Up above, obscured by a cover of leaves, golden eyes scanned the pair down in the clearing. Staraptor considered himself lucky in narrowly missing the falling fire, and even more so as keen ears listened in on the strange pokémon that arose from it.
No, not a pokémon; a human. One in the form of some unknown pokémon species.
His brows pricked up in curiosity when he heard it. Humans… they were just stories told to children, right? Surely the pokémon was dazed from… exploding from the sky. Definitely not a move he had seen before.
Staraptor's gaze trailed the pair as they set off west into the depths of the woods. He huffed a sigh, before spreading his wings and taking to the skies. Taking one last glance in the pair's general direction, he flapped his wings and flew off in the other direction. Keen eyes once again scoured the woods below, this time in search of a different target. As he rode the breeze, he mulled over the situation.
There was one key rule that all scouts had to follow, one that the Guildmaster made sure you knew when taking up the role; any information discovered regarding "humans", no matter how small, must be reported with upmost priority. Staraptor didn't understand it, but the Guildmaster was not a pokémon easily understood. But if there was a chance to get into their good favour, he'd eagerly chase it down.
There, down where the foliage was once again lush and green, was the glint of a persian's tell-tale blue gem reflected in the moonlight. He fluttered down, deftly avoiding stray branches, and perched upon a sturdy tree limb.
Noticing him, Leo squinted up at his partner. "What's up, Ren?" He grunted.
"Yikes, you don't look so great." Ren, the staraptor, thought to himself upon noticing the poisoned persian. The skin beneath his dark fur looked ghostly, and the furless patch on his cheek was definitely new. He kept his thoughts sealed behind his beak as he hopped down to the forest floor. "Change of plans, Leo." He stated. "Forget about Sirius, we have to-"
He was interrupted by a deep snarl from Leo. "What!? I'm not letting that little coward off easy! Look what he did to my face!" He snapped, making no attempt to hide his wounded pride as he turned his head to show the injury in question.
"Oh, boo-hoo, big tough Persian upset that he got beat up by an eevee?" Ren quipped, voice dripping with dry sarcasm.
Leo huffed, not dignifying the staraptor with a response.
"Leo," Ren called for his attention, his tone holding a foreign seriousness to it. "That… explosion. It made a pokémon appear. I couldn't tell what species it was, but what matters is that is said that it was human. It went off with Sirius out west, but that doesn't matter for now. We need to head back and report to the Guildmaster."
The silence was heavy as Leo took in the information. "You're sure?" He finally asked.
Ren waved a wing at him indignantly. "I know what I heard, Leo. And this ain't something you witness every day." He retorted. "Look, I think the whole human this is bogus as well, but if it'll make the Guildmaster happy…"
A deep groan reverberated out of Leo's chest as he dragged a paw down his face. "Ugh, yeah I getcha." He grumbled. "All right, fine. Let's go. I'll get that punk-" He was interrupted by a dry cough bursting out of his throat. "I'll get him-"
He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. Violent shockwaves ripped through his body, forcing loud and relentless coughs to erupt out of him. He retched from the force and felt the distinct metallic taste of blood on his tongue.
Ren squawked in alarm, feathers fluffing up as he ruffled them. "Leo! Are you okay?" He cried.
Leo roughly wiped his mouth. "Yeah, I'm fine…" He lied, feeling a wave of chills surge through him. "This stupid toxin's setting in. You go on ahead, I'll catch up."
As he turned to head back the way he came, he felt Ren's wing lightly slap his back. Glancing to the side, he saw the bird pokémon strutting alongside him.
"Pah! Last thing I need is your furry ass getting beat up by wild pokémon. But I'm not carrying you if you keel over." Ren scoffed, yet no malice coated his words.
Leo silently appreciated the staraptor's concern, despite the roundabout way of showing it. "I'll be fine. I'll try get a pecha berry back at the guild," he replied.
"Hmm good luck with that…" Ren muttered under his breath.
Elsewhere, in the deep Haunted Woods, Sirius and Mila trotted amongst the shadows of the tall trees. Here they were gentle, their long branches adorned with soft curtains of blue leaves reached down to gently brush at the ground. A heavy silence framed the sound of their soft footfalls.
"Hey uh… you never told me your name." Mila finally broke the silence.
"Oh!" The implied question caused Sirius to stumble before quickly righting himself. "Well, you did tell me yours so… It's Sirius." He replied.
Mila lowered her head so it was level with his, tilting it to the side. "Wait, it's serious so you can't tell me or…?"
Sirius couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled out of him. "I'm actually called Sirius."
"Oh well… it's a bit late, but nice to meet you, Sirius." Mila said cheerfully, lips pulling back to bare her fangs once again.
"Nice to meet you too, Mila." He replied with a soft smile. "Although, baring your teeth isn't really something associated with a greeting, as a heads up."
"Oh, sorry!" Mila instantly corrected herself. "Is uh… this better?" She asked, corners of her mouth turned up.
"Well, you don't look like you're about to bite my head off, so I'd say so."
They chuckled before allowing the silence to return once again, albeit more amicable this time. Sirius quietly appreciated the companionship, something he didn't know he missed until now. He didn't know how long it would last, but for now it was nice just to have someone walking besides him.
"Woah, hey, what's that up there?" Mila barked, snapping Sirius out of his daze. She had stopped, gaze fixated up at the canopy. "Oh cool, it's an owl!"
Sirius tilted his head, one ear flopping down in confusion. "Huh?" He followed her gaze, noticing a creature perched on a branch up above. "Oh, you mean a noctowl. A feral one as well, it seems." Sirius explained. It stared down at them with large, unblinking black eyes before giving a soft hoot.
"If we ignore it, it shouldn't give us trouble. Come on, let's go." Sirius urged Mila on, eyes fixed on the creature above them. It paid them no mind, choosing instead to preen its feathers.
Mila shrugged, following the eevee. After a brief silence, she spoke up. "You said 'feral'. Was it one of the dangerous uhh… pookee-mons you mentioned earlier?"
Sirius raised his brows and tilted his head at her. "You're… a strange one." He shook his head. "But uh, yeah it was a feral pokémon. They can be dangerous as they can't really control their moves like us, but if you give them space they'll leave you alone. They can be good food if you're the hunting type though." His ears drooped as he continued. "But there's other pokémon, like you or me, who will take any chance to attack. Bandits and the like." Sirius decided to omit mentioning the group of pokémon that were actively hunting him down only hours prior. No signs of them thus far, so no need to mention it.
Mila nodded her head. "Okay, so let's see if I've got this. There's feral… pokémon, was it?"
Sirius nodded.
"Right. Feral pokémon who don't talk, can be good food. Then there's pokémon like you who can talk. Some good, some not. Is that right?" Mila asked, and Sirius once again nodded in response. "This place sure is weird." She mumbled to herself.
The corner of Sirius' mouth turned up. "I could say the same about you." He thought.
The remainder of their journey through the woods was uneventful. If she concentrated hard enough, Mila could see and hear signs of feral pokémon. A snom fighting with a wurmple over a leaf on a tree trunk. A skwovet dashing up into a tree hollow as they stepped past. A rookidee gathering twigs from the forest floor. All bizarre creatures that left her intrigued.
Eventually, the forest fell away, opening up to a vast plain accentuated with rolling hills. The babble of a stream reached their ears, singing its lonely song across the barren plains. A gentle wind blew through the yellow grass, the chill sending a shiver down Mila's spine.
"Whew, it's chilly." She commented, shivering slightly.
Sirius didn't envy her lack of a thick fur coat. He offered her a look of sympathy before pointing out to the horizon. "Not much further… I think. We just have to cross this prairie, which should be done by morning. There's no mystery dungeon around here anymore, so we should be fine." He explained.
There he was again with those funny words.
The melodic song of the stream reached Sirius' ears, and he was suddenly aware of the dryness coating his mouth. Licking his lips, he swivelled his ears towards the sound and followed it.
"Let's just get a drink first." He said, and Mila nodded in agreement.
The stream was obscured by a wall of tall grass with moss-covered rocks and small white flowers adorning its banks. The curtain of grass gave way to Sirius as he sniffed the ground before eagerly lapping up the crystal-clear water. Mila joined him, carefully placing her paws to avoid slipping on the damp rocks. The crystalline water reflected the light of the moon as it bubbled over pebbles and reeds. As she leaned down, Mila took in her reflected appearance for the first time.
It was… strange. She tilted her head from side to side, watching her horns and the flop of her ears in fascination. "Yo, Sirius," she finally called for his attention.
He hummed at her in response without raising his head.
"You said you don't know what kind of Pokémon I am?" She raised a paw, running it along the bony growths that adorned the base of her neck. Very strange indeed.
"Hmm… No, I don't." Sirius replied as he raised his head, looking up in thought. "I believe you may be a fire type; from that fire you came from. Maybe… related to a mightyena? Or a boltund, based on your appearance. Or you could even be a dragon type, judging by those big horns."
Mila lapped at the water as Sirius spoke, one ear raised as she attentively listened. "So, types… is that like, elements or something?" She asked after wiping her mouth.
"Yep. I'm an eevee; a normal, or neutral, type. Fire pokémon aren't around here anymore, which is another reason I think you might be one."
Mila nodded as she took in the information. "Ah… ok." She looked back down at the water and her ears pinned back against her skull. "Wait… if I'm fire type, wouldn't that mean this water would kill me?"
Sirius gave a small chuckle. "No, that's not really how it works."
Mila shrugged and trotted up next to him. "Ah, ok. Well, I'm ready to go when you are."
Sirius nodded, their journey continuing once again as he followed the river downstream with Mila close behind. "The pokémon at the ocean might have an idea on what you are as well." He said.
"Do some wise sage pokémon live there or something?" Mila asked, tilting her head.
"…Not quite. There's an old, ruined town inhabited by ghost pokémon. They're apparently quite helpful, and they might know something about you." Sirius replied.
A chill ran down Mila's spine as her fur bristled. "…Of course ghosts are a thing in this world." She sighed.
…sniff… sniff
Who dares enter my territory?
Have they come to kill me?
They have come to kill me.
They must be stopped.
They must be killed.
Large cloven hooves crushed the yellowed grass beneath them as a grumpig leaned down to sniff at the ground, its gnarled tusks upturning the soil. A familiar scent entered its nostrils, one that reignited recollections of anger and pain and the vision of great stone walls. It snorted, nostrils flaring as its hulking body lurched forward. It kept its nose down to the trail, its tusks throwing up a trail of dirt as it charged forward on all fours. Each grunt and snort created a billow of mist in the cold air, drifting past soulless black eyes before dissipating. As the scent intensified, it unleashed a bellow fuelled with primal rage.
Both Sirius and Mila pricked their ears up as the roar echoed over the plain. "What's that?" Mila asked, her fur bristling.
Sirius frantically looked around, scanning the horizon for signs of life. "I'm… not sure." He replied, his voice stiff. An unseen force in the air tingled his fur, causing him to shudder.
EEVEE's anticipation made it shudder!
The faint sound of hooves thundering upon the earth reached their ears. They turned their attention to the direction the sound was coming from, the heavy tension weighing down on them. A cloud of dust arose at the top of a hill, and both pokémon fixed their gazes upon it.
"Something's coming." Sirius growled lowly, the change in tone causing Mila's eyes to go wide.
The grumping charged over the crest of the hill, before grinding to a halt. As the dust settled, its hollow gaze stared down at the two pokémon, unblinking. Its heavy grunting pierced the silence that followed as it remained motionless.
"W-what's that?" Mila whispered, instinctively crouching down.
Sirius was frozen, jaw agape as he attempted to formulate a response. "I… I don't know. A grumpig but…" He stammered. "It looks like a feral… but also like a normal pokémon… but it's so big… I don't know."
"What do we do?" Mila hissed.
Sirius gulped, unable to tear his eyes away from the… creature… staring down at them. There was something about its black eyes that chilled him to the bone. They were unlike that of any pokémon he had seen, feral or otherwise.
"Let's… slowly turn around… walk away… maybe it won't see us as a threat." Sirius finally whispered, each word accentuated with a pause.
Each millisecond felt like an hour as he slowly turned his back to the grumpig. Sirius felt relief creeping in on him as the pokémon continued to remain motionless, its gaze remained transfixed on them.
That relief was shattered as the instant Sirius' back was to the grumpig, it unleashed a feral bellow and barrelled down the hill, the impact of its hooves shaking the very earth beneath them. The dark orbs upon its head faintly glowed with an eerie light.
"RUN!" Sirius cried, forcing his legs into motion. Mila wasted no time in following suit, taking off after him. She quickly outpaced him, her paws barely touching the ground as she flew past him. For a brief second the danger behind her fell away and she was free to fly across the plain, carried on powerful legs that never tired.
Freedom.
However, the feeling was brief. She turned her head to see Sirius lagging behind, and the other pokémon rapidly gaining on him. The orbs were growing brighter and pulsating wildly.
"What should I do? Should I carry him? Can I carry him? No way I'm leaving him behind!" Mila's thoughts raced faster than she was running as she skidded to a halt.
"Sirius!" She cried out to him.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but words never came out. A wave of purple light shot out of the pursuer's orb, colliding with Sirius within a split second. The invisible impact sent him flying towards Mila, limp body bouncing off the ground before rolling to a stop at her feet, unmoving.
GRUMPIG used PSYBEAM!
CRITICAL HIT!
Mila went numb as the world seemed to move in slow motion around her. She cried out as Sirius fell motionless at her feet, yet no sound reached her ears. The grumpig didn't stop, the orbs on its head continued to pulse with eerie light until another beam exploded out of them, this time directly at Mila. She instinctively squeezed her eyes shut against the blinding light, bracing herself for the same impact that had sent Sirius flying.
Yet nothing happened.
GRUMPIG used PSYBEAM!
It doesn't affect ?
The grumpig's charge faltered at the failed attack. It stumbled to a halt, wearily keeping its distance from Mila as it paused.
The cold, numbing fear within her gut threatened to overwhelm her, yet it was driven back by something else. A burning anger bubbled up within her, blistering through her veins and igniting her muscles into action. A fire rapidly rose up within her, transforming from a candle into a wildfire that consumed every inch of her body. She bared her fangs, intentionally this time, and snarled at the grumpig.
If it wanted to fight, she would gladly oblige.
Her body moved on its own as she charged towards the opponent. The inferno growing within her exploded into the open, coating her fangs in fiery ribbons that billowed behind her. Grumpig roared in response, its front hooves sparking with electricity as it charged.
GRUMPIG used THUNDERPUNCH!
It lunged at her; thunderous hooves outstretched to crush her beneath them.
? avoided the attack!
Mila swiftly sidestepped the attack, deftly circling around the grumpig on featherlight feet. It turned to chase after her, but its movements were sluggish in comparison. Before it could properly react, Mila lunged at it, sinking her fire-coated fangs deep into the firm flesh on its back.
? used FIRE FANG!
GRUMPIG was burned!
The stench of burning flesh filled her nostrils as warm blood touched her tongue. Grumpig squealed from the assault, rearing up on its hind legs and bucking wildly. Mila jerked around violently, the force ripping her free as she was flung through the air, flames fizzling out into the cold breeze. Crashing upon the ground, she quickly jumped to her feet and snarled at the grumpig.
Still on its hind legs, it looked back at her with frenzied eyes. Its orbs glowed gold as it panted heavily, the charred flesh on its back smoking in the night air.
It violently flung itself around, a ray of blinding light shooting out of its orbs.
GRUMPIG used POWER GEM!
Mila once again jumped to the side, but shards of wayward light scraped her flanks, leaving a multitude of deep cuts upon her skin.
It's super effective!
The pain that resulted rocketed through her whole body right down to her bones, as if it had sliced deep into her soul. Black spots danced in front of her vision and she grunted, taking several steps back to distance herself from her opponent.
"You bastard." She spat, flames splattering into the open air.
Sirius grunted as he came to, pushing himself up and blinking the haziness out of his vision. A snarl overpowered the ringing his ears and he turned his head towards the sound.
He had initially thought Mila's appearance to be terrifying, and that initial impression returned in full force as her lithe body crouched down, flames overflowing out of her jaws and spilling out into the air. Blood dripped from gashed upon her hide, staining the grass below her.
Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself to his feet. The acidic burn of his toxin bubbled up under his tongue, threatening to escape the cage of his jaw. With a burst of adrenaline, he pushed the energy within him to his paw as he prepared the Wish.
As his paw glowed gold, so too did the grumpig's orbs as it readied another attack. It remained fixated on Mila, who had crouched down in preparation to dodge the upcoming attack. Sensing an opening, Sirius lurched forward while the grumpig was distracted. He deftly ran beneath it, releasing the toxic sludge upon it.
EEVEE used TOXIC!
The glow fizzled out as the grumpig recoiled from the assault, pawing at the injury. Having bought some time, Sirius ran up besides Mila, who pricked her ears up in surprise and widened her eyes, as if snapped out of a trance.
"Woah, you're okay? What was-" She started, cutting herself off as the glow from Sirius' paw enveloped her wounds, pain replace with a soothing wave of relief.
"Talk later, fight the grumpig now." Sirius said curtly.
The grumpig paused, the threat of two opponents momentarily stunning it. Hunching over, it backed up slowly while keeping its gazed fixed on them.
"Looks like it's getting worn out." Sirius commented, muzzle scrunched up in determination. "Keep doing what you're doing and we can drive it off."
"Roger that." Mila barked.
Not too far from the scuffle, a lone bush swayed in the breeze. The shadow it cast swayed with it, before shifting and twisting with a life of its own. It bubbled free of its host, creeping along the ground. A red orb crept up from the blackness, swivelling around before locking onto the battle before it.
"Hmm, what's this?"
A duskull peeked their skull out of the shadow to better observe the scene before them.
"Mila, distract it!" Sirius shouted, fangs glinting as he bared them.
"Right!" Mila dashed around the grumpig. It swivelled around, unleashing another blast of light after her.
GRUMPIG used POWER GEM!
? avoided the attack!
With its back to him, Sirius leapt at the grumpig, locking his jaws onto the back of its hulking forelimb the size of his own body. Dark blood splattered across its matted fur and it grunted against the assault.
EEVEE used BITE!
It's super effective!
Duskull watched on in earnest, their eye glinting at the spectacle before them. "Well, that feral is quite a fighter. That eevee sure is putting up a fight. Never seen them before though… wait…" They rose up out of the shadows, eye growing large as it followed Mila. "Is that a… houdoom? A speed breed as well? By Arceus, where the hell could it have come from?"
"Take this!" Mila roared, chest expanding as she inhaled deeply. Roiling energy filled her lungs and she unleashed it in a massive exhale.
HOUNDOOM used SMOG!
A thick plume of purple smoke swirled across the battlefield, billowing up around the grumpig. It barely flinched from the assault, turning its attention to Sirius who yelped at the poisonous onslaught that swirled below them. Its orbs glowed purple as it charged up another Psybeam.
"Mila! Don't use Smog when I'm up close!" He cried, claws scrabbling to maintain a grip on the grumpig.
"Bwaah! I was just trying to breathe fire?" Mila barked, rendered frozen in place at the confusion. That wasn't fire. How did she do it before?
If Duskull had eyes, they would have rolled them. "Really, Smog? Has this pokémon never battled before or something? Even a newly hatched togepi knows not to endanger its teammates."
Grumpig held its foreleg out, leering down at Sirius as it prepared to unleash the Psybeam at point-blank range. Trapped between the clouds of poisonous gas below and the upcoming attack above him, Sirius squeezed his eyes shut to brace against the inevitable onslaught.
Determination welled up within Mila, once again surging through her in a fiery inferno that ignited her fangs. If this pig thought it had won, it had another thing coming. Blinded by a primal bloodlust, Mila lurched forward with a growl.
The grumping seemed to smirk as she did so, its orbs shifting from a purple to a yellow glow. As she lunged, it swung around and unleashed the beam straight upon her.
GRUMPIG used POWER GEM!
Curse words were a fleeting thought in her mind as the blast ploughed right through her, searing pain from thousands of tiny blades searing through her body. Every sense was consumed as the blast sent her flying with barely a sound, sending her skidding across the grass.
A critical hit!
It's super effective!
HOUNDOOM fainted.
"MILA!" Sirius screamed. He kicked himself off the grumpig, holding his breath as he made contact with the dissipating smog. He leaped to the side to distance himself from it.
Duskull, now freed from their cloak of shadow, winced. A small oof escaped their skull as the houndoom flopped lifeless on the ground.
"Well, it seems that it's my turn." They held their appendages in front of them, inky sludge gathering between them into a ball that dripped shadow.
DUSKULL used SHADOW BALL!
The ball flew through the air and collided square with the grumpig's face. The force sent it hurtling backwards with a howl, overbalancing on its hind legs before falling to the ground with a crash.
It's super effective!
GRUMPIG fainted.
Sirius' lungs screamed in pain as he panted heavily. "Is it over…?" He murmured to himself as his eyes remained transfixed on the grumpig's unmoving form. "Mila…" Her lifeless body caught his eyes, and a pang of fear ripped through him. "MILA!" He shouted as he galloped over to her.
"Oh gosh, oh gosh…" He repeated under his breath, gently prodding her side with his paw. Her chest slowly rose and fell beneath it, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew, you're okay…"
The sound of a throat being cleared drew his attention, and he looked up at the duskull gently floating towards him with their 'arms' folded. The skull was unlike that he had seen in drawings of the species, resembling that of a luxray or persian.
He didn't question how a duskull could clear its non-existent throat.
"Oh, a duskull!" Sirius exclaimed, tail wagging slightly. He raised a paw in greeting. "Thank you so much, Duskull!"
"It's no problem." Duskull replied smoothly. "I just happened to be passing through."
"Oh, are you from around here? Wait, are you one of the ghosts from Treasure Town?" Sirius asked, tilting his head.
Duskull paused, their eye flickering at the question. "Treasure town?" They repeated, a tone of wistfulness lacing their voice. "Now that's not a name I've heard for a long time." They floated closer, peering down at the unconscious houndoom. "I'm curious, eevee. Where did you and your houndoom friend come from? It's not too often one sees non-feral pokémon wandering out here." They asked.
Sirius frowned. "I'm from the uh… Guild Fort, in Apple Woods. It's…" He paused. "Complicated." Mentioning that he was a runaway was probably not the best introduction. "And my companion… wait." He shook his head. "Hound…oom?" He asked, confused. "Is that what species Mil- my companion is?"
Duskull's glowing eye narrowed, their jaw slightly open in astonishment. "I… believe we have quite a bit to discuss, Eevee. But here in the open is no place for it." They finally said. They twirled their arm, sending psychic psychic energy towards Mila. It gently enveloped her, suspending her limp body from the ground.
DUSKULL used TELEKINISES!
"Follow me. I'll take you to Treasure Town.
I'm very interested in asking your friend some questions."