Mystery Dungeons: Through Realms and worlds

by Navanastra

Chapter 4: A first look at the Natives

Chapter 4: A first look at the natives

Edited by: Samellan

“I don’t know, but I have definitely seen smoke coming from the westward forest,” A stallion commented, which Lucky Clover and her brother Swift Hoof where able to overhear from where they were eavesdropping.

Judging by the ongoing commotion around the village and overall discussion of the villagers, a large column of smoke has been spotted at the direction where the mysterious forest was, which was having a somewhat negative effect on the grownups as a whole, once again leading towards statements of just how foreboding or perhaps cursed the forest really was.

For her and her brother, this was obviously just grown up misconceptions, but then again, the world outside their little village is indeed a dangerous regardless. Not just by word, but also proven by the many ponies or sometimes even gryphons that came passing by their little village. Sometimes telling tales of just how they managed to escape rampaging monsters along the way, or how a gang of bandits almost robbed them blind of all their belonging.

Travel through the long and unchecked routes that cut through no pony’s land has always been rather dangerous.

Though in comparison, life in the village wasn’t that much easier either, as the farms surrounding the community always needed to be tended almost every day to ensure a good yield at the end of the season. The village basically lives and dies with its agriculture, not just to keep themselves alive with food, but to also give them something to trade with when far off merchants and caravans stop by the small village to rest up.

It actually was kind of a good thing that the village is located right next to a well-used trading route which connects both the gryphon lands to the north and the earth pony city-states to the south. It is also really good that Clover and her family were actually living in unclaimed lands, as the tension between the other equine races down south were apparently pretty high if the stories and tales of the passing pony caravans were anything to go by.

Either way, none of this was really a concern for the two siblings as they were far too young to even understand grown-up politics. Plus, they were more interested in what happened in the forest to the west than anything else.

Bringing up a lot of curious questions inside their young and inexperienced minds.

“Well… it shouldn’t really bother us now, should it? For one, it is located far outside the village borders and we are not even using it to get our wood for either building material or cooking fuel. If the forest to the west does burn down, then so be it. It is rumored to be cursed anyway, so better to have it gone then still be there in my opinion,” Another pony stated, that being the father of both Clover and Swift.

“Well, either way, I should better head back out to the fields before Quick Wheat is going to have my head for not showing up on time. We can talk about this more back at the Pub later this evening, if you want,” The other stallion said before a set of hoofsteps could be heard leaving their front porch.

“Sure thing, and try not to break a leg this time. You know how angry Quick Wheat got when she heard that you were unable to join last season harvest. That mare can really break a fuse, I can tell you that!” Clover’s father could be heard shouting back as the sound of somepony closing the door could be heard all through the house afterward.

Both Clover and Swift quickly returned to their rooms after having eavesdropped on the grownups’ conversation and went straight back to doing what they used to be doing before this whole talk of the mysterious looking forest having caught on fire rang into their furred little ears.

Like Clover practicing her levitation, while Swift was busy catching up to some of his studies to be eventually accepted to one of the magic schools at the unicorn kingdom. Books were fairly expensive and quite valuable around here, which is why the books that Swift has been given actually dated back from a time when his grandpa was a young lad himself.

“Hey, you two, breakfast is ready if you want any!” their mother suddenly chimed in as she stood in front of the siblings’ room.

Both Clover and Swift perked up at that. “Oh, that’s great! I am starving, mom.” Swift commented with a smile before he and his sis quickly bolted out of their room to follow their mom to the small dining table they had inside their quaint little cottage.

Just like with most residences around the village beside a select few which were a bit richer than the rest, Quick Wheat being one of them, of course.

Even when busy chewing on their bread and cheese, both of the foals couldn’t help but think back to the forest and what could have possibly happened for it to start burning.

Was it maybe a passing dragon which caused it? Or maybe a lightning strike? But then again, if it was, then it would have been at least been noticeable for both scenarios. Either the spotting of a dragon flying past the village from the west or a storm cloud forming in the same direction despite the fact that it has been fairly clear this past couple of days.

Either way, it was a mystery, and certainly a mystery which has to wait as Swift had to attend school today while Clover has promised her mother to take care of the house.

Then again, even if they had the free time to explore the lands past the hills, they would certainly be immediately stopped by their parents for even thinking such thoughts.

It would certainly mean no dinner for the rest of the week and some well good scolding from their parents if they were ever caught doing so. Not a risk worth taking in their opinion.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

I groggily regained consciousness after having been knocked out last night by some… very fast moving blob. To be honest, I was actually quite surprised by the fact that I was still alive after having been knocked out so hard, but also very much relieved that I didn’t die.

I mean, I have nothing against the possibilities of perhaps turning into a ghost Pokémon one day to continue my existence, but I can say with great confidence that I am FAR from ready to make such a drastic transition from one type to another.

And getting a new body again.

“Oh, hey, she is waking up,” I heard Victini say as my vision was slowly starting to clear from the blurry mess it was before.

“Ugh… where am I? Pop… I think I am going to stop snacking on your Persim berries from now on. I think that they are slowly starting to go into my head by the feel of it...” I quietly muttered, rubbing my forehead.

“Actually, no… this… this was actually my fault,” I heard a very recognizable voice say which made me turn my head to its source.

“What the… ch-chief… is that really you?” I questioned while looking up at a somewhat blurry form of Ampharos looking down at me.

“Yes… it is me,” He said before suddenly tearing up. ”AND I AM SORRY FOR HAVING ALMOST CRUSHED YOU, GLADE!” He screamed before I suddenly found myself getting grabbed by his arms and bear-hugged to death by him as a result.

If the collision with him yesterday didn’t kill me before, then this crushing death hug he was giving me certainly will, and the fact that I was getting drowned by his own tears too.

I thought that Ampharos was an Electric type, not a Water type.

“Uhm… Chief… you seem to be choking her,” I heard Jirachi point out my problems.

Wow, he is here, too?

“Oh…” The chief simply replied before finally releasing me from his bear hug letting me slide down his chest in a very unceremonious manner.

I immediately began gasping for air once I had the chance to do so.

Well, if I wasn’t perfectly awake before, I certainly am now,” Oh, dear goodness. I think I have almost seen the light back there. It was… it was almost too beautiful to behold...” I gasped out, trying to get as much air inside of me as possible.

After I was done, I finally started to look around for the first time. I could pretty much see everyone just standing around me with worry in their eyes. Most surprisingly, of course, was the fact that both Jirachi and Ampharos were among those worried souls staring down at me.

It doesn’t take a genius to guess that they must have taken the portal to get here. A portal that to my sudden shock didn’t exist anymore, which forced a sense of panic inside me despite my own current problems.

“Uh… guys, the port… the portal!” I pointed out, which in turn caused Victini to look at said portal before looking back with a smile.

“Oh, don’t worry. I can re-open it again from here as well if I have to. Whenever a connection is made, a small residue of the void will always be present on both ends, which gives me the ability to pinpoint and reconnect with the residue with my psychic connection. So again, don’t worry,” Victini reassured me, which, I guess, was good to hear.

I sighed, before pushing myself up from the ground and grunting a bit for how sore my body really felt.

“Are you okay?” Nava asked me as he came to my side.

“Yeah… yeah, I’ll live, don’t worry,” I replied, rubbing my back.

It really is always the back, isn’t it?

“Anyway… what are you guys doing here?” I eventually asked before looking up at both Ampharos and Jirachi.

“Well, giving you a hand, of course! You didn’t expect us to stay put when an opportunity of a lifetime presents itself to us, now do you?” Jirachi responded while crossing his arms with a challenging smile.

I smiled too, though a lot more sheepishly of course. “Well, of course not, such a thought would never cross my mind for a second… mostly because…” I turned my gaze to Victini. ”…we had completely different problems to worry about,” I replied which in turn made Victini whistle.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” He tried to act innocently, which obviously failed as the aftermath of what happened yesterday was still pretty much fresh all over the place. Something which Ampharos quickly noticed as he began to look around.

“My, my, my, what happened here? I mean, I already noticed it yesterday after I arrived, but I was just far too worried for Glade’s well-being back then to really give it much attention or thought. But now… well…” Ampharos began, looking at the carnage with a critical eye.

“Well, yeah, what happened here exactly?” Jirachi also eventually asked as he began to look around himself as well.

“Well, it was actually…” I tried to say before an invisible hand suddenly pushed me and sent me off flying into a bush.

“A forest fire! It was already happening when we arrived through the portal. One big surprise and shock that was. Which is why this wall of dirt and that ditch over there exist in the first place. I have used my telekinesis to bury the flames while the two kids did the rest with their own moves. It was one heck of a busy evening, let me tell you that.” I could hear him say from within the bush before following it up with an awkward laugh.

I am not sure if I have gotten out of bed on the wrong foot last morning, but it seriously seemed that the rest of yesterday and today was a “mess around with Glade” day. Because scrubs and scratches do seem to be the norm for me recently, alongside getting body slammed and hugged to death by an Ampharos who thinks he’s a Water type due to his excessive crying.

Not sure what else could possibly happen to me from this point on, but I am almost afraid to ask at this stage.

But either way, complaining about it is certainly not going to make things better, and staying occupied inside a bush isn’t going to help as well. So with a bit of a grunt, I quickly pulled myself out of the bush before flicking away any excess leaves and branches stuck to my form.

I sighed before slowly making my way towards Nava’s side who was giving me a worrisome look.

“Its fine, its fine, I am okay, don’t worry,” I replied trying to assure him that everything was fine.

Well… at least I hoped so.

“Well, anyway. Now that we are finally all accounted for and already had our fill of breakfast…” Ampharos tried to say before I quickly perked up at the mention of breakfast.

“Wait… you guys already had breakfast?” I asked, both shocked and somewhat depressed with the fact that they basically had their morning fill without me.

Jirachi nodded. “Yeah. I mean, we were still worried sick about you… but… the thing still is, that it is kinda hard to stay worried about someone while having an empty stomach. But don’t worry, we left something for you in case you were going to wake up before noon,” He casually stated, giving me a rather innocent looking smile which honestly did more harm than good in terms of this revelation.

I was almost emotionally dead inside at this point. “You… you guys were just happily eating… while… while I was still knocked out cold?” I asked before looking down on myself.

“Well… of course not,” Ampharos quickly stated. “We were… uhm… worriedly eating, not happily, of course. Doing otherwise would just be shameful on our part, to say the least. We would never stoop so low, Glade, and you know that! I hope...” Ampharos swiftly added with a sheepish smile.

“You do know that it was you who knocked her out in the first place, don’t you, chief?” Jirachi commented with a level look.

“I know, I know, and I am sorry as I said before. I mean, who could have predicted that traveling through a tunnel of space and time was going to end up with someone getting catapulted out of the portal instead of just… you know… flop out and fall face first into the ground or something? I certainly had no control over how I came out,” Ampharos defended himself while waving his arms in front of him.

This just made me feel even more emotionally dead inside, as that was practically the way how I got launched out of that blasted thing. Getting a face full of dirt as a welcoming greeting of this world.

Maybe this world doesn’t love Grass type Pokémon? Because so far it only has been me who has been forced to draw the short stick time and time again.

Maybe I should have taken Ampharos’s offer to actually hold off, and let these two go first before I and Nava did.

“Hey, Glade,” Nava suddenly poked me on the shoulder which in turn brought me back from the dead. I slowly turned my head to him, only to be greeted with a large steaming fruit sandwich in both of his hands.

I was a bit surprised, to say the least.

“Here, I saved you this from our breakfast,” He stated with a smile.

I smiled back before taking the morsel from his hand to mine.

“Thanks!” I simply responded before taking the first bite.

On second thought, maybe coming here first wasn’t such a bad idea after all. I mean, just imagine the damage that both Jirachi and Ampharos could have done accidentally if they did. These two are obviously a lot stronger than us, which means they could definitely do a lot more damage to their surroundings then we could. Well… minus for Victini, of course, as neither I nor Nava has any idea of how strong he really was.

Plus, I shouldn’t let a streak of bad luck hold me down. If I did that before, then I would certainly not be in the position I am now. So keep your head into the ballgame, Glade. Setbacks are what make life so interesting in the first place.

“So, then it’s settled.” I heard Jirachi state after I managed to pull myself back to the present after I was done with my sandwich.

“What is settled?” I asked, having obviously missed most of the ongoing conversation while having been entranced by the sandwich’s taste.

Say what you want about Swirlix’s eating problems. That girl can cook amazingly well, let me tell you that.

“Well, simply,” Jirachi began before pointing in a random direction. “We are going to climb those mountains to the west, to give ourselves a perfect lookout point to view the surrounding lands and get ourselves a better image of its layout. From there, marking and memorizing important landmarks for references would be easy, which in turn would allow us more room to expand our exploration and perhaps even make maps of this place for easier future reference and navigation. All in that order,” He announced happily, much to both of surprise and a slight sense of betrayal.

“Hey… I actually suggested that idea first yesterday!” I called out, pointing a finger at myself.

Ampharos smiled. “Well, of course, we know. Which is why Victini here has offered it as our next course of action while you were busy eating and not paying attention,” He stated, which in turn made me look over at Victini with a raised eyebrow.

“Huh… and here I thought you said that we should really waste our time and energy to go climb up a mountain simply because you can fly,” I asked, crossing my arms.

Victini, on the other hand, rubbed the back of his head. “Well, yeah… I kinda did say that, didn’t I?” He began before looking back up. ”But the thing is, what’s the point of exploring a new world when all you do is constantly taking shortcuts in order to reach your goal? One of the things that makes exploring and adventuring so much fun is the journey you take for it, not the start or destination in between.” He truthfully stated, which in turn just made me smile at the idea that he might actually start to understand what makes exploration so great in the first place.

Good to know that Victini could possibly be getting back into the groove of things. Maybe this new adventure is just what he needs to rekindle the joy that made him go into adventures with Pericles in the first place. Granted, it would certainly be a lot better if Pericles himself was here with us as well, but one out of two is better than none. Plus, being the so-called Silver Rose does force on him a lot of extra responsibilities that he normally wouldn’t have otherwise. He has an island chain to govern after all, or at least that is the impression I get from his position. I obviously have never seen him, quote-unquote, work, besides the few times I did see him outside the Isle.

Either way, it is still very much good to know that Victini here still possesses a portion of his adventurous spirit inside. This would certainly make things a lot easier as time goes on.

“Well, in that case, we should better be off now. This forest is nice and all but I, of course, came here to see more than just overgrown trees and spike-covered vines. Of to the mountains then. Let’s go, team!” Ampharos happily announced.

“Sir, yes Sir!” We all shouted together, sharing the same level of enthusiasm as the chief.

“Wait…” Nava suddenly began. “I forgot to mention this, but this area is pretty densely overgrown and covered in thick trees and lots and lots of thorn-covered vines. We will have to get past those first if we ever want to get out of here together,” He pointed out, which was also kind of right now that I began to look around again myself.

This place really is overgrown at a completely ridiculous level. Never even knew that nature can be so damn wild. This place certainly puts some of the densest jungles I ever visited to shame.

“Well…” The chief began while tapping his chin. ”Does any of you know Razor leaf, Karate chop or Brick break?” He asked before humming to himself.

“Chief, you’re the one who actually knows Brick break,” Jirachi quickly pointed out.

“Oh?” Ampharos responded before rubbing his neck. “I guess I do, silly me,” He responded sheepishly which made Jirachi shake his head.

Then all of the sudden, the chief swiftly did his famous pose. “Then I guess it is up to me to “Brick break” us out of here and get ourselves to the eastern mountains to…”

“Western.” Jirachi quickly corrected with a neutral tone.

“Well, yes… western. I was going to say western.” The chief tried to correct himself.

“No, you weren’t. Even when standing in another world, your sense of direction is just terrible. Actually.. .on second thought, this isn’t really that surprising at all. Rather be expected, to be honest,” Jirachi stated while crossing his arms.

“You know… you don’t have to be so blunt about it,” The chief replied sadly, before quickly regaining his composure as if nothing has happened. “Well, anyway, guess it’s time to get to work then. I have a lot of chopping to do!” Ampharos declared before moving up to the closest tree and using “Brick break” on its trunk to cut it clean off of its base with one hit.

I looked up at Jirachi questionably which he noticed. “Don’t worry, I and the chief actually brought a lot of Max Elixirs with us. So the chief can very easily keep up with this for a looooong time.” He assured us before going back to casually watching the chief to do his tree-chopping job.

Hope he also remembers to break through these thick vines as well. This requires more than just tree chopping to get us through.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Pericles, Pericles, could you please hurry? Lively town is just over this hill. The fastest we can get there, the faster we could get more of those carrots for you. Plus, it would also mean I can finally get my stupid chest open up again. Can’t believe I lost its key while simply tidying up my room! Most of my notes are in it.” Rosette called out from way ahead, while also muttering something about some locker and key or whatever.

Personally, I couldn’t care less, if it meant to finally reach the town and have a nice cup of tea and a carrot to chew on. I just really hate having to march on for so long just so that I can get myself to the closest town, not to mention getting Rosette’s stupid chest open so that we can get our hands on those very old reports. Maybe Victini should have parked the Isle just a little bit closer to these towns or settlements so that I won’t have to walk so much while carrying an oversized chest on my back.

Say what you want, but having been slouching around the Isle for so long has certainly made me very complacent. I am now a true couch potato, not an adventurer.

“Can you please slow down, Rosette, I don’t really feel particularly energetic anymore now that I am currently assistant-less. It’s so hard to do so many things yourself these days without having anyone around to help you.” I heaved, pulling my sorry plant feet along the dirt covered road. Did I ever mention the chest was heavy?

I really need something to chew right now. Like… maybe a carrot, for example, to exercise something else besides my lower body and my back.

I could hear Rosette sigh as I finally managed to drag myself up on top the hill where the Lively town was just a stone throw away from where we stood. No, really, give me a rock and I will chuck it so hard that it will fly all the way to town and most likely hit someone as a result. Which is why I won’t do it, even if I could. Because I am hungry as all heck right now.

Victini always has been such a boost of energy for me… usually, because he was always carrying snacks with him inside his “void storage”. Rosette, on the other hand, didn’t even bother to carry a simple pouch, just this stupid rather heavy box which I am forced to carry. Because apparently being the MALE meant carrying stuff for the woman. Even when I am the Rose Island’s top Rose. Why? I don’t know.

“Come on. The town is just down the hill,” She stated before taking the lead once again… actually since the start.

“Yeah, thanks, Miss Obvious, for stating the obvious. I have eyes too, you know,” I retorted before slowly following her with the chest on my back.

Rosette huffed. “Well, that comment would be fine, if you would even bother to open your eyes in the first place instead of keeping them closed this entire time, and pretty much bumping into almost everything as a result. If you would, then this trip would have certainly been a lot faster than it has been,” She commented back.

“Well, I am tired, that’s all, and I am trying to get some sleepwalking done so that I won’t risk completely collapsing on myself. Like how it almost happened,” I called back.

“Well, that is because you almost tripped and fell from a small pebble you stepped on. Again, something which could have been avoided if you would have opened your eyes,” She called back yet again.

I sighed. “Fine, I’ll open my eyes then, just so I can stare at a dirt road for the rest of the trip. Milady’s wishes are my commands, after all!” I retorted back sarcastically before finally opening my eyes for the first time since this journey started.

And wouldn’t you know it, I was right. All I was able to see was the downward moving image of the dirt covered road. That, and my feet, though then again my feet aren’t particularly large, to begin with, alongside with the rest of the Budews, Roselias, and Roserades species.

Basically all of us. But that reality is already long given.

“Alright, here we are,” Rosette suddenly stated as the dirt finally transformed to cobblestone as I continued to drag myself on. Obviously letting me know that we have finally reached civilization yet again, or rather the type of civilization these outside Pokémon like to call.

For me, these towns are more like villages. But whatever, I am not here to criticize the size of a settlement, but rather to shop and buy what this settlement has to offer and get this stupid chest opened by a Pokémon that is literally made of keys.

Already forgot the name of the little fella, but then again, I couldn’t care less either.

Because I am cranky and tired right now for the reasons I have just listed above.

Well, besides the visual cues there were also the audible ones. As the usual chit-chat and commotion of a communal area were pretty much everywhere at this point. Pokémon talking about random stuff to each other or simply shouting along to get noticed. I even saw some very distinctly shaped shadows and tails passing by my limited vision as I trudged along, breaking up the boring monotony of seeing nothing but paved road or clutter of garbage.

“Alright, here is Klefki’s shop. He should be able to help us get this chest open again,” Rosette eventually stated before stopping.

I sighed, dropping the large chest down with a very loud thud. “Thank the heavens we are here! I was starting to get back cramps from all this carrying,” I complained before arching my back and letting the soreness subside from my form with the help of some good old photosynthesis.

Being the living rose that I am meant that I really don’t have a normal skeleton to make popping or cracking noises like most Pokémon. Well, I kinda do, but… it’s not the same as bone or whatever.

Either way, once the need to sap energy from the sun was done, I began to push the chest closer to the shop owner who was currently engaged in a conversation with my dear old Rosette over there.

Don’t let her looks and middle evolution fool you, though. She actually is a lot older than me and Victini.

She always has been seen as a… ”mother figure” by the Rose Isle’s inhabitants. But whatever, I am here to get some grub and not to tell some OLD stories.

“Sure thing… I can get this lock open in a jiffy. Though, judging by your description… and to what I already see for myself, this lock is going to take a bit of experimenting to get it open. So why not go ahead and shop a bit around the market while I work in deciphering the locks patterns?” Klefki eventually stated with a kind smile.

Rosetted nodded. “Well, sure thing then. That’s what we were planning on doing here, anyway,” She answered before turning to me. “Come on then, Pericles, let’s go visit the fruits and vegetable vendors so that we can get you what you need,” She stated before leading the way.

I huffed. “Finally, I could very much use something to bite now. And maybe something to drink too now that I think about it,” I responded before shielding myself with my arms.

Summer’s the bane of my existence. Funny for me to say, as a living plant.

Both me and Rosette eventually got to the center of this bustling central plaza that is the town Market. With many Pokémon buying and selling things in front of the vendor stalls, while also holding a casual conversation with one another. There was even a large group at the center who was having some form of a dancing or singing lessons with one another. Oh, and there was also a two-headed ostrich running around town which name I already forgot. Overall pretty standard, though with a lot less green and a lot more diverse in colors.

See what spending so much time at the Isles can do to you? I can’t think of anything else but green now. Lots and lots of green… and white, thanks to the Citadel’s architecture.

But either way I need something to drink, and a carrot, and maybe even a new assistant to help me cut those carrots. Oh, I am really somewhat of a lazy mess now that Victini has skedaddled to another world. I don’t even have the incentive to wake up on time.

“Uhm, excuse me...” Rosette stated as we stopped in front a very recognizable vendor.

“Ah, Rosette. I would guess the usual?” Ivysaur greeted happily after she spotted me and Rosette.

Rosette nodded. “Well, yes, as always, if you will. We would like to buy all of your carrots or at least a large portion of the stock you have,” She announced with a smile which Ivysaur mimicked.

“Ah, yes, of course. I had a feeling you would say that, and you are in luck as I have just received a fresh shipment of these yesterday from the Grass Continent.“ She pointed a vine at a set of large boxes behind her. ”Not many customers have displayed interest in them yet, which means that all of these are yours if you want to buy them,” Ivy stated, before opening one of the boxes behind her with her vines.

“Here, see for yourself, still fresh!” She announced before pulling one out and presenting it to us. I, of course, quickly intercepted it with my own before chewing on it almost immediately.

Rosette simply shook her head before she gave me a good second look.

“Uhm… Pericles, are you…” Rosette tried to say as she evaluated me with a raised eyebrow.

I nodded slowly. “Am I what?” I tried to say, before almost falling asleep in the middle of my snacking.

Rosette again just shook her head. “I guess we really do need to get a new assistant for you after all. You seem even more tired than you usually do. You obviously lack the drive to do anything without someone helping you out,” She sighed before looking back at the stall owner.

“How much for all of them?” I heard her ask while I was spacing in and out.

“Well, to be honest, I don’t know. I think the set price we discussed the first time around would be the best one to go with, I guess. Though, that would mean you wouldn’t able to buy all of the stock I have at the moment,” Ivysaur answered, tapping her chin.

I heard Rosette hum. ”Well, I guess that’s fine. I would like to buy the same amount as we did the last time just to avoid any complication and confusion. Plus, it would make it a lot easier for me and him to transport them back home, too,” I heard her decision, even though I was seriously on the verge of falling asleep while standing.

Not the first time it happened, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

Not sure what happened afterward, but I guess I must have genuinely fallen asleep for some time before Rosette suddenly began to slap me in the face which woke me up again. I even almost lost the carrot which was still in my mouth before instinctively biting down to prevent it from happening.

I blinked a couple of times to get the blurriness out of my eyes before seeing both a neutral looking Rosette and a somewhat worried looking Ivysaur gazing at me.

Rosette again sighed, which is pretty much the norm for me ever since I took the mantle of the Silver Rose of the Rose Isles. I would say that it has something to do with my erratic behaviors and antics. But then again I can’t really tell as I don’t have a mirror to look at myself now to reflect on those ideas.

Sometimes, I can even confuse myself.

“I think we really need to get a new assistant for you. Someone who keeps you moving day after day and won’t allow you to sleep in and then just wake up tired and unfocused later for the rest of the day. I know that this is going to be a long-term problem because… it has happened before, you have gotten a bit too complacent for your own good, Pericles. I would have personally loved to send you along with Victini to get things rolling again with the two of you, but your presence at the Isles is obviously just as important. To keep both the fauna and flora on the Isle healthy, colorful, and alive. So you obviously can’t be absent from it for too long,” Rosette stated as if I wouldn’t be capable of knowing that myself.

But then again, nobody around me does know. Which could be the reason why she stated it in the first place. Or am I just thinking it through a bit too, which then tends to lead to something crazy or drastic, or even both if I am left to my own devices, which is almost never because Rosette pretty much knows all of my cons and quirks at this point?

I was about to reply when Rosette suddenly jumped up onto a nearby crate and started to shout. “Everyone, who of you among this town wishes to get the opportunity of a lifetime by getting the chance of working and living in a brand new place? Who of you is interested?” Rosette cried, which pretty much got the entire market to stop, stall and more or less turn towards her. Pretty much giving Rosette their full attention.

The crowd of onlooking Pokémon was quite a first before one Pokémon that wasn’t part of the outside group suddenly came bolting out of Kangaskhan's café to join the aforementioned outsiders.

“I do, I do! I am thrilled for the possibility of a job!” This newcomer screamed enthusiastically into the air before pushing herself through the crowd to stand in front of me and Rosette.

I raised a curious but still sleepy eyebrow at this newcomer while I was absentmindedly chewing on my veggie.

It was a white quadruped cat or dog thing with bowties on both her neck and left ear which had ribbons extending outward from them which seemed to be able to move on their own just like limbs do. Her actual limbs, or should I say legs were all ending in pink colored paws, and her eyes were sparkling blue, with almost no visible irises to speak of.

Though what was most interesting was some of the stares she was receiving from certain Pokémon around here. Stares filled with dreamy eyes or even flirty ones.

Not sure why.

“Pick me, pick me! I have been trying to look for a job in this town for ages, but most people around here just keep staring at me funny or are unable to say anything while I stand in front of them.” The young-sounding lady stated, smiling at both me and Rosette respectively as those… bowties of hers kept moving on their own.

Rosette noticed this as she suddenly had a spark in her eyes. “Well, if that is the case then you are perfect. A Sylveon like you is just what I was hoping for.” Rosette announced which made the smile on the now named Sylveon even larger.

Not to mention the sparkle in her eyes increased as well.

She gasped. “You really mean it?” She responded out of surprise and happiness.

Rosette nodded. “Indeed, and if you really want this job, then you can start by helping us bring this shipment of imported carrots back to the Rose Isles where you will be living on from now on,” She responded which just made pussycat/dog thing even happier.

Well, in fact, now that I think about it more, she is one of those new fancy Eeveelutions which I have heard about before.

Makes me wonder what you got to do to get this final from though? But alas, it’s none of my concern either. I just want to get back at this point.

“Hurray, I have finally managed to get a job and a possible new home to boot as well on a new foreign land! This is the best!” She happily stated, jumping around in joy and even wagging that tail of hers a bit.

Interestingly, some of the Pokémon within the crowd actually sported some very sad or disappointed looks after hearing the news. Not sure why, but then again couldn’t care much either, besides the very thought that suddenly entered me.

“Uhm… Rosette, don’t I get a say in this matt…”

“Nope, you don’t, because this decision was already made and decided. Plus…” She gestured towards the happy Sylveon. ”Do you really want to disappoint such a happy looking girl?” She questioned.

“Uh… no?” I answered.

Rosette smiled. “Well, then it’s settled, she is going to be your new assistant.” She declared before hopping off the box.

“Sylveon, if you will?” Rosette casually stated which forced her to stop her celebrations.

She nodded. “Oh, yes, of course. The first day of the job is the most important one, after all. Impressions, impressions, impressions.” She responded before moving those ribbon thingies of hers under and around some of the boxes and lifting them up almost effortlessly before following Rosette.

My eyes widened at that bit at first, before I quickly regained my own senses and picked up the last two boxes in front of the stall.

I began to think. ”Hmm, four extra limbs, and the strength to go along them as well? I think I like her already,” I thought to myself as I followed the two ladies back out of town.

“Terra, by the way,” The new employee suddenly announced which made both me and Rosette look at her.

“What?” Rosette asked.

“Terra is my name. I personally picked it, just to differentiate myself from other Sylveons out there. But of course, you can still call me Sylveon if you want,” She explained.

Rosette nodded. “Good to know, I would say. Because back at your new home, a lot of Pokémon run around with their own personal names as well for the same reason.” She stated with a bit of a pause before looking back at Terra. “As for why? Well, you will find out soon enough once we get there.” She smiled before gesturing to herself. “By the way, my name is Rosette, your boss, and this here is Pericles…” She gestured to me. ”…your even bigger boss and the one you are tasked to assist and follow around almost every day. Because All-maker high above knows that someone needs to.” She added before continuing on. “I will give you more details on your job once we get back to the Isles though. Just focus on keeping these boxes off the ground and stay close to us. Sometimes, bad and wild Pokémon like to linger around these very open roads and do some very, very nasty things to other Pokémon who are not perfectly prepared or inclined to deal with them on the spot.” She also stated before finally focusing back on the road ahead. Or rather the bridge which led in and out of the town.

Sylveon, or should I say, Terra, just smiled. “That’s fine, it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” She casually stated which again made me think.

“Strong, and a natural knack for fighting, too? Yup, definitely like her already,” I thought to myself before pulling out yet another carrot from one of the boxes and nagging on it as well.

Well, at least I will have something to chew on along the way. That should keep me both energized and motivated to be energized.

Actually, speaking about getting energized. This carrot I am chewing on is actually helping me I remind myself of something that shouldn’t normally be my job to remind in the first place, but hers. Especially given that this is HER box or rather a chest we are talking about.

“Rosette, hey, Rosette!” I called out up in front of me to get the young but ancient-looking Roselia’s attention.

Which I got, as she curiously aimed her eyes over her left shoulder to look at me.

“Yes, what is it?” She asked.

I frowned. “What about the chest we left at Klefki’s shop?” I casually asked which forced her to stop, followed by me and Terra respectively.

“Oh, dear heaven above, I forgot!” She exclaimed in shock before dashing back towards the direction of the town, leaving a dust trail behind her.

Leaving me and Terra standing alone in the middle of the road as well.

I guess age is finally catching up with her.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Alright… last one… and… we are going to be finally out… of this forest.” Ampharos huffed and gasped as he made preparation for one final chop at the last piece of a vine which separated us and the outside world beyond it.

He extended his arm over his head, and with one last mighty chop, separated the last barrier between us and freedom. But at the cost of the chief immediately doing a belly flop onto grass once we were out.

“Oh, dear heaven above!” Ampharos moaned into the grass while the rest of us were busy looking around.

I was immediately confused. “Wait a minute, where are the mountains? All I see are grassy hills and a few lonely trees here and there.” I stated, looking around and scratching my head questionably. That is until I spotted the mountains behind us once I fully turned around.

I was even more confused than.

“What the… how the… I thought we were heading towards the mountains to the west? Why the heck are they on the other side then?” I asked out loud while scratching my head.

That is when a sudden fit of laughter pierced the very day air around us which only fuelled my confusion even further. So much so that I was actually getting a headache out of this as I watched Jirachi lose himself up on top the exhausted chief.

At least I am not the only one confused by this, as we all were looked up at Jirachi with questioning eyes. Even the chief to some extent.

“Jirachi, why are you…” The chief tried to say before Jirachi beat him to it.

“Chief, I know that you sense of direction is terrible, but this… this is just hilarious at this point!” He stated before laughing once more.

The entire team was just speechless at this point. Especially the chief who at some point decided to look over his shoulders before the realization hit him.

“Oh, no… I… I really did…” He stuttered in shock.

Jirachi nodded while still chuckling. “Well, yeah… you… kinda did, chief… yet again. A pretty similar situation to the one back at the Far Sand Ruins on the Sand continent.” Jirachi stated, inflicting a few personal flashbacks of that particular team expedition we had a couple of months back.

It almost made me facepalm in just how similar this situation really was compared to the one we had before now that I remember it. The chief actually managed to lead us on a wild goose chase, as he literally “brick breaked” our team in a circle around the outside caves system which surrounded the actual ruins in the middle.

Oh, the distress the poor chief felt at the time when Dedenne eventually pointed out that we had passed by these very similar looking stalagmites before. But as usual for the chief, he was eventually back to his full enthusiasm after a few more tunnels further into the cave.

Especially when our team finally reached the aforementioned ruins, where the real reason for our group expedition could finally take its hold. I won’t bother you with the details but let’s just say it involved some really bad Pokémon trying to abuse some very old Pokémon tech for their own selfish gains.

Guess who won that one.

Either way, the chief eventually picked himself up before looking back at the distant mountains on the other side of the first before sighing.

I will admit, I do sometimes really feel sorry for the chief. For how strong, headstrong, smart, and engaging he is in almost everything, and just how great of a leader he can be overall, his sense of general direction is by far his biggest flaw. A very large flaw to have when you are the leader of an organization that specifically specializes itself in exploration and archeological work.

Well, the latter doesn’t really require that much direction seeking, but the former very much does. For, like, ninety percent of the time.

“Jirachi, you knew that I was leading us in the completely opposite direction, didn’t you?” The chief accused, crossing his arms and glaring up at Jirachi who was just smiling as innocent as ever.

“Yup, pretty much,” He responded.

“Then why didn’t you inform us that we were? Instead of just allowing me to just repeat the same mistake I made at the Far Sand Ruins?” The chief curiously asked.

Jirachi just shrugged. “I don’t know. Just… wanted to see how far you would go before eventually realizing this yourself. Plus…” He began to smile again. “It was kind of funny too,”

We all pretty much sighed at this point.

“You know, unlike the rest of the team you can be really cruel sometimes when you want to be.” Ampharos sighed.

“Hey, uh… is this pretty normal for him?” Victini whispered to me.

I exhaled. “Yes, yes, it is. Kinda sad sometimes, but that is just the chief for you. He may be strong, and a very great leader, too. But his biggest flaw has always been his sense of direction, which is why the guild rarely allows him to take the front lead in an expedition for that very reason. It’s usually us or someone else from the guild,” I answered with a sigh before simply watching these two argue with one another.

Victini just nodded, before doing the same and just watching these two go back and forth about this very problem. It’s nothing too serious, thankfully, just a friendly bickering about pointing out both characters’ flaws.

I will admit that Jirachi can be just a little bit too harsh towards the chief when it comes to his specific problem. But then again, everyone at the guild just loves to point out the chief’s terrible his sense of direction for a friendly tease whenever they get the chance to do so.

But I guess it is just fine overall. I mean, the chief is a pretty chill and even very goofy as well. Which makes his sense of leadership and fighting prowess when push comes to shove even more impressive.

I heard Victini eventually sigh. “Oh, for the love of… can we please just get a move on already? I mean, it would have been kinda fine if the two of you would have started arguing back at the cover of the forest. But here, we are kinda exposed to anyone or anything with eyes and ears. I would suggest that we just use the hills behind us to chart our current position and then simply go on from there afterward.” He announced which surprisingly fell on deaf ears as the two were still engaged in their own little discussion.

He sighed again. “You know what, fine… I will just go on ahead then and see what may be waiting for us on the other side of the hill. I mean, someone has to do it,” Victini quickly added floating himself up the hill.

“Hey, wait for us!” I shouted, before quickly running after him, with Nava following suit.

The hill itself wasn’t that steep to my slight surprise, despite how large it actually was. In fact, it was almost like a small green covered mountain if I had to place a label on it. A small grass-covered mount with many open patches of dirt and a few small trees sprinkled here and there.

Because of its height, it did surprisingly take a little while to reach its highest point. Which Victini was first to reach as he obviously didn’t have to exert himself as much as we had too to get up there in scaling it up its slope. Being able to fly and whatnot. Though once he did, he immediately stopped and was gawking at something off in the distance.

Once I and Nava reached the summit as well we could finally see for ourselves what was making him gawk into the distance in the first place.

I was surprised, to say the least. “Is that a… a village over there?” I asked as the wind was a lot more noticeable up here, gently blowing around us, forcing the leaves on my shoulder to follow its flow and the same for Nava’s cloud-like fluff on his neck as well.

Victini nodded. “Yeah, and surrounded by what looks like farmland as well. Though very primitive looking and poorly maintained farmlands, if I had to say.” He answered before rubbing his chin.

Not sure what he was criticizing about, but I do remember seeing a lot of very healthy and very beautifully maintained fruit and berry orchards back at the Isles when passing through some of them in order to reach the Citadel at the center. Not that surprising though when I think about, given that the Isles are inhabited primarily by Grass type Pokémonwho which are known to be much more in tune with nature compared to Pokémon of different types.

Just their basic gardens alone looked super impressive in on itself, with all the different species of flowers and colors they boast. All superbly healthy and alive, of course.

“Well, this certainly changing everything,” Nava suddenly commented to my left while scratching his head.

Overall I couldn’t agree more, but one very obvious question still stood.

“Wait, if there are villages here than that obviously means that there are intelligent creatures living in this world too. Like… Like us… for example” I paused before scratching my own head next. ”Could it be possible for those living down there to be Pokémon as well? I mean, the only two intelligent species we know of so far are either humans or Pokémon. Could this really be a possibility?” I asked while looking at the scene in front of me with great uncertainty.

Victini shook his head. “Doubt it. Again, you need to remember that I have visited many worlds in the past with their own sets of unique creatures, and sometimes even fauna to go along. If different creatures exist in different worlds then making the assumption that different intelligent creatures might also exist in some would not be such a far-fetched theory, to begin with. And again…” He pointed at the village. ”If they are Pokémon, then those fields would most certainly look a bit more cultivated and… healthier than they do now. Grass type Pokémon are natural farmers, thanks to their obviously closer connection to nature.” He explained before just crossing his arms and looking off into the distance, specifically what lay beyond the village itself, which was yet again another mountain range.

I gazed up at him with a raised eyebrow. “Well, okay, but how are you even able to see that much detail from this far away? I can hardly even see the fields as they are without you having pointed them out.” I asked, again being curious about his abilities.

He just smiled. “Simple, I just have much better eyesight than you.” He casually stated, giving me a big grin.

I just frowned. “Yeah, thanks for the obvious statement,” I responded, which made him grin even more.

“Also…” He suddenly continued. “I can amplify my eyesight just by channeling a little bit of my psychic power into them. A little trick I managed to learn when I was trying to peer into the distance of whatever world the Isles have warped us to in the past. Because for me leaving the Isle in the past for most of the time was usually a big no in most circumstances as I am obviously the dedicated keeper of the Void water and its dimensional traveling properties. I had to stay on the Isles for most of the time to not break my psychic connection with it. So that I can keep my position as its new keeper,” Victini added before turning around to look back down on the side of the hill where we just came from.

“Oh, hey, looks like both Ampharos and Jirachi are finally joining us up here as well. About time.” He stated, which forced both me and Nava to look over our shoulders to see the aforementioned pair joining us.

“Sorry for taking so long. We were a bit busy back there,” Jirachi said as he came up.

“Sure…” Victini casually answered before looking back at the main attraction.

Both Jirachi and the chief saw it too and were just as surprised as we were.

“A settlement, huh? Now that is certainly something I didn’t expect to come across so soon,” Ampharos commented as he stood next to Nava and me.

“Yeah, and not to mention a farming community as well by the looks of it,” Jirachi added.

We stayed pretty silent afterward, content to just quietly stare off into the distance and just overall enjoy the serenity of this hill, with the wind’s gently blow around us.

Ampharos was the first to break the silence though as he clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Well, either way, I would say that we should have a look down at them…” Ampharos was about to say before Victini suddenly silenced him by waving his hand at a “silence” gesture.

“Hold on,” He began while looking and sounding pretty serious. ”Something is here. Watching us, in fact,” He quickly added before curiously looking upwards.

We all followed his gaze, only to see a rather lonely looking cloud just lazily hanging around right above us. At first, it didn’t look particularly out of place as it was just a cloud. Though that quickly changed when something, to our surprise, suddenly came zipping out of the cloud and was making a direct bee-line for the curious looking village off in the distance.

We were all pretty stumped at this first, as expected.

“What the heck was that?” I asked out loud.

“Beats me,” Jirachi answered, looking equally confused by this.

“Whatever it was, it was decently fast, though,” Nava added while scratching his head.

Victini shrugged. “Well, whatever it was, it is obviously gone now. Most likely informing the villagers down there about our presence,” Vic stated.

“Should we then still go down there?” I asked while still keeping my eyes glued to the village below.

“I think we should,” Ampharos suddenly perked in which garnered everyone’s attention.

I looked up at the chief questionably. ”Are you sure, chief? I mean, they could be hostile,” I asked with a bit of worry.

“Well…” Ampharos began. ”They already know that we are here, do they not? So why just continue to avoid the inevitable when we could just show ourselves to the natives of this world before any misconception and misunderstanding could arise between us? Better to stop the flames before they turned into a roaring fire, after all,” Ampharos stated which in turn just made me think back again at the forest fire we almost caused last night. Something that just made me cringe internally.

“Well, it is better than nothing, I guess,” Victini eventually stated before floating down the hill without warning.

“Hey, wait for us!” I called out for the second time this day as I just got the compulsion to follow Victini to keep him out of trouble. If I was even capable of doing so that is?

“Well, nothing better than the present, I guess,” I heard Nava say to me as he most likely started to follow.

“Well, there they go. Off into the unknown without a plan. As usual,” I also heard Ampharos say before most likely following us too, alongside with Jirachi.

Well, here it goes it seems. Just a day in and we are already on the brink of establishing contact with the natives of this world.

Then again, as Ampharos stated. Why try to continuously avoid the inevitable when we can just fix it now? Better to make amends now before any misconception and miscommunication could be made. Would certainly ease up our exploration efforts in the long run.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Monsters! I have seen monsters coming out of the forest!” Someone could be heard shouting outside which practically almost everyone in the village heard. Minus the ones currently occupied in the fields, of course.

Clover was one of them to hear it though as she curiously exited her room to see what the commotion was about. Her brother Swift would normally be by her side, but he was currently at the village school to learn things.

Clover wished she could attend too, but only male unicorns were accepted as mages in many parts of the world while female ones were more generalized as healers or magical tenders. Unless you are of the noble descent.

The entire village was in somewhat of a standstill as a frantic looking pegasus landed down into the village square. He looked beaten, breathing heavily as if he had flown for his life or something. Which he might, judging by what he shouted before.

“What is wrong? What the heck is going on here and why are you shouting?” One of the curious village folks asked as he came up towards the panting pegasus stallion.

Judging by his attire he seemed to be a messenger of some sorts, which wasn’t exactly rare for a pegasus to be as both gryphons and pegasi are known to be either working as messengers or delivery ponies if they are not enlisted in the extensive military programs of their respected races.

Many like to see them as warmongers, but personally, they like to simply call their over excessive military focus as “national security.” Not a bad move, given just how territorial all the other kingdoms are.

Either way, the rest of the village folk was at this point out and about to personally see what the commotion was as the pegasus was still trying to catch his breath.

But after he was done, all it really needed was one sentence to come out of the pegasus mouth to answer everyone’s question in an instant.

“Monsters… I have seen monsters coming out of the foreboding forest, and they are coming this way as we speak!” Was all he needed to say for things to get moving around here.

Comments

[Lorddarkrai2000]

first contact will be rocky

[Animatorsnake]

Oh hey, it’s the Pokémon version of Zoro

[Navanastra]

9350928
Who?

[Vigriff]

I find it somewhat amusing that Pokemon are less xenophobic than ponies.