A New World: Chapter 1
By
WYLD STALLYNZ
The cheerful chirping of Galvantulas would have put anyone on edge except for the Pokemon Trainer, Dice, who was currently moaning in pain on the snowy floor just outside of a factory.
"T-those bastards!" he groaned as he tried, unsuccessfully, to stand. "I told them! I told them not to put so much garlic in the pizza!"
He finally managed to push himself to his knees, his breath visible in the cold air. "There's no way I'm catching a Pokemon in this condition..." he coughed as he stood up slowly and glared at the factory while rubbing his arms through the thick black and grey jacket that he had the foresight to put on. Not that he really needed to be warmer, but looking around at the snow-covered floor made him feel cold regardless.
For a moment, he bemoaned his fate at having decided to come to Harburg after his brief visit to his hometown and parents.
He had originally wandered out into the world to become a Pokemon Trainer, but his luck hadn't been the best, and his studies were as relevant to his chosen lifestyle as an anvil was to an airplane pilot.
Therefore, it had taken some time for him to actually get his Pokemon Trainer permit and Pokedex. He had been a Pokemon Watcher for a few years before deciding to become a Trainer for little over three years now. He had no Badges to his name due to constant wandering and a chronic foot-in-the-mouth disease that had put him at a complete disadvantage with Trainers of the opposite sex.
Tonight, he had left home with empty Pokeballs by mistake. A mistake -he would like to remind himself - he wouldn't have made had his parents not taken his Pokemon into custody because he had returned from one of his travels covered in tree sap and muttering about suicidal little Ponytas in spelunking gear.
But that was all in the past. Tonight, he had set out to catch a Galvantula, or maybe, if he was unlucky, a Koffing or a Pikachu. But it wasn't meant to be, as dinner had been... difficult.
With a sigh and another groan, he started making his way towards the center of town when the sound of an airplane passing overhead made him blink. "Wait, why are they flying at night?" He looked up and tried to locate the airplane, then shrugged after a moment of futile searching. "Meh, not my problem."
He looked down at the white feather that hung from a cord around his neck. "Come on, Lugia, give me strength!" He took a deep breath, before pumping his fist into the air. "I will be the very best! Like no-one ever was!" he stumbled back. "Okay. Okay. Note to self, never trust sailors when they say they're all drinking water." He sniffed the air. "And find out who's been..." his head suddenly swam, as his eyesight darkened. "... farting..."
As he blacked out, a lone figure walked up behind him, wearing a gas mask. After looking down at Dice, who was passed out with his face on the snow and gravel, slowly drooling away, the figure nodded and motioned with his hand. Soon, two more masked individuals walked up to them. The first figure nodded at the unconscious Dice, and the pair picked him up without further prompting.
.o.O.o.
Moonstone sighed to himself as he walked along the snow-covered streets, his shoes crunching the snow down. He was in Harburg, the large city that was built only a couple of miles away from his hometown, Riven. Riven was known for its friendly community, and for its many small streams. Small as it was, many trainers passed through after going to the gym in Harburg, wanting to get away from all of the smog and pollution, and relax by one of the streams with their Pokemon, soaking their feet. Moonstone had heard so many tales that he knew all of the major trainers in this city by heart, just from hearing so many stories.
Moonstone looked up as he saw several planes flying around above the sky, and wondered out loud, "What's going on? Who uses airplanes in a place like this? There are plenty of flying Pokem... Duh... The pollution is probably too bad for flying Pokemon to be able to breathe well. But still... Is it just me, or is the smog getting denser?"
Moonstone started to cough, and he quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve, hoping it would help. Sadly, it didn't, at least not by much. He fell to one knee, his vision starting to waver, but not before he noticed several people in gas masks and weird suits talking to each other. "D-Damn it!" His lungs felt like they were on fire, and his entire body felt like it was trapped in ice. Finally, he passed out as his muscles also started to burn...
.o.O.o.
Blade dodged back, barely avoiding his opponent's almost invisible moves. His eyes narrowed as the other fighter fell back into a relaxed stance, right arm slowly moving back and forth.
"Damned Flicker Jabs..." Blade muttered as he searched for an opening. His opponent had greater reach and was faster, even if he was not as strong as Blade. However, several hits had already landed on Blade and he sported whip-like marks on his arms from the snapping punches he had managed to block.
Blade took a calming breath. All he needed was a single punch to get through. Lowering down a bit he suddenly shot forth, arms raising as his opponent immediately shot another jab at him.
Blade didn't even bother dodging. The impact on his arms left a stinging sensation, but it was nothing to an experienced fighter like himself.
Another Flicker Jab, and then, suddenly Blade was right under his opponent's guard, smiling viciously at him at the same time his left fist dug into his opponent's liver.
The taller fighter had attempted a desperate uppercut, but all motions ceased as the full impact of Blade's fist registered in his body. He started to bend down in pain, but Blade stepped in, quick punches raining on his opponent's chest and shoulders, completely opening his defense.
With the sharp instincts of a martial artist and sensing the weakness of the other fighter, Blade's left leg shot back as he threw his momentum forward and up, the base of his palm impacting with a snap on the other man's jaw.
He remained in that position as his opponent crumbled to the ground, completely knocked out.
Blade's eyes closed as he took a deep breath and released it. "I have won," he said.
The crowd exploded into clapping and shouts as the referee walked in and pulled his hand up in victory.
Soon enough, with the money from the fight in his pocket, and ignoring other challenges, he emerged into the cool night air and looked up at the stars. With a slight shake of his head, he looked towards the city, where he was sure he could find a good bar at which to spend his hard-earned money.
He started walking, slowly relaxing as he left the stress of fighting behind. It was then that he noticed a strange smell. Before he knew it he had taken a deep breath as his brain tried to recognize what the smell was. Covering his mouth he coughed and stumbled, dropping his money to the floor as his eyes lost focus and his balance was completely lost.
Struggling to remain standing, he turned around, trying to make his way back to the warehouse where the underground tournament was taking place, but he couldn't make it past five steps before everything went black.
.o.O.o.
Sage stumbled down the sidewalk, oblivious to the elements in his drug-induced haze. The world swam before him, waves moving back and forth as he tried to walk in a line. He had a wide grin on his face as he paused to look at a warehouse wall. "Woah... That's like, totally radical! A Mew? Hey there little guy, like, wanna go to a righteous party with me? It'll be legendary, bro..."
He blinked owlishly, coughing a little before waving his hand in front of his nose, trying to waft the gas away. "Dude, there's like, no reason to pass gas like that, bro. That's like... Eh, whatever. If you can't help it, then, like, you can't help it, Bro..."
Leaning against the wall as he started to pass out, he slurred, "Just follow me to the party, okay? It'll like, totally be worth it..."
Even while unconscious, Sage had a wide smile on his face as he was hefted up to a large truck, and dumped unceremoniously inside.
.o.O.o.
Wave was simply walking, looking at all of the tall buildings in wonder. It always amazed her how close to the sky some of them seemed to be. There weren't any buildings that tall where she came from.
She stopped by a building with a flashy, neon sign and looked at it curiously. 'Should I go in here?' She thought to herself. 'On second thought... I need to get to a Pokemon Center right away. I need to heal my Pokemon first, then I can sight see.'
Wave took out her map and looked it over carefully. 'Here's where I am now... so I need to go over here.' She ran a hand through her long, blond hair as she tucked the map back into her bag and started off towards the Pokemon Center.
After a few minutes, she realized that she was lost. It wasn't surprising, since she had a horrible sense of direction; even with a map she was known to get lost.
"Oh crap..." she said, looking around. "Why didn't I turn around and go down that other street when I knew this was the wrong way?"
Wave was in a dark, dirty alley now, and she was thoroughly confused about where she was. "Now what do I do?" She heard a scratching noise and whirled around. "It's probably just a Rattata or something..." she tried to convince herself, but she couldn't see any deeper into the alley.
"I'm getting out of here..." Wave started to back up, but her foot caught on a large rock behind her and she landed on her butt. "Ouch..." The scratching noise started up again, and Wave gasped as it seemed to be louder this time.
She tried to stand up quickly, but she suddenly noticed a strange smell. Wave stopped and tried to figure out what the smell was, her nose wrinkling in disgust.
"Rotten eggs?" She murmured out loud, suddenly feeling sleepy. "Wha-?" She fell over and the last thing she thought before she passed out was, 'Why didn't I go down the right street?'
.o.O.o.
"Stupid... freakin' boss... keep me this late. They don't pay me overtime, you dick..." Cassie swore under her breath, running her hands up and down beneath her jacket in a futile attempt to warm herself.
She leaned heavily against the steel pole of the bus stop, half-expecting that, come morning, they'd find her there, a frigid popsicle of a human being.
"Stupid cold... last time I listen to the weather... they don't know shit..." she mumbled miserably, coughing slightly as a fog swirled about her ankles, a distinctly sulfurous smell filling her nostrils. "And apparently a sewer line broke... great."
Her coughs and hacks grew worse as the fog swirled higher and higher about her, the buildings down the street disappearing into the mist. Then she saw a pair of lights cutting through the fog.
"Finally!" she cried out, inadvertently sucking in the fog, leaving her brain swimming as she stepped out to meet what she believed to be the bus.
By the time the lights had arrived and a pair of gas-masked men had stepped from what was revealed to be a small truck, Cassie was passed out in the gutter.
.o.O.o.
"Hurry up you maggots!" a large, cloaked figure ordered through a walkie-talkie. "Pick up the stragglers and get a move on! We have experiments to run immediately! Make sure that any observers are neutralized, then get back to base! Edge out!"
The grunts finished their job swiftly under the night sky, the darkness hiding their heinous deeds...
.o.O.o.
Moonstone was the first to awaken, his entire body throbbing in pain. For the first five minutes, he couldn't even look around, the pain too excruciating to even try to move. As it slowly faded, he slowly opened his eyes to look around. He blinked a few times to remove the haze, finally getting a good look at the room. He could see that he was trapped in a stainless steel cage, devoid of any decorations. Looking past, he could see a wall lined with more steel cages, though they were all empty.
He winced as another rush of pain hit him, causing him to lower his head down onto his arms, riding out the pain. Breathing heavily, he opened his eyes again slowly, before they flew wide open in shock, a startled scream breaking the silence as he exclaimed, "B-blue fur... T-there's blue fur on my hands and arms! What's going on?"
Dice slowly opened her eyes as someone shouted something about not having been able to shave. She groaned and looked around, trying to find the source of the shouts. Her hand went to her head as she groaned. "Dude, it's okay to be furry once in a while... you can shave later... just... stop shouting, okay? My head hurts!"
Moonstone paused, surprised that he wasn't alone in the room anymore. "Hello? Wait, is there someone else in here? Do you know what's going on? Why am I covered in blue fur? Wait, calm down, Moonstone... Gotta be calm if you want to escape..." Taking a long, slow breath, he released it, asking in as calm a voice as he could manage, "Sorry about that, Miss. My name is Moonstone Scifo, but you can call me Moon for short. And you would be?"
"Dice," Dice said. "And you can call me Dice, everyone I know does. Everyone else calls me 'hey you!' or 'A-hole!'" Dice pushed herself up. "... wait... is this my voice? I- but... how? It's so... girly!" Dice's eyes went wide as she looked down at herself. "Oh for the love of Lugia... holy crap."
Gone were her hands with the pink fingers; there were no more legs under her... her long neck looked around her new body with amazing ease. She had a body shaped slightly like a small plane of some sort, with jet-like wings covered in small and really soft purple feathers. She had heard about this before... she was a Pokemon! She was a Latias! "This is so cool!" then she remembered. "Oh sh-" her head looked down. "I'm... I'm a girl! Do you hear me, Moonstone? I'm a freaking girl! I don't have-! Or a- damn it!"
Moonstone's eyes bugged out a little, before he started laughing so hard he was coughing. "A-are you serious? That..." After breaking down in another fit of laughter, he cleared his throat, trying not to antagonize his fellow prisoner further. "So you're saying that you were a guy, and now you're a girl? Well, that's certainly, um, interesting..." Moonstone stopped talking as he felt something move behind him, freezing in place as he tried to figure out what it was. Turning his head slowly, he gaped at the tail now coming out of his butt. It was long, slim, and blue, splitting off into two near the tip, causing it to fork. His eyes quickly roamed the rest of his body, seeing that he was standing on four paws, with a feline body. His brain short-circuited, trying to comprehend a new load of data. 'I... A tail? And paws?'
"What the heck happened to me?" he freaked out, starting to run in circles, his eyes wide open, but promptly tripped and fell down on his side. "I've turned into a Pokemon?"
"Were you male originally?" Dice asked. "Because if you were, you got lucky." She looked down at herself. "If I was going to be turned into a female Pokemon, why didn't they turn me into a Gardevoir? Those Pokemon are BABES!" Dice sighed, and looked at herself once more. "Well, I think I'm pretty sexy for a Latias! Ooooh purple feathers... wait... you're not a Latios, right? We're not supposed to... you know... I mean, your voice is nice and all, but I barely know you! And I- I'm not that type of Pokegirl..."
"HELL NO!" Moonstone quickly retorted, his face going red from anger, as well as embarrassment. "Wait a second... Did you say Latias? You're a legendary pokemon? Lucky bastard! I'm just a... I still can't tell what I am! It's hard to tell, what with blue fur! I dont know of any pokemon with blue fur!" Growling to himself, he thought for a moment, before asking, "Wait a second, did you say you had purple feathers? I thought that they were supposed to have red feathers..." Lost in thought, he put his paw to his head, trying to think back on the facts he knew, to better analyze what happened.
"Well... maybe I am a different Latias." Dice challenged, her hands checking her body out. "I'm classy! And... oh... wait, that feels good. Ahem, never mind. What if I was always a Latias and was transformed into a human male to hide me from other Pokemon? Maybe I'm a Princess Latias!"
"... Yeah, sure, let's go with that," Moonstone replied, rolling his eyes. 'Whatever helps you stay sane, dude...' he thought to himself.
"Okay, I can hear you are not convinced... and I can see why... but... this is how I cope with things, okay? It's either that or I burst into tears and destroy the building with my newfound awesome powers!"
"What can I say, I'm a scientist and inventor, so sorry if I sound a little sceptical. I'm fairly certain I wasn't born a..." feeling around his head, Moonstone felt a circular globe in the middle of his forehead, triggering his memory. "An espeon. I'm pretty sure i wasn't born a blue Espeon. And don't do something stupid like that, okay? We need to think things through! Think, what... Okay, wait a sec, let's start at the beginning. What's the last thing you remember? Did you black out as well? Were you outside?"
"The... last thing I remember..." Dice closed her eyes. "Yes... I remember... pizza... and garlic... and a fart..."
"... A fart? Seriously? Joy... Wait, a fart? So you're saying that there was a strange smelling gas, right?" he replied, starting to get an idea of what might have happened.
"Well, yes, if you want to be all proper about it..." Dice sighed. "I was trying to catch a new Pokemon, but I got sick... I remember... an airplane, I think? And... then I got sleepy after smelling something."
"An airplane? Yeah, that... Okay! That's it! That must have been a part of what caused this then! I also heard airplanes over the city right before I smelled the gas and passed out. The gas must have made up pass out, and then... Something happened to turn us into Pokemon! We just have to figure out what, and then we can reverse the process, in theory, and then everything will be fine! We have to break out of here first though... Any ideas?"
"Okay... let me think... uh... I- I don't know, to be completely honest the only thing I know about Latias are very specific things, nothing more than her types and that they were rumored to reside around Alto Mare... My only contact with them is the one drawing I did from a post card of the statues... I don't even know what powers they have... are we alone? Isn't there anyone else?"
"I have no idea... Regardless, we should get out first, and as quietly as possible. We don't want to alert anyone to our escape, and if we haven't woken up anyone else with our talking, then they're either asleep, or we're the only ones. Well, I'm supposed to be Psychic... Let's see if I can't get the latch open." Closing his eyes, he tried to feel around himself, but didn't sense anything special. After another moment, he sighed, admitting, "Okay, so if I know the attack, I have no idea how to use it... Wait a second... Did they... Are they really that stupid?"
Walking closer to the bars, Moonstone twisted his head, slowly pushing it all past the bars. "Holy crap... I can fit! They must have put us in before we changed or something, because they should have known that a cat could get through these bars! Anything a cat that can get its head through an opening can eventually get their entire body past! Just give me a moment..." Wiggling slowly, he inched his way out, before falling flat on his face on the cold tile floor.
"Well, at least you can get out," Dice sighed. "Make sure to tell everyone what happened here... although... I'm not entirely sure what actually did happen, but... yeah. Please remember me as the sexy Latias you met."
"Come on, what kind of guy do you think I am, that I would leave a damsel in distress? Besides, if I rescue you, you owe me a kiss!" Laughing, Moonstone shook himself vigorously, twisting his head again to get rid of the cricks. After he stretched, he breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around to get a good look at his fellow prisoner.
Dice smiled slowly and winked at Moonstone, blowing him a kiss. "Sure... handsome..."
Moonstone's face turned purple almost immediately, blustering, "I was just kidding! Like I'd want a kiss from a transsexual Pokemon anyways!" He wondered for just a second if she was teasing him about being handsome or not, before he refocused on getting out. "A-anyways," he continued, looking away, his face hot. "Let's get out of... Hey! We're not the only ones! They're still asleep it looks like, but they all look weird as well... Think they used to be humans too?" he asked as he walked forward, examining the lock of her cage carefully. "Wait a sec, what's your name again?"
"Dice... and... uh... could we keep the thing about me being a guy secret? I... I kinda blurted it out because I was surprised, you know... it's embarrassing enough as it is..." Dice said, looking at the Espeon outside her cell with a slightly nervous smile. "Nice to meet you, Moon. Can I call you 'Moon'? Also... why are you named after an evolutionary rock?"
Smirking slightly, Moonstone replied, "Well, it sure seems like you have the ability to call me Moon... If you're asking if you have permission, then... Yeah, sure. Don't worry, I can keep a secret. It's going to be hard enough to try to explain to my parents how I got turned into a Pokemon! I don't even want to think about trying to explain that I got turned into a Pokemon and had my gender changed... Look, don't worry, okay? Once we get out of here and back to my lab, my dad and I will figure this out faster than you can catch a Magicarp!"
Turning his attention to the lock once more, he continued, "What can I say? My parents are a little... odd. They're great, don't get me wrong, but with my dad being an inventor, he had some... interesting name ideas, and my mom agreed to alternate days to decide who would get to name me. Needless to say, my dad won. If my mom had won, then I would have been named Xellius," he finished, sticking out his tongue. "Yeah, neither name is great, so I tend to go by Moon and Xell a lot. Only one other person knows about that, so... Yeah, you get a secret about me. Not nearly as important as yours, but at least we're kind of even now... There!"
Dice pushed the door open and hovered out. "Not walking is weird... but cool." She levitated higher and did a twirl around Moonstone. "How do I look? Isn't this awesome? I can fly!"
"Yeah, that's awesome and all, but we're trying to stay quiet, remember?" Moonstone reprimanded, sighing. "Yeah, you look great, okay? I could stay and compliment how great you look, but right now, escaping is more important! Now, it's safe to say you had equipment, right? Pokemon, Pokegear, the works? I might not have had Pokemon on me, but I still need my stuff back! I don't want them finding out where I live, if it isn't too late..."
"Tch... fine." Dice lowered herself to ground level. "Yes, my clothes, for one, and my Pokedex, PokeNav, and my Lugia feather necklace. No Pokemon, I was trying to catch a new one."
"Okay then, here's what we'll do. You are, no offense, kinda large. It doesn't look like-"
"I'll have you know I am a perfectly healthy specimen of my species!" Dice huffed, a smile betraying her seriousness away. "No extra fat on these wings, dear."
Moonstone stared at her with a flat expression, saying in an annoyed tone, "I didn't say you were fat, and you know it! I just said you're large compared to me! Now, as I was saying, our stuff isn't here, which means it's in another room. I'll be able to sneak in and out of room a whole heck of a lot better than you, unless you learned how to become invisible already. So you work on waking everybody up. See who's with us while I try to find our stuff. If it's unguarded, then I'll bring it back. If it's protected, then I'll come back so that we can plan. Sound good?"
"Geez, talking about having a short fuse," Dice rolled her eyes. "I'll look around, don't get your... uh... tail, tied in a knot!"
Moonstone's eye twitched as he turned towards the door, muttering darkly, "If you weren't a girl, I'd kick your damn ass so hard you'd kiss the moon..."
Dice chuckled as the Espeon grumbled and walked away. She looked around the room. There were several cages lined up next to each other, none of them seemed to be actually designed to hold Pokemon, but from what Moonstone had said, none of the Pokemon inside had originally been what they were now.
Slowly, Dice approached a cage where a Ponyta with lavender fur snored. She cleared her throat and knocked on the bars. "Hey, you, sleepy! Uh... wake up!" Dice hissed. "Come on! I can't actually shout!" she whispered. After nothing happened, Dice sighed and reared her head back. "I. Said. Wake up!" she whispered urgently again, throwing her head forward in frustration. However, just after the last word was said, a tiny misty sphere sailed out of her mouth and exploded on the rump of the unconscious Ponyta.
With a squeal, the Pokemon jumped into the air, purple fiery mane flashing brightly as she landed on all fours, looking around in a panic. "Wha- where am I?" her eyes looked around the cell in confusion before settling on Dice and going wide. "A-a Latias?"
"Yes, my child," Dice said, smiling benevolently at the cowering Pokemon. "You are here because you have been given a second chance... you have been transformed! Reborn into a form better fitting your fiery spirit!" she said grandly, hoping that the Ponyta in question did actually have a fiery spirit and was not, in fact, a meek little girl. Or boy, since you could not really tell nowadays.
The Ponyta looked down at herself, slowly realizing that, yes, she was a Pokemon now, and that she had hooves, not hands. She looked up at Dice in disbelief. "Did you do this?"
Dice smiled uncomfortably. "Uh, no, actually. The truth is that I also was turned into a Pokemon but... we uh... girls, have to stick up for each other, right? Female power and all that jazz."
The Ponyta simply stared at Dice as if she was an idiot and, with a sigh, the Latias opened the cage. "There... uh, come on out and wait for Moonstone; I'll see who else is here..."
The next Pokemon was an Axew, who was in fact awake. Dice looked at the little guy curiously before clearing her throat. "Hello, little one! How are you this fine... whatever time it is? Do you want to be set free with the rest of us?"
"… Well... Is there going to be, like, a radical party later? I don't know, dudette... Seems like it might be easier to just, you know, go with the flow, you know?" he said hazily, his eyes slightly out of focus.
Dice looked at the silver colored Axew. "Well... uh, if you stay here you will eventually run out of whatever it is you are on... do you really want that? You'd be going cold-Farfetch'd, and I hear it's not a good thing to go through inside a cell..."
"... the cell... it's just a concept, man... you know? Like Groudon..." the Axew turned on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. "You think the sky is blue... but it's grey... all grey..."
"Uh... right," Dice coughed. "I guess I'd better work on the others..."
"They're all concepts," the Axew glanced her way. "A nice... floating dudette would know... they're all concepts... Ho-Oh... Rayquaza..."
"Y-yeah..." Dice took a step towards the other cell.
"... Lugia..."
"No she isn't! She's real!" Dice snapped, glaring at the Axew.
"No, no... you see... it's a concept... you believe in Lugia because of the system..."
"What system?"
"The one you're part of... we all are... the truth has been here all this time, dudette, there is no spoon..."
"Wait, what spoon? Are we talking about the same thing here?" Dice glared at the Axew.
"The spoon, dudette, you know..." he took a deep breath. "There is none... just like the Legendaries... they are a concept that we have been taught to believe... like meat..."
"But... I'm a Legendary Pokemon!" Dice replied indignantly. "I'm a Latias and- meat? What does that have to do with the spoon?"
The Axew looked at her in confusion. "What spoon?"
"The one that isn't there!"
"Exactly..." he droned with a dry cough.
Dice groaned and clicked the door open. "Fine. Stay in there or don't, I'm moving on..."
She intended to stomp across the room to the other side, but ended up just wobbling there indignantly as she levitated to look into the next cell. Inside she could barely make out the curled creature at the corner.
"Is that... a Cyndaquil?" she mused aloud. "Hey you... are you awake? Can you hear me?"
"Nngh... Go away..." he groaned, shaking a paw wearily at the Latias. "I've got a headache, so lemme alone."
Dice sighed and started opening the cell. "Listen, just because you have a headache doesn't mean that you can't get up! Come on! Do you want to stay here, as a freaking Cyndaquil for the rest of your life?"
She stopped when she noticed Moonstone stepping back into the room.
.o.O.o.
Moonstone took a moment to calm himself down before leaving the room. After taking a deep breath, he crept out the door, sticking his head out a few inches. After seeing that the coast was clear, he quietly padded over to the far wall, where there were more shadows to hide in. It took him a moment to get used to walking on all four paws, but once he got the hang of it, he found that he could actually move with a great deal of stealth, as well as speed. 'I could get used to this,' he thought to himself. 'I bet I could run at crazy speeds like this! But right now, speed is less important. They probably think that we're still unconscious. If we're going to escape, we need to be careful...'
He had to pass several doors, mostly because he couldn't reach the door handles from the ground. After finding an open door, he sneaked inside, staying as deep in the shadows as he could. After searching the room for a minute, he saw an open ventilation shaft in the far corner. Grinning at his fortune, he quickly made his way to the new travelling route, jumping deftly inside. 'I can jump higher and more accurately as well... Still, how will I...'
Shaking his head, he pushed the more negative thoughts from his mind, reminding himself that there would be time to think later. Right now, they needed to get out of this place as soon as possible!
It didn't take as long walking in the shafts, as he was able to see into other rooms without having to enter them. Finally, he found a room nearby that had what they were looking for. 'My goggles! Finally, the right room!'
It took all of his will-power not to just leap straight down in the room to grab his personal affects. He looked through the vent carefully, taking the time to see if there was anyone inside. After a moment, he sighed in relief when he was that the coast was clear. 'Thank Arceus, there's no one around...'
After opening the grate gently, he hopped down to the floor on stealthy paws, smiling cheekily to himself. 'Okay, Operation Recovery phase one complete! Now, to get everything out of here... That... Might be a bit difficult,' he admitted to himself, looking at all of the clothes. Frowning at how much there was, he smiled again when he saw a large knapsack. 'Awesome! I'll just stuff everything in that! I can carry that on my... Oh no, I can't... I can...' sticking out his tongue in disgust, continued the thought process. 'I can carry it in my mouth... Ugh. These clothes had better be clean, dammit!'
He stuffed the first shirt and pair of pants he could find in the bag, before placing all of the Pokegears and PokeDex he could find, topping it off with his own items. His goggles, however, he immediately put on, moving them to wait on top of his head until needed. He grunted as he lifted the bag slowly, straining. 'This... Is going to be harder than I thought...'
It took several more minutes to make it back to the room where he first found the opening, and another couple to make it back to the room with the cages, entering slowly, exhausted, but also proud. "I'm back! Got all of our stuff, too," he panted, dropping the bad heavily on the floor, counting on the clothes inside to dampen the fall.
"Hey... I don't see my boots!" Dice said, looking over the clothes. "Did you really get everything?"
"Well, I certainly tried to get everything! There's only so much I could carry in the bag, you know?" Slightly disgruntled at the lack of praise, he sighed, sitting down at patiently as he could. "So, what exactly did I miss?"
"Oh, wait! I forgot, I was wearing my sneakers! And here they are! Well done, Moon!" Dice chuckled as she patted Moonstone on the head and scratched his ears.
Moonstone stiffened, his entire body on edge, the fur rising along his back, his eyes wide. After a moment, he closed his eyes, muttering, "Stop that, it's degrading! I'm not some pet, you know!"
"Oooh, does da little kitty like?" Dice teased, scratching even more. "Does he like? I think he does! Oooh the kitty likes!" she chuckled as Moonstone's legs even started twitching in bliss. "Who's the good kitty? Who's the good kitty? Yesh! You are! Yesh you are!"
Moonstone wasn't sure how to respond, as he did secretly enjoy the attention, but at the same time... His eyes snapped open, a pale blue aura appearing around Dice as she was shoved away a couple feet with a weak Psychic attack. He snapped at her, "I said a little lower!" After a second, he blinked, then stammered, "Gah! No, I meant stop it! We're supposed to be escaping, remember?"
Dice chuckled... then blinked. "Hey, Moon? Did you check for security cameras?"
Moonstone blinked, his face blank as he thought. "Umm... I... Uhh... Okay, well... !"
"Ehehe... yeah uh, remember to write if you're staying here! If not, well, this is your last chance!" Dice added, picking up her clothes in her arms.
"Hey... can I come with you guys?" a small voice inquired.
Dice turned around and saw a shiny whimsicott staring at them from behind bars. "That-" she choked. "That's adorable! Moon, look! Can I keep her?"
"Do you promise to take good care of her?" Moon replied dryly, rolling his eyes at Dice's antics.
"I would really like to get out of here... This place is creepy," the Whimsicott added to her previous statement.
"Yes! I'll make sure she's well fed and properly groomed! Pleeeease let her out and let's take her with us!" Dice squealed.
Moonstone sighed, padding up to the cage swiftly. "Fine, but don't come crying to me when she bites you in your sleep or something..." With a few deft flicks of his paw, the lock on the cage fell to the floor, the door swinging open. "Okay, we need to hustle! Security could be coming for all we know, so let's go!"
"I'm not a pet..."
Dice grinned as she looked at the Whimsicott. "Moon said the same thing, and see?" she scratched Moonstone's ears making him purr. "Lies!"
"But I'm not really a Whimsicott... I'm a human! I don't know why I'm here or how I'm a Pokemon..."
"Well, that does present a problem..." Dice sighed, releasing Moonstone from the inescapable trap of ear-scratching.
"Besides, Pokemon aren't 'pets', they are companions! Friends! Even though some people treat them like pets... it... it isn't right!" the Whimsicott objected.
"Oh, I agree that Pokemon are not pets!" Dice said with a smile. "But you just said you were not a Pokemon! So, fair game, right?"
Moonstone growled, shaking himself indignantly, walking stiffly towards the door, tail held stiff as well.
The Whimsicott blinked a few times, thinking about this. "I... I guess you're right..." She murmured, as the last of her confidence left her.
"Oh, don't give me that Mareepish look... I'm just joking!" Dice said, her smile widening into Haunter-like proportions. "Yesh... joking..."
"Really? Oh... Hehehe!" The shiny Whimsicott giggled nervously. "I'm Wave by the way."
"I'm Dice, and the purring machine is Moonstone," Dice said, floating up to the Whimsicott. "Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to um... meet you too," Wave replied, smiling shyly.
"Okay! We should really go!" Dice said, packing her stuff and most of the rest into the backpack. "I think I can carry a few Pokemon along..."
"Where are we going? Do we know how to get out of here?" Wave asked. 'I keep asking too many questions...' she thought to herself.
"Uh... Moon?" Dice looked at the Espeon. "Any ideas?"
"I know how to get out," Moonstone said quietly, peeking out the door. "I saw the exit when I was crawling around the air-ducts. The exit isn't that far away, but I don't know where it leads. We'd have to look around outside to get our bearings before we get out of the city."
"Okay!" Dice said as she merrily picked up the Whimsicott and put her on top of her back. She flew into a cell and picked up the stoned Axew, then flew into another cell and reconsidered picking up the Ponyta. "Well... you can walk, come on!"
She glanced into the cell with the Cyndaquil as the Ponyta slowly walked out of her cell. "What do I do with this one, Moon?"
Moonstone pussy-footed over, frowning slightly at the Cyndaquil. "So... Headache, right? Possibly a hangover... Look, I'm only going to say this once: you come with us, and I'll do my best to help you get better. Otherwise, stay in that cell and sulk like a little girl. I don't care either w-"
"What did you say to me?" Blade retorted, springing to his paws with fire in his eyes. "You think you can insult me like that and get away with it? I'll pound your little blue head into next week!"
"Yeah, I'd like to see you do that, really," Moonstone yawned in response, covering his mouth with a paw. "But as a scientist, I'm here to tell you that time-travel from a punch is impossible. But hey, now that you're up and moving, feel like bruising some chops as we bust outta this place? I don't know about you, but the thought of being experimented on makes me rather upset..."
"They what? Oh Hell no! They're gonna pay for messing with me! Charge!" the smallish Pokemon roared, dashing out of the room and through the door in a flash.
"What did you do to him? I haven't seen any Pokemon charge through a door like that since that incident with the Tauros in Petalburg..." Dice asked Moonstone in awe as she hovered closer.
"Meh, nothing much," Moonstone admitted as he started to follow the raging Cyndaquil. "I just recognized that he was a hot-head, so all I had to do was find the right trigger for him to go berserk in the good way. Either he'll lead us to the exit, or he'll distract the guards for us. Let's go!"
"Okay! Well, lead the way! I have stoner, fluffy and ponyta all with me." Dice said cheerfully, floating out of the way and motioning to the door with her head.
Moonstone nodded, then shot out of the room, leading the way towards what he knew was the exit. They had hardly made it a couple of hallways before they found the Cyndaquil again, looking back and forth as he tried to decide which way to go. "If you're looking for a fight, then follow us!" Moonstone shouted as he ran past, hoping they wouldn't meet any guards.
"Yeah! Don't let the headache stop you!" Dice said as she flew past carrying the other Pokemon. She looked around. "Dude, security sucks! There's no-one here! What type of operation is this? Can't they afford, I don't know, an old guard close to retiring age with his faithful Houndoom?"
"Duuude... there is no guard..." Axew whispered in that irritatingly raspy and meditative tone of voice only he could achieve.
"That's what I just said!" Dice snapped.
"We're not going to find out by chatting, so keep moving," Moonstone chided, making the last turn, a door at the end of the hall. As they neared, he slowed down, talking quieter. "Alright, we can either burst through there, hoping to catch them off-guard if there's someone there... Or we can go slow, peaking through in hopes that there isn't anyone there, and thus won't hear us leaving... What do you think?"
"I- I vote for the quiet way," Wave said softly, piping up immediately.
"Gah! Just bust through vigilante style! Don't waste time, let's go!" Blade countered, the fire on his back burning brightly.
"Whoa, hold on a minute my fiery friend... unless you actually know how to fight in that new body of yours we're not going to get very far if we simply attack them! I hate to say it but right now, as you are with the flames and all that stuff, the only thing you're good for is as a grill." Dice said, looking at the fighter. When she got a glare that could melt an iceberg she chuckled nervously. "Ah... well, I don't mean that you're not a capable fighter but we are at a disadvantage and I am carrying civilians!"
"Love and peace duude..." Axew said with a dreamy smile, lifting a tiny paw. "Chillaaax, my friend, all you need is looove..."
"Okay, you stop right there mister, if you pull out a dandelion I will leave you behind, understood?" Dice growled, then turned to Moonstone. "I say we sneak out; once we know what we're actually capable of doing we can return and kick ass!"
"Agreed. I wanna find out more about what it is that they're doing, but right now, we need to get the hell outta here! Ready? Get ready to run if there are grunts..." Moonstone cautioned, before slowly getting on his hind legs, resting his fore-paws against the door, as he slowly pulled the handle down, the door swinging open silently.
Moonstone tumbled out, having lost his balance, and ended up on his back in the snow, outside in an alleyway. He did his best to right himself swiftly, ready to run if they were caught, but surprisingly, there was no one around. "Okay, this is just odd... Still no guards?"
"This... is beyond odd, Moony, this is just plain silly. Whoever is in charge of this whole thing is completely incompetent when it comes to security." Dice stated. "Is a rent-a-Jenny too much to ask for?"
Moonstone surged to his paws. a strange look on his face. "Yeah, how odd..." He spaced out for a moment longer, before his eyes cleared again, sharper than before. "Alright, let's go! There seems to be a LOT of people to the left, so we should go to the right, then we'll head south. We've only got an hour or two til dawn, it looks like, so let's get going! We want to be far away from here come sunrise."
The rest of the Pokemon exchanged glances. "Well, it's not like you guys have a choice since I'm carrying most of you. Let's go!" Dice said, already following Moonstone.
.o.O.o.
After the group had been walking for a while, and there seemed to be no sign of pursuers or the people that had captured them, the Pokemon started to relax a little.
"So... what did all of you use to do before becoming my pe- I mean, Pokemon?" Dice asked out of the blue.
"Your Pokemon?" Moonstone exclaimed, eyes going wide in shock and anger. "Look here Missy, I belong to no-one! I'm an inventor, thank you very much! I've improved the Super Potion to be more economically friendly, as well as cheaper to make, among other things!"
"Well, yes, I'm sure you did, but... I have a secret I should tell you..." Dice smiled sweetly as she hovered closer to Moonstone. "Who'se my wuffy lovey kitty cat?" she asked, scratching him behind the ears. "Who ish it? Who? You are! Yesh you are!"
The only thing saving Moonstone from melting into a purring pool of pleasure was that he had kept walking, so the scratching was uneven, and thus not pleasurable enough to render him immobile. Jerking away, he shook in anger, his eyes glaring at her. "I swear, I'm getting so mad at you that I could just..."
Feeling his energy build up, he opened his mouth to just scream, hoping to release his anger and energy in a way that wouldn't hurt anyone, but instead, a fast, screaming, howling wind was summoned, starting to cause the ground in front of them to frost over. Stopping in shock, his jaw dropping, stuttering, "Wh-what just... How did... What just happened? Was that an attack? But... Espeon doesn't learn any moves that have to do with wind!"
"Wow..." Dice's eyes were wide. "You... froze the ground! That is awesome! I shall never run out of cold beers when you're around!"
Moonstone glared at her for a moment, before his eyes spaced off for a moment. "Yeah, that's true..."
"So... you're an inventor, Moon? That's pretty cool! At least one of us seems to have his life together." She looked down at the Axew. "What about you, uh... dude? What do you do for a living?"
"I chiiiiill dudette..." Axew mused aloud. "I contemplate the origins of life... I-"
"So, Ponyta, what does a nice, cute equine like you do for a living?" Dice asked the quiet Pokemon.
"I... worked at a bar in Downtown Harburg," she said. "It's a good enough job, even if the hours were killing me."
Dice nodded, then looked down at the Cyndaquil. When Blade opened his mouth, Dice looked back at Moony. "So, how far away are we from your place?"
"Oh, we're kinda close. You see that mansion? I live nearby. But uh... Let's take the back entrance. I'd rather we not make a scene as we arrive. I still have no idea how to explain this to my parents, especially since I don't know if we're still talking plain English or not... Just... Follow my lead, okay? Just stay quiet. All we have to do is open the back door, and then sneak inside. Don't make much noise, because they'll wake up easily. Now, to open the door, all we have to do i-"
Moonstone was suddenly tackled in the side and flung against the side of the wall twenty feet away. He fell heavily to the ground, barely avoiding landing on a sharp rock that threatened to stab him in the head. "W-wha?"
"Be still or die, trespassers!" a harsh, female voice barked. A shiny Umbreon stood proudly in front of the door, her stance wide, her eyes glowing as her teeth were bared.
o.O.o End Chapter o.O.o