//------------------------------// // Chp. 1 - Lost // Story: Indomitable // by Slendy //------------------------------// I remember...the sound of waves gliding onto the pure white sand. The warmth that radiated down on the horizon of the crystal blue water at my feet. The brush of wind to my cheeks while I watched the endless horizon curve past my view. I wasn't alone, I remembered that I was with a person I never knew -- Except they weren't a person... an equine? A cartoonish pony? Her hair a soft lilac, reaching down to her shoulders, with messy locks that covered her left eye; eyes the same shade of purple but contained wonder and kindness, and a smile, radiating like the sun. In my hand, which was fluffier than I recalled, held onto a glimmering ruby, the face reflecting a shadow of my own "AHH, the light, it burns!" I hissed, the sunlight piercing through my window as a shadow blocked out half of it, leaving me to wince with my eyes closed for a second, that, and I was upside-down "You need a better alarm, I swear this is the fifth time this week?" A soft, but stern voice scalded me from above, and once my eyes got a good look, I saw the girl with white hair standing above me with a frown. She wore black clothing for the most part, that being shorts and a t-shirt, but tied to her body was a white apron, a red bow-tie resting above her chest, it matched her crimson eyes well "Moooorning...sis..." I yawned, waving upside-down, seeing her move away from the light outside and towards my door, sighing as she did. "It's...uhh, Wednesday? Right?" "Tuesday. Get up and stop lazing around or you'll miss breakfast." I immediately perked up at that, hearing the door shut and the faint whiff of pancakes in the distance, beckoning me to their sweet, syrupy call I should get up, my head hurts from sitting like this for so long. Pancakes are a sweet nectar that shan't be wasted! I sat with a huge smile on my face, devouring the plate of the panned goods with all my strength. We owned, well, our parents own a local cafe-slash-bar. It was small but almost everyone in town came here through-out the day. I sat in one of the many tables, peering towards the counter my sister worked at. "Great as always, sis!" I gave my thumbs up of approval, seeing her smile sheepishly at my compliment. She was the one running the joint until our parents returned, she had more smarts than me so it made sense, I'm...intelligent...sometimes, maybe? Possibly? *Ding* "What's up, Zen, Summer!?" The buzzer went, and to our eyes stood a familiar, tomboyish face. Taka, a tomboy with wild, warm-black hair and green eyes. Wearing a sleeveless, white jacket with black lines down the sides, with a blue shirt underneath, black cargo shorts and basic black and blue running shoes to boot, she did have a handbag with her, but I think its as far as her 'girlish' taste will go. "Hellw~!" I waved with food still in my mouth, as Summer smiled with a small wave to her friend, then Taka pointed to her with a wink "One Iced-tea coming up." Without missing a beat, my sister went to prep Taka's drink, just as she she sat down before me and my now empty plate with a smile "You're the girl, Summer!" Taka thanked, looking to me. "Late sleeper as always I see?" "Guilty until proven otherwise." I defended. Late-night hunting a Raging Brachydios in Monster Hunter World had a certain... aura about it, the need to hunt something so dangerous, that or my insomnia "He did." I felt a knife strike my back, my trust dwindling into dust "Forget I said anything..." Taka only laughed, patting my shoulder with a small punch afterwards "Busted and I expected you to be all grown up by now?" She gave me a playful pout, seeing my twitching smile at her comment, so her expression turned sly as she leaned across the table to look at me daringly. "Oh? You gonna break? Do it. Do it. Do it." "Iced-tea." I was saved, and Taka pulled the reins back to grasp her tea happily with a salute "You escape, for now, soldier." I did the same, quickly rolling my eyes to drink my normal, hot tea. Taka slowly sat back on her chair, pushing the front legs off the ground to look at my sister lazily. "Anyways, came here to see if you're up for a shop around town, Summer? Found some deals that would be stupid not to take advantage of." "Hmm, sure, but it's your fault if I miss out on any customers when we're gone." Summer warned her, seeing the look of uneasiness wash over the overly cool Taka, her teeth clenched together in a smile "Sure..." She breathed, noting my deadpan expression, but I was smirking. "What? Feelin' left out?" "Oh, no-no-no... I've got a deal on a Pokemon game I need to rob first," I replied, then grinned. "All you'll be doing is spending money on that weird manga you keep trying to finish, and you call me girly." I snagged her, seeing her face turn a new shade of red, eyes the size of pins. "What was it again...hmm...oh!" Slamming my fist into my open palm, I gave a glow of fake realization. "The one about that cute couple and the romantic genre around it!" "Wait, seriously?" Summer looked as though Taka was someone else since I watched her face burn hot enough to probably cook a pancake on. In that same frame, I jumped to my right, avoiding the punch from Taka as she yelled out with unbound fury "Zee~eee~en!!!" Quickly grabbing my jacket I sprinted past Taka and out the door of the cafe, hearing her scream from behind me. "GET BACK HERE YOU JACKASS!!!" "Seeya later, Zen~!" I heard my sister follow after with a sweet voice, in contrast, the she-demon screaming down the house "Don't-need-to-outrun-the-bear-just-outrun-your-friends! Also, seeya, sis!" I yelled back, dashing into the summer sunlight that stretched across the town, the heat building in my shoes with each forceful slam of my boots on the white slabs I continued on my way through the calm streets of Town, it's nice, I like the place alot, got brilliant views of the sunrise and set, the beach in the distance, the mountain forests and even a small village resting near the edge of an extinct volcano. Walking by a large, elevated block, I grazed my hand across the white wall as I passed, feeling the heat radiate off the concrete to my fingers, but while I mindlessly walked down the straight path ahead, something in my right eye shadowed the sun briefly, the rays illuminating the outline of someone as the passed by. I felt my pupils shrink slightly, my sensations had dulled at the sight of what I could only describe as a pure white light clothing the person, a long, golden scarf traced over their eyes and flowing down their back. Her lips moved, and my body froze. Spinning to face her, I found only several tiny specks of light floating before me. "What the...?" This was strange, and I was feeling uneasy as my hand reached for one of the glowing motes, I immediately withdrew my hand as I floated upward. I chuckled slightly, must have just been some kind of flower, but that only bothered me more. What flower looks like a sun? Then, all the lights slowly danced around me in a gentle flurry, leaving smaller motes of light to conceal my vision. I had no idea what was happening or how to really escape these things, but by then, my eyes were engulfed in bright, white light. I have a feeling I shouldn't have woken up this morning... . . . ．．．Ｗａｋｅ ｕｐ．．． ．．．Ｙｏｕ ｍｕｓｔ ｄｏ．．．． ｗｈａｔ Ｉ ｌａｃｋ．．． ．．．Ｇｏ．．． Ｗａｋｅ Ｕｐ．．． "Who said that?" Again, I asked my reflection as my head sat against a tree, facing the shimmers within the water. That voice was accompanied by those wisps, and while atleast twenty or so minutes have passed since my... ahem, episode, something any rational human being would do given the events that led to them waking up inside a dense forest while facing the fact their body was no longer their body. I was mostly freaked out by the fact I had a large, metal spike jutting from the backs of my palms and one poked from my chest. "Well, on the bright side I got a wicked backhand now." I had become a literal Lucario from Pokemon. Something my reflected shared was my bafflement. "This is strange... why am I here? Those wisps blinded me, then a voice, and 'poof' now I'm here." I motioned to the world, still dumbfounded by my arrival I had no freakin' idea where I was, I knew from how bright the world was that it was clearly another world, especially given my form. Looking down at my palm, I held onto the only item I had when I arrived, a shiny, blood-red ruby sat perfectly in my paw... hand, whatever. Despite my predicament, this gemstone, I remember... that dream, I vividly recalled seeing this jewel in a palm just like mine now. Creeping in the back of my head, I came to the conclusion that voice had something to play in that too. "But why?" I was exasperated, and deep down I was worried, of my life now gone from my reach, the loss of my human body, and left without an explanation. Squinting back at my toothy reflection a sigh escaped me. "What am I doing here...?" Guess I haven't got any other choice, best find my way out of here... Stretching back to my feet, I took in the world and followed the clearings that pointed... er, I want to say East but from how dense this forest was I had a hard time telling where. "Hold up, brain, I'm Lucario, Lucario is fast." I liked Lucario, probably the only reason I'm into Pokemon as a whole, with that being said, I know for a fact he has a move called 'Quick Attack', so maybe I could try that out. "Of course I'm praying on my body being the tutorial for this test run... welp, ain't getting anywhere talking to myself!" It brought a small chuckle to me. If I were being honest, this wasn't so bad, I mean, when's a chance like this ever going to come around again? Being a Pokemon in a strange new world that from how the visuals depicted themselves was clearly not Pokemon but something familiar. With a toothy grin, I bent down, paws to the ground while imagining a man awaiting to fire a gun. Strange, but when I broke off the ground, I felt... faster. My breath caught in my throat with a laugh, a smile creeping onto my face as I dived through the forest, my feet instinctively latched onto the trunk of a tree, bouncing off the bark as I dived onto another, flying upward to spin my far more agile body up and higher than the trees, the light I basked myself in added to my blissful laugh at the sea of green that surrounded me. "Woooohoooo!!" I dived back into the foliage, my senses sharp, I surprisingly landed on my feet, continuing my sprint through the forest at high speeds that I could have never reached back home, my heart was racing, and this feeling in my muscles, how I felt stronger, faster. I felt free! Tress turned to blurs, a flurry of leaves pulled with the outline of silver that flowed over me. My body moved to adjust to landings, but I could feel it, each movement made, how I just... knew how to adjust my propulsion accordingly. Was this Aura, Lucario's specialty at play? I could sense the world, maybe that's it? With a graceful twirl, I landed on a branch and sat down, catching my breath with a mischievous chuckle to myself. Holding my paws out I took a second to place the ruby next to me carefully, then focused on my hands. Lucario could create 'Aura Sphere', shouldn't be too difficult, a Hunter of digital monsters such as myself has to be focused in the heat of battles. Standing up on the large branch I held my paws back against my right hip. With a 'HA' I shot both my paws out like a claw... nothing came out. I deflated. Of course, when does anything actually work out for me on the first try? Stomping my foot I held a fist high. "I will not be defeated! I am Lucario, Lucario is best -- next to Eevee -- but still top tier!" I sat myself back down and closed my eyes, keeping my breathing silent while I listened to the world. Despite its otherworldly nature, there was something that crawled along my back since I got here, I know Lucario can see with Aura, so if that's what I was sensing, perhaps I can learn to tap into myself. I'm stuck in this body for the remainder of my time here, no one was coming to save me, nor did I have any idea where civilization was. Granted, I had the body of a Pokemon I know well, I just have to put all the knowledge I have together, both gaming and basic human survival if I'm to survive for long. My thoughts carried me away, I had been sat by the tree for a lengthy amount of time, it was so sudden, I was worried, how my sister and Taka would react to my sudden vanishing act. "Please be okay... I'll be a bit late coming home." With a sigh, I gained no real experience with my silent meditation but I could definitely sense my surroundings with far better clarity than a human. "Alright... alright, get ahold of yourself, Zen, it's you from here on out." Assuring myself, I took my first new steps into the thick of the woods, uncertain of my location, but I'll reach the end of this maze somehow ~---~ This world was teeming with life. The odd pair of birds flew by, with a butterfly landing on my nose at one point as I strolled through the lush, mysterious emerald forest, the sights and sounds snapped in every direction. My world had turned from a summer's day to a Springtime wonderland ripped from a fairy tale. How did I know it was Spring instead of Summer? Easy, certain flora hadn't bloomed yet, meaning it was around March, April is when the more frequent showers would start. Around me were young animals alongside their adult counterparts. I got bored alot somedays so facts just sank into my memory. "Who knew it would come in handy?" I shrugged, hopping over a downed log that had my ears perk up with a blink. "Huh, interesting." The new clearing offered me a clear view of an old campsite, the holes that remained surrounding disturbed dirt, alongside soot ringed by stones, what baffled me was that whoever did set-up camp here left a bag behind. Taking note of my surroundings I shrugged and sat down. 'Finders Keepers' I flicked the rucksack open, pouring out the contents before my legs. To my delighted smirk, I immediately picked up a small hatchet, a bit rusty but judging by how sturdy the ash handle was it had some use left. Setting it aside, I now had the means to start a fire with a tinderbox, even some whetstones, cool-cool. Last was a sack filled with, and I could not stress this enough, chunks of gold! Making a 'cha-ching' sound with my tongue I happily sat those back in the sack, the only thing left was a small, red scarf, torn but almost untouched, alongside some thread. Picking up the thread I took a second to rummage around the campsite, finding an Almond Willow tree that I promptly stripped of a few branches with the ax-head, providing me with the material I needed. Wrapping it around a stone roughly the size similar to the ruby I tied the branches around the stone, popping the stone out while using my claws to poke a hole either side of the cone's edge. Shakily, my claws threaded the holes, slotting in the ruby while I tugged the thread through, tieing it around my neck loosely. I had some skills in DIY thanks to school and just my own improvisation. Smiling down at the cradled gemstone, I picked up the red cloth and wrapped it around my neck into a 'V', adding a layer to my fur while just looking a little less bare. With a nod to myself, I grabbed the hatchet and continued on my merry way. The sun wasn't setting yet, but I had to find someplace to hunker down. "I should find a tall tree, keep from being attacked during the night, also be a good vantage po--" ??? My head immediately swung to my right. Something's coming and it was very angry. Keeping my eyes glued to the lack of light that graced the trees twenty feet from me near a rocky out-cove. I should start running, but better to know what I'm being stalked by. *Pow-Pow-Pow-Pow-Pow-POW!* I did the only thing logically and dived to a nearby branch, ruby in-toe while the earth shook under me. A shadow crashed into the pervious tree, bringing it down with ease. Through the dust and dirt, I came to eye-level with the beast of the forest. Shaking off shattered bark was a large, bipedal creature that resembled a T-Rex only shorter, coated in thick armor-like rock. It had a large crown structure atop its skull, Its body covered in rigid plates of armored hide that tore through the trees, the tail thick enough to sever another as it turned with glowing red eyes, roaring once to reveal peg-shaped teeth. "That's an oddly familiar creature," I gulped, seeing it sniff the air for a moment before slamming its head into the earth, sending a wave of rocks against the tree. I yelped, rolling down onto the grass as it turned to me again, snorting angrily. It's... a Barroh? Here? Don't tell me I'm in Monster Hunter!? I stood up straight. "Know what, you own this place -- I'll see myself out!" My legs forgot about fatigue and dove through the bushes, hearing them trample under a feral roar I sprinted down a hill, diving behind trees in hopes to shake this Wyvern from my tail, but it wasn't giving up, trees flew past me, forcing me up onto a branch, leaping up and around another trunk to continue through the endless grove that stretched on for miles, the thunderous steps closing in. "Quick Attack! Quick Attack!" For once my pleading worked, energy surged through my lower muscles and I shot upward like a bullet, avoiding the bone-pulverizing skull that tore deep roots high The thicket cushioned my landings, the spring of the foliage adding to my momentum forward while the Barroth continued its pursuit. Even as I am now, I can't fight this thing, not with only speed, besides, if it's as deadly as its Monster Hunter counterpart this would be similar to fighting a bull in a cage. I very much doubt a rusty ax will dent that hide of Its. I turned back to the way ahead, seeing my path had diverged, leaving a large ravine between me and safety, the shadow loomed again, trees crushed and thrown around me as I took note of my immediate escape. I could risk jumping or try and kite the Barroth off the edge, but if I screw up I'll end up dying before ever really doing much in this world. Grumbling under my breath I sped up, placing a paw to the gemstone hidden under my scarf. Here goes... Bending at the knees my body flew over the head of the armored Wyvern, latching onto a flexible branch that I used to bounce atop the Barroth's head, flicking myself across the trees to land against another, jumping to the next as the monster toppled the previous one over at ramming speed. Swinging around the thick log I sat atop a branch just as the entirety of gravity swayed under me, the tree starting to topple toward the jagged maw of the earth. Running up the length I flew through branches and leaves, feeling butterflies rise in my stomach just as the dark grey jaws opened wide under me, Clenching my cheeks I cried out while taking a leap of faith, closing my eyes as I slammed into stone, my body slowly sliding downward in a daze. Instinctively my claws latched to the earth, legs dangling over the lip of the earth's scar. With a heave, I found myself safely across the gap, the monster I've fought so many times before roaring angrily with beady eyes. "Don't...*huff* ever... *huff* mess with *huff* a Lucario." My breathless warning sent across the monster snarled and slowly turned its gaze back to the woods, finally losing interest in me as I fell back to the grass, sighing under the sunlight "What a start to a new world adventure, huh?" To Be Continued...