A/N - Here's chapter two, filled with randomness, terrible jokes and other such fun. Right now, Wednesday seems like the best day for an upload. If this generates enough follows and faves, I may also add Saturday and make it two submissions a week.
It's great to have something light-hearted to write alongside my more serious fanfic. If you've not checked The End out yet, please do =D
This story is still accepting requests, and may do for its duration. I've not started working on chapter 3 yet, so throw them at me! If not, I'll have to wing it and write my own D=
Disclaimer - I do NOT own Pokemon or any of its critters, or any of the other anime characters and series referenced in this fanfiction!
2 – Something Weird is Going On Here...
Pika opened the door and immediately a large group of Pokemon abandoned their eavesdropping and acted nonchalant. Pika didn't seem to notice this, however, and led Del and Jimmy though the large crowd of Pokemon and out into the hallway.
"As you can see there are three doors here, each leading to a different room." The Pikachu pointed to each door in turn. "The dining room, the meeting room and the room we just came from."
"What room is that?" Jimmy asked.
"The relaxing room."
Jimmy looked over at Del. "Did you see a massage table in there?"
Del shook her head.
Pika moved on through the hallway and Del and Jimmy took a moment to look around before following him.
"Hey. What's that?" Jimmy pointed back the way they'd come at a little wooden square squatting inside the wall.
"That," Pika said, following his claw, "is the elevator."
"You have an elevator?" Del and Jimmy gasped.
"Yes. It provides easy access to the medical ward."
Jimmy's jaw dropped and he looked at his friend. "Medical ward? Medical ward? You never told me this game was dangerous!"
Del stared at Jimmy aghast then looked back at the Pikachu. He had already wandered on, wittering away, seemingly oblivious to whether or not they were following him.
"Be careful," she told the Snivy. "We don't want to seem suspicious."
"No, no." Jimmy crossed his arms and looked up and down the hallway. "We don't want to seem suspicious."
"Jimmy, calm down." Del waddled a paw at him. "You're a Pokemon. You're in a rescue team. Act like it."
"You're taking this oddly well." Jimmy moved on down the corridor and Del was forced to follow him.
"Taking it well? I just got shape-shifted! I'm as scared as you are! Even – Argh!"
Pika had led them into the dining room and standing in the middle of it was a stocky, tall Tyranitar setting the table with a pink, lace tablecloth.
"Well, hello there Pika!" he boomed. "You've bought some new friends along I see!"
"Yes!" Pika beamed from ear to ear. "These two here are Del and Jimmy. Together they form The Explorers of Stuff and Things!"
"Oh how wonderful!" Rexi abandoned his table-setting to stride over to the two Pokemon, which didn't take him much time considering his size.
Del's jaw dropped and a low whine escaped her mouth. Jimmy clasped a paw over her mouth and smiled at the Tyranitar.
"So... you're a chef?" He eyed the giant Pokemon's floral apron.
"That I am!" Rexi beamed.
Pika gave a nod of approval. "Best chef in Pika's Place! You should try his berry soufflé!"
Rexi's expression became one of concern as he looked down at Del. "Is your friend all right?"
"She's fine!" said Jimmy. "She's just a little – yeow!"
Del's Oshawott canines bit into Jimmy's soft, green paw and he yanked it back from her mouth.
"T – T – Tyranitar!" Del exclaimed.
"What?! Where?!" Rexi's eyes widened and he looked frantically around the dining room. In one swift motion he dived over the heads of the three Pokemon – causing a yell from Del – to cower behind Jimmy.
Jimmy looked back at him, then at Pika, his eyes searching for an explanation.
"Don't worry!" Pika laughed. "There are no Tyranitar here, Rexi!" He looked from Del to Jimmy. "Rexi is... a little afraid of Tyranitar."
"But..." Del anxiously eyed the large rock Pokemon then looked back at Pika. "But he's-"
"An Oshawott." Pika nodded. "Exactly!" He then gave the two Pokemon a look that said he knew full well that Rexi was indeed a Tyranitar and that such matters needed no discussion at the moment.
"Oh. Erm." Del cleared her throat then looked back at the cowering Rexi. "Maybe I was imagining things."
"Oh! Well!" Rexi stood up, towering over the three smaller Pokemon. "I do that all the time!" He laughed heartily and strode over them to the dining table. "I think I had better get things finished in here, or hungry tummies will be complaining their meals are late again!"
"Very well!" Pika waved a paw. "I shall finish showing our new friends around!"
"Yes! It was lovely meeting you!" Rexi grinned.
"You too!" Jimmy and Del replied, the latter somewhat nervously, as they followed Pika from the dining room.
Once the door was closed, Pika looked at each of them in turn and led them towards a flight of winding stairs.
"Just to clarify," Pika began, "Rexi has no idea he's a Tyranitar."
"You're kidding." Jimmy frowned. "Has he never looked in a mirror?" At Pika's blank expression, he added, "Or a puddle?"
"Apparently not," said Pika. "We don't keep puddles in Pika's Place. He was raised by Oshawott, and that is the life he knows."
"And his fear?" Del asked.
"His family was unfortunately killed by a Tyranitar."
Del paled and Jimmy had to give her a nudge to prompt her to climb the stairs.
"Don't fret," Pika told Del. "He's one of the nicest Pokemon I've had the pleasure of meeting! I'm sure you'll be fine friends in no time."
The staircase ended in an intricate tunnel that forked off into many little rooms.
"This is our sleeping quarters," said Pika. "The females go this way," he nodded to the tunnel at their right. "And the males go that way." He nodded to the left. He turned to address Del. "If you follow this tunnel round, your nest room will be the fifth one on your right."
"Okay. I'll give it a shot." Del waddled to the tunnel's entrance.
Pika then turned to Jimmy. "As for you, I can show you the way! Follow me."
...
Del waddled down the narrow tunnel, making a mental note that it forked off in many directions, leading to yet more nest rooms. Hers was easy to find however and after exploring a little she backtracked to the given room.
Inside were three piles of hay. One of them was up against a window. The other two were pressed up against the left wall, one of which was currently occupied by an Eevee, her nose buried in a book.
"H... hello?" Del ventured.
The Eevee blinked and looked up at her. "Hello?"
"I'm Del. I've been told by Pika that I'm meant to be staying in here?"
"Hmm." The Eevee crinkled her nose as she took this in. "You'll want the nest behind mine then. The one by the window belongs to Peg."
"Peg?" Del looked at the nest as if she expected the Teddiursa to jump out of it in a flurry of stars and confetti.
"Yes. She's a Teddiursa." The Eevee glanced back down at her book then up at Del again. "I'm Kiki, by the way. You are?"
"Del." The Oshawott glanced around the room then realisation washed over her as she finally placed the Eevee's voice. Her sister... how had she missed that? She looked back round at the Eevee sharply. "You said your name's Kiki?"
"Mhmm." The Eevee was currently lost back in her book and she frowned at the effort to detach herself from the imaginary world within. "Weren't you listening?"
Del tapped her scalchop and glanced around the room again. This was big. First their friend, now her sister... she had to find Jimmy and tell him.
"Excuse me, I have to look for my friend." She turned to leave the room.
Kiki looked up. "It will be dinner soon." She leapt from her nest and padded to the doorway. "I can take you back to the dining room if you want to follow me? Your friend will likely be there soon anyway."
"Weren't you reading?" Del followed the Eevee.
"I was. But it's hard to read with someone talking to you. Plus there's no point in getting lost in a good book mere minutes before eating. Come on, follow Kiki. Have you been to the dining room yet?" The Eevee looked back at her.
"Yes." Del shuddered at the memory.
"Fantastic berry soup!" Kiki grinned. "I can't wait! Peg is probably there already."
...
Pika left Jimmy at his room with instructions to have a quick look then join them for dinner. After he'd left, Jimmy took one look around the nest room, made note of three nests and turned to leave... almost walking smack into an Absol.
The Absol blinked. "Excuse me." His voice sounded somewhat bored, as if seeing a strange Snivy in his room was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. "I need to grab my bag."
"A thousand pardons." Jimmy stepped aside and watched as the Absol picked up a bag from a nest by the far left wall, pulled a large lollypop out of it and sucked it noisily as he walked back to the door.
He looked down at Jimmy's confused expression and spoke around the large rainbow candy.
"Appetiser."
He then marched from the room and Jimmy was left to stand mouth agape as he watched the Absol vanish down the tunnel.
...
Del followed after the speedy Eevee as she spoke at a mile a minute about her books and Pika's Place, the two subjects often merging together. Del found herself wondering if it was her difficulty in keeping up or if Kiki often confused literature and reality (which isn't something her sister did.)
The sound of stampeding feet made Del look round at the adjoining tunnel and a blur of green crashed into her, sending her rolling backwards the way she'd come.
"Jimmy?" she gasped. "What on earth?!"
"Hmm?" Kiki turned around and inclined her head on one side. "You should watch where you're going."
Jimmy scrambled to his feet and rubbed his nose.
"Oh no!" He looked down at Del. "Does my nose look more bent to you?" He went cross-eyed and pawed gingerly at his face.
Del stood up and stared at him. "No. What's wrong?"
"Listen!" He moved in closer to her and cupped a paw over his mouth. "I'm sharing a room... with L!"
Del blinked. "What?"
"L! I'm sharing a room with him! He grabbed a lollipop and then he left!"
Del blinked again. "Pokemon have lollipops?"
"You're missing the point!"
"A Pokemon that eats lollipops?" Kiki sat down beside them and looked from Jimmy to Del and back. "I think I know who you mean. You mean Law, right? He's not called L." She looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "Although his name does begin with an L."
Jimmy stared at her for a moment, then pointed dramatically and went, "Ah!"
Del nudged him as Kiki stared at Jimmy's claw then down at herself. Jimmy seemed to catch Del's glance that told him to shut up, she already knew.
"What's wrong?" asked Kiki. "Did I do something to surprise you?"
"No, I..." Jimmy scratched his head. "I was just wondering what looked so good about you then saw the bow on your tail."
"Oh!" Kiki grinned and flicked her long, bushy tail. There was indeed a bright pink bow on it. "Thank you! I made it myself!" She stood and turned away from them. "Now. To dinner!"
Del watched the Eevee skip away then rounded on Jimmy.
"Did you just hit on my sister?!"
Jimmy blinked. "Apparently. I didn't mean it. I was trying to cover up my booboo."
Del crossed her paws. "Well... don't." She paused. "So... you're sharing a room with L?"
"I know! How freaky is that? It's just... so weird! He's a cartoon!"
"Hmm." Del went thoughtful. "What kind of Pokemon is he?"
"That's what you're thinking?!"
Del shrugged. "What else can we be thinking right now? Answer my question, bent-nose."
Jimmy covered his nose with his paws. "You said it wasn't bent!"
Stare.
Jimmy sighed. "Fine. He's an Absol."
"Hah!" Del smiled. "Kinda makes sense, actually."
"You thought he'd be an Absol?"
"Absol-lutely!"
"... That was terrible."
"I know..."
"Anyway." Jimmy leant against the wall and crossed his arms. "If we've met your sister, her best friend and an anime character... how many other people do you think got dragged into this crazy-ass world?"
Del was thoughtful. "Do you think I might find my husband here?"
"Possibly." Jimmy glanced at her. "What do you think he'll be?"
Del shrugged. "Probably a Munchlax or something." She caught Jimmy's amused look. "What? He likes food!"
Jimmy's stomach growled loudly. "Huh. I think I might be hungry."
"Me too. Let's follow Kiki."
They moved on in the direction Kiki had gone, back down the stairs to the dining hall. The door was closed and on further inspection sported a colourful sign that said 'sorry, closed.' The relaxing room wasn't too far away so they decided to go back there.
Del opened the door, then immediately closed it again.
Jimmy stared at her. "We're still on this side of the door."
"I know." Del pressed her back up against it and fixed wide eyes on her friend. "I don't like it. Everyone was staring at me."
Jimmy shrugged. "Well we are new."
Del glanced away. "I feel exposed."
"Well, I want to mingle. We have to blend in." Jimmy paused and ran a paw over his head. "I hate to be the voice of reason, Del, but we are Pokemon. We need to mix with other Pokemon and act like it."
Del let out a sigh. "Fine."
She turned and opened the door and the two of them stepped inside.
Staaaaaaaare.
Del started to shake.
Jimmy pushed her ahead of him and closed the door behind them.
"Hey!" Kiki waved from a corner beside Peg. "Over here!"
Feeling much more relaxed, Del and Jimmy strutted over to the Eevee and Teddiursa.
"So!" Kiki smiled at them. "New Pokemon! How exciting!" She nodded to Jimmy and turned to Peg. "He's sharing with Law."
"Really?" Peg sucked her paw and looked up at Jimmy. "What a combination."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jimmy grunted.
"You're also sharing with Shuu."
"Shuu?" Del raised an eyebrow.
"He's a Zorua," Kiki explained. "A bit of a flirtatious, eccentric individual who likes to get into trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Jimmy asked, eyes widening.
"Pranks." Peg shrugged.
Kiki nodded and scrutinized Jimmy closely. "Hmm. Your nose does look a little crooked."
Jimmy threw his paws into the air. "Oh for the love of..."
Kiki laughed. "Well, this is going to make for an interesting arrangement!"
"Indeed." Peg sucked her paw again. "Shuu also has a habit of taking on missions much to advanced for himself."
"Yes." Kiki nodded and fixed Jimmy with a pair of serious brown eyes. "Don't get pulled in."
"Oh great." Jimmy slumped. "So I'm sharing a room with a dangerous duo?"
"At least they don't go around stealing Pokemon." Del said with a nod.
Jimmy gave her a blank stare.
"Oh come on," she laughed. "That was gold!"
"I don't get it," said Kiki.
Peg shook her head slowly and Jimmy copied her.
"Terrible. Just terrible."
Del and Jimmy looked around the crowded room at the vast number of Pokemon.
"Well... I don't see either of them anywhere," said Del.
"Me neither," said Jimmy.
"They're probably just out," said Kiki. "Anyway, it's dinner time soon. Maybe they'll be back by then."
A bell rang right above their heads, causing Del and Jimmy to let out startled yells and leap a
little.
"There it is!" Peg lowered her paw from her mouth and smiled. "Time for berries."
...
Please R&R! =D And remember to get your requests in ;)
