Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Main Band:

• Murdoc
• Shocker (Eelektross). Stolen from Russel after the break-up at the end of Phase 1. Russel just let him keep it. He didn't care enough to make a spectacle when they finally saw each other again after all that time. 
• Cortez (Murkrow). Started following Murdoc around when he was in prison. He actually caught the bird when he got out. 
• Russel
• Rillaboom. Caught when Russel found a grookey in his first day in the UK. He befriended it fast, and they’ve been by each others’ sides ever since. 
• Gossifleur. Caught during Phase 5 after Russel made friends with it. 
• Cacnea. Caught in Phase 6, also after a friendship with its now trainer. (I am sensing a pattern. /silly)
• Noodle
• ウェブ (U~ebu) (Ariados). Noodle’s partner for life and the first pokemon she ever caught. Threw a pokeball at a high-level, full-health pokemon that had invaded Kong Studios, and it somehow worked. This was during Phase 2.
• 金切り声 (Kanakirigoe) (Noivern). Found in the area surrounding Kong near the end of Phase 2 as a noibat. Often hovering just over Noodle’s shoulder. 
• ザップ (Zappu) (Huntail). Found as a clamperl while Noodle was briefly a pearl-diver. Hell of a fighter. 
• スパイク (Supaiku) (Nidoqueen). Gift from Murdoc. He caught a nidorina shortly after everything involving his escape from prison while on tour, and gave it to her as part of his apology for his past actions. 
• 富士 (Fuji) (Larvesta). Caught sometime mid-Phase 6. Noodle saw how powerful it was and just HAD to have it on her team.
• 2-D
• Sylveon. Given to 2-D as a service pokemon after the Incident. It was an eevee at the time, but evolved in Phase 5 while Murdoc was in jail. He teased 2-D relentlessly about this when he got out.
• Cleffa. Caught at the tail end of Phase 3 while 2-D was on what he thought was a deserted island. Just wandered out of the bush with its silly little face, and 2-D fell in love. 
• Spark (Dedenne). Found and caught during the filming of the mv for “Humility” after it kept messing around with and screwing up the equipment. 2-D felt bad for the little guy running around by itself, and took it home with him. 

Extra Characters:

• Paula
  • Steelix. Was an onix pre-Phase 1, when she was with 2-D. The band doesn’t know when that thing got about 10x bigger and way more terrifying, but they’re staying away, thank you very much. 
• Ace
  • Whip (Seviper). 
  • Crack (Zangoose).
• Moonflower
  • Blue Florges. 
• More tba…?

Chapter Text

“Checkmate.” Noodle yawns, making sure to exaggerate her movements as she does so. She closes her eyes, but keeps one open just slightly so she can watch her opponent scramble to figure out where he went wrong. Sweet success, as usual. 

U~ebu clicks for attention in her lap, purring when she moves to scratch its chin.

“Best of three?” Her opponent asks, attempting to appear unbothered. 

Noodle spares a glance to the rest of her team, smiling a little when she sees them still messing around in the sand. She could stick around a bit longer. “Sure, why not?” 

“Sylv!” A familiar sylveon comes bounding over, waiting for Noodle to hold her arm down before running up to her shoulders and nuzzling the side of her face. 

“Heya, 2-D.” Noodle hums, not looking away from the sylveon as she pets it. 

“Hi, Noodle!” 2-D doesn’t stop his skating, moving to just circle Noodle and… Remi, she thinks his name is? “Winning?” 

“Just did. We’re playing again though, apparently.” Noodle raises her shoulder slightly, letting sylveon use her as a springboard onto 2-D’s head. Surprisingly, he doesn’t so much as falter in his movements. 

“Good luck, then,” 2-D grins, beginning to move backwards on his skates somehow. “Gotta get going. Film crews, you know?”

Noodle glances behind him at the collection of miffed camera operators, and can’t help but chuckle. “Seriously, they’re acting like they’re not being paid more money than most people ever see in their lives! Have fun, though!”

“I will!” 2-D yells over his shoulder, propelling himself back to the crew. 

“Now,” Noodle turns back to Remi as soon as 2-D is gone, grinning like a sharpedo. “Where were we?” 

Chapter Text

Those pricks. Those ungrateful, bastard pricks. Murdoc gave them everything. EVERYTHING! And how do they repay him? By being annoying little brats, that’s how! It didn’t really matter now. Gorillaz was over, and Murdoc had accepted that. Fully. He wasn’t hung up on the argument, or the way they’d looked at him, or the feeling of 2-D’s frantic pulse beneath his hands. Really, he wasn’t! 

The only reason he was sneaking back into the hotel room at a little past midnight was to fetch the cigarettes he’d left behind. Honest. 

He winces as the door creaks open in front of him, silently thanking Russel snoring like a truck for the first time in his lousy existence. The scene he finds is not unusual if you really knew the Gorillaz. 

2-D is balled up tight in the corner, his eevee next to him on the hard floor. Russ is sprawled out flat next to the both of them, hat over his eyes and one hand resting on Noodle’s back. The small girl is on top of him somehow, clinging to what little bit of security she had now. Murdoc does not feel bad about that. 

He sneaks over to where he left his jacket, movements comically over-exaggerated as he makes sure to stay as quiet as possible. Curse 2-D keeping his bloody “service pokemon” out all of the time. Its hearing was annoyingly sharp. 

Murdoc grabs his jacket, throws it on, and checks his pockets all in one quick movement, sighing with relief when his hand finds his usual stress-reliever. Perfect. 

His first instinct is to bolt from the room now he’s claimed his property, running as far as possible away from the others, but something seems to take hold of him instead. Something strangely over-powering that compels him to move closer to his former bandmates. 

He notices a selection of things all at once, which he refuses to feel anything about. Noodle’s little frown as her hands clench to Russel’s shirt like he’s going to be ripped away from her, the angry bruises on 2-D’s neck and the tear tracks staining his face, the way Russel is holding Noodle, as if protecting her from the cursed world around her. Protecting her from Murdoc. 

Murdoc is fine. 

His gaze makes its way, somehow, to the pokeballs on Russel’s belt, eyes narrowing. Pokeballs, plural. Had Russel caught something without telling him? Bitch. 

A cheshire-like grin slowly splits his face, expression darkening as a terrible idea springs into his mind. Terrible? No. Amazing.

He tries not to make a sound as he crouches down, watching Russel’s face slowly as he reaches out and unhooks the red and white ball from the drummer’s belt. Luckily for Murdoc’s nose, Russel doesn’t so much as stir. 

When he rises again, Murdoc has to resist giggling and jumping with cruel glee. He flips the group off one final time before darting out the door, not even bothering to close it behind him. The perfect heist. 

~~~

Murdoc makes sure he’s very far away from everything before he finally stops. Mexico is a nice place, he decides, and he feels good about choosing it as his new hide-out. 

He bullshits his way into the cheapest hotel room he can find, collapsing on the tiny little bed in the corner that fucking reeked of piss and cigarette smoke. Aah. Just like home. 

He manages a good few minutes of doing nothing before he remembers the prize he’d claimed from Russel, rummaging in his pocket as he shifts onto his back. The pokeball gleams in the tiny amount of light filing into the room when Murdoc holds it high above his head, twisting and turning it every which way. 

It’s odd. Murdoc has never had a pokemon before, never having seen the appeal, but something about this ball speaks to him, like he’s meant to have it. Murdoc doesn’t know how he feels about that. 

“Fuck it,” he mutters, pulling it closer to him and searching for how to open it. He tries for an embarrassingly long time, eventually ending up upright on the bed banging his fist against the device. In a last ditch effort, he raises it up to his face and bites it… for some reason. A single crooked, yellow tooth hits the button on the front, causing an explosion of light in his face. Murdoc flings it away from him with a growl, rubbing frantically at his eyes until he can somewhat see again, before looking back at what he’s somehow called forth. 

Coiled up on the manky carpet is some kind of sea creature. It’s long, with a dark-colouring and uselessly struggling fins. The creature’s mouth is just one, gaping hole with a ring of sharp teeth surrounding it that somehow manages a sound of uncertainty as it looks up at Murdoc. 

“Well,” Murdoc breathes, blinking in surprise. “Ain’t you a beauty?” 

Chapter Text

“Alright, listen up. You know what you have to- Can you NOT?” 

Shocker makes a soft sound of apology, removing its mouth from Murdoc’s arm. It curls up neater on the cold, stone floor, making a soft crackling noise Murdoc chooses to take as a question. 

“Cortez will come and get you, okay?” Murdoc pauses, glancing at the guard and their growlithe watching him. “Cortez is my, uh, Mexican cousin. ‘E’s going to come get this sorry sod so he doesn’t have to sit in that manky fucking cell you lot stick him in.” 

The guard huffs, rolling their eyes, but chooses not to react to the comment outside of that. 

“Right,” Murdoc continues, looking back at Shocker, “after he gets you, you can swim again, right? Back in those tunnels you love. And eventually I’ll swim with you. Get it?” 

Shocker tilts its head, eyes dead and uncomprehending. 

“We,” Murdoc tries again, gesturing aggressively between the both of them, “can swim together,” he mimes his idea of swimming, looking absolutely ridiculous as he does so, not that he’s aware of that, “outside,” he points at the window, “of here. Comprende?” 

The pokemon before him is as unresponsive as ever, staring blankly at its master. 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Murdoc mutters to himself, burying his face in his hands. He yelps as he’s suddenly knocked over from his sitting position onto the hard floor, wrestling back against the writhing mass of joy-filled electric type on top of him.

The growlithe almost starts towards them from the corner of Murdoc’s eye, but the guard holds it back despite Murdoc’s yell to get this damned beast off him. 

The two of them fall still on the floor after a while of tussling, Shocker wound as best it can around its master who has just completely given up. 

“We’re so fucked.”

Chapter Text

2-D is... petri... Petri dish? No. Petrified! That's the word. Shit, he is petrified right now. 

2-D had discovered his whole thing with wailords when he was very young, after a visit to an aquarium had left him a shut-down mess in his parents arms. Though he'd attempted more than once to curb his fears, even the sight of one of the creatures was enough to make his heart pound like a jack hammer. 

Which is why it was so unfortunate that, when Murdoc had locked his captive songbird in the bottom of Plastic Beach, he'd left a wailord to watch over him through a dirty porthole. 

2-D's only saving grace in this hell-hole was that Murdoc had allowed him to keep Eevee. Murdoc didn't feel in the slightest threatened by the thing, and, to be honest, why should he? Eevee is a healing and service pokemon first, not a fighter in any way. Besides, Shocker and Cortez could probably take Eevee out in a matter of seconds without breaking a sweat. 

Right now, 2-D is locked in his dingy little room with a tray of something that looks like it would make any self-respecting chef go into cardiac arrest which he blanks like a stubborn child, curled up on the raggedy, almost nest-like mess of blankets and pillows he calls a bed. Unconsciously, his arms curl to wrap tightly around his torso, almost hugging himself for the minimal comfort the feeling provides. 

He can sense the beast outside, even if he refuses to look at it. It's so big, almost god-like, that even when it just moves a few metres around 2-D's prison, mass amounts of water are displaced. 2-D feels sick. 

"Eevee?" Eevee leaps clumsily up to be next to its trainer, pawing at his back when he doesn't react. "Vee?" It tries again, before giving up and beginning to scramble over 2-D's body so that he's facing his partner. 

2-D whines, not having expected the sudden amount of movement and the being climbed on, but ultimately doesn't have the strength to really throw Eevee off.

Eevee drops something in front of his face when it arrives at its destination, before mewing loudly and nudging at the thing with its paw. 

Pitch black eyes lock onto what Eevee has brought for them. It's... something off that food tray, stinking of factory fumes and processing. On a closer inspection, it looks to be some sort of meat, which 2-D has to resist gagging at. Who knows where that came from, knowing Murdoc. 

"I'm not hungry," 2-D whispers, the lie causing a bitter taste in his mouth as he frees a hand to push the "food" (can it even legally be considered that?) back towards Eevee. "You have it." 

There is a sharp bop on 2-D’s nose suddenly, causing him to flinch back with a noise of protest, a betrayed expression crossing his face as he looks back at Eevee. The evolution pokemon is growling, ears flat and fur on end as it glares at its master. The message is clear, as opposed to it as 2-D is. Eat the damn food. 

“Fine.” He picks up the whatever-it-is, grimacing as he does so, and goes to sniff it. Big mistake. He jams the thing into his mouth despite his instinctive gagging, trying his best to chew it even through its rubbery texture, and winces as he swallows. He takes a second to just breathe, before sighing. “Happy?” 

“Vee!” Eevee purrs, moving to nuzzle his neck. 

2-D can’t help but smile, curling back up and now hugging Eevee tight to his chest. It squirms a little to get comfortable, fur tickling 2-D’s face which he can’t help but giggle at, before settling down with a self-satisfied hum. 

It's good at its job.

Chapter Text

Ace doesn’t know if he regrets agreeing to this or not. As much as he’d readily do a solid for his old pal Muds, just from the mere look of them, this band might be a bit of a pain in his green ass to work with. The fact that they were all glaring at him like they were trying to burn holes through his head also didn’t help. 

“So, you’re friends with Murdoc,” a young woman states, clinging onto an ariados in her arms. Noodle, Ace presumes. Murdoc couldn’t shut up about this kid. Her eyes narrow, tongue clicking. “I didn’t know he had friends.” 

“Yeah. He never mentioned ya’,” a seemingly-unnaturally large and intimidating man growls from the corner where he’s clearly comfortable in an old armchair, cacnea on his lap that he’s slowly patting like a cartoon villain’s cat. His eyes are a clear, glowing white, yet they somehow seem to be looking directly into Ace’s soul. It’s fuckin’ creepy. Ace thinks his name is something like “Russel”?

“Well, I don’t know what he has and hasn’t shared with you people, but I’ve known Muds for years. He’s my old buddy.” This doesn’t seem to really be enough for the group, who still don’t drop their guards. Ace spares a glance at the one who still hasn’t spoken, taking note of his pitch black eyes, bright blue hair, and the softly growling eevee glued to his shoulders. Weird lookin’ guy, but not that weird if you’re from Townsville. By process of elimination, that must be “2-D” then. 

Whip hisses from its spot curled around Ace’s feet, making everyone’s gazes snap to it. The seviper doesn’t flinch, eyeing the eevee with a hungry glint in its eyes. 

“Whip,” Ace growls, nudging the reptile’s body with a sharp-toed boot, “heel. You’re making this harder.” 

“What, can you not control your pokemon?” Noodle jabs, dropping her ariados which lands perfectly on the ground in front of her, shifting into a battle-ready stance, as 2-D cowers back, holding onto his eevee. 

“I can control ‘im, he’s just-” Ace is cut off at a burst of sound from his hip, deflating with absolute defeat as Crack bursts into being next to Whip, baring its claws with a wild hiss. “...tempermental,” Ace finishes with a groan, removing his sunglasses to rub at his temples while everyone else in the room squares up, hands going to pokeballs. 

This is going to be a long prison sentence. 

Chapter Text

The tree is endlessly high, but Stuart cannot stop climbing. His young limbs ache and protest as he scales the hulking mass of gnarled wood and rough branches, yet never give out. They can scream, but they can't stop. 

He keeps moving, higher and higher, feeling splinters dig into every inch of exposed skin which only bring with them a further desire to ascend. Though it pains him to do so, he forces himself to take a look down, swallowing harshly at the fact there is no ground anymore. 

It is only Stuart, the tree, and the void of sky. He is alone. All alone. 

There are tears in his eyes, he realises abruptly, leaving him oddly confused. Why is he crying? Stuart is fine. He just needs to reach the top, and everything will be fine. 

What's up there? ...It doesn't matter. He just needs to get to it.

He scrambles to keep moving, but gasps when his hand hits something unfamiliar. He hoists himself up onto a sort of platform, freezing and paling at the massive, glowing eye staring directly at him from a hole in the wood. 

There is a roar so loud that something pops in Stuart's ears, and then he is falling. 

Falling. 

Falling. 

It won't stop. Stuart drops seemingly forever, leaving a stream of red in his wake that flows from his ears and curls and twists into beautiful patterns in the air. 

Stuart finally closes his eyes, and waits for the ground.

~~~

2-D bolts awake with a gasp, sitting up on his bed and clutching at his chest, then his ears, then his hair, making sure it was still all there. It was still blue, though. Nothing was going to change that. 

Spark chirps in upset, having been dislodged from its position curled against his neck, and Cleffa makes a similarly troubled sound from its special pillow that always sat right next to 2-D's head. 

"Yeah, I'm fine, guys," 2-D reassures unconvincingly, burying his face in his hands and breathing deeply. "Nightmares 's'all. Syl?" 

Sylveon looks up from the ball its in at 2-D's feet, tilting its head with a soft mew. 

2-D holds his arms out wordlessly, and Sylveon gets the message, getting to its paws with a big stretch and trotting over to push itself into 2-D's arms. 

He finally lays back down, letting Spark cuddle back into him, and allows himself to sleep again, knowing they'll take care of him. They always will.

Chapter Text

“Going mega hurts ‘em. ‘S why ‘Boom and I have stayed far away from it in case they find a Rilaboom-ite or whatever. G-max is enough.” 

“Hurts… them…?” Murdoc is still staring, pupils shaking, at the pokeball in his hand, having not even looked up at Russel when he’d spoken. “Why-” He swallows, fixing himself so he doesn’t look weak. He tears his eyes away from his hands, making direct eye contact with and glaring at Russel. “Why the hell would I care? If it makes Shocks more powerful, then who gives a shit if it hurts a little?” 

Murdoc. Murdoc cares. Shit. 

Russel puffs himself up to his full height, glaring down at Murdoc in the way that used to send the bassist scuttling off like a bug after the brick above it had been pulled away. He doesn’t raise his voice, nor even change it from his usual tone, just letting his words sink in. “I don’t know, Muds. Who does care?” Russel turns on his heel and saunters off, satisfied at the long pause he’d given to his bandmate. He smirks as he exits the room, not that Murdoc can see it. 

~~~

“EAT SHIT,” Murdoc screeches, grappling with his belt buckle as Shocker’s electroweb knocks another projectile away from hitting him. He grins wildly when his hands find the stone, a dark cackle ripping from his throat. “Hey, Shocks!” He calls, expression turning downright villainous when he gets the pokemon’s attention. “Let's do this.” 

Shocker makes a sound Murdoc takes as agreement, moving to a battle-ready stance with its back turned to him. 

“Suck it, fuckface,” Murdoc growls, pushing down on the stone embedded in his belt and wincing with a rough bark of annoyance at the flashbang that hits him. He shakes it off, looking back at Shocker, only to freeze up. 

The pokemon is writhing before him, screaming as its arms elongate and contort into cannon-like structures, and new fins burst from beneath its skin. Awful is the first word that comes to Murdoc’s mind, followed by absolutely sickening. 

“Shocks!” Was that Murdoc? It kind of sounded like him, so maybe? Well, aside from the fear, at least, it sounded like him. 

He only realises he was moving when he’s thrown back by a burst of electrical energy, skidding along the dusty ground beneath him with an almost lycanroc-like snarl. His entire body hurts, making him curl up with his eyes closed and a hiss. 

There’s another scream from Shocker, booming crackles of electricity raining down on its opponents, before everything eventually falls quiet. A soft woosh of energy reaches Murdoc’s ears, and then a thud. 

It is a good few seconds before Murdoc forces himself to look up. The other trainers and their pokemon are gone – probably ran away, the cowards – leaving Shocker’s battered, exhausted body sprawled in the middle of the makeshift arena. 

The only thing in Murdoc’s brain right now is the need to get to his partner. The need to lift the pokemon into his arms and apologise for everything. The need to throw these stupid fucking stones away once and for all. 

Murdoc should really listen to Russel more. He will learn nothing from this. 

Despite his body protesting, Murdoc forces himself up to his feet, stumbling to his pokemon’s side and dropping down onto his knees. “Shocks…?” he whispers hoarsely, cursing the disgustingness of the sound, even while as vulnerable as he is right now. 

The eelektross whines, attempting to lift its head, but only falling back with another loud thump, throwing up more dust. 

“I’m sorry, buddy,” Murdoc rasps, pulling his partner up into his arms. “I’m so sorry.” 

~~~

“So what’d you do with the stone?” Noodle tilts her head from the couch, still half-focused on the phone in her hands.

Murdoc chuckles to himself, scratching Shocker to the side of where its dorsal fin began. The pokemon is curled lovingly around him, making him unable to get out of his armchair even if he wanted to. “You could say that idea went down the drain, eh, Shocks?” 

Shocker purrs, but Noodle jolts fully to attention, eyes wide. “Tell me you didn’t flush a mega stone down the damn toilet.” 

Murdoc pauses. “Okay” he finally says, winking. “I didn’t.”

“You fucking dumbass! Do you have any idea how much those are worth??” Noodle is gone in a blink of an eye, door swinging behind her. 

Whatever. That thing wasn’t Murdoc’s problem anymore.