Chapter 1: Drageist

Me: I've been waiting a long time to write this!

Snivels: I've been waiting a long time to live it!

Blaze: I'll believe that.

Ninjark: I just want to learn a little more about our new friends from Alola.

Crackers: Me, too. They seem like such nice Pokémon.

Amber: You're not the only one who thinks so. I like how Buddy saved Hiccup from the Outcasts.

Snivels: Hppefully he'll get his chance to shine, soon.

Me: Guys, there'll be a whole slew of new friends for us later on, you know.

Snivels: Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to it!

Hiccup, Snivels, Astrid, Blaze, Heather and Ninjark were all chained together with thick titanium restraints. Several mean-looking soldiers dressed in impenetrable armor were leading them across a bridge towards a small cliff island in the middle of a lava pit. In a large cage on the island was a rather ugly-looking monster that walked on two legs and had large, powerful arms and a face only a mother could love.

One of the soldiers on the cliff island poked the Rancor with a long metal stick between the bars of the heavy-duty cage. The Rancor roared angrily, banging against the metal bars of its cage in an effort to get at what had dared to poke it in the rear with a sharp stick. It was hungry, too, and it had its eye on the six prisoners being led to it for lunchtime.

Snivels gulped nervously. "Honestly, guys, I'm having a hard time putting a positive spin on this. One minute you're having the best day ever, the next you're being fed to a monster the size of a Boneknapper."

Hiccup frowned. "Yeah, well, welcome to my life."

The Rancor roared again, making everyone flinch.

Snivels sighed. "And to think, everything started out so well this morning."

EARLIER THAT DAY

It was the morning after Hiccup and Astrid's wedding, and the Pokémon Go-Getters were all sitting at the large table in the Ice Caves Celebration Hall. The whole length of the table was decorated with an assortment of exotic breakfast foods, from pancakes and waffles to malasadas.

But Snivels wasn't as interested in the food as the others. He was busy doing some rather confusing calculations on a blackboard provided by Kevin the Victini.

"Let's see, the probability of X or Y, considering all possible levels of intimacy, times the square root of Hiccup..."

"Will you at least take a break and come eat?" Blaze asked, annoyed with all the talking her Servine friend had been doing while working on the calculations.

Snivels put the chalk down. "Are there any malasadas left?"

Amber nodded and passed over a bowl full of the fried balls of dough. "More than enough for everyone. But I saved you a bowl, just in case."

Snivels smiled as he sat down next to his mate and took a large bite out of a malasada. "Best thing I've ever eaten since I found out about chocolate."

The Servine prince then noticed Crackers sitting on the other side of Amber. The young Sobble's face was planted in an empty bowl, and he was snoring a little. Amber cautiously reached out and poked Crackers gently. The little Sobble shot up.

"I didn't do it!"

Amber looked concerned. "Didn't do what, Crackers?"

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Crackers answered, "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

Snivels looked confused. "How did you not get enough sleep? The beds can't be that uncomfortable."

Crackers shook his head, "No, they were very nice. You see, the thing is..."

She was interrupted by the arrival of everyone's favorite newlyweds, and their raven-haired friend. "What's going on?" Hiccup asked as he sat down next to where Crackers was trying to keep his eyes open.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Snivels replied. "Crackers, what were you...?"

The little Sobble had fallen asleep again, this time while sitting straight up on the table. Amber reached out and poked him again. "Crackers!"

Crackers woke up instantly, looking around frantically. "Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

"You were about to tell us why you didn't get enough sleep last night," Snivels gently reminded her.

Crackers gulped nervously before finally giving them his answer.

"I heard a noise."

Now Hiccup was confused. "What kind of noise?"

Crackers shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I think it was a bump. I heard it coming from your room, but I didn't want to disturb anyone because you were all sleeping. I just sat in the dark and tried to fall asleep, but I was afraid whatever made the noise would come out somewhere."

Astrid had been listening in from her seat beside her new husband, and had a pretty good idea what Crackers had heard the previous night. "It was us, we knocked over a lantern."

Crackers looked very confused. "Why would you knock over a lantern?"

Now Astrid was annoyed. "Because we were..."

Hiccup quickly jumped in before Astrid could finish. "They don't need to know what we were doing!"

Snivels looked confused for a minute before his eyes lit up with realization. "Oh!" Then he looked mildly disgusted. "Yeah, he's right, we don't need to know what you were doing."

Folnir was suddenly there. "Pardon me for interrupting, but I just talked to Fjord, and he said that since we all turned in early last night on account of our encounter with the Outcasts, the bride and groom can have their first dance this morning."

Hiccup stiffened at that. He wasn't a good dancer before, and now he had a prosthetic leg! "I don't think I can do it," he muttered sadly. He stood up to leave, but Astrid stopped him.

"Then let me help you."

Before he could do anything, Hiccup found himself being dragged over to a large, open area that was in the dead center of the room. "Astrid, please, I really don't think this is a good idea!"

Astrid stopped and looked back at him. "And why's that?"

Hiccup hesitated at first. "Because...because I might end up dancing like a total dork!"

Astrid glared at her overreacting husband. "You don't need my help to dance like a dork. So get over yourself. And give me your hands." She said the last part more gently as she held out her hands to him.

Hiccup sighed. He didn't really have anything to lose. So, he took her hands.

Astrid smiled as she pulled him to her. "Just try to follow my movements."

Hiccup looked confused. "I didn't know you knew how to dance."

"My father taught me," was his wife's reply. "You know, just in case."

The next thing either of them knew, they were dancing in the middle of the room. Every now and again, Hiccup would almost stumble, but he miraculously regained his footing and continued the dance.

Amber sighed as she watched the two. "It's nice to see those two happy together."

Snivels chuckled. "It sure is. You know, I still remember the day I first met Hiccup."

Snivels the Snivy was trapped.

He was in a small wooden cage, with a small blanket draped over it, giving him no viewpoint of the outside world. He could tell that he was being carried somewhere by someone. And he knew that someone was a Viking.

Vikings.

How he hated them.

He had lost his family to Vikings, and he had to take orders from them countless times. He had more trainers than he could count. And all of them thought that he was too weak to use in battle. But he just wouldn't obey them. He never obeyed a Viking.

But he had made an exception.

His first trainer was unlike any of the others. She was kind, and she treated him like an equal.

As far as he was concerned, she was no Viking.

And now he was trapped. And he had been trapped by them.

He had been looking for food in the forest with his pack, when he stumbled into a dragon trap. His pack had tried to free him before a Viking arrived to check the trap. Snivels told the pack to hide so they wouldn't be killed. And now he was being led away from his forest home, to where he had no idea. He heard the sound of a door opening, and realized that the Viking was taking him inside a house.

"Sir," the Viking said, "I found something in one of the dragon traps."

"Well, what is it?" said another voice. Snivels assumed that it had to be someone important. He felt the cage jerk a little, and realized he had been set on a table. Then, in one swift motion, the blanket was removed, and Snivels could finally see where he was.

He was in what appeared to be a rather large house. There was a set of stairs leading to the second floor, a fireplace to cook food, and at least a dozen shields hanging on the wall. He turned to see two large Vikings looking down at him, one of which he recognized as the chief.

Although he hadn't taken the time to learn everything about the village, he did figure out to recognize the chief when he saw him.

Stoick reached for the cage, and Snivels glared at him. He lunged onto the bars of the cage, startling the chief, who drew his hand back. "That thing is acting like a dragon", he said.

A dragon, eh? I'll show him a dragon!

Snivels retreated to the other end of the cage and looked back at Stoick. And growled. Or at least tried to. Stoick grunted. "We'll deal with him later." He turned to leave, with the other Viking following.

As soon as they left, Snivels darted to the cage door. He fiddled with the handle that locked it, until it unlocked, and the cage door swung open. Snivels walked out of the cage and jumped off the table. They'd have to do batter than that to trap him.

Vikings.

Always so stubborn and narrow-minded.

Snivels realized that they'd be back, and decided to hide upstairs. The stairs were just small enough for him to jump up on to climb to the second floor. When he was halfway up, he noticed something. He sniffed, and realized that there was a strange scent. It wasn't a Viking, which he concluded smelled like rotten fish and dirty hair. This scent was clean, and a lot less musky. And it was coming from the second floor. He quickly climbed the stairs, and noticed that it was a room. And it was surprisingly empty.

Or at least that's what it appeared to be.

Snivels was so focused on examining the room, he failed to notice the teen watching him. He finally noticed him when he jumped up onto the bed.

Snivels recognized the teen immediately. He had watched him countless times, being bullied and teased by most of the other teens. He understood how he felt most of the time, and vowed to one day become his friend. And here he was, in the teen's room, standing on his bed, and staring at him. Although he hadn't taken time to learn his name, Snivels could already tell that they had a lot in common. He watched as the teen kneeled down and reached out to pet him. But Snivels had a better idea. Rushing forward, he jumped into the teen's fur vest, snuggling in as if it were a blanket. He could tell by the teen's stillness that he hadn't expected that to happen. Usually, no other creature could fit underneath his vest, but Snivels was smaller than most of this kind. He snuggled into the small space between the teen and his vest, so that even his leafy tail was hidden.

"So warm..."

There was a long moment of silence before the teen spoke.

"You can talk?"

Snivels's eyes snapped open. Had he said that out loud? He sighed. He knew he had to explain for his ability to talk. He wiggled out of the vest and looked up at the teen.

"Yes. I talk. I...watched...and I learned how...by myself. But I haven't...gotten the hang of...speaking...in full...sentences. Can you...help me...practice?"

The teen thought for a minute before shrugging. "Sure, I guess."

Snivels smiled. "If you...help me...get the hang...of speaking,...I'd really...appreciate it. I've been...watching you from...the forest...and I like you. I figured out...you need...a friend...so I taught myself...how to talk. I was...like you...I was alone...and afraid,...but I'm not...anymore. I have...friends...but we don't...see each other...often. If you want...I'll be your...friend."

The teen listened patiently, enjoying the fact that there was finally someone who was willing to talk to him. If he was lucky, the Snivy would be willing to listen to him, too.

"Okay, sure. I'd like that."

Snivels snuggled back into his place underneath the teen's vest, enjoying the warmth provided by the selfless and well-meaning person he'd come to know of.

"After I learned Hiccup could be trusted, I accepted him as my trainer!" Snivels concluded.

Amber was really one of the few Pokémon that had actually been listening to Snivels's story. The others were Crackers, Buddy, and Mawnan the Rowlet.

At that time, Hiccup and Astrid had rejoined their friends at the table. The male Haddock had noticed the blackboard Snivels had been doing calculations on. "What is all that?" he asked.

"Just some things I was checking," Snivels replied.

"What kind of things?" Heather asked as she leaned forward a bit to try and get a closer look.

Snivels shrugged. "Oh, the 0% chance of Hiccup and Astrid ever divorcing, the amount of time we have before anyone on Berk finds out about the marriage, and, most recently, the possibility of those two ever having children together."

It just so happened Astrid had been drinking a cup of apple juice at that very moment. When Snivels said the last part, she was so surprised she actually did a spit take.

Everyone else jumped back in surprise at the sudden spout of apple juice. Heather thoughtfully grabbed a napkin and reached over to hand it to her friend. Astrid was coughing a little, but she managed to stop long enough to utter, "Thank you," as she grabbed the napkin and wiped her mouth with it.

Hiccup scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as Snivels went to erase the writing on the board. "It's a bit early to be thinking about that, isn't it?"

"Tell that to all the Hiccstrid fans," Snivels said as he continued his work.

Hiccup sighed before he suddenly looked confused. "Wait, wh-what did you just say?"

"Hiccstrid," Snivels repeated as he set down the rag he had been using to wipe the board. "You know, Hiccup and Astrid blended together. Try it."

"I like it," Amber said immediately.

"You would," Hiccup and Astrid said simultaneously.

Heather chuckled. "You know, that actually is a neat thing to say. Hiccstrid."

"Sorry to change the subject," said Ninjark, "But Snivels is right about the people of Berk. We're gonna be staying here for quite a while, I'm pretty sure they're gonna notice we're gone."

"Not if Mewtwo has anything to say about it."

Cue Kickin' Hawk.

The veteran Hawlucha sat down at the far end of the table, grabbing a malasada and taking small bites out of it. He didn't bother waiting for anyone to ask before he continued. "A Psychic-Type Legendary Pokémon that is the offspring of the original Mew. He has the power to erase memories and create false memories so the target doesn't remember what they were doing."

"Like how Splice made a false memory for Stoick, so he thought that thing we found in the scrap heap belonged to his wife?" Folnir asked.

That got Hiccup's attention right away. "What about my dad?"

"That helmet he gave you," said Kickin' Hawk, "It never belonged to your mother. That was a false memory our Mewtwo friend, Splice, planted into his brain in an effort to make that bloated old yak less of a downer."

Hiccup was absolutely flabbergasted. "Y-you know, that would have been nice to know before Toothless left to..." He suddenly gave up and slumped down in his seat. "Oh, nevermind."

Toothless's ears perked up at the sound of his name. He and Ebony were with the other dragons in a different area of the Celebration Hall, chowing down on an all-you-can-eat fish buffet.

"So, where's the helmet now?" Blaze asked.

"Back where it belongs," Kickin' Hawk replied. "In the scrap heap."

"Stoick doesn't know a thing," Folnir added.

A large, dark shadow suddenly feel over the table as Drageist arrived. "Team Go-Getters?"

All of the members who were present quieted down and listened.

"I need your help," the Giratina said, "Something dangerous is coming, and I have a feeling it's after all of you. Come with me, I'll show you."

Everyone collectively looked to Hiccup, who hesitantly stood up and followed Drageist as he walked out of the room on his six thick legs. The rest of the Team followed suit, including the dragons. Out in the hallway, there was a large, dark portal swirling in front of them.

"Don't be afraid," Drageist said as he passed harmlessly through the portal. "Follow me."

Of course, Hiccup went first. Snivels and Toothless followed shortly. The three friends found themselves in the strangest world they had ever seen before. Pieces of the ground were floating aimlessly through a wide vacuum of soundless space. Trees were planted in some of the pieces, a couple of which were turned upside down. The largest piece was in the middle, and was laid out flat like an island. Hiccup thanked his lucky stars they had landed on the bigger piece.

A soft whooshing sound brought Hiccup's attention to the strangest-looking Pokémon he'd seen besides his Type: Null, Buddy.

It had a serpentine look, with six black ghostly streamers on its back with red spikes at the tips. There were spikes where its legs should have been, and four additional golden spikes were near the edge of its tail. The horns on its head were facing the back, and a black vertical stripe was broken into pieces that ran all the way down its body.

Snivels and Toothless, along with Astrid, Blaze and Stormfly, who had followed their friends through the portal, saw the creature, too. "What is that?" Snivels asked.

The creature chuckled. "It is I, Drageist."

Hiccup looked both shocked and confused. "Did you...evolve?"

Drageist shook his head. "No, young master. This is my true form. I can only assume it when I am at home."

"What do you mean home?" Heather asked. She had just passed through the portal, but had managed to hear Drageist talking about his true form.

The Origin Forme Giratina gestured to the area around them with his head. "This place is my home," he said.

All of Team Go-Getters looked around in amazement as Pokémon and dragons alike joined their three human friends in this new, mysterious world. Drageist smiled at the large group of heroes.

"Welcome to the Distortion World."

Me: Yay! I got the chapter done!

Crackers: You think those readers will leave you some reviews?

Snivels: Well, there's certainly only one way to find out!

Blaze: I'm personally looking forward to what Cottonmouth25 will say about this.

Ninjark: You're not the only one.

Me: How to Become a Trainer TV Movie is underway!