-Ransei, Near Aurora Castle, Shanty-
Favela almost be like me having a sister, I be having plenty of fun roughhousing with her and Dolly.
While I be knowing Dolly was not fragile, I was still being careful with her as I wrestled her to the ground and Favela flopped over my back and tried to be pinning me down.
“Heh, this is being fun.” I finally be silently admitting that all the adventuring be getting to me, but spending time with Favela and Dolly was a lot of fresh air in my tired lungs. The peace couldn’t last, but I be getting in what joy I could.
“You said it. I may have been a bit of a jerk to you, but you’re adventures all sound really cool Shanty!” Of course they do Favela, except the part where I got seriously ill from swamp muck after helping to fight a voodoo witch. “I want just as many amazing adventures as you!”
“No you don’t, I be nearly dying multiple times!” That’s when Dolly be barking a bit and nodding. “Dolly is being there for a number of those things and she has been in as much, if not, more danger by just spending time with Pom. Interesting happenings are abound, so it is being best that we all be wary of everything going on around us.”
Dolly held up her right paw and tilted it left and right in a ‘so-so’ gesture. She has been a very expressive buddy and friend despite not being able to communicate verbally.
“Well we’ve already been getting enough interesting happenings around here for a few months now. Also we’ve got some information on juicy adventures just waiting to be had.” Favela was cool looking and friendly when she wasn’t trying to swagger me to be angrily stupid, I be much smarter than that. “Favela is tough, you know I am, the dangers of this world won’t stop me or any of my friends!”
“On that we can be agreeing!” I raised a hoof and we soon high hoofed with a paw from Dolly.
-Ocellus-
A distance away I felt Shanty, Favela and Dolly bonding cheerfully and were running about playfully. It was so nice to see friendships bloom, even with beings from across three different worlds. Also it was nice that Shanty trusted me with the solid metal paperweight that was Dodo.
I believed Shanty when she stated that her familiar was still alive even now, but I was wondering when Dodo would eventually become active again. Maybe the process of what Dodo was going through to stay alive was taking up a lot of energy or maybe he needed energy? I mean Dodo ate food… as much as scrap metal and other weird materials.
We were simply relaxing near Castle Aurora in seats and watching Bidoof pass by. We were letting Pom have a chance for some alone time from responsibility. Though Pom had plenty of reasons to be anxious and stressed with all the trouble going on around Aurora.
“Do you find it weird that Pom wants to start a quiet business, when we’re literally surrounded by problems that we could be figuring out how to deal with?” Smolder asks as she watched multiple Bidoof pass by with ever increasing piles of material. “I mean the thing we know about the least is what’s happening in Greenleaf, but it doesn’t seem to be a big issue… aside from the loss of that bridge to the humongous round blob that calls itself a Pokémon when it resembles a living boulder.”
“Excuse me it’s not quite correct to call a Snorlax a living boulder, since there are Pokémon that are actual living boulders. Multiple of them in fact, they are usually rock type Pokémon. A few ground types look like they’d be rock type Pokémon.” Shine had been hanging out with us quietly up to this point and not interfering with what we were doing, but we did take what she said into account. “Unlike Mr. Geoff, I’ve been a bit further in my travels… because I wanted to see what Spectra, the ghost type kingdom, was like. I didn’t like it there and preferred living around here.”
“Next I suppose you’ll be telling us there are Pokémon that look like living trees.” Remarked Smolder in a bland tone as we watched a Bidoof pass by carrying another Bidoof that were hauling more materials than their bodies should be capable of carrying.
I was kind of too afraid to really focus on what the Bidoof were doing in the distance with all that stuff, such as a massive pallet of stone being carried by a single Bidoof that slowly went by with what looked like a metric ton on its back.
“Huh, either that Bidoof knows strength or that’s a moody one with raw determination to build… anyway yes, there are two Pokémon that would specifically look like trees. One is a rock type Pokémon known as a Sudowoodo that fakes being a tree and the other is a grass ghost type like me called a Trevenant. Not all Trevenants are bad, but it would be a good idea to be wary around trees with odd segmented looking sections to them.” Shine offered us a weak smile. “We Pokémon can be quite literally anything and we can do a lot of weird stuff. Like a Vaporeon, one of the evolutions Evan can possible turn into if he wasn’t Aurora’s king, it can become entirely invisible in most bodies of water.”
“Any interesting facts about bugs of this world? I’ve noticed a severe lack of them.” That was something that Smolder drew my attention to. I’ve seen grasshoppers, maybe a stick bug or a mantis, but very little in the way of actual bugs in large numbers.
“That’s because bug type Pokémon exist. Bug Types can be a bit reclusive around other Pokémon that aren’t bugs. Some have really nice communities, while others are downright vicious in how territorial they can get.” That was nice to know Shine and you still kept reminding me of Fluttershy with your peaceful and sweet demeanor. “Those Bidoof seemed to be busy like beavers… it’s kind of sad that Pokémon outperform most animals in nature.”
“With the size of their teeth, they practically are beavers.” Feeling Smolder’s mood shift, I noticed her looking towards me. “How do you think Pom is doing?”
“That is very much a loaded question as you well know Smolder, but needless to say… she’s probably thinking about how to avoid getting into trouble this time or is at least planning for a way for us to not be directly involved as much as possible. Barring that, mitigate the need of having to fight as much as possible.” Which is why she was thinking of the bathhouse and guild combo to run, she wanted some comforts of home. “Arceus did tell her that we didn’t need to act as heroes, but that it would be appreciated.”
Pom wouldn’t start something like an adventurer’s guild that operated separately from King Evan without having something in mind. Well aside from wanting the comfort of a well-built place to stay, cook and or experience relative peace that had plumbing.
“Is it weird that I find most Pokémon to be cute or adorable?” Smolder stated as she picked up and started petting Talia the Rattata, not that she seemed to mind in the slightest.
-Southwestern Aurora Meadows, Pom-
We were definitely not going to go north, I didn’t currently want to handle fire types or the several dangerous names I’ve heard as being in that direction. Getting involved in a civil war was not good for my health and neither was trying to after the raiders in a chaos filled territory as that mountainous region of flames.
On the other side of things, I didn’t want to go south either if a Pokémon could have a range of controlling others that large. That they can keep that control despite us knocking those Pokémon down or out was a major issue.
If we knew how they were keeping hold of said Pokémon, we could find some way to free up Moto’s military and start turning them into an effort to liberate Fontaine.
I’d be okay with visiting Arbora Town in Greenleaf, but someone obviously took out the bridge with us in mind and it was definitely an act to prevent us from delivering medicine back to Aurora. Also there was that Pokémon that seemed intent on killing me in the area. They didn’t go after Shanty, Dolly or Ocellus, the other soft targets in my group, they were focused entirely on ending me with that first shot had I not reacted.
While I did want to know exactly what made that Decidueye target me, given I haven’t been in this world long enough to earn anyone’s attention or ire aside from those I’ve met, I didn’t want to know badly enough to stick around to be attacked more.
So until we could get the bridge fixed or we had a way to deal with the mind controlled Pokémon problem down south, I wasn’t leaving Aurora for just about anything and would rather let things come to me.
I would suggest turtling up and working on securing Aurora’s position by building up forces from the surrounding Pokémon to hold the dangers at the borders, but that’s none of my business and is entirely King Evan’s business.
What I’m setting up to do is to deal with the much smaller issues already going on inside this kingdom that won’t inevitably lead me to being an absolutely bloody smear on the ground, floor or whatever surface that could be beneath my hooves at any given moment.
I was going to be a small time problem solver, like those rescue teams that have been mentioned several times.
Lambkin instincts don’t fail me now!
“… can you stop that?” I stated as I sniffed the sweet smelling air. The smell was nice, but I didn’t come here to appreciate unnaturally generated smells.
“Why? You look like you’re stressed out and need it.” The Pokémon that popped up was small, it looked like a little blue walking onion with a face and several leaves naturally growing from the top of its head. Easy enough to tell that it was a grass type.
“I want to smell real nature, not something biologically manufactured.” I stated calmly while trying to not get too upset about this Pokémon trying to help my nerves.
“Oh… sorry…” His leaves wilted sadly.
“It’s an Oddish.” Quetal asked, he’s been watching me quietly laying here on the side of a hill in a meadow full of flowers watching clouds float by. “Shall I run him off if he’s bothering you?”
“No, he means no harm. He can even join me with relaxing if he wants to… you can too you know, you don’t have to be so distant.” Having called it a while ago, I noted Quetal’s reticence to approach me or get close. Quetal was definitely dealing with issues he’s likely not going to talk about, not that I would push him to. “Can you even smell the air little guy?”
“My leaves can taste it.” The little plant Pokémon stated cheerfully. I’m chalking that bit of oddness up to him being a grass type.
“The smell of fresh flowers…” I stated solemnly inhaling slowly through my nostrils, this place is pretty wonderful and I could see danger coming from a mile away. Unless it was smaller than the flowers.
“Yeah, great right?” A small voice said and I looked down at one of the flowers to see a tiny Pokémon holding onto one that wasn’t connected to the ground. The flower the Pokémon held onto looked to be quite healthy despite no longer being planted.
“That would be a Flabebe, a fairy type Pokémon. Curious to find one out here.” Quetal announced in an even tone, the Sneasel was more curiously out of place considering Shine mentioned that they lived in far colder regions than the warm climate around here. “In any case, I’ve often found myself curious as to why they are primarily considered fairy type Pokémon. They tend to use mostly grass type moves.”
“Hey, we’re small Pokémon. If we don’t have a flower, then we don’t have power!” The Flabebe stated while waved a limb lazily at Quetal while using the other to hold the flower. “But yeah, we’re more grass type adjacent than an actual grass type. Though some do confuse us for grass types due to our general lack of fairy moves, our fairy energies actually go into making sure the flower survives as we carry it around.”
“Don’t your species usually fuse with the flower after a while to become Florges? How do you not become grass types in that case?” Quetal seemed to be insistent on knowing this, making me pay attention to him.
“Our body may fuse with the flower power, but we will still be separate where it counts as a fairy type. It’s not like we can suddenly survive off sunlight, soil and water in our final evolution.” Learning all sorts of interesting things here, but this Flabebe brought about a questions.
“Are there any Pokémon smaller than you?” I knew Pokémon could be bigger than a Snorlax from some of the things Quetal and Shine mentioned off hoof, but tiny?
“Joltiks can be smaller, I’m even friends with a few of them.” This little flower hugging Pokémon was unusual.
“Would you and the Oddish like a job?” The idea to get my business venture off the ground was to ask around and get some Pokémon to work as staff.
“A job?” The Oddish seemed quite curious about it.
“What kind of job?” The Flabebe asked, while still clutching her nice smelling flower close with one limb and adjusting her little crown of pollen with the other.
I was planning for the future, a future I would never be a part of should I survive this world. At least I know if I die Arceus would reincarnate me… but I’d rather avoid becoming a Pokémon like the plague, there was a permanence to it that a part of me would never accept.
Tianhuo said it best, I was her Lambkin and I always would be. It was a promise that whatever comes, even twelve more canines to add to the roster of our family, she would accept it. She liked Dolly, possible because she was small and keeping me relatively happy, but she knew I had a problem and was probably expecting me to pick up more.
-A few hours later, Aurora Castle-
Picochi, Pristi, the Oddish, the Flabebe and even Erif had gathered at the castle with our three traveling companions to see the Bidoof repairing damage to the castle that time had done and were leaving unblemished and well refurbished parts of the castle behind.
“Wonder when they started doing this.” It seems to me that the Bidoof were both ridiculously eager and insane to build and or repair things.
“What’s with all the Bidoof?” The Oddish asked.
“I asked them to build something. It seems they are getting a little out of control…” I think I’m currently learning to always expect big things from the most simpleminded of creatures like the Bidoof.
Seeing King Evan standing outside and watching the Bidoof with Maiden Jig, I approached.
“Hey, I just want to ask, can a few Pokémon use your guest room for few nights?” It was getting into the evening and I actually wanted to get in some exercise with Shanty and Dolly, I was also going to need to do some training with our Pokémon friends.
“Huh, oh sure!” Evan stated with a wagging tail. “Please don’t force me to take more money for it though.”
“Really King Evan? With how bad the surrounding regions are getting? We kind of need the resources.” Maiden Jig wasn’t as upset as before, but she did watch the Bidoof work with a sense of wonder as they rebuilt parts of the castle. I actually got to see her get excited for the first time since I’ve first seen her. “Yes, they’re fixing the roof, no more leaky nights! This is the best news I’ve heard or seen in weeks as an advisor to the mystical throne of Aurora!”
Maiden Jig started sniffling and tearing up… then she turned to look at me.
“Did you pay for all this with the rest of you Poké?” Actually Maiden Jig, I didn’t know how much this would cost me. I only asked for a wagon and a combination of a bathhouse and guild. I think they were doing all this extra stuff free of charge, because they just couldn’t stop or control themselves at this rate.
“I think they are doing this on their own, I only asked for two or three things...” Honestly though, if they were going to do all this work, I think we should let them. They looked quite happy to do so. “They still haven’t asked me for a price, yet… they are doing so much. Are Bidoof always like this?”
“I wouldn’t know, I mean King Evan directed you to them and I always thought they were dullards are lazy slow minded Pokémon like a Slowpoke.” Well whatever a slowpoke was Maiden Jig, I think you were being proven thoroughly wrong with all the Bidoof are currently doing.
What was most interesting to me was that they just kept bringing in materials in from somewhere from the east and yet no Pokémon came to complain about it. This made me think the Bidoof had all of this stuff stockpiled somewhere ahead of time and were just waiting to use it all up to build something, anything basically, and for repairs to the castle.
“Before you ask, yes they a mind numbingly happy.” Ocellus announced as she came over to me with Smolder and Shine.
“Speaking of recent events, I heard about the Litleo Militia and Riolu unit fighting at the bridge, apparently one of the Bidoof took out the units because they were disturbing its nap. The Litleo were sorry to have disturbed us and carted off the Riolu when they woke up.” Informed Evan with a wagging tail. “This means we still have some allies in Ignis not currently embroiled in a civil war, even if it is a small amount of honorable Pokémon that are willing to keep the peace between our kingdoms. This day has been quite heartening with all the depressing stuff that’s been going on.”
When Shanty, Dolly and Favela showed up looking disheveled and roughed up, I sighed at the idea that I’d have to help clean them off. Dolly was practically caked in mud and grinning at me brightly like Shanty was. Favela looked to be absorbing some of the mud into her leafy form with an equally broad smile.
“Shanty, Dolly, fun times over, I think it’s time we ate lunch and we’ll do some training with our friends afterwards.” I need to get myself back up to speed, plus an evening of exercise will leave them quite sleepy after a good meal.
“Can I join in the training, I want to do some combat practice with actual people and not just targets. A king needs to be a capable battler at least!” Evan looked up to me and I decided it would be okay by nodded. He looked to his round balloon shaped advisor. “Can we run combat exercises Maiden Jig, can we?! We do kind of need to get Teeth’s unit more training outside of fighting us and then there’s our new combat unit with Mr. Rauco and his Pidgey unit.”
“Why are you asking me? You’re the king that does things while ignoring my input half the time.” Sighing in an annoyed tone, Maiden Jig turned to Evan while rubbing at her forehead with little limbs. “If you are asking me for advice or because you want me to join in too… then I guess I could get use some combat practice. Just please remember that my unit is primarily for emergencies.”
“Yay!” King Evan stated as he pranced around in a circle.
“Count me in on that, I can teach you a few things about combat rhythm!” King Motochika would be getting in on this as well. “Also I need to keep up my skills and I need to personally get stronger to take back Fontaine, no king would let their Kingdom go that easily!”
“Skitty Squad wants in on this too!” One of Captain Skeeball’s four Skitty stated as they were up and moving towards us. “We’re making this fun!”
“I like a good harmless scrap, but real battles… yeah not all fire Pokémon are hot blooded battle crazed idiots.” It seems Eriflamb wanted to train some too. Pristi, Picochi, the Oddish and the Flabebe were behind him and looking curiously excited. I didn’t think Flabebe would want to get into combat, she looked so fragile, but if Vetali was correct about how tough Pokémon could get… then I was severely underestimating the little flower hugger. “Still a full training exercise with friends, it’ll help me get control of my fire better!”
“Hey, don’t leave us out of this!” Jiri showed up waving and she saw the gathering, once she got close she heard the words training exercise and jumped on it figuratively. What followed her was several bear like Pokemon with differing appearances. “I got the Pokémon I wanted together for my unit and then some!”
“A pancham, how did another dark type like you end up in Aurora?” Quetal stated with narrowed eyes that spoke of trouble.
“None of your business weasel.” So dark types were regularly gruff good to know the panda Pokémon shared something in common with Quetal.
“A full unit of bear Pokémon, how did you manage that?!” Maiden Jig stated as she looked at Jiri in a new light, Jiri blushed and looked away shyly. “Is one of them a Kubfu from Pugilis?”
“Yes and I have sworn myself to being a part of master Jiri’s unit, as she has defeated me in combat!” The Kubfu apparently stated with closed eyes and a nod, Jiri looked away while twiddling her paws as if that wasn't the whole story. “I am at her command.”
“Does ice type bear not get equally noticed for being far from ice type bears usual habitat?” The snotty nose little bipedal ice bear stated before sneezing a bit. Apparently the disgusting bit of snot hanging from its nose was a natural part of its existence.
“I had a few accidents picking up my Stufful and Teddiursa friends… heh…” A few? I’m now expecting Jiri to have had a half dozen accidents that somehow resulted in her forming a full unit of five bears and a bunny.
It sounded like an understatement with the surprise Maiden Jig showed at the three particular members of Jiri’s group showing up.
-Nighttime hours-
I sat there relaxing in the bath with Shanty, Favela, Smolder and Ocellus after some incredibly intensive combat practice… then I realized something.
“Wait… since when did Aurora Castle have a hot bath as nice as this one?!” My answer was quickly found by the Bidoof that wandered by.
“Build.” The female Bidoof stated in a chipper tone as she skipped along.
“That answers that.” Ocellus didn’t take part in the training exercises, but it had been interesting. At least I knew I could take an entire unit of smaller Pokémon. “So Smolder, did you really have to jump in with helping Eriflamb?”
“Yeah, the guy couldn’t control his flame to save his life, a few tips from me got him going even if he’s not going to be a part of Evan’s military force, self-defense is fairly important for anyone.” Smolder leaned towards and started scrubbing Ocellus’s back make her blush and whimper. “Not that dragons have to worry about training in anything other than how to use their sizes to the fullest. As for Longma though, they do need to train like that as they generally get to largest Pegasus stallion size at minimum.”
I reached for the device to call Tianhuo, the minute Tianhuo saw me in the bath her face turned straight red.
“Pom…” Tianhuo tried to talk, but her tongue didn’t seem to be working as I smiled at her cheekily with my wool straightened out and draping over the right side of my face.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, do I still have a job?” My position as head of Huoshan’s Canine Division still mattered to me. “Also does anyone want to talk with Smolder or Ocellus? I know I’ve been greedy with the possible ten minutes with you every evening and I’m sorry about that… but… well…”
“I understand completely, and about that…” It seemed Tianhuo finally found her voice.
“Two tails doing lots of stuff Baa-baa, Fui-fui mate fed her lots!” Thanks for telling me Woof, my tenko fox familiar was picking up my slack in my absence. Thankfully Tianhuo had quickly figured out how I kept up with so many chores at once.
I still had to plan for the future and keep pushing forward, but I'm sticking to small stuff this time.