Chapter Text
Bright.
It was way too bright. And hot.
There was no shelter from the way the afternoon sun mercilessly beat down. Though skittering under a car here and there provided a temporary reprise from the light, the asphalt of the parking lot was still blistering hot.
Summer heat always sucked, but it was ten times worse when you were a Mimikyu. Sunlight was literally fatal!
They had no idea why they came all the way out here in the first place, but they didn’t feel like taking the time to stop and ponder. They just wanted to get out of the sun.
The silhouette of a massive building loomed overhead, bright, colorful signs splattered all over featuring cartoon characters. The Mimikyu tilted to the side, the head of their costume following the motion. Was this… some sort of theme park?
People were constantly funneling in and out of the front doors, so they knew there was no going that way lest someone kick them over or step on them. While they were a bit bigger than other Mimikyu (a whole whopping 10 inches tall! Big whoop), they were still practically underfoot for most humans.
That, and they didn’t want to risk being seen. There were a lot of children by what they could see, and they knew young children didn’t always know how to play nice. What if they ripped off one of their ears or tail? Or worse. What if someone tore off their costume completely? Exposed them for all to see?
No, no, no. That couldn’t happen. They couldn’t let that happen! There had to be another way in, somewhere they wouldn’t be noticed.
After checking that the coast was clear, Mimikyu darted out from under the car and into the shadow of the building. Finally, some relief. But they couldn’t just sit here. It was too out in the open. Creeping around the building, they searched for a way in. All the doors were closed and locked, and no windows offered a way to slip in. They were just getting ready to give up when they came across a ground level vent. The was a metal grate covering it, but it didn’t seem particularly sturdy. After taking one more glance around to make sure no one was nearby, they extended a shadowy arm out from under their cloth.
“Kyu!” Shadow Claw.
One slash was enough to tear a hole in the grate, allowing the Pokémon to pull apart the gap just enough for them to carefully slip through without snagging their cloth. They had to admit, they were a bit jealous of other ghost-types that could just faze through walls whenever they felt like it. Stupid Haunter didn’t know how lucky they had it.
The cacophony of the theme park became louder once they were inside, but it was nice and dark and cool, giving them a much-needed chance to recover. Maybe they could just stay in here until nightfall, then head on their way…
Head where, exactly? They knew they didn’t really have anywhere to go. Not anymore.
They didn’t want to think about it, deciding instead to explore just what kind of place this was. Peeking out of whatever grate they could find, they saw people running around, loud arcade machines, and flashing lights that made them uncomfortable. Another opening revealed what looked like a kitchen, robots moving back and forth carrying food. They had robots here? Creepy. Not that they were any better. Yet another opening allowed them to see another robot, this one different from the stiff, simple looking ones in the kitchen.
The robot loosely resembled an Ursaring, but it wore a hat and had blue and red markings on their face and chest. Now that they thought about it, it looked like one of those cartoons they saw on the sign outside. A crowd of excited children surrounded the bear, talking all at once while the bear robot seemed to take it in stride, waving and greeting and even hugging some of the kids. Mimikyu found it kind of endearing. When was the last time they were hugged like that? Probably before they were what they were now… not that they remembered much from that time.
Another vent led down into some sort of basement area. Though it was dark, there was something incredibly unnerving about the area, even to a ghost type like themself. Maybe it was all the broken robot parts scattered around?
They didn’t stay, deciding to move higher back to where they could here the din of games and music. It was comforting in a way, like white noise in the background as they settled down for a brief nap…
…
…
…
Scritter, scritter, scritter…
A faint noise woke them up. They didn’t know how long they were asleep, they must have been way more exhausted than they realized. They sat up, not really needing to stretch given their form but doing so anyway out of old habit. The skittering sound they heard before was getting louder. Mimikyu tilted in the direction it was coming from. As they were debating whether to stand their ground or flee, the owner of the sound emerged from a turn in the vent. A small spindly creature with big black eyes and a terrifying grin skittered out of the darkness, chiming together two broken cymbals as they closed in on the Pokémon. Mimikyu screeched in terror, whipping out their arm and slashing at the small creature, successfully knocking it away before turning and disappearing down the length of the vents. They didn’t stop, not even to turn as they reached a bend, resulting in them crashing through a grate, tumbling all the way down onto the floor. Ouch!
It hurt for sure, but being a Pokémon made them resilient. They shook it off and quickly took in their surroundings. They were in some sort of store from the looks of it. Merchandise decorated every vertical surface in the shop. Plushies and shirts and more. It reminded them of the Abandoned Megamart back on Ula’ula Island, but this place was bright and cheerful, not old and decrepit. It was just as empty as the Megamart though. Where were all the people? This place was too well kept to be abandoned as well. Maybe they were closed for the day, though they couldn’t tell if it was night because there were no visible windows and the place was still brightly lit. They skittered around the counter only to come face to face with a robot with a flashlight.
“Kyu!”
They froze in place, both due to fear and the blinding light in their eyes. The robot stood in place, its unblinking gaze seeming to bore into the ghost and fairy type as they stared back. After what felt like hours but was likely only a minute, the robot turned and rolled off in the opposite direction. Mimikyu stared after where the robot moved off, wondering what that was about. It stared right at them. Did it not see them? Maybe it thought they were just one of the plushies. It wouldn’t be the first time they were mistaken for one.
Not wanting to risk another encounter with a potentially less oblivious robot, Mimikyu sneaked out of the store and into the atrium. Wow! They didn’t realize how big this place really was. They skittered on by another couple of robots in the hall, small and yellow with glowing eyes. Mimikyu chirruped at them. They were kind of cute. They extended their arm out and tapped one of them, causing it to spin. Mimikyu let out a small snicker at the sight. Suddenly a loud ringing filled their head. They shook their head, costume ears flopping with the motion, clawing at the front of their cloth as if to drown it out. They sensed a presence behind them, and they quickly skittered behind the yellow robot and peeked out, managing to catch sight of a tall, red-eyed figure with long ears seeming to dance across the hall. The creature looked like it was covered in short fur, but there were various patches sewn along its body. Almost like…
Like a costume! Mimikyu’s own costume had a patch too. A small blue one attached to their right ear to cover up a rip. They didn’t remember much about their past life, but they were glad they still knew how to sew at least.
The strange, costumed dancer passed them by, completely unaware of the small disguise Pokémon hiding just at their feet. When they turned the corner and disappeared, the strange ringing noise finally stopped. Mimikyu slowly crept out from behind the robot, never having been so relieved to be small and insignificant in their life. That figure left them with a peculiar sense of dread. They didn’t know if it was their Pokémon instincts or what, but they just knew the figure was dangerous. They better keep moving. They gave the robot one more spin for fun before moving on.
They wished Chuy was here. Chuy was always the braver of the two of them. He was the first friend they made after they became like this. Their friend always stood up to any challenge and was the one to teach them how to battle. They had no doubt he’d be able to lead them out of this mess. If only he was still around…
They had wandered through an open pair of doors while lost in memories, the linoleum under their body shifting to carpet. A couple of nearby vending machines drew them out of their mood, the colorful lights and characters drawing their attention. There was that robot-Ursaring-bear thing on one of the fronts, along with a bird-like creature that made them think of a pink Quaxley, a green Krookodile-looking thing, and a creature that to them looked loosely like a shiny Midnight Lycanroc. They didn’t like the last one. A trainer beat them up with one of those Pokémon before. If Chuy hadn’t been there…
They moved away from the machines and crept over to the next open door they found. It just led to a bathroom, empty except for the strong scent of cleanser and a few more of those yellow robots. They mischievously approached one and tapped it, causing it to spin again. Unfortunately this one crashed into the orange trashcans, knocking them over like a stack of dominoes. The clatter made Mimikyu jump, leaping back as garbage spilled across the floor.
“What’s going on in there?”
Mimikyu froze at the sound of the voice. Someone else was here. Footsteps were rapidly approaching outside, and it was all the little disguise Pokémon could do to duck into one of the stalls. A bright light shined into the bathroom, the beam falling on the overturned trashcans. The owner of the light cursed under their breath as they moved them back to their upright positions.
“Alright, who’s the wise-ass? Chica, is that you?”
Footsteps came closer, and the sound of stall doors being thrown open filled the bathroom. Mimikyu pressed themselves further into the shadows despite how disgusting it felt to hide behind a toilet.
They nearly flinched when the door to their stall was thrown open, the beam of a flashlight shining right in their face. Didn’t these idiots know how much that hurt?
“What the…?”
The beam lowered from their eyes, thankfully, allowing Mimikyu to look up at their assailant. It was a human, with bright green eyes and blond hair. She wore a white collared shirt and had a black cap on her head. Concentrating on the text embroidered on the cap, Mimikyu could make out the word Security.
Uh oh.
“Is this… some sort of stuffed animal?” the guard asked out loud. “Doesn’t look like any I’ve seen in the giftshops. Did some kid lose it in here? It’s awfully creepy-looking.”
Creepy!?
“Guess I’ll just toss this thing into the Lost and Found.” The guard said, reaching for the Pokémon.
No, no, no! They were going to take their cloth! They can’t let that happen! THAY CAN’T LET THAT HAPPEN!
As soon as the human grasped one of their ears, Mimikyu shot their claws out from under their cloth, throwing the human against the wall. They crumpled to the ground, not dead thankfully but definitely winded. Mimikyu was not going to give them a chance to recover, fleeing from the restroom and down the hall. They came to a dead end, nothing but a brick wall with colorful signage. The sign said Superstar Daycare Pick Up and pointed in the direction of closed shutters. The shutters had a celestial theme going on, decorated a dark blue with yellow stars surrounding a round cartoon sun with orange rays. There didn’t seem to be anywhere else to go. Why, why, why couldn’t they have been a ghost type that could go through walls!?
Wait. There was one thing they could try. No guarantee it would work, but it was either that or have a furious human on their wooden tail.
“Kyee.” Phantom Force.
They sunk into the floor. It was very disconcerting the first time they ever did this, feeling like their body was no longer solid. Not like their current body was fully solid to begin with, but they had more mass than this. They pushed themself forward, slipping beneath the closed shutter before emerging back into the plane of existence. Whew. Glad that was over.
A cheerful, catchy tune filled the room, and they examined their new surroundings to determine where they were. Beyond the small tables and chairs was a giant gold statue stood in the very center of the room, featuring a tall, bipedal figure with poofy-looking pants and the face of a Solrock. Well, not quite. Solrock didn’t grin like that. Or at all for that matter. They skittered around to see the back of the statue, only to see a second statue of a similar-looking figure, this one with the face resembling a Lunatone, its expression twisted in a mischievous grin. Mimikyu tilted their head one way, then the other. What were these? They turned and saw a screen featuring an animated version of the Solrock head, holding some sort of orange candy in its hands. The screen was labeled Sunnydrop. Spinning around to face the other side of the room, they saw another screen featuring the Lunatone head, its eyes closed and hands tucked under its head as if it were asleep with a blue candy floating over its head. This one was labeled Moondrop.
Sunnydrop and Moondrop? Was that the name of the candy or the characters?
They skittered to the edge of the platform and glanced down. If they could have gaped, they would have. Below the platform was what could only be described as a kid’s paradise. There were jungle gyms and slides and giant plushies and a ball pit! Glowing stars decorated the walls of one side whereas a simple mural of clouds and the sun was painted on the other. It was the kind of place they would have killed to go to when they were younger, at least in their past life.
Oh well, no time to reminisce now. They still needed to hide. Skittering around the netting and barriers blocking their way, they found a way down. A colorful slide surrounded by a cloud motif, with the words “Slide Into Fun!” printed across the top. They climbed into the entrance of the slide, glancing down the tube. It looked pretty long. They tentatively crept a little deeper, trying to check if they could see the exit point. But thanks to just one slight misstep, they slipped. And before they knew it, they were tumbling down the slide.
“Kyu! Kyu! Kyu!” Ow! Ow! Ow!
It felt like forever until Mimikyu was finally spit out the other end of the slide. Straight into the colorful ballpit. They struggled for a bit, finding theirself sinking deeper and deeper into the pit. They swiped desperately with their claws, knocking some balls aside, only for more to pile on top of them. The more they struggled, the deeper they sank. Arceus, how deep was this damn thing anyway?
They were completely buried under the colorful masses, their flailing slowing and finally stopping as they realized there was no escape. They were stuck.
Is this how they die?
Can a ghost type die?
Was it possible to die again?