into another alleyway. Luckily, the girl doesn't follow (perhaps not having paid her check yet), so when I emerge from the other end of said alley, she's nowhere to be seen.

I find myself on another sidewalk, this one slightly larger than the last. People again begin to stop and stare at me, but this time I manage to largely put them out of mind as I rejoin the flow of walking traffic, reflecting on my recent success.

Well, that worked! Almost too well, in fact, but I still ultimately got what I was hoping for, and with barely any time spent in the effort. The girl's “offer” aside, that was shockingly easy, all told.

...hmm. I wonder if I could use this same tactic for anything else?

Chapter Text

- Some time later -

While I still rather wish I wasn't one, this may be one of the first times since arriving in this world that I've actually been somewhat glad to have ended up as a Mawile. Sure, I may not be strong, or fast, or even particularly durable. But what I am?

Is cute.

And it's amazing just how useful cuteness can be, now that I'm finally in a place where I can actually leverage it.

“Oh, fine...” the old man at the food cart says with an exasperated smile, leaning down to hand me a small skewer of meat. “Here. Hope you like pork.”

“I certainly do!” I say brightly, intentionally playing up the sweetness of my tone as I happily take the offered food. “Thank you!”

Hearing a few nearby people softly “dawww” at me, I walk away, biting into the miniature kebab as I do so. The seasoned meat is a little spicy for my taste, and somewhat difficult to actually chew with my toothless normal mouth, but it's also the first cooked meat I've eaten in over a week, and thus is absolutely delicious anyways.

Finishing off the kebab before too long, I toss the toothpick-sized skewer into a nearby trash can and continue onward. That was the fifth or so “free sample” of food that I've gotten so far, and only the second from an actual vendor — I almost feel like I'm trick-or-treating, just with way less restriction on what qualifies as a “treat”. Given my unnaturally large appetite, I don't know if this will work as an outright substitute for hunting, but I'm certainly enjoying it a lot more.

Feeling surprisingly satiated by all the snacking I've been doing, I decide that's probably food enough for now, and start looking around the street for my next destination. My eyes quickly end up catching on a relatively small shop just a little ways down the block, the sign above its door naming it simply as “Spare Coin”.

Figuring that sounds decently promising, I make my way over to the shop in question. Attempting to enter, I push inwards on the glass front door... which turns out to be a pull door, not a push one, and thus doesn't budge in response to my efforts at all.

I step back, finding myself slightly annoyed as I stare up at the door handle, which is set into the frame more than a foot over my head. I don't even need to try to tell that my stubby little Mawile arms are too short to reach it, rendering the entrance impossible for me to open in the normal way.

Thankfully, I had this exact same problem all of 20 minutes ago, and I expect I'll be able to solve it the same way I did then. Not by using my horns, mind — while I probably could use my jaws to reach up and grab the handle without too much difficulty, if anyone here actually saw me make use of my less, shall we say, “photogenic” side, I feel as though I'd be chased out rather quickly. As such...

I turn around, then wait as a tall man in casual clothing comes strolling down the sidewalk, paying me no apparent mind. Just as he's about to pass me by, I reach out and grab hold of his left pant leg, prompting him to stumble slightly and stop in place.

“Huh?” the man says, blinking down at me in bewilderment.

I widen my eyes in a pleading manner, then point back towards the door, tugging his pant leg in that direction to make my silent request clear.

“Oh, uh... sure?”

The man steps closer and pulls the door open, holding it in place for me to step inside. Smiling, I do just that, my feet clacking softly against the shiny red tiling of the floor.

“Thanks!” I say in way of appreciation.

The man blinks at me again, then shrugs to himself and steps away, letting the door close behind him as he returns to the sidewalk.

Watching him go, I grin. The sheer number of places people will let you walk into, or even help you get into just for looking cute and/or harmless enough, is actually kind of astounding. Despite the fact that I in no way qualify as a customer, nearly every person I've encountered thus far has seemed all too happy to let me wander where I may, regardless of where that might be.

...granted, the sheer confusion people seem to experience upon seeing a strange Pokemon randomly stroll into a place they aren't expecting it to be also probably helps, as evidenced by how the nearby cashier stares at me with obvious perplexment as I walk further inside, but makes no move to actually stop me as I saunter past him and into the nearest aisle. Brazen confidence wins again!

Now that I'm in the building proper, I do my best to refocus on what I actually came here for and start moving through the store, silently searching for anything that might contain, refer, or relate to a map of the city. A brochure stand, a tourism section, a “you are here” plinth; pretty much anything in that sort of vein will probably work, so long as it shows Jubilife's major landmarks. I'm hardly going to be picky about this.

Internally, I note that there is almost certainly a better way of going about this endeavor than just searching local stores at random, hoping that one of them will just happen to have what I need. However, I'm not exactly sure what that way might be, as I don't really know where maps are normally sold. I'm used to just using my phone's GPS to get around anywhere I'm not familiar with, and this world doesn't seem to have cell phones — or at least, I haven't seen anyone using one as of yet — so borrowing one of those presumably isn't an option. The Pokedex is actually the closest thing to a mobile phone that I've seen thus far, but since I couldn't find any way to zoom in on its map last night, I'm assuming it doesn't possess that level of detail — hence why I'm stuck looking for a map of Jubilife right now at all.

Not finding anything at the back of the store, I move into the next aisle, skirting around a woman with long blonde hair and a basket hanging from her arm as I do. She does a double take at me as I walk past, and from the corner of my vision, I notice her expression twist in confusion, and perhaps even a tiny bit of fear. Hmm, should probably take care of that.

Turning around to face the woman, I smile up at her, clasping my hands behind my back to hide my claws as I do.

“Hello!” I say in the most cheerful, innocent tone I can manage. “Is something wrong?”

The woman quickly flinches away from me, only to pause midway through the motion. Closing her eyes, she shakes her head for a second, then opens her eyes again and smiles back at me.

“Silly me, being scared of such a cute little Pokemon...” she says softly. “You don't look like you could hurt a Caterpie.”

I just keep smiling, making sure not to do anything to contradict that assumption.

The woman leans down to stroke the top of my head a few times — likely a very unwise course of action were I a normal Mawile, so fortunately for her I'm not — then turns away and moves on, making her way down the rest of aisle with a small spring in her step. As she leaves, I allow my false smile to drop, replacing it with a more natural one a moment later.

Perhaps I should feel a little dirty for acting like this, but... I really don't. I mean, I'm hardly “tricking” anyone by not shoving my open maw into their faces at the first opportunity, and it's not like I have some sort of sinister ulterior motive in mind. If it makes people more likely to treat me nicely, then why shouldn't I take advantage of my newly-gained adorableness?

Honestly, playing the part hasn't even proved to be particularly difficult. As discordant as all this pretend “innocence” should probably feel for me, especially given the very un-innocent events I've participated in over the past week and change, it's actually felt shockingly natural thus far. Maybe that's just because it's so much easier to convince people of said innocence than it would be were I still human, but I think I'm again going to chalk it up at least partially to instinct as well — I will never claim to be a born actor, but given their “Deceiver” classification, I'm willing to bet that a lot of Mawiles are.

In any event, with that minor incident resolved, I resume my search, continuing to trawl my way through the rest of the store.

...thirty seconds later, I've already gotten sidetracked again. While I theoretically am indeed in here to look for a map, I'm admittedly finding it difficult to not to stop and look at everything that's not a map as well. The same thing happened at the last two stores I visited — once I realized that nobody was actually going to stop me from roaming around at my leisure, it was hard not to take advantage of that to window shop a bit.

I glance up at a shelf full of toys, Chingling-shaped alarm clocks and Buizel-themed plastic water guns sharing space with other, similar items, as well as a large collection of plushies shaped like various Pokemon species from across the region. Yeah, I'm getting distracted, but can I really be blamed for wanting to see just what kind of items are sold in the Pokemon world? I haven't actually come across anything I would define as a game-typical “Pokemart” as of yet, but it's been pretty interesting just seeing the kind of spin this world puts on the products it sells.

Sure, some things are familiar — there's plenty of stuff for sale that's basically just normal, everyday items, albeit with a heck of a lot more Pokemon-related branding and imagery than I'd expect to see anywhere else. There are other items however that don't have such easy comparisons, such as the “Spark Rod AA” I saw in the last store (“Built and designed to draw out your Pokemon's natural electric shine!”), or the “Easy Egg Incubators” (“A Pokemon Breeder's best friend.”) I came across in the one before that. I've also seen a few odd pieces of tech that I couldn't even begin to guess at the use of, and the second store I visited carried a surprisingly expansive number of what I would normally call pet toys, but which also included such things as “blade-and-claw sharpening posts” and “impact-resistant rubber beatbags”, which I could only assume to be intended for use in recreational training. I'm no anthropologist, but just seeing the difference in the kind of items that are sold in this world versus those sold in my own has been kind of fascinating, all told.

...that being said, there's only so much to see in this particular shop, as I step out of its final aisle without having found anything of real use. No maps here either, I guess. On to the next one...

Returning to the entrance, I exit the shop with minimal fuss, not needing someone to help me with the door on the way out. Passing by a flyer taped to the window about an upcoming Pokemon contest, I step into another alley (which this city seems to have quite a lot of) and begin to make my way down it, idly tapping a claw against my chin as I go.

Hmm... finding a map of this place is turning out to be a lot harder than I'd expected it to be. Clearly they're not something you just find at every corner store, though, I suppose I already knew that to at least some degree...

Should I maybe be looking for something along the lines of like, a library, or a bookstore or something? I'm not really sure if either of those is the right place to search either, but they both specialize in books and paper products, so maybe they stock maps too? It seems like a bit of a stretch honestly, but I think it could at least be worth a shot-

My train of thought screeches to a halt as a pair of silhouettes suddenly step into view at the other end of the alley. They quickly begin walking towards me, and I startle, not having expected any people to take this path-

No, scratch that. Not just people, kids. A pair of boys to be precise, both with identical spiky dark blue hair, as well as matching light blue shirts emblazoned with large red-and-white Pokeball logos. What the...?

The two of them notice me standing in their path just a couple seconds after I've noticed them, and immediately stop in their tracks, the one on the left gasping in excitement.

“Look, look!” the boy in question exclaims, wildly shaking his... brother's? shoulder. “See! I told you I'd find a Pokemon!”

“Y-yeah, I guess you did...” the other boy replies, sounding a lot less assured than his considerably more enthusiastic compatriot.

I continue staring at them, befuddled. What on Earth are kids this young doing wandering around on their own, especially through a random dirty city alleyway? Or, well, not that dirty — Jubilife seems to have considerably better hygiene standards than most large cities in my world — but still, these two can't be more than like, eight years old. I can tell; they're only about twice my height, rather than thrice it.

“Are you sure this was a good idea?” the nervous boy asks. “I've never seen a Pokemon like that one before...”

“Who cares!” the eager one replies, looking over at me with shining eyes. “That just makes it even better!”

I cross my arms and start impatiently tapping one foot on the ground. I suppose I'll just wait until this kid is finished fanboying to get through...

“But what if it belongs to someone?” Nervous asks in a manner befitting the nickname I've just dubbed him with. “We'd be stealing!”

“No way!” Eager proclaims, a wide grin overtaking his face. “It's probably some super rare Pokemon that no one's ever seen before! This is perfect!”

I recoil at the implications of that exchange, almost turning to run away, then stop myself and settle back down. No, I shouldn't have anything to fear from these two, they're both way too young to possibly be trainers-

I choke on that thought as Eager abruptly pulls a Pokeball out of his pocket, causing Nervous to gasp aloud.

“Wait, where'd you get that?!” he asks, staring up at the ball with a shocked expression.

“I found it in dad's bag!” Eager proudly declares. “Now, watch this! Pokeball, GO!”

He tosses the Pokeball, and the multicolored orb goes spinning down the alleyway to meet me. For a kid, he's actually got a respectable throwing arm, as the capture device arcs perfectly through the air, poised to hit me directly at the center of my mass.

*!-CRUNCH-!*

...only to end up splintering like cheap wood between teeth more than twice its size. Tiny shards of circuitry fall from within my jaws as I release the Bite I just caught the incoming projectile with, then slowly turn my maw's now-visible interior to face the suddenly frozen pair of boys. Highly unamused, I glare at them from across the alleyway.

“Leave.” I order, growling out the word from the bottom of my throat.

Formerly Eager is the first one to scream, and Rightfully Nervous isn't far behind. Nearly tripping over each other's feet, they both turn and run, sprinting away like... well, like they just met a monster in a dark alley, and the monster was me. Which I guess isn't too far off.

I don't pursue, instead simply shaking my head after the fleeing grade-schoolers as they scramble out of sight around the end of the alleyway, sending something clattering in their wake as they go. Those two are lucky I wasn't actually hostile...

Now alone again, I look down at the shattered remains of the Pokeball at my feet. I... probably didn't need to do that, honestly. Catching the ball like that was part instinct, part intentional intimidation tactic, but it was definite overkill in the second aspect, especially since it wouldn't have even worked on me anyways.

...although, then again, Paul might have “released” me by now for all I know, or even just outright broken my Pokeball in anger. Maybe that was the right move after all. Besides, I shouldn't absolutely trust that already being caught will keep it from happening again anyways — I've got to keep reminding myself that this world isn't exactly the same as the one from the anime, so I can't just assume I know everything.

I shake my head again. Regardless, it's become pretty obvious by this point that the people around here aren't very familiar with Mawile. I suppose that only makes sense — as a Pokemon presumably not native to the region, there's no real reason for locals to know what I am on sight. However, while that fortunately means that none of them look at me and immediately think “dangerous”, they do apparently still think “exotic”. Meaning, that might not be the last time someone decides to chuck a Pokeball at me... and next time, they might have Pokemon of their own to back them up.

I exhale. Alright, change of plans: before I go looking for a library or bookstore, I need to find that bag to carry the Pokedex with that I was planning on getting, if just so no one more competent tries something similar to what just happened. Hell, any sort of accessory would probably work; it really just needs to be something to imply that I'm already “caught”, but a bag would be most useful.

That decided, I continue down the alleyway, hoping that no one paid too much attention to the pair of children that just came running out of it, screaming their heads off all the while. Before I can actually exit the alley however, I notice another small red-and-white sphere lying near its right wall, which I'm fairly sure wasn't there a minute ago.

Blinking, I walk over and pick the shrunken Pokeball up off the ground. Huh, this must have been what made that clattering noise. I guess Eager nicked more than just one of these when he went through his dad's stuff? Probably fell out of his pocket during his mad dash to get away from me — I'm guessing most actual trainers keep their Pokeballs slightly better secured than that.

...er. There's not a Pokemon in this, right?

I hesitantly enlarge the Pokeball and toss it against the nearest wall, bracing myself for the worst. The device thankfully remains inert however, simply clattering to the ground like a toy and rolling back to a stop.

I sigh in relief as I retrieve the ball again. Okay, we're good... and in that case, I guess I'll just go ahead and keep this? I don't think I have much use for another Pokeball myself, since I'm not exactly planning on going out and playing trainer any time soon in my current situation, but maybe I can sell it to someone to get a little actual cash, or trade it at a store for something more personally useful?

...yeah, probably not. Given that 10-year-olds can afford them, a Pokeball probably doesn't cost more than pocket change, and I'm still a Mawile and all that, so I can't imagine I'd really be able to barter with it even if it was worth anything. Still, no harm in keeping it on me anyways, just in case.

I slip the spare Pokeball into my hakama pants, nestling it in the fur of my left leg rather than my right so as to make sure I don't mix it up with Chimchar's ball. That done, I step out of the alleyway...

And immediately spot a large store across the street with a huge, brightly-colored poster in its front window, loudly advertising their new line of “Adventure Bags”.

Wow. What good timing.

Chapter Text

Shrugging to myself, I begin making my way across the road towards the building I've just sighted. After the less-than-pleasant events of both yesterday and this morning, it's rather nice to have serendipity work in my favor for a change.

As I move up to a nearby crosswalk and stop to check for oncoming cars — not that this city even seems to have any, oddly enough — I notice several nearby pedestrians watching me, openly gawking at the tiny Pokemon passing through their midst. I quickly refocus my gaze forward, doing my best to avoid making eye contact with any of them.

Now that I've been here a while, I'm gradually getting better at ignoring the stares, I think. However, it's still rather unnerving to know that I'm being nigh-on constantly watched by the various people I pass. I know that they're probably just looking because they're wondering what kind of Pokemon I am, as well as why I'm walking around the city without a trainer, but that doesn't stop it from being highly disconcerting all the same. I've never been all that comfortable with the idea of being the center of attention, and this... really isn't helping, honestly.

Doing my best to put my watchers out of mind, I cross the road and step onto the sidewalk just outside the store, taking the chance to examine the building as I do.

Going by the lettering on the roof, this place is apparently called “Safe Journeys”, and now that I'm close enough to see through the wall-sized windows, I can tell that it appears to specialize in travel necessities. Seems like a weird kind of store to set up in the middle of a modern city, but I suppose in a world where preteens are actively encouraged to go wandering around the country on their own for months on end, this is probably a pretty common type of business to see around just in general. I wouldn't be all that surprised if there turned out to be a store like this in literally every city in the region, honestly.

I shift my focus to the poster I noticed before. According to it, this place's so-called Adventure Bags are now new and improved, capable of carrying even more items than before... regardless of their size or weight? Wait, how the heck is that supposed to work-

My eyes widen. Hang on, is this poster telling me that bags of holding are a thing in this world?! I mean, if I think about it, that might actually make perfect sense — it's basically the same principle that Pokeballs operate of, and would neatly explain how Ash and company manage to tote around tents, food supplies, and even fold-out furniture with them, despite clearly not having room in their packs for all that — but still, that's... that's awesome! Now I really want one!

My excitement dims slightly as I remember the inherent issue with that. Yeah, I want one, but the question is, how do I get one? As previously noted, I don't have any money, and as a Mawile, I can't exactly just go get a day job. Buying one is flat out.

For a moment I consider simply going inside, grabbing a bag, and silently pleading with the nearest cashier to let me have it. However, while the technique of simply looking and acting cute has been working pretty well to get me food so far, a piece of dessert or a small free sample is a rather different proposition from what's probably a decently expensive piece of traveling equipment, especially since there's no obvious reason that I, a Pokemon, would want/need it. I don't think that strategy's going to work here.

Hrm... I might be able to steal a bag, I guess, but... must I? I mean, Paul was at least an acceptable target; that was practically just karma catching up to him. I'm significantly less eager to steal from a place that's done me no similar wrong however, and which may or may not even deserve it, as it feels significantly less justified.

I sigh. That said, I think I'm just going to have to get over it. Unless I'm giving up on getting a bag at all — which I really don't want to, because 1) I truly do need an accessory for at least the time being to make sure no one else gets catch happy with me, and 2) bag of holding — I don't really have any other options available to me here. Hell, if I ever do find a map, I'll probably have to steal that as well, which I hadn't actually thought about up until just now. I can't afford to feel bad about this.

Trying to keep a hold of that perspective, I walk over to the store's entrance. Thankfully, the door here appears to be automatic, and thus doesn't require me to sit around waiting for someone to come help me open it — though, I do still have to jump and wave my arms a few times to get the overhead sensor to recognize my presence.

Once I'm through the door, I step into the shop and take a quick look around. As befitting of the place's name, most of the items on display appear to be various types of camping and outdoor equipment, including clothes, tents, flashlights, sleeping bags, water bottles, rations, and more.

...it also appears to be entirely empty of patrons at the moment, which I suppose is a good thing, considering what I'm about to do.

I find the advertised Adventure Bags pretty easily — they're apparently the store's premium item, and as such are set out on several large shelves right next to the check-out counter. Which also appears to be abandoned at the moment, oddly enough. Weird, is this place actually closed right now, and they just forgot to lock up or something? I mean, it's pretty convenient for me that there's apparently no one here, but it's honestly a little unsettling...

Unsure how to feel about my apparent good fortune, I set it aside and start looking through the available bags. There's a staggering degree of sizes and styles on display, featuring everything from hip-pouches to sling bags to something I swear looks like it's meant to be worn on the back of one's head, but the kind I think will probably work best for me are the ones that look rather like miniature duffel bags. Based on their size, I imagine they're usually meant to be carried by hand, but at my height, I think I might be able to use one as a sort of improvised backpack, with the handles substituting as straps.

Not wanting to risk spending any more time here than necessary, I quickly reach up with my still-closed horns to swipe one of the bags in question off the shelf, picking out a vivid teal one simply by virtue of it being the only one close enough for me to actually reach this way. Hate being this short...

As I pick the fallen bag up off the floor, I note that according to the price tag, it's supposed to cost 5500 Pokedollars each. I'm not exactly sure what that equates to in terms of currency I'm more familiar with — my best guess would be 55 dollars, assuming that Pokemon money directly translates to yen — but since I currently have 0 Pokedollars, I guess it doesn't really matter that much.

With the bag now actually in my hands, my guilt at the idea of just taking it and walking out returns — to my considerable irritation, as I'm well aware that it's not particularly logical. I mean, this place looks pretty well off; I doubt it's going to terribly miss the profits from a single missing item. Besides, I'm a Pokemon now, aren't I? I no longer qualify as a member of human society, and as such, its rules no longer apply to me, meaning this isn't really stealing, so much as just... foraging, right? Right! All I'm really doing is looking for things to help me get by, and as an “animal”, I can't be blamed if I have no way of obtaining those things without taking them from someone else. This a perfectly natural thing for me to do; nothing immoral about it.

...alright yeah that's a terrible argument; this is absolutely stealing, but I'm not going to let that actually stop me from doing it. Just have to-

“Hmm, what an unusual-looking little customer to come back to.”

I jump in alarm and whirl around, only to belatedly realize that the check-out counter is no longer abandoned — there's now a tall girl in what looks to be her late teens standing behind it, her gaze firmly locked on me. Her light green hair has been put up in a high ponytail, and over top of her simple white blouse sits a bright red vest, a name tag pinned to the front reading “Kiara”. Oh no, an employee-!

As I stand there, all but frozen in place at having been caught red-handed, the girl continues to stare at me, absently blowing a strand of hair out of her face before speaking.

“Hey there little... whatever kind of Pokemon you are.” she starts, sounding rather bemused. “Sorry to say, but I'm afraid that bag isn't for you. Mind putting it back?”

My grip on said bag only tightens. Damn it, I probably could have gotten out just fine if I hadn't been so busy justifying my own decision to myself!

“Come on, don't make this difficult.” the girl says, stepping out from behind the counter.

I shrink back from her. What do I do here? I suppose I might still be able to just take the bag and run, assuming I can somehow lose this girl if she tries to chase me. If I do that now though, after already having been noticed, I might get in actual trouble for it — I may theoretically have “immunity” to the law right now, but there's only so far I can realistically push that before it gets me in hot water anyways. If I don't run however-

Before I can finish fully considering my options, the girl — Kiara — steps forward and kneels down to grab at the bag in my hands. I pull away, but her reach considerably outstrips mine, and she manages to get a hold of it anyways.

“You need to let go now, alright?” Kiara says softly, lightly tugging at the miniature satchel. “Seriously, nothing against you, but you can't just take this.”

I grit my teeth, but with no way to get her to let go that I can really see ending well, I reluctantly release my hold on the bag. Kiara smiles at me.

“See, was that so hard?” she asks, standing back up and turning to place the bag back on the shelf.

I narrow my eyes, not willing to give up just yet. Plan A has apparently failed, and if this girl is just going to be hovering around the area now then I probably can't salvage it. Even if I don't have much hope for it however, I suppose Plan B is probably still worth a shot...

As soon as Kiara turns back around, I activate Fake Tears. Massive droplets of water immediately begin welling up from my eyes, which quickly succumb to gravity and start pouring down the sides of my face like miniature waterfalls. For extra effect, I also add a few sniffling, sobbing sounds to simulate full-on crying, hoping that might help sell it. Come on, pity me!

Kiara does look rather taken aback upon seeing me abruptly burst into tears, and for a second I think that my act is actually going to work. Her surprise rapidly fades away however, and is soon replaced by clear exasperation, to the point that she even rolls her eyes at me.

“Hey now, no Fake Tears. You'll make the floors all wet, and I'll be the one who ends up having to clean them up.”

Having been nigh-instantly called out on my fakery, I slump, allowing the floodgates to close again. Kiara smirks as she sees the flow of tears cut out.

“That's what I thought.” she says teasingly. “You're a cute one and all, but I've seen way too many pretend tantrums from my own partner at this point to not recognize a fake cry from a real one.”

I squint up at her. Seriously? I didn't really expect that to work to begin with, but I actually had to run into the one person familiar enough with the move to immediately call me out on it? Not fair...

Kiara starts to move away, but I grab onto her leg to stop her, prompting her to glance down and meet my gaze again.

“Pleeeeease let me have the bag?” I ask, looking up at her with shining, still-wet eyes.

“Ooh, finally talking, hmm?” Kiara hums. “Glad to hear it... wish I could understand you. Would make this conversation feel a lot less one-sided.”

She pulls away and moves back behind the counter, while I pout for a moment at her incomprehension and move in front of said counter, still hoping to somehow leave this store with the item I came in for. I can't reach any of the small bags now, so I need this girl to willingly give me back the one she just took... though, I'm admittedly kind of short on ideas of how to do that without resorting to either force or intimidation, neither of which I can see working out terribly well for me in the long run.

“You know, my boss isn't terribly fond of letting Pokemon wander around his shop unsupervised.” Kiara idly notes, leaning over the glass front of the counter to meet my eyes again. “Lucky for you, I'm the only one here at the moment, and I think that's a stupid rule, so feel free to hang out for a little while and keep me company.”

Um. That's... nice of her, I guess? I don't exactly plan on sticking around though.

“So, what brings you in here anyways?” Kiara continues, resting her face against her palm. “At first I thought maybe you smelled some of the food, but pretty much everything in here is sealed up to make sure it stays good, so that can't be it. Besides, you don't really seem to care about any of that stuff anyways.”

“Correct.” I flatly reply. “I just want a bag.”

“Hmm.... you're not just wandering around randomly, so you're probably not lost, right?” Kiara continues to muse.

I tilt my head back and groan. Not being able to speak “human” anymore is proving to be even more inconvenient than I expected it to be. This would be so much easier if I could just talk to her directly... in fact, are there any pencils or pens in here?

I look around, but there appears to be a serious lack of writing utensils in the vicinity — I'm in the wrong type of store for that sort of thing to just be lying around, I guess. Still, surely there's something in here I can use... maybe Kiara can lend me something, assuming I can communicate at least that much to her?

Looking up at the girl still staring at me from over the counter top, I attempt to mime writing something on a sheet of paper, holding one hand flat and “scribbling” on it with the other. I then point at her, cup my hands together, and bring them back towards myself.

“What are you- are you trying to tell me something?” Kira asks, raising an eyebrow.

I nod, then repeat my previous gestures again.

“Scratches? A list?” Kiara guesses. “No, wait... writing? Instructions? A pencil?”

I nod again, more fervently this time. Yes...

“Me... a person? A trainer? This store? You... taking something? Getting something?”

More nodding. Yes...!

Kiara's eyes widen in realization. “Oh! Are you trying to tell me your trainer instructed you to come here and pick up something from the store?”

I stare at her for a moment, wondering how exactly she ended up at that conclusion, before sighing heavily. No...

“Huh, that's actually pretty cool.” Kiara continues, only getting further from the mark. “Though, Pokemon or not, you do still have to pay for anything you're planning on buying, so next time your trainer needs to send you along with some actual money.”

She smirks. “Wonder how that slipped their mind. They must be pretty clever if they managed to teach you all that, after all.”

Disheartened, I look down and shake my head. I should probably just give this up as a bad job at this point. Stealing didn't work, begging didn't work, and honestly, even if I could talk to this girl properly, I doubt she'd be willing to let me just take what I want and leave. There's no point in sticking around any longer.

Kiara blinks. “Wait, no? They're not clever? Or... are you saying you don't have a trainer?”

I quickly snap my gaze back up. How would she- she thinks that was what I was shaking my head at? Crap, that's definitely not the impression I wanted to give her if she's actually a trainer herself.

I start to shake my head again in an attempt to correct her, but before I can even twitch my neck, Kiara looks away from me and slaps her hand to her forehead.

“So you're wild then.” she mutters. “I've been standing here having a conversation with a wild Pokemon for the past several minutes. This job really is driving me stir crazy.”

I pause. Wait, what? What is the connection between those two statements? I think I've made it pretty clear by now that I can understand her, and people talk to wild Pokemon all the time in the show. Why would she call that crazy?

“No, hang on, you can't be totally wild, right?” Kiara continues, seemingly talking to herself more than me at this point. “A released Pokemon, maybe? But why come in here then? Did you just want some sort of souvenir, or...?”

She stops, then leans back over the counter and smiles at me again.

“You know what?” she says brightly, as though having suddenly had an idea. “Wait right here. I've got something for you.”

Kiara steps away from the counter, and I hear a door open somewhere behind it, probably to some sort of back room. I can't actually tell, since I'm too short to see over the counter itself.

Regardless, I immediately turn around to leave the shop, mostly out of concern that the “something” Kiara just spoke of might turn out to be a Pokeball. I only make it a few feet however before Kiara returns, having been gone for no more than a few seconds.

“Here we are.” she says as she steps back out from behind the counter, revealing that she's now holding a long, red length of soft-looking fabric. Is that a scarf?

“This was slightly damaged when the store received it.” Kiara says, again seemingly more for her own benefit than mine. “Just a couple of frayed threads that were easy enough to restitch, but apparently we still can't sell it. So, if you were looking for a souvenir...”

Kiara suddenly kneels down in front of me again and starts wrapping the scarf around the thin tube that connects my horns to the rest of my head. The unexpected close contact startles me, but in the interest of both keeping up my current “cute” persona and not accidentally maiming someone who doesn't deserve it, I manage to refrain from doing anything hasty. Besides, I... guess I'm being given a gift right now? Though, I'm not exactly sure why she's wrapping it around the base of my horns rather than my neck...

After a surprisingly long time spent doing... something, Kiara steps away from me, allowing the feather-light pressure of the scarf to settle just behind my skull. Placing one hand on her chin, she tilts her head and seems to appraise me for a moment, then nods in apparent satisfaction.

“Perfect! As good as the local groomer's work, I think.”

...the local groomer? Hold on, what exactly did she just do?

I roll my eyes up and backwards, trying to get a view of the scarf. While my peripheral vision is better than it was when I was human however, it doesn't extend quite that far — I still cannot see the literal back of my head.

Giving up on that, I instead start looking around for a nearby reflective surface, and quickly spot the display case built into the nearby check-out counter. Though not exactly a mirror, the glass is relatively clear, and conveniently already at my height. That'll probably do.

I walk over to the case and step in front of the pane. My partially-transparent reflection enters it in sync, whereupon it immediately becomes apparent what Kiara was referring to: rather than being wrapped up like one would normally expect, the bright red scarf has instead been tied and styled into an oversized bow, which sits at the base of my horns like a huge, fancy, and surprisingly sturdy-looking hairband.

“See? Now you're even cuter.” Kiara says with a wide smile.

I turn and give her a flat look. Cuter in the sense that I now look less like a Pokemon and more like a tiny roving Christmas present, yes, I suppose so. If that's what you were aiming for, then I applaud you.

“Keep it.” Kiara says, oblivious to my own feelings on the matter. “My gift to you for being the most interesting thing that's happened here all week.”

I suddenly hear the sound of a door opening somewhere else in the building. Kiara's head rapidly twists in the noise's direction.

“...that's probably my boss coming back from lunch, so you need to get out of here now.” she urges, leaning down and physically pushing me back towards the front door. “Seriously, he'll throw a fit if he finds out I didn't shoo you out earlier; go go go!”

Honestly rather grateful for the chance to leave at this point, I hurry back towards the entrance, making my way out of the store as quickly as I can. Passing by a startled couple standing outside the door, I move around the corner of the building and onto the adjoining sidewalk, then duck behind an empty bench encircled by a couple of rounded bushes planted in the concrete. It's not exactly proper cover, but it's the best I can really do.

Grimacing in annoyance, I bring my maw forward and try to remove the somewhat absurd-looking scarf-bow now tied around its base. Unfortunately, my arms don't even reach the top of my head, much less the back of it, making this a somewhat hopeless proposition to attempt on my own. I need help...

My hand drifts down to my right leg as I consider calling out Chimchar and getting his assistance with this, perhaps after going back to the alleyway from earlier first so that no one happens to see a Mawile suddenly pull out a Pokeball. After a few more moments of thought however, I decide to maybe wait on that for now — as well as on removing the scarf-bow in general, for that matter.

I wave my horns around behind me, feeling the ends of the scarf brush at my neck. Sure, I'm not terribly fond of the idea of walking around looking like a tiny yellow dress-up doll, but given the role I've been playing since arriving in this city, looking even more “cutesy” can likely only help me right now. Plus, even if it's not nearly as useful as one of those bags would have been, a scarf does at least fulfill the criteria of being a “human” accessory to signify that I'm not a wild Pokemon. I'll probably take it out of its current arrangement at some point, but for the time being, I suppose I can leave it as is.

Besides... it's kind of nice to finally have something that's mine again. That I didn't steal, I mean.

The ear-splitting wail of a siren suddenly kicks up from somewhere down the street. I panic and dive behind the nearest bush for a moment, before remembering that I've really done nothing thus far that would warrant those being for me. I mean, unless those kids went to the police...

Standing back up and peeking around the side of the bush, I calm further as I realize that the siren isn't coming from a police car, but from an approaching fire truck — I guess there is a purpose to the roads here after all. It speeds past my hiding spot fast enough to kick up wind its wake before continuing all the way down the street, heading for what I think is the outskirts of the city.

...huh. Wonder what that's about?

Chapter Text

Officer Jenny sighed under her breath, the usual dull roar of her motorcycle currently restrained to a quiet growl as she slowly drove down the street.

It had been a rather trying day thus far. With nearly everyone else in her department having been called in to assist with stopping the minor disaster that had erupted over on Route 202 (for which the effort was apparently still ongoing), she'd been left to deal with the majority of today's local work essentially on her own. Jubilife wasn't a terribly crime-ridden city, but it was quite large, and the police station still received a number of minor incident reports every day — she hadn't exactly been run ragged, but she'd certainly seen more of the streets today than she normally did.

She turned down the next road. Thankfully, she was nearing the end of the current queue. Just one last thing to look into, and she could head back to the station and take a break... at least until the next report came in, but hopefully someone else would be back to help handle it by then.

“Growlf!”

Jenny slowed to a stop as Growlithe, currently riding in her motorcycle's sidecar, suddenly barked at something off the side of the road. Turning to face the same direction as her partner, she spotted something short and yellow walking down a nearby sidewalk, heading further into the business district.

...could it be?

Scrutinizing the apparent Pokemon from afar, Jenny nodded to herself and dismounted her bike, then grabbed her hand radio from her hip.

“Hey, think I found the stray.” she spoke into the mic.

“The one we've been getting calls about since this morning?” the responder on the other end replied.

“Yep, that one. Small, walks on two legs, yellow body with a large black 'horn'; it fits all the descriptors. Looks like a Mawile, from what I can see.”

“Really? Those are rare around here. Guess that explains why none of the people who called it in recognized its species. Wild?”

“Unclear,” Jenny said, motioning for Growlithe to heel as she began following after the Mawile on foot, “but it doesn't look like it.”

Particularly given the giant red ribbon wrapped around the base of its jaws. No wonder so many different people had contacted them about it being lost; that accessory was pretty blatant.

“Good to hear. Still, make sure to restrain those jaws before you engage — Mawile are usually fairly docile, but they can be nasty when they feel threatened or exposed, and their teeth actually outsize your average Garchomp's.”

Jenny grimaced. “Affirmative.”

The radio clicked off as she placed it back on her belt, unhooking her collapsed snare pole from beside it as she did so.

Pokemon Control was arguably one of the more dangerous parts of her job, covering essentially everything from simple pet retrievals to emergency tranquilizations of Pokemon run amok, a task only further complicated by how the former could easily end up turning into the latter if handled improperly. Thankfully, she didn't believe that this particular case would be too much trouble. Granted, the station had received a call from a concerned parent early in the morning, stating that his son and friend had apparently been attacked by a “monster” in an alleyway fitting the Mawile's description, but kids were liable to exaggerate this sort of thing as often as not.

She glanced down at her partner, still padding along beside her. Still, if things did end up going poorly, at least she had backup by her side.

As the Mawile reached an adjoining sidewalk, it suddenly turned to face the neighboring street. Jenny nearly ducked into a nearby alley, not wanting to be spotted until she'd gotten at least slightly closer, but there turned out to be no need — paying its surroundings no apparent mind, the Mawile let out a pleased, strangely relieved-sounding cry and turned onto the new road, moving notably faster than before.

Jenny waited a few seconds before continuing forward and peering around the corner, trying to figure out what had caught the Mawile's interest. At a glance however, she couldn't tell — the only obvious thing of note in sight was the Pokétch Company building, a towering cylindrical monolith distinguished primarily by its striking cyan coloration, along with the oversized logo plastered on its front, consisting of a large pink “P” overlaid atop an equally large gold “C”. It was eye-catching to be sure, but certainly nothing a presumably lost Pokemon would find particularly interesting.

...and yet, the Mawile appeared to be heading right for it.

Wondering what exactly the tiny Pokemon was doing, Jenny turned the corner proper and resumed walking forward, doing her best to remain in her quarry's relatively small blind spot as she slowly gained ground on it. Just as she began to close in, the Mawile reached the building's front entrance, striding up to the glass front door and pressing its face against it to peer inside.

“Maw...?”

The Mawile paused for a moment before letting out a confused, plaintive-sounding noise — whatever it had been hoping to find here, it evidently hadn't. Glancing upwards, its gaze appeared to alight on the plaque attached to the wall on the right of the entrance (“The Pokétch Company — Pokémon Watches for the World!”)... at which point it proceeded to squeeze its eyes shut, tilt its head back, and loudly groan.

“Mawiiii...”

Though still unclear what the Mawile was actually doing, Jenny knew an opportunity when she saw it.

Lunging, the officer pushed the button to extend her snare pole and thrust it forward in the same motion, looping the ring on the end of the tool around the middle of the Mawile's horns. Before the tiny Pokemon could react, she pulled it tight, lashing the enormous jaws together.

“Maw-!”

The Mawile yelped, swinging itself around and finally noticing Jenny standing behind it. Eyes going wide, it immediately began struggling against the binding, its too-short arms helplessly reaching up as though to try and pry the loop off, even as its jaws visibly strained against the restraint chaining them closed.

“Please,” Jenny began, “try to remain-”

“Wi!” the Mawile cried in an apparent panic, its fist beginning to crackle with tiny sparks of electricity.

Cutting herself off, Jenny quickly yanked the snare pole backwards, eliciting another yelp from the Mawile as the Pokemon was forcibly dragged away from the building's entrance, the sparks vanishing from around its limb as she did so. Despite nearly falling off its feet, the Mawile managed to steady itself, whirling around again and-

“Growlf!”

Leaping forward, Jenny's Growlithe bared its teeth and barked. The Mawile flinched, eyes widening in apparent fear at her partner.

“Grow, growli!”

“M-maw...? Mawile?! Wi-!”

“Growf! Ro, growlithe grof lithe!”

Something about the Mawile's stance changed, its eyes narrowing as fear visibly turned to anger.

“Mawwwww...!”

This time Jenny's partner was the one to cringe away, the Mawile managing to be fairly intimidating even with its primary vector of attack closed off. Growlithe managed to rally again after a moment, and began barking at the Mawile even louder than before, tiny embers beginning to leak from the sides of the canine Pokemon's mouth-

“Growlithe, stop!” Jenny ordered. “Down!”

Her partner immediately complied, retreating a couple of steps before sitting back on its haunches and looking up at her in confusion.

Jenny shook her head. Growlithe always had been a bit too quick to leap to aggression. Tying off the Mawile's horns had been intended as a safety precaution, not as a precursor to violence... not that it stopped a lot of Pokemon from interpreting similar preemptive measures aggressively anyways. It was times like this she wished her department had access to Capture Stylers, like they used down in Almia, but the rangers were too insular to make their tech widely available — hence she was stuck resorting to semi-contradictory methods like these instead.

“I'm sorry about that.” she said as she faced the Mawile, keeping her voice low and reassuring in an effort to seem less threatening. “Can you understand me?”

The Mawile blinked, some of its anger seeming to drain away with her question. After a couple moments, it slowly, cautiously nodded.

Jenny smiled. Excellent, that at least made this easier.

“I'm not here to hurt you.” she assured it.

The Mawile looked up at her with half-lidded eyes. “Ma-wile.”

“I'm just trying to get you back to your trainer.” Jenny continued, brushing past the Pokemon's unintelligible interruption. “I'm sure they're very worried about you.”

The Mawile tilted its head at her, seeming confused. For a moment Jenny thought it simply hadn't understood what she'd said, but then the Pokemon suddenly groaned again, its eyes briefly darting back to the large ribbon affixed to the base of its horns. Refocusing on her, the Mawile shook its head.

Jenny frowned. Hmm, no trainer? A runaway, then... or perhaps its owner just wasn't a “trainer” in that particular sense, and it had mistaken her meaning. It was always a gamble, trying to guess at a non-wild Pokemon's approximate grasp of human language.

Before she could continue, the Mawile stretched an arm out towards her, extending one of its claws in her direction. Tensing at what looked like the start of another attack, Jenny immediately yanked on the snare pole again, eliciting another small cry from the Mawile as it was forced into an impromptu half-pirouette.

“Growlithe!” her partner barked, springing back up.

“Wile?!” the Mawile angrily retorted as it spun itself back around. “Wi, mawile!”

“Growl?”

“Mawi, mawile wile ma!”

“Rowlithe, gro-”

“Alright, that's enough you two.” Jenny interrupted, wondering if perhaps Growlithe should have stayed in its ball for this after all.

She turned back to the Mawile. “Please do not attempt to attack me again. I'm trying to help you.”

The Mawile opened its mouth, then closed it, raising a hand to its forehead and slowly dragging it down its face. Another thing it had very clearly picked up from its owner, given how distinctly human-like the gesture was.

“Now, whether you have a trainer or not, I can't just leave you out here wandering the streets.” Jenny continued. “I may not know where exactly you came from, but for the time being, I'm going to have to take you to the Pokemon Center.”

The Mawile stilled.

“You know what the Pokemon Center is, right?” Jenny asked. “They have plenty of food there, and I'm certain Nurse Joy will take good care of you until your owner — or whoever it was that gave you that bow — comes to pick you up.”

In Jenny's experience, most Pokemon that had been around people for even short periods of time seemed to quickly grasp the meaning of the word “food”. Thankfully, the Mawile seemed to be no exception, its eyes lighting up as a smile rapidly spread across its face.

“Maw!” it said, nodding up at her with a much happier tone and expression than it had been wearing a few minutes ago.

“Glad to hear it.” Jenny replied, repressing a sigh of relief. “Follow me.”

She turned, starting back towards her motorcycle, only to pause upon realizing she'd forgotten something — specifically the rather long pole she was still holding onto, which was still looped around the Mawile's horns.

“Can I trust you to behave?” she asked, turning back to the Pokemon in question.

The Mawile tilted its head slightly, then nodded again. Jenny nodded back, and — after a brief moment of hesitation — loosened and withdrew the snare pole's loop, collapsing the tool back into its portable form before hooking it back to her belt.

With nothing holding them still any longer, the Mawile's horns drooped down, falling back into their natural resting state. It swung them from side to side as though to stretch them, opening them slightly in the process and revealing a few of the unsettlingly large teeth Jenny had been warned about. She struggled not to shudder at the sight, but thankfully the Mawile closed its second mouth again just a moment later, seeming satisfied.

“Maw!” it exclaimed, looking up at Jenny expectantly.

She shook herself.

“Right, let's go.”

She led the Mawile back down the street, Growlithe following along behind the two of them a few feet back. Jenny admittedly had some misgivings about allowing her partner to walk so closely behind a Mawile of all things, but she was, as she'd stated, trusting it to behave. Which thankfully didn't appear to be misplaced, at least thus far.

It took until they'd made it back to her motorcycle for Jenny to realize she had a problem — namely, the motorcycle itself. For jobs like this, she usually brought along one of the station's customized cargo vans to help transport any Pokemon she'd picked up to where they needed to go. Today however, she'd been running back and forth across the city so much that her bike had seemed more convenient... which it had been, up until now.

The officer brought a hand to her chin in thought. There were still at least a couple of other people back at the station. If she called this in, maybe one of them would be able to spare the time to bring one of said vans to her? Given the workload they'd been balancing today however, that seemed unlikely, and would still make this entire endeavor take at least twice as long as she'd been expecting...

She glanced back at the Mawile. Well, it was fairly small, and even seemed rather eager to cooperate now that it knew where she was intending to take it. Perhaps she could risk bending procedure a bit.

Walking forward, Jenny opened the tiny door to her bike's sidecar.

“Here,” she said, “hop in.”

The Mawile stared at her for a moment, then made a vaguely shrug-like gesture before clambering up and in, where it rapidly went about making itself comfortable on the cushioned seat.

“Make sure our guest stays safely seated until we reach the Center, alright Growlithe?” Jenny added.

“Grof!” Growlithe barked in the affirmative, jumping up and in next to the Mawile. The slightly smaller Pokemon squinted, looking distinctly wary of this arrangement, but scooted over to make room all the same, before... picking up the seat belt and belting itself in.

Jenny blinked.

Huh. Even smarter than she'd thought.

Shaking her head, she pulled out her keys and started the ignition, her bike rumbling back to life beneath her. As she pulled back out onto the road again, she swore she could hear her tiny passenger laughing...

Chapter Text

So, I guess this is why I never encountered any other Pokemon whilst aimlessly wandering around Jubilife.

I glance up at the policewoman on my right, her own eyes presently fixed on the road. I actually got the idea of asking Pokemon native to this city for directions a while ago, once I finally realized that it would probably be significantly easier than trying to get said directions from people, who can neither speak nor comprehend Mawile-ese. That idea ended up falling through however, owing to my somehow never finding any local Pokemon to ask — beyond a small group of Rattata living an alley that ran away before I could even get a word out, and a couple of vague, bird-shaped outlines I've occasionally spotted hanging around on distant rooftops, there's been nothing.

...which, apparently, is because Pokemon Control in Jubilife runs a fairly tight ship.

I lean back in my seat, enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing against my face. Regardless, getting arrested might actually be the most convenient thing that's happened to me since I got here. While it turns out that I can in fact still get in trouble with the police, in spite of human laws no longer applying to me, being forcibly chauffeured to one of the exact locations I've been trying to find all day is the opposite of a bad thing. I even get to sight-see on the way!

I pan my gaze around, taking in the tall, silver and bronze buildings surrounding the street we're driving down.

...okay, granted, it's not the best view. As I'd already pretty much guessed from what I've been seeing, or rather not seeing all day, much of Jubilife's inner-city architecture seems to trend towards “Office Building Chic”, with few obvious landmarks to be found against the backdrop of huge, rectangular boxes. I did spot a decently-sized park not long after we got on the road, and just a minute ago we passed by a strikingly colorful building with a lot of Pokeball imagery scattered around it, which I think may have been a Pokemart? Beyond that though, there's sadly just not a lot to see on the way to the Pokemon Center.

All of half a minute later, when we actually reach the Pokemon Center, on the other hand...

The first thing I notice as we pull onto the adjoining road is how incredibly large the building is. While the Poketch Company building did fool me at first, I was still expecting the Pokemon Center to be maybe two or three stories tall at most. Apparently however, I was very wrong — the Pokemon Center is in fact massive, standing at least seven or eight stories tall, with a trio of bizarre, almost cylindrical protrusions sticking out the sides of its L-shaped frame, and a top half that looks like it was split in two by some wandering giant's ax. I have to wonder, if I'd come across this place on my own, if I'd have even looked high enough up to see the expected giant “P” logo printed upon the structure's left tower.

The second thing I notice is just how much greenery the area has. The Pokemon Center is contained within a large, fenced-off rectangle of land, the majority of which is covered in verdant grass, numerous bushes, and various conical shrubbery. Not only that, but the area behind the towering building is a veritable miniature forest, or at least the tree cover is thick enough to appear as such upon casual inspection from the street. Even if it's just for looks, it's still the most flora I've seen in this city since entering it this morning.

The third thing I notice is the similarly large, and considerably wider domed structure sitting off to the Pokemon Center's right. I can't quite tell what it is from the street, but given the massive Pokeball insignia emblazoned over the building's entrance, combined with its sheer size and non-standard design, I can only assume that it's the Jubilife City gym. Holy crap, are both my destinations seriously right next to each other? This is perfect!

“Here we are.” the Jenny says as she parks next to one of the open gates leading into the fenced-off area, the well-trodden dirt path beyond it leading directly to the Center's front door.

Smiling, I unfasten my seat belt — why does this sidecar have a seat belt anyways? — and clamber over the door.

“Hey!” my seat partner barks at me in a high, rough tone. “You aren't supposed to exit the vehicle until Jenny tells you to!”

“Well, maybe you should have told me that before I unhooked myself.” I retort, already dropping the remaining foot or so to the ground. “Besides, I'd have thought you'd want to be rid of me as soon as possible.”

The Growlithe bares her teeth at me from over the lip of the sidecar. I glare back at her, re-activating Intimidate for a scant moment, and snicker under my breath as she flinches backwards so badly that she nearly falls over.

I'm fully aware that deliberately antagonizing a police dog is probably- no, definitely a bad idea, but I also kind of feel it's only fair, given that she's been treating me like a criminal since she first laid eyes on me. Even though she couldn't tell me what I'd actually done to deserve that, mind. I swear, if she wasn't a Fire-type...

I glance up at the Jenny again as she dismounts from the motorbike proper. At least my “captor” has been surprisingly nice thus far. So long as I ignore how she essentially muzzled me before actually trying to talk things out, at least. Seriously, what was with that order of doing things...?

I shake my head. Well, whatever, she still got me where I wanted to go.

“Someone's certainly eager.” the Jenny muses, noticing that I've already gotten out. “Come on then. You too, Growlithe.”

Gesturing for us to follow, she starts down the perfectly-straight dirt path. I hurry after her, as does Growlithe, who hops out of the sidecar and falls in step with me a moment later.

“I'm watching you...” she growls, teeth still bared.

She's not lying — as we walk up to the Pokemon Center, Growlithe's narrowed eyes remain unflinchingly focused on the side of my head, as though she expects me to make a break for it at any moment. I quite deliberately ignore her, my own eyes going essentially everywhere else in the vicinity as I drink in the welcome sight of something other than the same five building templates seemingly copy-pasted ad infinitum... which is when I notice that the sky is already starting to turn red, evening readying itself to pass the torch on to night.

...wow. So, I literally wandered around Jubilife all day long trying to find this place? No wonder my feet are sore again. And considering how long it took us to get here even on a motorcycle, I probably wouldn't have managed to do so before it got dark, if at all...

I pull a face. Once again, so glad I managed to catch a ride.

The glass front doors of the Pokemon Center automatically open as we approach, allowing the three of us entrance into a long, red-and-white lobby with pale yellow floor tiling. The room is quite large, and is full of comfortable-looking couches, chairs, and tables, many of them occupied by trainers — I can tell, because some of them actually have Pokemon out, practically the first I've laid eyes on since this morning. I spot an Azurill, an Espeon, and an Altaria before I'm guided to the back of the room, where a Nurse Joy stands behind a wide, rounded counter.

“Jenny!” the Joy exclaims, smiling softly as we approach. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“It's nice to see you too, Joy,” the Jenny replies, cocking an eyebrow, “but unless you somehow missed the sound of my bike arriving outside, I doubt it's that much of a surprise.”

The Joy laughs musically. “I suppose you're right, though it is always nice to see you... even if I take it this isn't just a social visit?”

The Jenny shakes her head.

“Sorry, not this time.” she says, motioning to me with one hand. “I don't suppose anyone has come to or called the Pokemon Center looking for a lost Mawile?”

I have to restrain myself from laughing aloud at the idea. I can only think of one person who'd have any reason to do so, and I highly doubt that Paul would bother, even if he somehow had access to a phone right now. Somehow, he just doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to ask others for help.

“I don't believe so,” the Joy answers, “but I'll check.”

As she turns to the computer on her right and begins typing something into it — or so I assume, given that I can't actually see the top of the counter — I subtly cast my gaze around the rest of the lobby, ignoring the Growlithe still trying to glare a hole in the side of my head. Even beyond the copious seating, there's a ton of amenities in here, including several vending machines, numerous bookshelves, several fairly large TVs, and even one of those phone corners from the show with the built-in video screens. It feels very cozy; more like a hotel lobby than a hospital's.

...though, neither of those usually entails quite so many onlookers.

I squint, trying to ignore how several of the trainers on the other end of the lobby appear to be eyeing up our group for some reason. I guess seeing an Officer Jenny show up in a Pokemon Center is a somewhat unusual sight...

Or, maybe it's me they're staring at? It's not like I haven't been attracting odd looks all day, and even if I'm now in a place you might actually expect to encounter a strange Pokemon, that doesn't change the fact that Mawile are still strange, at least for Sinnoh. Plus, these aren't just random passerby like earlier, they're trainers. Of course they're going to be extra curious upon spotting a Pokemon they've presumably never seen before... though, come to think of it, Bewilder Forest had multiple generations worth of Pokemon in it that I wouldn't have expected to see there in the games, and the show always played pretty fast and loose with regional Pokemon distribution anyways, so hell if I know what's truly considered “normal” around here. Maybe Mawile are common as dirt, and they're actually just wondering if Growlithe is about to snap and Ember my face off.

“It doesn't appear as though anyone has inquired about a missing Mawile recently, no.” the Joy says, prompting me to turn my gaze forward again. “Going by that rather fetching bow, I assume it's trained, correct?”

“So far as I can tell.” the Jenny replies. “Accessory aside, it's got an awfully impressive grasp of language if not.”

“Oh?” The Joy briefly glances down at me, though she looks back up before I can nod a confirmation to her. “Any identifying information on the bow or otherwise?”

“Not so far as I can tell.”

The Joy briefly frowns, but her smile returns a moment later. “Well, even so, I'm certain its trainer will contact us soon. Rest assured, Mawile will be in good hands here until then.”

“Well, of course it will be.” the Jenny says, her lips curling up into a tiny smirk. “They're your hands, after all.”

The Joy laughs again. “Oh, you...”

I squint up at the pair of women questioningly, shifting my gaze from one to the other. Am I misreading this atmosphere, or are these two-?

The hand radio on the Jenny's hip suddenly starts beeping. She hesitates, but pulls it out after a moment, walking a few yards away from everyone before holding the device up to her face and pressing a button on the side.

“I'm here, what is it?"

I can't quite hear the other end of the conversation, but from the slightly frustrated frown that appears on the Jenny's face as she listens, I'm guessing she's not terribly happy about it.

“Copy that. Be back soon.” she says with a small sigh.

Reholstering the radio, the policewoman turns and strides back up to the front desk.

“I have to get back to the station.” she tells the Joy. “Can you handle the Mawile from here?”

The Joy nods beatifically. “Of course. Stay safe!”

The Jenny nods back, then looks down at me.

“Be good for her, alright?” she says sternly. “I don't want to have to come back here.”

...what am I now, your kid?

“Yeah, yeah,” I reply, giving her a cursory nod, “I'll behave. Thanks for the ride.”

Apparently satisfied with that, the Jenny starts walking back towards the entrance, her partner almost reluctantly tearing herself from my side to follow after. As the automatic doors open to allow the policewoman to leave, Growlithe turns and shoots me a final dirty look, then scampers out after her trainer, just in time to make it through the already-closing doors.

Ahhh, finally. My time in police custody was short and unexpectedly welcome, but freedom tastes sweet nonetheless.

I turn back to the counter to find the Joy typing away on the computer again. Noticing the direction of my gaze, she glances down at me and smiles softly.

“Don't worry little one. We'll get you back to your trainer soon.”

“Uh, yeah, about that,” I reflexively reply, “I don't actually have a trainer-”

“I wonder how you ended up getting lost?” the Joy muses as she turns away again, seemingly talking to herself more than me. “You seem too well behaved to intentionally run away.”

...oh, right, that whole “language barrier” issue. Damn, I spent so long just trying to get here that I forgot to figure out how I was going to handle this part of the process. How am I going to tell her what I'm actually here for?

“Well, until we've figured out where you came from, let's get you set up for a hopefully brief stay here.” the Joy continues, leaning over to press something on the counter that I again can't quite see, but which I assume to be an intercom button as she subsequently speaks into it. “Chansey?”

In response to the apparent summons, a door directly to the left of the counter opens, and one of the large, egg-shaped Pokemon in question steps out, a tiny white-and-pink nurse's cap perched atop its head... as well as a wooden clipboard clasped in one hand, with pen and paper already attached to it.

Relief flows through me at the sight, the dread that was building in me at the thought of attempting to poorly pantomime my way through an explanation again dispersing like dust on the wind. Oh, finally.

“Would you escort this Mawile to the nursery?” the Joy requests.

The Chansey smiles and bobs her body forward a bit, as though to nod. “Of course, Head Nurse.”

I take that as my cue to speak up.

“Hey, Miss Chansey!”

The Pokemon assistant turns towards me, blinking.

“Yes?” she replies in a soft, almost motherly tone, seeming slightly surprised I addressed her. “Is something the matter?”

“Could I borrow those for a minute?” I ask, pointing at the clipboard and its attached writing implements.

The Chansey frowns. “I'm sorry, I'm afraid I need these for my job.”

“Could you maybe lend me a spare set then?” I persist. “Please?”

She shakes her head. “I don't believe these would be of any interest to you. We use them for-”

“I know what they're used for. That's why I'm asking for them.”

“Chansey?” the Joy cuts in, a lightly-concerned expression on her face as she looks back and forth between the two of us. “Is something the matter?”

...ugh, screw it.

Giving up on being polite, I walk up to the Chansey and, before she can react, jump upwards, grabbing hold of the edge of the clipboard as I do. She's almost twice my height, but her hands are much lower, and whether due to surprise at my audacity, the unexpectedness of my weight, or her nub-like appendages simply not having the best grip in the first place, the wooden board slips from her grasp, causing her to cry out in surprise and stumble several feet back.

“Ah-!”

“Chansey!” the Joy yelps, flinching backwards in surprise herself.

I disregard them both, my attention fully on the clipboard I just forcibly borrowed. The paper currently attached to it is some sort of medical form, as of yet unwritten on besides a few clumsily-drawn check marks in some boxes on the right. Needing space, I quickly detach it from the board and flip it over, revealing the page's blank white back.

“Please return that!” the Chansey implores as she regains her bearings. “It isn't for-!”

The moment I put the stolen pen to page and start forming letters with it, the Chansey falters, and the Joy's mouth falls open in surprise. This thankfully stalls them both for several long moments, which turn out to be somewhat crucial, as I immediately encounter a rather substantial problem — turns out, Mawiles are not terribly great scribes.

“I hate only having three fingers per hand.” I grumble to myself as I struggle to get the pen to cooperate with me. “Stupid claws weren't built for this...”

Despite my irritating lack of dexterity, I manage to finish scribbling down my intended message, albeit with considerably messier penmanship than I'd have preferred. Turning the clipboard around, I move back in front of the desk and hold it over my head for the Joy to see.

[Hi, sorry, I'm not actually lost?]

Nurse Joy simply stares at me for a moment, her eyes wide.

“Oh... oh my...”

She doesn't immediately follow that statement up with anything else, as though too stunned to speak. With no apparent further response forthcoming, I shrug, then start writing out another message, trying to ignore the piercing gazes of both nurse and nurse Pokemon continually boring into me as I do.

...unfortunately, theirs aren't the only ones whose attention I seem to have caught. In my peripheral vision, I can't help but notice that even more of the lobby's current inhabitants than before are staring at this end of the room now. They might have initially just looked over when I startled the Joy, but given that they're still watching, and even starting to audibly murmur to each other, I somehow doubt she's still the subject of interest. Maybe I should have waited to do this until the Chansey led me to that “nursery”, or at least out of sight of all these random people...

Unnerved by the attention, I do my best to brush it aside and simply concentrate on writing — which, come to think of it, I should probably be grateful is even recognized as such. I didn't think about it back when I was using Paul's Pokedex, but I don't recall written English ever actually being used in the show... at least, not outside of single-letter logos, and the Unown, sort of. Wait, are they why English is recognized here? Or-

No, stop. Questions later, write now.

Eventually, despite the unsettling sense of over a dozen different pairs of eyes resting squarely on my back, as well as several whispered back-and-forth conversations starting up on the periphery of my hearing, I finish my next message and hold it aloft again.

[I also have a captured Pokemon with me who's been separated from his trainer. Can I leave him here for later pick up?]

The Joy blinks at the words, breaking from her minor trance.

“I... how did you learn to do that?” she asks.

A little annoyed that she all but ignored the content of what I actually wrote, I scratch out an answer, slightly faster this time as I begin to adjust for my missing fingers.

[Taught myself. My question?]

I point and circle my previous message with a claw to draw attention back to it.

“You taught yourself...?” the Joy incredulously repeats. “But-”

I cough, emphasizing my message again, and she refocuses.

“Wh- where exactly is this... captured Pokemon?” she asks, not a little disbelievingly.

I reach into my not-pants and pull out Chimchar's Pokeball, which only causes the Joy's eyes to widen even further. Before she can speak up however, the Chansey does so instead.

“How did you learn to do that?”

I squint at the larger Pokemon, nesting the Pokeball back in my fur before gesturing at the words on the clipboard.

“I literally just answered that exact question?”

The Chansey shakes her head, though due to her shape it's more like she shakes her entire body.

“I'm sorry, but I can't read human language. That's why I'm asking how you can.”

...wait, what? In that case, how was she even using this clipboard? I mean, yeah, the paper only had check marks on it thus far, so that technically tracks, but... why...?

While I'm busy pondering this, the Joy looks away and lightly pats her face, seeming to regain some of her typical composure as she straightens up and faces forward again.

“You are... a very smart little Mawile.” she says, drawing my attention back to her. “May I ask who this trainer is?”

Deciding to question the wisdom of giving clipboards to apparently illiterate Pokemon another time, I write.

[Guy named Paul with purple hair and a bad attitude. Trust me, you'll know him when you see him.]

Below the words, I also scribble a rough, cartoonish little drawing of Paul's glaring face for reference. So what if it's childish? That's what he looks like!

The Joy reads my message, her expression seeming to thin slightly, but nods all the same. “And you're certain he'll be coming to this Pokemon Center?”

That's... a good question, actually. Paul may be a jerk, but surely he'll at least bring Elekid and Murkrow here when he arrives, right? He wouldn't able to keep putting his Pokemon through that type of training if he didn't at least let them rest up fairly regularly, so... yeah, surely.

[Pretty sure? He was heading to Jubilife last I saw him, at least.]

The Joy frowns.

“Last you saw him? Is he your trainer as well?”

I mentally facepalm. Gah, I shouldn't written that... no getting around it now.

[Not anymore.]

The frown deepens. “Did you run away?”

[You're NOT taking me back to him.] I hurriedly scrawl, faster than anything else I've written thus far.

“I assure you, you needn't worry about that.” the Joy replies, shaking her head. “When a Pokemon runs away from its trainer of its own free will, there is nearly always a good reason for it, be it that they simply weren't a good fit with that trainer, or...”

She looks up for a moment and trails off. “Perhaps we should take this to another room.”

I sweep my gaze backwards to find that the entirety of the lobby is now watching our conversation. Several people have also gotten up and started walking towards the counter, curiosity all but literally burning in their eyes.

[...yes please.]

Chapter Text

“Chansey, would you mind taking over for me?” the Joy asks, stepping out from behind the counter.

The Chansey in question gives me a last, lingering glance before moving to take the Joy's place, which I guess is a relatively regular occurrence, given that she otherwise doesn't even hesitate to do so. I've no idea how a Pokemon who can't speak to anyone is supposed to effectively man the front desk, but the Joy clearly isn't worried, as she's already walking off towards a hallway to the right. Not wanting to be left behind, I dash after her, skirting around one of the trainers who just walked up as I do.

“Ah- hey, wait! Nurse Joy, was that Pokemon really just-”

The Joy passes through a pair of doors leading into what looks like an Employees Only area, holding one open just long enough for me to make it inside as well before allowing it to swing shut again, cutting off the rest of that question. This thankfully stops the gawkers in their tracks — or at least, none of them try to follow us — and a couple of hallways later, the Joy and I step into a nearby elevator, whereupon the nurse looks back down at me.

“I'm sorry if I seem a bit frazzled.” she sheepishly apologizes, pressing a button and prompting the elevator doors to slide shut. “This isn't exactly a scenario I was trained for.”

I nod. Understandable — I imagine this situation is rather novel for her on a number of fronts, so I can't really blame her for being off-kilter, or not knowing exactly how to treat me. I don't even know if I'd know how to treat me in her place, honestly.

Twenty seconds or so later, the elevator dings, and the doors slide open to reveal another hallway. The Joy walks out, and I continue to follow, trailing a bit behind due to my stride length being so much shorter than hers... annnnnd also to avoid unintentionally looking up the nurse's fairly short uniform skirt. I never really took note of that before, but it's kind of hard to ignore right now given my current height, much like it was with the Jenny, and- yeah, I'm just going to stay back here, where I don't have to worry about accidental voyeurism.

Pushing all thoughts related to that subject out of mind as best I can, I allow the Joy to escort me to a wide door near the middle of the hall, which she opens to reveal a space immediately recognizable to me as a veterinary exam room, though a fair bit larger and more high tech-looking than the kind I'm familiar with. At the very least, it's clearly been built with a higher degree of flexibility in mind, as the sturdy-looking metal table at the center of the room appears to be capable of extending to over twice its size in every direction, or even lowering into the floor if necessary for space.

“I suppose this will do.” the Joy says, seemingly to herself, before turning to me and patting the table in question. “Would you mind hopping up onto this?”

Before I can ask how I'm supposed to do that when the table is at least four feet tall, the Joy presses a button on its side, and a small metal ramp emerges from within, extending outwards before slowly lowering itself to the floor in front of me. Huh... convenient.

I can't help but squint up at the nurse for a brief moment, slightly concerned that I'm about to be “examined”. I can't see any particular reason she'd bother with that though, especially right now, or without even asking, so...

Shrugging, I walk up the ramp and seat myself down on the table, my not-pants thankfully protecting me from its lightly cold surface. Meanwhile, the Joy grabs a tall, cushioned stool from the corner of the room and moves it slightly closer, such that when she sits down on it a moment later, we're left roughly eye to eye with each other. Ahhh, so that's why she asked me to move up here.

“I must admit, this is a new experience for me.” the Joy says with a small laugh. “When Jenny said you had an impressive grasp of language, I didn't think she meant it to quite this degree. Most of the Pokemon she brings in off the streets aren't exactly as... talkative, as you.”

[I wouldn't think so.] I write and display, pausing for a moment before adding a second sentence. [Can I get some more paper?]

I'm running out of room on this one — it's pretty hard to write small when you can't even hold a pen correctly.

The Joy nods, opening a nearby drawer and grabbing a pair of notepads from inside. She hands one of them to me, accepting the clipboard and form in exchange, but keeps the other notepad for herself, withdrawing a second pen to use it with before closing the drawer again.

[Thank you.]

“You're quite welcome.” the Joy replies. “Now then. There are... a number of questions I would like to ask you, but first, I don't suppose you'd be willing to elaborate on how you 'taught yourself' to write?”

I start to put pencil to paper- and freeze.

I... don't actually know how to respond to this. I didn't exactly prepare a whole fake backstory for my Mawile-self to justify my knowledge of written language — mostly because it didn't actually occur to me that anyone would care enough to ask about it, even though that seems patently obvious in retrospect. Do I just tell her the truth...?

My jaws anxiously clench together. No, that's stupid; there's no way I'm going to try explaining how I know how to write because I'm ~actually~ a human who got turned into a Mawile by unknown means, especially since I don't have any records in this world that would lend the idea even an inkling of credibility. Sure, I could add on how I'm also technically a dimensionally-displaced human to explain my complete lack of apparent history, but that wouldn't exactly make my story much more believable, and even if the Joy somehow did take me seriously, I feel like that would do me more harm than good. But in that case, what do I tell her...?

I mentally flounder, trying to come up with an excuse I'm confident would sound at least relatively plausible, but repeatedly failing. Damn it, why did I have to say I “taught myself”? I wrote that in the heat of the moment as an off-the-cuff excuse, solely because I wanted the Joy to focus on my own question instead of her own, but now any explanation I give is going to have to include that somehow...

“Shall I take your silence as a no?”

...or maybe, my lack of response was the best answer I could have given anyways.

[Yeah, sorry, but I'd really rather not say.] I write, gladly taking the out I've been offered.

"That's quite alright." the Joy replies, seeming a little disappointed, but hiding it well. "Your health should come before my curiosity anyways — would you at least be willing to answer a few questions regarding that subject?"

I nod, more than happy to steer this conversation elsewhere, and the Joy nods back.

"...well then." she continues, both her expression and tone shifting slightly. "This is unconventional, but you're clearly capable of answering me yourself, so... may I ask why you ran away?"

I think on that for a moment before forming a response.

[Let's just say Paul wasn't my kind of trainer.]

Apparently he is Chimchar's though, and the little fire monkey is the only reason I'm even here right now, so I'll refrain from calling Paul a jackass outright, no matter how much I may want to.

The Joy quickly jots something down on her notepad before continuing.

“How commonly did you visit the Pokemon Center, or any similar health-care facilities?”

[This is actually the first time I've ever been in one.]

Not like I was with Paul long enough to visit one before now, after all.

The Joy scribbles down another note, her grip seeming slightly tighter this time.

“Did your trainer — this 'Paul' — feed you properly?” she asks. “Did you often find yourself hungry for long periods of time?”

I blink.

Wait a second. Is she... checking if Paul was mistreating me?

I run the trio of questions over in my head again, and quickly conclude that yes, that's definitely what she's doing. I don't see any other reason she'd be phrasing these questions in such a way, or even asking them to begin with if not. Which is great — very professional and all — except that the entire point of coming here was to have the staff get Chimchar back together with Paul, which I imagine will be a lot more difficult if I paint the latter as- well, exactly who he is.

I frown. That being said, I don't really want to lie about this, especially not to someone who's presumably just trying to help Pokemon in the exact sort of situation Chimchar was genuinely in, up until I accidentally stole him. Maybe this shouldn't really be my decision? I don't personally have more than a day's worth of personal experience with Paul anyways... so I suppose I'll leave this up to someone who does.

[To be honest, I wasn't actually with Paul for very long.] I write. [Do you mind if I let my-]

I struggle to think of the right word for a moment before continuing.

[-companion answer your questions instead?]

The Joy gives me a slightly quizzical look.

“Can your companion... also, write?”

[No, but I can translate for him.]

“Ah,” she remarks, nodding her assent, “I don't see why not then.”

Nodding back, I pull Chimchar's Pokeball back out and lightly toss it onto the table next to me. Its occupant emerges in the expected blinding flash of light, rubbing at his eyes a little as he does so — only to freeze as soon as he notices where we are.

“...w-wait.” he stutters, rapidly looking around the room. “We're here? Already?”

“Yep.” I reply. “Welcome to the Jubilife Pokemon Center.”

Don't know what he means by “already”, given how stupidly long it took me to get here, but I'm glad he didn't find it too boring in there I guess.

“It's very nice to meet you, Chimchar.” the Joy says, giving him the same soft smile she gave me earlier.

“Uh...” Chimchar stutters, glancing up at the Joy, then back to me, then over at the Joy again. “Um...”

“There's no need to be scared.” I say, slightly bewildered by his reaction. “She's not gonna bite.”

Surely he has met, or at least seen a Nurse Joy before now, right? Again, for as little as I think of Paul, I really can't imagine he's so cruel as to completely shun Pokemon Centers, if only because said cruelty would likely drastically impair his ability to train his Pokemon day in and day out.

“Nurse Joy here just needs you to answer a few questions about Paul before she can let you hang around to wait for him.” I explain.

“Answer... questions?” Chimchar repeats, confusion clear on his face. “How? She can't understand us, can she?”

“I can translate for you.”

Chimchar's eyes nearly bug out of his skull. “Wait, you can speak human?!”

Hah, I wish.

“No, but I can write it.” I reply, tapping my notepad. “She'll ask you the questions, and I'll transcribe your answers so she can read them.”

And if those answers end up condemning Paul in the process... well, it's not like he didn't hang the rope himself.

Chimchar opens his mouth again, staring at the notepad and looking like he wants to say more, but closes it a moment later, as though rethinking his words.

“I... okay. I can do that.”

Satisfied, I turn back to the Joy, who's been patiently waiting for the two of us to finish our discussion.

[We're ready.]

The questioning session goes about as I largely expected it to, plus or minus a few details. I learn a few things about both Paul and Chimchar in the process, like that Chimchar learned Dig under Paul's instruction rather than naturally, and that he's been with Paul for “less than a season” (which is the narrowest measurement of time that Chimchar is capable of giving me), but for the most part it's all stuff that I already knew, or at least could have reasonably guessed — particularly what daily life as Paul's Pokemon is like. Abbreviated meal times, repeated criticisms and put downs, nigh-on constant training paired with infrequent healing sessions... all details that just make me quietly hate Paul a little bit more. It's a sentiment I'm pretty sure the Joy is coming to share with me, as she looks progressively less and less pleased with each answer she receives.

“So, Paul will at times tell you to deliberately not dodge attacks?” the Joy asks, her thin pink eyebrows creasing downwards.

Chimchar nods, and I silently curse Paul out for at least the tenth time this hour.

“Do you have any idea why he would ask that of you?”

“It's... because of my ability.” Chimchar nervously admits. “Blaze...”

I start transcribing that, but pause, feeling that subject deserves further elaboration before I write it down.

“What do you mean by that, exactly?” I ask.

Chimchar flinches, his expression shifting from being merely nervous, to almost... scared?

“Paul wants me to be able to control my ability.” he says in a low voice. “When I get really hurt, my fire attacks get really powerful... but I also go completely out of control.”

...oh yeah, I remember that now. As I recall, Paul was only interested in Chimchar to begin with because of how powerful he gets once that ability kicks in... which I guess is why he's apparently been telling Chimchar to essentially throw himself in front of attacks. He literally wants Chimchar hurt.

I scowl and copy all that down for the Joy to read. She stares at the words with the same distantly angry look she's been giving most of what I've been translating, and I swear I can hear her teeth clenching behind her pursed lips, even as she writes something down on her own notepad.

“...I see.” she says after a moment of silence, sounding rather drained.

[Are we almost done, by the way? My hand is getting tired.]

Seriously, these claws were not meant to hold a steady grip on something for this long, and I feel I've conveyed more than enough about how Paul treats Chimchar on a daily basis for a judgment to be made in that regard.

“Yes, I believe we're just about finished here.” the Joy wearily replies, glancing over her notes again before turning back to Chimchar, drawing in a deep breath as she does so.

“Just to confirm, one last time — despite everything you've told me, you still want to return to, and be trained by Paul. Is that correct?”

Chimchar resolutely nods his confirmation, which I don't bother transcribing. For a moment, I see clear worry and sympathy flash in the Joy's eyes... but then they're gone, as she seemingly forces her expression back into tranquility.

“In that case, we'll do our best to take good care of you until he arrives. Alright, Chimchar?”

Chimchar smiles and lets out a relieved “Yes!” which the Joy presumably only hears as “Char!”, while I just sigh.

Well, looks like this little Q&A session turned out to be rather pointless. I expected better from Nurse Joy, especially given that she cared enough to ask all this stuff to begin with — I mean, she's clearly not exactly happy about it, but it doesn't sound like she's going to do anything about it either. Maybe Paul's training methods really don't constitute as abuse here... or maybe it's just that the Pokemon's own desires are considered more important than the deeds of their trainer?

I shake my head. At least Chimchar will be getting what he wants, I guess. Technically I will be as well, since there's still a better chance he'll eventually end up with Ash if he gets back together with Paul first, even if my intervention likely means it's no longer guaranteed. This is honestly probably for the best — I just wish it didn't leave such a rotten taste in my mouth.

*guUuRrRgle*

And... on that subject...?

I turn, somewhat incredulously, to the apparent source of that rather tremendous groan. A few seconds later, Chimchar's stomach repeats its previous complaint, prompting him to rest one hand against it, a somewhat-pained look flashing across his face as he does.

...oh. He... hasn't eaten anything since this morning, has he?

The realization brings with it a crushing wave of guilt. Now that I think about it, I spent a good chunk of the day stuffing myself with free samples handed out by generous food vendors and charmed passerby — yet it never even occurred to me to share some of that with my shrunken passenger, even though said passenger hadn't himself had anything to eat today besides a dirty Sitrus berry. Truth be told, even though getting us to the Pokemon Center was one of my main priorities in Jubilife, I kind of forgot Chimchar was even with me until we actually arrived...

While I'm busy internally hanging my head, the Joy merely smiles at us again.

“I take it you two are hungry?” she asks, glancing over at a nearby wall clock. “It is getting awfully late... I'm sorry that this took so long. Why don't we go get you two some food?”

Both of us perk up at that, though I'm immediately hit by a second surge of guilt in doing so. I don't have nearly as much right or reason to be excited by that as Chimchar, who's probably all but starving right now. Not that such precludes me from being hungry too, but- ergh...

The Joy gestures for us to dismount the table, which Chimchar immediately does. After grabbing his Pokeball and tucking the notepad and pen under one arm, I do the same, falling in step as the Joy opens the door and leads us back down the hall. As we trail after her, I find myself turning to Chimchar, remorse still tying a knot in my intestines.

“Hey, I'm... sorry I didn't think to get you any food today.” I apologize, cringing at my own apparent negligence. “Just kind of slipped my mind, I guess. Which is horrible of me, I know; I'm just not used to having to feed anyone but myself, and-”

“Huh?” Chimchar stops me, seeming confused. “What do you mean? You gave me that berry...”

That's not what I- wait, did he not even realize what I was doing earlier-

“Here we are.” the Joy suddenly interrupts.

She opens the door we've come to, this time revealing what appears to be a combination food storage room and lounge. There's a Chansey standing behind a sizable kitchenette and counter on our right, as well as a huge number of colorfully-labeled cans sitting on a series of shelves at the other end of the room, along with several stacks of varying-sized pet bowls. There's also a large glass window set into the left wall, with an accompanying door on its right that I assume leads into the next room over, as well as several soft-looking chairs and cushions arranged in a semi-circle around a small coffee table... which is really more like a normal table, at Chimchar and I's height.

“We have a wide variety of Pokemon food available.” the Joy explains, gesturing to the shelving units. “Do you two have any flavor preferences?”

I look over at Chimchar, who just sort of looks back awkwardly at me, saying nothing. Well, I don't know about him, but even if the Pokemon Center presumably stocks better-tasting food than the kind Paul buys, I'd prefer something a little more filling, as well as slightly less... dehumanizing.

Pulling the notepad back out from under my arm, I write.

[I'm actually not that fond of Pokemon food. Are there any other options?]

The Joy blinks at me, the possibility evidently not having occurred to her, before raising a hand to her chin in thought.

“Hmm... we usually reserve the option for Pokemon in more immediate need of nutrition, but I suppose there's no harm in making a minor exception. Chansey?”

“Yes, Head Nurse?” the Chansey replies, emerging from behind the counter and waddling over to us.

“Would you mind sparing an egg for these two?”

She smiles. “Not at all.”

Before I can process exactly what that means, the Chansey grabs and lifts the egg out of her stomach pouch — only for it to be immediately replaced by a second egg that somehow pops up from directly underneath it, despite there being absolutely no visible room in the pouch for it to have existed scant moments ago. What the hell...?

While I'm busy being perplexed by that apparent violation of sense, the Chansey closes her eyes in concentration, and a soft orange glow envelops the egg she's now holding. When the glow fades a few moments later, the nurse Pokemon reopens her eyes, then sets the egg down on the floor and lightly taps it with one hand. The shell instantly splits down the middle, and both halves of the egg fall away from each other, revealing their perfectly soft-boiled interiors.

“Here you go.” the Chansey says kindly, pushing one half towards me and the other towards Chimchar. “This should help you get your strength back up.”

I look down at the rather strange alternative meal I've just been served, intrigued by the preparation method, but more than a little reluctant to simply dig in. I've never really been the biggest fan of eggs, especially boiled ones, and I have my doubts that my change of species has changed that as well. Also, even after being cracked in half, this thing is like a quarter of my height? Not that I'm exactly annoyed by the portion size, given just how much I eat nowadays, but when I don't even know if I can tolerate the taste or not...

I shake myself. Oh, whatever — it's free food, so I can't really complain. If I don't like it, I can always just dump it straight down my maw anyways.

Bending down to grasp the sides of the eggshell “bowl”, I move a few feet over and set it down on the nearby table, not particularly wanting to eat off the floor. Then, tentatively raising the egg up to my mouth, I take a small bite of its insides.

...and then another bite. Followed by another, and another, and another, pausing only long enough to chew and swallow.

Okay, I take it back. This is shockingly good — though, it also tastes almost nothing like the kind of eggs I'm used to. The whites are soft and creamy, with a texture somewhere in-between marshmallow and tapioca, and have a very pleasant taste even eaten on their own. It's the yolk at the center that's the real star of the show though — cooked, but still runny, and thick enough to coat the whites almost like a glaze or sauce, it's quite frankly delicious beyond belief, with a uniquely savory-sweet flavor that I can't even think of an adequate comparison for, but find I can't get enough of. I'm extremely tempted to just tip the eggshell upwards and drink the pool of yolk at the center like a smoothie, but manage to refrain, not wanting to finish it off that quickly.

I briefly glance over at Chimchar, who if anything seems even more satisfied with his food than I am, scooping out entire fistfuls of egg at a time and delightedly shoveling them into his mouth. I personally feel like food this good should be enjoyed at a slightly slower pace — even more so now that I'm a Mawile, honestly — but even if Chimchar wasn't understandably quite hungry, I don't think I could really blame him. I ate a lot of different things today, but flavor-wise, this tops them all.

In no time at all, the two of us have polished off our respective meals, and I find myself feeling quite full for the second time in recent memory. Having been waiting at the side of the room for us to finish, the Chansey re-approaches.

“Did you enjoy the food?” she asks, picking up the cracked, but still mostly intact eggshells and depositing them into a nearby waste bin.

“Yeah!” Chimchar immediately cheers.

“It was delicious!” I follow up, echoing his sentiment. “Albeit slightly, er... messy.”

The shape of my mouth let me manage alright without, but next time I'm definitely asking for utensils. There is egg all over my face right now.

The Chansey giggles. “I can see that... let me clean you two off.”

Before I can ask how she intends to do that, she bends down, and a small, light blue ring of energy appears at the end of her arm. It floats there for a moment, before rapidly expanding outwards to wash over Chimchar and I, and I find myself reeling back slightly, feeling like I just got spun around once or twice after running through a shower of mist.

Slightly confused and just a tad dizzy, I reach up and touch the sides of my mouth. They feel slightly damp, but otherwise clean... wow, what was that? Water Pulse?

“Um, thank you.” I say gratefully, looking up at the Chansey. “That feels much better.”

Chimchar nods in agreement, though he seems too woozy to do more than that — I'm guessing he was slightly more affected by the not-quite attack than I was, what with being weak to water. Doesn't look like it hurt him at all though, and the egg has been washed from his hands, along with all the dirt that got ground into his fur during this morning's altercation.

I raise a nonexistent eyebrow, impressed at the Chansey's fine control. It almost makes me wonder if Mawiles can learn Water Pulse too — I may not plan on staying a Pokemon forever, but I'd still love the ability to conjure an instant miniature shower on demand while I am one. Would certainly have been helpful during my first week in this world, for... well, multiple reasons...

“Would you like us to heal you as well?” the Chansey suddenly asks.

“...huh?” I blink up at her. “Isn't that only for Pokemon with trainers?”

She shakes her head. “Healing is a complimentary service we offer to all Pokemon who find their way here, regardless of ownership.”

Oh. Well then, that sounds... quite nice, actually. I may be both full and clean now, but my feet still kind of hurt from spending most of the day trekking around the city, and I'm probably not fully healed from the fight this morning either, seeing as that damn scarred Staraptor — Scaraptor? — stole all my emergency recovery berries the moment we landed here.

“I'd like that.” I confirm, before turning to Chimchar, whose wooziness seems to have passed. “How about you?”

“Ah- yes, please!”

The Joy seems to have left the room at some point when I wasn't paying attention — probably while Chimchar and I were busy stuffing our faces — so the Chansey beckons for us to follow her instead. As I stand to do so, I can't help but think to myself that in spite of the way it started, and just how long of it I spent completely lost?

This has actually been a pretty darn good day.

Surprisingly, rather than being led back out into the hallway, Chimchar and I are instead taken through the door on the left, which exits into a somewhat strange-looking patient care room... or maybe operating room? Radiology room? A different kind of exam room? I'm genuinely not sure — all I really know is that there's a large white table at the center of the room, and a really complicated-looking machine built into the ceiling above it, equipped with numerous lamp-like attachments hanging from jointed metal arms.

I can't help but balk for a moment at the sight of the aforementioned machine, which really doesn't look terribly safe — in fact, it kind of reminds me of the sort of high-tech torture contraption a movie villain might use to threaten someone who's been forcibly bound to the table below. I try not to let that initial impression color my perspective too much though, as I know full well that a Pokemon Center wouldn't actually have something like that... at least, I'd assume...

“So, um, how exactly does this work?” I ask the Chansey, trying to take my mind off the looming ceiling appliance. “What exactly does the 'healing' process entai- woAH!”

The last word exits my mouth as a small yelp, the Chansey having literally just picked me up and lifted me onto the table. I open my mouth to protest as I'm urged to lay down, wanting to know more about precisely what this involves before going any further-

And then the lamps of the overhead device abruptly flicker on, and I can't find it in myself to complain anymore.

Oh wow...

My muscles almost immediately relax themselves, the light of the machine soothing me to a degree I'd have not even imagined possible. Aches that I'd all but stopped noticing until just now seem to numb and vanish from my awareness, and while I can't see them, I could swear some of my lingering bruises from this morning are literally fading away. This feels amazing...

I let out a sound of pure contentment, luxuriating in the warmth and comfort of the seemingly literal healing light. I was only ever in the one, and not even for terribly long all things considered, but I feel safe in saying this even beats out the comfort of a Pokeball. I swear, I'd be the happiest Mawile alive if I could just...

*yawn*

...curl up here and...

...close my...

...eyes...

Chapter Text

When my eyelids next flutter open again, I find myself curled up in a comfortable resting position, my horns wrapped around me in an almost protective embrace.

Mmm... did I fall asleep? Must have... where am I...?

I shift around a little, finding myself rather reluctant to actually get up and check. Whatever I'm lying on right now is soft, pillowy, and warm, making it easily the nicest surface I've slept on since arriving in this world... not that “dirt” and “grass” make for a particularly high bar to clear, but still. On top of that, escaping from Paul in the dead of night pretty much required forgoing any actual rest, so I could probably use some extra sleep anyways, which I'd be more than okay catching up on right where I am now.

...though, I might have already done that, seeing as I actually feel surprisingly well rested. And I still should probably figure out where I am before committing to sleeping in, shouldn't I...?

Letting out a small whine at my own better judgment, I reluctantly force myself to move. Uncurling my horns from around myself, I slowly push myself into an upright position.

Whereupon I realize the object I'm currently sitting on is quite obviously a pet bed.

...well. That's... more than a little demeaning, but I am admittedly better sized for this than a normal bed now, and it's still undeniably comfy. It's also fairly large, and elevated to boot, to the point I'd even call it kind of fancy for what it is. As such, I suppose I can't really be that mad about it — even though I really, really want to be.

Shoving my silent indignance aside, I let out a small yawn, then look up to take stock of the rest of my surroundings.

Whilst I was busy being unconscious, I appear to have been moved into a relatively spartan-looking space, perhaps a little smaller than an average bedroom. Though lacking much in way of decoration, it's clearly still been set up with a certain level of comfort in mind, as the walls are painted a soft blue, and have a couple of human-sized chairs resting up against them, both of which look almost unreasonably well-cushioned. There's also something that looks like a large toy chest sitting in one corner of the room, as well as a relatively tiny desk shoved into the opposite corner, a small TV set high up on the wall, and a pair of windows just off to my left. The latter both have curtains drawn over them at the moment, but a few thin, soft rays of light are managing to peek in nonetheless, confirming for me that I apparently slept through the night.

I rub at my eyes with the back of my hand, careful to keep my claws pointed outward. Huh... I guess this must be the Pokemon Center's version of a hospital ward? Seems like a rather strange place to leave me — while I certainly didn't mean to fall asleep on that healing table, I'd have sooner expected to wake up in that “nursery” the Joy mentioned than a place like this. Not that I'm not happy they apparently decided to put me up for the night, but I didn't exactly have any major wounds to heal, so it's not like I needed a place for an extended recovery... nice of the Chansey not to wake me though.

Something lets out a tiny snore to my right, prompting me to turn in that direction and blink. Correction, nice of them not to wake us. Seems as though Chimchar ended up surrendering to the sweet embrace of slumber as well, likely for very similar reasons. He's curled up in an identical pet bed just a few feet away from mine, a peaceful expression on his sleeping face.

Glancing off to the side, I spot his Pokeball sitting atop a tiny, nightstand-like piece of furniture, just small enough for a Pokemon his size to actually use. I have one too, now that I look, though unlike Chimchar's there's nothing on top of it at the moment. Which is- hmm.

I do a quick once over of myself. My scarf bow is still firmly tied around the base of my horns, and the spare Pokeball I picked up yesterday remains safely ensconced within the fur of my hakama pants — but the notepad and pen I was using last night are nowhere to be seen. Damn, did one of the Chansey put them away after I passed out mid-healing? That's a bit annoying...

I frown, but wipe the expression from my face a moment later. Oh well, no big deal. I'll just ask for another set at the front desk before leaving.

And... I guess I should be leaving, shouldn't I?

For a brief moment, I consider the idea of sticking around the Pokemon Center a little more permanently. Between the free food, free healing, and apparently free lodging, it's honestly a very tempting thought, especially compared against the living conditions I've been dealing with up until now. Hell, I would've killed just to be able to sleep in a bed — yes, even this kind of bed — for all of a single night, back when I was stuck in that miserable forest. Do I really have to discard this kind of comfort so soon after finally finding it?

...sadly, yes, I think I do. To the nurses here, I'm presumably still little more than a runaway Pokemon, albeit a strangely intelligent one, so I highly doubt that I'd actually be allowed to stay here indefinitely without significantly better reason than “I want to”. I don't think they're likely to just kick me back out onto the streets given the effort that was taken to bring me in off them, but the most likely alternatives I can imagine is that I'll either get forcibly escorted back to the forest outside the city, or they'll offer to have some other, non-Paul person “adopt” me instead, both of which are scenarios I'd obviously rather avoid. Also, I still don't plan on staying a Mawile for the rest of my life, which doesn't exactly strike me as the kind of problem where I can just settle down and hope that the issue eventually sorts itself out. Combined with how my unintended tagalong has now been safely delivered, and is just waiting for a pickup that I'm quite certain I won't want to be present for...

Yeah. Time to get going.

Pushing myself to my feet, I hop down from my temporary bedding and start towards the door, which is set into the wall directly opposite the windows. Before I make it even halfway there however, I find myself hesitating, glancing back at the tiny chimp still present in one corner of my vision.

It's strange... Chimchar wasn't with me for but a day, but it seems somehow wrong that I'm leaving him behind, and I don't get why. I mean, we barely know each other, at least on a personal level, and quite frankly I'm still not entirely over how we first “met”, for all that I know he wasn't truly at fault. Hell, we've scarcely even interacted enough to be considered more than mere acquaintances, if that.

...and yet, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, I almost feel like I'm abandoning a friend...

Swallowing, I look away, silently reminding myself that this is what Chimchar chose. All I can do is pray that it all still works out for him in the end — like it was supposed to, before I haplessly stumbled my way into the picture.

I move over to the door. Conveniently, rather than a more standard type of doorknob, the opening mechanism appears to be a fairly low push bar instead. Probably at least in part to accommodate the Chanseys, if I had to guess. It's still too high for me to reach with my arms, but with a little help from my horns, it shouldn't be too difficult to-

“Huh?”

I startle, nearly slamming my head straight into the wall, then quickly swivel back around. Perhaps owing to the sound of my own footsteps on the tiled floor, I'm apparently no longer the only one awake — Chimchar, tail flame slowly rekindling itself, is now staring at me from across the room with an oddly sorrowful expression.

“You're... leaving, now?” he whispers.

I sigh under my breath, a large part of me wishing that he'd just stayed asleep.

“Yeah, I am.” I confirm for him. “Like I said before, I don't plan on waiting around for Paul like you. As such, this is where we part ways... best of luck.”

I turn back to the door-

“W- wait!”

Chimchar takes a deep breath, then hops down from his bed and stands, seeming to draw himself up a bit as he does.

“I... I could hear you talking, yesterday.” he haltingly admits. “Once we got to this city. You... sounded a lot happier. Than you were, back when we were with Paul, I mean.”

I squint at him. Hear me talking? What, when I was mooching free samples off of food vendors and the like? I thought he said last night that he didn't-

“You're smarter than me too.” Chimchar continues, and I almost interrupt, but for once he doesn't let me. “You learned that new move so fast, and you were able to beat that Staraptor, and you know so much about human stuff... stuff I don't think I'll ever understand. You can even write their language... you probably don't need a trainer...”

His expression falls, even as his gaze drops to the floor.

“But, even so... is Paul truly that awful, in your eyes?”

Wha... really? That's what he was building up to? Did we not already go over this subject in pretty thorough detail yesterday morning?

“Yes, he is.” I say flatly, raising a single eyebrow as I do. “Was that really not obvious from how I ran for the hills at the first opportunity I got?”

“But he's been helping me-”

I stifle a snort.

“-and I've seen his other Pokemon!” Chimchar insists. “Not just Elekid and Murkrow! He has others, and they're all really strong! We...”

He trails off into a bare whisper.

“We could be like that too...”

I stare at Chimchar almost incredulously. Is he actually trying to sell me on the idea of joining back up with Paul along with him after all, despite everything that I very demonstrably did to get away from- gah, he just doesn't get it.

“That might be your top priority, but I'm afraid isn't mine.” I finally reply, shaking my head. “I've got places to go, and people to meet.”

Not to mention my humanity to reclaim.

“I'm not going to say I wouldn't like to get stronger too.” I continue, the image of an Ursaring's bared teeth flashing through my mind. “But if so? I'll do it on my own, without being leashed to that tyrant in trainer's clothes the entire time.”

At that, Chimchar's tail flame flares, and I'm surprised to see what looks like legitimate anger enter his eyes.

“It's not like that!” he suddenly shouts, his hands balling themselves into fists. “You were only with Paul for less than a day! You don't know him! You don't know anything about him! You- you don't!”

The stutter reenters Chimchar's voice near the end of his brief tirade, and his tone gains an almost desperate edge to it, as though he's trying to convince not just me, but himself to believe his own words. I can't help but sigh again, only finding this conversation increasingly depressing the longer it continues.

“I guess you have a point.” I quietly admit as I turn back to the door. “I wasn't with Paul long enough to truly know him... but I feel like I know enough. And even though you've been with him for a lot longer? I don't think you do.”

Or at least, you refuse to admit it to yourself.

“Maybe one day, you'll realize what kind of person Paul truly is.” I say, deliberately keeping my gaze forward. “Until then... all I can say is that I hope you eventually find happiness.”

I can hear Chimchar struggling to form another sentence behind me, but I can't make myself listen to this any longer. Swinging my horns upwards, I use them to depress the bar on the door, then quickly shove the exit open and slip out into the hallway beyond. The door swings shut again on its own a moment later, ending the conversation for good.

...what a miserable way to start a morning.

By the time I finally locate the nearest elevator, I've managed to mostly put the argument out of mind — though, I'm still rather saddened to think of parting ways with Chimchar on such a terrible note, not to mention frustrated by what we were even arguing about. The fact that it turns out I don't have enough dexterity with my horns, nor enough height without them to actually use the elevator doesn't help much in this regard, as I thus end up having to walk, or rather carefully climb down multiple flights of stairs instead. Cursed tiny legs...

I grunt a little as I carefully lever myself down an overly large step. At least no one is around to see me awkwardly hopping and shimmying my way down these. In fact, the building seems strangely quiet right now just in general. I'd have expected to at least run into a Chansey in the hallway or something, but the only counter I've seen so far didn't even have anyone behind it. Were Chimchar and I just trusted to be able to handle ourselves, or...?

Not having any real idea what Pokemon Center standard procedure is, I ultimately put it out of mind as I finally reach the bottom of the stairs and push open the adjoining door. Upon passing through, I find myself back in the building's front lobby, albeit on the opposite side I left from yesterday — though, much like upstairs, it's nearly entirely devoid of life at the moment. There is a small scattering of trainers sitting at a few of the tables on the other end of the room, but no more than I can count on my fingers, and I don't have as many of those as I used to. Either the Pokemon Center is having an unusually slow morning, or they're a lot less busy on a daily basis than I've been imagining.

...well, that, or it's actually just that early. Some of these people don't look too awake just yet.

Regardless, none of the individuals in question appear to have noticed me walk in, most of them seemingly preoccupied with either eating breakfast, feeding their own Pokemon, or both. Some of them are also idly watching one of the lobby's large public TVs, which is currently tuned to a news report about...

Some sort of recent forest fire, it looks like?

I watch along for a couple of seconds before shrugging and turning away. That's certainly a tragedy, wherever it is that happened, but it's not particularly relevant to me.

Glancing over at the front counter, I note that it's once again being manned by a Chansey — I guess at least one of them is awake — while the Joy from yesterday is nowhere to be seen. I still don't understand exactly how that setup functions when trainers come in needing to speak with someone who can actually respond, but it shouldn't be an issue for me. In fact, it's even kind of convenient if I'm going to ask for another notepad, since the Chansey should be perfectly capable of understanding me even without one.

Although... am I going to get in trouble for trying to leave before being officially discharged? Is there like, paperwork I need to fill out before I can go? Hell, will they even let me go, given I was brought here as a supposed stray Pokemon...?

I ponder this for a few quiet moments, before lightly slapping a hand over my face as I realize just how ridiculous my current line of thought is. This is a Pokemon Center, not a hospital — if anything, it's closer to a very high-tech vet's office. Maybe there's paperwork involved for trainers, but as I'm inclined to assume that most Pokemon can't write, it makes no sense to assume they'd make a special exception for me just because I can. Also, even if I technically am a stray, I've proved that I'm certainly not “wild”, so if I want to leave, then they surely can't just keep me here for no reason.

“Quit being stupid...” I mumble to myself as I start towards the front desk. “Ah, Miss Chansey-?”

The moment I call out to the Chansey in question, one of the trainers that was watching the news report abruptly snaps to attention. In my peripheral vision, I notice as his head whirls around as though on a swivel, and his gaze nigh-immediately narrows in on me — but I don't get a chance to actually react to this before he springs into a standing position and very quickly starts making his way across the lobby towards me, leaving me in turn semi-frantically backpedaling away from him. Who the-?!

The trainer slows as he approaches, stopping about four or five feet in front of me — just out of biting range. I don't recognize him as one of last night's onlookers — I feel like I'd remember a guy wearing this much green — but he clearly recognizes me, at least if his far-too-interested expression is anything to go by.

“Well well... you're that Mawile from yesterday, aren't you?” he says more than asks, his forest-green bangs seeming to somehow cast the top half of his face in shadow. “The one who could write?”

I don't respond, too wary to nod, shake my head, or even really react to this guy in any definitive fashion. His words draw a few more eyes from the front of the lobby, a couple of them gaining a sudden attentiveness that I'd have really preferred stay directed away from me.

“Don't be scared.” the trainer urges, following the statement with a low, amused-sounding chuckle that immediately undermines it. “I was just hoping to ask such a... unique Pokemon as yourself a few quick questions.”

He smiles, a little too widely, to the point it looks more like an open-mouth smirk.

“You wouldn't mind, would you?”

He takes a step forward, and I take two steps back. Behind the reflection of the overhead lights on his glasses, I can see an almost manic gleam in his eyes.

...you know, I think I would, in fact, mind.

Abruptly scrambling into motion, I bolt for the building's entrance. The creep yells something as I weave around his legs, and I think I hear a few other people cry out behind me as well, but I don't process the words and don't look back, already throwing myself through the thankfully-automatic doors and into the courtyard beyond. Gotta get out of sight-!

Skirting around the nearest corner, I fall back on what's been my go-to hiding strategy of late and dive into a nearby bush. The few scattered around the fenced-in area surrounding the Pokemon Center unfortunately aren't very large, and are stiff enough that my shape might be noticeably deforming the one I'm in, but it's the best that I've got on short notice.

Burrowing as deep into the foliage as I can, I turn the corner of my eye back towards the doors, and wait for the glasses creep to come rushing through them.

...but he doesn't. In fact, no one does.

I keep still for another half a minute, but the entrance to the Pokemon Center remains firmly closed, with not a hint of anyone approaching it from either end. Cautiously peeking back out of the bush, I squint at the building, some of the adrenaline fading from my system.

Huh... from the way that guy was acting, I was sure he'd try to follow me out here. Or that someone would, at least. Was I just overreacting, running away like that? I don't feel like I was...

I sigh. Well, either way, there goes my chance at getting another notepad, unless I really want to risk running straight into that weirdo again. Although, if this is how people are going to act in response to realizing I can write, perhaps that's ultimately for the best... bah.

Reemerging from my uncomfortable cover (though still keeping the bush between myself and the Center, just in case), I straighten back up and turn my eyes to the sky. It does indeed appear to be quite early, as the morning sun is only just now starting to peek over the surrounding buildings — though, I probably could have figured that out even without the visual aid, just going by the striking quiescence of the world around me. The courtyard looks to be completely empty other than myself, and while I do see a few people walking by on the adjacent sidewalks, most of them in business clothing, there's barely even a minor buzz of conversation, nor is there a single car anywhere in sight — in fact, I've still yet to see any vehicles in Jubilife at all, barring that one fire truck and the Jenny's motorbike.

I can't help but frown a little. Maybe I'm just biased due to not being from this world, but it genuinely feels weird to me for a city to be this quiet, no matter what time of day it may be. In fact, compared to the mornings I spent in Bewilder Forest, where I repeatedly woke up to the sound of either screaming birds or patrolling giant bees, the difference almost could not possibly be any more pronounced.

Doing my best not to let my own dissonant expectations get to me, I turn to the enormous dome on the other end of the courtyard. Well, seeing as I'm out here anyways, I guess I might as well go check out the gym. If I'm going to be staking out the place until Ash and company arrive, I'll need to find a good spot to set up shop...

My frown deepens. Though, I'm not sure how comfortable I am remaining so close to it after what just happened, especially if that guy wasn't necessarily an isolated incident. Now I almost wish the gym didn't have such an otherwise convenient neighbor... if I can find a good enough hiding spot, I guess it should be fine, but it'll need to be better than just shoving myself in another bush. Maybe I can get inside the building itself?

Figuring there's no way to know until I look, I make my way over, keeping a careful watch over my shoulder even as I step onto the pavement-lined path leading up to the massive building's front door. Up close, it looks even bigger than it did yesterday — in fact, at Mawile size, it feels more like I'm approaching a full-on stadium, rather than what I assume is more like an indoor arena. Despite being considerably shorter than the towering buildings behind it, it feels strangely more intimidating to approach...

I shake myself, then stop and look up as I notice something moving — namely, the giant TV screen built over the facility's quadruple front doors. Unlike yesterday evening, it's now been turned on, allowing it to display the kind of huge, flashy promotional garbage that I'd honestly have expected to see a lot more of in a city like this. Presently, it's displaying a bright, semi-static advert for an upcoming Pokemon Contest, which is apparently set to take place right...

...here...

...at the “Jubilife City Contest Hall”...

...

Well then.

I groan aloud, simultaneously disappointed and irritated by this discovery. Seems my search isn't over just yet — I guess it couldn't truly be that easy after all. In which case, perhaps I should pop back into the Pokemon Center for a moment, if just so I can ask that Chansey to point me in the right direction? I'll have to dodge around that creepy guy again if he's still in the lobby, and anyone else potentially following his lead, but I think I'd honestly rather risk that than go back to searching for the local gym by wandering around Jubilife at complete and utter-

My train of thought abruptly comes to a screeching halt.

Wait a second.

Does Jubilife City even... have... a gym?

I do a quick, somewhat frantic mental rundown of what I remember about this city from the games and the show, but it's not terribly helpful, as it's simply been too long since either of those have been relevant to me. I genuinely cannot recall if Jubilife is home to a gym or not. It's the first big city in Sinnoh after the starting town though, right? Surely there's a gym here, that's how it is in all the other games!

...at least, I think...?

My jaws grind together as I continue attempting to dredge up long-forgotten knowledge from the morass of my memory, but it's no use. No matter how much I may want to, I just can't seem to bring the relevant information back to mind.

Damn it... okay, if that's a no go, maybe I can figure this out by approaching it from the side? I may not be able to recall which cities in this region had gyms, but I do at least remember a few of its gym leaders. There's Gardenia, Crasher Wake, that... ghost woman in the ballgown, Volkner, Roark-

Wait, yes, Roark! The rock specialist guy, with the glasses, and the miner's hat! He's the first gym leader of Sinnoh, right? Owned a Cranidos or something, I'm pretty sure, and was found in-

I pause for a brief moment, then slump over so hard that I nearly fall to my knees.

In Oreburgh City. As the matching rock-based name pretty obviously implies. Not Jubilife.

Shit.

My face briefly falls into my hands, but I raise it back out of them a moment later, wanting to be able to see as I start furiously pacing in a small circle.

Well, this is a pretty major problem! Ash will still probably be passing through this city at some point in the near future, given it's a major waypoint on the road to Oreburgh, and I'm pretty sure that he always visits every city in a region at least once. However, if there's no gym here, then there's nowhere I can guarantee that I'll see or encounter him when he shows up, meaning I'm extremely likely to end up missing him, especially given just how freaking huge Jubilife is. And that's just Ash! Paul might skip over Jubilife entirely, what with there being absolutely nothing of interest to him here, meaning bringing Chimchar here wasn't just pointless, but actively detrimental, because now he's not going to end up with either of them-

I cut myself off there, refusing to let myself go any further.

Stop. Just, stop, me. Quit catastrophizing, and calm down a little — yes, there's no gym here, which I really should have realized way sooner, but that doesn't mean this entire plan was completely worthless. Even if Paul has no interest in sticking around Jubilife for longer than he has to, he will still most likely drop by the Pokemon Center to heal his team, like I told the Joy last night, so Chimchar should still be taken care of. And as for me...

I look back at the contest hall. Ash has Brock along for the ride to play field doctor for him, so there's unfortunately no real guarantee he'll end up visiting the Pokemon Center the same way I'm supposing Paul will. However, Dawn should be in his party by now as well, and she did contests, right? Did she start this early on? I... can't say with any actual certainty, but I'm at least pretty sure that she did, given that becoming a Pokemon Coordinator was practically her defining character trait. In which case, she'll probably be dropping by this place when she gets here, won't she? So...

My breathing slows. Yeah, this should still work fine — so long as I'm correct in my assumptions, then this isn't actually a huge issue. Meaning, I haven't completely screwed myself over, I don't need to start hiking to Oreburgh, and I shouldn't be freaking out this badly over any of it. Even if there's no gym to wait at, I can just as easily wait here, at the Contest Hall. It makes no difference, really.

...well, except maybe the fact that contests are scheduled events, not walk-in ones like gym battles usually are. When is that upcoming contest, exactly...?

I glance back up at the TV screen, hoping it will tell me if I just keep watching. After about five seconds, I'm proven correct, as the text of the advert changes to display additional information about the contest in question.

“Only six days left to register, so don't wait!”

My mouth drops open essentially of its own accord.

Six days?! How can it possibly be six days away?! I was under the impression that Ash and company usually roll into town basically only just in time to attend any of these things, and I can't have saved that much time on the Staraptor Express! The hell am I supposed to do in the meantime?!

For the next half a minute or so, I end up just silently fuming, trying to figure out how exactly I'm going to make this work now. I didn't sign up for this! If I knew I'd end up this far ahead of schedule by choosing Jubilife as a meet-up point, I'd probably have just turned around on Route 202 and tried to find Ash by randomly walking along the road! Sure, I'd have run the risk of running into Paul again, not to mention any other Pokemon looking to follow in Mama Bear and Scar Beak's footsteps, but at least I'd have been doing something!

I cross my arms and huff, fingers twitching in impotent frustration. Well, one thing's for sure — there is no way I'm willing to just sit around this contest hall twiddling my thumbs for nearly a week straight. A day or two, sure, but three times that? Fat chance. If I'm seriously going to have to bunker down in Jubilife for this long while I wait for the plot to catch up to me, I'm going to at least spend my sudden glut of free time constructively.

...unfortunately, my options in that area are pretty limited if I can't even go back into the city proper, and given what happened yesterday, that might not be the best idea. I hardly want to get myself that badly lost again, nor do I want to end up unable to explain myself to Pokemon Control should they come for me a second time, which seems pretty likely given I missed my chance at getting a replacement notepad...

A growl bubbles up in my throat. So many options opened up to me last night, only to be nigh-immediately closed off again, just because I fell asleep at an inopportune time. Man, this would all be so much easier if I could just-

Hmm. There's an idea...

After a bit of further deliberation, I end up moving to the trees at the back of the area, hiding myself from any prying eyes within the large copse of greenery. Just a small precaution, since this might take a little while, and also because I'd just like some privacy for the time being.

Yesterday made it fairly obvious that my inability to easily communicate with people anymore is kind of a major issue. While I did eventually manage to make my way to the Pokemon Center, it was essentially by coincidence, after spending most of the day utterly lost due to a simple inability to ask anyone for directions, and the rest of it failing to get across basically anything other than “I'm cute, feed me” up until I snatched that Chansey's clipboard. Hence why I'm still so annoyed that some other likely well-meaning Chansey took away the notepad I was given shortly after... but, admittedly, it probably would have been kind of frustrating to have to carry that around all the time, given I failed to get my hands on an “Adventure Bag” when I had the chance. Also, writing with these tiny hands is hard enough that they actually started hurting after a while when talking to the Joy last night, not to mention it's just plain slow , so perhaps the notepad wouldn't have worked out terribly well in the long term regardless.

Thankfully, however, that wasn't my only option. I am in the anime continuity after all, and given that Ash and Paul exist here, I'm inclined to believe that Team Rocket exists as well. And if they exist... well, so too must Meowth.

Meowth, who can talk like a human. Meowth, who in fact quite literally taught himself spoken English... and whose existence is more than enough for me to have hope that I can do the same. Or, well, it's probably not called “English” here? The closest thing this world has to England is Galar, but I don't exactly know that it's called “Galarian” either, since this world's global language could have basically any given origin for all I know-

I shake myself, realizing I'm getting off track. Whatever, doesn't really matter what it's called! So long as I can figure out how to speak “Human” again, I'll be happy one way or another.

...well, mostly. I am admittedly a tad concerned about the unwanted attention this might draw me if I succeed, much like showing off my ability to write clearly did last night. But... well, for one, I think that ship may have already sailed, and for another, maybe I'm worrying too much about it anyways? I mean, no one seems to care about Meowth being able to talk for more than the first five seconds in which they meet him, if that, not to mention there's a whole plethora of Pokemon that are fully capable of using telepathy to accomplish much the same effect. Surely it can't be that unusual... in fact, maybe I've only drawn as much interest as I have because a Pokemon being able to write actually is that unusual in comparison?

The longer I consider that line of thought, the more I find myself agreeing with it. That would make sense, actually — I can recall a fair number of Pokemon from the show that were capable of mimicking human speech in some manner or other, but other than Meowth, I can't recall any that were shown to be explicitly literate. I'm not sure if any others were even seen to be able to read, let alone write, meaning that relearning speech might actually draw me less attention than flexing my literary skills everywhere would. In which case...

I smile. Yeah, this'll be worth it.

I take a few moments to stretch a little, feeling like I should do so even if the only muscles I plan to be exercising are my vocal chords. Honestly, I'm feeling pretty positive about this. I mean, I already know English, I've just got to teach myself how to make the proper sounds again. Besides, Meowth managed it, and if he of all Pokemon figured it out, then how hard can it possibly be?

Chapter Text

Hard. It can be extremely, exceedingly, excruciatingly hard.

“Guh...” I mumble, frustratedly dragging a hand down the side of my face. “Stupid... beak... thing...”

It feels like every day, I discover yet another horribly inconvenient aspect about being a Mawile. Today, it's that much like how my hands aren't actually great at holding writing utensils, my mouth isn't exactly built to form a good portion of the sounds that comprise the English language. My lips — in so much as you can even call them that — aren't nearly as flexible as the average human's, and any phonemes that tend to rely on teeth to help form them, like “Th-” or “V-”, are at least twice as difficult to make as they might be otherwise.

If, that is, I can make them at all.

I scowl. That's just the tip of the iceberg though — there's an even more irritating issue that's massively compounding the problem. Namely, my mouth just doesn't want to make sounds other than those that compose the word “Mawile”. It isn't that it necessarily can't, so much as that it simply feels incredibly unnatural, like I'm not just speaking a different language, but I'm speaking wrong. Trying to overcome this apparent mental block is proving monumentally frustrating, and despite my best efforts, there's seemingly nothing I can do but try my best to push past it, and hope that it eventually gets easier.

I sigh and clear my throat. Let's try this again...

“~Hmmo!~” I say aloud, cringing at how utterly unintelligible that already sounded. “~I. Mmm. Ah. Mawile.~ Could you tell me where the-”

I cut myself off and curse upon noticing I've slipped back into Pokemon language again. It's ridiculous just how many times I've done that now — I'll suddenly start talking way more smoothly, and for a brief, shining moment think I'm actually making progress, only to have my hopes dashed upon realizing I've actually just reverted back to “maw mawile maw” for the umpteenth time. Why couldn't this auto-translate function come with a damn off button?

Growling, I try sounding out the same sentence again, only to end up making the exact same mistake, in nearly the exact same spot. After this repeats itself several more times with barely any variance between each iteration, I tilt my head back and moan, nearly collapsing backwards onto the grass in frustration.

Ugh, I hate this! I've heard it said before that it's not actually that easy to accidentally slip back into one's native language while speaking in another one, but whoever said that clearly failed to take into account languages that sound functionally identical to the speaker if they aren't paying close enough attention — something that's pretty darn hard to do while also trying to concentrate on correctly forming the second syllable of the third word of a ten-word sentence, which I don't even have the proper mouth shape to speak. I have way more respect for what Meowth managed to accomplish now; this is like trying to learn how to speak alien. And I already have all the context I theoretically need! I can't even imagine how much more challenging it must have been for him...

I flop back against a nearby tree, disheartened by my obvious lack of progress. I don't know exactly how long I've been working at this now, but it's been long enough that the city around me has grown to a level of ambient noise I find slightly more natural, even if there's still a distinct lack of motors. It's actually close to ideal, because I'm not quite as uneasy anymore, yet it's still relatively quiet, meaning I can now practice in near-complete peace.

...if only I seemed capable of using that peace to make literally any headway whatsoever.

I sigh again. This sucks... I can't even figure out a decent way to “cheat” my way around my apparent limitations. Trying to push energy from my reservoir into my mouth in the vague hope of mimicking the “Aura Speech” of that Lucario from the eighth movie was a complete bust, and I don't have the slightest idea how to form Psychic energy or use it for telepathy, even if Mawile were remotely naturally inclined towards that sort of thing. I even tried using my maw at one point, hoping that my secondary mouth at least might not have the same language reversion issues that my normal one seems to, but...

Hoping against hope, I split my maw open again and exhale through it, flexing each part of its “throat” in every way I can, tensing all the muscles both within and attached to it in turn.

Not a sound.

...yeah, if this thing has any actual vocal chords attached to it, I can't figure out how to use them. I can breathe in and out through it, so I guess if I figured out how to orient my tongue and teeth correctly, I could at least use it to whistle or something? Not that that's in any way helpful...

My eyes begin to lid in growing resignation, my gaze gradually drifting towards the ground.

Should I maybe just give up on this...? I don't want to, but I'm starting to feel like I've set myself to an impossible task. Nothing I've tried to say so far has come out right, and nothing I've tried to do about that seems to help in the slightest. It's not like I was expecting instant perfection or anything, but I really didn't think this would be so crushingly, depressingly difficult...

Utterly dejected, I allow my eyes to slowly slip shut.

...and then snap them right back open, violently shaking my head as I do so. No, no, I refuse to abandon this idea, at least not this early! I may feel like I've been at this for forever, but in reality it's likely not even been half of the first of the six full days I've apparently got to kill in this city, and this is probably the most immediately relevant or worthwhile skill that I could possibly spend any of that time on! I can't just throw up my hands in defeat because it isn't going well for me right off the bat!

Calming slightly, I force myself to draw in a slow, deep breath. There has to be some idea I just haven't thought of yet. Some tactic, or workaround, or loophole to make this actually doable for a “normal” Pokemon like me, who doesn't have access to anything more convenient. I just need to keep trying — once I hit upon the right strategy, or at least one that lets me move forward in some way, this will all probably seem a lot less insurmountable.

...that being said, I think I do need to stop for at least a little while, if just to give both my mind and mouth some rest. You wouldn't imagine that just talking — or, well, failing at talking — on its own could possibly be so tiring, yet here I am, with my throat feeling like the freaking Sahara. Or whatever the Pokemon world equivalent of that would be. Orre, I guess?

I stand back up and mentally shrug. Doesn't matter. The point is, I could really use a break — and probably some breakfast, honestly? Maybe more like brunch at this point, actually, if not just lunch outright, but still, food.

I glance down at my stomach. Feels like my life has practically revolved around where I'm going to get my next meal of late... guess that's just how the wild Pokemon life is. I'm kind of surprised I'm even hungry again, considering how full I felt after last night, but Mawile metabolisms are obviously quite efficient.

If I was willing to risk reentering the Poke Center, I could probably get another of those amazing Softboiled eggs from the Chansey at the front desk, but...

Images of Chimchar's desperate anger, a pair of glinting glasses, and way too many searching, curious eyes pass rapid-fire through my mind.

...yeah, maybe not.

I frown uneasily. That leaves street food, but while I'd be more than happy to sample some more of Jubilife's local cuisine, half the point of this whole speech exercise was to make heading back into the city proper safer for myself. Given that I've made next to no progress on the subject thus far, is it worth the potential risks...?

Walking forward, I brush aside a bit of the greenery currently obscuring me and peer out at the courtyard beyond. It's no longer completely unoccupied, with roughly half a dozen people and their respective Pokemon now playing, training, or engaged in friendly battles on the grass, but they're still far enough away that if I just go around the back of the contest hall, they shouldn't be too hard to avoid.

I mull the quandary over for another minute or so, before eventually concluding that I... think I can still chance it. As long as I'm not out for too long, I shouldn't have to worry about Pokemon Control, and while (despite my best efforts) I'm still utterly incapable of asking for directions, so long as I stay in the area — or even just on a single road, come to think of it — a short stroll for a quick bite really shouldn't be all that risky.

I nod, silently reassuring myself. Yeah, I'm making too big a deal of this. Once I've grabbed a few samples, I can come right back to this nice, surprisingly private little slice of not-quite forest, and get back to figuring out how to wrangle human words out of my stubbornly inhuman throat. Shouldn't be any more of an issue than it was yesterday.

I'll be back in half an hour, tops.

- Over half an hour later -

…my breakfast plans appear to have hit a bit of a snag.

"Go on, get!" the man growls at me from the doorway. "I don't care if you've got a trainer or not, dirty scavengers are NOT welcome!"

Hastily retreating from the entrance of the corner restaurant I was attempting to entreat, I scurry off down the sidewalk, not wanting to risk drawing any further ire. The man doesn't follow me, but his glare lingers on my back as he turns around and practically stomps back inside, the door swinging shut on its own behind him.

Trying not to let it get to me, I look away and resume making my way forward.

The road that I've chosen to travel down this morning is actually the exact same one that the Jenny drove me up yesterday. Mostly because I saw first hand that it goes on for quite a while without any real bends, which in turn should make getting lost on it nigh-impossible — no way to get turned around if you only ever go straight forward, after all.

I drag my foot over a wide crack in the sidewalk. Unfortunately, I'm starting to realize that choosing this road for its length alone may have been a mistake. Partly because I'd somehow forgotten that this is still the business sector, where the pickings for street food are considerably sparser than they are elsewhere, but also because that was now the third separate place that I've tried to approach.

...and also the third one that's instantly, and not a bit angrily refused me.

I sigh. While frustrating, I can't really be that upset about this, as I knew it was bound to happen eventually. My cuteness has thus far proved fairly effective on the residents of Jubilife, but it was never going to work on everyone. In retrospect, I'm actually kind of surprised no one ran me off like this yesterday... though, I'm still kind of annoyed at that guy who accused me of “banditry” a block or two back. In retrospect, that burger cart was probably a mistake to approach in the first place, as the guy running it wasn't exactly giving off “charitable” vibes, but it was still an awfully harsh way of characterizing what I'm doing. It's not like I even got anything in the end, so you'd think he'd have been slightly less pissed off.

A small gurgle issues from my stomach, drawing my mouth into a frown, but I wipe it away and force myself to try and stay positive. Even if my luck has been atrocious so far, I'm pretty sure I'll still get a bite to eat eventually. Surely not every single vendor around these parts is so cruel as to let a poor little Mawile go hungry...

“~Aah... Mmbe... Eee...~” I idly mutter as I walk, as though hoping my speech skills will have somehow magically improved since I set out. “~Lee... Iee... Awmf... Eee...~”

Sadly, the trial of The Alphabet Song remains just as insurmountable for me as it already proved earlier, accomplishing nothing other than to make a passerby who was already giving me a weird look promptly give me an even weirder one. I put on a little extra hustle as I pass them by, unnerved — I was getting fairly used to the stares by the end of yesterday evening, but after having all those trainers' eyes on me last night, not just questioning my presence, but actively curious and/or enthused about it, I'm finding myself jumping at them again. Thankfully, no one out here right now seems to be nearly as eager to directly interact with me as those trainers or Glasses Guy were, so I'll hopefully become inured again in time.

Spotting a new food stand at the corner of an upcoming side street, I do my best to rally, plastering on my cutest, most harmless expression as I cross the street and start heading in its direction. It's a couple dozen meters from the main road, but as long as I return to said road immediately after, I shouldn't need to worry about getting turned around.

As I turn onto the side street in question, I silently note that it actually looks rather nice, at least in comparison to the majority of Jubilife. The buildings here seem to loom over me slightly less, and there's a line of trees planted in small squares of soil lining the sidewalk, lending the area a welcome bit of both greenery and color. It's not much, but it's more than I've seen elsewhere, so I'm hardly going to complain.

Slowly approaching my current target, I realize that I'm not entirely sure what the stand is even selling — it's one of those relatively small ones, where the entire thing is basically just a sheet of canvas held up on poles over a grill and a couple of cabinets. The customer currently walking away is holding something that looks a bit like a rolled omelet wrapped in greaseproof paper, and the smell drifting down the street is familiar, so I'm guessing it's at least made of eggs? Probably not ones anywhere near as good as the one I ate last night, but that's hardly any reason to turn my nose up at it.

Finally reaching the stand proper, I casually sidle up to its only other customers at the moment, a group of three young women wearing rather trendy-looking clothes. They seem to have already ordered, as they're currently just idly chatting with the vendor, a smiling middle-aged man with a spatula who seems to be showing off some sort of fancy cooking technique to them with his implement of choice — not that I can see much of it over the counter.

I clear my throat.

“Hello!” I say, innocently announcing myself.

The three women blink in tandem, looking down at me with simple surprise — as opposed to the chef, whose gaze snaps down instantly, almost as though forcibly yanked, and immediately sets itself in a seething glare.

“Ohhhhh no, not THIS time!” he snarls, his previous friendly demeanor vanishing as he furiously steps out from behind his stand, a sturdy-looking and still-hot spatula in hand. “I've had it up to HERE with this!”

I quickly scramble backwards, intimidated despite myself as the man stomps towards me. What the-?!

“Go on, GET!” he yells, swiping wildly at the air in front of me with his smoking utensil. “Take your filthy claws away from my stand!”

The trio of still-waiting customers look nearly as stunned as I am... but unlike them, my surprise fades fairly quickly, to be rapidly replaced by simple indignation.

“Alright, fine, I'm leaving!” I growl back at the man, tempted to bite off the end of the spatula he's still waving in my face, despite knowing just how badly it would likely burn. “Didn't realize this place had some sort of anti-Pokemon policy, jerk!”

Sheesh, even the other places were nicer than this! The hell is this dude's problem?!

“That's right, scram!” the man continues shouting as I turn back to the road I came from, his attitude having made it abundantly clear to me that sticking around would be a complete waste of time. “And tell the rest of your thieving little friends to stay away too!”

I stop for a moment just to turn back around and boggle at him. “What friends-?!”

A black and red blur abruptly streaks out of the branches of the tree to my back left. The man whirls around as it lands atop his food stand's counter, startling the trio of women backwards, and rapidly plucks three mostly-prepped omelet things off the grill before stuffing them into some sort of tattered satchel strapped to its side. As it leaps down to the sidewalk, I finally manage to recognize the creature as a Sneasel of all things, just an instant before it darts off down the side street, sending passerby scrambling away as it speeds by underfoot.

“Oh for- not again!” the man moans, glowering down the road at the fleeing blur. “You little rat! You could at least steal from someone ELSE for once!!!”

...er. Well, that question got answered surprisingly quickly. Time to make myself scarce, I think, before anyone's attention turns back to me.

Doing much as the “rat” in question did, albeit in the opposite direction, I scramble back to the main road and hurry across the intersection, wanting to remove myself from the furious man's line of sight as quickly as possible. Luckily, the corner of the nearby buildings is enough to provide this, and in the wake of the genuine thief's escape, my own is all but ignored.

Once I'm no longer in the immediate visual range of anyone that was present for that event, I quickly slow back down. As I do, my stomach once again seizes the moment to express its displeasure with me, souring alongside my thoughts.

...so, apparently I'm not the only Pokemon out on the streets of Jubilife. Nor am I the only one who's zeroed in on the local vendors as a convenient source of food, for that matter. Whereas I've essentially been charming my way into handouts however, they've apparently taken a simpler tact of just straight up dash-and-dining with other people's food, and probably have been for a while. Guess I know why all the vendors around here are so on edge now... no wonder I can't seem to beg a meal from anyone.

My tiny shoulders droop. In which case, this whole idea was practically doomed from the start, at least within this particular section of Jubilife. I may manage to escape the associated stigma I'm apparently suffering under if I go a bit further down the road, but I'd probably be better served to just turn back around entirely and-

*!-SNCKT-!*

-yelp loudly as something suddenly grabs hold of my arm and pulls me into a nearby alley. What the-?!

Yanking my arm free before my attacker can further tighten their grip, my eyes narrow into a glare, Intimidate activating all but automatically as my jaws swing forward over my head and split open, fully ready to-

“Hey, hey! Calm down, kid!”

The words, spoken in a tone reminiscent of an inner city teenager, bring me enough pause to actually look at and process the identity of my “attacker”.

It's... the Sneasel from a minute ago?

“Sorry, didn't mean to startle ya.” she continues, gaze flickering between my face and my maw. “Think we can put that thing away?”

I don't reply, not opening my jaws any further, but also not relaxing them. The alley I've been pulled into isn't much of one, being more of a tiny cul-de-sac than anything else. I'm facing inwards, my back still to the street — but that doesn't make me feel all that much safer.

“...guess not. You're a jumpy little thing, aren't you?”

“It's more that I just don't react well to suddenly being yanked into alleyways by strange Pokemon.” I somewhat sarcastically reply. “In case you somehow didn't realize, that doesn't exactly make for the best first impression.”

Though, I suppose her actual first impression on me technically took place back at that food stand. I already know she's a thief, in which case... what is this, the Pokemon equivalent of a mugging? Actually, how did she even get over here? I didn't see her pass me on the road, and she took off in a completely different direction... but I guess that's irrelevant, since she's obviously here now.

“Eh, fair enough.” the Sneasel says, not actually seeming particularly concerned as she looks down to inspect one of her claws. “Suppose I could've used a slightly softer touch.”

“What you should have done is picked a slightly softer mark.” I reply, my voice hard. “Why even target me? It's not like I have anything to steal.”

Unless she wants my scarf-bow, which I guess is possible, but-

“Pfft, is that why you're being so dramatic?” the Sneasel laughs before waving me off. “Chill out, I ain't trying to take anything from you.”

I blink.

“...then why are you even speaking to me?” I ask, a bit of my caution easing off.

The Sneasel's expression breaks into a wide, all-too-pleased smile.

“Well, first of all, I just wanted to say thanks for the distraction. The humans around here are starting to wise up, so that really helped.”

My glare re-hardens.

“I was trying to get some of that food myself, you know.”

The Sneasel shrugs. “Yeah, I figured, which is the second reason. Here.”

Plunging one arm into her shoulder bag — which is more like a small purse, now that I look closely — she pulls one of the stolen omelet things out and abruptly tosses it in my direction. I flail for a moment, my arms too short and my grip too small to easily catch things anymore, but thankfully it was a pretty good throw on her part, and the food ultimately lands in my outstretched hands anyways, surprisingly undirtied.

“Uh... thanks?” I say, now more simply bewildered than anything else.

The Sneasel just scoffs.

“Don't thank me, that's rightfully yours. Enjoy it.”

Still wary, but considerably less so now, I slowly lower my jaws back to my side and tentatively take a bite of the food I was just thrown. As expected, it doesn't even hold a candle to the last egg-based dish I ate, but still tastes pretty decent, having been seasoned with some sort of spice I feel I vaguely recognize — Cheri berry, maybe? — and is blessedly easy to chew.

As I'm eating, the Sneasel pulls out another omelet thing for herself and scarfs it down in all of ten seconds, a tinge of displeasure showing on her face once she's finished.

“Geh... they may be the best thing to eat around here, but eggs still just ain't the same once the humans get through with them.”

I don't reply, continuing to slowly make my way through my omelet thing as I silently ponder a few of the questions currently running through my head. Like, for example, what on earth a Sneasel is doing loose in the middle of Jubilife. Don't they usually live on like, icy mountains and the like? Or at least places less... urban, than this? Not that the exact same point doesn't apply to me as well from an outside perspective, but aside from both of us presumably being “strays”, I can't really imagine we're in similar situations.

...though, that does bring another question to mind.

“So, I'm guessing you've been doing this for a while?” I ask, polishing off my own final bite.

“Eh, you could say that.” the Sneasel replies as she casually leans back against the alley wall. “Probably a couple of moons, at least.”

I nod. “Right. In that case, how exactly have you been evading Pokemon Control for all this time?”

Seriously, I was in Jubilife for less than half a day before that Jenny picked me up, and the streets are almost entirely free of Pokemon just in general, at least from what I've seen. If this Sneasel has been active around here for long enough that the local food vendors have gotten wary of her, she surely has to have garnered the attention of the Poke-police by now.

“You mean those angry blue humans with the really long poles?” the Sneasel clarifies. “It takes a bit of practice, but once you know how to get around this place, it really ain't that hard.”

She narrows her eyes at me, her smile finally graduating into a full-on smirk. “I could show you, if you're interested.”

I narrow my eyes at the Sneasel in turn. Poor first impression and obvious opportunist nature aside, she seems nice enough, but...

“No thanks.” I decline with as much politeness as I can currently muster. “If you'll excuse me, I think I need to go find myself some more food.”

“You sure?” the Sneasel presses. “No offense, but it didn't look like you were having much success even before I stepped in.”

I grimace. Right, she probably saw that whole debacle whilst lying in wait...

“Eh, whatever, up to you.” the Sneasel continues when I don't reply, pushing back off the wall. “Word of advice though? If you're looking for some easy eats, maybe start a little smaller.”

She flashes a sharp-fanged grin at me, then suddenly springs off the ground onto the wall of the building across from her, “landing” several feet up its side. She then immediately repeats the process, ping-ponging back and forth up both sides of the alleyway, until she's high enough to make it onto the roofs — whereupon she swiftly clambers onto one, and promptly vanishes from sight.

I look back down, gaze lingering on the space the Sneasel just vacated for a long moment, and find myself involuntarily sighing again.

Sure would be nice if I could do that...

Turning around, I start trudging back towards the entrance of the alley, my stomach still feeling all too empty. There's at least something in it now, but that omelet thing wasn't near enough to help my hunger much, let alone my mood — quite frankly, the latter only seems to be dropping further with every passing hour.

In fact, I'd estimate it's pretty close to bottoming out at this point.

My hands ball themselves into fists; my teeth unconsciously grinding together. Seriously, could something, anything please go right for me today?! First I ended up parting ways with Chimchar on that absolutely terrible note, knowing full well I may never even see him again. Then I essentially got chased out of the Pokemon Center by the creep in the glasses, preventing me from getting anything useful before I left, and subsequently found out I'm likely stuck in Jubilife for nearly another full week, which I can do absolutely nothing about. Then I decided to try to relearn how to talk, only to be stymied by what felt like every problem under the sun. And now, even my attempts to find myself breakfast are failing miserably, because I of course chose to travel down the one road whose food proprietors are currently being harassed by an actual Poke-thief, and are thus too wary, irritated, or spatula happy to so much as give me the time of day. This entire morning has just been me finding myself in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong words, the wrong body the wrong mouth the wrong EVERYTHING-

I cut my thought process off there before it can spiral any further, not wanting to make things even worse on myself — not that it's all that easy, as it really does feel like everything is just going to pieces this morning. Even that Sneasel's words are getting to me, despite the fact that they really shouldn't, considering she obviously had no idea what she was talking about.

I snort as I repeat what she said under my breath. “Start smaller”, right. As if this is even remotely the best place in Jubilife to find food, or I wasn't traveling “smaller” streets for literally all of yesterday-

A thought suddenly strikes me, and I freeze mid-stride.

Smaller... wait a second.

What if I-

My eyes widen fractionally as the idea fully coheres.

...maybe the remainder of “brunch” can wait just a little longer after all.

Chapter Text

“~Hi!~”

The tall, tired-looking man standing behind the portable fryer doesn't immediately react, a full five seconds or so passing before he finally seems to realize that someone is talking to him. He looks up, only to blink in obvious confusion upon not seeing anyone there.

“Huh?”

He glances from side to side, presumably trying to spot whoever actually just spoke. “Er, who just…?”

I wave, my hand just barely visible over the top of the table. Bewildered, the man leans over the table in question and finally spots me smiling up at him.

“~Hi!~” I repeat.

Forcing my mouth to form phonemes it wasn't meant to is still a task and a half, to the point I can only really manage one “Mawile-unfriendly” sound in a given word if I don't want to slip right back into poke-speech. However, I do apparently have access to a couple more “friendly” sounds than I initially thought, of which “H-” is one. Since the sound originates from the back of the throat, the ways that my tongue, lips, and teeth (or lack thereof) differ from a human's don't seem to matter as much as with other letters — though, the fact that said sound is already semi-contained within the “aw” and “wi” syllables of “Mawile” if you just add a little extra air to them definitely doesn't hurt either.

Combined with my concurrent syllable training, I'm still not quite capable of “Hello”, but I can certainly manage a casual “Hi” — a simple feat, but a major one nonetheless.

“Uh...”

The vendor, conversely, seems to have suddenly lost access to his words.

“~I'm Mawile!~” I follow up.

I'd much prefer to introduce myself by an actual name, but given how rudimentary my English skills still are at the moment, that's basically a hopeless prospect. For now, I'm just sticking with my species name, which is of course much easier for me to say.

The man opens his mouth as if to say something, but nothing comes out. He squints, leans back, and pulls on an earlobe, looking utterly befuddled.

“Definitely didn’t get enough sleep.” he mumbles after a moment. “Could swear you're actually talking to me.”

I nod.

“~I am!~”

My pronunciation is closer to “I ahm” than “I am”, as I can't yet consistently pronounce “A” in any way other than how it's used in “Maw”. Thankfully, the man doesn't exactly seem overly concerned with my accent.

“Since when can- who teaches a Pokemon to- whose are-”

While he’s busy sputtering, I look up at the sizzling strips of battered something-or-other and point a tiny claw at one.

“~My-nnn~aw?”

Even as I use my most hopeful, pleading tone to say it, I find myself wincing at that one. Much like “H-”, the sound for “N-” originates from the back of the throat, and given that it's actually formed nigh-identically to “L-” in terms of tongue placement, you'd think it'd be easier for me to use — but it's not, tending to seriously break the flow of whatever word I'm trying to say at best. I also still haven't fully worked out the language drift issue, and so my attempt to simply say “~Mine?~” ultimately came out like... that, instead.

Thankfully, despite how close to gibberish that sounded, the man still manages to recognize what I was asking, if only because of my body language. Or possibly just pattern recognition.

“You want some, huh?” he mutters, now looking less like he's staring at me so much as through me. “Sorry, we don’t do samples here anymore.”

“~Aww… why?~” I ask with pleading eyes, those two particular words proving trivial.

“Uh- well, because there’s- they kept getting stolen off the plate.” The man tilts his head at me. “I suppose you don't look like either of the ones I remember though, and you did at least ask... and somehow can ask...”

He pauses and looks around again, as though waiting for someone else to show up and claim responsibility for me. When no one steps forward to do so, his gaze drops back down to me, softening.

“...oh, alright.”

I cheer as the vendor capitulates, his mouth curving into a smile.

“Suppose you deserve it just for being clever enough to learn that. Wish my Pokemon were that smart.”

Grabbing a strip with a large pair of tongs, he quickly tosses it into some additional ingredients, wraps it all up in what looks like a small soft tortilla, then wraps the lower half in paper before leaning down and handing it to me. Gleefully accepting, I smile up at the man as cutely as I can manage and hurry away, turning back for just a second to wave.

“~Mm-byeee!~”

I have no real way of saying “thank you” at the moment, but with the help of a “B-” formed by starting an “M-” and forcing myself to expel all the air in my mouth instead of continuing the sound — which still feels incredibly unnatural, especially with the lack of flexibility in my lips, and breaks my words in much the same way “N-” does — I can still at least part ways with a modicum of cordiality.

The vendor lets out an almost barking laugh before slowly, incredulously returning my wave. I make my way back to the sidewalk and start heading back the way I came, taking a bite of my ill-gotten goods — no, not ill-gotten, I earned this particular bit of food fair and square — as I do so.

It... tastes slightly less like victory than I would have hoped.

Squinting, I eat about half the wrap before turning a corner and tossing the rest into my maw, swallowing it down in one big flavorless bite.

That place smelled pretty good to my nose, but in my mouth... I don't know. The flavors were good, they just weren’t quite what I was hoping for, I guess?

Despite that putting a slight damper on things, my cheer quickly returns. Even if that particular food stand wasn't a winner, I still certainly feel like one. I just managed an actual conversation! With a person! With words! Sure, I probably could have gotten the same end result with a downcast expression and a lip quiver on any other road, but the point is that I didn't have to, because I managed to actually talk to someone!

Granted, I'm still nowhere near the point I can realistically claim to have “recovered” my stolen vocabulary. While changing up my approach to build off the few syllables that I can already, naturally use as a Mawile was definitely the right idea, progress rather drastically slowed back down once I eliminated all the obvious compounds of my five or six “starter” sounds. Crucially however, with a better idea of how to use those compounds as successive jumping points, my efforts past that point still entailed actual progress, which is infinitely better than I was doing with my initial brute force method. My lexicon remains extremely limited, and even the simple words I’m using now aren’t perfect, but I'm good enough to at least be understood to some small degree, and that's what ultimately matters.

...that said, while I'm glad to have tested the waters, I should probably try to add at least a few more words to my repertoire before diving back in again. I was too excited not to try this as soon as I felt I could muddle through even the simplest of exchanges, but I barely have two dozen words at my disposal right now, which isn’t really enough for any conversation more complex than “feed me”. A little more practice probably wouldn’t be remiss-

My stomach growls angrily at me again, clearly not satisfied by my offerings thus far.

-then again, practice can be done while on the move. And they do say that immersion learning is supposed to be highly effective...

Highly effective in more than one way, as it turns out. Apparently even a rudimentary vocabulary is enough to shock most of the local vendors out of their Sneasel-induced vigilance — at least enough so to make the addition of a shattered-sounding tone and a drip of Fake Tears effective again — and I thus once more find myself being practically showered in goodies. My success rate still isn’t 100%, my words sometimes getting caught in the mental “ignore” filter that people evidently have for Pokemon noises in this world, and I get asked at least twice as many times where my trainer is than before I got my scarf-bow, but no one gets up to chase me off with a red-hot cooking utensil again, so it's still quite easily a win.

My new tactic is admittedly drawing even more stares than I was getting before, mostly from other people getting food who happen to be close enough to hear me doing essentially the same thing they are, but thankfully I think I'm getting used to it again. Unlike last night, where I suddenly found myself the focus of what seemed like the entire ground floor of the Pokecenter, the people who’ve overheard me talking seem to mostly just be treating me as a moderately interesting, if somewhat confusing sight, like a slightly off-the-wall street performance... or possibly a literal one, as there’s also an interesting new subset of people whose first instinct upon hearing me seems to be to check if they’re being pranked.

I roll my eyes. Seriously, I’ve noticed more than one person looking around as though searching for either a hidden camera or a ventriloquist hiding nearby, the vendors included. One of them even denied me anything on the basis of “kids these days and their toys”, which- what did he think I was, some sort of remote-controlled robot Pokemon? I could easily believe this world has toys like that, but you’d think my ability to actively respond would have at least dispelled him of that notion.

I make my way away from the latest stand, leaving behind a couple still arguing if I'm some sort of bizarre publicity stunt. Sheesh, expand your horizons a little, will you? I’m hardly the strangest example of a talking Pokemon compared to some of the ones that showed up in the show, and my vocabulary is toddler-level at best right now, so for so many people to be straight up doubting I’m real feels absurd. I don’t-

“Excuse me?”

I glance behind me to find a girl with her hair done up in a pair of buns looking down at me, a pale pink Pokedex open in her hand.

“Are you… looking for someone?” she asks.

Having already dealt with this several times now, I shake my head.

“~N-aw, I'm fy-nnne!~”

The sentiment perhaps still sounds slightly more like “~I’m wy-nnne~” at the moment, but the girl seems to get the message all the same, backing away, closing her Pokedex, and turning onto the next street over without another word.

...that reminds me, I still need to get Paul’s — no, my Pokedex back when I get the chance. Not like I shouldn't have time within the next week to make the trek to the edge of the city and back again. Still need some method of carrying it around before I can do that though.

“~My.~” I say to myself as I walk, practicing my enunciation as I go. “~Lie. Hi! He. Wha? Why…? Ah… a while. Eh? Yah! Me, a-nn, my-nnnnn…aw- mmm, myna- myny- mya-~”

I cut myself off, pouting at still being unable to get that right, then start again.

Strangely, if I try to listen to the clipped, bastardized Poke-speech I’m using to essentially imitate English with the “ears” of a Pokemon, it just sounds like gibberish. Which in turn kind of makes me wonder how Pokemon language actually even functions, given it's clearly not just verbal, but that’s probably a question for another time. Preferably one where I’m slightly more satiated.

Although... frankly? I should already be satiated. I’ve received enough food by now to at least equal yesterday’s efforts, which carried me through most of the evening, and I’d hazard I’ve even been getting larger portions today on average. And yet, despite that?

I'm still somehow hungry.

I frown. Or- no. Hunger might be the wrong word, as I’m not sure this is truly that anymore, so much as it is a craving. It feels like there's something I want that all these assorted samples have somehow failed to satisfy... which might also explain why none of them have truly appealed as much as I'd hoped. Strange. Such cravings are usually fleeting in my experience, but this one is being oddly and annoyingly persistent — in fact, I think I may have been feeling this yesterday as well? It just wasn't quite pronounced enough for me to notice, or separate from the feeling of normal hunger.

Now though, I can tell that despite all these handouts, some part of me just feels strangely... unfulfilled.

My practice tapers off as my feet slow to a halt, tiny hands clenching at my side as my thoughts drift back to Bewilder Forest.

I'd kind of been hoping that my voracity throughout the past week was just because I was training so much. I was using up almost all the power in my reservoir on an essentially nightly basis, after all, and all that energy surely had to come from somewhere. So far as I can tell however, my reservoir is essentially full right now, with my stomach not terribly far behind... yet I'm still wanting, yearning, aching for something that I can't quite describe. Meat...? It’s the only thing coming to mind that feels like it would come anywhere even close to satisfying this, but I’ve gotten several samples including such today, and if anything those felt even more disappointing than others, so that doesn't make much sense.

Unless what I'm missing is more the... rawness of it...

I wince, my expression contorting in discomfort. Much as I'd like to, I can't entirely discount that possibility, and if that actually is what's wrong... well. I've been quite enjoying the tasty, easy, and considerably less messy meals I've been getting lately, which notably haven't required me to violently subdue my food first, nor included the possibility of said food fighting back. Now that I'm no longer stuck there, I would very much prefer not to have to go back to what I was essentially forced into in Bewilder Forest.

...even if there is something I do kind of miss about that lovely crunch-

I squeeze my eyes shut and violently shake my head. No, no, stop that! Just because I decided not to feel bad about a Mawile's natural diet doesn't mean I want to actively indulge in it! Surely I can't be obligated to eat purely “fresh” meat, or even just through the back of my head in general, it's not like each of my mouths has its own stomach!

...right?

I glance down at myself. There's... surely not room for that, is there? I'm aware that some real world animals do have multiple stomachs, but given where my maw is positioned, that would place a Mawile’s theoretical second one in place of where a person has their brain, which just sounds absurd.

Although... I suppose I don't really understand where else food that enters through there could possibly be going...

Ugh, it doesn't matter! It's not like I'm getting hunger pangs from the center of my skull, so I doubt the problem is because of some secret secondary brain stomach, and even if that was the case, there's not exactly a wealth of potential meals of the kind I may or may not be craving in this city anyways, so the point is largely moot. Unpleasant as it is, I'm just going to have to do my best to ignore this feeling, and hope that I don't somehow end up starving to death on a mostly full stomach as a result.

“~Why...~” I mutter to myself, sullenly resuming my practice and march-turned-trudge down the road. “~I… Zzz-igh…~”

The sound of an electronic bell rings out, pulling me from my thoughts. I look up to see someone walking through the doors of a vivid blue shopfront just across the street, plastered top to bottom with Pokeball imagery.

A Pokemart...? Ah, right, the Jenny drove me past this place yesterday. Almost forgot.

I consider the building, faint interest kindling. Come to think of it, I did actually want to check this place out at some point. Mostly just because I expect they'll be selling more familiar, Pokemon-oriented products than anywhere I checked out yesterday, and I have been wondering what certain items might be like now that they're no longer game abstractions. Berries translated pretty literally, but are Escape Ropes just ropes here? Even if it does nothing for me personally, is a Fire Stone hot? How do Repels work? What even is a Revive? And perhaps most importantly:

Do TMs — or rather, “Technical Machines” — exist here?

I fidget in place. I certainly don't recall seeing any in the show, and with luck it shouldn't even matter soon, as joining up with Ash and company should grant me some relative safety until I can find my ticket out of this universe. However, considering how many fights I've unwillingly ended up participating in over the past several days, as well as how much trouble Mr. Legendary Magnet and his entourage tend to unwittingly get into on a fairly regular basis, methods by which I might “upgrade” my capabilities are probably still worth looking into.

My hand drifts towards my stomach.

…and if it can perhaps help me take my mind off of… other concerns in the meantime…

Deciding this can be my final stop before heading back to the Pokecenter — or, well, the bushes next to the center — I make my way across the street to the store's entrance. Much like Safe Journeys, the doors here are conveniently automatic, so I don't even have to wait for someone to come along first, allowing me to stroll in completely unimpeded.

As I enter the Pokemart, I realize that I perhaps underestimated this place’s size — it’s considerably larger than any of the stores I visited yesterday, which I didn’t expect from how relatively small the entrance is. The floor isn’t exactly packed with people at the moment, probably since most of them are still at work, but there's still a decent number of shoppers wandering up and down the aisles, or at least the ones that I can see from two feet up, standing in the entrance.

Also, there don't seem to be any overhanging aisle signs indicating where to look for anything? Which is a weird as hell exclusion for a store this size.

“~Hi!~” I greet the cashier I notice staring at me from the nearby checkout counter as I walk a little closer, hoping she can perhaps point me in the right direction. “~Whe ah... za…~”

I pause, and the cashier balks at me, before turning and hurrying away from her station, retreating through a nearby door in the wall.

…ah. Guess that's a no for customer service then. Oh well, was struggling to figure out how to say anything close to “TMs” anyways.

Slipping onto the main floor, I start trawling the aisles, avoiding other shoppers to the best of my ability. It looks like there's a lot of stuff here that I've seen already, but there are indeed some more clearly trainer-oriented items, including potions and medicines of varying apparent strength and specificity, a clothing section that appears to consist primarily of travel wear, and multiple large racks of bikes. Wonder if they sell hyperspace bags here too, or if that's a specialty store only kind of thing.

…though. This is supposed to be the specialty store, isn't it? Yet despite the obviously trainer-focused stock, I haven’t spotted any Pokemart staples yet beyond the medicine aisle. No X capsules, no evolution items, not even any Poke Balls, let alone what I actually came in here for-

I turn into the next aisle, and suddenly find myself staring up at several endless-seeming shelves full of tall, slender brown bottles, each one labeled with a colorful upward arrow. The extremely expensive price tags stuck to the front of said shelves proclaims the bottles to be such things as “Protein” and “Calcium”, and “Zinc”.

Huh. Vitamins? And here I thought these were just as absent from the show as TMs are... which actually makes this a promising sign that the latter may very well exist here as well. Nice!

Pleased with that simple bit of logic, I resume course towards the back of the store — and slow again, my gaze lingering on the various vitamin bottles.

Actually. Aren't these things basically instant power ups in the games? Marginal ones, admittedly, and I wouldn't expect their in-game effects to translate completely literally to this world... but then again, berries seem to have translated exactly that literally, with their benefits taking effect nigh-instantly upon consumption, so these could very well be the same.

Ergo, if I just tossed everything in this aisle straight down my maw, could I become a super Mawile, right here on the spot.

I smirk, then quickly dispel the thought. No, no, more likely I'd just overdose on... everything if I tried that, especially given how big these pill bottles look. Which is kind of weird to begin with, because even for vitamin supplements, the shape of these containers is awfully...

My train of thought pauses as I squint, then walk up to the nearest shelf I can reach, which is filled with innumerable bottles of Iron. Giving one a closer look, my suspicions are quickly confirmed:

These aren't pills. They're drinks. Vitamin drinks, but drinks nonetheless.

I scratch my cheek. Huh, guess these didn't translate quite so literally after all. Or is this what they are in the games as well? I always thought that the vitamin items were like, supplements, but I suppose I never looked at their icons that closely. Honestly, given you can stuff your Pokemon full of any number of these things with no ill effects, it'd probably make more sense if they were always drinks, since it’s presumably much harder to overdose on these.

In which case...

I give my surroundings a quick once-over. Would it hurt if I took just one? Just to see if it works like I think it might? I didn’t actually come in here planning to steal anything, but it's such a tempting thought, especially when this time I could just drink the whole thing on the spot, at which point there'd be nothing that anyone could do about it.... annnnnd I'm now suddenly realizing that I feel worse about the idea of stealing than I do about having actually eaten other Pokemon in days prior. My morality has gotten seriously skewed of late-

“Wow, it’s almost like you want to get caught.”

I nearly slam my face into the shelf as I whirl around.

“Wha- you?!”

“Yeah, me,” the same Sneasel from an hour or so ago murmurs, hefting the now bulging patchwork pouch at her side, “and congrats on figuring out where to score a real haul, but how long are ya gonna just stand there starin' at that? Hurry up and take it before someone shows up, kid. Oh, and try and distract em’ if they do, I’ve got a bit more room in this to fill.”

“You're not- why do you keep calling me-”

I don't even get to finish my sentence before, like the devil on my shoulder, she's slipped back around the shelf and out of sight.

...I don't know why she's here, but I can guess, and it's annoying that she chose now to do so — and even more annoying that she has a point. Standing around debating my personal ethics is what lost me the opportunity to grab a travel bag yesterday; I need to just up and commit already.

I reach forward and grab the closest bottle off the shelf, using a claw to quickly cut open the plastic around the top, then move to unscrew the lid-

“Hey!”

I startle as a man in what looks like a security guard uniform rounds the far end of the aisle, glaring at me. Oh come on, seriously? Again?! I just- wait, this place has its own security? I’d been assuming that job got outsourced to Pokemon Control.

The guard starts forward, and I frantically open my maw, shoving the bottle inside for lack of better tote options as I turn to bolt- then stop. Hang on, why am I even panicking? I’m not seeing a grabber on this guy like the Jenny had, so it’s not like he can really do anything other than try to shoo me out of the store. In fact?

“~Hi!~” I say as I twirl back around, placing my hands innocently behind my back. “~I'm, ah-~”

The guard pulls what looks like a small green spray bottle off his belt, aims it at me, and depresses the trigger. A cloud of aerosol sweeps over the aisle, accompanied by a truly vile scent. I immediately gag, turning and running for real now as I scramble back towards the entrance, sending shoppers yelping and flinching backward in my wake. What the hell is this stuff?!

I make it through the front door and stumble back out onto the sidewalk, but the spray clings to me like a film, greasy and repugnant. In my watery peripheral vision, I spot the guard following me out, reaching behind his back and pulling out a Pokeball I didn’t see-

A bluish-black blur drops down on the guard the moment he steps out of the door, causing him to cry out in shock.

“Keep goin’ kid, I got this!”

I do exactly that, heeding my unbidden help’s advice and scurrying down the first junction I see.

Some number of roads and alleyways later, I come to a stop behind a set of fire stairs, breathing hard from exertion, and really not enjoying it.

Ew, I think some of that stuff stuck to my scarf-bow… or maybe that’s my face. That guy seriously sprayed whatever that was in the middle of a store?! They’re gonna have to fumigate the building! There were people shopping in there too, did he not even care?!

…unless this stuff only smells this way to Pokemon. Wait, was that a Repel? Ugh, I didn't want to find out how those work like this!

Trying not to breathe in too much, I quickly exhale a cloud of Sweet Scent, letting it gather in the air around me. It helps, but only so much — the underlying odor remains, and I still feel utterly gross.

An angry groan escapes my throat. Great. I finally manage to relearn some basic communication skills, only to put myself in a situation I couldn’t have talked my way out of even if I had gotten out more than two words, all because I couldn’t resist temptation well enough to simply behave myself for ten minutes. I didn’t even get to find out if the mart stocked TMs or not! All for a stupid, pointless vitamin drink that I didn’t remotely need-

...

Er. Why can I not feel the bottle anymore?

I quietly prod my tongue around my second mouth, searching for the one thing that should be inside it at the moment, but there's nothing there. My maw's interior is completely empty. Meaning either I spat the bottle out while running away and didn’t notice, or...

I groan again. I swallowed it, didn't I? Probably whilst I was busy gagging on fumes. Plastic and all, straight down the hatch. Because everyone knows vitamins are most effective when you straight up eat the container they come in too, right?

As the potential implications sink in, I gulp, actually a little concerned about this. I don't know about Mawiles specifically, but at least in the world I’m used to, swallowing plastic generally isn't good for just about any form of life. I may have what seems to be hyper-efficient digestion now, but I have no idea if that means I can handle non-biodegradable material, let alone what kind of horrid effects it could have on me even if I can. I could run back to the Pokemon Center, but would they be able to remove the huge piece of plastic now sitting in my stomach without literal surgery? Damn it all, as if I'm not already stuck dealing with one food-based issue, what with these escalating cravings for-

...hang on a second.

I blink, my unease driven slightly off course by the sudden realization that the ineffable want in my gut seems to have vanished at some point as well. Did they seriously just magically disappear like I was hoping they would? Seems doubtful, but the only thing I've eaten since I last noticed them was the bottle I apparently just swallowed, and I surely can't have been instinctively desiring plastic, so what…?

Understanding strikes me like a bat being swung into my head — a head which I promptly lower straight down into my hands.

...those weren't Mawile instincts craving live prey, were they. They were Steel-type instincts, craving minerals, iron probably most of all, because of course having a giant pair of mostly-metal jaws attached to me means that they're going to need a fairly high intake of that in order to function, especially when they see as much use as mine have; how have I not considered this before now?! No wonder all I could think of was meat, pretty much the only thing I've eaten in the last week that contained a significant amount of iron is blood-

Something hits the cement behind me with a light thump, drawing my gaze around.

“Oh, just you.” I whisper as I see the Sneasel standing up from a crouch. “Is he gone?”

“Sure is.” the Sneasel replies with a confident smirk. “No worries, I got him off our backs.”

I slump over a little in relief. “Thank you. Seriously.”

Not that I'm not annoyed she essentially made me an accomplice to her own apparent theft, but I suppose I was ultimately doing the exact same thing, just much less successfully. Not to mention she did put her neck on the line for me when she could just as easily have run off over the roofs and left me in the lurch, so I’m finding it difficult to be all that mad.

“Yuck.” the Sneasel says, wrinkling her nose at me. “Whatever you’ve done covers that stuff up decently well, but it’s not hiding it completely.”

“I’m aware.” I mutter.

The Sneasel shrugs. “It happens. If you’re plannin’ on doing this sorta thing regularly though, you really gotta learn how to get in and get out before stuff like that comes up.”

“I wasn't, but yeah, I’ll give you that one…”

Even if I can’t be jailed or fined for it now, I’m starting to think that getting into shoplifting still isn't really worth the trouble. I mean, in this case it actually seems to have solved a major problem I was having, but that was coincidence, not intention, and I hadn’t considered that getting Repelled was even a possibility.

“Anyways,” I decide, “thanks for the help, but I think this is where we part ways again. Seeya.”

I turn back to the mouth of the alleyway. The course of my escape from the mart has gotten me a little turned around, but I’m pretty sure I can get my bearings back without too much effort. Unlike Bewilder Forest, this city has a clear structure to it, and I can’t have run that far on my stumpy little legs.

“Sure you don’t wanna get rid of that smell first?” the Sneasel interrupts. “Also, wouldn’t really recommend heading back that way just yet. Give those humans a little while longer to forget about you first.”

Why bother? I'll just wait for Pokemon Control to show up again and- wait, would they even take me to the Center again, if I was actively accused of theft rather than just being “lost” like yesterday? Or would I just get thrown out of the city like an ornery stray, putting me back at square one? Not to mention the thought of even going near that smell again is...

Seeing that option shatter before my eyes, I slump and swivel back around.

“Look, I just swallowed a giant chunk of plastic, which could maybe be a bit of an issue for my health. I kind of need to get back to the Pokemon Center ASAP.”

“What, that big building with the dent in the top?”

I blink, then nod, surprised she even knows. The Sneasel snickers.

“Don’t see why you’re so worried then. Place ain’t exactly far, and I can lead ya just about anywhere in this city you might want.”

I tilt my head slightly to one side.

“Are you… offering to escort me there?”

“Sure.” She shrugs. “Might need to take a quick detour first, but it shouldn’t be an issue.”

“I don’t know…”

“Hey, come on, have I steered you wrong yet?”

I have to admit, she has helped me out multiple times now. Albeit in ways that primarily benefited her, but the fact remains that she’s been nothing but friendly thus far.

“Fine.” I sigh.

The Sneasel grins. “Alright! Just follow me, kid.”

She takes off, and I hurry to follow.

…I better not come to regret this.