In which the shiny odds appear to be much less than 1 in 8192.
Some text (mostly dialogue) is directly quoted from the game.
After leaving Professor Sylvan's lab, Amber led the four Pokémon up north, through the town and to the forest where they could discuss things in… relative privacy.
"Alright. So. What did the Deltas end up telling you?" asked Amber, lowering herself to the floor against a tree gently after making sure she wouldn't squash the (oddly bulbous) Weedle crawling its way up said tree.
"Uhh… That you're all a result of some weird science experiment that tried to clone Mew?" Eevee settled down onto…
"Yeah, more or less. By the way, what pronouns should I use to refer to you?" While asking this, Amber slipped her bag off her shoulder, gray-and-red fabric contrasting strongly with the grass.
"Uh, they/them, please!" Eevee said, sitting on their haunches.
"Alright, then." Amber sighed. "Here's the scoop: I'm Amber, she/they, and… well, the science experiment wasn't far off, but it wasn't the whole story."
"What does that mean?"
"Well, it's fairly complicated, but I've been reincarnated into this world."
"And then right when she arrived, she saved our lives! They were trying to develop clones of us, Mew, and Amber, but we weren't healthy enough, so we were dying. But then, somehow, Amber stopped dying and figured out a way to save us!" Charmander said, more excited than Amber was expecting.
Eevee blinked. "Wow. That… sure is something!"
"We've also gotten tangled up in cult business after getting taken in by the Augur, which happened after we escaped from the island we were cloned on," continued Bulbasaur.
Eevee looked gobsmacked. "I… didn't expect that."
"Oh, it gets even weirder." Seeing everyone's eyes on her, Amber elaborated. "See, before I got kidnapped and mindwiped, I was having memory issues, as in there were big chunks of my life before I ended up here that I couldn't remember. After Mew saved me, well, I figured out how to get my memories back."
"So, let me get this straight." Squirtle shot Amber a glare, preventing the Trainer from making any kind of joke about her word choice. "You come from a world embroiled in a global pandemic where Pokémon is a fictional story, and you've also been possibly chosen by Mew after being abducted by the man who is now the Augur?"
Amber nodded. "That about sums it up, yeah."
Squirtle sighed. "Of course. Well, we were already guaranteed to have a complicated journey, this will just help us with getting through in one piece."
The other Deltas and Eevee all made various noises of assent.
"Amber, we decided we'd be with you until the end, we're not going to let something like this stop that," said Bulbasaur.
Tears welled up in Amber's eyes, and she said "Thank you" as she swept the Pokémon up into a hug.
Amber released them, then pushed herself to her feet under reduced gravity, resettling her bag across her chest and on her right shoulder with one hand while the other set her staff to take her weight once she allowed gravity to return to normal. "Alright, y'all, let's-"
"FEAROW!" Amber's eyes snapped up, seeing the bird spearing straight towards them.
"Fuck." Amber bladed her body, leaving gravity light to allow her to use her staff more readily. "Eevee, you got any ice or electric moves?"
"Uh… I have tackle?"
"Ah. Okay, then, stay back. Charmander, can you toss out a Will-o-Wisp? And Bulbasaur, herd it in to me." Balanced mostly on her left leg, Amber began to spin her staff, testing its heft.
"ROW!" screeched the Beak Pokémon, wincing as the ghost-fire burned it but continuing on its beeline for Amber.
"Oh Seikamater, have mercy on your poor child," came from behind Amber, but she only paid it peripheral attention, with the incoming Flying-type, who was starting to flag thanks to the burn from Charmander and bursts of telekinesis shoving it around, courtesy of Bulbasaur.
Amber closed one eye, then the staff (and its wielder) blurred into motion, both spinning into an ending pose that slammed the Fearow beak-first into the dirt accompanied by a muttered "Bop, motherfucker".
It struggled weakly for a moment, then slumped over, unconscious.
"And that's how you do that." Amber allowed gravity to return to normal as she leaned on her staff, which she had removed from the Fearow.
"Thank you for saving me!" Amber turned, and-
"Huh. That is a shiny Caterpie." Then, she blinked, restarting her brain. "Right, right, you're welcome."
"Wow, you can understand me! I've never seen a human who could speak Pokémon before!" The Worm Pokémon spit a thread that latched onto Amber's bag, then climbed up to settle on top of it. "I want to stay with you! It sounds like it'll be a nice adventure to travel with a human-Mew hybrid."
Amber gave the other four Pokémon a look that plainly said "what the actual fuck", but they all shrugged.
"Why, exactly, do I have two shiny Pokémon within one chapter of each other? I don't exactly think this is going to endear me to the anti-Mary Sue crowd," sighed the trainer.
"Maybe because there's been almost no shiny Pokémon represented in fanfics, so it was about time someone caught one?" When all the other Pokémon all looked to Eevee, they blinked. "What?"
"Fair point, I guess." Amber shrugged. "Alright, then. Time to go get a gift for the Augur, then prevent his assassination!"
"What."
"Did I forget to mention that bit? Oops. Alright, so here's the big things that happen in the next little bit…"
After about thirty minutes of trekking through the grassy forest and spending time battling some of the trainers on the route (including finding a Poké Ball for Caterpie), they came to Telnor Cave, where, thanks to watching Bulbasaur's use of Confusion to bat around the trainers' Pokémon, Eevee managed to learn at least the rudiments of psychic power, which they practiced by way of passing a fist-sized rock back and forth with Amber, helping both of them practice their skill with telekinesis.
It was while doing this that they arrived at the area where Damian was waiting, having climbed a ladder to do so.
"Hey, Amber. Sorry I ran off like that. I was just… you know…" He seemed subdued.
"Kind of overwhelmed?" Seeing his nod, Amber nodded in return. "I get that, everyone feels like it's too much sometimes. Feeling better now?"
"Yeah, thanks. Let's find the Rare Stone quickly, so we can get back to town."
"He will not leave Telnor Town alive." Amber's jaw clenched as Damian's dropped, but neither of them made much sound, whether thanks to foreknowledge or shock. "My agent is already in place. I assume yours is too?"
The two trainers looked up to a nearby bridge where two figures- one red-headed and one white-haired- stood, looking over the expanse of the underground lake.
"Yes," replied the white-haired one, "and armed with their most powerful Pokémon as well. Rest assured, he will not depart from this town alive."
"Very good. This Augur disgusts me." Amber huffed out a little breath through her nose- she hadn't remembered this from the game, but she wholeheartedly agreed with his disapproval of Jaern. "I could at least respect Adam as a proven Pokémon trainer, but this one is just useless. He's practically brainwashed the entire region with all this propaganda he's spread about himself. Have you heard how ridiculous some of it is?"He was born of fire and lightning, and rides Xerneas as a steed? He hasn't been Augur for half a year, and already the people are worshipping him like some sort of Chosen of Arceus."
"Well, we won't have to worry about him after today, will we? Let's get going." With that, both cultists (because what else could they be, so openly discussing the murder of a man who was widely known to be "vital" to the operations of the region?) turned and left.
Damian turned to Amber frantically. "Did you hear that? We need to go warn the Augur!"
Amber nodded. "Alright, but first, where's the Rare Stone?"
"Over on that island in the middle of the lake, why?" he asked, pointing at an outcropping of rock that could only generously be called more than a stalagmite.
"So I can snag it real quick and make sure we don't come back empty-handed. I'll meet you back out front of the cave with the stone." Once Damian had gone back down the ladder, Amber focused, lightening gravity on herself to the point where she could walk atop the water's surface and then proceeding to do just that, retrieving the Sun Stone that was on top before making use of her decreased weight to make long, bounding leaps that carried her to the entrance of the cave just after Damian had made it out.
"Wow, Amber, that was fast!"
"That was the point, kiddo," said Amber, ruffling his hair. "Now let's make tracks and see about getting back to Telnor Town before their agents reveal themselves.
The two did just that, greeted just as they entered town by Damian's father. "Damian, Amber! You're late! The Augur just got to the Town Hall."
"Amber, we have to hurry! The Augur could be attacked any minute!" Damian rushed to the town hall, Amber's bum leg slowing her down just enough that she burst in just in time to hear him shout "Mr. Augur, sir! We overheard some cultists in the caves, when we were getting you a Rare Stone, they were saying they had some agents in the town with powerful Pokémon! They were saying they were going to kill you!"
The room could have been more effectively silenced, but that would have likely necessitated the complete removal of the atmosphere.
"Now, that's a very serious accusation, young man. Are you sure?" replied the Augur.
Before Damian could answer, his father stepped in. "I am so, so sorry about this, Sir Jaern." Then, turning to Damian: "What are you saying? You're embarrassing us!"
"Not as much as this," drawled a blue-haired man next to the wall and another man with suspiciously dyed-looking hair. The two advanced in a manner that was likely supposed to be menacing towards Jaern.
"Ah. And who might you be?" asked Jaern, already suspecting the answer.
They both shrugged off their jackets to reveal round emblems, one a blue circle with a silhouette of Kyogre and the other a rust-red hexagon with Groudon's silhouette on the front. "Cultists, here to kill you, of course."
Damian would have rushed forward to throw his body in front of Jaern if Amber's hand on his shoulder hadn't stopped him. "You may regret that," she said in her heaviest voice.
"Oh? And why is that, little lady?" the Groudon-marked one sneered.
The corner of Amber's lip quirked up into a smirk. "Even beside the fact that the Augur stands on a level equal to the gym leaders? We aren't exactly slouches ourselves, so venga, cabrónes," she snarled.
"Oh-ho-ho, looks like someone's been watching too many superhero movies!"
The Abyssal cultist nodded. "We're cultists, dumbfuck. We have strong Pokémon and actual weaponry. This ain't no main-series Pokémon game, we will actually murder you."
The Infernal cultist stepped forward. "We're only here for the Augur, baby. Step aside, and we'll let you live. In fact, maybe we'll even show you a good time."
Amber actually laughed. "Did you dumbfucks actually just proposition me after threatening my life? Up yours, puta madres."
The Abyssal cultist didn't reply- verbally, at least. He just sent out a Skrelp, which Amber met with Eevee. "You know what a pinball machine is?" asked Amber. Seeing Eevee's nod, she grinned viciously. "You're the flipper, then."
Eevee's Psychic onslaught, subtly helped by Amber's redirection of the Poison-type's personal gravity field, sent the little Pokémon bouncing all over the room, ending when it slammed into the Infernal Cultist's just-released Numel, which sent them both firmly into the realm of unconsciousness.
"You'll pay for that," snarled the Infernal cultist, releasing his Slugma at the same time as the Abyssal cultist sent out a Horsea.
"Dude. You're using a fucking Slugma. No, I won't." Amber tossed out Charmander for good measure just in time for a heavy rock slam into Eevee, throwing them backwards and, judging from the popping sound, dislocating at least one leg.
Amber blinked, then sighed, seeing the telltale light of evolution surrounding both Slugma and Horsea. "Pinché midbattle evos," she spat, calling back Eevee and replacing them with Caterpie. "Caterpie, keep the Seadra tied up as best you can. Charmander…" Amber frowned, slipping her Rotomphone from her pocket quickly to check Magcargo's stats. Noting its oddly lower physical defense, she called "Confuse Ray, then smack it around some!"
"You bet!" Charmander exhaled a cloud of witchfire that surrounded the bemused Magcargo, and then, while it was distracted, closing in and scrabbling at its sides with a set of Fury Swipes.
"Magcargo, Rock Blast!" snapped the Infernal cultist. Still distracted by Charmander's almost-hypnotic Confuse Ray, it fired a spread of rocks that missed Charmander, but clipped the now thoroughly wrapped-up Seadra multiple times, one carrying Caterpie away with it. Thinking quickly, the diminutive Bug-type spat out a quick String Shot, which went wide of the table but managed to latch onto Amber's staff.
Realizing what they had planned, Amber turned, swinging the staff and surreptitiously dragging along the Shiny Pokémon with a covert application of her psychic powers, sending it slamming into the tied-up Seadra in a massive tackle. This, combined with the previous impact from Rock Blast, sent it into unconsciousness and prompting Caterpie to glow with its own evolutionary light.
Charmander had not been idle, figuring out how to combine Dragon-type energy with Scratch to homebrew a Dragon Claw and whittle down the Magcargo, occasionally pausing to breathe out another cloud of witchfire to renew the gradually-dissipating one hovering over her head.
"Ugh. Magcargo, Lava Plume!" This attack did not miss, molten rock surging out from the Fire-type and singeing Charmander.
"Ow ow ow! That hurt!" Charmander retaliated by breathing out a plume of ghostly energy in the Magcargo's face, rendering it unconscious at last and giving Charmander enough experience to trigger the fourth evolution in this battle.
Seeing neither cultist go for another Pokémon after recalling their knocked-out duo, Amber sighed. "Pack it in, y'all. You're done."
The Abyssal cultist, reading the writing on the wall, raised their hands, but the Infernal cultist pulled a longknife from somewhere in their uniform and, sidestepping the Pokémon, lunged for Amber.
They didn't make it close, with Amber's staff smacking down onto the point of his wrist and sending the knife clattering to the floor even as the butt of the staff swept up into the cultist's gut, slamming the air from their lungs and sending them stumbling back into the wall.
"Well, well, well. Trounced by one trainer using unevolved Pokémon. Impressive showing, young lady," said Jaern, giving her a slow nod. "As for you two, I think some time in a cell before your trial will help us get to the bottom of this. Aversa Custodia!" In a flash of light, the two cultists were gone, sent off to (presumably) Helios City.
Damian blinked, confused. "Wait, I thought you said you were sending them to jail. Why did you kill them?"
Jaern laughed, then patted Damian on the shoulder. "Oh, no, young man. I just sent them to Helios City's jail, where they will await their trial." He turned to Amber. "My gratitude to you, young lady, although you didn't truly need to fight them."
"I probably didn't need to, but I feel kinda weird letting other people fight people who went after me," she said, almost pointedly.
Other than a minute widening of his eyes, he said nothing. "Regardless, I'm very impressed. You saw a threat, then dealt with that threat decisively, and I do believe that young Damian was about to do the same. You both have my gratitude, and if you ever pass through Helios City, feel free to stop by and greet me. I'd love to see how the two of you have grown." He bowed to Amber and Damian, then turned to the rest of the townsfolk. "I thank you all for your hospitality, but I am afraid I must bid you farewell." With this, he walked out of the building, then released his Salamence from its Poké Ball, mounted it, and flew away in a vaguely northward direction.
"The Augur just gave you a compliment," said Damian's father, looking kind of dazed. "I think your stepmother is going to have trouble making you stay after you saved the Augur from assassination. Damian, this is your chance to go on an adventure!"
"Yeah, I think so," said Damian, looking rather awestruck. Then, he shook himself. "Right, we'd better get going. All my friends have probably already started training at the Trainer's School in Midna Town!"
Damian turned to Amber. "Hey, are you planning to come too? It's just on the other side of that cave we went to earlier today."
Taking in his excited face, as well as the way his father was looking kind of worried, she nodded. "Sure thing, kiddo. Someone has to watch your back. Go on ahead, I'll meet you in Midna Town."
Taking the out that Amber gave him, Damian rushed from the room.
"Thank you for being willing to do this with him. His mother… well, she left when he was just a baby, and he's always wanted to find out what happened to her," said Damian's father.
Amber shook her head, scooping up Metapod in her arms as she did so. "No worries. He's a good kid."
After she left the building and entered the forest, Amber released the rest of her Pokémon.
"Okay," she said once they were all ready to listen to her. "I ran into Jaern today, and I think he's one of the 'he's the best thing for the world' kind of guys. I can't 100% promise that that's what he is, but that's the read I got."
Charmeleon nodded. "That's what he seemed like to me."
"I would take that with a grain of salt, since… you know… he kidnapped us," deadpanned Bulbasaur.
"Oh, for sure. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him under double gravity. I'm just spitballing about his motivation." She thought for a moment, then raised a finger. "Oh, right. We're also tagging along with Damian, because he's a good kid."
"That's good, he really is a good kid," agreed Squirtle.
"We're off to Midna Town with him. It's on the other side of the cave we ended up in earlier." Amber nodded, then frowned. "Oh, right, Pokémon center. So let's heal up, then head out."
"Sounds good!" said Metapod, voice muffled by the shell.
And that's that!
It's,,, still Friday for me… I promise…
You didn't think I wouldn't have Butterfree in a series named after it, did you?
Kudos to anyone who picks up on the line I cribbed from MandJTV's playthrough.
Still looking for a Beta, so if anyone's interested lmk
Please read and review, and otherwise have a nice day!