“You’ve got food and water for the road, and the map I gave you.”
“Yup and yup!”
“And you know what to do if anyone gives you trouble.”
“Bo, c’mon! Nia and Toby are stronger than they look. They’ll keep me safe.”
“Answer the question, Junebug.”
“Fine, fine. If anyone gives me trouble, I peck out their eyes.”
“Good egg.”
Tobias snorts. He and Nia, well-rested after an admittedly cozy night in Junie and Bolat’s home, lean against one of the tall pines to the side of the flying types’ home as they wait for them to finish saying their goodbyes. Junie seems ready to head out, at least, bouncing in place with the aforementioned map pinned under one of her tiny feet.
Now they just need Bolat to stop being an overbearing blissey.
Tobias looks up at slivers of blue sky as the wind rustles through the pines. It’s not as early as he usually likes to get going, mid-morning rather than dawn, but Junie and Bolat alike had refused to get up sooner. Outvoted three to one once Nia realized she had sleep-in backup, Tobias had settled for resting a bit longer, eventually flipping through Nia’s book about abilities out of boredom.
He’s glad they’re finally getting moving. The day looks nice, only a bit chilled by autumn winds, but he’s feeling restless. Ready to talk to Will and find out if the yamask has any answers. If not, then he’s ready to head back to the guild where they can see if August and the others came up with anything instead.
“Bo, we’ll be fine! Seriously!” Junie complains after another round of questions. “You worry too much.”
The skarmory gives Junie a playful nip with his wickedly sharp beak. “I don’t think you worry enough, for such a tiny thing. I’d prefer to escort you all there myself, but I can’t get someone to fill in for my mail route on such short notice.”
Nia cringes. “Sorry. I debated sending a letter ahead of time, but I thought it’d be a nice surprise for Junie.”
“It was!” Junie assures.
“We’ll be fine,” Tobias says, stepping forward and plucking the map out from under Junie’s foot before she loses it. He ignores her squawk of protest. “Luckily for these two, I can actually read a map.”
Bolat laughs as Junie pecks at Tobias’ leg and gets a light kick in return. “Good to hear. ‘Mon are fairly kind around this area, so just stop someone if you do get off the path and they should be able to guide you back.”
Nia and Tobias nod, and it falls quiet as Junie and Bolat both seem to realize there’s nothing else to be said.
“Bye, Bo,” Junie whispers, hopping forward to rub the top of her head against his metallic leg. “Sorry for ditching so suddenly. I’ll be back soon.”
Bo bends to rest his giant beak on Junie’s body. “Just come back safe, all right? We both know you have a penchant for trouble.”
Junie laughs, hopping back. “But I always find my way out of it!”
“Rarely on your own,” Tobias says. Nia elbows him.
“Oh, just wait and see if I save your butt next time you’re in trouble! You two have no room to talk!” Junie sticks her tongue out at him.
Tobias can’t resist doing the same.
“And on that note,” Nia says, laughter in her voice. “We’d better get going. Thanks again for letting us stay the night, Bo. And for the food! We’ll see you on our way back through, okay?”
“Safe travels, you three. Bring this little troublemaker back in one piece, all right? Too quiet around this place without her.”
Nia assures him that they will. Junie hops onto her shoulder, and the three of them start on the forested path back to Stonebrook, Nia and Junie waving until Bolat is completely out of sight.
Junie is directing Nia where to go, so Tobias lets himself fall back to pull out the map Bolat had lent them.
While the skarmory had pointed out their destination once already, the map is still more detailed than Tobias expects, spanning half the continent and even including some simple drawings to illustrate. He finds Stonebrook in the middle of the forest, then traces the path leading to the main road. From there, he moves south until the road leaves the forest entirely and enters the plains to the south. Eventually, the path hits the ocean at Kaleido Bay.
According to the skarmory, the human settlement is halfway between where the forest ends and the ocean begins, built into the side of a mesa off the main road. If they follow the trail south and stick to it, the mesa should be easy to spot. Bolat guessed that they could even make it there by nightfall, if they kept up a good pace.
Tobias looks up as they break from the pines and into the bright sunlight bathing Stonebrook in warmth. He would love to take a rest on one of the smooth, heated boulders strewn about the little village, but they have places to be. He folds up the map and tucks it into their satchel, then speeds up to match Nia’s stride.
“Marie makes the bestpastries ever,” Junie is saying, swooping around Nia as she points out different areas of the village. “Especially her pies. Ooh, we could stop and get one to eat on the way!”
“We can’t stop every time you get distracted,” Tobias says. “If we want to make it to Will’s by nightfall, we need to keep up a good pace.”
Junie pouts at him. “Spoilsport.”
“We do need to talk to Will as soon as possible,” Nia says, even as she lifts her nose into the air to sniff for pastries. “Maybe when we come back through?”
“Fiiine!”
Tobias takes the lead as they reach the path leading out of town. Junie doesn’t argue, instead diving into a conversation with Nia about what she’s been learning during her mail ‘mon training.
“So even though I’m tiny I could still carry letters and smaller packages. And if I did ever evolve—oh! Nia, have you seen a picture of what my evolution would be?!”
“I don’t think so?”
“I would be huge!” Junie says, swooping past Tobias to splay her wings wide. “Like, bigger than Bo!”
“Really?” Nia asks, eyes wide.
“Guess that’s one upside to the world ending,” Tobias says. “I don’t trust you with the power of a corviknight.”
Junie lands on the satchel looped around Tobias’ shoulder. “Aw, you scared?”
“No. You’d be a steel type. I’d scorch your feathers right off.”
“You wish!”
“You’d be a steel type?” Nia asks, curious.
“Yeah! Like Bo! Isn’t that neat?! Toby, you’re just jealous of how cool I’d be. I’d scare the pants off everyone!”
“Oh, please. I’d be a charizard. You’d be no match.”
“I still don’t think I’ve seen what a charizard actually looks like,” Nia says thoughtfully, head tilted. “You said you’d be big enough to carry me, right?”
“Easily. Charizard are strong flyers.”
“We could be flying buddies!” Junie chirps.
“Not a chance.”
“Flying,” Nia says, voice weak. “Great. How about land buddies instead?”
Tobias snorts, resigning himself to a day of lively conversation.
Their walk to the main road is uneventful. When they arrive, Tobias is a little surprised to see that the new path doesn’t look that different from the little trail to Stonebrook. It’s still a dirt road, just much wider and flattened from countless footsteps, the tall trees on either side a little more open to let in patches of sunlight.
The biggest change is how much busier this road is; they end up passing quite a few Pokemon on their way south. Mostly carts carrying goods between towns, some travelers on foot, and even another Seeker team or two, who give them cordial nods of acknowledgement as they pass.
Maybe an hour in, Nia and Junie take to guessing the names of each unknown species they see, making a game out of it with Tobias as the referee. After a bulky pignite passes by, the two wait until he’s out of sight before conspiring.
“Okay, what do we think?” Junie asks, perched on Nia’s shoulder. “Definitely something with ‘pig,’ right?”
“Hm…could be ‘boar’ instead,” Nia points out. “He had little tusks, right?”
“True. Okay, so ‘pig’ or ‘boar,’ and a fighting type.”
Nia frowns. “I was thinking fire, actually. He was a really bright orange.”
“Yeah, but did you see how jacked he was?! Plus, his fur kinda looked like was wearing a leotard or something. Definitely a fighting type.”
Nia hums doubtfully. “Okay, so fire or fighting? What does that give us?”
“Fire, fire, fire…cinder, maybe? Flame?” “Flame,” Nia murmurs. “Flame, flame…flambé?”
“Nia!” Junie gasps, sounding delighted. “Pork is not a thing here! You cannibal!”
“I-I wasn’t—they have a Pokemon called fidough, Junie! As in D-O-U-G-H! It’s a fair guess!”
Tobias barks a laugh, then quickly schools his expression when Nia and Junie look his way.
“Okay, okay!” Junie says, relenting. “Flambé’s on the table. So what’re our options? Flampig? Flamboar?”
“Flamboar’s not terrible,” Nia says. Then she gasps, paws clapping together. “I’ve got it! Flambabe!”
Tobias and Junie shoot Nia a puzzled look.
Nia shrinks back. “L-Like Babe the pig? From the book..?”
“Nerd,” Tobias and Junie say, in sync.
Junie gives Tobias a thrilled look. He gives her a horrified one in return. It’s not a good sign when they’re on the same wavelength.
“O-Okay, so it’s probably not flambabe!” Nia says, looking embarrassed. “Tobias, what’re they actually called?”
“It’s probably not even a pun this time,” Junie sighs.
“You sure you want to know?”
“Yeah!”
Tobias smirks. “…Pignite.”
A pause. Then Nia and Junie groan, defeated once more by the wordplay of the Ordirune language.
“But he was a fighting type, right?” Junie asks.
“I still think he looked a little fiery.”
Expectant, both of them look to Tobias once again.
“Pignite are fire types.”
“Yes!” Nia fist pumps.
“…And fighting types.”
“Yes!” Junie shouts.
“Wait,” Nia says. “So is that another tie?”
Their fourth tie in a row. Nia and Junie look at each other, then groan again, loud enough to startle a laugh out of Tobias.
It’s early afternoon when they finally reach the edge of the forest, the trees thinning out into wide, flat fields of dry grasses. In the distance sits the faint, blocky shape of the mesa they’re looking for, tall amongst the flat landscape. Bolat wasn’t wrong—it’s certainly easy to spot.
They decide to stop there in the shade for lunch, pulling out the food Bolat had packed for them: mostly leftover berries and nuts from yesterday, as well as some bread that melts deliciously in Tobias mouth.
Maybe they do need to stop by that bakery on the way back.
They’re finishing up their meal food, looking out at the mesa, when conversation turns to Nia’s developing aura abilities.
“You can read minds now?!” Junie asks, beak dropping open to reveal a mouth full of mushed-up bread.
Tobias wrinkles his muzzle and reaches over to snap her beak closed.
Nia laughs, bashful. “Not exactly? It’s still mostly just emotions and, um…vague ideas of what they’re thinking? But they do get easier to understand if I’m really close to whoever I’m reading.”
The riolu glances at Tobias before looking away again. Tobias takes another bite of food and refuses to look at either of his companions, face burning hot.
Junie, unfortunately, catches the brief exchange. “Oh? And how did you find this out?”
“W-Well, I tested it out with some of my—some of ourfriends during training, and on my instructor.”
“And Toby joined in on the fun?”
Tobias glares at the little bird. “Val made me.”
Junie tweets a laugh. “Okay, okay, jeez. If looks could kill. So it doesn’t work if you aren’t really close to someone?”
“Well…” Nia tilts her head, lowering the bread she’d been nibbling on. “No. I can still latch on to their aura and get a vague idea of what they’re feeling. Like I always could. But with Tobias, it was almost like he was talking. It was more…specific.”
Tobias crunches into a chestnut to crack it open with his teeth. He still isn’t fond of that whole deal. Sure, if someone has to be peeking into his head, he’ll take Nia over almost anyone else, but those are his private thoughts and feelings. He doesn’t want someone poking around and judging him for what they find. He’s not a great Pokemon, but no one else needs to know that.
“So you took a little tour inside Toby’s head? Pretty nasty place, I bet,” Junie says.
Case in point.
Tobias reaches over and steals the rookidee’s last bluk berry, popping it into his mouth just to spite her.
“Hey!”
“You deserved it.”
“You kind of did,” Nia says, smiling sympathetically.
Junie huffs, but doesn’t argue. Then she perks up again, and Tobias knows what she’s going to say before the words even leave her mouth. “You should try it again on me! I wanna know if I can feel you rummaging around in my head.”
Nia doesn’t seem all that surprised by the request, either. Still, she looks cautious. “You sure? It’s kind of, uh. Private.”
“You said the same thing the first time you looked at my aura! C’mon, let’s try it!”
Nia laughs. “Okay, okay. I’ll, um, try it from a distance first, then use contact if that doesn’t work.”
Junie doesn’t argue, settling down a foot or so from Nia.
Nia closes her eyes, concentrating. Her paws remain in her lap.
Tobias watches, curious despite himself. Just because he doesn’t want to be the test subject doesn’t mean Nia’s powers aren’t interesting.
“Oh!” Nia’s eyes remain closed, but her brows shoot up. “I got it! And I didn’t even have to make contact first.”
“Does that mean you’re getting better at using your aura?” Junie asks. “Or that we’re besties?”
Nia makes a so-so gesture with her paw. “Probably a bit of column A, bit of column B? Stay there—I want to see how far I can get.”
Nia stands up, eyes still closed, and starts backing up across the grass.
“Rock,” Tobias calls, just in time for Nia to stumble and nearly fall on her tail. She shoots him a grin and a thumbs-up, eyes still closed, before continue to step back, slower this time.
Finally, Nia stops a few yards away from Junie. She’s frowning and tilting her head as if to hear better.
“I think this is my limit right now,” Nia says.
“That’s farther than it was at the guild,” Tobias points out.
“Can you tell what I’m thinking?!” Junie calls.
A moment of quiet. Then, Nia laughs. “Not exactly, but I can tell you’re trying to think of the weirdest things possible to catch me off-guard. You feel…playful?”
Junie laughs. “I’ll show you playful! Here, see if you can feel what flying is like!”
With that, Junie launches herself into the air.
“Oh, this should be good,” Tobias mutters, watching Junie flap higher above their heads. She catches a breeze, then falls backwards and does a loop-de-loop with more agility than Tobias expects. Huh. Maybe her training with the skarmory is helping after all.
Nia groans, sinking to her knees and looking sick. Her eyes crack open. “Ugh. Yup, I felt that.”
“You did?!” Junie calls, stopping to flap in place.
“Unfortunately. I swear I could feel my stomach flip.”
“Yeah, isn’t it awesome?”
Tobias snorts, watching as Junie does more loops and spins overhead, a dark blur against the bright blue of the sky. Her shadow passes over them.
Nia trudges back to Tobias’ side and plops down, still looking vaguely nauseous. “I don’t think I was built for the air.”
Tobias laughs. “You literally weren’t.”
Nia whines, tucking her head into her knees.
Tobias gives her another patronizing pat on the back before tilting his head back to watch Junie again. The little flying type is whooping with joy as she shows off, and Tobias is torn between envy and a weird sense of peace.
Tobias doesn’t hate having the rookidee around. He likes how happy she makes Nia, for one. And with such a heavy atmosphere hanging over them lately—what with the world ending and all—even Tobias can appreciate a bit of levity.
In some ways, Junie actually reminds him of his sister. Much more annoying, of course, much pushier, but she has a similar kind of wit and playfulness to her as Vivi did. At first the similarity rubbed him the wrong way, but it’s starting to feel familiar now. More entertaining than upsetting.
“Toby! Toby, watch this!”
She even uses the same stupid nickname.
Tobias rolls his eyes. “I’m watching!”
Junie tucks her wings and drops like a stone. Beside him, Nia yelps, tensing as if to jump up. But Junie snaps open her wings just in time and swoops low across the ground to flutter to a stop at their feet.
“Wasn’t that sick?!”
“It looked dangerous!” Nia frets.
“Nah, Bo showed me how to do it safely.”
“Bolat showed you how to do that?!” Nia asks, scandalized.
“Uh, yeah? I told you he has fun uncle energy. He’s not my dad.”
“Still!”
Tobias shakes his head, biting back a smile as he starts cleaning up the remains of their meal. It’s time to get moving again.
By time they find the fork in the road leading to Will’s settlement, it’s sunset and even Junie has quieted down, fatigued after a long afternoon of travelling the road through open fields under the hot sun. The mesa looms over them, still in the distance but close enough that they can pick out some of the finer details of its stone face and scraggly trees.
Noticing the branching path, Junie perks up from where she’s nestled into Nia’s neck fluff.
“Finally! I feel like we’ve been looking at that stupid rock forever. How much longer do you think we have?”
Tobias doesn’t answer, stepping onto the smaller trail leading in the direction of the mesa. Unlike the main road, this path is made for only one or two ‘mon at a time, dirt trail nearly swallowed by the long, dry grasses swaying gently around them.
“Maybe an hour or two, if I had to guess?” Nia says, squinting.
Junie whines, burying her face into Nia’s fur.
“You aren’t even the one walking,” Tobias grumbles, hopping down a shallow shelf of rock in the path.
“At least we can see where we’re heading,” Nia says, ever the optimist. “And it’s late enough that it’s going to start cooling down soon.”
“I guess.”
With that, they fall silent again. Slowly, the sky bleeds to a lavender gray, only their breaths and the whistle of the wind through rustling grass to keep them company. It’s nearly dusk by time they reach the foot of the mesa, its presence overwhelmingly tall above them. It brings to mind half-remembered sensations from Tobias’ childhood in the mountains.
The trail they’d been following starts to wind its way up a steep, mountainous incline. It’s almost serpentine, snaking through the environment, cobbled with rough stones underfoot and walled in by cliff faces, wiry trees, and foliage. Tobias, already tired from the journey here, is breathing hard within minutes. Junie takes mercy on Nia and hops down to trail along behind them.
Tobias isn’t sure how long they follow the trail, relying more and more on Tobias’ tail flame to light the way as the sky darkens. Nia and Tobias both trip more than once on the rough terrain, and take to skating their hands along the rocks and branches crowding on either side of the path to keep their balance. Junie at least doesn’t have to worry about going slipping into a ravine or sliding off the mountainside.
Tobias is getting close to calling that they stop to rest for the night, the conditions too dangerous to traverse with such low light, when they round a bend and see…lights.
“Oh, look,” Nia says, stopping.
Tobias and Junie stop too, staring across the small canyon they’ve been ascending.
On the other side, tucked under the shelf-like lip of the top of the mesa, sprawls a surprisingly sizeable town, seemingly carved into the side of the cliff itself. The buildings are angular structures made of stone, and there is enough golden light spilling from windows and open doors to illuminate them, an oasis of warmth in the sprawling darkness of night.
“It’s beautiful,” Nia murmurs.
“It almost looks like a human city!” Junie says.
It’s…fine. Tobias doesn’t understand why they’re fussing so much.
“C’mon,” Tobias says, moving forward again. “Almost there.”
Luckily for their sore, tired feet, they wind their way around the canyon and to the entrance of the village relatively quickly.
There, a hulking mass of purple armor and pointed barbs is stationed. A nidoking. Tobias remembers seeing him at the human convention, but he still stops in his tracks as the poison type’s beady eyes lock onto them.
Before anyone can say anything, a high voice speaks up.
“Oh, hey! It’s you three!”
Tobias blinks. Then, movement catches his eye. It’s a tiny yellow blur, hopping down from the nidoking’s shoulder and skittering across the rocky dirt to stop before the trio. A young joltik, his fluffy yellow fur bright against the darkness. He’s barely the size of Tobias’ hand.
Tobias’ brow furrows at the familiar greeting. He glances up at the nidoking to make sure this isn’t some sort of trap, then back at Nia and Junie. They seem just as lost as he is.
“I’m sorry,” Nia says, stepping forward and crouching down. “Um. Have we met?”
The joltik co*cks his head, but then looks down at himself and chirps, “Oh, right!”
The little bug type leaps up, tucks into a roll, and in a flash of cool blue light, grows over five times as big before landing on four paws. His coat is orange with black stripes and accented with fluffy cream fur.
“I’m Asher!” The growlithe pup yips, tail wagging proudly. “I ran into you at the convention, remember?”
Tobias stares, still more caught off guard by the haunting coat pattern than anything.
“Whoa!” Junie shoves forward. “How’d you do that?!”
Asher snickers, leaps up again, and in another icy blue flash lands on more delicate paws. They’re a deep red against his dark gray coat, matching the tuft of red fur sitting atop his head beween pointed ears. His golden eyes are bright as sparks.
Tobias breathes again.
“I’m a zorua, duh!”
“Don’t duh me! I’m human. How was I supposed to know that?”
“Humans don’t seem to know a lot of things.”
“Hey!”
While Junie and Asher squabble, Tobias takes another breath to calm himself. It’s better with the growlithe visage gone. Zorua are tricksters, but he can handle a trickster better than a growlithe.
“Can zorua turn into…anything?” Nia whispers to Tobias, eyes wide and ears perked. Tobias can practically see the questions building on her tongue.
“Any Pokemon, yeah.”
He snorts despite himself as Asher morphs into a rookidee, Junie’s mirror image. The real Junie squawks, outraged, and bats at him with a wing. Asher laughs, and for a brief moment Tobias sees a flicker of gray fur and red paws before he perfects the illusion once more.
“They’re more like…illusions, though, rather than actual transformations.”
That doesn’t deter Nia’s obvious fascination. She asks Asher if he can turn into her as well, and the zorua does so in a heartbeat, grinning at Nia’s awestruck expression.
“As fun as this is,” Tobias interrupts, still eyeing the silent mass of nidoking nearby. “Can we go inside?”
“Oh!” Asher morphs again in a flash, changing into another charmander, just without Tobias’ scarf. “Sure! C’mon! I can show you around. I know everything about this place.”
Asher skips towards the nidoking and the light of the town behind him. Junie giggles at the sight while Nia bites back a smile. Tobias huffs, following the cheeky kid with a lash of his tail.
The nidoking is even more intimidating up close. Over four times their height and just as wide, with a variety of scars. Tobias can feel the nidoking’s weight and strength as he shifts, looking over each of them.
“Hi, Slate!” Asher chirps.
The massive nidoking grunts in return. “You know them?”
“Sorta! They were at the human convention in Ghatha.”
Slate nods, stepping aside and shifting his heavy tail out of the way.
“Thanks, Slate! I’ll bring you more gummies tomorrow.”
Slate doesn’t answer, but Asher isn’t fazed. He shifts into a meowth and trots by the nidoking with his tail held high. “You haven’t been here before, right?”
“No,” Tobias answers, looking around as they enter town.
A path leads around the outside of the village, a sturdy wall of stones to their right to prevent anyone from tumbling off the cliff. Periodically, torches are perched atop the stone to provide light. To their left, they pass tall buildings constructed of rocks and mortar, where golden light and laughter spill from open windows into the cooling night air.
“So what do you wanna see first? We’ve got all kinds of cool human stuff here! Like…clothes! You guys like clothes, right? We have someone who makes those!”
“You do?” Nia asks, tail wagging in excitement. She picks up her pace to match Asher. Junie hops onto her shoulder to listen as well. Tobias trails behind.
“Yeah! But they aren’t working right now, since it’s late. Oh! Do you want a bath? We have a soapmaker here, too. All the humans go crazy for soap.”
“You have soap?!” Nia asks, voice cracking. She sound like she’s about to cry.
Asher laughs. “Yeah! I don’t really like it. Too strong for me. But we can get you some to use! I know they’ve been working on new, uh…flavors? Scents!”
“What else do you have?” Junie asks, sounding just as excited as Nia.
“Lotsa stuff! Oh! We have someone who makes games and toys, too! You definitely have to visit him. He’s the best.”
Tobias falls farther back, continuing to look around as the three babble on. Most of the inhabitants seem to be inside as night settles in, but the group passes one or two ‘mon out and about. They’re wearing more cloth than Tobias is used to seeing outside of cold weather. A flaaffy has a billowy transparent shawl around their shoulders and another tied around their hips, and a strangely familiar-looking elekid and sandile wearing lightweight scarves scamper by right after.
One building’s door is propped open, and Tobias glances in as they pass by. While the group of Pokemon inside don’t seem to be related biologically, all different species and types, they laugh comfortably with one another as they play games and chat. They’re sitting around a small firepit in the center space of the home. Tobias catches sight of large alcoves set into the rounded walls behind them, with blankets spilling out. Nests?
There are large jars bordering the empty wall off to the side of the group, likely for water. Plus a table with some chairs, books in a small bookcase, floors covered in rugs, and even a few pieces of art hung on the walls.
It's…cozy-looking, admittedly. Spacious enough, but warm. Lived-in.
“Is that a band?!” Junie asks from up ahead, just a smidge too loud.
Her question snags Tobias’ attention, and he jogs to catch up with the three of them. Nia and Junie are looking expectantly at a small outdoor area, with a little fire pit lit in its belly. A small crowd of Pokemon—of humans—are gathered around its edges, reclined and chatting across tiers of stone steps.
In the center, near the fire, a trio of Pokemon do appear to be preparing for a song. A clobbopus hovers their broad tentacles over a pair of drums. A loudred is holding a delicate wooden flute to his lips with giant hands. The last Pokemon, a brionne, appears to be a singer. She has a flipper held to her throat, her eyes closed as she hums to herself.
Nia, Junie, and even Asher gravitate towards the performers with shining eyes. Tobias sighs, resigning himself to listening too, and stands next to his partner.
The drummer start first, jumping right into a tempo so quick that their tentacles are a blur of movement. The crowd’s chatter slows and quiets. After a moment, the flutist joins in with surprising grace, their sharp notes somehow weaving perfectly around the drumbeats. Finally, a few beats later, the vocalist starts up, raising her chin and closing her eyes to release a high, haunting note.
Tobias feels a chill roll over the skin on his arms, as much as he doesn’t want to admit it. He was hoping these three would be terrible. Instead, as the brionne sings a few more wordless notes, her voice lilting high and low in tandem with the flute, Tobias has to admit they’re…good. Really good. His fingers twitch towards the satchel at his hip, wanting to pull out his guitar and join in.
He chances a glance at Nia and Junie. Both of them are enraptured, and Nia even looks a little emotional. Tobias wonders if she knows the song, or if it’s just his partner being her usual sensitive self.
Tobias huffs and closes his eyes, letting the stupidly beautiful music wash over him. The night breeze drifts by, cool, but it carries some of the warmth and scent of the bonfire with it, too. He should probably be enjoying this.
Eventually, minutes later, the song dies away with a warbling high note. The crowd breaks into applause, whistling and cheering.
“Wasn’t that great?” Nia leans over to whisper, eyes shining. Apparently she remembers that he exists again.
“It was fine,” he grumbles.
Nia gives him a more focused look, smile faltering. “Are you okay?”
“Asher!” A voice calls from behind them, cutting Tobias off before he can respond.
Asher jumps and squeaks at the voice, meowth tail bottlebrushing as he spins around. “H-Hey Dad!”
Tobias turns around to see a jolteon moving towards them at a brisk pace. Tobias can’t tell if his fur is the normal level of spiked for a jolteon, or if it’s pricklier than usual from the worried annoyance Tobias can read on the Pokemon’s face.
The jolteon seems surprised when he notices Tobias, Nia, and Junie, though, slowing to a stop. “Oh! Hello there. I…wasn’t aware we had newcomers.”
“We’re not,” Tobias says.
“We just got in tonight. We were hoping to talk to Will about something,” Nia says. “A-And maybe stay for a night or two to rest afterwards? We ran into Asher at the convention in Ghatha, so he was showing us around.”
“He’s supposed to be cleaning his room,” the jolteon says, giving Asher a dry look.
“Can’t it wait until after I show them around?” Asher whines. “Cerise is singing tonight!”
The jolteon’s stern expression doesn’t falter, but he does sigh. “You can come with me as I show them around, but after that you’re cleaning up your toys.”
“Fiiine,” Asher groans. He transforms back into a zorua and moves to the jolteon’s side, tail held low. “I wasn’t doing anything bad.”
“He’s been really helpful, actually!” Nia assures.
The jolteon’s spines relax a bit more. “Well, that’s good to hear, at least. Did you three want to keep watching the show? I’d imagine you’re likely half-asleep if you traveled here by foot, but Cerise is quite the treasure.”
“Well…” Nia glances longingly over her shoulder at the band as they start up their next song, and then at Tobias.
There’s a sudden loud gurgle, and all of their heads snap down to look at Junie.
For once, the rookidee almost seems embarrassed. Still, she laughs. “Uh. You got any food?”
The jolteon chuckles. “I think that can be arranged. Come with me. We can always show you around more tomorrow.”
The jolteon trots down the path, deeper into town. The rest of them follow as the band’s next song drifts into the air. Their group passes by a few other Pokemon, but Tobias doesn’t pay them any mind until he sees Nia do a double-take, slowing to a stop.
“What?” Tobias asks.
“That Pokemon looked like Seiji. The scientist who helped me with my aura at the convention?”
Tobias turns to look at the group again. Sure enough, there’s a little blue disk of a bronzor bobbing along with the others.
“Oh, have you met before?” The jolteon asks, doubling back.
“Briefly,” Nia answers. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting to see him here.”
“Ah. Well, we had a large surge in numbers after the fire. Lots of humans didn’t feel safe after that, unfortunately.”
Tobias suddenly realizes why that elekid and sandile they’d passed by earlier looked familiar. They’d seen the electric-type at the convention, having trouble containing his electricity, and Tobias had pulled that very sandile out of the building’s rubble himself.
“Is everyone here because of stuff like that?” Junie asks, hopping onto a nearby stone to be closer to eye-level.
“Not everyone, but the majority. With the way the world is breaking down, animosity towards humans has only gotten worse. They come here for sanctuary. For likeminded folks who they can connect to and feel safe with.”
Tobias frowns. On one hand, he gets that—he feels an automatic kinship with other Seekers, after all, and fire types. But something about all of the humans hiding out here still feels…wrong. Nia’s happy at the guild, right? She always gets so excited about meeting new Pokemon and learning new things. Do these humans really want to trade all of that away? Is the world really so scary to them that they have to hide from it entirely?
Tobias glances at Nia and Junie.
Nia’s brow is furrowed, but Tobias isn’t sure exactly what she’s thinking.
Junie tilts her head at the jolteon. “That makes sense, but how did you get here?”
“Pardon?” The jolteon asks, looking surprised.
“Well, you’re the kid’s dad, right?” Junie asks, glancing at Asher. The zorua has transformed into a vulpix and is absentmindedly chasing his own tails. “He told us he wasn’t a human at the convention, so…”
“Junie!” Nia admonishes, looking embarrassed.
“What?! It’s a valid question!”
It is, actually. Tobias had forgotten about that. He narrows his eyes at the jolteon.
…Who he hasn’t gotten the name of yet.
The jolteon doesn’t look cornered by the question. He simply laughs. “Ah, right. Well, I’m close with Will, so I just wanted to help him out. I’m not the only non-human here.”
“Really?” Nia asks.
“Of course.” The jolteon sits back, looking at ease. “We couldn’t have built up this village with just the humans, especially at the beginning.”
“Slate’s not human!” Asher muffled voice chimes in. His fluffy tails are caught in his jaws, and he’s still spinning in a circle. “He helped us build a lot since he’s so strong!”
“Why?” Tobias asks. The humans he gets—they feel safer here, and they’re hoping Will is their ticking to returning home. But natural-born Pokemon?
“Most of them were hired during the building process and just decided to stick around,” the jolteon says, shrugging his shoulders. “Some of them want to go to the human world, too.”
Junie frowns. “How would that work if they don’t have a human body to go back to?”
“Will’s been looking into that. The research team figures that if humans were given a body to fit into this world, then the same should happen for Pokemon going the opposite direction. If not, then they’ll likely just keep their Pokemon forms.”
Tobias exchanges a doubtful look with Nia. They both know the truth, after all, that Nia and Junie were only given their Pokemon forms because Mew created them. Although yamask are formed without any interference, so…
The jolteon catches their look. “You said you wanted to talk to Will, right? Is it about getting back to the human world?”
“To…an extent,” Nia answers. “It’s related, but it’s actually more to do with the natural disasters. We were hoping he could help us with a lead.”
The jolteon hums, glancing down at Asher as his son rolls over with a flash and turns into an eevee, weaving between his legs. “I’m sure he’d be willing to talk, but he’s likely retired for the night. Can it wait until morning?”
Tobias opens his mouth to say no, but Nia beats him to it.
“Sure!” At Tobias’ glare, she adds. “W-We need to rest anyways. One night shouldn’t hurt, right?”
Tobias doesn’t argue, much as he wants to. He is exhausted. And he wants to be in top form when they talk to Will.
“I vote food and sleep!” Junie chirps.
The jolteon smiles. “We can manage that. Come on. Not much farther now.”
The jolteon turns to go, but Tobias steps forward first. “Wait. First—what’s your name?”
Both Nia and Junie look startled, first by the sudden question and then by the realization that they’d made it this far into the conversation without such a basic exchange.
The jolteon looks at them for a moment, then laughs. Tobias doesn’t like it. “Right, my apologies. I forget sometimes, with newcomers. Here. You’re probably more familiar with this face.”
The jolteon doesn’t need to leap up, and simply flashes a bright purple before he transforms into a psychic type ponyta, with a fluffy mane and a small black horn.
Junie gasps and points a wing. “The My Little Pony!”
Nia yelps, “Fidel?!”
Fidel smiles, sidestepping Asher as the kid tries to tackle his legs. “We didn’t get to talk much at the Ghatha convention, with everything that happened. But I remember you three. Nia and Junie, wasn’t it? And…”
“Tobias!” Junie offers up.
Tobias flicks her with his tail, nearly knocking her over.
“Are you a zorua too?” Nia asks. She looks a little embarrassed about the bluntness of her question, but it’s clear she’s been thrown for a loop by this revelation.
“Not quite.” In another quick purple flash, Fidel transforms again. Then he’s twice his previous size, towering over the rest of them. Lanky, powerful arms are covered in deep gray fur and tipped with long red claws. Longer red fur flows from atop his head and around his neck like a mane. Sharp face, sharp ears, sharp smile.
“Dad’s a zoroark!” Asher says proudly, transforming back into a zorua and craning back to look up at Fidel. “If I do stay a Pokemon when we go to the human world, I’m hoping I’ll be able to evolve there! Then I can make illusions for all the big Pokemon that Dad can. Right?”
Fidel leans down to nose his son’s head with a tight smile. “Right.”
Tobias frowns. So Fidel is planning on going to the human world with his son? That feels…off. Even if Fidel and Will are friends. Even taking the natural disasters and mystery dungeons into account. Would that really be enough for Fidel to take his son away from the only world they know?
“Are there other zoroark around?” Junie asks, clearly from a place of curiosity and not the suspicion Tobias is feeling.
“Oh! Right!” Nia says, tail wagging excitedly. “You’re a canine—do zorua and zoroark travel in packs like riolu and lucario do?”
Fidel gives Nia an amused look. “I don’t see much of a pack with you right now.”
“That’s ‘cause she’s got us!” Junie says, hopping up to perch on Nia’s shoulder. “Much more versatile.”
Fidel looks endeared by the idea. “I suppose that’s true.”
“Me and Dad are the only zors around here,” Asher adds. He scrambles up his dad’s back to burrow into the zoroark’s fluffy mane. A moment later, his little face pokes out to look at them. “Sometimes I wish there were more, but it is fun playing pranks since no one here is good at seeing illusions.”
“Which is a habit we’ve been trying to break.”
Asher snickers and burrows back into Fidel’s mane.
Fidel sighs, but the sound is fond. He looks down at the three of them. “How about I finally get you all to the inn?”
Tobias doesn’t argue, trailing behind Nia and Junie as they chat with the zoroark. The dark type leads them to one of the larger structures, near the edge of the settlement. It’s a tall, tan building made of stacked stones and mortar, golden light spilling from its windows.
The door is cracked open, so Fidel nudges his way inside. They follow, finding themselves in a spacious room taking up the entirety of the first floor. A brightly patterned rug circles the floor, a fire pit at its center, providing light and warmth. An assortment of alcoves line the rounded walls. Some are large enough to hold entire Pokemon and have blankets folded up inside, ready to be used as nests. Another section of the wall has much smaller nooks dug into the stone. For storage, likely, considering the wrapped goods and jars Tobias spots there.
There’s a torracat lying in one of the sleeping shelves, a blanket draped over her. She’s using a claw to carefully carve into a chunk of wood, the little alcove lit by the glowing bell at her throat. Her ear twitches, and she glances up at the newcomers.
“We’ve got a few late-night visitors, Clara. Think you can get them settled in with some food and a bed for the night?”
The torracat sighs, setting down her carving and slipping to the ground to stretch. Her black and red striped pelt ripples. “Only for you, Del.”
“Thank you.” Fidel smiles. “I have to get Asher to clean up his room and—”
The zoroark cuts himself off, blinking. He pats at his mane, then looks down around his legs. Asher is gone. They all give the room a quick glance, but the zorua is nowhere to be seen.
Fidel’s expression falls flat. “No desserts for him for a week. You’ve got this, Clara?”
Clara looks amused, whiskers twitching. She gestures him out with a paw. “I can handle ‘em. Go catch your kid.”
“Thank you.” Fidel gives them all a tired smile and a nod. “I’ll come get you tomorrow morning when Will is free. Rest well.”
With that, Fidel slips back out the door.
Clara yawns, showing off sharp teeth. “Well. Let’s get you settled, I guess. You could’ve came a bit earlier, y’know. I was in the middle of something.”
“Sorry,” Nia says, sheepish. “We, uh, came a long way.”
“Isn’t this your job?” Junie asks, much less apologetic.
“Eh, kinda.” The torracat slinks to the side of the room where the smaller alcoves sit in the wall, full of goods. She flicks her tail for them to take a seat on the ground by the fire. “As much of a job as you need here, at least.”
“Which means..?”
“Will takes care of us whether we work or not,” Clara says, pulling down wooden plates and some wrapped goods to throw together a late-night meal. “I just like having a bit of pocket money.”
“That’s kind of him,” Nia says.
“Yeah,” Tobias says, doubtful. “How did he hire the ‘mon to build this place if he’s throwing money around like that?”
“Maybe he found a good job?” Nia suggests.
“Or he found hidden treasure!” Junie chirps.
“Mm. Dunno, don’t care.” Clara unwraps the packages to reveal breads, cheeses, berries, and nuts. Tobias’ stomach growls. “It’s chill here, and that’s all I care about.”
Nia and Junie continue the conversation as Clara puts together a little snack plate for each of them. Tobias crosses his arms and leans back against the wall, unsatisfied. Maybe he is being overly cautious, but he’d argue he’s just compensating for Nia and Junie’s lack of caution. Someone’s gotta make sure they don’t end up dead from trusting the wrong ‘mon.
But at least for tonight, he’ll rest. Tomorrow they can see what Will has to say.
