!!!THE RETURN OF THE KING!!!

Ooh boi, it sure has been a while, hasn't it? Being dead for over a year... Man, every single one of you must hate me right now, I bet. For that, I am sorry, although to be fair, I did specify my update schedule was all over the place...

Eh, what am I saying, I got caught up in personal issues and pretty much stopped writing stuff for awhile. Nothing unreasonably bad came out of it, just glad to be back on board.

Anyways, hello again! Picking this fic up after such a while is probably gonna be tough, but seeing my work and all the positive feedback (you guys are nuts, thank you all so much, what the hel-), I believe I am required to continue this. So, as promised, albeit a little late...

Here is TUADONBAT Chapter 6!

(Yep, that's how I'm shortening it now. You cannot stop me.)

P.S. Also, as per usual, don't hesitate to leave a review. Those are welcomed, help a ton, and make me feel all tingly inside. Without further rambling on my part, here is the chapter now. I'll stop bothering you...

NOT!

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

("Pokéspeech")

( - - I - - )

Chapter 6 : Tooth and Sand

("Joseph?") Absol asked, an absolutely neutral expression on her otherwise sand-caked face.

"Yeah?" He responded, glancing back at the Pokémon behind him with slight worry.

("If I as much as doubt the usefulness of human gear ever again, I want you to slap me. Hard.") She demanded.

"Uhh... Duly noted..." The man replied, his head going back to the road before him. Or, lack thereof. That sounded a bit kink-NO! Bad Joseph! Get your mind out the gutter, you goddamn degenerate! Innuendos are not your thing, doubt she'd even get the joke anyway. God forbid if she did...

They had probably been walking for twenty minutes at most, yet it felt like hours had passed already, each and every step they took seemingly useless as the sandstorm washed over them. The bright, luminescent gate behind them, despite being a bit far, was still clearly in view, and they had made "jack-shit", as Jo would put it, in terms of progress. Absol had been wrong about the sand, as the small, yellow grain storm did bother her a great deal. So much in fact, that she had to stand directly behind Joseph to avoid the brunt of it, and keep her eyes relatively safe. That of course meant she didn't see a thing in front of her aside from the man's legs, and had to rely on her companion to guide them both to safety.

She trusted him, that wasn't the problem, but being unable to see what threat could lie before them went against every single one of her instincts as a Pokémon. It made her feel uneasy...

Unbeknownst to her, Joseph wasn't in a much better condition himself. His goggles and scarf, while efficient at protecting him from the sand, were severely hindering his vision. Couple that with a raging sandstorm, and you have a clear view of barely three meters wherever you look. The only reason he even saw the gate back there was because it emitted light, and the fact the one at the other end of the desert remained hidden showed they still had quite the way to go.

'This is gonna be hell...' The man thought, mentally steeling himself for the trip.

"You know..." He began. "If the sandstorm is too violent, I could return you to the ball. I'd hate to see you get hurt because of some rock powder..."

("No.") Absol simply replied. ("Although the concern is... Appreciated.") She despised that ball, and just the thought of being an 'Owned' Pokémon by human standards made her want to vomit. But she knew it was necessary, unless she wanted to risk being captured by some other trainer. Someone not so keen on the concepts of "free-will" or "rights", which her companion explained to her in great detail.

Actually, from what he told her, Joseph wasn't even a trainer, somehow...

"If you say so..." Her human counterpart replied, nodding slowly, moving his gaze back to the wall of yellow up ahead. Reminded him a bit of that time he went to the beach on a particularly windy day, except much, much worse. Oh, without all the cool water too. Damn, he would kill for some more water right now...

("Do you know what kind of Pokémon live here?") Absol suddenly asked, out of the blue. Half trying to get her mind off the situation at hand, half asking to know what threats she'll have to prepare for. She hoped it was nothing major, Arceus knows she was in no condition to battle in such a dreadful environment, at least not until the sandstorm calmed down.

"Uhh..." The man hesitated. "Ground types, mostly. These crocodile guys I don't remember the name of, some living cacti we should keep an eye out for..." He listed off the top of his head. Hey, his memory wasn't great, alright? He wasn't some know-it-all super pokenerd or something, he just liked playing casual. "Oh, and there's that weird bird thing also. It's a psychic type, so if I remember correctly, it shouldn't pose a threat to you. They're all pretty weak here anyway..."

Or were they? With no basis to determine strength other than level, which obviously doesn't exist here, how could he be sure the weak level 8, 10, something, Pokemon here wouldn't actually be way stronger than the game showed and utterly bulldoze him and Absol?

Another thing to try not to think about, he thought. His friend (it still felt weird to think about, a real, living, breathing, speaking Pokemon friend) doesn't need more stress than she already has, no doubt. Just one more thing to add to the pile of stuff he doesn't tell her, although he supposed saying her life was a lie and she lived in a work of fiction would've probably just gotten a laugh out of her, at best. It's not like he didn't want to, either, it just wasn't convenient.

'Convenient, huh...?' He felt bad about it all. He wished he could properly explain everything, but even then, why would she believe him? Plus, Absol was a friend, not a therapist. She didn't need to hear his life story about how boring his life was, or how lost he'd been coming to this world, and still was.

Despite himself, he did start to feel a tinge of sadness at the though of his old home. It was bland, yes. Monotone? Absolutely. But it was his, and it was stable. Here, he had literally no idea what he was doing. And that's when it finally dawned on him.

'Oh god, what am I doing...?' He was broke, and stranded in uncharted territory, where logic doesn't even apply. Pokemon were strong, freaky strong, some strong enough to level entire cities, and more than strong enough to rip him, a puny human, to bloody little pieces. This wasn't a videogame anymore, this was the real deal. And if the people here were anything like those back on earth, criminals probably didn't just skedaddle when their superpowered pets got KO'd. And yesterday, he had become one of them.

'Just what the hell was I thinking?!' Fear started to build up inside of him. Was he going to be wanted by the police? No, better question, were they actually competent here? He didn't like the answers he came up with. 'Okay Jo, calm down, breathe... You're gonna be just fine.'

He was going to be alright. He had to. And hey, he had Absol with him! She'd protect him if things went south! Inwardly, he thanked God for letting him meet such a wonderful creature, she was without a shred of doubt, a lifesaver. Well, would be, probably. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

'No, not creature.' He thought, dismissing the mental note. 'Woman. Or girl, maybe...' Sure, she wasn't human, but she was her own person. And he had adressed her as such already, something that probably worked in his favor, thank heavens for the ability to understand Pokespeech. She could make her own decisions, probably better than he could. He didn't really hold his decision-making skills in high regard...

Pushing all those bad thoughts aside from the time being, Joseph focused his attention back to the matter at hand. Damn, that was a lot of inner monologuing, he may have zoned out for a bit. What he saw only confirmed it. The storm had begun to subside, and the man was able to see a bit farther than before. Instead of smacking, the sand was merely brushing against his clothes, and the violent winds had calmed down. The most shocking thing, however, was that Absol was now to his right.

She'd put her hair in front of her eyes, to shield them from the sand that was still flying. Since there wasn't much wind left, and her "hairline" was apparently very dense, she didn't need him as a human shield any longer. He looked at her surprised, which she must've somehow seen through his goggles, because the moments their eyes met, she spoke.

("It got better.") Was all. Indeed it had, maybe they'd actually be able to reach the exit by the end of the week. Okay, he was dramatizing still, but he hated the damn sandstorm! He'd gladly take Skyarrow bridge over this any day... Wait, was that the gate over there?!

Sure enough, in the distance, further ahead of them, a faint green-and-white glow could be seen.

"Hey, you seeing this?!" Joseph pointed out, suddenly getting very excited. "We're almost out of here!"

Absol raised her head to look at the direction of his finger. That was a mistake, as sand soon found its way behind her white mane and into her crimson eyes. With a yelp, her head shot back down, and she quickly retreated behind her human to clean them up. ("Augh, curses!") She let out, furiously blinking, rubbing her eyelids with wild abandon. ("D-damn, I saw it. Now I wish I didn't...") Dammit, now he felt bad!

"Hold on a sec..." He said, turning around, removing the scarf covering his face. Kneeling, he held it out to her. "I recommend you use the side that's not full of sand, but that should go without saying." Absol immediately shook her head.

("W-what? No, I don't need it! Shouldn't you just keep wearing it instead?") She exclaimed, gesturing at him to put the damn thing back on.

"Nope, weather's calming down. And hey, weren't you the one saying you wanted human gear?" He chuckled. "Does that mean I get to slap you now?"

She huffed, swiping it out of his hand with a grumble. ("Fine...") She said, tending to her eyes with it. ("...I didn't need it...") She mumbled to herself. Joseph found it adorable.

"Was that 'fine' an answer to the slapping question?" He asked with a shit-eating grin. To which Absol let out a snort. ("Shut it...")

He laughed a little, it felt good. Way better than dealing with all this anxiety, that's for sure. He started to think up a plan for the future, spare him any further turmoil. He'd reach Nimbasa soon, join team Plasma, meet N, and go from there. He had a set goal, for now, and he'd follow it. Oh, he should also look for Absol's home, he remembered! Probably after the talk with N, he'd have plenty of time to search for it, and possibly help (if he was lucky), so that was his long-term goal now too. Wait, what kind of environment did Absol even live in anyway?

"Hey, Abbie." Joseph asked her. "What was your home like? Simple curiosity."

("Abbie?") She shot back, face scrunching up in confusion. She was done cleaning her eyes, and was now looking up at him, scarf held tightly against the collar of fur under her neck.

"Yeah, Abbie." He replied. "That's a nickname. Absol : Abbie, it's to shorten it. Mine's Jo."

("Again, what is it with you humans and your need to abbreviate everything?") She questioned. ("Isn't just Absol enough? Or is that too complicated for you?") That last sentence was said with a smug look. This was payback, wasn't it? Payback for his generosity... The irony wasn't lost on him.

"It's just a nickname..." Joseph said. "I don't see what the big deal is. Thought you'd like it..."

("I'm not saying I don't, I'm asking why.") The blunt reply came out.

"Well..." He began. "Remember when you told me how you guys recognize stuff by scent or whatever?" She nodded. "Well, our senses are garbage. Can't tell the difference between two Pokemon of the same species, usually." 'or at least I think so...' "Imagine I call after you, and there's other Absols nearby, I ain't gonna which one you are. Or if you'd even be here anyway..." He hoped his explanation made at least some sort of sense, he didn't really think it through.

("Oh.") Absol's eyes widened by an almost unnoticeable margin. ("Yes, that does make sense...") Apparently it did!

"So uhh... Your home?"

("It's very... Green.") She started. ("Lots of trees, lots of grass, lots of berry plants, a large water road with Magikarp in it... There are Bidoofs too... My den...") Absol sounded sadder the longer she went on. ("I miss my den...")

"And that's why we're going to find it." Jo responded, attempting to cheer her up again, curse his bleeding heart. He probably shouldn't have asked that when the wound was so... Fresh. That was on him. "Sorry if I brought up anything bad, wasn't my intention."

("It's alright.") She replied with a sad smile. ("Thank you.") Something else nagged on her mind though, something she wasn't so sure about. Something other than regret...

"You bet." So, a forest next to a river and some Bidoofs? That was a bit vague, but hey, a start is a start! Joseph made a mental note to check out any rural area they may come across. He wanted to ask her if there were any notable landmarks near that den of hers, but ultimately decided not to. He'd ask again when she gets over the loss. She's handling it better than he is anyway, at least she's not stuck in denial.

What, denial? He wasn't in denial. There was nothing wrong! Where'd that thought come from? He already got over it, he knew he did! The man decided to forget that completely false thought entirely. The storm was receding more and more around them, so that was a good thing. Absol, however, was starting to grow worried. That nagging feeling turned into a cold sweat, and her eyes widened in realization.

"The sandstorm should end soon." He said. "We can keep going afterwards, aight? I don't think we'd-"

And then the sand screamed below them.

Joseph jumped in sudden terror.

Absol instinctively got into a fighting stance.

A reptile's jaws erupted from beneath, snapping shut with a loud clack.

Joseph would have died, had he not moved.

A monster emerged, tainted a purplish crimson, with jagged marks of ebony.

It roared.

It was gigantic.

It was angry.

Joseph was paralyzed. Absol steeled herself further. The Krookodile pointed a menacing claw at her, smiling wickedly. What left the reptile's maws next was, to the human, very unexpected.

"KROOK! DILE-DILE!" It said. The man was unable to understand it, and this only added to his panic. Since when did the ability just shut down like that?! He'd have begun hyperventilating had the crocodile Pokemon not turned its head to him next. Which made him cease breathing altogether. Getting the same treatment as his dark-type companion, the angry croc threatened him. And to his even greater surprise...

("YOU'RE NEXT, FLESHBAG!") He (at least he assumed, the voice sounded masculine enough) said. Were he not currently shitting his pants in fear, metaphorically speaking, he would have questioned the how's and why's of such a predicament. But needless to say, he was. His legs were firmly rooted into place, and all he could do was watch the beast and Jesus fuck those teeth were fucking huge-

Absol wasn't a similar case, though. The Pokemon sneaked a worried glance at her non-Trainer, frozen in shock. She was intimately familiar with the expression. After all, she'd seen it on her prey's faces many times in the past. This was bad, really bad. If he didn't get moving right now...

Thinking fast, her head shot to the side, and her horn shimmered with swirling blackness. Night Slash met its mark, dead center on the reptile's chest, who simply shrugged it off. That did nothing. Absolutely nothing. The Krookodile guffawed, a croaky, ugly sound.

The winds started to pick up speed again...

( - - I - - )

("IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO, KIT?!") Her opponent taunted. ("HERE, LET DADDY SHOW YOU HOW IT'S DONE!") The crocodile Pokemon dived for her, throwing his body forward, the claws on his left hand emitting the same energy Absol's horn did. Said Pokemon was unable to dodge fast enough to avoid the hit, and as the Shadow Claw connected with her side, she was sent careening backwards into a nearby dune. Arceus above, he was strong. Too strong. Far too strong. She wasn't bleeding yet, but she was positive she broke, or at least bruised something from the impact.

Struggling to her feet, Absol painfully managed to stand despite the unseen injury, much to her tormentor's joy.

("THERE, THAT'S A REAL ATTACK, DOLLFACE!") The Krookodile practically squealed in delight, which came out sounding like a weird, screeching sound, grating on the ears. ("COME ON, HIT ME AGAIN! MAKE THIS FUN, WILL YA?")

Absol came to the conclusion he was just straight up insane. Right now, he was focused on her, so maybe she could... as her mind formed a plan, she made to step forward, a flash of red passing through her eyes.

("If that was a real attack, I'd be bleeding out already. Your aim is terrible, all brawn and no brain... Not the sharpest one of the litter, are you?") As opposed to her opponent, she actually used the move Taunt. Which proved to be effective.

("WHY YOU LITTLE-!") The enraged reptile let out. ("I'LL GUT YOU LIKE A MAGIKARP, YOU LITTLE SHIT!") The Krookodile started to run towards her, his powerful legs kicking up sand behind him as he went. The sandstorm was back to its roaring old self now, and with the beast's attention focused on her now, Absol made her move.

She turned tail and ran.

No way in hell she was fighting THAT thing, nope. But maybe she could outrun it...

Her eyes were tearing up, the sand hurt. She couldn't see anything, yet she kept running. Joseph was safe for now, and once she was too, they'd meet up further down the road, she thought. Hoped... She just had to lose that Krookodile, right?

("GET BACK HERE, YOU BITCH!")

Easier said than done...

Her legs were growing tired, buffered by the sandstorm. Her ears picked up the reptile's vile laugh near her, closing in. No matter how fast she ran, no matter how swift she was, she could still hear him right behind her ear.

Tailing her.

Toying with her.

Absols were a predatory species, they hunted weaker 'mons for food, some even for sport, although she never did that herself. But here, Abbie was nor predator. Abbie was no hunter.

She was prey. She was terrified.

She was going to die. She could feel it, with her heart racing, thumping loudly in her skull. Fueled by despair alone, she made her final stand.

Absol turned around, letting the familiar energy cover her horn once more. The wickedly sharp, scythe-like blade slashed through the air, a cut of pure black shooting far into the sand. She let out a screech, halfway between a roar and a scream. it slashed again. And again. And again.

And again...

Her legs were the first to give out after her frenzy. The weight and tiredness became too much to bear, and the Pokémon toppled over right as she was preparing another Night Slash, the attack fading into thin air. Almost as if pitying her, the winds seemed to still, and the wall of sand before her broke apart to reveal...

Nothing.

The fierce hurricane became little more than a breeze.

There was nothing there.

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl.

Absol's heart skipped a beat at the voice that made itself heard behind her.

Again.

("WELL, WELL, WOULD YA LOOK AT THAT!") The monster exclaimed. ("NOT SO COCKY NOW DOLLFACE, HUH?") Krookodile's claws found themselves upon her throat, and the tired, battered Pokemon could do nothing but watch as the beast effortlessly lifted her off the ground. The glare of the sun was blinding, now that the sand shielding the road from it was gone. It angrily bore into her eyes, although the pain and discomfort typically associated with it didn't seem to register. Her front and hind legs hung limply to the sides, her fur was stained and dirty.

Her tormentor's grasp tightened, tearing a strangled gasp from the smaller Pokemon. Her throat was sore, windpipe feeling like it was about to collapse. The wicked reptile mockingly laughed.

("HA HA!") He bellowed. ("OH, YOU'RE A FUN ONE! THOUGHT YOU COULD RUN AWAY?") From the crocodile's wheezing laughter, it sounded like the world's funniest joke to him. ("STILL FEEL CLEVER NOW, DUMBASS?")

Absol couldn't find the strength to reply. Or the oxygen, really.

("OH, I KNOW JUST WHAT TO DO WITH KITS LIKE YOU!") The vile Pokemon seemed to have an epiphany as he continued his little monologue. His arm extended forward, dangling Absol right above a particular sand formation that was next to them. Almost like a cone, burrowing into the ground.

Quicksand...

Absol tried desperately to struggle, but a sudden squeeze on her throat and a growl from the Krookodile dissuaded her from any further opposition. He was taking his sweet time throwing her in, relishing in the terrified expression on her face, almost as if trying to savor the moment. His grip was getting progressively slacker until-

"ABSOL!"

In spite of nigh mortal exhaustion, the dark-type's eyes shot open with a strength she didn't know she had. The Krookodile's head slowly turned towards the source of the noise, his grim smile ever present. Somehow, Absol had never felt more awake.

Joseph was here. The scarf he'd given her was held firmly in his right hand, with a knuckle-whitening grip. His hair was damp, decorated by the pair of goggles he had taken off his eyes, sweat was pearling across his forehead and cheeks. His breathing was heavy and labored, his legs were wobbling slightly... The man had ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He really should exercise more often...

He had come after her. He really did come back.

Krookodile sneered.

Taking the human's appearance as his clue, the reptile let go of his fellow dark-type.

Absol was swallowed by the desert with a desperate yelp. Little more than a plea.

She was gone in an instant

"NO!"

But Joseph refused.

The man broke into a sprint, under the amused eyes of the Pokemon. He ran all the way there already, he could run a little farther. Taking a leap of faith, the man jumped forward, shooting past the hysterical crocodile.

Diving headfirst into the pit of sand.

A calmer trainer would have remembered that those pits actually led somewhere, and that Absol was actually probably safer down there than up above.

Joseph was not a trainer.

Neither was he a calm man.

Even halfway sunk into the ground, the human could still hear the cruel, muffled laugh of the creature, burning itself into memory.

It felt like a branding iron.

( - - I - - )

Welp, here we go. I tried writing a little more this chapter, aiming for 5k words per future chapters if I can. Dunno if I'll stay true to that number, but I'll give it my best shot. Had some practice for the past year, so I suppose my damn long absence was good for one thing at least. I had already began writing it back in 2020, so I already had about half of it done back then.

Funny story, I originally wanted to have Joseph leeroy-jenkins that Krookodile into the quicksand, but decided against it. Sure, it would've been funny, but what's a story without conflict? Plus, they still don't know why it was here in the first place...

Oh, also, I finally got off my arse and made a proper cover for the fanfic! God bless my subpar drawing skills, they manage to work even though they suck ass...

Anyways, hoped you enjoyed it! Next chapter's gonna have a bit of ExPlOrAtIoN, so buckle up! Hopefully it won't be another year before I release it. It shouldn't be, though, can't really afford to pull another Toby Fox...

Laugh dammit.