Chapter 6: Looking For Wurmple Pt. 1

Chapter 6: Looking for Wurmple pt. 1

Masterlist

3rd POV...

Location: Obsidian Fieldlands → Horseshoe Plains

“Hey, look at those puppies,” Kalim squeals in excitement.

“They do look cute,” Epel observes.

“I’m gonna go catch one,” Kalim says. He pulls out a PokeBall and approaches the pack of dog-like Pokemon. He throws the PokeBall at one of the Pokemon and it does inside of the PokeBall. This gets the attention of the other Pokemon. The dog-like Pokemon was caught and Kalim went to pick up the PokeBall.

“Kalim, wait,” Epel tried to stop Kalim from getting the PokeBall. This gets the attention of Jamil and he sees Kalim and Epel being surrounded by Pokemon.

“It’s a little early for this,” Jamil sighs. Vil turns to look at the scene and deadpans.

“Hold on, Monsieur Multi,” Rook says. “Just look at what the Pokemon do.” The group observes one of the Pokemon place its front paws on Kalims pants and he squats down. The Pokemon gets excited and tries to pounce on him.

“These Pokemon are friendly,” Kalim exclaims.

“What kind of Pokemon are they,” Floyd asked, going over to where Kalim and Epel were.

“It is called Lillipup,” Kalim looked at his phone. He grabs one of the wild Lillipups and poses for a picture.

“We should go find Akari,” Riddle states. “I feel like she is able to give us more information.”

“We might also be able to get some items with her as well,” Idia points out. The group leaves the Lillipups behind and searches for Akari. They were able to find her standing near a rock.

“You’re all really doing quite well for yourselves,” Akari smiles as she sees the group, her eyes move over to Kalim as he holds his Lillipup in his arms. “Here! A little reward for keeping up with me: your own Crafting Kit!” Akari hands Ortho the kit.

“Downloading new software to phones,” Ortho says. “ Reading File: Crafting Kit… A kit containing everything you might need for crafting, even when there is no workbench around. However, you can only use the materials you have in your satchel.”

“And here’s a recipe for Potions, too,” Akari hands Ortho a recipe.

“Reading file: Potion Recipe… A recipe for crafting Potions from scratch. Required materials: 1 Oran Berry and 1 Medicinal Leek,” Ortho reads the new recipe.

“With a Crafting Kit, you can craft items anywhere using any materials you have in your satchel,” Akari explains. “So long as you’ve got an Apricorn and a Tumblestone, you can make a PokeBall anytime. Or with an Oran Berry and a Medicinal Leek, you can make a Potion. So do heal your Pokemon.”

“Thank you so much for this,” Deuce thanks Akari. “We will take good care of the Pokemon with these.”

“How goes your research,” Akari questions. “Please report back to Professor Laventon once you’ve got some research tasks good and done.” Akari walks away from the group.

“We should go see if there are other Pokemon in the area to battle and catch,” Vil suggests.

“Yeah, we also need to complete two requests,” Jack adds.

“What are the requests,” Malleus questions.

“One is to catch a Wurmple to give a guard and the other is to complete Starly’s Pokedex entry,” Epel answers.

“So we just need to find a Wurmple,” Azul says, thinking about something.

“I believe I saw some a bit earlier on our way over here,” Ortho comments. “The quickest way to complete Starly’s Pokedex is to catch a few more and evolve it.”

“I can fight some Bidoofs and Shinx to get it stronger to evolve,” Cater suggests.

“I can come with you,” Kalim offers and Cater nods his head to accept. 

“Alright that’s fine,” Riddle says. “Those who have Pokemon should be battling and catching Pokemon.”

“I’ll come with you two,” Jamil tells Cater and Kalim.

“Don’t go too far Northeast,” Lilia warns. “There was a very large Ponyta like Pokemon and I imagine that it is very strong.”

“Got it,” Cater smiles. The trio leaves the group.

“Let’s go find a Wurmple and other Pokemon,” Ace slings his arm around Deuce and the group goes the opposite way of the trio.

……

“So we just have to battle Pokemon,” Kalim questions, unsure of what he signed up for. “I don’t want to hurt them though, they all look so cute.” 

“I don’t think we kill them or anything,” Jamil says. “They just kinda disappear after their health is gone.” 

“It’s very strange,” Cater comments. “But we can also get a bunch of pictures with them as well. Hey, Kalim, don’t forget to have your Pokemon shake down trees and collect objects on the ground.” 

“What kind of trees do we shake down,” Kalim asks. “I wasn’t really paying attention.” 

“It’s the trees with the berries on them, it’s hard to miss,” Jamil answers. “I should also focus on getting myself a Pokemon.” 

“I think I just found one for you,” Cater says. He was a bit away from Jamil and Kalim dodging a small black bird with some red on it. “I keep trying to battle it but I don’t have an opening to grab a PokeBall to release one of my Pokemon.” 

“Let me battle it,” Kalim says as he grabs his new Pokemon’s PokeBall. The bird Pokemon dives at Cater one more time before Kalim throws his PokeBall at it. Kalim’s Lillipup is released and a battle starts.

“Oh, thanks the Sevens,” Cater pants while resting on the ground. “I don’t want to know what would happen if the Pokemon actually hit me.” 

“Rajin, use Tackle,” Kalim instructs his Lillipup. 

“Didn’t Riddle say to not nickname Pokemon,” Jamil sighs as he watches Kalim battle. The bird Pokemon used Growl. 

“What did that move just do,” Cater questions. 

“It lowered Rajin’s attack,” Kalim responds as his Lillipup uses Tackle again. 

“Do you have a move like that you could use,” Jamil asks Kalim. The wild Pokemon uses Peck. 

“Rajin has a move called Leer,” Kalim answers. He instructs his Lillipup to use Leer and the wild Pokemon’s defense fell. Kalim grabbed an empty PokeBall from his satchel to throw at the Pokemon. The Pokemon went into the PokeBall and the PokeBall rolled twice before the bird was caught. “Alright, it’s caught!” Kalim runs over to pick up the PokeBall and goes to hand it to Jamil.

“What Pokemon is it,” Cater asks as he gets up from the ground. 

“It’s a Taillow,” Jamil answers, looking at the Pokedex. “It doesn’t give much info after that.” 

“Maybe the way to unlock more information on it is to complete the research tasks,” Kalim suggests. 

“We won’t know till an entry is completed,” Jamil says. 

“Hey look, a group of Bidoofs,” Cater catches the duo’s attention. The group of Bidoof were a bit farther ahead of them, slightly to the right, playing in a small crater with water in it. “We could use them to get used to battling.” 

“Good idea, Cater,” Kalim immediately agrees. Jamil follows behind Cater and Kalim as they walk over to the group of Bidoof. Once the trio got close enough some of the Bidoof looked at them inquisitively. The trio each defeat 2 Bidoofs, and raise the level of their Pokemon. 

“Cater, look over there,” Jamil tells Cater. Cater looks behind him and sees a few Starlys by some trees. 

“Looking at the research tasks, we mostly need to catch some and battle some,” Cater looks at the Starly Pokedex research tasks. 

“Kalim and I will try to find some Starly away from this group to battle,” Jamil says. “Looking at my Pokemon, they do seem to have genders.” 

“Got it,” Cater nods his head in understanding. “Star is a female so I’m gonna try to catch a male.” 

“Good luck, Cater,” Kalim smiles as Jamil drags him away from Cater. Cater looks at the three PokeBalls Kalim had given him and takes a deep breath before approaching the group of Starly. He finds some leaves to hide behind as he waits for one of the Starly to get closer. A few seconds later a male Starly hops close to where Cater is hidden and Cater takes his chance to catch the Starly. He throws one of the PokeBalls and the Starly goes into it, a few seconds later it was caught.

……

Location: Floaro Gardens

“So any idea what a Wurmple looks like,” Ace asks the group. Riddle gives Ace a glare as Trey sighs. 

“I say we just go and catch all the Pokemon we see,” Floyd suggests. “Afterwards we can figure out which Pokemon is which.” 

“That’s a great idea if we had more PokeBalls,” Leona scoffs. “I’ve only got 20 on me and I doubt that the rest of you have any.” 

“We can gather materials to craft more,” Epel says. “We can craft them from anywhere now thanks to the Crafting Kit.” 

“Those who have Pokemon should focus on training and getting use to battling,” Riddle states. “Those who don’t have Pokemon should be looking for non-dangerous Pokemon to catch and collecting materials.” 

“We should split into smaller groups for that,” Trey says. “In case a Pokemon has a long range attack, we all won’t be huddled together.” The boys separated themselves into four groups. The groups were: Ace, Deuce, Epel, Sebek, and Jack; Riddle, Ruggie, Jade, and Floyd; Azul, Silver, Trey, Malleus, and Idia; and Leona, Vil, Rook, Ortho and Lilia. Riddle’s group and Leona’s group had chosen to stay in the open field of the Floaro Gardens, whereas the first years and Azul’s group chose to move further into the Gardens.

“Let’s start with getting everyone a Pokemon,” Riddle says as he looks at his group. 

“Agreed,” Jade nods his head. “But we should be cautious of how we use the PokeBalls, Leona only gave our group 2 after all.” 

“How about that small yellow Pokemon that’s over there,” Floyd gestures ahead of the group where a small mouse Pokemon was sleeping under a tree. 

“It’s really tiny,” Ruggie observes the sleeping Pokemon. “Can it even deal any damage?” 

“I don’t think you should undermine it,” Jade grins. “After all, the people of this world seem to deeply fear these creatures. Let’s just assume that every Pokemon is dangerous, this one probably is since it has no problem sleeping out in the open.” 

“I’m afraid to admit that Jade has a point,” Riddle sighs. “We don’t really know what Pokemon are capable of and we will have to be on guard in order to survive.” 

“So, are we gonna catch it,” Floyd questions, no longer interested in the conversation. 

“Here’s a PokeBall if you want to catch it so much,” Riddle hands Floyd a PokeBall. Floyd walks over to the sleeping Pokemon and it doesn’t stir. Floyd tosses the PokeBall at the Pokemon and the Pokemon goes into the ball. The group watches the PokeBall in anticipation to see if the Pokemon is gonna stay in the ball, after a few seconds the Pokemon was caught. Floyd goes to the PokeBall to pick it up. 

“What kind of Pokemon is it,” Ruggie asks Floyd.  

“I’m not interested in that,” Floyd says. “I wanna catch more Pokemon. That was fun.” 

“Looking at the Pokedex, it’s a Pichu,” Jade looks at his phone. “It’s an electric type Pokemon like Jack’s Shinx.” 

“So, different Pokemon have different typing,” Riddle hums in thought. 

“Let’s go collect some materials,” Ruggie grins. 

“Don’t you want a Pokemon as well,” Jade questions. 

“There are plenty of other areas to get a Pokemon from,” Ruggie states. “I’m okay with not having one from this area.” 

“Looking at the map, we have only been in three areas,” Riddle backs Ruggie up. “So Jade, Floyd, and I can just train our Pokemon and the group can collect materials.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Floyd grins. Jade also nods his head in agreement. 

……

“It’s that the Pokemon we are looking for,” Malleus points out a worm-like Pokemon. 

“That might be it,” Azul looks at the Pokemon. “We need to catch it to see if it meets the criteria.” 

“I can go catch it,” Silver volunteers. Azul hands him one of the three empty PokeBalls Leona had given the group. Silver cautiously walks towards the worm-like Pokemon. When he gets close, he crouches down to not draw attention to himself, he takes the PokeBall and tosses it at the Pokemon. The Pokemon went inside the PokeBall, and it moves around a few times before the Pokemon popped out of the PokeBall, leaving it broken, looking at Silver and running away. 

“What was that,” Trey questions, walking over to Silver. 

“I’m not quite sure,” Silver responds, picking up the broken PokeBall. 

“I, uh, remember someone saying that PokeBalls aren’t 100 percent foolproof,” Idia stutters his sentence out, he was standing beside Malleus. 

“So this may be a bit more challenging than we originally thought,” Azul hums in understanding. “I think we should gather some materials to make more PokeBalls.” 

“I would like to head back over to Horseshoe Plains,” Malleus states. “I saw a few Pokemon over there that we didn’t look at.” 

“That’s not a bad idea,” Trey agrees. “It’s a good place to train Pokemon.” 

“Hey, Azul,” Idia whispers over to Azul. Azul looks at Idia with a questioning look. “Can you give me a PokeBall?” 

“Sure,” Azul agrees. “But don’t waste it.” Azul hands Idia a PokeBall. Idia takes the PokeBall and quietly dashes off to the side of the group.

“I wonder what has Shroud so excited,” Malleus thinks out loud. 

“That’s excitement,” Trey questions. The group watches Idia approach a cat-like Pokemon and secretly throw the PokeBall at it. The Pokemon goes into the PokeBall and it moves for a bit. The Pokemon is caught and Idia rushes to collect the PokeBall, then rushes back to the group.

“What kind of Pokemon did you catch,” Silver questions.

Idia pulls out his phone to look at the Pokedex and says: “It’s called Skitty and it is very adorable.” 

“Alright,” Azul fixes his glasses. “Let’s head back over to Horseshoe Plains.” The group voices their agreement and they make their way back to Horseshoe Plains.

...to be continued

Chapter 3: Trial and Error

Masterlist

3rd POV…

“Yuu, are you paying attention,” Yuu’s math teacher asked. Yuu was currently looking out the window having a weird feeling in their gut.

“Yes, I am paying attention,” Yuu responded, turning their attention back to the front of the class. The teacher nodded their head at Yuu and continued on with the lesson.

“Hey, you alright,” Yuu’s friend had whispered to Yuu, slightly leaning over the aisle. 

“I have this weird feeling,” Yuu whispered back, turning to look bak out the window. Their attention was brought to a cherry blossom tree that was slightly apart from the others. As Yuu focused more on the tree, the more their friend worried about them. The tree had turned colors and lighting appeared to strike in front of it despite not having any clouds in the sky. Yuu shook their head and went to focus on the rest of the lesson. Yuu had fallen behind in school while being stuck in Twisted Wonderland, and now they have to try their hardest to catch up to everyone else. Yuu was grateful for their friends that shared the same classes with, the group study sessions have helped a lot.

“...And they were really spacey during math class…” Yuu snapped out of their thoughts and saw that they were sitting at a cafeteria table with their friends.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” one of the friends greeted. 

“Sorry, I was just really out of it,” Yuu apologized.

“See, this is why I said you shouldn’t have come back to school after just getting out of the hospital,” Yuu’s male childhood friend sighed. He’d been taking care of Yuu and watching them since they were cleared to leave the hospital.

“Takeda, I’m fine,” Yuu assured, but they could tell that he wasn’t buying it.

“Henchman, you need to eat some food,” Grim stated with food in his mouth. The hospital had made Grim Yuu’s ‘emotional support animal’ so he was allowed to be with them at all times. Grim got along great with the friend group and tried to keep his destruction down to the minimum.

“Yeah, some food might help,” Yuu agreed and began to eat the food they had gotten.

……

“Good morning, everyone,” Akari called out from outside the sleeping quarters. “Are any of you up? Quite some lighting last night, wasn't it?”

“Why is she so loud,” Leona groaned, barely waking up.

“We have to get up Leona-san,” Epel said. “We have the trial to prove that we can stay here.”

“He’s right,” Silver agreed. “We wouldn’t want to be late.”

“Never thought that you would be awake, Silver,” Leona dryly chuckled as he sat up and yawned.

“I wanted to make a good impression,” Silver explains. “Also I was taking a walk around the village just to get a proper look at it.”

“I hope you are all awake,” Vil pounded on the outside of the door.

“We are all up, Vil-san”, Epel replied. Leona had gotten up and put on his clothes from the day before since no one in the group had any clothes except for the ones they showed up in. Leona’s group was the last to make it out of the sleeping quarters.

Akari gave them a nice smile when she saw them exit the building, “What lovely weather we’ve got!” She turned her attention to everyone, “I hope you all had a nice sleep, even if this land is strange and new to you.”

“I slept like a baby,” Lilia commented and Kalim laughed.

“Let’s get to headquarters,” Akari suggests. “Captain Cyllene is waiting, then after we can go to The Wallflower for breakfast before the trial.”

“Yes, let’s get this over with,” Idia sighed, not wanting to be outside. The group followed Akari to a large fainted orange building. The building was two stories tall with some scaffolding alongside the building, as it was being worked on by some of the villagers. Inside the building, the flooring was a red carpet with the village's logo in the center of the lobby area.

“The Survey Corps’ offices are here on the first fl⎼” Akari introduction to the building was interrupted.

“Don’t give up! Keep those eyes open,” the voice that interrupted exclaimed.

“The wild Pokemon, they…” another voice could be faintly heard. “They were everywhere. Attacking from all sides… I sent out my partner Pokemon, but… against a whole pack… Outnumbered…”

“This is what happens when you go so far afield,” the first voice scolded. “But the Medical Corps will put you to rights.”

“That man’s with the Security Corps… and even with his own partner, he took a beating from wild Pokemon,” Akari explained. “Without a partner Pokemon of your own, you might find this trial…particularly trying.”

“So those little guys from yesterday are that dangerous,” Floyd questioned.

“Maybe, but we don’t exactly know for sure,” Jamil responded. “Maybe it depends on the type of Pokemon.”

“Captain Cyllene,” Akari called out as she moved across the lobby to the open office. “The group is here.”

“You may enter,” Cyllene says as she looks up from her paperwork. Her desk is covered with various books, and rolled sheets of paper. Akari and the group enter the room and Cyllene gets up from her chair to walk around to the front of the desk. “Let us get straight to it. If you wish to join the Galaxy Expedition Team, prove yourself capable by going out into the Obsidian Fieldlands and catching three different species of Pokemon: Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx.”

“Catching three Pokemon from the start,” Akari’s jaw drops. “No one in the Galaxy Team has ever managed that…”

“Did these strangers not catch three different Pokemon only yesterday,” Cyllene countered. “My trial should be simple enough for them⎼if the professor wasn’t exaggerating things, that is.”

“He didn’t exaggerate anything, Captain,” Deuce defended the professor, but Cyllene ignored him.

“The Galaxy Team does not have the means to provide for those who only take without giving,” Cyllene continued. “If you wish to stay, you must prove beyond any doubt that you’ll be an asset to our cause. I will lend you some Survey Corps satchels to carry whatever you may need in the field.” She then passed out satchels that the group had put on.

“That satchel doesn’t exactly match your, er, mode of dress…” Akari observed.

“Well obviously,” Vil mocked. “These uniforms shouldn’t be matched with something so plain.”

Akari,” Cyllene got Akari’s attention. “I’ll expect you to step in if anything goes awry.” Akari nodded her head in understanding.

“Pardon the intrusion,” Laventon entered the office. “New friends, come with me for a moment!” The group and Akari followed Laventon out to the lobby. “Now then, a jolley good morning to everyone!”

“Can we get on with this,” Leona grumbled.

“We need all the information we can get,” Ruggie sighed. “Just suck it up for now.”

“Is something the matter, Professor Laventon,” Akari questioned.

“In order to complete our Pokedex and, well, simply survive in this unforgiving land…” Laventon started to explain. “These guys absolutely must pass this trial! And as a professor of Pokemon, I’ve got just the ticket to help accomplish that!” Laventon tosses up three PokeBalls and the Pokemon the group had previously caught came out of the PokeBalls, “I am gifting you these three Pokemon to help your chances of success during the trial skyrocket.”

“That’s awfully nice of you,” Kalim smiled. The Pokemon looked at the group, recognizing them from yesterday and went towards the three people who caught them. Rowlet flew up and landed on Rook’s shoulder, Oshawott walked up to Azul, and  Cyndaquil ran up to Silver.

“I’ve never seen Pokemon react that way to seeing people,” Akari gasped. She had slightly stepped back from the group.

“I truly have great faith in you all,” Laventon praised. “With a Pokemon partner of your own, you’ll be able to fight off wild Pokemon outside the village! You are also able to give the Pokemon nicknames.”

“Nicknames, huh,” Silver muttered, looking down at the Cyndaquil at his feet. 

“Let’s focus on the trial first before nicknaming any Pokemon,” Riddle suggested.

“A word of advice, new friends⎼,” Laventon paused slightly. “Pay close attention to which PokeBalls are empty and which ones contain a Pokemon when you’re out in the field! By the way, what species has Captain Cyllene charged you with catching?”

“A Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx,” Kalim cheerfully answered.

“Well, that’s smashing! All three of those species can be found in the Obsidian Fieldlands,” Laventon smiled. “Let me give you some PokeBalls to use during your trial, then.” Laventon handed Kalim 20 PokeBalls. “These PokeBalls may be handcrafted, but they work great, as you’ve already seen!”

“I guess you’re all finally ready,” Akari inserted herself back into the conversation. “You’ll have to leave the village for the trial. Turn left after you exit headquarters, then head for the gate.”

“We’ll be there,” Vil said.

“What about breakfast though,” Ruggie whined.

“Maybe she forgot,” Epel slightly questioned.

“I think we should stop at The Wallflower just to get something light to eat,” Ortho voiced his opinion. The rest of the group agreed and left the headquarters.

……

Location: Outlands of Obsidian Fieldlands

“That person Volo was quite strange,” Malleus voices his thoughts. 

“I agree,” Vil nodded his head. “To almost come out of nowhere and demand a battle out of us was not a welcoming experience.”

“Good thing Rook stepped up to take the battle,” Trey sighed.

“Chouette de chasse(Hunter’s owl) and I do make a pretty good team,” Rook petted the Rowlet that was on his shoulder.

“I thought I said to not give the creatures nicknames,” Riddle fumed.

“Ah, but Roi des Roses, I couldn’t help myself,” Rook confessed. “Especially after how well we battled together!”

“It’s incredible though that the Pokemon are able to level up and learn new moves,” Lilia looked at the Pokemon that was happily following Silver. “They do seem to be quite intelligent.”

“Maybe people fear Pokemon since they aren’t able to communicate with them well,” Cater wondered out loud.

“How much longer is this going to take,” Idia complained. He certainly did not appreciate all the walking. 

“Based on the map, we have about 2 kilometers left before we reach Obsidian Fieldlands,” Ortho answered.

“We should find a Pokemon that you could ride on,” Kalim jokes.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Jamil muttered.

“The nature is beautiful,” Jade commented, he was looking at the greenery as the group walked by.

“It doesn’t seem like another village is anywhere in distance,”Jack observed. “And I don’t smell any other people around.”

“How old fashioned is this world,” Ace sighed. “We’re lucky our phones still kinda work.”

……

Location: Obsidian Fieldlands

“So this is our base camp⎼the last safe haven before you reach the wilds,” Akari explained not to soon after the group arrived. “For your trial, you must catch three species of Pokemon: Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx! Are you ready to get started?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Leona answered with a yawn.

“Oh, Professor,” Akari exclaimed when she saw Laventon approach the group. 

“Ah, well, you see…” Laveton looked down with a somewhat sad look on his face. “Captain Cyllene got a hold of me after you all left… She impressed upon me that I bear full responsibility for whatever happens to ‘our sudden guests’.”

“That’s our merciless captain,” Akari shook her head, unsurprised. “But what help exactly can you offer out here, Professor?”

“My dear girl, I don’t intend to lift a finger,” Laventon answered honestly and Akari’s eye twitched. “Our new friends’ talents are the real deal. He’ll pass with flying colors⎼you’ll see!”

“He sure has a lot of faith in us,” Ruggie snickered.

“Ah,” Akari dryly smiled with her eyes closed. “So the responsibility for them still lies, in fact, with me, then. Well, I’m sure that they’ll be fine! Let’s begin with the trial!” Akari turns and starts to walk towards a dirt path. The group follows her, slightly concerned for her. She stops at the top of the dirt path and looks out over the land.

“This is Aspiration Hill,” Akari elucidates. “The species of Pokemon you’re meant to catch all live here.” Everyone looked out over the land and some spotted a small rodent-like Pokemon along the dirt path. “And along comes a Bidoof! Time to get ready to catch it. The key is to aim carefully. Not that you seem to need my advice⎼I’m just sharing what I know. Bidoof has a mellow disposition. That means it tends not to run from people, so this’ll be easy!”

“Hey Kalim,” Epel called. “Could you pass me a PokeBall?”

“Yeah, sure,” Kalim gives Epel a PokeBall and Epel walks down the dirt path to where the Bidoof was. Epel took a deep breath and threw the PokeBall at the Bidoof’s head. The PokeBall opened up and the Bidoof went inside. The ball spun a few times before the halo of stars appeared.

“You caught a Bidoof,” Akari cheered. “Well done, Epel! Now it’s time for the next Pokemon.” Epel went and picked up the PokeBall and placed it in his satchel. He caught up to the group who were looking at a small bird Pokemon. “There’s a Starly. They’re skittish little things⎼they’ll run if startled. But you should be able to get close to them if you crouch⎼you’ll be harder to spot!”

“Kalim, toss me a PokeBall,” Cater requested. Kalim tossed a PokeBall to Cater and he went to the patch of tall grass. He crouched down and got as close to the Starly as he could, then threw the PokeBall. The Starly went into the PokeBall and was easily caught. Cater ran up to the PokeBall and picked it up.

“That’s Starly caught as well,” Akari noted. “Only one more Pokemon to go.” They continued down the path. Ace spotted a wild leek that he picked up. “I forgot⎼there’s something I ought to teach you, since you’re still new to this! Throw your Pokemon’s ball at rocks⎼or trees like this one⎼to have it investigate. If your Pokemon finds any berries or other items, it’ll bring them to you! We’ve now reached your final hurdle: catching a Shinx.”

“Let’s go Cider,” Epel says as he throws Bidoof’s PokeBall at the base of the tree. The Bidoof comes out of its ball and climbs up the tree. A few moments later, it climbs back down the tree and gives Epel the berries it found, then it returns to its PokeBall and Epel catches the ball.

“That was something,” Malleus mumbled. He was very fascinated by this new world and the Pokemon that inhabited it. He was also excited to get some Pokemon of his own.

“There. That’s Shinx,” Akari points out a Pokemon a bit further down the path. The Pokemon in question gave out a roar. “Shinx has an aggressive disposition. Could you already tell that?”

“Not really,” Floyd said. “It looks squeezable.”

“Not to worry,” Akari smiled. “These things become clear once you focus on the Pokemon around you. Once aggressive Pokemon get irate, they’ll knock aside any ball you throw at them. Don’t worry, though! I’ll teach you the trick to catching aggressive Pokemon! You’ve got to battle them! Once they’re absorbed with battling, you can throw a PokeBall at them to try to catch them! By now, you’ve got several Pokemon of your own, don’t you?”

“You were there when we got the Pokemon,” Azul sweat-dropped.

“Take your Pokemon’s PokeBall and throw it near a wild Pokemon you want to battle,” Akari continued, ignoring Azul. “I’ve got no doubt you’ll hold your own in battle!”

“I’m gonna take a crack at battling,” Epel said, stepping closer to the Shinx. The Shinx noticed Epel and charged at him. Epel grabbed his PokeBall that contained his Pokemon and threw it at the Shinx. “Let’s go Cider!”

“I thought we weren’t gonna name them,” Riddle shouted in frustration. The wild Shinx had used Quick Attack on the Bidoof. 

“Cider, use Rollout,” Epel commanded. His Bidoof used Rollout on the wild Shinx. The Shinx had used Quick Attack again. Epel had his Bidoof use Rollout again.

“He seems like a natural,” Rook praised.

Ortho had taken a look at the Pokemon’s health bar, “Epel, you can try to catch it now.”

“Thanks, Ortho,” Epel thanked him. Epel pulled out a PokeBall that he had hidden in his satchel and threw it at the Shinx. The Shinx went into the PokeBall and moved a few times before the ring of stars appeared. The Shinx was caught. 

“You all approached those Pokemon without a hint of fear… and caught each one,” Akari exclaimed. “You’re like a gift from the sky dropped to us!”

“We did fall from the sky though,” Cater pointed out.

“With you at our side, I think the Survey Corps has a real chance of compiling a complete Pokedex as we’ve been ordered,” Akari cheered. “This is wonderful! I’m still curious why on earth you came falling from the sky like you did… but for now, let’s tell the professor we’re ready to head back!” The group walked back up the dirt path to the base camp where the professor was.

“I said you’d pass the trial with flying colors, and it seems you all went and did just that,” Laventon praised. “Congratulations, everyone! You’ve taken your first step toward seeking out every Pokemon! This calls for a commemorative photograph.” Laventon pulled out a camera and took a picture of the group.

“With skills like yours, I suppose this was a foregone conclusion,” Akari praised.

“Hey, weren’t you just bashing us,” Ace said.

“Ace, calm yourself,” Riddle scolded. “I see where you are coming from, but the trial is over now.”

“Whatever,” Ace mutters.

“Now then, we’d best report to Captain Cyllene,” Laventon states. “Time to head back to Jubilife Village, eh?”

“Do we have to walk all the way back,” Idia questioned.

“I brought Ponyta drawn carriages for us to ride back in,” Laventon smiled.

“Ponyta…” Silver lets the Pokemon’s name roll off the tip of his tongue.

“Come on, let’s go,” Akari laughs as she runs over to the carriages. 

“This is so cool,” Epel exclaims as he starts to run over to the carriages pulling Jack along with him. Deuce and Ace look at each other and run to catch up to Epel and Jack. The rest of the group walks behind the four first years. Once everyone is settled into the carriages, they take off back to Jubilife Village.

...to be continued

Having adult money is hard... I side quested too hard and ended up with 4 volumes of the Heartslabyul Manga. The only plus is I get payed pto for the day of side questing, well... I did finish the main quest I went put for😁

I did pass up the Heartslabyul novel, but I will come back for it😈

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.infinitycow.eplay

I don’t understand this, do you want me to download the or what? I took a look at it and I do not like it

Chapter 4: Squeezing the Commander

Masterlist

3rd POV…

Location: Jubilife Village

“In time, you’ll be able to send Pokemon you’ve caught to live in the village pastures,”Akari explains to the group as they head through the gate that surrounds Jubilife Village. “You can bring up to six Pokemon with you into the field, in theory. Though we’ve never had anyone skilled enough to do so!”

“Come now, you two⎼let’s not dilly dally,” Laventon calls out from in front of Akari and the group. “Captain Cyllene awaits our report at headquarters.”

“I bet Captain Cyllene will be very pleased,” Akari tells the group. “You guys are currently making history!” Akari runs to join Laventon as they continue to walk to the headquarters building.

“Hey, Jack,” Epel calls the wolf beastman. 

“Yeah,” Jack answers Epel. The two fall back from the group heading to the headquarters building. Epel goes into his satchel and pulls out a PokeBall.

“I think you should have this Shinx,” Epel says as he hands Jack the PokeBall.

“Are you sure,” Jack asks.

“I’m sure,” Epel looks down, becoming bashful. “I stepped up to the Shinx to give it to you. I think the Pokemon would benefit from being on your team.”

“Thank you,” Jack thanks him. “You didn’t have to.” Jack puts the Shinx PokeBall into his satchel. They both fist pump and go to catch up with the rest of the group.

“So do we now get to nickname the Pokemon,” Cater teases Riddle. Riddle huffs, his face slowly turning red with embarrassment.

“Cater,” Trey warned.

“What I’m just asking,” Cater grins. “Besides, it’s not like Riddle is gonna use his signature spell right in front of the villagers.”

“Do we even have magic here,” Deuce had asked, he was slightly walking behind Trey and Cater. 

“Trey, you should use your signature spell next time we get food from The Wallflower,” Cater suggested.

“That’s a good idea,” Trey agreed. “Especially because it would be the least noticeable magic, in case any villagers would happen to be in The Wallflower at the same time as us.”

“Hey, let’s hurry up and go to the headquarters,” Riddle called Trey and Cater. They both look at each other then at Riddle.

“We still are walking at the same pace as the rest of the group,” Cater snickered.

“I knew that,” Riddle’s face began to turn red. The group walked up the steps to enter the headquarters.

“It seems we won’t leave you all to die,” Cyllene says as she looks up at the group entering her office. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks, Captain,” Deuce says. Ace looks at him funny and Deuce shrugs him off.

“You’ve all passed your trail,” Cyllene continued. “You can all hold on to that satchel. I must admit you’ve impressed me. I set a high hurdle to judge whether strangers like yourselves could be worthy, but you cleared it. This is yours⎼the official uniform of the Survey Corps.” Cyllene hands out Survey Corps uniforms and uniform sandals to the entire group. “Get changed in the rooms you used last night. Then you’re to report at once to the third floor. Present yourselves in uniform to our commander. This is your first official order from your captain!”

“Yes ma’am,” Malleus smiles. He was the first to leave, with Sebek and Silver behind him. The rest of the group filed out of Cyllene’s office and out of the headquarters. 

“I can’t wait to try this one,” Lilia crackled. Idia and Cater looked at Lilia with concern. The groups separated into their rooms and changed into the Survey Corps uniforms. They all met up outside of their rooms. 

“These don’t look that bad,” Vil sighed as he looked at this outfit. “And the material is of good quality.”

“They are pretty comfy,” Leona yawned. “Makes me want to take a nap.”

“Let’s go back to the headquarters,” Floyd cheered. “I can’t wait to show this off!”

“Look how well our Survey Corps uniform suits all of you,” Akari gushed as the group entered the headquarter’s building. “It’s almost as if the captain had it tailored just for you.”

“I see you’ve changed,” Cyllene observed as she came down the stairs. “Regarding your accommodations, you may continue to use the rooms you slept in last night. I had brought this for you all as well.” Cyllene had given the group a bunch of Survey Corps caps to go with their uniforms.

“Now present yourselves to the commander,” Cyllene instructed after she had approved of the uniform's completion. The group looked at one another wearily before filing up the stairs.

“Does anyone know where exactly we are supposed to go,” Idia meekly questioned.

“Since we are meeting the commander, doesn’t it make sense that we go all the way up,” Malleus answered Idia’s question with another question.

“To the top we go then,” Vil sighed. The group walked over to the other staircase to climb it.

“I have been waiting for you,” a voice booms as the group approaches the top of the staircase. The group enters the top office and sees a man wearing a black kimono with the bottom embroidered and a black gradient coat on his shoulders. His hair was slicked back. “I am Kamado, commander of the Galaxy Expedition Team! So, you are the new residents here.”

“Yes, we are,” Riddle spoke up. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

“I’ve been briefed on your situation⎼including how you fell from the rift in the sky,” Kamado stated. He had moved to where his arms were stretched out. “Now then… Let’s see what you’re made of! Face me in combat!”

“Now they’re speaking my language,” Floyd grins, as he steps up to Kamado. “I’m gonna enjoy squeezing you!” Floyd moves in to attack Kamado. Kamado avoids Floyd’s attack and flips him upside-down and tossed Floyd across the room.

“You’ve got vigor⎼I’ll give you that,” Kamado dusted himself off. “You need to work on your sumo technique, but I do see some potential…” Jade goes over to Floyd to help him up, both of the twins are wildly grinning and have mischief in their eyes.

“Don’t expect a warm welcome from everyone,” Kamado warned. “Naturally, some will be slow to trust an outsider who literally fell right out of the blue. The superstitious among us might see your arrival as a portent of disaster! But you passed the trial that was put to you. No matter how odd you may seem, you’re part of Jubilife Village now. Dedicate yourself to the work of the Galaxy Expedition Team, and complete the Pokedex! But I warn you all… Pokemon are terrifying creatures. Keep your wits about you as you work!” 

“Hey, can you all come back down to Cyllene’s office,” Akari poked her head into Kamado’s office. 

“They’ll be right down,” Kamado nods his head. “You are all dismissed.” The group went back down to Cyllene’s office.

“So the commander has also accepted you,” Cyllene observes. “But understand this… You begin as a No Star recruit among our ranks. In other words, you have no rank at all. Perform well as a member of the Survey Corps, and you will move up through the ranks.”

“Indeed,” Laventon agrees. “You see, the more you add to the Pokedex, the higher your rank will become. And working on the Pokedex will also, of course, bring you closer toward that goal of yours… to seek out every last Pokemon!”

“Here. You will need this,” Cyllene steps forward and hands Ortho something. 

“Downloading data,” Ortho says. “Reading file: PokeBall Recipe… A recipe for crafting PokeBalls from scratch. Download complete⎼sending file to everyone’s phones.”

“And ₽ 3,000 as well,” Cyllene handed the money to Jamil. “You will have to buy the necessary materials. Akari. You are an expert at crafting, yourself. Teach our new recruits what they need to know.”

“Of course, Captain Cyllene,” Akari accepts Cyllene’s orders. “ Now, as the experienced craftsperson here, let me explain a bit to start with. Crafting means making items with your own two hands. You can buy some items at the general store, but self-sufficiency is worth striving for! You can even make our most valuable tools: PokeBalls. Think where we’d be if we couldn’t do that! Let’s head to the craftworks.” Akari leaves Cyllene’s office. The group leaves the office as well.

“Now we can check that off our list,” Cater smiles. “That wasn’t too bad.”

“Did you see how the commander threw Floyd,” Epel asked with stars in his eyes. “That was awesome!”

“I can’t believe that happened,” Jamil sighed.

“I’m gonna go after the commander again,” Floyd stated.

“Let’s focus on the Pokemon first before picking fights with natives,” Azul says looking at Floyd.

“No fun,” Floyd whined.

“Well done earning a place in our team,” a voice congratulates the group as they exit the building. The group spots a lady with a blond strip in the middle of her hair. She was wearing a purple kimono with an apron around her waist. “My name is Anthe. I’m the local clothier. The professor asked that I ready you a change of clothes, so here you go! I do hope they fit.” Anthe had given the group Everyday Kimonos and Everyday Trousers. 

“Thank you so much,” Kalim smiled.

“You’re welcome,” Anthe smiled at Kalim. “I hope you’ll avail yourself of the village’s humble shops!” Anthe walks away from the group and Akari runs towards the group but stops with some distance between them.

“This way to the craftworks,” Akari waves them down like a madwoman. The group walks over to where Akari was and they all head over to the craftworks. “You can use the workbench here at the craftworks anytime you need to make an item in the village. And I’ll supply what you need to make your first PokeBalls once you’re ready to begin. Call it my way of saying congratulations on joining us! Just spend the money you got from the captain on clothes⎼or whatever you think is best.”

“So who’s gonna try crafting first,” Ace asked.

“Out of my way,” Leona growled. He approached the workbench after getting the crafting materials needed from Akari. Leona had decided to craft 10 PokeBalls.

Now that’s some fine craftsmanship,” Laventon smiles as he walks towards the craftworks. “Hard to believe this was your first time stepping up to the workbench, my boy! You’ll recall, of course, that Pokemon possess the odd power to shrink themselves down. With the PokeBalls we craft, we can make use of that power to catch them! All so that more Pokemon species can be duly recorded in a Pokedex. And on that note, here you are!” Laventon handed Leona a Pokedex.

“Reading file:Pokedex,” Ortho spoke. “ A volume for compiling the collected results of much Pokemon research. Professor Laventon continually adds to it with each report made on new Pokemon species.”

“I prepared this volume just for you,” Laventon beams. “I hope it aids you well in your aim to seek out all the Pokemon there are in this grand region!”

“You’ll have to complete lots of research tasks to help 

the professor fill out the Pokedex,” Akari adds. “The same goes for me, of course. I’ve got Pokemon to research, as a Survey Corps member.”

“I’d be all too happy to explain more about the research tasks I could use your assistance with,” Laventon offers. “Come join me at the Fieldlands Camp whenever you are ready.” Laventon, Akari, and the group start to walk over to the gate.

“Hey, excuse me⎼” a voice called out as the group walked passed headquarters. Jack and Epel heard the voice, so they separated from the group and headed over to the person who was calling out to the group.

“What’s up,” Jack asked as he and Epel were in front of the person. He was wearing a red guard uniform with a straw hat on his head.

“I’m Beauregard,” the man introduced himself. Jack and Epel did the same. “I couldn’t help but overhear… If you’re going to the Fieldlands Camp, would you mind taking care of a request for me? I’m standing guard, so I can’t leave my post.”

“Sure, what can we do to help you,” Epel questioned.

“Okay so, there’s this Pokemon called Wurmple,” Beauregard explained. “Have you guys heard of it?”

“Nope,” Jack answered, truthfully.

“Well, you see, I was having a chat with Professor  Laventon, and he told me that after a Pokemon gains a certain amount of experience through battling, it will sometimes change its appearance and become stronger. He said it was a phenomenon called Evolution. And so I decided I wanted to raise a Wurmple myself and have it evolve.”

“That sounds so cool,” Epel gushed and Jack nodded his head in agreement.

“Since it seems like you’re part of the Survey Corps,” Beauregard pauses for a bit and thinks. “If you catch a Wurmple, could you let me have it? There’ll be a reward in it for you, I promise. Just get me a Wurmple if you can!”

“We can definitely get you one,” Epel agreed to the request.

“I will be here at my post waiting then,” Beauregard smiled, and Jack and Epel went to catch back up to the rest of the group.

...to be continued

Chapter 1: Something isn't right

Masterlist

3rd POV… 

“So are you all ready to go,” Crowley asked Yuu. Yuu took their time to look around the Mirror Chamber. They looked at all of their friends that they had made during their stay in Twisted Wonderland. All of Yuu’s friends looked like they were on the verge of tears for they knew this day was coming but wasn’t ready for the day to come so soon. The only person who openly cried was Grim as he tried to squirm out of the grasp of Deuce. Yuu looked at Grim with tears starting to form in their eyes. To try to stop the notion of crying, Yuu shook their head. Turning to Crowley, Yuu nodded their head that they were ready to leave Twisted Wonderland and return to their own world.

“I sure will miss it here,” Yuu sighed. 

“Whenever you’re ready just step through the mirror and it will bring you back to your world,” Crowley instructs. Yuu takes a look at the mirror and back to all of their friends. Yuu had spent the last week spending time with all of their friends, but they feel as if it wasn’t enough time. Even now Yuu is still torn whether they want to stay in Twisted Wonderland or return to their family and friends. In the end, Yuu knows what they must do, even if it hurts them.

“Thank you so much Mr. Crowley,” Yuu turned to look at Crowley. “I’ve had a great time here, even after everything that has happened. I’m very grateful that you didn’t throw me off campus when the Dark Mirror revealed that I had no magic and let me become a student. I just hope that I’m able to take everything I learned here with me when I walk through the mirror.”

“You’re very welcome,” Crowley smiled. “You are by far one of the greatest students to have walked these halls. And as an educator, I am happy that I was able to see the great potential that you possess and granted you a way to be a student. I know the situation was the best, but I was very gracious.”

“That you were,” Yuu agreed. Yuu took a deep breath and walked towards the mirror. Yuu had flashbacks of their time spent in Twisted Wonderland, from all of the unnecessary work that got pushed on them to the overblots to events and going off campus, Yuu cherished all their memories. But would they still be memories once they walk through the mirror. Yuu continues to walk through the mirror, silently saying ‘goodbye’ to everyone again. And just like that Yuu had made it back to their would.

……

“Yuu… wake up…” A voice called for Yuu. The voice sounded familiar to Yuu as they tried to open their eyes. Once they opened their eyes, they were welcomed with a bright white light. 

“Oh, Yuu is waking up,” another familiar voice said. “We gotta ask them what to do with this little guy.”

“What, I’m not little,” a voice that sounded like Grim complained. At the sound of the voice that sounded like Grim, Yuu’s eyes finally adjusted to the light and began to move around to sit up. The two familiar voices moved to help Yuu to sit up. Once sitting up, Yuu was able to take in their surroundings and the people in the area with them. 

“Finally you’re awake,” the first voice said. Yuu looked at them and it was their male childhood friend. Yuu looked at the other person and it was their female friend that they had met a few years back on a school trip. The female friend was holding a squirming Grim.

“Uh, Grim, what are you doing here,” Yuu asked. Grim had stopped struggling in their friend’s arms at the question.

“I couldn’t be separated from my henchman,” Grim huffed. “And besides, I don’t wanna become the greatest mage of all time without you by my side, so I broke out of Deuce’s arms and went through the mirror after you. I think the others followed but I’m not sure where they are.”

“I hope they didn’t end up somewhere bad,” Yuu sighed.

“Who’s they and who’s this cat,” the male friend asked. 

“You might think I’m crazy, but it’s a really long story,” Yuu replied, not quite sure how to answer. If Grim was in their world that means that Twisted Wonderland still exists and there was a way between worlds. Maybe if Crowley didn’t create a one-way mirror and instead made a two-way mirror, there would be no need for the long and tear filled goodbyes.

“Well, whatever the story is, I’m glad you’re okay,” the male friend smiled.

“It’s really a miracle,” Yuu’s female friend said. “You were in a coma for a few months now and the doctors were not sure if you would ever wake up.”

“Wow, how'd I even end up in a coma,” Yuu asked, trying to recall the moments before they had woken up in Twisted Wonderland.

“According to the reports, you had a heart attack while in the mall shopping,” the male friend responded. “The mall was being robbed by a gang and you almost got caught in the cross-fire.”

“Ah, I don’t really remember that,” Yuu stated honestly.

“Yeah, the doctor said that might happen,” the female friend sighed. “But most of your memories are still there, right?”

“Yep, I still have all my other memories,” Yuu smiled and their friends also smiled. Yuu wondered what happened to the others that went through the mirror.

……

Darkness is all that could be seen. It felt like they were just floating through a void.

“Commencing scan for life forms,” a robotic voice said. He had just opened his eyes to see complete darkness surrounding him.

“Ortho is that you,” a scared voice called out. ‘Ortho’ turned to where the voice called out to him. Suddenly there was a bright light that appeared in the direction the voice came from. Ortho was able to make out his brother, Idia, thanks to the light. Idia was also able to make out Ortho, then Idia looked behind himself to look at the light. Ortho moved towards his brother.

“I don’t think this is Yuu’s world,” Ortho observes. 

“You might be right on that,” Idia sighed. “Are there any other people here?”

“According to my scans, only you and I are here,” Ortho reported. “I think we should go into the light to see where it takes us.”

“I guess we can go check it out,” Idia grumbled as the pair started moving towards the light. The light kept getting brighter the close the pair was and soon they were able to hear voices coming from the light. 

“Would you let go of me,” a voice shouted from the light. 

“No I won’t you’re why we’re here in the first place,” another voice shouted back. “If you just would have kept your grip on Grim, we wouldn’t had to chase him through the mirror!”

“The light sounds like Ace and Deuce,” Ortho observed.

“It sure does,” Idia agrees. The light blinds them and consumes them completely. When they open their eyes, they are on a platform with the other students from the school. As Idia looked around the new area, it reminded him of a video game shrine. There were stone columns and statues, and in front of everyone there was a huge throne that was currently empty.

“Oi, knuckleheads,” Leona called out to Ace and Deuce. “Be quiet for a moment. Something seems off.”

“There are a lot of things that are off,” Vil rolled his eyes. “Like the fact that we are the only ones here and there are no signs of Yuu or Grim being here.”

“Something had happened with the mirror when we went through,” Azul theorized.

“Aww, that means I can’t squeeze Shrimpy,” Floyd whined.

“We have a bit more important things to worry about,” Jade shook his head. 

“Like figuring out where we are and how to get back,” Trey added. Soon the ground starts to rumble and a bright gold light appears in the room. Everyone stares at it in curiosity. The gold light moves to where it is in front of the throne.

“Welcome to my realm,” the light greets. “Located beyond both time and space.”

“Um, bright lights aren’t supposed to talk,” Idia stuttered.

“Let’s just see what it wants,” Riddle says, not looking away from where the light is.

“But didn’t it just say that we are beyond time and space,” Ruggie questioned.

“It sure did,” Malleus confirmed.

“It is well that thou art here”, the light continued. “I am that which humans call Arceus.”

“What kind of name is Arceus,” Epel wondered out loud.

“What if it’s like a God or something,” Cater reasoned.

“I’ve never heard of Arceus, though,” Lilia pondered. 

“Soon thou shalt find thyselves in a world strange to thee…” ‘Arceus’ states. “A world inhabited by wondrous creatures that humans call ‘Pokemon’.”

“Yeah, something definitely went wrong with the mirror,” Jamil sweat drops.

“I’ve never heard Yuu once talk about ‘pokemon’,” Ace adds.

“You all…” the light pauses. “Seek out all Pokemon, and thou shalt find me once more.”

“Hey, wait,” Riddle yells as light consumes all of them. They appear in darkness once more and sparkling small lights surround them and even some attach themselves to Ortho. In front of them appears a big bright light that takes the form of a strange being, one that could only be Arceus. Sparks come from Ortho as his programming changes and code gets added to it. Soon all of the smaller lights orbit towards the Arceus light figure and everything gets covered in light again.

“WAKE UP,” a voice yells. “Ohhh… Do wake up, won’t you?”

“I’ll wake up when you stop yelling,” Leona growls and others start to wake up and shift around. 

“Are you alive, my boy,” the voice says as Ace opens his eyes and sees three weird animals in front of him. He immediately sits up as he lets out a shriek, moving away from the three animals. Hearing Ace let out the shriek, everyone else moves around to see what Ace was freaking out about. Behind the pokemon was a man wearing a lavender beanie with a pompom at the top of the hat and a tacky outfit under a lab coat. Everyone got up and dusted themselves off.

“How’d we land on a beach,” Kalim asked, looking around. 

“It might have been that Arceus fellow,” Silver replied. 

“You guys gave me quite the shock, falling from the sky like that…” the guy wearing the lab coat cautiously smiles. “But thank goodness, you all seem to be unharmed!”

“We fell from the sky,” Sebek yells. Everyone looks at the guy wearing the lab coat in shock.

“For falling from the sky, I don’t feel any pain,” Jack says as he moves around to see if anything hurts.

“Man this just keeps getting weirder,” Ace huffs. “Anyways, who are you?”

“I’d like to ask you the same,” the guy responded back.

“But I asked you first,” Ace argued.

“Yeah, but… you all fell out of the sky,” the guy frowns. “Come now⎼who in the world does that?!”

“Ace, he has a point,” Trey sighs and shakes his head.

“I must say, your clothing is…” the guy pauses to look at everyone’s outfits. They were all still wearing their Night Raven uniforms. “Unusual. You wouldn’t happen to have an acquaintance in these parts, would you?”

“Nope, not at all,” Deuce walked next to Ace. “We had no idea where we are.”

“I see…” the guy pauses to think of what to say next. “You seem to be in a bit of a pickle. Might I offer you some directions? Do you have somewhere around here you could stay?”

“No we don’t,” Ace frowns. “And you still haven’t said who you are. You’re avoiding my question by asking questions.”

“So you don’t know anyone here, and you don’t even know where to spend the night…” the guys thinks out loud.

“I say we just leave this bumbling idiot,” Leona yawns. “This is getting nowhere.”

“Finally something we can agree upon,” Vil says.

“I think Monsieur Blouse de Laboratoire could help us,” Rook objected. “Besides he does seem to be a resident in this world. It would be helpful to get all the information we can from him.”

“I’ve got it,” the guy smiles. Ace and Deuce take a step back in surprise of the guys outburst. “Well, no gentleman would abandon people in such need!”

“Oh, no,” Ruggie pales. “It’s another Headmaster!”

“I wonder if this is how Yuu felt when they ended up in our world,” Lilia giggles.

“Now's not the time to be giggling,” Cater glanced at Lilia, causing Lilia to burst out laughing.

“Fat⎼Lilia, now is not the time to laugh,” Silver says. The animals that were by the guy wearing the lab coat made some noises since they were feeling neglected. Everyone turned their attention to look at them.

“Oh my, I’d completely forgotten,” the guy says. “I had just caught up to these three runaway Pokemon when you all tumbled out of the sky… It’s almost as if they knew you’d appear here! Ah, but do you even know what a Pokemon is?”

“Not really,” Epel said. 

“We heard of them but don’t know what they are,” Riddle adds in. 

“You… you don’t,” the guy was shocked. “You all truly have traveled a long way, haven’t you?”

“You would not believe how far,” Leona muttered.

“Well, these three here are what we call Pokemon,” the guy explained. “Very mysterious creatures, you see. How marvelous!”

“They all look so adorable,” Kalim coos at the Pokemon.

“I wanna try to squeeze them,” Floyd commented.

“Oh yes…” the guy remembers something. “What might your names be?”

“You still haven’t told us who you are,” Ace shouted, feeling frustrated at being ignored.

“Let’s just all introduce ourselves,” Trey sighs. “Maybe then we can get some actual answers from him.” Some of the guys groaned but complied, they went one by one introducing themselves.

“What lovely names,” the guy complimented. “They must have wonderful meanings. Oh, but I do apologize! I haven’t even introduced myself!”

“I wanna fight him,” Ace goes to move towards the guy but Deuce catches his arm and stops Ace’s advance.

“My name is Laventon,” the guy introduces himself. “I am something of a Pokemon Professor. That is to say, I’m a scholar seeking to deepen our understanding of Pokemon. Just like these three Poke⎼” The three Pokemon that were by Laventon’s side ran off.

“Looks like they ran away,” Jade observed. “I don’t think they like you.”

“Blast and bother,” Laventon cursed. “My darling Pokemon! Why must you run from me again?! I’m terribly sorry, but do you think you could help me round them up? I beg you!”

“I mean we have nothing else better to do,” Vil sighed. “We can’t really do anything without an understanding of this world in order to find a way back to Twisted Wonderland. After we get back there we can go after Grim and Yuu.”

“That sounds like a good plan, Vil,” Azul agreed.

“Let’s go catch some Pokemon,” Kalim cheered. The ‘professor’ went to go chase the run away Pokemon. They all looked at each other before walking in the direction the Pokemon and ‘professor’ went. The group walked a bit before Idia noticed Ortho glowing.

“Hey, wait just a moment,” Idia stops the group. “Something is wrong with Ortho.” Everyone stopped walking to look at Ortho.

“Downloading data,” Ortho said.

“Huh, I wonder what kind of data he’s downloading,” Azul pondered.

“I bestow upon thee this Arc data file and thy mission: seek out all Pokemon,” Ortho says, but the voice sounds like Arceus.

“I don’t even know how that happened,” Idia freaked out. “Oh my sevens, Ortho, are you alright?”

“Downloading complete,” Ortho says, having his normal voice back. “I am doing fine, brother. Let’s just continue.”

“Alright,” Idia says unsure. The group continued on the path, some looking around their surroundings. 

“It doesn’t look like there are any towns or cities in this world,” Ruggie pointed out. 

“Maybe that Laventon guy can help us find some shelter or something,” Jack suggested.

“I wonder if Grim made it to Yuu’s world,” Deuce said. 

“We wouldn’t be in this mess if you could’ve kept your grip on him,” Ace frowned. 

“Ace that’s enough,” Trey scolded.

“Whatever man,” Ace huffed and laid off Deuce. He ended up walking in front of the group.

“Alas… Yet another miss,” Laventon sighs. The group had finally caught up with him. Laventon turns around and sees the group behind him. “I’m glad you’ve come to my rescue, my new friends from the sky! I tried catching my little runaways by tossing some PokeBalls their way, but I’m not the best at this sort of thing, you see…”

“So you want us to help you catch them,” Jamil questioned.

“Yes, of course,” Laventon smiles. “But first let me tell you a bit about these three first. Now, that one is Rowlet! Rowlet can photosynthesize like a plant, and apparently it battles using its sharp feathers. That one over there is Cyndaquil! The fire burning on Cyndaquil’s back will flare up whenever it is surprised or irate. The Pokemon near the pond is Oshawott. Oshawott naps while floating on the water, and it can battle using the shell-like object on its belly!”

“So the Pokemon have breed names, or are they like their actual names,” Kalim questioned.

“Once we find out more about Pokemon,” Azul answered. “I have a feeling that we’ll be here for a while.”

“Oh my,” Laventon gasps. “I nearly forgot to cover the most crucial thing⎼how to go about catching Pokemon! Here you are: PokeBalls! Throw these at Pokemon to catch them.”

“Oui, Monsieur Heart, could you hand me one of those PokeBalls,” Rook asked.

“Uh, sure,” Ace hands Rook a few PokeBalls. 

“Going through new file: PokeBalls,” Ortho said. “ A mysterious ball that can be thrown at wild Pokemon in order to catch them. These balls can be crafted by hand if you gather the necessary materials.”

“Fascinating,” Jade said. “I think that the data Ortho downloaded was information about this world. So we can better navigate it.”

“I think your right on that,” Idia agreed.

“So we just throw the PokeBalls at the Pokemon to catch them,” Epel asked.

“It does make the most sense,” Silver commented. “Ace, may I also have a few PokeBalls?”

“Sure,” Ace responded. “Does anyone else want any?”

“I’ll take some,” Azul spoke up. Silver and Azul walked up to Ace so they could get PokeBalls. Silver looked to where the Pokemon were supposed to be and spotted Cyndaquil. Silver decided to cautiously walk up to it with a PokeBall in his hand.

“So all I have to do is throw it at them,” Silver whispered to himself as he lightly tossed the PokeBall in his hand, trying not to scare the Cyndaquil. As Silver approached the Cyndaquil, he crouched down to be able to get closer to it. He took a deep breath and threw the PokeBall at the Pokemon. The Pokemon became smaller and went inside the PokeBall. The PokeBall landed on the ground and moved some before a circle of stars formed around the ball.

“Oh, how wonderful,” Laventon smiles. “You’ve caught a Pokemon!” Silver stood up, walked over to where the Pokeball was and picked it up.

“Isn’t that something,” Silver smiled.

“Alright, it doesn’t seem that complicated,” Azul smirked. “I would like to go next.” He walked over to the small pond where the Oshawott was. The Oshawott spotted Azul as soon as he got near the pond and started to run in circles. Once the Oshawott stopped running, Azul crouched down and moved a bit closer to it. Azul then threw the PokeBall at the Pokemon. The Oshawott was hit with the PokeBall and went inside of it. The ball landed on the ground and moved a few times before a ring of stars appeared.

“Good job Azul,” Laventon congratulated Azul. “You caught the Pokemon!”

“That was kinda fun,” Azul said while smiling at the PokeBall. He went to pick the PokeBall up.

“Looks like it is my turn,” Rook says. He moves swiftly to where the Rowlet is. He hides behind a tree for a bit before slowly making his way to the Rowlet. Once Rook gets close, he throws the PokeBall. The Pokemon goes into the PokeBall, but just as the PokeBall closes, it opens again and the Pokemon removes itself from the PokeBall.

“Ah, yes,” Laventon frowns. “I’m afraid that can happen… Since PokeBall are fairly new, the rate of successfully catching a Pokemon can vary depending on the type of Pokemon.”

“Let’s try again then,” Rook stated to himself. He saw some bushes to the left of them and moved to hide in them. He waited a bit for the Rowlet to come towards the bush. Once the Pokemon was close enough to the bush, Rook threw another PokeBall. This time the Rowlet was captured by the PokeBall. Rook smiled to himself as he went to get the PokeBall. Rook, Silver, and Azul came back to the group and handed Laventon the PokeBalls.

“Thank you very much,” Laventon said gratefully. “What a relief to have them all back. I wasn’t sure what I would do if they weren’t caught. You see, the three Pokemon you three caught have only just arrived at the village to help with our research. They won’t yet listen to anyone.”

“So they are like wild animals,” Malleus muttered.

“And as I mentioned, they bolted from the village almost as if they knew you’d come falling…” Laventon continued. “But I must say, I was taken aback by how well you three used those PokeBalls. It was almost like second nature, especially because you don’t seem to be from here. One can’t help but think there’s a reason you appeared here and now…”

“I wonder what the reason would be,” Deuce thought out loud.

“Maybe these ‘Pokemon’ can overblot and we need to stop them,” Ace suggested.

“The irony of that happening is unreal,” Cater sighed. “I really hope that isn’t the case though. I didn’t like dealing with overblots.”

“You only dealt with like two of them,” Ace fumed.

“Well we did get a message saying to “Seek out all Pokemon”. That might have something to do with us being here,” Ortho said to Laventon.

“Hmm, seek out all Pokemon,” Laventon repeated back. “That sure is interesting. If you’ll indulge me for a moment, there’s something I’d like to share with you.”

“Sure, we got nothing else better to do,” Leona grunted.

“Would it hurt you to be a bit nicer,” Vil sighed.

“Would it hurt you to leave me alone,” Leona shot back.

“You see, I have a dream⎼” Laventon stated. “A dream to compile this region’s first complete record of its Pokemon! We in the field call such a catalog a Pokedex. A proper Pokedex is a wonderful work of research, containing detailed records of all the Pokemon to be found in a region! In order to properly document Pokemon, one must, of course, catch them. There is one flaw to the Pokedex though. PokeBalls have only just recently been invented, and not many people have mastered the skill of using them.”

“So do you want us to help you complete the Pokedex,” Ruggie asked. “There are a bunch of us and we all could easily wipe it out.”

“Wakasama would be doing no such thing,” Sebek shouted.

“There now Sebek,” Lilia said. “I think it would be a good experience for Malleus to participate in.”

“Your goal is to seek out every Pokemon, and mine is to have all those Pokemon caught,” Laventon says, interrupting the argument. “A situation ripe for teamwork, don’t you agree?”

“I don’t think it would be considered teamwork if we do all of the work,” Floyd pointed out.

“Come now,” Laventon smiles. “Shall we help one another out?”

“I guess, since it doesn’t seem like we have any other choice,” Riddle sighed.

“Then whoever and from wherever you may be, I welcome you with open arms,” Laventon declares. “We’ve got a Pokedex to complete!”

“Man, this guy kinda talks like a npc,” Idia commented.

“Let’s not focus on that right now,” Azul says.

“Now⎼let’s get these Pokemon back to the village,” Laventon states. “Then we’ll sort out your lodgings, find you some proper clothes, a meal, and all that. Follow me! Onward to Jubilife Village!”

“We get free food too?!” Ruggie exclaimed. “I like this guy.”

...to be continued