A/N: Hello, all. I've decided to try out a Pokemon/Sailor Moon fanfic.
Admittedly, the concept of the Pokemon Courier here was meant to originally have been a series of oneshots, but I had such an enjoyment writing the oneshots that I decided to spread out the idea a little more.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and watch out for interesting connections in future chapters, particularly Gary's Umbreon. It IS the Moonlight Pokemon after all.
Oh, let me know if the timeline frames for either series seems a little questionable. I am more than willing to clarify if there's a problem.
As a future note: I intend to use something of a melding between the Anime and Game versions of Pokemon (some of my more preferred character traits from each, plot references, etc). I will likely only reference the Sailor Moon Anime from that series. Perhaps, with the re-release, I'll grab a copy and find some inspiration from there.
Thank you, and enjoy.
A young boy leaned casually against the side of his parked cargo plane, casually watching as his wooly Mareep browsed the landing strip, seemingly sniffing every nook and cranny.
He turned his brown eyes towards the control tower of the Sinnoh airport, before checking his watch again.
"Twenty minutes... I know Professor Oak chartered me to transport them, but this is ridiculous! At this rate, I won't even be able to deliver my other packages on time!" he mentally grumbled, adjusting his black jacket and pants for the umpteenth time.
Suddenly, a Slowking walked out of the seaplane's open door, letting out a small chuckle.
"Ah, don't worry, Drake. I knew the girls would take a while. That's why I adjusted your timer ahead by a half-hour." the Royal Pokemon explained.
The pilot sighed, shaking his head.
"Yeah, Yeah, Slowking. But, still, you'd think these two would be punctual!"
The Mareep, curious at the discussion, wandered back over, letting out a curious bleat. Slowking nodded, adding, "You know that the one called Dawn is the Wallace Cup champion. In all likelihood, she's still excited, and, consequently, not as focused on time as others."
Drake, frustrated, nodded in reply.
"Sorry we're late!" the familiar voice of May called out, as two girls, one with sandy hair and one with raven hair drawn around her white knit hat featuring a pink symbol of a Pokeball.
Drake nodded again, grateful that his aviator sunglasses hid the annoyance in his eyes.
"What happened? Pokemon attack?" he inquired coldly, before helping the second one, Dawn, with her suitcase, loading the luggage into the cargo compartment, right next to a stack of Pokeballs and boxes with various shipping labels.
May shrugged, "Not really... Just a couple of Starly, Drake."
Drake grunted, closing the cargo door, as Dawn looked inquiringly at him.
"Oh, you're a Pokemon Courier?" she asked, her little blue Piplup squirming out of her hands and walking over to Drake's Mareep.
The pilot nodded in response, before bowing.
"Indeed, Ms. Dawn. I am Drake, soon to be a First-class Pokemon Courier. Just need the mileage this trip has, and I'll be able to train for the much larger cargo jets."
Dawn nodded, before asking her next question.
"But, I thought Pokemon Centers teleported Pokeballs."
Drake shook his head, as Slowking interjected.
"No, young miss. You see, teleportation technology is limited to the region they're in. The only exception is in the Johto and Kanto regions. However, that's mainly due to the natural forces that actually amplify the signal."
The young Coordinator's jaw nearly dropped.
"A... talking Pokemon? The last time I saw one was that talking Meowth!" she exclaimed, shocked at the idea of there being more than one.
Drake chuckled, explaining, "Yeah, Slowking are far more intelligent than normal Pokemon, so it's only natural that they can speak our language. Trust me, when I found out my dad's Slowking talked, oh boy..." he finished, letting out another chuckle.
Dawn nodded, before looking over at her Piplup. By now, the Penguin Pokemon had made good friends with the Mareep, and the two seemed to be talking up a storm.
She pulled out her Pokedex, remarking how adorable the Wool Pokemon appeared.
"Mareep, the Wool Pokemon. Mareep store static electricity in their wool. They avoid battles and have mild dispositions," the digital encyclopedia droned, as the young coordinator picked up the Mareep, stroking its soft wool.
"It's so cute!" she exclaimed, as the Mareep let out a contented cry.
A sudden burst of water startled the Wool pokemon, which promptly jumped out of Dawn's arms, running behind Drake's legs as Dawn's Piplup jumped into her arms, shooting a defiant look at the poor Mareep.
"I'm sorry," Dawn apologized, putting her Penguin Pokemon back down, much to the penguin's chagrin.
The pilot shrugged, turning towards the aircraft.
"Don't worry about it. Now, if you ladies will excuse me, Mareep and I must begin our flight checks. Feel free to take a seat while we prepare."
Dawn and May both got on board, while May pulled out a Pokeball, letting out her Munchlax, Blaziken, and Glaceon. The three Pokemon then moved over into the available seats, settling down, ready to fly.
Dawn looked curiously, as May shrugged.
"Drake's employer allows smaller Pokemon to be out of their Pokeballs, to ride as companions." she explained, reclining back.
"Oh..." the coordinator replied, letting out her own Pachirisu, Buneary, and Quilava, which, after seeing the others, followed suit.
After a few minutes, Drake reappeared from the cockpit.
"We'll be heading out in just a few minutes. I'm sorry I can't offer anything good like those fancier airliners, but... eh, free's free." he sheepishly explained.
The two nodded, as the pilot approached Dawn.
"I think this is your first time on this flight. Why don't you join me in the cockpit? I'm sure you'll find our... methods inspiring to say the least."
Dawn followed the pilot into the cockpit, her Piplup noisily following behind her.
As she entered, she noticed that another person was in the copilot's seat. A familiar shock of brown hair, slightly spiked.
The copilot turned, revealing the face of Gary Oak, his Umbreon sitting contentedly in his lap.
As the two locked eyes, a flash of recognition shot between them.
"Fancy seeing you here, Dawn." the young researcher commented, giving a friendly smirk as Drake started down the preflight checklist.
"Same here, Gary..." Dawn replied, noticing that Drake's Mareep seemed to be sitting inside a small house.
Noticing her look, Gary explained. "As you already know through Team Rocket and their attempts on Ash's Pikachu, there are ways to tap into Electric Pokemon's energy. Mareep's wool acts like a massive battery, able to jump-start this aircraft for flight. A side effect is the excess electricity also helps improve the Pokemon's coat." he finished, smirking at the Wool pokemon, which bleated in agreement.
Dawn smiled, taking a seat as Drake turned to the Mareep.
"Mareep, today's weather is fair. I think a Thundershock will suffice."
The Mareep nodded in agreement, before concentrating, letting out a shock inside the container. The systems beeped as the engines sputtered to life, the lights illuminating the runway, and the instruments responsive and online.
Drake smirked, as they took off.
"Looks like an easy flight. Jet certification, here I come!" he smiled, opening the engines to full throttle.
A blonde woman watched the starry sky outside her window, her blonde hair strung up into two buns on each side of her head, terminating into twin ponytails.
The woman sighed, looking outside with a whimsical gleam in her eye.
"Luna, do you think Chibi-usa made it safely back to the future?" she asked her companion, a black feline with a strange, crescent-shaped mark on its forehead.
The cat yawned, and rolled over. "Of course, Usagi! She is a brave girl... unlike a certain someone..." she added jokingly, looking at the blonde.
Usagi growled a little, before giggling.
"Oh, Luna... you know you shouldn't joke like that! You know whose daughter she is."
Luna nodded, yawning.
"Of course, Usagi... now, get some rest, you've got a big test tomorrow."
The blonde started. "Uh... test?"
The feline's eyes shot wide open, revealing crimson irises.
"You mean... you forgot?" She asked, now fully alert. "Usagi! I would think that a princess of your caliber would be a little more organized about such things!"
Just as the blonde was about to retort about being royalty, a shockwave shook the house.
"Wh-what's going on?" Usagi shouted, immediately looking outside, only to let out a gasp of disbelief.
A large shooting star flew across the sky, casting a strange look of beauty to the expanse, before shortly vanishing.
"It-it's a shooting star!" the blonde shouted, before making a quick wish, turning out the light, and rolling under her blankets, chuckling.
"I've got luck on my side..." she muttered, smiling like a Cheshire cat.
Luna sighed, before going to sleep herself. "Oh, here we go again..."
"If you'll look out to your left, ladies. We're just passing on the western side of Mount Coronet. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of Spear Pillar." Drake announced, Slowking looking out at the mountain strangely.
"Something's not right..." the Royal Pokemon said, concerned about seemingly nothing.
Gary stopped sipping his tea, looking at the Slowking.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Slowking shook his head, clearing the fog.
"It's nothing. Probably residual energy from Team Galactic's attempt."
Drake nodded. He had heard about how Cyrus tried to create his own world with the powers of Dialga and Palkia, the guardians of time and space respectively. Granted, his attempt ended in failure. But, for how close he had come to realize his dreams of a universe without spirit, without emotion, and without willpower. It was slightly disturbing. Still, the idea of Pokemon out there powerful enough to manipulate time and space was awe-inspiring.
Gary nodded, looking at the horizon.
"Yeah, you're probably right."
As the aircraft slowly carried through the sky, a strange melody carried through the ship. It was strangely beautiful... unnaturally so.
The young Pokemon Researcher frowned.
"I've heard that sound somewhere before..." he muttered.
Suddenly, the entire plane shuddered, jerking roughly towards Mt. Coronet, as if an invisible hand grabbed the craft.
Drake swore under his breath, struggling with every last ounce of power to regain control of the aircraft.
"No good. Something's pulling us in..." he growled, still trying to change the course.
"That's the least of our concerns!" Gary replied, pointing to a distortion suddenly forming in front of them, its black heart blemishing the sky.
"It's... it can't be..." Slowking stuttered, momentarily losing its cool and calm composure.
Drake's eyes widened.
"A hole in the fabric of Space itself?" he wondered, as the aircraft was swallowed by the darkness.
When everyone finally came to, Drake had Mareep use Flash to illuminate the cabin.
Everyone, Pokemon and human, gathered around the glowing Pokemon, as Gary frowned.
"We've been removed from our own space. Neither of us have any idea what has happened." the researcher explained.
"I do..." Slowking said, walking to the center of the group.
"I didn't believe it when I first saw it. You see, when I was with Drake's father, I perfected my Future Sight move. That was when I saw it."
"I saw that when four Trainers were gathered, a hole would rend the sky, bringing them to a strange Hidden Land, one where Pokemon don't exist. They would arrive at a time when a powerful evil would strike this land. With the power of Silver and the Five Warriors, the four Trainers, with the love of their Pokemon would combine with the love of the Five, vanquishing the evil once and for all."
The Royal Pokemon shrugged.
"That's just what I recall. I still have no idea why Silver would be powerful, or how Five Warriors can fight without Pokemon. Then again, when was the last time a prophecy made sense?"
The quartet nodded, as May looked outside.
"It's strange... We seem to be in some kind of a clearing."
Drake opened the side door, letting the moonlight stream in.
"It's odd, all right... The leaf patterns are definitely not our own." he commented, showing a branch to the group.
"You're right..." Gary said, plucking off a leaf, rubbing it between his fingers. "It's subtle, but the leaf veins are reversed... Strange..."
The researcher's thoughts were cut short as his Umbreon suddenly started crying for his attention, the golden bands on it shining brightly in the moonlight.
Gary looked down at the Moonlight Pokemon as it tugged at his pant leg.
He brushed it away, only to get bitten on his hand.
"Ow!" he growled, glaring at the Umbreon, which then paced a few feet away, looking outside, letting out another bark.
Slowking tilted his head.
"I think Umbreon's picked up something... a 'moon child'? What does that mean..." he commented, the latter part more to himself than to the others.
The Moonlight Pokemon sat on its haunches, thumping its tail impatiently.
Gary looked on in confusion at his Pokemon.
"I've had Umbreon for a while, but this is the first time it's done anything like this..." he said, as if stating it would lift some of the mystery surrounding its odd behavior.
Dawn sighed, recalling her Pokemon, May following suit.
"Well, I guess we'd better see what it's trying to show us, shouldn't we?" she said, as Piplup jumped into her arms.
Drake placed a small red collar and leash on his Mareep, turning towards the opened hatch, his eyes focusing on the clearing.
"Yes. That's the best lead we have so far. Perhaps we'll meet this 'moon child' you speak of, Slowking."