At the Library
Laverre’s largest library was, to put it entirely bluntly, not very large. While it was certainly larger than, say, the late Golden Oaks Library, it was hardly a match for the Royal Archives in Canterlot. Still, it was a pleasant-looking two story building with white walls and an artistically-carved wooden roof. Not too many people or Pokemon were about it, though there were some reading on the benches and chairs that littered the front porch. It didn’t seem the kind of place that would have knowledge of interdimensional travel, but one never knew. Celestia had lived long enough to know that appearances could be deceiving. She hoped that it was the case here.
“Hello and welcome to our-” a bored-looking clerk began as they entered, before cutting himself off as he glanced up and saw Celestia. “Sir,” he said to James. “We strongly discourage all trainers from bringing Fire type Pokemon onto to the premises! I suggest that you return your Rapidash to its Poke Ball, immediately, and not allow it to wander until you choose to leave.”
“Oh don’t worry,” James answered. “Rapidash can control the intensity of their manes to the point where they are safe to touch. And I assure you that this one is quite well-trained,” he looked at Celestia. “You won’t burn anything, will you?”
Celestia shook her head.
“Well sir, be that as it may,” the clerk reached under his counter and fumbled about for a bit before turning back up with a stack of papers and a pen. “If you insist on bringing your Pokemon onto the premises you are required to fill out a liability form. You will be held responsible for any damages that it causes our collection or property.”
“Very well,” James walked over and began to fill them out.
Meowth hopped up onto Celestia’s shoulder and whispered in her ear. “Ya hear dat? You’d better not break anything ‘cause Team Rocket ain’t made of money.”
“I don’t even know any Fire attacks,” Celestia whispered back.
“How do I know dat? Ya say that ya don’t know how to use Hyper Voice neither but ya didn’t have much problem usin’ it on me the other day!”
“Yes,” Celestia looked down a bit. “That was an overreaction on my part. I should not have done so. The day was stressful and I didn’t consciously choose to do so, but those are only excuses,” she sighed. “For whatever it is worth, I apologize for that.”
“Too little, too late, lady,” Meowth crossed his arms.
“Nonetheless, I am sorry for your pain.”
“Hmph.”
The two Pokemon stood and watched as James finished filling out the forms, tipped his hat to the clerk, and returned to them.
“Alright,” he said. “Go on in. Be careful, but enjoy yourselves.”
Meowth hopped down from Celestia’s back, and both of them nodded.
Half an hour later, Celestia was surer than ever of one pertinent fact: she couldn’t read the local language. She had expected as much when she couldn’t make heads or tails of anything that Team Rocket had written down. Her own attempts at writing with her mouth on the second night had produced nothing legible even to her – another bit Equestrian magic gone, apparently. Though she finally had had a method when she learned Psychic, her scrawling the night before hadn’t even been recognized as writing by Team Rocket. So she hadn’t been hopeful. But it was still helpful to confirm these things. It meant that she could spend some time to start learning how.
After a little pressing, Meowth had snatched up a small guide from the children’s section he had assured her was “The Kindergartener’s Guide to ABCs” and, after a bit of laughter, handed it over. Learning in this manner wasn’t exactly conducive to pride, but one had to start somewhere. Besides, it was hardly that much of a challenge to a princess who could alright speak, read, and write in over a dozen modern languages and more than three times that number of ancient or extinct tongues. It shouldn’t take her more than a few hours to get the alphabet and the basics, then perhaps a day or two more in order to be fully-
“You are not a Rapidash,” a voice snapped her out of her concentration. “Are you?”
Celestia’s head instantly snapped in the direction of the sound. Standing at the end of the isle she was on was a Pokemon. It was mostly yellow, with some brown, armor-like plates covering its chest, shoulders, forearms, and knees. Its body was bipedal, and thin enough to look almost skeletal. It had two of what looked to be either ears or giant spikes jutting from its head, along with a very long and prominent mustache. Its face sported wrinkles and dark spots, appearing to be signs of aging. It carried a spoon in each hand.
“What makes you say that?” the princess responded almost automatically.
“Among other things?” the creature took a few steps forward. “Rapidash don’t learn Psychic.”
Celestia’s face fell. “It was that or use my mouth, and I don’t want my… trainer to have to pay for a tooth-marked book or worse. I didn’t think many people came to this section of the library.”
“There is no cause for alarm,” it said, as if reading her mood “I don’t plan to expose you. You’ve just aroused my curiosity, that’s all. As to your implied question, they don’t. I don’t normally either. But I could sense something unusual from the moment I stepped into this building,” it took another few steps forward. “Allow me to introduce myself: I am Alakazam, once a battler, now a simple retired old Pokemon and scholar.”
The princess’ curiosity was instantly aroused. “Of what, if I may ask?”
“Oh, myths, legends, archaeology,” Alakazam shrugged. “The past is always so much more mysterious than the present, the prehistoric times even more so.”
“I’ve always found the present to contain quite enough mysteries.”
“I suppose so,” it chuckled slightly in its deep voice. “But a hobby is hobby, especially for an older gentleman like myself.”
“Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”
“That depends. Will you answer mine in turn?”
“One for one, is that it?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. But I reserve the right to decline to answer anything too personal.”
“Now that is a shame,” Alakazam paced slightly. “Because you are what I am most interested in, at the moment. Your mind feels like nothing else I’ve ever encountered.”
Celestia narrowed her eyes. “You’re in my mind?” she didn’t feel anything, but threw up as many mental barriers as she could just in case.
“Just observing it from distance. It would be rude to pry uninvited…” he looked her up and down. “And in your case, I think, dangerous to one’s mental well-being.”
“Correct.”
“I see,” Alakazam considered briefly. “Perhaps I might learn something even if you decline to answer. Very well, I accept your terms.”
“So be it. I shall start: are there, to the best of your knowledge, any means of bending space and dimensions existing within this world?”
“An odd question,” Alakazam eyed her. “But to answer it, there is to my knowledge only one creature and no technology in this world capable of such a feat. And now my turn: what is your name, that I might address you properly?”
“I am called Celestia. What is this creature you spoke of? Describe it.”
“Legends from the Sinnoh region identify this being as Palkia. Some tales claim him to be the creator of space itself. All agree that he can warp dimensions at will. He is most commonly depicted as being a bipedal being of silver and pink, with a long neck, small face, and wings.”
Celestia felt her heartrate speeding up.
“Now, what manner of creature are you?”
“Insofar as I know, I am a Pokemon,” Celestia answered. “I have a Poke Ball, and a trainer.”
“Interesting.”
“Are there any hints as to how one might find this Palkia? How one might speak to him?”
“He is said to dwell in an alternate dimension himself,” Alakazam answered. “If he wishes to communicate, the legends say that he will find you. No one, to my knowledge, has ever sought and found him save the Lake Trio,” he paused. “You come from a different dimension, do you not?”
Celestia had wondered how long it would take for him to guess.
“I do,” she answered. “Who are the Lake Trio? What is their relation to Palkia?”
“That is two questions,” Alakazam responded. “But I shall overlook that just the once. The Lake Trio are Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. They are believed to be children of Arceus, said to have created the world. They alone are said to be capable of containing Palkia when he is angered. They supposedly intervened in the more recent incident, and have been on the move ever since. Where are you from?”
“The land of Equestria. What is the “recent incident”?”
“A madman and his “Team Galactic” attempted to summon Palkia and his brother Dialga to accomplish some unknown goal. He failed. The details remain ambiguous, for the eyewitnesses are recalcitrant. What are you in your home dimension?”
“An alicorn princess and the bringer of the sun.”
Alakazam’s eyes widened. “Now that is interesting.”
“I’m rather surprised that you believe me.”
“I have not seen your like in my one hundred and sixty years of life, Celestia. I can feel great power inside you. I can sense that your memories go deeper than even mine. I am inclined to give credence to your story.”
“You are the first.”
“I should like very much to hear about your homeland, princess.”
“It is my turn to ask a question, is it not?”
“I am willing to dismiss the petty game if you will tell me about where it is that you come from.”
“Why should I trust you with that knowledge?”
Alakazam chuckled. “Look at me, Celestia. I am old. I am tired of battle. I seek only to accumulate and pass on whatever knowledge I can before my time comes. I have seen four generations of trainers come and go in my old master’s family, and I do not think I shall see a fifth. I will not use anything you tell me to harm your homeland, I swear. And you may, of course, decline to disclose anything you think unduly compromising.”
“And what will you tell me in return?”
Alakazam spread his arms wide. “Anything you wish to know, so long as it does not put my world at risk. This is a unique opportunity for knowledge – it would not do to be stingy and miss out.”
Celestia mulled it over. “I wish only to go home,” she said. “We have a deal.”
“Excellent. Tell me of this Equestria.”
“First, I have a few questions I wish answered.”
“Very well then.”
“What do you know about Team Rocket?”
Alakazam cocked his head. “Who?”
“Team Rocket.”
“Never heard of them.”
“You can tell me about old legends from another region but not a currently active organization?”
“Princess, you must understand that at my age current events not involving my passions tend to… slip by me. If Team Rocket has never come up in the context of my research, I am not likely to have heard of it.”
That answer gave Celestia hope. It meant that there might be other means of dimensional travel that he simply hadn’t paid attention to. It was, at least, worth an investigation.
“Are there any works in this library on the state of dimensional travel here?”
“Nothing but old collections of legends repeating what I can tell you. Believe me, I know.”
“Where is the largest and most extensive repository of information in the area?”
Alakazam considered. “Your best bet would be one of the many libraries in Lumiose City. I haven’t been there in twenty years, though, so I’m afraid the specifics are not available to me.”
“Now, before I talk to you of my home, I should like to learn a little more of yours.”
“Go on…”
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Hrm. perhaps this Alakazam can assist Celestia in convincing Meowth of her story.
My reaction to the ending.
I don't think Meowth's gonna believe Celestia, being the annoying jerk he usually is.
Missing the word 'years' there, I believe.
And missing the word 'you' here.
Meanwhile, what anyone overhearing this conversation is hearing who isn't a Pokemon is:
"Ala. Kazam, zam. Alaka. Zam. Ala?"
"Tia, Celes. Celestia, tia. Celes, tia tia Celes?"
"Kazam."
This chapter was MOST fascinating.
it's nice to see characters just talk sometimes
Buddy, you have no idea how much deeper.
Wow, the alakazam was a great addition--nice!
I enjoyed this. I doubt Meowth, Jessie, or James will change their opinion based on musings of an elderly Alakazam, but it probably feels nice to finally meet someone that takes her word at face value for once. Update again! Again!
For chapter of almost pure exposition this was handled impeccably well. At no point did it feel boring, or like something needed to be cut.
Hmm... the Team Rocket organization has never gotten involved with any ancient Pokemon have they? Mewtwo is the only Legendary I remember them pursuing, and he is a modern creation. Between that and the distance between regions I am not surprised the Alakazam had never heard of them.
Uuuuhhhh, progress
Another one that can travel trough dimensions is Hoopa, the pokemon that made his debut in the last movie.
Nice update, i look forward to more!
Yes! there is hope!
It doesn't quite make sense that her writing was illegible to herself. I had assumed whatever narrative convenience magic resulted in her speaking Pokemon and understanding humans (same as most Pokemon) would make it so that she can (maybe?) read their alphabet but her own is one they don't recognize. Not understanding her own writing feels like it's adding an unnecessary level of complication... unless you've already worked out the mechanics and they result in that.
6115238
Actually, I am pretty certain he knows how deep!
Sort of like how we know how deep the ocean is! That is, deep enough to crunch us into pasty red splats!
One word: MORE!
This is the best chapter yet! More Please!
New friend get!
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How it works is: when she was hurdled into this dimension, Celestia lost all Equestrian magic and gained instead the abilities of a (unique species of) Pokemon. Ever try to write with your off hand? Much less your mouth? It's pretty much impossible to produce anything resembling proper letters. As even kids in Equestria can do it I'm going with the idea that it's another example of passive Equestrian magic rather than a learned skill. Celestia lost that ability when she crossed over. And, of course, she lacks the practice to do it manually.
6116262
Didn't realize you meant her writing was merely illegible, though. I thought it was implying she was not able to recognize her own alphabet or something.
Mouth writing isn't magic, though. It's a skill you can learn, and surely ponies generally learn it.
I love how, despite this chapter being almost entirely dialogue, you still manage to keep it interesting, and make the characters dynamic, even with limited description of how they're acting as they talk.
Extremely well-written.
Exposition FTW. Now I have to wonder, will Celestia and Twilight manage to get home on their own, or will Palkia be the one to get them home?
I like Alakazam. It is good for Celestia to find someone, who is at least interesseted in her story. She had been problems long enough. I am curious, what they can learn from one another.
That was very good, although it did leave the big communication question open. I seem to remember an Alakazam using its power to telepathically talk to a human at some point so it is possible this one could teach Celestia that skill.
6116262 Mouth-writing in Equestria is just like learning to write in school, it's a skill that is not dependent on magic. I don't believe you can get away with passing it off as mere passive magic.
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6117179 Even so you
can't ignore this filly's contributionRemember how weak she was when arriving in Not-Pokemonia?
Yes? Good, because my theory is that her body really was altered by deconstructing it from the magic-based form, and reconstructing it in the same form in a move-based form. This caused her 'hardware', like having to piss, to still work vaguely, but the software, including how to write with the mouth, is practically disconnected.
It still is there, but it is unaccessible and has to be re-programmed for the new code.
To say it metaphorically.
This story gave me the Pokemon Fever. Again.
Time to stock up on 31 IV Eevee's :D
6115281
They've tried to control Landorus, Thundurus, and Tornadus. They also tried to get Meloetta.
6118559
The whole organization did? Huh, shows what I know. Were they at least circumspect in their pursuit or did they gain national attention like Team Galactic?
6118678
Not terribly:
But only a few people directly witnessed their involvement, and they retreated when things started spinning out of control.
6117179
I disagree. And it is my story, after all.
6118678 Not as much, no. I believe it was just James, Jessie, and Meowth (but with resources! and competence!) going after Meloetta (amongst other goals), which Giovanni needed in order to use the Forces of Nature legendaries to conquer Unova (then he was possessed or something and tried to destroy it, I don't know). He didn't get very far, but I suppose people might have noticed it when he used them to freeze the ocean and nearby coastal cities.
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Ash arrives in Laverre City in episode XY073, aired May 21 in Japan.
Hoopa and the Clash of Ages comes out July 18 in Japan.
6116262 A similar thing happened to Twilight in the first Euestria Girls movie.
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i.imgur.com/TntdNQ4.jpg
Also dis chapter, it was awesome.
I love the way you write team Rocket.
they're my favorite thing about the pokemon anime.
Finally someone believes her.
6141628 Team Rocket is the only good thing about the anime and movies Ash is in. That and the few Pikachu mini series. I'm binge reading this and I have no idea what some of these pokemon are.
already
Celestia speaks to an old wise Alakazam who is 160 years old and has seen 4 generations of trainers...
This feels like she is talking to star swirl all over again.
6137112 This is the land where the mirror leads you when you smear bubble gum on it before the opening.
6137112 Wow. Now Didney Worl. And now this Euestria Girls. what next?
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Alakazam seems like an interesting character- a little sad, though. If he’s truely so old, I can’t help but just see him as a method of contexualizing events and giving Celestial a motive, or an out from the language barrier- after which, I predict we might not get to see him again. Alas, such is the order of things.