Chapter Text
The thing that stopped her was crying.
Her horn still trembling from the disaster, the Absol was going to leave, since there was nothing to gain from staying, but a wailing cry made her hesitate. Curious, she turned on her paws and cautiously made her way through the underbrush. She followed the sound until she came to a tree, and saw a flash of black and white hidden in the trunk.
Stepping nearer, she peered down at the small hole, unsurprised when eyes looked back at her. They were odd, one as green as new growth and the other as red as running lava. It was a human child, curled up tightly to fit into the small hiding place.
She shuffled, her nostrils flaring. Fear coated him, half hiding the smell of smoke and… something dark. Being a Dark Pokemon, the Absol was well acquainted with the shadows, but whatever this was, it made her hackles rise.
But…a child was a child and not responsible for whatever it was.
Come here, kit , she chittered to the little human. You must be cold.
Of course, the child didn't react, only whipping tears from its red swollen cheeks. It trembled but she couldn't tell if it was from fear or the chill.
Snorting a breath, she shook out her mane then settled on the grass close to the tree. Laying her head on her feet, she settled in to wait. The danger had passed, she could afford to stay.
"Aawww, you beat me," the woman whined, recalling her butterfree, her lip jutting out in a pout.
"Yup," Ranboo said, tossing his own Pokeball at the purrloin casually cleaning her paw. Catching the returning ball, he clipped it to his tattered belt, walking over to the woman.
"That's the third time this month," she sighed, digging in her pockets.
"That it is. Why do you keep challenging me if you know you're going to lose?" Ranboo asked, holding his hand out to accept his winnings.
She snorted, handing over a couple bills. “You’re really confident for a kid. Just because you’ve won in the past doesn't mean you will all the time.”
Ranboo shrugged, tucking his earnings into an inner jacket pocket.
The woman rolled her eyes, waving a goodbye before trotting down the trail, cutting through the tall grass. Ranboo watched her leave and once he was sure she was gone, pulled down his mask enough to inhale a clean gulp of air.
That had been a good battle, and if his math was right, he had enough to purchase some ingredients for the next month or so. He’d been running low on salt and a couple of spices. There might even be enough to indulge in a new sleeping bag.
Glancing at the sun, he wondered if there was enough time to find another passing trainer to challenge. However, there was only an hour left before sundown, and he wasn’t in the mood to travel at night. With that in mind, he stepped off the path, heading deeper into the wilds. He could hear untrained pokemon moving around him, but he ignored them, knowing if he left them alone, the majority would do the same to him.
He’d certainly spent enough time away from human settlements to navigate the wilderness with ease.
As he hiked through the forest, a rattling on his hip drew his attention. One of the pokeballs on his belt was shaking.
“You want out?” he asked, gently cupping the sphere with his fingers. When it buzzed an affirmative against his skin, he smiled and unclipped it. Tossing the pokeball lazily in the air, he grinned at the creature that jumped out of it.
“Hey ‘Ches,” he greeted affectionately, placing a hand on the absols head. His longest companion chirped and rubbed against him with her whole body. “Wanna help me find a place to camp?” he asked, petting her side.
She dipped her head in a nod, trotting forwards to lead the way. He followed without hesitation, trusting the pokemon to guild him. Like he knew she would, Enderchest brought them to a small clearing, one the perfect size for a camp.
With a relieved sigh, he dropped his heavy pack on the ground, automatically starting to pitch the singleton tent he’d managed to win enough money for. It didn’t take long and soon enough he’d switched tasks, gathering loose firewood for the pit Enderchest had dug for him.
“You’re the best,” he told his friend, running his fingers through her mane.
She chirped and clawed at the pit, staring at him intently.
He huffed a laugh, practically hearing her ordering him to light the fire. As long as he could remember, she’d been hounding him to keep warm. Granted, that didn't mean much because of his shoddy memory, but it was enough to allow him to parse out her meaning.
After a few tries with a flint and steel, he had a steady fire going. He put his traveling pot on the fire and started a soup, one that would be ready in half an hour. While it was simmering, he fed and groomed his pokemon, thanking them for the good work. He got a couple of kisses in return before he put them back into their balls, in case he needed to pack up quickly.
It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to.
The soup was almost finished when Enderchest stilled. She was laying down next to him, keeping his back warm but she lifted her head, staring out at the darkness around them.
“What is it?” Ranboo asked quietly.
She growled, the sound barely audible. She wasn’t sure, but wary. Slowly, Ranboo slid his fingers to his belt, grabbing the collapsible bo staff that he kept within reach for this very reason. Enderchest could protect him, but he’d rather not rely on her for everything.
Getting to his feet silently, he tilted his head towards the forest when he heard it too. Panicky voices and the sound of someone crashing through the undergrowth. The growl of an enraged skuntank followed by human shrieking.
Ranboo groaned, hopeing to hell that whoever was dumb enough to piss off a skuntank didn’t get sprayed. The smell would linger for hours and it would be a bitch to get out of his clothes. Plus, not many people wanted to fight or be around someone who smelled bad.
Maybe he would be lucky enough that the whole thing would just pass by him and he wouldn’t have to deal with it.
“Come on, run!” someone screeched as two shapes burst into the clearing, falling over the other as they ran.
“I know!” the one in behind yelled, their voice cracking.
“Then keep running!”
The skuntank screamed a challenge, its awful smell permeating the air, but thankfully it wasn’t strong enough for it to have sprayed anyone.
“Enderchest!” Ranboo called and his pokemon lept forwards, passed the two boys. They screamed when they saw her but she ignored them and raced towards the wild pokemon. Needing no command from him, Enderchest let loose a snarl, the sound reverbing off the trees.
The skuntank, who had just entered the clearing after the boys, faltered, staring at Enderchest. It’s eyes narrowed and it growled a response but backed down when Enderchest snarled a second time. Squeaking disgustingly, it turned around and lumbered back through the underbrush, obviously not wanting to mess with an absol.
“Oh thank god that’s over,” one of the boys said, collapsing on the ground. He was panting hard and his thick, brown shaggy hair was falling into his eyes.
“Fuck, that was awful,” the other said, laying down on the ground beside him. His red and white shirt was dirt stained and damp with sweat.
“What did you do to piss off a skuntank? ” Ranboo asked, feeding Enderchest a treat when she trotted back to him.
The two boys froze, then sat up quickly, their heads whipping towards him. Ranboo tensed when their eyes landed on him, uncomfortable with the sudden scrutiny.
"Holy fuck, how tall are you?" The blond one demanded, his eyes huge. The other one broke out into nervous giggles.
Ranboo arched a brow, tilting his head to the side. "That's—that's the first thing you ask me?"
"Um, yeah. You look like an alolan exeggutor," the blond said bluntly.
"And you're a diglett," Ranboo fired back, amused. Not many people started bantering with him right off the bat.
"Oi! Tubbo is shorter than me!" he yelled, gesturing to the brown haired boy.
"You're still shorter than that guy," the brunette—who Ranboo assumed was Tubbo—said between laughs, seeming entertained by this whole thing.
"Shut up! Pussy ass bitch, just shut up!" the blond snarled, shoving Tubbos' shoulder.
Ranboo rocked back on his heels from the colourful language but Tubbo didn't even blink, he just shoved back.
"Oo-kay then," Ranboo said under his breath, deeply confused. "You, uh, you didn't answer me," he reminded them.
"Oh right," Tubbo said. "Tommy—"
"I didn't do anything!"
"— Tommy, " Tubbo continued like the other hadn't spoken, "decided to try and catch a stunky, not knowing that its parent was nearby. I don't even know why he wanted it. Those things stink."
"Oh leave me alone! It was the first pokemon we've run into out here!" Tommy yelled, throwing his arms up in the air.
"So? You're not doing a nuzlocke."
" You're not doing a nuzlocke," Tommy mimicked, exaggerating his own accent to sound similar to Tubbo but more high pitched. "Fuck you. I was doing fine, bitch."
"Sure you were. That's why we ran, in the dark, to get away from a stinky tank," Tubbo responded dryly.
Tommy opened his mouth to respond, but Ranboo missed it because Enderchest got his attention with a yip, standing pointedly next to the fire. And the simmering pot on it.
"Oh! Right, thank you. That would have been bad if it burnt," Ranboo said, rushing over to check it. Sure enough, his soup was done, the vegetables soft.
"Holy shit, is that absol yours? " Tubbo demanded, sounding incredulous. Ranboo glanced back at them, adjusting his mask nervously.
"Yes and no?" He told them hesitantly.
"Dude, that doesn't work," Tubbo told him. "You either own it or you don't."
"Yes it does," Ranboo said, a little testily. "Enderchest owns herself. She just chose to stay with me."
The boys blinked at him, uncomprehending. Ranboo scowled, but shoved it away. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he'd run into trainers that had different views than him. That was fine. They would leave soon and he'd barely remember this so it wasn't worth getting worked up about.
Turning back to his food, he spooned some into his wooden bowl. He noticed the two trainers coming closer, peering at the pot.
"What is that? It smells fucking delicious, big man," Tommy asked, coming right up to the fire. Tubbo was slower but followed his friend.
"Canned clam chowder," Ranboo deadpanned. He fiddled with his spoon, wondering if he was hungry enough to eat in front of them. Since his last meal was closer to brunch than lunch, he was seriously considering it.
"That's still better than what we had last," Tubbo commented. "Neither of us can cook for shit."
"Oi! Speak for yourself! I'm the best," Tommy squawked.
Tubbo stared at him. "You burned the premade meal that Philza made trying to reheat it."
"I did not!"
“Well. Okay, not all of your dishes are bad. But we’re out in the middle of nowhere, dude. We can’t afford to mess around like normal.”
Tommy opened his mouth to retort but stopped when there were loud gurgling noises. Tommy and Tubbo stopped, looking at their stomachs then at each other before bursting out laughing.
Ranboo sighed, uncomfortably familiar with the sound of hunger. They didn’t look starved, but if they asked, Ranboo knew what his first response would be.
"Can we have some?" Tommy blurted, and yup, that's what Ranboo had been dreading.
"Tommy!" Tubbo scolded, wacking the other trainer gently. "Excuse his poor manners. However, if you could, we have a loaf of bread left so we wouldn't just be mooching off of you."
"Oi! Why did you hit me?"
“You’re very hit-able.”
Ranboo blinked slowly, sitting a little straighter. He hadn't expected them to offer anything in return. But, he wasn't going to complain either.
Wordlessly, he dug into his pack and finding what he was looking for, offered a bowl to Tubbo. "I only have the one," he told them apologetically.
"No worries, big man! We have our own." Tubbo beamed at him, taking it. Tommy was nodding, pulling his own pack off and rummaging through it, muttering under his breath.
Soon enough they were all sitting about the fire, bellies filling with warm soup. With careful bites, Ranboo savored the bread that the trainers traded their share for, surprised by the quality. It was a little stale and smooshed, but the taste was amazing.
"Where did you get this?" Ranboo mumbled around a mouthful, careful to hide behind his hand.
"Phil made it. He's basically my dad," Tommy answered, his mouth just as full, or more so.
"Swallow before you speak," Tubbo scolded, hitting his shoulder.
"I can do what I want!" Tommy shot back, rubbing the area as he glared at his friend.
Tubbo rolled his eyes, eating another spoonful of soup. “Thanks for this,” he said with a smile then paused and barked a laugh. “We didn’t introduce ourselves and here we are eating your food. I’m Tubbo.”
“I’m big man Tommy Innit!” the other kid burst out, sitting tall and proud.
“Oh, uh—I’m, I’m Ranboo,” he stuttered, curling into himself slightly. He bit his lip, repeatedly cleaning out the dirt under his nails. Enderchest vocalized quietly, picking up on his anxiety. He quietly mimicked the noise to soothe her.
“Nice to meet you Ranboob,” Tommy said cheerily, stuffing more food in his mouth.
Ranboo paused mid chew. Swallowed. “It’s, uh, it’s Ranboo.”
“Ranboob.”
“No, it’s—you know what, nevermind.”
Tubbo snickered, highly amused by how his friend was making fun of Ranboo’s name. After a moment, Ranboo let a small smile tug at his mouth. It was funny, despite him not being completely comfortable with someone messing up his name like that. At least he didn’t sense any malice hidden behind the teasing.
“So what are you doing out here, big man? Don’t get me wrong, we’re very grateful that you are, but why?” Tubbo asked, setting his finished dish down by his feet, his ocean blue eyes observing him. Ranboo had to glance away from the intensity of his stare, and the calculation intelligence that he caught a glimpse of.
“Oh, you know. Just, just battling people.”
Tommy perked up, a wide grin on his face. “Are you competing in this year's league challenge? We are! We’re on our way to Pride Palace for the first badge. But Wilbur wouldn’t tell us what type of Gym it is, the bitch. All he did was smile smugly and tell us to figure it out.”
Tubbo snorted and shoved him. “He might have if you hadn’t stolen his guitar again and broken one of the strings before we had to leave.”
“Come on! That wasn’t even my fault! I just wanted to play it a little, and he breaks them more than I do! He didn’t have to be so salty.”
“It’s his guitar, he actually plays it, of course he breaks the strings more often,” Tubbo retorted.
Ranboo’s gaze flicked back and forth between the two arguing teens, not completely following their conversation. Or, argument, since it seemed to be getting more heated. He even worried that they'd really start fighting when Tubbo stopped, shaking his head.
“Whatever, man. He didn’t tell us. Now we’re gonna have to find out when we get there. If we have to come back into the wilds to train pokemon who can actually win, so be it.”
“But I don’t want to ,” Tommy groaned, rubbing his face with his hands.
“Sucks to suck,” Tubbo said unsympathetically. “Well? Are you participating too?”
Ranboo mummed, just going with the conversation then froze when he realized Tubbo was addressing him. “Wha—me? Nope. Not me.”
Tommy squinted at him, his eyes flicking to Enderchest then back to him. “Bullshit. You are, aren’t you?”
“I’m really not.”
“But you have an absol. ”
“So? ‘Ches is my friend,” Ranboo shot back, offended.
Tubbo cut Tommy off with an elbow in his side. “Anyway,” he said loudly, talking over the offended noise that Tommy made. “If you’re not participating, what are you doing out here?”
“Do I really need a reason?” Ranboo asked, staring at the dwindling fire. Grabbing the thicker stick he’d set aside, he shifted the coals around, coaxing some fire back.
Truthfully, he didn’t have a reason. Living nomadically out in the pokemon wilds was the only thing he knew. Sure, he would rent a hotel room every once and awhile if he had the money, but his life was meant to be out on the road, wandering from place to place. He didn’t have a reason beyond that.
“I suppose not,” Tommy grumbled after a moment, although a frown still pulled at his face.
“Where are you headed?” Tubbo asked.
“Nowhere in particular. I was going to go to Laketown to pick up some supplies, but other than that? Nah.”
“Lake Town is right beside Pride Palace!” Tubbo explained, smiling excitedly. “You could come with us!”
“Huh?” Ranboo blurted, blinking rapidly.
“Tuuuubbbo!” Tommy groaned. “Leave the poor man be. We don’t need a random guy coming with us! How do we know he’s not part of those, you know, them. ”
Those what? Ranboo wondered, truly confused.
“He’s not,” Tubbo said simply, regarding Ranboo with eyes too deep and intelligent for a teen.
“Them?” Ranboo echoed, an uneasy feeling rising in his chest.
Tommy and Tubbo exchange a look, Tubbo raising his brows which Tommy scowled at. “You know, the people making pokemon vanish?” Tommy spat then blinked when he saw Ranboo’s expression. “You really don’t know. Where the fuck have you been? Under a rock?”
“I guess so,” Ranboo said through numb lips. Someone’s stealing pokemon? Horror rose in his throat and he shifted to protectively shield his pokebelt. The mere idea of losing his pokemon made his hands tremble. His pokemon were his family, his friends. He couldn’t lose them.
“Well, he did say that he’s been out here for a bit. Besides, not everyone knows someone that’s trying to do something about it,” Tubbo mused, grabbing a stick from the firewood pile and throwing it onto the embers. It caught quickly, but Ranboo barely noticed it, his gaze too hazy with panic.
A pokemon’s trill sounded from behind him and a soft head bumped his elbow, drawing his attention. Ranboo glanced down and saw Enderchest looked up at him, rumbling pleasantly. Automatically, he lifted his arm for her to place her head on his lap, snuggling close.
“Thanks,” he told her quietly, petting her soft fur. She chirruped and nudged him again, acknowledging his gratitude.
“So, are you coming with us or not?” Tubbo asked, cutting through his thoughts.
“Huh, oh uh. Sure?” Ranboo answered, realizing that he missed a chunk of their conversation.
“Yesss! Road trip!” Tubbo explained, throwing his hands up into the air.
“Dumbass, we’re already on a road trip!” Tommy scowlded, wacking his shoulders. Tubbo didn’t seem to notice, laughing joyfully.
Ranboo watched them, wondering what on earth he got himself into.
The next morning, Ranboo was awake first, and he’d collapsed his tent and cleaned up his campsite before the other two even stirred. Chewing on some jerky, Ranboo regarded their tent, a little envious. It was larger than his and in good condition, but clearly used before. He was glad though, that they at least had their own tent, because three people using his would have been a tight squeeze. Plus, he didn’t know them, that would just be uncomfortable.
Taking another bite of his jerky, Ranboo glanced at the treeline. The sky was a beautiful lilac as the sun started to crest the horizon. Calculating time, he’d give the two trainers another half hour of sleeping before waking them.
Thankfully, Tommy woke before he had to, crawling out of his and tubbo’s tent ungracefully. He yawned widely, rubbing his eye. He took a step then paused, looking around the cleaned up campsite.
“How long have you been awake, boob boy?” Tommy demanded when he noticed him.
“Don’t call me that,” Ranboo pleaded even though he could already tell that it was a losing battle. “About half an hour. You need to wake up Tubbo soon if we’re going to get to Laketown before sundown.”
Tommy rubbed his face, bobbing his head in a nod. He turned on his heels and reentered his tent. Ranboo heard Tommy waking the other trainer, and not gently. Moments later, both of them crawled out with Tubbo looking distinctly not awake. His eyes were bleary and he wasn’t saying anything. With more coordination than Ranboo expected from them, the two collapsed and packed up their tent with minimal fuss.
With it neatly put away, Ranboo clapped his hands and got up, stretching. “Great, let's go.”
“Woah, wait a moment big man. We haven’t eaten yet,” Tommy objected, digging into his pack. Tubbo sat down on a log and leaned on his knees, hanging his head.
“You can walk and eat,” Ranboo said, not getting their reluctance to get going. He did it all the time, not eating a larger meal until later in the day.
“Maybe you can, but we’re still growing. We need the fuel,” Tommy told him, pulling out a mangled sandwich and tossing it to Tubbo. The ziplock bag hit him on the head and he fumbled to catch it before it fell to the ground. Tubbo glared, clearly irritated at being smacked with food before opening it and taking a bite. Tommy ignored the dark look and brought out one for himself.
“So am I. You guys don’t look any older than me,” Ranboo retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.
Tubbo paused, squinting at him. He flapped a hand in a rolling motion, clearly asking a question.
“I’m still a minor,” Ranboo answered.
Tubbo gave him a flat look then gestured at himself and Tommy. So are we, was the clear retort.
“Wait. Are you born before or after april 9th 2004,” Tommy asked after swallowing a bite of his sandwich.
Ranboo blinked. He literally couldn’t answer that. He had no clue when or where he was born. He only had a vague idea of how old he was by other people guessing his age when he was a kid.
“...before,” he settled on after a moment, guessing. Tommy didn’t look older than fifteen and that was the standard starting age for trainers.
Tommy frowned before immediately perking up. “So you’re younger than me!”
“N-no,” Ranboo said, quickly doing the math in his head. “That means that I’m older.”
Tommy stared at him, blank faced. Tubbo smirked, hiding his amusement behind his hand. His eyes flicked between the two of them, clearly entertained. Ranboo didn’t like how he was looking at Tommy, like he was expecting something.
“Aaahhhh! WHY AM I STILL THE YOUNGEST!” Tommy screamed, throwing up his hands and pacing in a circle.
Ranboo burst out laughing, jumping out of his way when Tommy started marching towards him.
“I hate you, you fucking idiot!”
“Hey, how am I supposed to control my age?” Ranboo retorted, nimbly dancing out of his reach.
“Shut up! Shut up!” Tommy screeched, looking ready to fight him.
“It’s not my fault I'm older than you! I can’t control when I was born,” Ranboo reasoned, ignoring how yes it was his fault because he didn’t even remember his birthday. He’d made a guess. Plus, he really thought he was older than Tommy.
“As entertaining as this is,” Tubbo cut in, his voice raspy with sleep. “We should get moving. You good with that, big guy?” he added to Ranboo.
“ Yes, ” Ranboo breathed, itchy to get moving. He never stayed in one place for too long, always needing to keep wandering.
Tommy made a dramatic fuss but soon enough the campsite was as clean as when Ranboo found it. All their stuff packed away, Ranboo led the way through the forest, more used to traveling than the other two. Using the rising sun as a guide, he headed north, and towards Laketown.