//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Bearings 
// Story: New World, New Bonds 
// by Rhino 
//------------------------------//

The living room of the dark pegasus mare is quiet as usual. However, rather than the normal reason of her living on her own, the room now has four occupants, yet none of them are saying anything. Midnight herself sits in front of her three new houseguests, all of them looking at the floor and the two smallest ones with small frowns on their faces. The air is almost stifling with the need for noise.

She breaks the silence with a sigh, looking to the only one among them floating over the floor. "Okay, so I assume none of you really know each other. Sadly, I don't think I can change that." She shakes her head, nodding towards the doorway. "What I can do is show you around the place. Hopefully, that'll make you guys feel more at home."

Casey sighs. "Sure. Go right ahead." While he isn't necessarily sulking like the other two, it's clear he isn't in the best of moods either.

"Now," she continues, ignoring his tone, "we're in the living room. This is where I bring friends when we throw parties."

Liu looks around the room, then turns back to the mare, confused. "It... looks rather clean for a party room..."

Noting his expression, she looks away, ears pinned back to her head. "It's... it's a new place..."

The light sound of slow scribbling follows before the frog in the room holds up his notebook he was given. 'Nothing wrong with a clean house.'

Midnight smiles, patting him warmly. "Thank you, Ryan." She looks over to the others, continuing. "Anyways, you've already seen the kitchen, and you technically broke into my room. That leaves the guest bedroom, the study, and the bathrooms. Which do you want to see, first?"

"Anything works," Casey says, apparently taking the role of speaking for the trio. "Though I personally will have no use for any of those, except maybe the second one."

"I'm interested in all of them," the Froakie comments, wanting to at least make their host feel like they are interested.

"Well... I suppose the study can be last, then." She scoops up Ryan and his notebook onto her back, turning and making her way to the door.

The Riolu watches them go before turning to Casey in confusion. "But... didn't you want to see the study?"

"Eh, I'm fine with however she does it," the sword replies. "Her house, her rules."

Ryan, meanwhile, still unused to being carried so much, tries to settle himself on the mare. His hand and feet grip her sides through her fur as she walks, much like a human who has never ridden a Rapidash before might do.

Bringing up her wings to help him feel more comfortable, she leads them through her house, stopping and gesturing to a door as they pass. "This is the first floor bathroom. It has a toilet and a sink, but nothing else."

Liu moves to the door across from it, opening the door and stepping inside. Sighing softly, Midnight moves to look in at him, frowning a bit. "That's a broom closet. I didn't mention it because I didn't think I had to."

The frog on her back lets out a small laugh at this, the little one's curiosity and the mare's slight exasperation serving to cheer him up a bit.

Shaking her head at his antics, she turns and gestures onwards. "Next up should be my little library. Not the same as my study, mind you."

"Right." Casey floats out of the room, following her as she heads upstairs. "Hopefully there won't be any closets in this room to confuse us."

"Well, there's a couple, but both of them are in the rooms." She points at a door with a wing as they pass. "There's the other restroom; this one with a bathtub and shower, as well."

The Froakie muses as they pass it. "I wonder if baths are better as a frog..."

"On your right is the guest bedroom," they continue down the hallway, and she nods towards the other direction, "and that's my bedroom. Of course, you already knew that."

"Speaking of those... do we know what the sleeping arrangements will be?" Ryan asks as he looks to Casey, hoping for him to translate.

The sword glances at him, then at the mare. "The frog wants to know if he can sleep with you. He gets nightmares."

With a choked croak, the Froakie freezes as his face goes red, torn between cursing the ghost blade and embarrassment at the suggestion.

"If it's an issue he has, I don't see why not." She looks to the sword, an eyebrow raised. "What about you? You're not going to take the broom closet, are you?"

"Broom closet? No way. I'm claustrophobic." He laughs a bit. "But honestly, I can probably just lean in a corner and shut my eye, and I'll be able to sleep."

"In that case, you and Liu can share the guest room." She pauses at the last door in the hallway, looking back at them. "Anyways, this is the stu..." She trails off when she realizes the frog on her back is frozen, his face a deep scarlet. "...are you okay, Ryan?"

Opening his mouth to respond, he inadvertently lets out the breath he had been holding, gasping afterwards. After a few moments of getting his wits back, the former human nods, his face returning to it's now normal blue.

Midnight continues to watch him for a few seconds before replying. "If you're sure, little guy... anyways, this is the study." She looks to Casey. "Are you still interested in this room?"

He nods as much as a sword can nod. "A place of peace and quiet will always interest me."

"You can go on in, then." The mare smiles, nudging the door open. "Ignore the pink book, and let us know when you're done. I want to show you guys around town, too, and I need to get groceries, anyways."

Peeking up over the mare's head, Ryan tilts his own as he looks to both the study and the library. "Hmm... I wonder if we could find any useful information..." Casey, for his part, heads into the study to look around, leaving the three out in the hall.

The room itself isn't too cluttered, most of the books having been in the library. A desk is the centerpiece, a light-colored wooden kind for those who don't spend too much time at it, but enough to warrant one to use.

Casey chuckles as he looks around, brushing his ribbon along the desk. "I like it."

"Thank you." She steps in after him, looking over one of the bookcases. "Most of the stuff in here is fiction, if you're into that." With a small shrug, she leans down to pick up a fallen novel. "Nonfiction is downstairs."

Casey nods. "Good to know. Thank you." He glances over the room once again, eye briefly falling on the pink tome she had previously told them to ignore. Naturally, he memorizes its location before turning to her. "I think we can head out now."

"Great!" Liu jumps up from where he's sitting, stretching a bit to loosen up. "I was starting to get bored. I want to explore!"

Ryan holds a note in front of Midnight. 'Where to first?'

"Shopping." She looks over her shoulder, smiling warmly at him. "I'm sure there's a store somewhere that we can get food that fits you guys better than what I currently have."

Soon, the quartet are out on the town. Their local mare points out a few key interesting spots as they walk. Ryan rests on her back, Liu pads along easily beside them, and Casey silently glides slightly behind them. Their presence draws the usual variety of reactions, but many ponies seem to be focused more on looking out into the forest itself or just going about their days.

"So," the mare starts, "what do you guys normally eat?" She looks to the sword behind them, an eyebrow raised in a teasing manner. "Scrap metal or souls?"

If the eye had a brow, it'd raise. "I was a very big meat eater before I lost my mouth, stomach, and everything else needed to do so. I can try devouring souls if you'd like to be a sacrifice."

Ignoring him, Ryan answers for himself, still preferring to use his pad to relying on the sword for translation. 'I'm not certain of specifics, but generally stuff like fruit or fish, I would imagine.'

The pegasus shudders at this, nervously laughing. "No thanks. I prefer my soul where it is." She looks to the side at the notepad, eyes brightening at the chance to change the line of thought. "There's a place for fish nearby; griffons go there whenever they're in town." She stops in her tracks, frowning softly. "It's a diner, though... and a specialty place, at that... if I get another job, I may be able to afford it..."

“...a job?” Liu looks up to the frog on the mare's back, confused. “What's that?”

"A task or service done or provided in exchange for agreed upon amounts of money." The Froakie says simply, frowning a bit as he looks down in thought. "I don't want her to have to get another one though... if we could find some Oran Berries or anything like that, we'd be set."

"There is a forest around us, you know," Casey points out, then stops and looks to the mare. "On second thought, since I'm guessing this world is almost nothing like ours, I assume we won't find anything edible in that forest after all?"

"There's nightshade, but I wouldn't recommend eating that." She thinks for a bit. "We could ask this one guy... he goes in there often enough to know what's there..."

"You're gonna have to be a bit more specific than 'this one guy'," the sword remarks.

Ryan offers her another note. 'If it means you don't have to get a second job while we're a burden on your home, I'm up for asking him.'

"I wish I could be more specific." She sighs, shrugging slightly. "I haven't actually met him; I've only heard about him from others."

"Well, that helps narrow down our search," the sword grunts, looking around. "Let's just go look for every male-" He cuts himself off, staring out at the forest.

The Riolu looks up at him, tilting his head to one side. "Mister Casey? What's wrong?"

"...nothing." The sword continues staring at the forest before sighing audibly and turning back to them. "Let's find this guy."

"I dunno." She scratches her head, continuing forward into town. "We could ask around for someone who goes into the forest... but I don't know if that'd be very helpful..."

The frog on her back taps her head, tilting his head in a questioning manner.

"Because he might not be back from the forest, yet." She sighs, shaking her head. "He's in there almost every day, from what I've been told..."

Looking up towards the forest, Ryan can only spot various flying and bug types milling around or otherwise going about doing their thing. No ponies coming or going. With a quick scrawl, he holds the pad for her again. 'We could always just get something cheap and filling, if it helps.'

"Sounds good." She gestures towards a nearby shop. "How about pizza? This place sells them cheap, and they taste great!"

Casey perks up, only to suddenly look downcast again as he remembers he can't eat. His eye glares at nothing in particular before he sighs, shutting his eye and reopening it in his cold, neutral expression. All this happens in the course of two seconds.

The Froakie croaks happily. "Sounds like a plan to me! We can probably figure something more permanent out later."

"Alright, then!" She looks to the Pokemon behind her, smiling sheepishly. "I'm... not entirely sure if they'd let all of us inside... good thing they have outdoor seating, huh?"

Ryan nods, but his smile easily translates his apologetic feelings.

"It's fine, cutie." She giggles, patting his head with a wing. "The weather's great for eating outside, anyways."

"Woo hoo," Casey cheers with about as much enthusiasm as one would hear from a man who was being brought in for a colonoscopy.

"Hey, now, grumpy." She pushes him playfully with a hoof. "I'm sure we can find a log for you to chop or something."

"I'm a sword, not an axe."





Dinner passes by with happy faces and full stomachs... with the exception of both for the haunted sword of the group, who maintains a steely silence and sullen floating. Night soon arrives, many new eyes peering out from the nearby forest, but none noticed by the foursome who has returned to the home of their host. Ryan hops back down the hall, having had to figure out yet another aspect of his new form and fresh thoughts of the situation have him speaking to himself.

"Can't believe I almost fell in... I'm a creature completely different from what I used to be. I'm blue, I make bubbles, I croak, and yet the thing that bothers me most is the size." He pauses a moment. "Why is everything huge?!" Panting, he sits there in the hall, calming down.

"It could be worse." Liu holds up a red, seed-covered berry, looking it over as he walks up behind the frog. "You could've been a Joltik... and we wouldn't have met Miss Midnight..."

Sighing, the Froakie nods. "Yeah... I guess you have some points... it could be worse."

The Riolu looks around, blinking a bit before turning to the others. "Did... did either of you see where she went? I wanted to thank her for this."

"She's putting the groceries away." A certain sword floats up behind them. "Which is good. Gives us time to talk."

"Something on your mind?" Ryan looks to them both, large yellow eyes blinking.

"Yeah." Casey nods, focusing on the frog. "Ryan. You had a Pokémon, right? At least one?"

"Only one, Geyser." He corrects, frowning a little at the thought. "It occurs to me this is probably the longest I've been away from him in... shoot, years."

The Honedge just nods again. "I know the feeling. I haven't seen my team in a while either." He glances behind himself, as if checking to see if they were being watched. "...it's not a good feeling..."

"Yeah..." His fellow trainer muses aloud. "I wonder where they could even be... how far were Pokemon spread? Were ones next to each other closer here or does it not matter and it's all random?"

"That's assuming our Pokemon even came here." He sighs. "Yeah, Liu's here. Yeah, we saw some in the woods..." He trails off for a moment. "...still. Even if they did come here, not like they'll find us first. We should go looking for them ourselves."

"Where would we even start? We barely even know where we are... and with all Pokemon usually looking identical by species at least..." Ryan's whole form seems to sink a bit, even his frubbles seems to droop.

Casey goes quiet for a moment. "...I may know a place to start."

If the frog had ears, they would be sticking straight up. "You do? Where?"

"The forest around this town. I glanced at it earlier, and could've sworn I felt a familiar presence... or some other Ghost-type pull. So either one of my team is in there, or there's a graveyard of some sort. Either way, worth a look." He chuckles. "And since you and I appeared so close to each other, there's a chance where my team is, your Geyser might be as well."

"Then we have to go looking for them!" A glance out the window soon curbs his enthusiasm somewhat. "Though... night in a strange forest full of both Pokemon and creatures we have no idea about is definitely not wise..." He sighs. "Still.. if they are out there..."

"We'll go in the morning. My team's smart, and I hope your friend is too, so they'd figure the best idea is to stick together not too far from where they showed up." He glances to the Riolu, who's still focusing on his berry. "...should we bring the kid? I don't even know if he understands what we're talking about."

"We could always ask him what he wants to do." The frog looks to the young pup expectantly.

"I kind of understand." Liu looks up from his berry. "We should look for that... ponyta? The one who goes to the forest regularly? It'd be easier to find your partners that way, right?"

Casey shakes his head, or rather, his body. "I doubt we'll find him. In my opinion, the best bet is to just walk in there and see if I can sense my team again, and go from there. If not, we can just leave."

"But... what if we come across something big, or scary? Like..." His nose scrunches up slightly. "...like a Gardevoir?"

Ryan scrunches his face. "...really? I mean yeah if they get mad, they're scary, but aren't most Gardevoir nice?" Shaking his head, he gets back on track. "But, the kid does have a point. Honestly, out of all of us, he might be the best fighter because I don't even know how one does... moves... as a Pokemon. And besides, we can't just leave Midnight after she took us in like this. We at least need to repay her in some way."

The sword turns to him, glaring. "Look, the way I see it, we either go out there tomorrow to look for them, or we risk them getting up and moving farther away. We don't have to leave Midnight; we're just going to find our teams and then coming back later. And whether or not you come with me, I will be doing that first thing tomorrow, because I'm not gonna be away from Anya or the others any longer than absolutely necessary!" He slams his sheathed point into the ground the way a human would stomp their foot to punctuate a sentence.

Both other Pokemon flinch, the frog being the first to recover and narrow his eyes. "You aren't the only one that misses the ones close to them! Geyser is the only constant I've had in my life for I don't even know how long! The kid here has ones he's looking for too! We all stand better chances if we don't just charge off!"

"So you'd rather lollygag around here and just wait for them to get too far away?!" Casey snaps back before scaling his anger back to a moderately quiet growl, clearly trying to calm himself. "How long are you going to wait before you go searching, then? Tomorrow? The day after? However long it'd take for you to pay back this... this..." His anger briefly dissipates. "...what would we call her, exactly? Woman? Lady? Human terms don't really work well..." He shakes his body. "Look, you take your sweet time, but I don't have to work with you. I don't have to help you, or listen to you, or follow you, or anything. I already learned not to trust teams aside from my own Pokemon, and if upholding that lesson means ditching you two for a while, I'll gladly take the chance."

Growling, an uncommon sound from a frog, Ryan swipes the air with a hand. "And what happens when you get yourself lost or killed?! I'm not saying we wait, I'm saying we don't completely abandon the one person... Ponyta... thing, that we have decidedly on our side! Just you against the world is no way to live!"

"I'm a ghost, dumbass. I'm already dead." His eye narrows. "As for me against the world, it was working pretty well after I quit-" He cuts himself off, eye shutting in a wince. "...never mind."

Liu looks up to him, curious. "...quit what, Mister Casey?"


"Nothing. Forget I said anything." He opens his eye to look at Ryan, much calmer now. "Fine. We'll wait. But if we haven't at least figured out a plan by the day after tomorrow, I'm leaving you two and going to find my team myself."

"If you do that, I'm chasing after you." They turn to see Midnight, who huffs softly. "And this house isn't cheap, so please try to avoid damaging it." She pointedly looks down at the dent made in the wood floor below Casey.

He glances down, then looks back at her with about as guilty an expression as a sword with one eye can muster. "...sorry."

"You're forgiven... this time." She sighs, pushing the door open. "It wasn't locked, by the way."

"I can't exactly try the knob," Casey points out.

"What about your ribbon-paw thing?" She smacks it with her tail as she passes by.

"...Midnight." His voice is low. "Never. Do that. Again."


"What? Why?" She stops, turning to look at him. "Is it your sensitive area, or something?"

He just narrows his eye at her. "Most Honedge likely get used to it. But for me, since this is still a new experience, anything that touches it gets roughly the same reaction as if someone walked up and slapped you between your legs. Now try to imagine opening a door with that."

"...sorry." She gestures to the room. "So this will be your and Liu's room. I hope it's alright; not many ponies come to sleep over, you know?"

"Ponies? So we weren't far off with Ponyta..." He chuckles lightly to himself. "Seems fine to me as long as there's a corner to stand in."

"So... where does Mister Ryan sleep?"

Midnight looks to him a moment before giggling brightly. "So adorable... I wish I could understand what you said." She scoops up the frog and waves with a wing as she leaves. "Good night, you two!"

Ryan blinks at the sudden movement. "Umm...."

"...there's your answer." Sighing, the sword heads inside. "Time to see if Ghost-types can sleep..."

The jackal-like Pokemon looks from the door to the sword and back, confused. "She... she was taking him somewhere moist to sleep, right? Being a Froakie?"

"...yes."

Meanwhile, the mare and the frog, too far away to hear them, reach another door and the pegasus pushes it open. "So," Midnight begins as she enters her room, "did you want a pillow to sleep on?" She gently places Ryan on the bed, sitting down before him and smiling warmly.

He nods, looking around in slight confusion before looking down at himself. Remembering how cold Geyser's outside could be at night, he quickly writes a note. 'Would a blanket be available as well?'

"Yes, I could get you one." She turns to her closet, opening the door. "What kind would you like?"

More words words are added as he tests the bed beneath him with a small hop, unintentionally croaking. 'Soft, warm, fluffy, if possible.'

"So a fleece blanket, then?" She looks back into the space, shifting items around and humming to herself. "It's either that or simple cotton or quilts..."

The Froakie shifts a little guiltily, remembering something she said earlier. 'I can make do with whatever you have. You don't have to trouble yourself.'

She glances back, skimming the note before frowning, turning bodily to him with a quilt in her grasp. "I'm not troubled by any of this. I want to help you guys." She places the cover on the foot of the bed, waving dismissively towards the door. "Even sourpuss out there."

Ryan can practically feel his writing speed get quicker as he replies. 'Sorry about him. Judging by his rant he seems like he's been through a lot. And thank you.'

"No problem." She grabs one edge of the quilt in her teeth, bringing it up to cover his legs. "If you need anything during the night, don't hesitate to ask, okay?"

He nods, but looks at the bed before writing again. 'But I can't take your bed. Where will you sleep?'

The mare giggles, gently patting him on the head. "Don't be silly, cutie. We're going to share the bed." She climbs onto the bed beside him, turning away and sighing softly. "I think there's room enough for both of us, and I don't exactly have a couch to sleep on..."

He croaks once, looking down at the blanket. He grabs the edge of it before hopping up the bed to the pillows. Much like when he was human, the Froakie gets situated, lying on his side with the blanket to his chin.

She sighs blissfully, using a wing to drape part of the quilt across her form. "Goodnight, Ryan. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight." He croaks, hoping she understood the sentiment as he is faced with her black and yellow mane. Speaking quietly to himself, he comments. "Abducted two times today by you... and enjoyed both. Just another part of a strange day."