Chapter Text
Wake up. Brush your hair and put on your Survey Corps uniform. Take your hormone medication from your mysterious godly phone, given to you by the creator of the universe. Get ready for the day.
For someone who had just been thrown into the past, Dawn thought she was handling this very well, feeling slightly proud of herself for entering a routine so quickly.
It had only been a week since she woke up face-to-face with Arceus, a deity only rumored about in stories as the creator of the entire world – of all Pokemon, of all people, of everything. With too many questions to ask, she was simply given one goal.
“Seek out all Pokemon, and thou shall find me once more.”
“Pretty simple request to make,” Dawn said underneath her breath a bit scathingly. “I accept this mission, but...can you make an accommodation? It might be a bit strange, but-”
“There is no need to worry.” The being of light shook its head slightly, which surprised Dawn a little. “Your needs shall be met through your Arc Phone. You are in the process of matching your body with your soul, and thus shall be given what is needed to complete this process.” As soon as the sentence finished, a blinding flash filled Dawn’s eyes.
“...WAIT CAN’T YOU JUST CHANGE MY BODY INSTEAD-”
She frowned a bit, almost a bit disappointed. It had been just about a year since she had started her transition before she was whisked away. Her body was changing, but she was frustrated with how slow it felt. She had friends to talk to back home so that she could overcome this hurdle, and it had really helped. But now? Pretty unlikely that there would be someone within these ancient times that was like her. At the very least, she HAD her hormone medication - she couldn't have imagined not having it.
Dawn, truthfully, was managing fine, but being dropped into an ancient time period with no friends, none of her old Pokemon, nothing – was quite surreal. It was also a bit terrifying, and she definitely spent the first night lying awake without sleep. She couldn’t fully explain the situation to anyone, either – nobody is going to believe that she came from the future and knows everything that will happen, especially if they’re already uneasy about her being a stranger who fell from a space time rift. She'd get looked at funny more times than she'd like to admit.
Plus, she had to readjust to how things were done in Hisui - no mechanical Pokedex meant that she had to get real dirty to fully fill out the details, and that was a lot easier said than done, sometimes.
But, on the positive, she seemed to be taking it well, and it was getting slightly easier each time she went out on surveying treks. Plus, people actually gendered her correctly, which was always nice.
She actually had a pair of female clothes that fit her pretty nicely, which was a rarity back home. But now wasn't the time to reminisce on old thoughts - it was time to face the day, tackle whatever was ahead, and fulfill her mission so she could get home.
Stepping outside, she heard a cheery “Morning, Dawn!” and smiled.
“Good morning, Rei. How’s the day treating you so far?” Rei was always nice to meet up with – the closest thing she had to a friend, which helped her ease into the region a lot more. Reminded her of someone she used to know, as well. He’d be pretty happy to know he looks exactly like his ancestor, she thought.
“Ah, it’s going well! Glad to see you up and ready to go. I think Commander Kamado was looking for you though, so you might want to see him,” he said, pointing a thumb in the general direction. “Not sure what’s up, but I’ve heard the clan leaders are involved. Might be pretty serious.”
Dawn nodded. “Got it, I’ll be on my way. Have a good time surveying!” She ran off towards the Galaxy Hall building, waving to Rei on her way.
She had never actually met any of the people from the two opposing clans, so she was kind of excited to see their leaders and hear more about them. She had heard some details from Rei and Professor Laventon, but nothing extensive – just kind of what they did, and who they were.
As she made her way up the stairs of the Galaxy Hall (which she could swear felt bigger each time she travelled up them), she heard some faint conversation. Sounded like three people – if she had to guess, probably the two clan leaders and Commander Kamado.
“...Look - we don’t even know what drove Lord Kleavor into such a violent frenzy.”
“I’d like to know that myself. This is a first as far as my clan knows, too.”
“Excuse me, Commander Kamado? I was told you wished to speak with me.” She was right in her call – three people were present. Kamado, and two other people dressed in blue and white respectively.
“I see you’ve arrived, Dawn.” All 3 turned towards her, and Oh my god thought Dawn as she got a good look at who she assumed was the Pearl Clan’s leader. It was probably – no, it was definitely rude of her to stare, but she was enamored. The thought of anything else was thoroughly blasted from her mind as she kind of just stared blankly at the leader. Goodness, she was pretty. Her blue eyes, her gorgeous blonde hair, the cute little thing in her hair, her-
Her thoughts were interrupted by Kamado. “This is Dawn, the newest member of our Survey Corps.” Startled, she stood up straight, her face a bit red, and her expression definitely startled. Damn it, Dawn, be gay later. You have work to do, she thought as she sternly looked at Kamado to try and distract herself. “Aha! I hear from Mai you’ve earned Wyrdeer’s favor. Good to meet you, stranger from the rift!” The man in blue cheerfully extended a hand out towards Dawn, who shook it firmly. “I’m Adaman, leader of the Diamond Clan, if you want to be formal! But that’s a mouthful. Just call me Adaman.” He gave her a smile, which reassured her. Dawn wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to introduce herself to the clan leaders, being a stranger who, to their knowledge, fell out of a rift in the sky.
“If you came from beyond the space-time rift...could you be from the space where almighty Sinnoh is said to reside?” said the Pearl Clan’s leader, looking a bit deep in thought. Oh my god, she’s so cute, Dawn thought to herself, before quickly snapping back into reality before she fell too deep into her old habits. “Uh...I’m not totally sure. My memory’s a bit foggy,” Dawn said while shrugging a little.
“I see...Regardless, I’m Irida, leader of the Pearl Clan! Caution and foresight are my watchwords.” She similarly extended her hand out to shake it, which Dawn was maybe a little too excited to shake. While she was absolutely setting herself up for disappointment, even the rational side of herself that told her that Irida was very pretty. She could get lost in those eyes...
“Which is why I have trouble believing such a tale. Could you have really passed through that rift?” Irida had a bit of uncertainty in her eyes, which caused Dawn to flinch a little. Given the Pearl Clan’s devotion to space, it makes sense that she’d be a bit cautious. Dawn still didn’t really know what to say, though. A bit of confusion mixed with how flustered she was filled her face as she looked at her. She opened her mouth to say something after a bit of dead air, but was immediately cut off.
“Sheesh, Irida. You meet someone for barely 5 seconds, and you already start doubting them. Would do you a lot of good to start giving people some time before you start to lean into them, hm?” said a smiling Adaman, with a very smug tone to his voice. Irida glared back at him, rolling her eyes.
Kamado cleared his throat, bringing the attention back to the commander, which Dawn appreciated. “Ahem. I suppose I should catch you up to speed, Dawn. Recent reports have said that the Pearl Clan’s Lord of the Woods, Kleavor, has gone out of control, with a possible connection to the space time rifts. With this in mind, I have a proposition for you two. Why not send Dawn to study Kleavor before deciding what must be done?” He gave Dawn a bit of a knowing, trusting look, who nodded in response.
“You would send this complete stranger, who supposedly came from the rift, to study Lord Kleavor? This newcomer with no experience?”
Champion from the future, thank you very much, thought Dawn as she bit her tongue.
“ Coming from the leader with almost no experience.”
Irida glared at Adaman again. It was clear to Dawn that they didn’t seem to get along super well, though it didn’t feel overly hostile. An interesting group of characters, for sure. “Being a good leader isn’t a matter of time. It’s a matter of Hisui’s vastness without fear!”
“Well, there you have it. If how new you are doesn’t matter, then give Dawn her chance. I’m sold, Commander. Let’s try this out your way!” Dawn felt a slap on her back from Adaman, who gave her a friendly smirk. “Besides, I feel like this stranger has potential. Some real fire in her soul, and with time, she can really blossom into something great.” Irida had a look on her face like she wanted to reply, but she simply scowled, wordlessly agreeing with Adaman. “Very well, then. This is your mission now, Dawn. I order you to study Kleavor and help us find the truth of this situation!” Kamado gave that classic fierce look that she came to know well, especially from their first interaction together. She simply nodded, giving a resounding “I accept, sir.”
“Excellent. Remember, you are a stranger who appeared out of the very sky before us. People are naturally suspicious of your presence here. This will be a chance for you to become fully accepted and trusted. You must work hard – work yourself to the very bone.”
While this wasn’t a super exciting prospect, it was one she understood and accepted without mentioning it. Dawn felt somewhat weird being a total outsider in a society that was, quite literally, incredibly behind on the times, but if this was her mission, she had to make sure she could actually complete it. Having people become suspicious of her might lead to complications down the road.
“Well then, that’s settled! Good luck out there – there's no time like the present!” Adaman walked out of the room and down the stairs, out of sight. “Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you,” said Dawn, smiling. Her first impression of Adaman was good and all, but...
Irida stepped in front of her, startling Dawn a little. She should have had every right to be a bit distrustful in Irida, given how she treated her. Irida, at least so far, was treating her like either a suspicious figure who could not be trusted, or a total bumbling rookie still gathering the basics – which normally didn’t sit well with her. And yet, she wasn’t mad. Or sad. Or anything of the sort. All she could focus on was the raging storm of thoughts her mind was waging against her, and she wasn’t exaclty doing a good job at winning. Irida was absolutely beautiful – a true gem. And it was all she could focus on, and it was driving her absolutely insane.
“Be mindful, Dawn.” She almost fell apart at that, alone, but kept it together. Her name sounded so lovely on Irida’s voice, and Focus, girl! “The Lord of the Woods, Kleavor, is descended from a Pokemon that was blessed with almighty Sinnoh’s own power. No other Pokemon can compare to his strength. Be warned.”
“Understood. Thank you for the warning. I’ll take extra time to prepare before studying, to risk not getting hurt.” She smiled warmly, feeling her face flush up and trying desperately not to have her gay panic be visible on her face.
“And...my apologies for the rude introduction. While I am still uncertain of who you are, I hope we can still become close.” Irida’s face had a slight look of regret on it, though it wasn’t as if she looked totally remorseful. But it was something, and Dawn was okay with that. “Hey, no worries. You heard Kamado – it's important for me to work hard so that I can have people trusting in me.”
“Of course. I will see you around, Dawn.” Irida took her leave. Dawn could still feel the flush on her face. Did she notice? Does she mind? Fuck, of course she noticed. Why did I stare her down so hard when I first saw her? Maybe that’s why she’s a bit uneasy about me. This is ancient times, would she even like girls? I-
“Now that they’re gone, there’s something important I need to tell you, Dawn...”
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Dawn stepped out of the Galaxy Hall building, with a new mission in mind and an understanding of the clans. Kamado had stated the importance of not disturbing the relations between the Galaxy Corps and the two clans. (She had also been grateful that her flustered nature didn’t seem completely obvious to anyone there, at least she had hoped.) She had also been briefed on what the game plan was – gather more information on Kleavor, so that its fury could be calmed.
Moreover, she knew that the Diamond Clan had similar situations to the one the Pearl Clan was dealing with, so that was another troubling situation to tackle. The first step was to speak to Lian at the Grandtree Arena, who, as she understood, was the warden of Kleavor, controlling it and making offerings to it. Which she did – and fought him, defeating him, earning Lian’s trust and giving Laventon the idea of creating balms to help quell Kleavor’s rage. The next step was actually quelling the Lord’s rage.
That was all fine and dandy, and usually, she would hop right on that.
But she had more important matters to attend to. Like sitting in her room, lying on her bed, with her hands in her face. For Arceus’ sake, she really had to go the classic Dawn route of falling in love with the first pretty woman she saw at first sight again? This was something she had thought she got over but sprung back with full force the second she laid eyes on Irida. And yet...it felt different, somehow.
“Damn it, I’m getting my hopes up again.” She sighed and sat up in bed. You have to take it one step at a time, Dawn. Stop getting ahead of yourself. Besides, you don’t even know if she holds an iota of respect for you. Plus, who knows if this might affect the Galaxy Clan’s affections with the two clans? This is a risky, risky crush you’ve got going on. Stop it here before you get ahead of yourself. She tried to tell her brain this, but the image and thoughts of Irida running through her head did not stop. It was the only thing on her mind, and it was driving her up the wall. She had such a nice, kind tone to her voice even when it was being used to have doubt in Dawn's abilities, and the image of her smile made her heart feel like it was made of cotton candy, and Oh Arceus damn it, here we go again...
She groaned, shoving her face into a pillow. Maybe some sleep would help. It had been a bit of a long day, and even Laventon suggested that quelling Kleavor’s rage would be something best done on full energy. There had been a lot of action today, especially considering that she was fighting off all of her thoughts screaming at her about Irida for the past several hours.
Dawn laid in bed, staring at the ceiling intensely. After lying in bed for a few minutes, and just before she drifted to sleep, she thought one thing to herself.
I think...no, I'm definitely in love with Irida.
She was definitely going to have an interesting time in Hisui now.