The Pestering Portal
Part One
by Shastao
-
Chapter 1
-
A duo of adventurers, one clad in light blue robes, bearing the
visage of a wise magician, the other in black-and-grey lightweight
armor, with a sheathed katana at his side. The two were travelling
through a forest that day, a thickly-foliated dark side of the woods,
and going through the forest by a conviniently marked path.
As they were walking, they suddenly felt a tingle in their spines,
and subsequently found themselves among foliage of a much lighter
color, and they were standing on a path, since they had stopped
because of the spine tingle.
"The hell?" asked the one in blue.
"...Mm?" replied his companion, the one in black-grey armor.
"Where are we?"
"...Maybe a lighter part of this forest?" suggested the one in
armor.
"...That suddenly?"
"Maybe..."
"But this place doesn't seem right..." the one in blue trailed off
as a rustling in the nearby bushes was heard. A rounded, yellow head
with long pointy ears stared at the duo from the bushes.
"...What the hell is that?" asked the one in grey, gesturing at it.
"I have *no* idea. Let me try an ESP spell," responded the other.
Suddenly the rodent-looking yellow creature piped up.
"Pika pika!"
The blue-clad figure makes a few mystical passes and mutters
something under his breath and stares at the yellow rodent for a few
minutes. During this time, the rodent hops onto the path the duo are
travelling.
After the figure looked up, his companion asked him a question.
"...What IS that?"
"A... Pikachu."
"A what?"
"Pikachu. Some sort of lightning mouse."
At which point, the creature interjected with a "Pi ka!".
"...and what's it doing here?"
"First off, I think we're somewhere completely different. There's
a lot of things like this, and people train them to fight and stuff.
So at a guess, I'd say it belongs here."
"Like dogs?"
"Kinda..." trailed the one in blue.
"Pika chu," the little electric mouse stated.
"...And these people. Could be found...?" inquired the armored
one.
"Not sure. Although I don't think there's many people outside of
towns."
"...Perhaps we should find a town and find out where the hell we
are, then."
"Good idea. Which way do we try?" asked the one in blue. The
armored one blinked.
"Forward?"
"Works," the blue one said, and the duo set off, leaving the
pikachu behind.
"Pika pi?" the pikachu asked rhetorically, with a perk of it's ear.
It then returned to the undergrowth, minding it's own business.
-
Chapter 2
-
That night, the two had set up camp on the edge of the forest.
Both were relaxing by a campfire under the open night sky. The one
in blackgrey, the warrior, started up a conversation with his
travelling companion as they both stared at the sky. "...Do you
really think we're somewhere else than before?"
"I'm not sure, but with the images and such I got...", trailed off
the one in blue, the mage.
"Yeah. Never heard of that...thing...whatever it is...before."
"Pikachu. And neither had I."
"...So, if this is a different world, what are we doing here?"
"No idea. Probably some sort of portal. Don't know why we didn't
see it."
"Yeah, and you're the mage."
"I wasn't looking for magic, okay?" After that, the duo stared
at the sky, wondering where they were, and drifted into sleep.
* * * * *
The next morning, the warrior shook himself awake. "...mm...GAH!
BRIGHT SUN BURNING MY EYES!", he yelled.
"Ugh. Morning," said his mage companion.
"...Oh. My dreams. Nevermind. But it is morning," the warrior
stated, while getting ready to pack and eat a breakfast at the same
time. "Sleep well?" he asked, trying to make conversation.
"About as well as usual," the mage replied, continuing to prepare
for travel while idly thumbing through his spellbook.
"Alright," the warrior said. The two begun to walk on down the
path, albeit occasionally eye-rubbing, but regardless they trudged
on towards a sighted town nearby under a partially cloudy sky.
* * * * *
The duo neared the town. The sun rose higher in it's course
through the sky, and they met up with a local youth, perhaps no
older than 8 or 9 years, dressed in modern clothing. When the
youth saw the duo he had a doubletake.
"Hey, it ain't Halloween, y'know," the youth said, after recovering
from his doubletake. The warrior considering saying something, but
stopped himself from saying it. "What kind of costume is that,
anyway?" the youth asked.
"It's not. And you look normal, I suppose?" asked the mage to the
youth.
"I'm in style, pointy-ear."
"...Style? And don't call me pointy-ear," said the mage, pulling
his hood more over his face suddenly.
"...The latest fads. Well, your ears *are* pointy," the youth
replied.
"...", went the warrior.
"...And I suppose you're a wizard? Even though magic doesn't exist,
Mother says," the youth stated to the mage.
"You'd suppose right."
The kid had a large amount of sudden sarcasm. "Oh, and I suppose
you
could turn me into a frog."
"...Yes. But I won't."
"...Right. I'll be going now...", replied the youth, scurrying back
to town.
"Hmm... I think discretion is advised," said the mage, half-to
himself.
"...mm?" replied his companion.
"Okay, magic doesn't seem to be known here. I don't think we want
to be singled out as freaks, and I especially don't want to know what
they'd do to a mage," the blue-robed one said, taking a moment to
reflect on his studies about primitive cultures and their possible
reactions to the forces of magic. "Some sort of illusion might be
useful."
"...What do you suggest, Mage Sotek?"
"I'm thinking," Sotek said, and begun to do so out loud. "Hmm.
Change Self, but that won't last long, and only works on me anyway,
other than that... hmm. I guess... a Seeming."
"...mm?" his companion asked.
Sotek explained. "One of my most powerful illusion spells. It'll
make us look different, enough so that we won't be recognized as being
too unusual. And it should last for several hours."
"...Sounds good, but how do you know what to make us look like?"
"...Good point. Well, I can tell that humans are ordinary, so I
mask my elven features, and make you look somewhat different in case
we run into that kid again... Hmm. Clothing may be a bit of a
problem. I could try extrapolating from what that kid was wearing, or
I could try a Clairvoyance into the town first."
"...Whatever you wish, as long as we're a bit more concealed than we
are now, right?"
"Essentially," Sotek replied, as he began to concentrate on the
happenings of the nearby town, and making mental notes of the local
fashion. Then, thumbing through his spellbook, he carefully examined
the section he marked as the spell 'Seeming'. After various gestures
and incantations, the duo shimmered, and their appearance changed.
The warrior's appearance changed to that of a travel-worn fellow in
khakis with a grey t-shirt, toting a moderate brown backpack with a
dark grey umbrella strapped to his side, which was actually the
warrior's katana...
Sotek's appearance changed to that of a common human, wearing blue
jeans with a dark blue t-shirt, toting a similarly colored backpack
and had a nice thick book in one hand, and a walking stick in the
other hand.
Remarking on the change, the warrior stated, "what strange tastes
the people in this land have. But it will suffice."
"Indeed. Shall we enter the town, then?"
Patting his 'umbrella', his companion replied, "I suppose," and they
started walking. "So... what are we going to do in this town?"
"Get a better idea of what this place is based on, maybe see if we
can find a way to get home."
"Mm."
-
Chapter 3
-
The duo finally entered the town. Some kids were playing in the
street, paying no mind to the two travellers that had just arrived.
Generally, everyone was minding their own business. After a few
minutes of wandering around, they noticed an old man standing on a
porch. He had seen them and raised an eyebrow, and the duo approached
him.
"...who are you two?" the old man asked.
"Just travellers," replied Sotek.
"...", added his companion.
The old man asked another question. "...You're not from around
here, are you?"
"...No," replied Sotek.
"...This isn't a good place to talk. Follow me," said the old man,
who promptly headed into his house.
"Well, we do want information," Sotek said, and the duo entered.
The old man's house was small, and at the moment dimly-lit.
"I am Simri. I sensed that you have a powerful aura of magic about
you," said the old man.
"I'm Sotek. A mage."
"...", the warrior quietly said.
"I guess I was right. This is a different world than we came from.
Hmm..." Sotek said.
Simri was curious. "Different world?"
"Yes. I think we accidentally walked through a portal."
"Portal?"
"A gate between worlds."
"...And you know of this world?"
"Not really."
"...Should I explain a bit, then?"
"Yes."
"Other than humans, this world is populated with a very wide variety
of creatures known as pokémon."
"...That...thing we saw yesterday?", asked Sotek's companion.
"...Anyway. These pokémon are usually captured and trained as pets
or guardians."
"Just how are they captured? It was some sort of spherical device,
wasn't it?"
Simri pulled a half-red half-white spherical object out of his tunic
saying, "Yes. You are right." There was a short silence. "Well,
then. Should I show you the basics of pokémon training?"
"I'd like that, yes."
"Alright."
-
Chapter 4
-
Two days later, the warrior was practicing with his katana on the
air in the fenced-in backyard garden of Simri's residence. The
Seeming spell had since worn off, and Sotek was busy studying the art
of pokémon training. After a good bit of this exercise, he put his
katana away and entered the hut.
"...Well, then. Now that we're finished with your brief training...
Here. Take good care of Abra, will you? Since i'm old..." Simri said
to Sotek as the warrior entered.
Simply, Sotek replied with a "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Simri replied as the warrior sneezed.
"Trying to hide, Kaion?" asked Sotek.
"...Oh, shush. Anyway, are we going to leave any time soon? I'd
like to see a bit more of the cultures in this society," the warrior
asked.
"I guess we should leave now. Farewell, Simri."
"Farewell, Mage Sotek."
"...Shouldn't we have that one spell again? And goodbye, Simri."
"The Seeming? It's a powerful spell... I think we'd better try to
blend in without magic, if we're going to do so at all."
"...Got any storage spells?"
"...Excuse me, but would you mind if I got you both some clothes
from a nearby store?" asked Simri.
"...Sure." Kaion fumbled with his pouch and pulled out a gold coin.
"Have this, even though I doubt the currency's the same..."
"...A nice reminder of your visit. Alright. I will be back in a
bit," Simri said just before leaving, after he pocketed the coin.
"Hmm. Deeppockets might work... It's the only one I can think of,"
said a Sotek thumbing through his spellbook, musing about a storage
spell.
"...I was looking for something to store my armor in, because what'm
I going to do with this set of black leather armor in a land where
they don't wear armor?" inquired Kaion.
Some time passed, and Simri returned from the store. "I got two
outfits for the both of you," he said as he entered the hut.
Kaion's outfits consisted of two shirts, one white and one black,
two pairs of pants, one grey and one black, and dark grey shoes.
Sotek's outfits consisted of two shirts, one light blue, bordering
on cyan and the other dark blue, a set of blue pants, and a pair of
blue jeans, and blue colored shoes.
"Well, then. Farewell, Simri, and thanks for all you've done,"
Kaion said as the duo departed from Simri's hut that late morning.
The duo left the town, and headed on into yet another wooded area.
"Oh, look. A napping Pikachu. Well, i'll take good care of you!"
Sotek said as he hurled a pokéball at a said pikachu at a bit past
lunchtime.
* TO BE CONTINUED *
Part One
by Shastao
-
Chapter 1
-
A duo of adventurers, one clad in light blue robes, bearing the
visage of a wise magician, the other in black-and-grey lightweight
armor, with a sheathed katana at his side. The two were travelling
through a forest that day, a thickly-foliated dark side of the woods,
and going through the forest by a conviniently marked path.
As they were walking, they suddenly felt a tingle in their spines,
and subsequently found themselves among foliage of a much lighter
color, and they were standing on a path, since they had stopped
because of the spine tingle.
"The hell?" asked the one in blue.
"...Mm?" replied his companion, the one in black-grey armor.
"Where are we?"
"...Maybe a lighter part of this forest?" suggested the one in
armor.
"...That suddenly?"
"Maybe..."
"But this place doesn't seem right..." the one in blue trailed off
as a rustling in the nearby bushes was heard. A rounded, yellow head
with long pointy ears stared at the duo from the bushes.
"...What the hell is that?" asked the one in grey, gesturing at it.
"I have *no* idea. Let me try an ESP spell," responded the other.
Suddenly the rodent-looking yellow creature piped up.
"Pika pika!"
The blue-clad figure makes a few mystical passes and mutters
something under his breath and stares at the yellow rodent for a few
minutes. During this time, the rodent hops onto the path the duo are
travelling.
After the figure looked up, his companion asked him a question.
"...What IS that?"
"A... Pikachu."
"A what?"
"Pikachu. Some sort of lightning mouse."
At which point, the creature interjected with a "Pi ka!".
"...and what's it doing here?"
"First off, I think we're somewhere completely different. There's
a lot of things like this, and people train them to fight and stuff.
So at a guess, I'd say it belongs here."
"Like dogs?"
"Kinda..." trailed the one in blue.
"Pika chu," the little electric mouse stated.
"...And these people. Could be found...?" inquired the armored
one.
"Not sure. Although I don't think there's many people outside of
towns."
"...Perhaps we should find a town and find out where the hell we
are, then."
"Good idea. Which way do we try?" asked the one in blue. The
armored one blinked.
"Forward?"
"Works," the blue one said, and the duo set off, leaving the
pikachu behind.
"Pika pi?" the pikachu asked rhetorically, with a perk of it's ear.
It then returned to the undergrowth, minding it's own business.
-
Chapter 2
-
That night, the two had set up camp on the edge of the forest.
Both were relaxing by a campfire under the open night sky. The one
in blackgrey, the warrior, started up a conversation with his
travelling companion as they both stared at the sky. "...Do you
really think we're somewhere else than before?"
"I'm not sure, but with the images and such I got...", trailed off
the one in blue, the mage.
"Yeah. Never heard of that...thing...whatever it is...before."
"Pikachu. And neither had I."
"...So, if this is a different world, what are we doing here?"
"No idea. Probably some sort of portal. Don't know why we didn't
see it."
"Yeah, and you're the mage."
"I wasn't looking for magic, okay?" After that, the duo stared
at the sky, wondering where they were, and drifted into sleep.
* * * * *
The next morning, the warrior shook himself awake. "...mm...GAH!
BRIGHT SUN BURNING MY EYES!", he yelled.
"Ugh. Morning," said his mage companion.
"...Oh. My dreams. Nevermind. But it is morning," the warrior
stated, while getting ready to pack and eat a breakfast at the same
time. "Sleep well?" he asked, trying to make conversation.
"About as well as usual," the mage replied, continuing to prepare
for travel while idly thumbing through his spellbook.
"Alright," the warrior said. The two begun to walk on down the
path, albeit occasionally eye-rubbing, but regardless they trudged
on towards a sighted town nearby under a partially cloudy sky.
* * * * *
The duo neared the town. The sun rose higher in it's course
through the sky, and they met up with a local youth, perhaps no
older than 8 or 9 years, dressed in modern clothing. When the
youth saw the duo he had a doubletake.
"Hey, it ain't Halloween, y'know," the youth said, after recovering
from his doubletake. The warrior considering saying something, but
stopped himself from saying it. "What kind of costume is that,
anyway?" the youth asked.
"It's not. And you look normal, I suppose?" asked the mage to the
youth.
"I'm in style, pointy-ear."
"...Style? And don't call me pointy-ear," said the mage, pulling
his hood more over his face suddenly.
"...The latest fads. Well, your ears *are* pointy," the youth
replied.
"...", went the warrior.
"...And I suppose you're a wizard? Even though magic doesn't exist,
Mother says," the youth stated to the mage.
"You'd suppose right."
The kid had a large amount of sudden sarcasm. "Oh, and I suppose
you
could turn me into a frog."
"...Yes. But I won't."
"...Right. I'll be going now...", replied the youth, scurrying back
to town.
"Hmm... I think discretion is advised," said the mage, half-to
himself.
"...mm?" replied his companion.
"Okay, magic doesn't seem to be known here. I don't think we want
to be singled out as freaks, and I especially don't want to know what
they'd do to a mage," the blue-robed one said, taking a moment to
reflect on his studies about primitive cultures and their possible
reactions to the forces of magic. "Some sort of illusion might be
useful."
"...What do you suggest, Mage Sotek?"
"I'm thinking," Sotek said, and begun to do so out loud. "Hmm.
Change Self, but that won't last long, and only works on me anyway,
other than that... hmm. I guess... a Seeming."
"...mm?" his companion asked.
Sotek explained. "One of my most powerful illusion spells. It'll
make us look different, enough so that we won't be recognized as being
too unusual. And it should last for several hours."
"...Sounds good, but how do you know what to make us look like?"
"...Good point. Well, I can tell that humans are ordinary, so I
mask my elven features, and make you look somewhat different in case
we run into that kid again... Hmm. Clothing may be a bit of a
problem. I could try extrapolating from what that kid was wearing, or
I could try a Clairvoyance into the town first."
"...Whatever you wish, as long as we're a bit more concealed than we
are now, right?"
"Essentially," Sotek replied, as he began to concentrate on the
happenings of the nearby town, and making mental notes of the local
fashion. Then, thumbing through his spellbook, he carefully examined
the section he marked as the spell 'Seeming'. After various gestures
and incantations, the duo shimmered, and their appearance changed.
The warrior's appearance changed to that of a travel-worn fellow in
khakis with a grey t-shirt, toting a moderate brown backpack with a
dark grey umbrella strapped to his side, which was actually the
warrior's katana...
Sotek's appearance changed to that of a common human, wearing blue
jeans with a dark blue t-shirt, toting a similarly colored backpack
and had a nice thick book in one hand, and a walking stick in the
other hand.
Remarking on the change, the warrior stated, "what strange tastes
the people in this land have. But it will suffice."
"Indeed. Shall we enter the town, then?"
Patting his 'umbrella', his companion replied, "I suppose," and they
started walking. "So... what are we going to do in this town?"
"Get a better idea of what this place is based on, maybe see if we
can find a way to get home."
"Mm."
-
Chapter 3
-
The duo finally entered the town. Some kids were playing in the
street, paying no mind to the two travellers that had just arrived.
Generally, everyone was minding their own business. After a few
minutes of wandering around, they noticed an old man standing on a
porch. He had seen them and raised an eyebrow, and the duo approached
him.
"...who are you two?" the old man asked.
"Just travellers," replied Sotek.
"...", added his companion.
The old man asked another question. "...You're not from around
here, are you?"
"...No," replied Sotek.
"...This isn't a good place to talk. Follow me," said the old man,
who promptly headed into his house.
"Well, we do want information," Sotek said, and the duo entered.
The old man's house was small, and at the moment dimly-lit.
"I am Simri. I sensed that you have a powerful aura of magic about
you," said the old man.
"I'm Sotek. A mage."
"...", the warrior quietly said.
"I guess I was right. This is a different world than we came from.
Hmm..." Sotek said.
Simri was curious. "Different world?"
"Yes. I think we accidentally walked through a portal."
"Portal?"
"A gate between worlds."
"...And you know of this world?"
"Not really."
"...Should I explain a bit, then?"
"Yes."
"Other than humans, this world is populated with a very wide variety
of creatures known as pokémon."
"...That...thing we saw yesterday?", asked Sotek's companion.
"...Anyway. These pokémon are usually captured and trained as pets
or guardians."
"Just how are they captured? It was some sort of spherical device,
wasn't it?"
Simri pulled a half-red half-white spherical object out of his tunic
saying, "Yes. You are right." There was a short silence. "Well,
then. Should I show you the basics of pokémon training?"
"I'd like that, yes."
"Alright."
-
Chapter 4
-
Two days later, the warrior was practicing with his katana on the
air in the fenced-in backyard garden of Simri's residence. The
Seeming spell had since worn off, and Sotek was busy studying the art
of pokémon training. After a good bit of this exercise, he put his
katana away and entered the hut.
"...Well, then. Now that we're finished with your brief training...
Here. Take good care of Abra, will you? Since i'm old..." Simri said
to Sotek as the warrior entered.
Simply, Sotek replied with a "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Simri replied as the warrior sneezed.
"Trying to hide, Kaion?" asked Sotek.
"...Oh, shush. Anyway, are we going to leave any time soon? I'd
like to see a bit more of the cultures in this society," the warrior
asked.
"I guess we should leave now. Farewell, Simri."
"Farewell, Mage Sotek."
"...Shouldn't we have that one spell again? And goodbye, Simri."
"The Seeming? It's a powerful spell... I think we'd better try to
blend in without magic, if we're going to do so at all."
"...Got any storage spells?"
"...Excuse me, but would you mind if I got you both some clothes
from a nearby store?" asked Simri.
"...Sure." Kaion fumbled with his pouch and pulled out a gold coin.
"Have this, even though I doubt the currency's the same..."
"...A nice reminder of your visit. Alright. I will be back in a
bit," Simri said just before leaving, after he pocketed the coin.
"Hmm. Deeppockets might work... It's the only one I can think of,"
said a Sotek thumbing through his spellbook, musing about a storage
spell.
"...I was looking for something to store my armor in, because what'm
I going to do with this set of black leather armor in a land where
they don't wear armor?" inquired Kaion.
Some time passed, and Simri returned from the store. "I got two
outfits for the both of you," he said as he entered the hut.
Kaion's outfits consisted of two shirts, one white and one black,
two pairs of pants, one grey and one black, and dark grey shoes.
Sotek's outfits consisted of two shirts, one light blue, bordering
on cyan and the other dark blue, a set of blue pants, and a pair of
blue jeans, and blue colored shoes.
"Well, then. Farewell, Simri, and thanks for all you've done,"
Kaion said as the duo departed from Simri's hut that late morning.
The duo left the town, and headed on into yet another wooded area.
"Oh, look. A napping Pikachu. Well, i'll take good care of you!"
Sotek said as he hurled a pokéball at a said pikachu at a bit past
lunchtime.
* TO BE CONTINUED *