Pokemon: Incarnation
Chapter 12: How It Is
"Oh, thank fuck you're alive!" Nisbeth said, before picking me up to hug me tightly. He was every bit as strong as he looked as I flailed around in his grasp, struggling to breathe. "I was afraid I was going to be too late given those bastards would have found you, so I had to run down the road as fast as I could to find you! I should have never have let you leave the town."
"That...was my own choice." I said, as he put me down gently on the ground. "Besides...well...you were kind of too late." I continued as I sighed miserably, rubbing my foot against the ground, feeling the grass between my toes.
"Did they already find you?" Nisbeth asked, looking afraid for my safety as I nodded.
"We took care of them, but...well, you weren't quick enough to save Danil." I responded miserably as the memories of his brutal and messy decapitation flashed in my mind again. "Danil's another human who was brought here by The Guardian of Forever. They hunted us down like animals, and..." I trailed off, shuddering slightly. I had no idea whether Melinda was outed as a human or not, or whether she was even still alive. In many ways, the agony of not knowing was even worse than she was dead, but there was always a degree of hope I could cling onto. Nisbeth looked like he didn't know what to say as he sadly shook his head.
"I only caught heard about people visiting Maude in her cell yesterday evening. They were ahead of me by several hours, but...I should have still done something. I'm sorry Basil." He said, sitting down next to me. "Listen, I'll come with you to Newer Orleans. I'll make sure you get there safely."
"Thanks Nisbeth." I said and smiled at him. "Oh, by the way, Murphy here also knows who I really am." I said as the toxicroak looked at him.
"So he told you then?" He asked Murphy.
"Yeah. I can't believe we actually made friends with an alien. A lot of things about Basil suddenly make a lot of sense now." He replied, looking a little uncomfortable. Well, I couldn't really blame him given I lied to his face more times than I could count, but, as he knew, I had my reasons.
"So you came all this way to just make sure I was ok. You flatter me Nisbeth!" I said, trying to lift the mood a bit.
"Well, given I was registered as your guardian, I would have probably been beaten up by a mob for letting you getting yourself killed like that." He said as I patted him on the back.
"Well, since you're going to Newer Orleans, I'm going to help you try to get into that explorer's club or whatever it's called again. You took a lot of time and effort out of your life for me, so I'm wanting to make sure this journey is worth it for you. Same with you Nisbeth, I'll try to get you set up with a drama agency. I kind of sweet-talked you into helping me, so I'm going to use my talents to get people to help you. It's only fair after all." I said, smiling at Nisbeth as I slowly moved towards my tent. "Though, if you still don't want anything to do with me once we arrive, then I'll understand."
"I'm not sure. Think the Pale Communion will still attack me if they see me with you?" He asked as I shook my head.
"I think they only did so back in the swamp because it was isolated. I can imagine they'd be a lot more wary of attempting murder in a large town, and they must know of a lot of people that know a human, so all things considered, you'll probably be fine. Still, the choice is yours, and unlike my previous actions, I won't try to convince you to see my side." I replied as I yawned, sleepiness kicking back in now that the shock of Nisbeth's arrival had calmed down. "Well, I'm completely shattered. Wake me up in a few hours, and I'll keep watch until morning, ok? Did you bring a test Nisbeth?"
"Nope, only had time to quickly grab some food and water to make sure I wouldn't be too weak to fight if it came to blows." He replied.
"Well, if you can fit inside either Murphy's or mine when we're not inside, then feel free to use them." I said before crawling inside my tent. I dropped off to sleep almost instantly, yet my dreams and mind were still plagued by the events in the swamp. Restless thoughts transformed into paranoia as I imagined the Pale Communion coming for me during my sleep. I had to trust in Nisbeth and Murphy. I had to believe that I'd be safe as long as they were around. They were both pretty damn tough, and they've been looking out for me since I came here. Putting my faith in their intentions and abilities, I was able to clear my mind of most of its worry as I my dreams became a little more pleasant.
"Hey Basil, it's your turn." Murphy said, tapping me and waking me up some time later. His eyes looked drained of energy as he crawled clumsily into his tent as I sat down on a small boulder nearby to keep watch. Drumming my fingers on said boulder, I tried to stay awake the best that I could. It'd take another couple of days to reach Newer Orleans, but I was already looking forward to collapsing on a real bed for at least twelve hours. Drinking and eating helped staved off the desire to take a nice nap on the ground, as did watching Nisbeth try to fit inside Murphy's tent. Guess that's where all the shuffling sounds were coming from while I was sleeping.
Thankfully, nothing else happened as I saw the sun start to make its presence known on the horizon. After waking the others up and having a quick breakfast, we packed up our stuff and set out on the road again. The wind was oddly cool, which was a relief to say the least, but Nisbeth seemed to think otherwise.
"Are you two not cold?" Murphy asked us, shivering slightly. "Feels almost as cold as winter."
"Actually, it's still a bit too warm for my liking. My homeland's a lot colder than this." I said, keeping my eyes on the poorly made path as we crossed the grasslands.
"Well, unlike some people, we don't have fur." Nisbeth said, chuckling, looking just as chilly as Nisbeth was.
"Man, how do you guys even get through winter?" I asked.
"With great difficulty." Nisbeth replied plainly. "Is the human world in general colder than this?"
"Hard to tell, though there are many hot and cold places on my planet. I'm guessing it's the same here, right?" I asked, enjoying the cool breeze on my face.
"New Australia's a lot colder than here, especially the snow-covered northern parts. Just going by word of mouth and maps though, since I've never been there. It's expensive to travel there, though I'd love to visit Syrinx one of these days. Supposedly, it's over five times the size of Newer Orleans." Nisbeth said as I chuckled.
"Want to know why it's called Newer Orleans? Because There's already an Orleans and a New Orleans back where I come from. Same with Australia for that matter. I don't know what's cornier – naming something 'New Whatever' or naming something after yourself! Still, the guy who named that city 'Syrinx' knows what's up." I said, smiling as we pushed on.
"So…what's the human world like then?" Murphy asked. Figured they'd go for the elephant in the room sooner or later.
"Oddly enough, it's not all that different from this world." I said as we passed under a tall, crooked tree that leaned over the path, briefly shading us with its exceedingly long leaves. "More advanced and stuff I guess, but when you boil it down to its core elements, it's kind of similar. From what you've seen from me, humans aren't really god-like entities. If we were, we'd be smiting those Pale Communion bastards effortlessly."
"You seem to know what us pokemon are like, so are there pokemon in your world too? Are there heliolisks like me?" Murphy said, pressing his questions.
"Yes there are!" I said, hoping he wouldn't ask me to elaborate, given that almost all the pokemon in my world were animalistic savages. I somehow doubted they'd take to that very well.
"Ooh, are they like us or do they live in the wild?" While it made me happy that Murphy was cooling off and was reverting to his cheerful self, I really wish he didn't ask that exact question. I physically cringed, and unfortunately, he seemed to notice.
"Well, I said I'd be honest with you...they're almost all savages, and while humans definitely aren't super-beings, we are undoubtedly the masters of the planet. Anomalies exist every once in a while where a pokemon can act like a person, but they're exceptionally rare. It's hard to determine the cause, but usually it comes down to the pokemon dedicating a lot of effort and thought into wanting to become more like a human. That's all I know. I really wanted to lie about this, but I did say I'd be honest about things from here on, even if it's ugly." I said, biting my bottom lip and inhaling slightly. Murphy looked a little disturbed, but seemed to be ok with it.
"I see...well, guess I'm glad to live here then!" Murphy said, suddenly sounding happier again. Needless to say, I was glad that he didn't probe into what my sister and I did for a living – that would be a complete doozy to explain!
"...I also met Floyd just before I came here." I said suddenly before both of them suddenly turned around.
"Fuck off!" Nisbeth said, smiling slightly as if I told an elaborate joke. Murphy looked like he was in disbelief. "Even the rumours and legends say he died thirty-five years ago! Even if he was real, he's not around anymore."
"Well, he said his name was Floyd, and said that he at one point in his life could get visions of the past and of things yet to come. He said that he one time met The Guardian of Forever, and that he told him that he was a hugely important hero in another timeline, not to mention that he was a snivy when he was in the pokemon world. Just telling you guys what he told me. Shortly afterwards, I was removed from my world and taken here." I said, as they continued to stare at me in disbelief.
"I reckon you're pulling our legs now." Nisbeth said, shaking his head.
"Well, you believed I was human. Trust me, this has been a series of incredibly bizarre events for me. Still, that strange policeman told me all that he knew apparently, and he seems to share my sentiment about kidnapping humans from my world. I doubt he's friends with The Guardian of Forever anymore. He was researching the disappearances from my world, so as you can see, both of these 'heroes' have been quite busy recently." I explained as they seemed to humour me, at least for now.
"Well, is there anything these humans have in common? Think he's just picking them at random?" Murphy asked as our pace slowed slightly, both of them showing interest.
"Seems like he's picking people who are well known for working with pokemon. Dunno why he picked me after my sister though. I mean, I've worked with them before, but I was more of a behind-the-scenes manager for Melinda." I said, bending the truth ever so slightly. "I can only guess he was assuming that people who worked with pokemon in my world would adjust the best into being turned into one. Boy did he make a bad choice with me! According to Melinda, The Guardian of Forever said he needed humans to defend this world. What a complete idiot! All that happened is that some cult wants us all dead! This all reeks of nostalgia for Floyd. Speaking of which, if it worked before, then why didn't he summon him instead of Melinda and I?! He's unstable, and-" I ranted, my voice growing louder and higher before Nisbeth cut me off.
"Relax, Basil!" Nisbeth said, shaking me slightly.
"Sorry, it's just that even with you two, I still sometimes feel very alone. It's mostly because that finding Melinda will be a needle in a haystack. It feels almost hopeless at times really. Then, what do I do after I find her? It'll be another potentially fruitless hunt for The Guardian of Forever! Why do I have to go through all this? It's because of him! If he wasn't my ticket out of here for Melinda and I, I'd murder him without any remorse the first chance I get! I bet I wasn't the last one taken to this hostile world!" I said, slowly returning to my shrill ranting and raving.
"Nisbeth's right, this isn't exactly helping." Murphy said, also trying to calm me down. I suppose they weren't wrong, but it didn't exactly help my situation. "Nisbeth, know of anyone who could help him with his situation?"
"You could try the Excursion Club I guess. They have a lot of connections, so it's worth a try, but then again, who knows if there are Pale Communion members there. You could end up giving yourself away again, so I wouldn't risk it, but it's your choice." Nisbeth said, clearly not wanting me to ask them. I was hardly going to find Melinda by just staying silent however. There were risks I simply had to take, and perhaps this could be one of them. Regardless, I'd have plenty of time to think about it.
"I really appreciate the two of you standing by me, but ultimately, I'm never going to be happy until I find Melinda, or at least find out what's happened her. I risked my life for this so far, and I'll do so again if I need to. I don't want to drag you guys into it, especially if it means facing the Pale Communion again. As much as I want to find her, I don't think she'd be in a hurry to forgive me if she knew I got some of my friends killed in the process. I wouldn't forgive myself for a long time either." I said, calming down slightly.
"Well, if you're absolutely sure, then I won't try to talk you out of it. I'll just tell you now that I think you're making a mistake." Nisbeth replied. "Like I said, think about what you still have, and consider other ways."
"If you find Melinda, can we meet her at some stage?" Murphy said, sounding like he was trying to inject some more casual optimism into the subject.
"She'd probably want to meet you two after I've told her my little 'I've-become-a-meowstic' story. She's very friendly; you two would get along well with her, especially you Murphy. I can imagine her thanking you two profoundly for helping to keep me alive before having a couple of drinks and share some crazy stories. Trust me, she'll probably have a whole load of them now if her experiences were anything like mine." I said, sounding a little happier as I began thinking back to the good times together.
"Is she cute?" Murphy asked, snickering slightly before I swatted his nose immediately.
"NO!" I said, glaring into his eyes while raising my finger to his nose, which he rubbed slightly.
"Well, you don't know that, especially if you got turned into different species." Murphy continued as my face scrunched up in disgust.
"One: That's my sister you're talking about! Two: She used to be a human too, so she's not going to be interested, and three: She's ten years older than you!" I shouted at him. It was pretty hard to tell how serious Murphy was about this, but regardless, he was clearly lapping up my fury like melted chocolate.
"She's twenty-seven? That's quite the age gap between you and her." He said, sounding a little disappointed.
"Oh, and Basil here's actually twenty-three. He kept his real age a secret so they wouldn't throw him off the continent if he failed his adulthood exam." Nisbeth said before stalling slightly. "Er, you were fine with him telling him that, right?"
"Well, I guess it's very minor compared to the fact that I'm literally an alien in this world." I said, rolling my eyes at him.
"Huh, I thought you looked too old to be eighteen! Wow, everything really is rolling into place!" Murphy said, chuckling happily.
"Yeah, kind of felt compelled to lie to you about that too." I said in a low voice, looking away from him.
"Eh, I get why you did that. I won't hold it against you, don't worry." Murphy said, patting me on the back. Seems like he completely and totally forgave me for dragging him into this. Well, it was decided now – as long as I could help him safely, I'd ensure he'd get the acting job he dreamed off. I owed it to him, even if he insisted that I didn't need to pay him back for this. Same with Nisbeth – they've been too good to me. I even considered asking them to come home with me to the human world once I found Melinda and beat The Guardian of Forever to within an inch of his life. Maybe I could ask them closer to the time, but then again, they'd probably be appalled at how pokemon act and are treated there, so maybe it'd be for the best if they just stayed.
After the rocky beginning, the day actually went pretty nicely. The cool breeze felt great upon my fur as we walked down the poorly laid out path towards the east. It snaked its way through grassy fields and small patches of trees here and there, and as we rested upon a small hill, I really began to take in the atmosphere of this place. It wasn't quite breathtaking, but given we were no longer being hunted down by a cult, I at least had the opportunity to really kick back and relax for a few minutes.
Gazing down the hill, I saw the river flow back towards us before being redirected by the land towards the east. It looked like it'd re-join us for the final day of travelling, and from what I'd remember, it would meet its end at Newer Orleans. Looking ahead, the path seemed clear of geographical troubles. No swamps, no hills or mountains; just the way I liked things. Seeing the crooked mountains form jagged shadows over the swamp we passed through last evening made me glad that bloodshed was behind us. It was just too bad Danil had to pay the price.
"Oh, by the way, if you ever meet Melinda, don't tell her what happened to Danil, ok?" I said, swallowing the rest of the food in my mouth as I finished off the sandwich. Staring off into the distance towards the blackening sky of the east, I saw some pale lights on the horizon start to flare and flicker weakly like fireflies clinging on to their last moments before passing on.
"Is that Newer Orleans?" I asked, thinking I saw a mishmash of buildings way off in the distance.
"It is indeed. Busy place." Nisbeth said with a mouthful of food.
"Might just remind me of home a little more." I replied.
"Miss your home world?" Nisbeth asked as I nodded slightly.
"Well, it's kind of odd. I mean, this is an experience like no other! As frightful as it's been, if Melinda and I get back home safely, I'll be glad this happened to me in a way. If it wasn't so dangerous, I'd be up for an out-of-this-world and an out-of-body experience like this for a week or two, but alas, this is no holiday." I said, as my smile faded away, just like how the sun was fading behind the mountains. "So yeah, I do miss my safer life."
"So you'd be miserable if you were forced to stay here?" Nisbeth asked as I shrugged.
"Well, I have friends and family back home. It'd be real rough for them, given I literally vanished off the face of the Earth. However, as for my own life, if the Pale Communion disbanded, then I could probably adjust. I wouldn't have much of a choice, and besides, this world isn't so bad once you take those murderous bastards out of the equation. By the way, you seem to really like having me around. I'm really starting to wonder why, given you seemed to be kind of lazy in most other circumstances." I said as he shook his head.
"When it's a matter of life and death, I can't afford to slack off. I'd hate to feel responsible if anything bad happened to you, and given that you'll probably have to deal with the Pale Communion sometime later if you keep sticking your neck out...well, hopefully you'll understand." He said, trailing off towards the end. It still bugged me how he was doing this for someone he barely knew, but I guess no good would come from delving too deep in case I changed his mind.
Using the little sunlight we had left, we set off down the shallow slope of the hill at a fairly quick pace, waiting to find a sheltered spot to set up camp. My feet felt pretty battered and worn by now from the relentless walking, and if they had mouths, they would have given off the greatest sigh of relief when we finally found a dry patch of ground underneath a few trees off to the side of the path.
"Think I'll enjoy Newer Orleans?" I asked as soon as I finished setting up my tent.
"You'll love the big town Basil, and there's enough police there to help you stay safe if they ever come looking for you again." Murphy said, though I wasn't quite so sure.
"I think this might be the only time I'm hoping that the place I'm going to ends up being a police-state." I said, sounding a little sour. "I just hope they're not zealous enough to try and kill me in a busy street. Well, goodnight you two, and feel free to wake me up when it's my turn to keep watch for savages and other trouble."
"See ya Basil. Nisbeth, want to keep watch for the first few hours?" I heard Murphy say before I drifted off to sleep. I wasn't sure how long I slept for, but I was woken up by the noise of chatter from my two friends. Naturally, I listened in carefully, curious to see how the two natives would speak now that I was 'asleep.'
"...It wouldn't surprise me if they were." I heard Nisbeth say, sounding bitter.
"Unlikely, since they only tried to kill Basil during the night in the outskirts of Serenity or in the wilderness." Murphy responded as I saw the two of them start to argue.
"We can't be sure Nisbeth, and there's not exactly members of the police on every single street. Basil's not going to be safe there." Nisbeth said sternly.
"And what would you have him do? Just stay locked up somewhere, hoping it all blows over while constantly worrying about Melinda? I've not known Basil for long at all, but it's clear he'll be very unhappy that way." Murphy said before chuckling slightly. "Why, he's probably drive you insane if you kept him hidden in that little shack you supposedly lived in for months on end."
"Look, if I ever let someone el-"
"It was decided a while ago. I really don't think you're going to change Basil's mind now. I mean, if you really wanted to keep a constant eye out for him, you can just stick by his side for as long as he needs you to if you really want to. I really don't think he'd complain about your company and protection. Anyway, we should keep our voices down as to not wake the guy." Murphy said before I heard him sigh. "Besides, it's my chance to really get out there and grab the life that I've dreamt of."
"You're only seventeen though, right? Seems a bit young to suddenly jump to Newer Orleans like this. Were your parents fine with this?" I heard Nisbeth ask.
"Probably not, but I reckon they'll get used to it and see I did the right thing for myself in time." He said somewhat casually. "If I told them, they'd probably try to keep me home. I wouldn't be happy staying there, you know."
"Just like Basil, huh…look, here's a word of advice kid-"
"I am a legal adult you know. Seriously, I know you like living around mud, but I see that you're the stick in it too." Murphy protested, his voice growing slightly louder.
"I'm just saying that diving face first into this will probably only get you hurt in the long term. Trust me, I learned the hard way. Between you and me, I think Basil's acting out of manic desperation. I understand where he's coming from, but I don't think he even considered where he'll stay and how he'll afford to feed himself. You did bring some spare money with you, right?" Nisbeth asked as I heard Murphy rummage around in his backpack.
"Here's all my money." He said as I heard Nisbeth grunt in disapproval.
"That might last you two weeks. Tell me – what will you do if you can't get theatre work immediately?" He asked as Murphy seemed to pause for a short while.
"Uh, do run-of-the-mill jobs until I work things out." He said as I heard Nisbeth grunt again.
"You and Basil should have stayed home. Especially in Basil's case – better miserable than dead."
"You're gutless Nisbeth! I'm sorry some of us here aren't satisfied with just hunkering down in some swamp where nothing happens. Though I really do wonder, Nisbeth…it's really quite odd how someone as slobbish and unmotivated as you is going this far out of his way to help make sure Basil's ok. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, and I'm sure Basil isn't whining either, but…well, you get my point." Murphy said, his ranting diminishing as time went on.
"…I have my reasons. Someone as young as you wouldn't understand." Nisbeth replied after a fairly long pause, his voice wavering slightly.
"Does that translate to 'You won't tell me because you simply don't feel like it'?" Murphy responded before Nisbeth seemed to lose his cool by the sound of things.
"No, it's because I'm getting really tired and your inane chatter is starting to really irritate me. Now, it's your turn to keep watch. I'm going to bed, goodnight." He said, his voice being as firm as an oak tree. I heard him quickly climb inside his tent as silence once again returned to our makeshift campsite. Murphy was right in a way – it did seem strange that Nisbeth would act like this around me. Still, he seemed to get along much better with me than he did with Murphy, so maybe I could convince him to tell me when I ask him in private. Regardless, I couldn't lose sleep over it now. Tomorrow would surely be another big day for me.
"It's your shift Basil." I heard Murphy said as he started poking me. Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Groaning, I climbed out of my tent and kept watch until the sun poked its head just above the horizon. No ambushes, no trouble – wonderful! It didn't take long for the others to wake now, and before long, we were on the road again.
We found ourselves walking a little quicker this time, as all three of us seemed eager to get to Newer Orleans as soon as possible. By now, my feet and body had become partially numbed to all the pain and discomfort it was going through, as every part of my being became sharply focused on getting there. Who knew whether Melinda would actually be there or not, but there was only one way to find out.
"So, what are you guys gonna do when you get there?" I asked, taking in a second day's worth of cool breezes on my face.
"I'll be looking into applying at the theatre, or just get advice from the people there." Murphy said, sounding excited.
"I'm not entirely sure…" Nisbeth said, grumbling slightly.
"Here's what we're going to do – we are going to that excursion club place, or whatever you called it, and I will help you get a place there while I see if they know anything about Melinda." I said, making Nisbeth a little uncomfortable.
"You really are dead-set on this, aren't you? You know, fine, I'll go through with it. I was turned down once over a decade ago, so I doubt I'll be let in now, but if makes you happy, I'll give it another try. Just promise not to bicker on to me about it when I inevitably get turned down again, ok?" Nisbeth said, looking at me out of the corner of his right eye.
"Fine, fine. Though I will do everything I can to persuade them for you. I'll get you in somehow, don't worry." I said, trying to reassure him.
"I don't even particularly care about getting in anyway. They were younger dreams and…well, there is still a part of me that really fancies the idea. I'll give it my best shot." He replied, smiling slightly.
"See? Now you're getting it!" Murphy chimed in, much to Nisbeth's displeasure.
"I really hope I won't have to rescue you…" Nisbeth mumbled to himself, though Murphy clearly overheard.
"That was mighty cold of you there!" Murphy said after gasping in shock.
"It was a figure of speech, Murphy." Nisbeth said, still grumbling away. Thankfully, they stopped bickering right there, but it wouldn't be the end of our concerns.
"Wait…is that another one of those statues?" I heard Murphy say suddenly and point ahead. From what I could see, it was either a statue of a quadrupedal pokemon or a bipedal one that had fallen over. Jogging over to it, I could see that it was a dewott, and not even the pitch-black stone of the statue could hide its terrified expression. It was lying on its back with a face of abject horror, as if it was staring in fear at someone or something on the path. Its right arm was raised, as if trying to fend off something. I felt very unsettled, wondering what strange sculptor would make such detailed, yet terrified looking statues and just dump them here.
"…Why?" I muttered to myself as we tried to make it stand up, but we found the thing to be unbelievably heavy. Even with Nisbeth's help, we could barely make it move.
"What sort of stone is this thing made from?! Can't remember the last time I came across something so heavy!" Nisbeth said after giving up. Even though Nisbeth looked very strong, almost to the point of having the physique that would serve him well in professional battling, he looked utterly defeated by this. "Well, it doesn't matter. Only got about five more miles to go thankfully, and I want to get the application done as quickly as possible. Let's get there before they shut for the day, ok?"
"Indeed." I responded, and it wasn't long until I got my first good view of the port town. It wasn't overly impressive by human standards, but this was a magnificent accomplishment from the pokemon here! I found myself rather excited to just wander around the place, and thankfully, I'd probably have plenty of time for me to do that in my search for Melinda. I couldn't make out any real details, but if I were to have a guess, I'd say about fifteen to twenty thousand people lived there judging by its size. Hardly as big as York, but it looked a little closer to home at least.
"I'm so gonna get a foot massage after we're there…" Murphy said, looking happy at the mere thought of it.
"And waste what little money you have? I don't think that's a good idea." Nisbeth said, and as much as Murphy protested, I thought that Nisbeth was right. I realised that I had even less money than Murphy, but my hand was forced. Better trying to get by with little to no money than waste time, as each day I waste means more opportunities for the Pale Communion to find Melinda.
It wasn't long until we found some more people on the path, which by this point, had become a fully-blown road. Several paths branched off to the left and right that snaked their way towards the local farms that surrounded Newer Orleans, producing all manner of different crops; some familiar, some alien.
"Walk all the way from Serenity? You look exhausted!" An ivysaur said to us as he walked off towards one of the farms. He was right, but I couldn't rest just yet.
"Know where we need to go Nisbeth?" I asked as he nodded.
"Yep, I'll take you to the excursion club. Got a plan to help me get in?" He asked as I shook my head.
"I'll talk around to some of the staff members if I'm allowed. Maybe I can have some leverage with one of the higher ups if I make a good impression, or if I can offer them some human wisdom without revealing who I really am." I said, though Nisbeth looked concerned.
"Sounds a little risky. Just don't do anything rash or stupid – we can't be sure that there aren't Pale Communion members there." He replied as I reassured him.
"Anyway, I'll help you after I help Nisbeth get in." I told Murphy, who looked happy to have my help. "I owe it to you buddy."
"I won't say no to that! Though don't waste too much time, since I don't want the Pale Communion to suspect me of anything. Still, I'm probably exaggerating; I don't think there's any real risk of them going after me." He said. For his sake, I wish he wouldn't be so casual about the potential dangers he could face.
Eventually, after four days of exhausting travel, we finally made it to Newer Orleans in the late afternoon. I let a sigh of relief escape from my mouth as I gazed round at the buildings and town around me. They seemed a little less rustic than the ones back in Serenity, with a few antebellum style houses on the outskirts of the town. They didn't seem to be as well constructed as the old plantation mansions I saw with my family during my holiday to Louisiana many years ago, but were certainly by far the best constructed buildings I had seen so far in this word.
"Hey, if you become a real hero, you might live in one of those fancy houses!" Murphy said excitedly to Nisbeth.
"If I do somehow get in, it'll be too late to get rich." He replied, sounding far less enthusiastic than the young heliolisk. As we approached the town centre, the buildings became a stacked blur of greys and browns, yet in spite of the dull colour scheme, there was a liveliness to this place that I hadn't felt in a long time. I closed my eyes briefly as I walked beside them, and I swore I could hear the first sounds of jazz playing in this world, though it was most likely my imagination. Theatres and saloons with overhanging balconies sheltered us from the sun as Murphy stared in awe at what could be his future as we made our way through the entertainment district. That being said, everything I had seen so far felt somewhat like an imitation of the real thing in a mildly unsettling way. Still, while the lack of authenticity really did seem like a ridiculously cheap knock-off of New Orleans, I actually found myself quite liking this place so far.
"Oh man oh man oh man! I've gotta give this a try now!" Murphy said, practically jumping as we walked.
"Try one of the smaller ones first, you might want to work your way up. That being said, you look completely exhausted. I'd have a good night's sleep before giving it a try. I can give you some help if you wait for me too. I did a bit of drama when I was at school, so I'm not totally inexperienced." I told Murphy, trying to calm him down.
"Basil's right – you look like a complete wreck." Nisbeth chimed in while Nisbeth stared back at us with a deadpan expression.
"So do you two." He replied.
"Nothing a shower can't fix up." Nisbeth said, not making eye contact. "Anyway, go find a hostel or something. I'm sure Basil can find you tomorrow."
"Uh…see ya then?" Murphy said, sounding confused as Nisbeth dragged me away, looking relieved.
"Ugh, his nasally voice was driving me mad. Look, I get that you're friends, but I just find him really annoying." Nisbeth said gruffly as he took me through the busy streets.
"I get that I suppose. Think he'll be fine here? Like you said, he is pretty young." I asked as he nodded.
"Well, he is technically an adult, and he's definitely tough enough to look after himself. Murphy will be ok, don't worry about him Basil." He said as he stopped me outside one of the public showers. "If you want to make a good impression on the excursion club, it helps if you're clean. Don't worry, we'll have time. I saw a nearby sundial; we're here earlier than I thought."
"Thanks for the advice, Captain Obvious." I said, chuckling slightly as I quickly cleaned and dried myself. Getting dry was a complete pain in the arse given my body was now covered in blue and white fur, but at least I didn't smell of sweat anymore.
"You're taking a long time Basil." I heard Nisbeth say from outside the shower block.
"Just a sec Nisbeth." I said, seeing how I looked in the mirror. I jumped instinctively upon seeing my reflection; guess I still wasn't completely used to looking like this. Only thing that looked remotely like my old self was my green eyes, though they were significantly bigger than they used to be. Thankfully, I didn't feel quite as blue as I looked about this situation, nor was I as old as my white hair looked. Speaking of which, it seemed a little longer and shaggier than most meowstics, and certainly didn't form the usual two neat, straight clumps that the males were mostly known for. Combing my hair with my tiny claws on my fingers, I straightened it out the best I could, pushing it off to one side so that it wouldn't cover my eyes. My scarf fur too was a bit of a lengthy mess too, and much like my hair, I straightened it out. Classy! Thankfully, my tail didn't follow suit, as it was a good deal shorter than normal. Regardless, sleeping with this extra appendage proved to be a pain in the arse, and it still felt very strange to move this extended spine. Giving it a little shake, I turned around to see a charmeleon behind me, grinning widely, staring at where my tail was.
"No." I said slowly and firmly at him before joining up with Nisbeth.
"Right, got any ideas or plans Basil?" He asked as we walked towards a large building, the setting sun glaring off the huge telescope at the top of it. Aside from that, it looked like one of those neo-classical mansions for the most part, aside from the fact that it was painted, of all colours, lilac.
"I've got a few ideas but…yeah, these guys look like they might be a little crazy. Was it always like this?" I asked as he nodded.
"They insist on making things fun." He said as we walked through the large gateway.
"Hrm…if they have some kind of scientist there, I could perhaps exchange a few secrets about the weapon with them in return for leverage to let you in. Seems like they do, given that large telescope. Don't worry, I'll try to downplay the alien nature of the device, so I don't think they'd suspect anything." I said as we walked slowly into the entrance hall.
"Looks a little messier than the last time I was here…" Nisbeth said as we slowly walked across the slightly dirty floor. "Wouldn't mind living here though as long as there's some kind of soundproofing and locked private bedrooms. Still, I may miss my quiet life back home. It'll be open for another hour and a half, so if you want to try and get that astronomer to try and get me in, I'd start now." He said as I looked at what areas were open to the public. Seemed like it was only this hall unfortunately, but I did see what I assumed was a receptionist at the far end of this wide, open room. The whole place didn't seem nearly as fancy as the exterior had me believe, but it still managed to be the best looking place I've been to so far in this foreign world.
"Commission forums are to your left. If you've made an appointment, then I'll see your paperwork now." The froslass said, sounding rather bored, and clearly wanting to go home for the day.
"Actually, I was wanting to see the astronomer here." I asked as she rolled her eyes.
"Do you have the paperwork for your appointment?" She asked in a low drawl.
"I didn't make one-"
"Then you can't see him. Next please!" She said before I decided to take the weapon out of the bag.
"If he's into science and inventions, then I'm sure he'll want to see this." I said, holding it in both of my arms.
"…A braixen wand? That's not even an invention, let alone something that'd be useful or interesting for him." She replied, her eyes barely even half open.
"It's modified with technology from my homeland in New Australia. I only moved there six months ago, hence my accent." I said, wanting to embellish my story to make it sound a little more impressive, which finally seemed to spike her interest.
"…He'll probably be waking up about now, I'll leave him a message. He's usually interested to see what the people in New Australia have been coming up with in his spare time." She said, speaking into a strange spherical device. "Ok, take your seat Meowstic, I'll call you over if he accepts."
"That didn't go badly at all!" I said happily to Nisbeth who was staring hard at the application form he just picked up.
"Oh, the joys of filling in forms…I just hope that my good physical condition and my independence from society helps me." He said, though his frown faded slightly as he gave me a small smile. "I'll thank you for talking me into this. Guess it'd be too late to try something like this if I waited much longer. I mean, I'm thirty-seven, and my life is half over. I know I wasn't too into this idea initially, but now that I'm here, I'm really wanting to become a member here. Maybe I'll become a cartographer to chart out the last of the equatorial isles, or maybe the frozen north of New Australia."
"I'm happy for ya." I said, and while I was being truthful, it did put more pressure on me. Now I really had to make sure he got accepted here. Now, how could I best convince their local scientist to help me…guess he'd need a demonstration of sorts, but how much could I trust him? If he wanted to spend an hour or a night studying the weapon, should I let him do that? He wouldn't know about my strange lack of fighting ability, so it wouldn't be too suspicious, but what if he accidentally destroys it? Would I have to try and convince another braixen to make me a wand? As much as I wanted to see Nisbeth succeed there, would I be willing to risk the only tool that could protect me?
"Meowstic, our scientist will see you in his office now." The froslass called over to me.
"Well, good luck." I told Nisbeth.
"You too." He replied as the receptionist gave me directions. The only room in the top floor. Sounded simple enough. Walking up the flights of stairs, I saw what were presumably some of the members walking around. To my left, I saw an archaeological room with a mawile studying some artifact and to the left, I smelled the stench of booze.
"Yeah, I'll be downstairs in just a moment!" I heard an oddly familiar voice say, though I couldn't quite remember who. A second later, I saw an ampharos stumble out of one of the rooms along the corridor and looked at me lazily.
"Hey, you look vaguely familiar." He said while hiccupping, and spilling a bit of his drink.
"You're Charlie right? I saw you at Lakeside Park. It's me, Basil." I said, still finding the idea of a drunk pokemon to be pretty funny.
"Holy shit, you came here?" He said to me, asking a rather obvious question.
"Yep. I've got a friend of mine who wants to join you guys." I said as he steadied himself.
"Oh, well, I hope he can impress me. I'm in charge here after all!" He said, laughing slightly while taking another swig. Well, I can see why he hasn't been kicked out, that's for sure.
"He's one of the toughest and most independent people I know. He'll be a fantastic addition to this, er, thing you have going on here." I said, trying to score some brownie points for Nisbeth.
"I'll see about that, but you seem like a guy with his head on straight, so I'll put a bit of trust in you. Anyway, I'm coming, I'm coming!" Charlie suddenly yelled before charging down the stairs. All things considered, I really didn't see what Nisbeth saw in this place. Regardless, maybe their astronomer was a little more sane. Walking up to the top floor, I carefully knocked on the door. There was no response initially, so I knocked louder, the sound of the knock echoing behind me.
"Oh…come in." I heard a voice say from the other side that sounded a little more English than the southern accents that populated this continent. I found it hard to picture a pokemon being a scientist of all things, but I figured that it would have been one of the more intelligent species out there. However, what I saw, hovering in front of me, was one of the last things I ever expected to see. It was a being of white and gold, it's head dwarfing the side of its body. It was even smaller than I was, but it did not impact the shock and awe I had over seeing such a being. I wasn't even sure if they were real or not, but now that I've seen one, there was no mistaking it.
"Jirachi?!" I said, choking slightly.
"That's me." He replied, sounding very sleepy. "I only woke up ten minutes ago, so I'm still very sleepy. If I fall asleep on you, just give me a firm tap on the head, ok?" I barely noticed the odd state of his room, which would make him look like some kind of mad scientist if I really looked around, as my attention was fully fixed upon him. I must admit, I really don't see how a being like him would take orders from an alcoholic, but maybe jirachis were more common in this world. As hard as it would be, I'd have to act formal, yet not too formal.
"Well, uh, I suppose you'll be interested in this device here." I said, holding up the weapon, trying my best to not act too in awe, though I found my toes tapping the ground in stress regardless.
"Yeah…when I heard you were in New Australia, I became interested." He said slowly, taking the weapon from me using telekinesis. "They've given us a lot of wondrous technology, so I was hoping that this would be the latest from them…" He said as he inspected it closely. He rotated it in many directions with flawless command of telekinesis, presumably also observing it in the psionic plane.
"It's what I call 'the weapon.'" I said, though he didn't seem too impressed.
"…You just coated a braixen wand with explosive powder, didn't you." He said, still sounding like he wished he was asleep. "Well, go ahead and demonstrate it then I guess."
"…Very well." I said as he handed the weapon back to me. This hadn't gone well so far, judging by his reactions, so I had to make up for it somehow quickly! "So, is there an open window I can fire this thing out of?" I asked, as I saw him open the window to his left with a simple flick of his hand.
"Proceed…" He said as I ran over to the window and pointed the weapon outside it.
"See, I ignite a small pocket of explosive powder with my psychic abilities, and…" I said as I detonated the powder, throwing an explosion in front of the weapon.
"Basic, crude…yet, I'm curious." He said, taking the weapon off me again. "When I see this, I don't think 'What a technological marvel!', but I do think 'How has no one came up with this yet?' It's very simple, yet you must have really thought outside the box to use a braixen wand to propel explosions like this. Quite clever to use the flow of the psionic plane as done so in the wand to really push something like this. Mind if I keep this for the night? I'm wanting to see what else 'the weapon' can throw."
"Of course, Jirachi, but, uh, I want something in return." I said as he sighed.
"Well, that was obvious. New Australians charge so much for this sort of service…" He said, checking his funds. "Here: Thirty thousand poke." I smiled broadly when I saw the vast amount of money he presented me with. It was hard to tell how much this would be in pounds, but it'd certainly solve my money problems for several weeks!
"Two more things: One, could you please not break it, and secondly, I have a friend who wishes to join the excursion club. Could you possibly put in a good word for him to try and convince Charlie to let him in?" I asked, making sure I was getting what I actually came here for.
"Considering you New Australians always try to push for higher costs, I'll take it. You're the first person to accept my first offer." He said, starting to sound a little more awake. "I'll have some fun with this tonight. Come by at ten o'clock next morning to pick it up. Don't worry, I'll try not to break it, and I'll go tell the boss about your friend now." Well, that went even better than expected! Finally, a huge stroke of luck went my way! Nisbeth noticed the huge smile that was glued to my face when I walked down to meet him.
"Got some fat stacks here, and I got Jirachi to help you!" I said, continuing to grin widely. Speaking of Jirachi, I saw him float down the stairs behind the reception desk and into an office in one of the ground floor corridors.
"Ah, I see you've met him. It was a bit of a shock to see a jirachi work here when I first saw him." He said, though he stalled slightly afterwards, looking unsure about him. "I really hope I left a good impression on him all those years ago."
"He's probably forgotten about you completely to be honest. Anyway, when are you-" I said, but I was cut off by the receptionist.
"If Nisbeth would go to Charlie's office to the right for his interview, that would be great." She said, looking more impatient by the second.
"Well, don't fuck this up buddy." I said, smiling at him as he slowly walked towards the office. Well, I had done all I could now. It was all down to Nisbeth and Charlie now. I drummed my feet impatiently on the ground as the minutes passed like hours. Perhaps I could have a quick word with Charlie about Melinda if he had time. Since I already met him, I had my foot in the door, and I'd have two if Nisbeth was accepted. He seemed friendly enough, at least when he was plastered off his face, so the time after the interview seemed as good as any. Drumming my fingers against the seat, I started becoming impatient, though I had to calm myself. I too wanted to appear presentable to him, even if Charlie made an effort to be as unpresentable as possible. Seeing the tough looking pokemon walking around, I felt even more on edge than usual, especially considering how I left the weapon with Jirachi. I felt almost completely defenceless, and I dared not even make eye contact with some of them. Eventually, I heard the door swing open loudly from the corridor, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps. Could it be?!
"Basil, I did it!" I heard Nisbeth said as he ran towards me, looking the happiest he had ever been. He practically skipped across the floor as he went to high-five me. Obliging him, I stood on the chair and jumped off it so I could reach his hand.
"I told ya I could get you in!" I said happily after landing on the floor.
"Ahem…I should calm down and act mature. Charlie wanted an older recruit to act as an example to some of the younger members." Nisbeth said, though he was clearly struggling to hide his excitement.
"There; I think that makes up for having you look after me for the past several days, right?" I said, chuckling slightly.
"Well, I suppose it does, but don't think about it that way. Well, I'm allowed guests in the living quarters overnight with Charlie's permission here, so hopefully we can convince him to let you stay a couple of days here until you can find a place of your own. That being said, when I saw him last time he wasn't as…well…drunk. I heard he's taking a real love to alcohol recently." He said as I shrugged.
"Probably worked in our favour. Anyway, let's ask him, shall we?" We said as I jogged beside him to knock on the office door.
"Oh, hello Nisbeth, was there anything you forgot to ask?" He said, finishing the rest of his bottle before throwing it into the large bin in the corner of the room. I saw that there were many bottles there, so I guess he really did make a habit out of this.
"I do, and so does Basil here." Nisbeth said, taking his turn to ask first. "I know you allow guests in the living quarters if they are friends of one of the members. I was thinking that maybe he could stay for a couple of days until he can find a place of his own to stay."
"Sure, sure just uh…" Charlie said, rummaging through a bunch of files clumsily. "Yeah, bureaucracy, but it has to be done." He handed Nisbeth yet another form. He looked a little sick of filling in the blasted things, but it was easily worth it in the end.
"Right…oh, and you were wanting to ask something Basil?" He asked me, his head swaying slightly.
"Yeah, it's a bit of a long shot, but has anyone named 'Melinda' shown up here recently." I asked as he thought about this for a moment, probably trying to get his memory in order.
"Nope, sorry. What species is she? I'll let you know if we hear of any Melinda showing up." He said as I suddenly felt on edge.
"…I honestly don't know. I heard she was a friend of my sister who moved to Newer Orleans about a couple of years before I did. I know my sister eventually moved to New Australia, but…eh, I'm just curious." I said, trying to brush off the topic as much as possible. "My sister, she, uh, doesn't care to mention people's species."
"…And she was born and raised in Conviction? Thought everyone there took species so seriously that they don't even call each other by their names there." He said, eying me with curiosity, and probably suspicion too.
"Why do you think we left?" I said as he nodded lazily.
"Ok, well, if that's everything, then I want you to rest up well Nisbeth. I've already got some work planned out for you tomorrow." He said as Nisbeth smiled happily.
"I'll do my best." He said as we were shown to Nisbeth's new room by the receptionist.
"By the way, expect to be asked to do reception duty every once in a while Nisbeth, so it's not all 'woo, exciting adventures!'" The froslass said. "By the way, the name's Layla."
"Well, goodnight Layla." Nisbeth said politely as we entered the room.
"Looks like I'll have to have to try and find another way to find her then." I said, finally letting my disappointment free. "I can perhaps try my old method and ask her to meet me in a populated area with that song code thing."
"It got you in trouble the last time though, so I don't think that's a good idea." Nisbeth said. He had a point, but I couldn't think of anything else right now.
"Well, if I come up with a better idea, I'll do that. I hope Murphy's fine, since I never got a chance to say goodbye to him. Finding him might be a pain in the arse since we don't have any phones here. I'm wanting to try and get him fixed up at one of the theatres here since I almost got the poor guy killed…" I said, trailing off and shaking my head. "If I can do that in the earlier parts of the afternoon, then I can put up the notices during the late afternoon."
"You should ask to meet her here. This is probably the safest place in town. Still, it'll be a long shot if she could be anyone – and anywhere – in this world." Nisbeth said.
"I know, but look at what you've accomplished today. Maybe I'll strike gold tomorrow too." I said, smiling as I climbed onto the only guest bed in the room. "Not gonna lie, today's been a pretty wonderful day. To top it all off, the beds are actually decent here!"
"It's the little things in life I suppose. I have to say, I really made the right decision sticking with you. I almost feel young again!" He said happily before he shut the curtains.
"Better late than never for an adventurous life. I've not got experience with being old, but adventure? Yeah, these last days have been quite something for me." I said, chuckling slightly as I wrapped the covers around me.
"I'm sure things will turn out well regardless for you. Goodnight Basil." Nisbeth said. Now that I was here in Newer Orleans, I did feel a fair bit happier. Well, as they would say in the human equivalent of this place, 'Laissez les bon temps roulez!'
