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Veronica ‘Vee’ Noceda could forgive someone for thinking Luz was the older twin. Luz was always outgoing and overprotective of Vee. Luz was an inch or two taller than them too but Vee had been born a few minutes before her sister. One couldn't even be blamed for not believing they were twins.
Vee was born with vitiligo, which appeared as blotches. She had two under each of their eyes, one on the back of each hand, one on her left ankle, and several around their ears. Luz always thought their ‘spots’ looked cool and encouraged Vee to take pride in them.
Sometimes Vee wished they were more like Luz. She would find a creature standing over her as cool.
---
Upon waking up a second time, Vee was met with a tall, muscular man with dark brown skin, bright green eyes, and dark gray-brown hair tied into a bun with sideburns and a goatee. He wore a black top, light purple shoulder pieces with gold accents, and a pink pearl necklace. His pants were black with a pink half sash, and a yellow belt with some circular symbol as the buckle.
“I see you've awakened.” The man seemed to glare down at Vee, reminding them of that night a few years back.
She squeaked and wished Luz was there.
His expression softened. “You gave us quite the scare.”
“U-us?” Cursed nerves. It was bad enough she was somewhere unknown, he didn't need to know she was anxious.
“You're lucky Sneasler found you when they did.”
“Sneasler?” What was a Sneasler? Sounded like something out of one of Luz’s Pokémon games.
“I was surprised too.” The man nodded, confusing their confusion for surprise. “It’s not often they help someone not aligned with the Pearl Clan.”
Ok, he had to be messing with them now. How could he not notice how lost she was?
“Who are you?” Vee finally managed. “Where am I? Where is my family?”
He frowned, “I don't know about your family but you're in the Pearl Clan med-hut. I’m the head of the clan, Darius.”
Vee wanted to go back to sleep. Maybe the next time they woke up, she would be back home and it would be revealed this was all just a bad dream. However, it seemed as real as it could get.
---
Vee grinned widely as she showed off her costume to their sister.
“You look great, Vee.” Luz fixed the mask. “Just like the basilisk. Are you going to be able to walk ok?”
“Yup.” Vee still couldn't believe it. They had been invited to their first party. It was a costume party, but still a party. She had chosen to go as a shapeshifter from her favorite book. It portrayed the shapeshifter, a basilisk that drained energy rather than turning people to stone, as a sympathetic character that was just trying to fit in. She circled Luz to prove she could walk. “You sure you don't want to come? Howard invited both of us.”
“I’m sure. Howard is your friend.” Luz shrugged. “Besides, I want to save my costume for Halloween.”
Vee gave Luz a blank stare. “Your costume is a Pokémon trainer, isn't it?”
“Don't judge me!”
The two laughed and Vee headed out. It was hard to believe they were going to a costume party. The sun was already beginning to set and the road was empty, one of the joys of living in a small town.
A van drove by and, unknown to Vee, stopped just a bit down the road. They kept walking, excited to show her costume off to Howard and their friends.
They never got the chance to as something slammed into the back of their head and their sight darkened.
---
Darius was kind enough to give them a warm set of clothes while Vee stayed at the Medical hut. It was made clear she wasn't a prisoner, even if the people looked at her as one, it was just taking time to set up a hut for Vee to stay in.
The flap that separated Vee from the rest opened. She looked up to find a teenager around the same age as her.
The teen was around their height with a slim build, a medium-tan complexion, and a black pixie cut. They had dark brown eyes and their friendly smile revealed that they had a tooth gap. They wore a parka similar to the one Darius gave Vee but theirs was mainly black.
“Uh… hi?” Great job, Vee. not awkward at all.
“Did Sneasler really save you?” The teen looked so excited and she didn't really understand why.
“So I've been told.”
“What was it like to be in the presence of a noble Pokémon?”
A noble Pokémon? Better yet, a Pokémon?! They hadn't interacted much with anyone other than Darius and he never mentioned Pokémon in their talks. This was a lot but they swallowed the panic.
“I-I don't know. Pretty sure I was passed out.”
“That’s fair. I’m Masha, by the way.”
“Vee Noceda.”
“I think we are going to be great friends.” Masha nodded to themself.
Vee didn't argue.
---
Jacob Hopkins was the curator of Gravefield’s one and only museum. The Noceda’s stopped going when Hopkins took Luz’s Chimchar plush and ranted about how it was a ploy to get humans to accept demons when they invaded. Vee didn't really get it but their mother, Camila Noceda, nearly strangled the man for making her child cry. The twins were told not to go near him without proper supervision after that.
Now, Vee found herself in an iron cage that was in a humanoid shape with their hands tied tightly behind her back. They couldn't even wiggle their mask off because from just below her nose to her neck was duct tape.
They didn't know how long she had been there but fear crept into their veins as Jacob ranted, knife in hand. Would Luz or Mom notice she was gone? Did Howard call asking where they were? Was the party even over for their disappearance to be questioned?
“Now, all I have to do is-” Jacob was cut off by a knock on the back room's door. “What is it?”
“Someone is taking a bat to the witch hunter exhibit.” A very familiar voice came from the other side.
‘Luz?!’ Tears welled in Vee’s eyes.
“What?!” Jacob yanked the door open and stumbled back as if he’d been hit, the knife clattering to the floor.
“Where is my sibling, Pandejo!” Luz held her bright red bat, ready to strike again.
“Luz!” They tried to yell, but it was too muffled to be intelligible.
“Vee!” Her younger sister ran to her and sighed in relief. “Are you hurt?”
Their head ached some but she didn't feel hurt. She shook her head.
Luz looked at the padlock, then Vee, and then her bat. “Try to stand back.”
They nodded and leaned back until they were pressed against the bars of the small cage. Their twin lifted the bat up high and brought it down onto the lock one… two… three times. Something in the lock broke and Luz grinned. She tugged at the padlock, frowned when it remained stuck, and went to bash it again with the bat.
“No!” Jacob rammed into Luz. “I won’t let you ruin my discovery!”
“That’s my sibling,” Luz tried to reach for her bat, that she lost her grip on, “you sick fuck!”
Vee flinched. It wasn't often that Luz swore. Despite how brash and hot-headed the younger twin could be, she almost refused to swear, unless she was pissed.
They had to help, the bat was near her cage, if their hands were free, they could get it to Luz. As the two wrestled, Vee noticed the knife Jacob once held. She could cut through the rope if she could get the knife. They gulped and leaned against the cage near the knife. They got a hold of it and began to saw at their bindings as they watched Luz fight.
Jacob might have been able to hold Luz down thanks to his larger size, but Luz wasn't afraid to play dirty when the situation called for it.
Luz headbutted Jacob and Vee was sure they heard something crack. The local nutjob leaned back in pain but kept Luz pinned.
“You bitch!” His voice sounded nasally now.
The rope finally snapped and Vee did their best to dig her fingers under the duct tape. If they could get the mask off, the rest of the costume would follow. When they thought they had a good enough grip, they pulled at the mask.
It took awhile, but they never loved the sound of tearing fabric so much. The costume fell to pieces and Vee slipped out clad in one of Luz’s pajama shorts and a tank-top. She scrambled to the bat, lifted it, and yelled, “Luz!”
Both looked at Vee in time to see them throw the red bat to their sister.
Luz grinned as her victory quickly became assured. The bat, Luz’s ultimate weapon.
---
It was maybe a week after Vee first woke up in this strange world. They had been moved to a temporary hut on the outskirts of the Pearl Clan. They discovered, when moving to her new hut, that the Pearl Clan lived in a snowy mountain area with a hot spring near the center of the settlement. Vee wasn't a big, fan of the cold, and so, didn't leave her little hut often.
The equivalent of three long ‘knocks’ came from the entrance. It had to be Darius. Only he and Masha visited her and Masha ‘knocked’ sharply before barging in.
“Come on in, Darius!” She called, fixing their pillow.
“You have some guests.” Darius said calmly as an overly excited Masha and the creature they first met entered.
Vee was usually well put together. Apparently she wasn't that day, because they screamed and threw her pillow at the creature.
---
It turned out Howard’s mom called as to why Vee hadn't shown up. Mom freaked and had called the authorities. Luz grabbed her bat and went out to look for Vee herself. When she found them, Luz called the cops on the curator and the two were escorted home. By the time they got back, Vee’s eyes were bloodshot, tear streaks stained her cheeks, and their fingers were red from tearing the mask off.
Luz didn't look much better. Her clothes were ruffled and her hair was a mess. Luz’s lip had split open at some point during the scuffle and her forehead had started to bruise from when she broke Jacob’s nose. There were nasty red marks on her wrists, reminiscent of a hand.
Now the two were in their shared room, Vee staring at the ceiling above them. The light glow from Luz’s fairy lights crept up the sides of the bunk bed, being the only sign that Luz was still up.
“Hey, Luz?” Their voice was barely above a whisper on the off chance Luz fell asleep reading.
“Yeah, Vee.” She hummed.
Vee turned onto her side. “Thanks… for saving me.”
“Geez, Vee, don't make it seem like it was a chore.” Luz huffed. When Vee remained silent, Luz continued. “You're my sibling, and, while you might be a bit annoying in a way only a sibling can, I’d do anything for you. And I know you would do the same. So don't worry about it. It’s us against the world.”
Vee chuckled, “God, you are so corny!”
The two laughed and Vee felt better. Luz would always have their back, and she would have Luz’s. It really did feel like them against the world. They would get through things.
Together.
---
Vee bowed to Sneasler again. “I’m so sorry!”
“Le-er” The Pokémon awkwardly patted her head. Masha was laughing at their suffering while Darius shook his head.
He cleared his throat. “That’s enough, Vee.”
“Sorry.” They said once more, standing straight. “Why is everyone here?”
“We asked Sneasler to comb the area you were found in. I figured, you want your stuff back.”
“Oh.” Vee didn't think she was missing anything but then the noble pulled out a belt and six red and white balls. “Oh!”
They remembered now. Right before they woke up, they had gone gift shopping. Some convention was coming up and Luz bought tickets. Their twin wanted to go in cosplay and Vee had gone to the local Game Stop to help. There she got six regular Poké Balls, one of which came with a figurine Vee wanted. They had planned to attach the Poké Balls to the belt somehow to really sell it.
“Seems you may have ties to the Galaxy Team.” The clan leader grumbled.
“I’ve never heard of them.” Vee stated honestly as they took the items from Sneasler. One Poké Ball was heavier than the others. “Huh…”
She pressed the button and the Poké Ball popped open, releasing some blue energy. The energy took the form of a small quadrupedal animal that resembled a fox cub. It had large triangular ears and a short snout with a tiny black nose, and furry whisker-like tufts of fur that protruded from either side of its face. Its eyes were sky blue with red eyelids, and had circular red patches above its eyes resembling eyebrows. Its body was covered mainly in slate-gray fur, a deep gray fluffy mane rested around its neck and a tuft of red-tipped fur sat atop its head that resembled a flame. It had small red tipped paws and feet with no visible digits and a short fluffy gray tail.
“Rua!” The tricky fox Pokémon yawned. It looked up at Vee and snickered a greeting.
“Woah! What is that?” Masha asked as the Zorua curled up in Vee’s lap. “It almost looks like a Zorua.”
“It is a Zorua…” Have they never seen a Zorua before?
“I've never seen one like this.” Darius hummed. “The fur color is all wrong, and I don't even feel any resentment coming from it.”
“Sne.” Sneasler nodded.
Resentment? No, Zorua was a mischievous Pokémon, not one to resent.
“What type is Zorua?” Vee asked.
“A ghost type.”
Things clicked and they remembered one of Luz’s ‘lectures’.
“I think I understand now.” Vee lifted Zorua up into their arms and showed it off to the others. “This is Zorua, the tricky fox Pokémon, a dark type first discovered in the Unova region, the same species of Pokémon as your Zorua.”
“What?” Masha tilted their head.
“My sister told me about it once. Sometimes when a Pokémon lives in another region, it has to adapt to that region.” She explained, trying to remember the details as best they could. Honestly, they usually zoned out during such explanations by accident. “For instance, in most regions, Vulpix and its evolutions are fire types, but in Alola, because they live in a mountain area, they are ice types. There is probably more but I don't remember it.”
“Is your sister a Pokémon professor?” Darius asked after a moment of silence.
“No, she’s just a nerd. Why?”
“She seems very knowledgeable. I feel like the professor working with the Galaxy Team explained a similar concept last time I visited.”
Vee nodded. Now that they thought about it, she missed her sister. Was Luz worried about her? Was she going on a warpath in search of them? Did Luz and Mom even know they were missing?
She looked up to see Masha squeeze their shoulder.
“It’s ok,” They smiled, “I’m sure you will see each other again.”
She wasn't so sure. What were the chances Luz would get sent to the same world as her? This didn't happen in the real world, but, “I hope so.”
Zorua snuggled into her arms to give comfort and Sneasler patted their head.
---
Owlbert rested on Luz’s shoulder as Amity led them to the front gate. A lean, light-skinned man with a pointed nose and long, shoulder-length brown hair, kept in a ponytail, with several strands kept loose atop his scalp, was chatting with the gate guard. He had a small chin and pale-blue eyes. He wore a blue long-sleeved shirt with yellow fluff around the sleeves and collar, a white apron painted with a yellow ginkgo leaf, blue pants, and brown boots. On his back was a large brown camping bag. His eyes gleamed as they approached.
“Oh? What a curious get up you have there. I can already tell you're quite the character!” He laughed and held his hand out to her. “I’m Philip of the Ginkgo Guild, the go-to choice for any of the mercantile needs here in Hisui!”
“Luz Noceda.” She shook his hand but something about him felt off. Like he was too cheerful. It was off putting. He snapped his fingers.
“I’ve heard talk about you. Fell from the sky, didn't you? Now that’s certainly a tale I’d like to hear.” Philips’s eyes drifted to Owlbert on her shoulder. “Oh, and you've a Pokémon! You're certainly full of interesting surprises. Investigating the odd and novel is key to any good merchant’s success! So what do you say?”
“To what?” Luz tilted her head.
“To you and I having a look to see how our Pokémon stand up to one another in battle?”
“I don't know, Luz.” Amity frowned. “Do you even know how to battle?”
“Of course I do." Luz playfully crossed her arms. “The question is if Owlbert wants to.”
“Krooo!” Owlbert flapped his wings in excitement.
“Right! Let’s do it!” Luz grinned.
“I like you better and better!” Philip laughed. “What a delightful find! I've also heard about this trial you're to attempt. Just a quick battle to get your blood pumping.”
“This feels like a bad idea, but good luck.”
“Alright Owlbert, let’s show this merchant what we Noceda's are made of!”
“Krooo!”