Procrastination hit me good. Ever since finals, I really felt like doing nothing. However, I am back. Don't know how long, but I'm back.

Everything feels so cheesy.

Into the Other World

Chapter 16

Peace

Haven

3rd person

The march home had been surprisingly pleasant. Many of the captured combatants (for lack of a better term) had been conversing with those of Haven who were assigned to watch them surprisingly well. Various subjects were touched, like family, hobbies, and even their pasts. However, some tension remained between a select few individuals, who opted to remain apart from each other. Haven combatants who didn't like the idea of having the Ravagers integrate with them remained with the other unwilling Ravagers in separate groups, rather than in pairs or trios. They were more focused on preventing any unwarranted action by the enemy since the tension put them on high alert.

Joe, and with him, Fiona, as a pair, had been assigned to watch Cindy, though it was completely pointless to do so. There had been no thoughts of hostility that emitted from her ever since the battle that had taken place the day before. It was a similar situation for Claire and Niko, who were assigned to an Umbreon, and Jess and May, who were assigned to a Magmortar. All of them had been interacting fairly well.

"Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?" Joe started.

"Well," she said, crossing her arms and tapping her chin, "I was hatched a Ravager. There wasn't much to do there except train, eat, and sleep, which was what the instructors made us do anyways. The instructors were always rough on us. My instructor had been the Houndoom that had been leading one of our squads. But as you can see, that practically became useless. Anyways, he would always put us against each other in the mornings and had us fight until we gave up or got knocked out. The winners got to do normal sparring and practice. Whoever gave up would be starved for a day and faced intense physical training that often got into your head. A Cyndaquil in our group told us the ordeal when he surrendered in a fight against his brother. Days later, he disappeared. Our instructor said he ran. No one knows where he is now. Everyone just assumed he was dead. Then the Instructors decided to keep us under constant surveillance. We had to ask permission to do anything, like eating or taking a leak. Then they abused that as well."

"Oh, that's cruel!" Fiona commented.

Joe felt that their schedules weren't completely different from each other. It was only that he was freer than those over at the Ravagers encampment, and that his instructor was much nicer to everyone.

"So what happened to the losers?" he asked.

"Oh that's right," Cindy said. "Sorry. Got carried away. Whoever lost had another round among the losers. If they won that round, they got to join the winners of the first round. Of course, their performance was noted and lunch reduced by a bit. The two to three of us that had lost the second round would completely miss lunch and had an intense session with our instructor himself. His sessions hurt like a bitch, but it was all the more a reason to win. It continued even after we evolved. Same boring thing." Cindy continued.

"It was only when we had reached our last form before our schedules changed. After I evolved again, I still trained, but they sent us out to gather food or patrol the premises most of the time. They once left saying something about raiding, and didn't let us go with them. Never did anything outside of that until they got us into this battle, and now here we are."

"Well," Joe started, "I can't say we have completely different schedules. It's almost the same as yours."

"Yeah." Fiona continued. "I'd say the only things that are different would be that patrols become sentry, we grow our food, and that practice is much more rewarding." She then wrapped her arms around me. "And some of us get to find our soulmates too!" Joe chuckled, followed by the chuckles of the other two girls.

"So about you two?" Cindy returned. The couple looked at each other before a short telepathic conversation formed between them.

"Would you like me to go first?" Joe asked.

"Yes. I think it would be better if I told mine at break anyways," she responded.

"I understand."

They both then faced back forwards.

"I'll tell mine first," Joe answered. Cindy nodded.

"I was born somewhere very far from here. I wasn't even on this planet until about two months ago." Cindy's jaw dropped.

"Hold on," she interrupted. "You weren't even born here? Like in this world?"

"Nope. I fell from the sky through a portal. Literally. Anyways. I can't remember any of my baby life. My life as I could remember was normal, like any other human kid on my version of Earth. We would wake up, get dressed, go to school and learn various subjects, then go home, do work or play, sleep, and repeat. Weekends would constitute free time as there was no school there. I took this time to go hiking in the back with my parents, and sometimes even camping in other areas. They stayed around until I was 8, when they passed. Why I wasn't heavily affected I will never know. They left behind a huge sum of money that I've been using to supplement myself. I still continued life as normal, going to school, coming home, playing some games, then on the weekends or breaks, going out and camp. That was basically my life until I found a well on one of my hikes filled with this mysterious purple smoke. I approached, attempted to touch it, but instead got sucked in and fell into this world."

"Were you hurt?"

"Surprisingly, I wasn't. Well, not seriously anyways. The floor kept stretching and shooting me back up until I reached a manageable height, then turned solid. The only thing that really hurt was my stomach. And so I got up, and did a little bit of exploration before finding shelter, which happened to be a cave not far from Haven. There were a couple of berries towards the end of the cave that I took strange never having seen them in person before. And that," he said, patting Fiona between the ears, "was when I met the girls. Anyways, I spent the night in the cave, with the girls stuffed in my sleeping bag. Morning came, and the first thing I see when I reach Haven are walls and a gate, with two other mons on sentry. One of them happened to be the defector, who got pissed off or something and knocked me out cold. I went blind after his attack. Luckily, Jade was there to teach me how to sense aura. When I woke up of course. It took me a while to be able to grasp the concept, but I did. Elder also taught me how I could use psychic. I met up with Elder and Jason to train, and I improved very quickly. Bryan, the defector, challenged me about a week later, and we fought officially, under the watch of Elder. After a close win, I never saw him again."

"Anyways, Fiona and I left for the cave that we met in, which is where she told, or rather showed me her memories. Between then and our kidnapping, we trained hard. Fiona evolved, and I snuck and got Claire an Ice Stone, and got a sackful of others on the way."

"How exactly did you get it?" Cindy questioned. "Last I remember, it cost like a month's worth of food."

"That," Joe replied grinning, "is my little secret! Anyways, the night after, Fiona and I got together. Unfortunately, it was cut short. Your leader and his buddies attacked and kidnapped us, followed by a week of not so pleasant welcomes." He took a moment to regain his composure, taking a deep breath.

"That was where I met Lauren. We escaped along with her. She- passed. And left behind an egg."

"I'm sorry," Cindy apologized. The walk ended with lunch, where Joe resumed where he left off.

"We named her after her mother," he said, taking a bite out of a mago berry. "Fiona and I decided it would be best to tell Lauren about her mother after she evolved. Ever since we got back Haven's been training intensely for our raid. And here we are." He finished off the last of the berries before standing back up with the rest of the group. They walked in relative silence until dinner, surrounded by the rustling of trees and the sloshing of mud, and the chatter of others around them. It was only when the sun came down when one of them spoke again.

"I think I'm ready," Fiona spoke, finishing the rest of her tamato berries. She repositioned herself by Joe, and the both of them faced Cindy. She then began retelling her life.

"I hatched about three years ago. Claire came in not long after." She pointed to her sister who was sitting alongside Niko. "She's over there." Cindy took a while to examine the Glaceon before turning back.

"The first few months we played, along with mom. Afterwards, It was training in the mornings and early afternoons, and free time in the evenings. Mom always told us to be weary of others we didn't know. I didn't really pay attention to it as I practically knew everyone around the village." A pause and a deep breath preceded her least favorite memory.

"It was only until the raid, one that you were talking about, Cindy, that I understood why." Her voice began wavering as she recounted one of her worst memories.

"When they came, I was stuck at home with mom and sis. Dad went outside to fight them. I still remember what he told us. 'I'm already a dead man,' he said. He-e was already ble-eding out in front o-f the do-or. He went ou-t to fight a-again!" Joe's arms had already made their way around Fiona as she struggled to continue.

"They killed him in front of my eyes!" she forced before breaking down into Joe's arms. He pulled her into his lap, then looked directly at Cindy, empathy and guilt plastered onto her face.

"I'm sorry," Cindy said. After a decent amount of time spent in silence, she got up and moved to her designated sleeping area, under the watch of Haven's night shift combatants. Joe dug his face between Fiona's ears, and waited until she fell asleep before doing so himself.

...

As usual, the group rose to the shining of the sun. They stretched and went to retrieve their subjects. They then ate, and continued home.

They arrived shortly after lunch. The gates that were closed immediately opened, and fighters marched their way in. Some immediately went into their homes to hug their children or parents. Others continued to lead the captured combatants to the barracks, of which Joe and company remained. Upon arrival, combatants of both sides stood in formation in front of the podium. Many of those who had stayed behind during the fight made their way to the barracks as well, as Elder called an assembly through his telepathy. It became crowded, filled with both young and old. Chatter complete with happiness, sadness, wonder, and curiosity permeated the air until the Alakazam made his appearance. It then died down before he made his announcements, amplified by his own powers to reach the entirety of Haven.

"I thank you for attending at such a short notice," he began. "I would like to first congratulate everyone on our victory." The crowd applauded, minus the captured combatants. "However, this victory did not come without a cost, and I am sorry." Silence then spread across the crowd for a period of time. He then addressed the names of the fallen, and watched as several younger and older mons broke down into tears, knowing they wouldn't be able to see their parents or children again.

"They have fought bravely for our freedom, and they will be forever in our hearts." Another wave of silence permeated the crowd before the Alakazam moved on to the next topic.

"I will now address the new faces among us. First off, do not express hate towards them. Why, you ask? I'll first say, that they have had lives lost amongst them as well. Secondly, they were once a part of our oppressors." Out of respect for the elder, no one that was discontent voiced it out, but some gave their neighbors looks of confusion or disapproval. "From this day forward, they will become part of Haven. They will change for the better, learn to work with one another, and ultimately, learn to help and not harm. To address their housing, we will be using unoccupied structures that we have throughout Haven. Do not be distraught that they will be living amongst you, for any hostility I will sense, and will respond accordingly." The elder's eyes then began to shine very brightly, enough so that the blue glow emitted from it shone off of the platform he stood on. The glow then disappeared, restoring his black pupils.

"What I have just done is embed a connection with each of you. If any hostility or panic with good reason is emitted, I will immediately know and respond accordingly. Again, this is to keep you safe, and to help bring together two former enemies. With that, I conclude this assembly."

Immediately, chatter broke out amongst attendees as they walked back to their homes. The few fighters that remained, under Elder's orders, worked to divide the former Ravagers into groups of about four to five, though honoring requests for them to be with their significant others, friends, or relatives. The total number of groups was 16. The groups were then led to their respective houses. Joe and Fiona were assigned to escort Cindy's group, consisting of Cindy herself, as well as two Salazzles and a single Druddigon. Either coincidentally or purposely, they were housed about three units down from Jess's place.

Immediately upon reaching Cindy's new home, a white blur assaulted Joe's leg.

"Dad! Mom!" Fiona bent over and picked the Scorbunny up, giving her a big hug. "I missed you!"

"We missed you too, Lauren," Joe said, rubbing her head. "You've gotten faster!"

"Yes she has." They arched their heads and addressed the Miltank approaching. "She's been running all over the place ever since you left to go fight. All her anxiety got to her." Fiona looked back down.

"Is that so?" Fiona asked.

"Yeah! I want to get faster and faster so I can go along with you! By the way, you smell and look dirty, and you got me dirty too!" The couple looked at themselves, then at each other. They chuckled.

"I guess a bath wouldn't hurt," Joe commented. He turned back to the Miltank. "Thank you for watching over."

"And thank you, for fighting for Haven." The Miltank waved, receiving three in return, before she went back to her home.

"Let's invite our new neighbors," Joe suggested, "shall we?" The girls nodded. With a knock on the door and a ten second delay, it opened, revealing Cindy behind it.

"Would you and your roommates like to join us in the river to clean up?" Joe asked.

"We were just talking about that. Yes please!"

She looked behind her at the three other occupants, saying, "Guys, Joe's going to lead us to a river we can clean ourselves up in!" Not a minute after, the four of them left the home and followed Joe out to the river.

A stop at Jess's home to get spare clothes and a short walk later, the group of seven arrived at the crowded river. Joe stripped himself up to his boxers and placed his dirty clothes beside his cleaner batch of clothes. He then joined the rest of the party in the water.

The rest of the day was spent making up family time that was lost while the whole house minus Lauren had left to go fight. Lauren ended up spending her energy by flexing her newly gained speed by running around the block. The small fires she had created during her activity were quickly suppressed, thanks to Niko.

By the time the sun set, all six members of the household were under the covers. After an exhausting couple of days, the early break was well deserved.

"Harder!"

Smack!

"Hrrng!"

Click!

"HARDER!"

Smack!

"HRRNG!"

CRACK!

Stone blasted the vicinity, only to be deflected by a barrier. Another stone was thrown up before being caught on its way down.

Smack!

Joe dropped the stone beside his bare feet among the other chunks of rock that laid about the field. He looked at the shattered boulder, then at Lauren, who was slouched over and panting. The grass below and around her feet was visibly burned. The remnants of the boulder was no better off. Many of the chunks were blackened, and a few more amongst them, completely black.

"I did it!" she exclaimed, raising her arm up in a shaky victory pose. Joe walked over to her, careful to protect his feet from burns. He crouched down and pat her in the head.

"Yes you did," he said proudly. "And I think we can say you've mastered your legs."

"I feel something coming up in me."

"It's fatigue. Don't worry. All the adrenaline you had hid your exhaustion."

"No. It's not that. I feel-" she began to glow. She looked at herself in awe while Joe recalled the last couple of times he had seen this glow.

"You're evolving!" But by the time he had said that, Lauren was already completely enveloped in a white shell. Her body and limbs elongated. Her ears drooped down. Tufts formed. The final burst of light before its disappearance marked the end of the evolution process. Now with a new body and energy temporarily restored, Lauren experimented with her new body. She jumped and ran around the field. She kicked off of the trees. She finished off by kicking up a chunk of stone and launching it into the remains of the boulder in a trail of flames. In its weakened state, the boulder shattered into fragments. She exhaled a sigh of satisfaction before jumping up onto Joe's shoulders to sit.

"Well, you acted differently than how your mom did when she evolved," he said. "Congrats!"

"Thanks! I've waited so long for this to happen, and now it did! Can you tell me about my name now?"

"I'll tell you after we've had dinner." Lauren crossed her arms and pouted. "But for now, let's show mom how you look!" Immediately, her face brightened up.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed, pointing behind her. Joe chuckled, placed his hands on both of Lauren's legs, and turned around to walk back.

...

"Cuz evolved? I want to evolve too! I wanna be a strong Vaporeon like dad!"

"And me! I wanna be a Sylveon!" The two identical Eevee pranced around Lauren, admiring her new form. Small traces of pink lined the corners of all three of their lips.

"Well, Nick," Claire started, "your dad will be the judge of that. Remember about your assessment that you gotta take for that stone." Nico nodded in agreement. "And as for you, Katie, you're gonna have to find yourself a lover." She bit onto a berry. The Eevee in question froze in her tracks and stared down her mother, blushing under her fur.

"Mom! I already told you! We're just friends!"

Claire chucked along with the rest of the family before replying, "Of course."

"Sounds like something you said two years ago," Jess told Claire. It was her turn to blush.

"Yes of course you were right, Mom." Another round of chuckles made its way throughout the room.

The inedible parts of dinner were thrown out into the garden to fertilize the next round of berries. The time after dinner was left for, of course, family time. Jess joined in with having fun with her daughter, her mate, and their twins. However, Joe had a different plan in mind for his mate and child.

"We're gonna head out for a bit," he announced. They acknowledged, and the family was off, Lauren back on Joe's shoulders, and Fiona, beside him, hands locked together.

At the gate, both Jason and Jade were on duty, though threats from a foreign clan were nonexistent. They took a while to chat a bit, and to congratulate Lauren on her evolution. A fist bump between Joe and Jason ended the conversation, and they continued on to their destination.

The graveyard had changed over the past two and a half years. Rectangular gravestones now laid on top of each grave, and on them, we're etched the name of the grave's occupant. In the back of all the graves, above the first row, lay a monument. A large stone wall. And on it, were etched the names of every single casualty of the War for Freedom.

The three visitors took the same path they had always taken on their frequent visits to the yard, at first visiting Ken's grave, then moving on to Lauren's. At the beginning of sunset, Joe set Lauren the Raboot on the ground between him and Fiona. Fiona then began to speak.

"It's time we tell you everything." Lauren's inner excitement died as she heard her mother's tone of voice. It was dead serious.

"Lauren, let's begin by saying, we are not your biological parents."

"I know. I could tell ever since I was little. Neither you nor dad look like me. I still love you the same though!"

"And we love you too. Let me ask this. Do you know why we visit Lauren so often?"

"You guys told me it was because she was a great friend."

"Yes," Joe said, "yes she was. But what we haven't told you, is that we had gotten very, very close in the week and a half we had known each other."

"Week and a half?"

"Yes. Week and a half. I'm sure you know about the War for Freedom." Lauren nodded. "We met at least a month before that. Did you know that we were kidnapped?"

"You?"

"Yes. Me, and your mother."

"Weren't you strong? Just like now?"

"I was, but I couldn't fight against multiple opponents." He sighed. "And they had to come right after we confessed to each other. Let's move to a bench. It's gonna be a long story." And to a nearby bench they moved. They sat on the stone, Lauren between her parents, before Fiona picked up where Joe left off.

"They dragged us into their camp after they defeated us. You couldn't imagine the pain either of us had felt when they kept us there. That was also when we met Lauren. She, like us, was also kidnapped from her clan. From what she told us, they wiped out her entire clan before she was brought in. She became their entertainment. All sorts of messed up things happened to her. Anything you could have imagined would likely have happened to her. She was left with an egg. As for me, I became a test subject. They had me inhale powder made from everstone and gave me the blue candies thst made us more powerful and evolve quicker."

"Is that why you aren't like grandma?"

"Yes. I can't evolve anymore. One day, you'll evolve to become bigger than me!"

"Back to the story," Joe said. "As for me. I became the dog. It was torture, day after day. They wanted me under control, so that I would work with them to attack more villages and clans. But I had a plan. I would become submissive, if only for a bit, so that I could recover to escape. Lauren, by that time, was very weak, up to the point where she could barely move. She had a large gash on her side. That night, we escaped. Fiona took the egg, and I carried Lauren. I cut the bars, and we ran as fast as we could to get away. I don't know why they didn't chase us. I tried to teleport back home, but it would frizzle out. We were left on foot, and it was tiring. We ran endlessly. And we got closer to home."

"But I tripped. I tripped and her gash reopened. She bled to death in my arms as I ran as fast as I could towards home. And before she died, she gave me responsibility for the egg." Lauren the Raboot, who had been very intrigued by the story, was suddenly hit with a wave of realization.

"I managed to teleport to the barracks after I had tripped, and I tried to revive her, but she was already gone. Sometimes I feel as if I killed her. She was like a mother. To your mom, a second mother. To me, a third. But most importantly to you, your real mother." Joe looked down towards Lauren, who looked back at him with a moonlit face plastered in confusion and surprise. It took time for her to digest this information, and when she did, she stood, and made her way towards her real mother's grave. And after a long pause, she spoke.

"Hi, mom."

She could have sworn she heard a voice call back to her.