Hello, again! BlueRaptor629, here! Back at it again with a new chapter. The reasons that this chapter came so late will be explained eventually at the end of this chapter!
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Rising of the Shield Hero as all its right goes to the creators. I only own the OCs that appeared in this story.
Chapter 5: A New Party Member
Elhart came back from the back of his store in order to eat a baguette sandwich that he made earlier before he went to work. But just as he was about to enjoy it, he heard the bell of his store ringing as he saw some of the familiar faces entering his shop. Two of which were unfamiliar to him.
"Welcome." He greeted them before his eyes focused on one of the new faces, a little blonde girl who was wrapped in some big cloth for some reason. "Come on. Are you just going to come here every time you get a new slave?"
"Guess again." Naofumi retorted with an indifferent look on his face.
"Another young girl? You really are a lolicon, huh?" The blacksmith remarked.
"Don't be ridiculous. It's nothing like that!" The Shield Hero denied the claims as the man turned to the other new member of the party.
"Well, at least this young lady isn't. A new member of your party?" He asked, while staring at Kurisu.
"Yes, I am. Just joined actually." Kurisu replied. "I'm Kurisu Hanatabi. Like with the Shield Hero and Tyler, I'm also hailed from another world."
"You don't say?" He muttered as the little girl eyeing his meal.
"Um… Master. Can I have just a little snack?" The cloth wrapped girl asked Naofumi.
"Wanna bite? Knock yourself out." The man said, offering his sandwich to the girl.
"Thanks!" The little girl happily took the sandwich.
"Filo! Don't overdo it." Raphtalia told her.
"Relax. It's fine, Miss." Elhart assured the demihuman girl. "How big a bite could she take anyway?"
"Dude. You haven't seen what we've seen." After Tyler said that, the cloth that was covering the little girl started to tear itself, accompanied by a puff of smoke covering the girl. Sure enough, they saw a big round bird-like creature with blue eyes appeared before them in the little girl's place.
"Time to dig in!" The bird, who was speaking in the little girl's voice, said as it immediately swallowed the sandwich whole. The blacksmith was surprised at this surprising turn of event. "That wasn't too bad actually~!"
"Hoo boy. This is going to be a treat." The gun wielder stated sarcastically as the party decided to bow to the man for forgiveness, with Naofumi forcing the big bird to bow to him too.
Kurisu and Raphtalia proceeded to explain to the bewildered man once he regained his composure. About how they visited the slave merchant of the town shortly after arriving. According to the short man, a flock of Filolials are usually led by a Filolial King or Queen, which Elhart pointed out to be nothing more than a myth. Those kinds of Filolial capable were said to be able to transform into a normal Filolial and a human-like appearance. Naofumi was told that a special monster crest was needed in order to put Filo under control. After that, the special monster crest was successfully put on Filo… but it was not without her putting up some resistance against it.
"I think I understand the gist of it. But I assume you didn't come here just to show off your Filolial Queen?" Elhart stated as Filo, in her Filolial form, was poking around the shop.
"We came to buy some clothing." Naofumi stated as he held one of the ripped remains of the cloth he used on Filo. "If she shreds them each time she transforms, I'll go broke in no time."
"You don't happen to have an outfit made for transforming species, do you?" Kurisu asked.
"Nah, those are special order items. I haven't got any of them. Try and go see a dressmaker." Elhart replied before he pulled out something from his counter, which was a red dress. "But I guess you can't have her walking around in public, looking like that. Take this. Another customer left it."
(Later on…)
"Oh my god, she's cute!" A young woman stated as she looked at Filo with a fascinating look.
The young woman had ash brown hair and eyes, a dark brown band over her head and one that tied her hair into a ponytail, and was wearing a pair of glasses. Her outfit consisted of a red long-sleeved shirt that was covered by a brown apron overalls dress that had some tools in its pocket, and dark brown boots.
Filo's outfit is now a red dress with a white collar and buttons.
After waiting for Filo to put on her temporary clothes, the party was then directed by Elhart to go to the city's dressmaker. It didn't take them long to reach it and much like Elhart and a few people that Naofumi encountered, the dressmaker didn't seem to discriminate against Naofumi and treated him much like a regular customer.
"Isn't she just the cutest little angel?" She then looked towards them. "Wait a second. She has wings on her back. So, she must really be an angel!"
Raphtalia couldn't help but chuckle about the statement, Tyler sweatdropped while scratching his cheek with a finger, and Kurisu simply smiled at this.
"Master! Am I really cute?" Filo asked as she turned to face him. "I wanna know."
"I don't know." The messy haired young man stated.
"Father shouldn't talk like that!" The bespectacled young woman stated.
"Father!?" Raphtalia exclaimed at the word.
"Compliments are very important to little girls, helping them to be even cuter when they get older." She continued as Naofumi looked indifferent with his usual stern look while looking away.
"Then are you my father or something else?" Filo asked innocently.
"No. I'm your owner." Naofumi retorted bluntly, much to Raphtalia's relief.
"I see. Then what about Big Sis Raphtalia?"
"She's kinda like my daughter." Hearing those words shocked the raccoon dog demihuman.
"I am not!" The raccoon dog demihuman snapped.
"Damn. You don't mince words, do ya?" The gun wielder remarked.
"I guess that's the kind of guy Naofumi is, I guess." The lie-detecting girl added.
"Anyway, that doesn't matter." The Shield Hero said, much to the chagrin of Raphtalia. He then stood up. "We're just looking for clothes that don't rip to shreds when you transform and then go back to normal."
"Oh! That's what you're looking for?" The dressmaker said. "Did you bring any magic thread?"
"Magic thread?" Naofumi and Tyler repeated in unison.
"Of course. Transforming clothes always used threads that were made from the wearer's own mana." The young woman explained.
"That makes sense, actually." Kurisu commented, understanding the explanation.
"So, transforming clothes are always custom made?" Raphtalia asked.
"Of course!" The woman told them. "If you can give me some magic threads, then I'll make her the cutest outfit you have ever seen in your entire life!"
Naofumi simply stared at her with a blank look on his face while Tyler and Kurisu simply sweatdropped at the dressmaker's eccentric behavior.
'This lady reminded me a little bit of my mom.' Tyler pondered in his thoughts, seeing some similarities.
After that, the party decided to go towards the magic shop that they had previously visited, though it was Filo and Kurisu's first visit.
"Magic thread, huh?" The woman at the magic shop repeated. "You certainly can weave them here. But unfortunately, right now is not a good time. I'm afraid the magic gemstone in my spinning wheel broke."
"Is it expensive?" The Shield Hero inquired.
"It is, but the bigger problem is that it's hard to find." She answered.
"What can we do about it?" Raphtalia asked.
"I'll talk to some people and see if I can procure a new gemstone as soon as possible." The shopkeeper stated. "It might take a little bit longer."
"Whoa! What does this thing do?" Everyone then turned to Filo, who was looking at the crystal ball at the counter with a curious look.
"This crystal ball measures one's magical affinity." The woman told the little girl. "Why don't we measure your affinity?"
"Oh well. It can't be helped." Naofumi muttered quietly.
"If it's okay with you, I'll like to see my affinity too." Kurisu chimed in.
"Of course. You will have your turn soon enough." The woman said as she channeled the crystal ball.
(Later on…)
"~Filo has wind affinity! ~I'll blow away all the enemies!~" Filo sang as she pulled the carriage that the party received recently.
"I guess Filo's in high spirits." Kurisu commented as she was upfront, grabbing the reins while the others were in the back while the Filolial Queen was singing. Naofumi currently looks after Raphtalia, who was still suffering motion sickness while Tyler was sleeping. Filo wasn't the only one who discovered one's affinity as Kurisu was being told that she has ice and water affinity.
"… ~If I find that nasty Spear Guy, I'll send him flying with a full power kick!~" Filo continued as Naofumi looked at her with a smile.
"It'll be a while before we can get her some clothes. In the meanwhile, let's make some money." The messy haired young man stated, holding on to the trade pass on one of his hands.
"Considering from what I'm hearing that the King didn't pay you that much, I'd say that's a good idea." The lie-detecting girl stated. "Hopefully, that trade pass that you got from the village lord will come in handy."
"Master, look! There's someone up ahead." Filo called as everyone, minus Tyler and Raphtalia, looked forward and saw a man running in front of them, albeit tired as he was panting.
Sure enough, they stopped in order to interact with the man.
"Is there something wrong, sir?" Kurisu asked the exhausted man.
"Please! I beg you! Give me a lift in your carriage!" The man pleaded to the party. "I need to get this medicine to the village. It's the one past the mountain. It's urgent! I pray you!"
"Filo! How long to get there at full speed?" Naofumi asked the transforming bird.
"Not too long." Filo answered. "But you know, we can get there even sooner without the carriage."
"All right. I'll take you there for 1 silver." The green clad hero said.
"But… I already spent my money on this medicine." The man replied.
"It doesn't matter how you do it. You pay me now or you can pay me later. Just don't try to worm your way out of it."
"That would be fine, sir." The man accepted.
"Kurisu, give me the reins." Naofumi asked.
"Here you go." Kurisu immediately gave the reins to her leader, where he immediately hopped into Filo's back. Naofumi then helped the man get onto Filo.
"Thank you."
"Save it. Just make sure you pay up." Naofumi then faced forward. "Let's go, Filo!"
"Righty-o!" With no time to waste, Filo took off at high speed while her second passenger was screaming.
Sure enough, they reached the gates that lead to the aforementioned village.
"Halt! Stop! You have to pay the toll!" The guard at the village's gate said as Naofumi proceeded to throw the trade pass at him, the latter managed to catch it with his free hand.
The guard was bewildered as Naofumi had Filo jump over the gate.
"I'll pick it up on my way back." The Shield Hero said while still riding Filo to the village.
By the time that the skies had turned orange, they had already arrived at the village. More specifically, at the home of the man that Naofumi gave a lift to. The two wasted no time entering the house and went straight towards the person that needed to be cured.
"Mother. I got you the medicine." The man told the elderly woman that was lying down on her bed. She looked towards her son before she coughed a little.
"Listen, you go boil water. I'll give the medicine to your mother." Naofumi told the man.
"But I—"
"Relax. It's free." The Shield Hero interrupted as the man hesitantly gave the medicine to him before leaving the room.
Naofumi proceeded to look at the bedridden woman, which from his view is that the woman is low on health, completely with several question marks that took the place of her name. He proceeded to use the Potion Enhance skill before having the woman drink the medicine. Then, she was covered in yellow glow as she started to feel better.
"Thank you so much." The woman thanked Naofumi just as the son returned with a glass of boiled water.
"Mother. The medicine… It's helping already?" He asked his mother.
"Yes. The pain went away in an instant. Thank you, good sir." The newly cured woman proceeded to turn towards her savior with a gentle smile.
After that, Naofumi proceeded to go outside of the house and awaited the "payment" that he told the man. It didn't take long for the man to come out with a bag.
"What magic spell did you use exactly?" The man inquired.
"Trust me. It's better that you don't ask." Naofumi stated, sitting on Filo's back. "And with that out of the way…"
"Oh, right. Here." The man handed Naofumi the bag, which contained some rations. "This should be worth at least 1 silver."
"Yeah, that'll do. See you later!" The green clad young man accepted the payment before he put the bag over his shoulder.
"Thank you very much. And safe travels with you." The man bid farewell as Naofumi took off with Filo.
'Besides selling, I could even transport people. This travel trade might be more profitable than I thought.' Naofumi contemplated as he rode his way back to the carriage.
(Back in the Pokémon World…)
"So he hasn't returned home recently?" A young woman asked a familiar woman, who was revealed to be Meilani, through the Holo Caster.
The young woman in question is approximately the same age as Tyler. She had short, honey blonde hair with red highlights, pink eyes, and red framed sunglasses on top of her head, which has a Key Stone embedded on the left side of the frame. Her outfit consisted of a dark blue, long sleeve t-shirt, a blue and yellow neckerchief, a red short pleated skirt, black thigh highs, and brown riding boots. And she has an aqua ribbon purse that she carried around with her right shoulder.
The young woman was communicating with her in front of Laverre City's Pokémon Center.
"Unfortunately, yes." Meilani explained. "I think a few weeks have passed and I haven't heard a thing about him ever since. Are you sure he's not without you, Chelsea?"
"If he is, I would've told you from the beginning." The young woman named Chelsea replied. "Again, I haven't seen him since I've been practicing for the upcoming Pokémon Showcase to get another Princess Key."
"I see." Meilani said. "If you do happen to see him, let me know all right."
"I will, Ms. Bryant." The honey blonde young woman before she ended the call. "That idiot. Why did he have to go and disappear like that? Making everyone worry and everything…" She grumbled before putting away the device. 'Still, I wonder what happened to him? It's not like him to go off the radar so suddenly.' She then shrugged off whatever feelings she currently has. 'Wait! I-I'm not worried about that cutesy-loving moron! It's not like I care or anything...' She then placed a hand onto her chest as she looked down, blushing. 'I guess… Maybe because he reached out to me when no one else could…'
"It doesn't matter what everyone or the entire world says about you! This world may not be perfect and shit, but you should just keep doing what you want to do, even if those assholes tell you otherwise."
"That idiot… Just where the hell did you run off to?" Chelsea muttered as she entered the Pokémon Center.
(A week later, in the other world…)
"I must say, it is a wonderful experience to be riding with Our Savior of the Heavenly Fowl." A man that was hitching on the party's carriage stated as Naofumi, Tyler, and Kurisu looked at him as they sat across from him.
"Savior of the Heavenly Fowl?" Naofumi repeated.
"Looks like our rep is spreadin' around like wildfire already." Tyler commented.
"Indeed, good sir." The man then turned to Naofumi. "Riding in a carriage pulled by the god of domesticated birds, Our Savior travels and treats the sick."
"Guess words really do travel fast." Kurisu commented as Naofumi was bewildered at what the people called him.
Why is he called a savior? In a span of a week, Naofumi was treating people left and right besides doing trade business to make some profits since Melromarc's king was being cheap on the payment towards him. Thanks to his skills, he was able to cure just about everyone that was in need of aid. Though that's not the only problem. Kurisu informed him that Raphtalia and Filo have started to see each other as rivals for his affections, which the Shield Hero simply dismissed as such a notion. Tyler couldn't help but relate to what his friend was feeling to himself. The party also did a little bit of training by fighting some of the monsters that came their way
"Did he just say that I'm a god?" Filo inquired as she turned around while still pulling the carriage.
"I'm surprised at you. Didn't Master Naofumi tell you not to talk when there are strangers?" Raphtalia, who was holding the reins, reminded her. After traveling around in a carriage for a week, Raphtalia no longer suffers motion sickness so she's able to take turns with Kurisu in sitting front. Why is Tyler sitting in the back most of the time? Because even now, Filo was still giving him the "stink eye" because of him having Hydreigon, who she was able to sense and being tense with him. Considering the rivalry between the two species, Naofumi told Tyler to just sit in the back.
"Aww. Sorry." Filo pouted as the man was shocked at what he was hearing.
"Well, I'll be, it talks! It really is a god!" The man exclaimed.
"No, she's not a god." Naofumi told the man.
"Everyone. There is a large gang that is blocking our path up ahead." Raphtalia warned them as her fellow party members, including Naofumi, went to the front of the carriage to see what was on the path in front of them. Surely enough, there was a large gang of bandits blocking the path that they were taking.
"Whoa, now! You can stop right there!" The gang leader said loudly as Filo stopped walking.
"Well, that's an odd bird you got there, stranger." One of the bandits commented. "We heard an accessory seller hitching a ride with you." The man at the back of the carriage widened his eyes at this information. "Come on! We know you're in there!" The slightly obese man immediately trying to hide so that they won't see him.
'I'll have to pick my clients more carefully in the future.' Naofumi noted in his thoughts as he looked on and saw what this gang wanted.
"Just hand him over quietly and you'll get away with at least your life intact." The bandit leader demanded.
"Meaning you'll take everything but our lives, right?" The messy haired young man inquired.
"Haha! This one is sharp, ain't he?" The bald-headed man said, feeling impressed about him figuring them out.
"Oh? This one's pretty hot for a demihuman." The bandit leader said as he set his eyes towards Raphtalia. "Looks like we're gonna have some fun tonight!"
'Not only bandits, but these assholes are perverts too, huh? All the more reason to whoop their asses." Tyler glared as he and the others watched the gang in front of them chuckling maliciously.
"Master Naofumi, may I have your permission to end his lineage?" Raphtalia asked her "savior", to which the former was really offended at the gang leader's intentions with her.
"Not that you'd listened to me if I said no." Naofumi replied.
"Me neither!" Filo chimed in, intending to fight as well.
"Don't even think about it! We've got a Class Upgraded bodyguard who makes hamburgers out of you!" The leader retorted in a smug tone as he stepped aside to allow someone to confront them. "It's all up to you now, Sensei!" As he said that, a swordsman came into the party's view before he smirked at them.
'Class Upgraded? There's another one that I haven't heard of.' Naofumi mentally noted.
'Unlike the last group of bandits that I beat, this gang were smart enough to hire a strong mercenary to back them up. Very clever…' Kurisu said as she pulled out and wielded her tonfas, ready to fight against the gang of ruffians that was foolish enough to get in their way.
"Yeah, well. You still got nothing on us!" Tyler stated as he curled his right hand into fist.
"As source of thy power, I order thee…" Raphtalia chanted, much to Naofumi's bewilderment as he had his shield manifested into his right arm. "To decipher the laws of nature and conceal me utterly in a magic haze." She then proceeded to raise her right hand. "Hide Mirage!" As she shouted that, golden veils of light appeared around her before she seemingly became invisible. Which surprised the ruffians and put their hired swordsman on guard.
"Fast Tornado!" Filo shouted as she whipped a powerful tornado with her wings at the ruffians.
"Fast Spark Fist!" Tyler proceeded to lunge towards one of the ruffians before hitting one of them with a lightning imbued fist.
"Why you—" A ruffian didn't get to avenge his friend as he was immediately subdued with a stick slamming to his neck, courtesy of Kurisu as she was able to knock him out.
And with the combined efforts of the party, they were able to subdue the gang of ruffians that attacked them and had them all tied up with ropes so they could be interrogated.
"Some of the other traders told us to mug the guy riding with you because he was supposed to be carrying a bunch of really nice stuff." The gang leader confessed. "I swear, that's what happened."
"Which means that other trader must've ratted you out." Kurisu said as she was standing beside Naofumi and the trader.
"So, it seems." The man replied with a frown, saddened that one of his own sold him out.
"But what're we gonna do about these guys now?" Naofumi asked his client.
"We usually hand them over to the local guards." The trader answered. "But I'll leave it up to you."
"Hey! You are the Shield Hero, are ya?" The gang leader talked arrogantly after realizing who he and his gang were dealing with before Naofumi turned to them. "It was obvious, considering that you don't use other weapons besides that crummy shield."
"We're just some unlucky adventurers who were attacked by the cruel Shield Hero and then he treated all of us like dirt." Naofumi stated. "That's what you're going to tell the guards?"
"You are a perceptive one. Then you can bet that they'll take our word over the Shield Hero any day." The bald-headed ruffian stated arrogantly as they all laughed at Naofumi.
The green clad young man simply sighed. "I guess I have no choice. You have to die."
This shocked the ruffians as they didn't realize that one of the four Legendary Heroes would kill them.
"Filo. You feel like having a snack?" Naofumi asked him.
"Yes, I do. I want food!" Filo replied, much to the shock of the ruffians.
"See, she's an omnivore. She'll gulp down anything in one bite." The "Shield Hero" stated. "But that's not all…" He then motioned Tyler to do a specific action.
"Right, got it." Tyler nodded as the gun manifested in his right hand before aiming it at them. "A cap in the head is all it takes to shut you all up."
"While I'm supposed to be against these types of things." Kurisu began as the ruffians were feeling hopeful at her statement. "But I'm not one to let liars run free. Especially murderers. So, if you do cause more mayhem and deaths after being let off by the local authorities, then we'll have no choice but to hunt you all down and end you."
"Hey! You're "Our Savior of the Heavenly Fowl"! You can't commit murder!" The one that previously taunted Naofumi said after being threatened by Filo (at Naofumi's behest), Tyler, and Kurisu.
"I'm nobody's savior. I have to act with my best interest in mind." Naofumi retorted. "You guys must've killed plenty of people so far. Just consider this your turn and give in to it."
"No! Wait! Please! Take anything you want! Just let us get away with our lives!" The ruffian leader begged, which ironically was what he was trying to pull on Naofumi and his party.
"Got it. I'll spare your lives at least." The rumored "savior" accepted the proposition, much to the ruffians' relief. Unfortunately, he wasn't finished. "However,…"
The gang leader swallowed a lump as he was afraid of the other "condition".
After telling the "condition", Naofumi forced the leader to take them to his hideout, where it was revealed that Naofumi decided to have the bandits surrender all their belongings in exchange for their lives. Just to make sure that they actually do it, Naofumi ordered Tyler and Filo to stand guard to ensure nothing bad happened as the gang of ruffians relinquished all what they had to Naofumi as he loaded them up to the carriage.
"Are we actually looting these bandits?" Raphtalia inquired, justifiably questioning the morality of this action. "But doesn't this make us as evil as they are?"
"I know that feeling, Raphtalia. I've been thinking about the same thing." Kurisu told her, agreeing with her. "It's a bit wrong to mug these guys when they were just about to do the same thing to us."
"I'm afraid I don't agree." The man replied to the two. "They're offering up everything they have to purchase safe passage from Our Savior. He is simply treating their lives like merchandise." He continued as they saw Naofumi still loading the carriage with stuff that he "purchased" from the bandits. "If I may say, Sir Hero is the shining example of the trader spirit. Something that is lacking in our youths."
"I guess it's just business, not personal." The tonfa wielder commented. "As long as these bandits promised not to cause too much trouble for others, then I guess I'm okay with it."
"Hey, how about the three of you do a little less chatting and a little work." Naofumi reprimanded them as he turned to his client. "While we're on the subject, how will you compensate me for all the trouble you caused me on this trip?"
"I can offer you all the knowledge and connections I possess. It is at your command." The trader replied as he proposed a deal to the Shield Hero.
"Knowledge and connections?" The rumored "savior" repeated.
"Yes. I've taken a real liking to you, Sir Hero." The accessory seller stated.
While Naofumi was looking indifferent to the offer, deep down he was curious to see what the man was trying to propose.
After loading up all the goods from the bandits, Naofumi, his party, and his client proceeded to travel a little bit further before settling at an inn in the next town that they arrived at when night fell. While everyone had fallen asleep, Naofumi spent an all-nighter to learn the skills that the trader graciously offered him. Skills are like imbuing crafting gems, which he decided to use as one of his business ventures and has learned some new spells as a result of getting feel from mana.
Later on, the trader proceeded to get Naofumi in touch with the trader's grapevine once arriving at another town while his party rested at the local inn. From there, he received rumors of the other three Heroes. According to one of the traders, Motoyasu, the Spear Hero, has saved a famine-stricken village to the southwest by introducing a legendary crop. Though he figured that Malty was the one that came up with the idea. Then, he heard that Ren, the Sword Hero, was moving to the southeast to slay some monsters. He was a bit surprised when the trader told him that Ren somehow killed a Dragon. Unfortunately, he didn't learn much of Itsuki, the Bow Hero, because of a variety of rumors that were circulating around the land. A rumor said that he was training in the mountains while another one detailing how he went to a dungeon to seek treasure. Naofumi even heard that Itsuki and his party were said to have joined another country's resistance. Those rumors neither confirmed nor denied. After everything is said and done, the accessory seller proceeds to bestow an envelope to Naofumi as a token of farewell the following day. He was then told to give it to one of his acquaintances, who was a mining chief.
After several hours had passed and as the sun began to set, they visited the aforementioned mining chief at a mining chief. Naofumi wasted no time as he immediately gave the letter to the man.
"I can't believe it, but this deed must be the real thing!" The mining chief said as he was done reading the contents of the letter. "I'm amazed that grumpy money grubber gave this to you!" He then turned to the Shield Hero. "Anyway, if there's a gemstone that you want, I can arrange for you to get it. At a discount of course, which obviously goes without saying." He proceeded to put the letter away. "What are you looking for, Sir Hero?"
"For the gemstone you used to make threads that are magic." Naofumi answered as the man widened his eyes at the answer. Despite that, Naofumi managed to ascertain its whereabouts and immediately took his leave with his party.
(The next day)
"What surprises me is how you managed to find that gemstone so quickly!" The witch complimented as they were on their way to the designated location.
After finding out the location to get the gemstone, Naofumi wasted no time contacting the woman at the magic shop and invited her to come for this trip.
"It's not that simple, actually." Naofumi retorted. "Since it's in a rather unsavory location."
"The chance of us encountering some nasty monsters is really high." Kurisu said.
"I guess everywhere is dangerous with these guys crawling around." Tyler commented.
"Master Naofumi. Everyone. We're here." Raphtalia called them as they walked to the front to see what was up ahead. They saw a temple in front of them, which was their destination. Filo eventually stopped the carriage as she went to a tunnel along with the others, which was located across the entrance of the temple.
"A long time ago, this temple was once a notoriously evil alchemist's space of operations." The woman explained to them as they walked through the tunnel. "Strange though, I've never heard anything about a tunnel being made here."
"According to the mining chief, nobody's daring to approach this place because of monsters starting nesting here." The Shield Hero explained. "Keep your eyes peeled."
After several minutes of walking, they ended up in a space where they saw a treasure chest that was left open and whatever it contained, it was already gone.
"It's empty." Raphtalia pointed out before their "guest" noticed a small stone pillar beside the opened chest that had some sort of message that was written in an ancient language
"Ancient writing?" The woman said before she proceeded to read the message aloud. ""We fervently prayed that this seed never makes it out of this tunnel. It's a horrible, twisted manifestation of our wish that nobody feels the pangs of hunger ever again in this world"."
"Well, it looks like some bandits may have already released it." Naofumi deduced as Filo looked to her left and noticed there's a path forward.
"Master, look over there! There's a path over that way." Filo told her owner.
"Let's go." Naofumi and the others proceeded to go towards the direction that Filo pointed out.
Just as Filo was about to go after them, she stopped and turned around as if she heard something.
"Filo, what are you doing? Hurry up." The Shield Hero ordered her as he and the others kept going along the path.
"Um… Master, I think you should really… Um…" Filo urged but her master was out of earshot.
"For crying out loud! If you won't listen to me, then I won't need you anymore." An echoing voice that eerily resembled Naofumi can be heard around Filo, causing her to have some doubts about herself before she went after the party.
As they ventured through the tunnel, the witch stopped walking. "Stop here." She told them tas the others complied.
"Something's wrong, lady?" Tyler asked as the woman observing a rather big footprint that was in front of them.
"A monster footprint. And my goodness, it's a large one." The witch told them.
"Anyway, we have to keep going until we get what we came for. Just remember to be—" Out of nowhere, a sudden gust of wind snuffed Naofumi's torch and the atmosphere became purple.
"The hell is this!?" Tyler exclaimed in shock as Kurisu prepared her tonfa.
"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia called out her master's name.
"Just stay calm! Hey, Witch! What's going on?" Naofumi asked the old lady. But just as he was about to get an answer…
"I'm sick and tired of being Master Naofumi's slave." Another echoing mirroring Raphtalia's voice can be heard by Naofumi as he was surprised. "I'm only pretending to become a slave again to kill him with my own hands. I can stab through him cleanly from behind him."
The Shield Hero couldn't believe what he just heard.
"For a Hero, Naofumi's such an easy mark. I'm only tagging along so I can ride him in his coattails to be a Hero like him. I couldn't care shit about what happened to that loser afterwards."
"I guess I was wrong. Naofumi really is a liar. He was so good at it that I was even fooled. I should've trusted that princess. Well… I'll have to fix that by ending him out of his misery."
Two voices, which resembled Tyler and Kurisu, showed around Naofumi as he was still surprised at this.
"Don't let those voices mislead you!" The witch warned them, somewhat snapping them back to reality.
"What are they!?" Naofumi inquired.
"The monsters provoked you." The woman continued. "They do it by saying the last things you want to hear in the last voices you want saying them."
"So that's what's up. Those bastards." Tyler cursed, trying his best to not let the voices get to him.
"Yeah. Talk about nasty." Naofumi agreed.
"Master is my lunch!" After hearing a voice resembling Filo, Naofumi felt something slash him across the chest. He felt the pain as it stung so much.
"Hey, something just cut me! Do something about this!" The messy haired young man urged anyone to intervene.
"As source of thy power, I order thee…" The witch began to chant as she raised her wand. "Decipher the laws of nature and restore our sight!" The tip of her wand began to glow in a blue light. "Fast Anti-Bind right now!" She pointed her wand forward as the blue light illuminated the surrounding area, revealing several bat and rat monsters that were cornering them. They seemed to have some sort of air horn-like protrusions on their bodies.
"Got you now, you little pricks!" Tyler proceeded to manifest the gun in his hand before starting to shoot some of the monsters down one at a time. "You're gonna regret messing up our heads like that!"
"Now that we can see them…" Naofumi then turned to Filo. "Filo!"
"On it!" Filo complied as she cast Fast Tornado towards most of the monsters. "I'm going to blow you away!"
Thanks to Filo and Tyler, they were able to kill all the monsters which allowed them to gain some experience. The light from the witch's spell faded as everything went dark once more.
"Are you all okay?" The magic shop owner asked them.
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you." Raphtalia replied.
"More or less." Tyler added as he looked at the scattered remains of the monsters.
"Still, I didn't think they'd be monsters who could do psychological warfare on us." Kurisu folded her arms. "We'll have to be more careful from here and out."
Naofumi proceeded to pick up a shard of what was left of the monsters and had it absorbed into his shield. A status screen popped up in front of him to inform him that he has the Voice Gengar Shield (Bat Form) unlocked in his weapon tree.
"I don't see how that's going to come in handy." The messy haired young man dismissed the new form.
Tyler proceeded to do what Naofumi just did and it was met with the same results. Although in Tyler's case, he now has the Voice Gengar Gun (Rat Form). "Voice Gengar? Is that how those things are called? They sure are as ornery as a Gengar, despite not being an actual Pokémon."
"Gengar?" Raphtalia repeated. "Is that a Pokémon?"
"Yeah." Kurisu answered on Tyler's behalf. "They are a Ghost and Poison type Pokémon that tend to do a little mischief every now and then. While in some cases they're malicious, most of the time they're simply just pranksters."
"I know so because one is just so happened to be my—"
"Aah!" They heard Naofumi's scream and heard him falling to the ground.
"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia and the others proceeded to rush to where her master was. They saw the leader of their party lying on his back. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know, something just slammed into me! And for some reason, it's gnawing on my chest plate!" Naofumi said as he proceeded to grab the torch that he once lost hold of and saw what he was facing now. Suffice to say, he was shocked. "What the…"
"Whoa… Is this for real!?"
"I didn't think it was possible…"
"What is that thing!?"
"Aw. It doesn't look yummy…"
"Oh my…"
The other five were also just as surprised, but not as surprised as Tyler and Kurisu. Why is that? They now have a good look with the perpetrator.
Said perpetrator turned out to be a small, quadrupedal creature with four stubby legs and a large head. Its body is black with plates of gray armor covering its head, back, and legs. Throughout its body are small openings in the armor. There are six openings on its head, with the largest two being openings for its pale blue eyes and one opening on either side of the spike on its back. And a single, blunt spike protrudes from its back.
"Hmm… This is the good stuff! I can't believe I managed to find it!" The "creature" talked as it kept nibbling on Naofumi's chest armor.
"Whoa, it can talk!?" Raphtalia exclaimed.
"Unbelievable…" The woman widened her eyes at this.
"Get off!" With all his might, Naofumi pushed the unknown creature off of him, which sent it flying further to the back.
"Ouch! That wasn't very smart…" The small creature groaned.
"What the heck is even that thing!?" Naofumi said as he had the shield manifested in his right arm, which caught the attention of the creature.
"Ooh! That round thing…! I want a taste of it, human!" Without hesitation, the creature rushed towards Naofumi and went straight to the Legendary Shield, which he immediately gnawed on.
"What the!? Hey, stop it!" Naofumi tried to punch the creature, but only to feel the pain of it from punching it. "Ow! What is this thing made of? Steel!?"
"Hold still, Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia proceeded to pull out her sword. "I'll get rid of this thing for you!"
"All right! Let's calm down for a second here, everyone!" Kurisu shouted, earning everyone's attention. "First of all, Raphtalia. Stand down."
"But that monster is—"
"A Pokémon." The lie-detecting girl interrupted her demihuman friend, shocking everyone who was not Tyler.
"Wait, are you sure!?" Raphtalia asked.
"And how do we know it's not one of the monsters that came with the Waves?" The Shield Hero asked with skepticism.
"Well, here." Tyler proceeded to pull out his Pokédex, which he immediately showed them a picture of the creature that was gnawing on Naofumi.
"Aron, the Iron Armor Pokémon. A Steel and Rock type. This Pokémon has a body of steel. To make its body, Aron feeds on iron ore that it digs from mountains. Occasionally, it causes major trouble by eating bridges and rails."
"So it's a literal iron Pokémon, huh? That's something. And that also certainly explains why it hurts like punching steel armor." Naofumi proceeded to heal his hand with a potion that he drank.
"Most Steel type Pokémon are like that. They are resistant to non-elemental attack, which is called a "Normal" type from where we are from." Kurisu told him.
"This steel tastes so delicious." Aron said as he stopped tasting and proceeded to try getting the shield off of Naofumi, but was met with zero results. Even sliding it off wasn't enough. "What the!? Why can't I get this off?"
"Yeah, about that…." Naofumi retorted. "This shield practically stuck to me like glue."
"You have to be kidding me!? Why not!?"
"Well, I'm the Shield Hero. And since this shield chose me as its wielder, I can't throw it away, no matter how much I tried. I can't even use other weapons. So I'm sorry, pal. But you're out of luck." The green clad young man explained.
"Seriously!? Then where am I supposed to find some good iron then!?"
"If I may…" The Iron Armor Pokémon turned to Raphtalia, who came to her master's side. "Why not come with us? While we don't have any iron to feed you at the moment, we will get them later that is equally delicious as Master Naofumi's shield."
"Oh, really? That's a bold statement, hu—" Aron said before noticing the tail and ears of Raphtalia. "What are you exactly? Last I checked, humans don't have ears on top of their heads and don't have a tail. Are you supposed to be a part-Pokémon, part human hybrid?"
"She's a demihuman. And no, she's not part-Pokémon." Kurisu spoke on her demihuman's friend's behalf. "So, mind telling us how you're here? In case you haven't noticed, you're in another world."
"In another world? That explains those crazy Noibat and Pikachu looking creeps." Aron stated before it began to recount. "I was with a group of friends not too long ago, in a place called "Terminus Cave" or whatever the humans called it. Doing nothing out of the ordinary besides digging up iron ores for lunch…"
"Terminus Cave, huh? So that means you're from my world." Tyler pointed.
"Tyler, where was this "Terminus Cave" exactly?" Naofumi asked.
"It's on Route 18 back in Kalos."
"So, what happened next?" The lie-detecting girl asked the lost Pokémon.
"Hm… Let's see…" Aron began to try remembering again. "Thinking back to it now, I must've strayed too far from the horde and that was when I looked at a strange colored light in the distance." It continued. "I was curious about it so I thought I could take a quick look at it. But the next thing I know, I was in here. And I got immediately attacked by those things too."
"Oh dear. What a poor thing." The magic shop owner said.
"I see" Kurisu folded her arms before she turned to Naofumi. "Hey, Naofumi. Why don't you catch him?"
"Why?" Naofumi inquired.
"Because it will do you some good." Kurisu said. "Thinking of it this way, Mononashi or some monsters may attack you and the others may not be at your side to intercept. But if you have a Pokémon, you'll be able to fight back and do some attacking while providing support. Also, Aron is one of the few Pokémon that excels in its physical defense stat, so it could tank any of that. Even Monohashi's Spear."
"You do have a good point…" Naofumi stated, agreeing with Kurisu. While he does have his party around, he somewhat agreed that they can't be anywhere and everywhere at once. He remembered that he resorted to using the balloon monsters that he hid in his body to fight back because of his limitations of being the Shield Hero. If it weren't for Kurisu's intervention to stop Motoyasu and Tyler's effort of battling in his place during the rematch, he would've lost everything again. But if he has a Pokémon at all times, he could fight back and defend himself in the event where he has to fight when his party isn't nearby, especially against the loveblind Spear Hero.
"She's right, buddy." Tyler spoke up, agreeing with his party member. "And besides, the little guy likes you… sort of."
"I guess you're right." The messy haired young man said before he turned to Aron. "So, what do you say? Be my Pokémon and I'll find you the best iron you could ever taste."
"If you're really willing to be my Trainer, then I guess I don't mind." Aron said, interested in Naofumi. "From the looks of it, I can get stronger with you around anyway."
"If that's settled…" Naofumi then turned to Tyler. "Hey, Tyler. How do I catch a Pokémon?"
"Well, you can use this." Tyler pulled out an empty Poké Ball where he tapped the button to enlarge it. He then gave it to his leader. "It's an empty Poké Ball. Throw it or have it touch the Pokémon you want to catch and if you nailed it, that Pokémon is now yours."
"Got it." Naofumi nodded before he threw the ball at Aron. "Go!"
The Poké Ball flew towards the Iron Armor Pokémon before it touched him, causing him to be enveloped in a red light as he went inside the ball.
"Wow." Raphtalia was in awed as she and the others saw the Poké Ball landed with a thud. The Poké Ball then shook twice followed by a beeping sound on the button that glowed red each time it happened. It then stopped shaking which was then followed by a clicking sound.
"That was simple enough." Naofumi commented as he was notified that he now has caught Aron and has learned a new skill that is called Pokémon Trainer. ""Pokémon Trainer", huh? I hope it's good." He continued. After seeing the information, Naofumi proceeded to pick Aron's Poké Ball off the ground before putting it away.
"I think you'll make a great Pokémon Trainer like Tyler and Kurisu, Master Naofumi." Raphtalia said.
"I'll see how this goes." Naofumi replied before picking up the stick he was carrying and lighting it up again. "All right! Let's keep moving!"
"Um… Excuse me, Master." Filo called Naofumi as she turned towards her. "You won't abandon Filo, will you?"
"I've got money riding on you. I'm not getting rid of you that easily." Her master replied before he went ahead through the tunnel as Filo frowned.
"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia reprimanded him before she turned to her fellow slave. "Stop worrying, Filo. Master Naofumi would never say anything mean to you like those hallucinations you heard. Count on it."
"The guy's cold, but I think he's a big softie on the inside." Tyler chimed in. "I think that's just his way of assurin' you."
"Plus, he's not a liar." Kurisu added.
"All right." Filo nodded as she was cheered up by her friends' comments. After that, they proceeded to catch up to Naofumi to continue their venture.
Thirty minutes have passed since they defeated the Voice Gengar monsters and Naofumi caught Aron. Surprisingly enough, they haven't encountered any monsters throughout the tunnel, ever since they were ambushed prior. Surely enough, they've reached their destination: a room full of magic crystals. However, what made them keep their guard up was the lone monster that was sleeping at the back of the room.
It is a monster with the head of a monkey, which has sharp teeth that can be seen from the outside, a yellow round body that has black tiger-like stripes on the back, and green colored snake for a tail.
The snake-tail took notice of the intruders and immediately hissed at them.
"What is that?" Naofumi asked.
"That's a Nue." The magic shop owner answered. "A little on the smaller side, but still dangerous."
"This might be rough. The gemstone's right there in front of us, but we can't get at it." The Shield Hero remarked.
"Let's go!" Raphtalia shouted as she unsheathed her sword before charging towards the monster with Filo.
"Wait, you two! Don't we need to plan this thing out?" Tyler tried to call them but they were already out of earshot.
"Those two…" Naofumi muttered as he turned to the witch hatted lady. "Cover us, please!" And with that, he went after his two slaves with Tyler and Kurisu.
The Nue proceeded to get up as it became aware of the two intruders that were charging at it. Raphtalia proceeded to thrust her sword with all her might, but the chimaeric monster jumped over the blade before kicking her down to the ground with its hind legs. Filo decided to slam towards the Nue talons first, but it leapt backwards to dodge the attempt.
"Let's try this." Naofumi then pulled out the Poké Ball. "Let's go, Aron!" He threw it in the air, causing his only Pokémon to appear.
"I guess I wouldn't mind battling for you." Aron stated. "You better compensate me for this by feeding me some metal."
"Yeah, yeah. I hear you." Naofumi stated as the Pokémon he sounds so much like himself. He proceeded to look at Aron's information, specifically his moves. "Let's see here… You have Rock Tomb, Metal Claw, Headbutt, and Protect. I guess Pokémon moves are different from the spells here. And from the looks of it, Pokémon can only use four moves, after all.
"You'll have to get used to it, Naofumi." Tyler said before he and Kurisu noticed that the Nue was coming straight for their leader. "Watch out!"
"Crap!" Naofumi had his shield manifested to block the assault from the monster. With all his might, he tried to push away the Nue as it snarled at him. Having watched Kurisu and Tyler commanding their Pokémon during their time together, he knew what to do. "Aron! Quick, use Metal Claw!"
"Just what I was thinking, pal!" With no hesitation, Aron lunged at the Nue with a glowing foreleg, which he struck the chimeric beast with. The monster cried in pain as it jumped backwards.
"Kurisu, Tyler, now!" Naofumi called them.
"Right!" Both Pokémon Trainer said in unison as they prepare to cast their magic spells. "As source of thy power, we order thee! Decipher the laws of nature and bring forth intense thunder/torrential rain to crush our enemies! Fast Thunder Bolt/Fast Water Shot!" They shot their magic spells at the Nue, which were as a bolt of electricity and a ball of water. The attacks successfully hit it, though it was able to resist Tyler's magic spell.
"Zweit Fire Place!" The magic shop owner shouted as the Nue was then engulfed by a blast of fire. Once the flames dissolved, the chimeric beast then lunged towards Naofumi once more.
"Intercept it with Headbutt!" Naofumi commanded his Pokémon once more.
"Got it!" Aron proceeded to slam his head into the Nue. Despite his diminutive size, Aron was able to prevent the monster from pushing him back. "If you think you can beat me, then you're terribly mistaken!"
The Nue simply growled at the Iron Armor Pokémon as crackles of blue electricity began to appear around his body.
"Aron, get back!" Naofumi warned him as he was plucked by Filo to escape the incoming attack along with the others.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" The Iron Armor proceeded to jump away from the Nue. It was after he did that the chimeric monster unleashed bolts of electricity that shocked everything within range. Fortunately, Aron barely got out of the radius of the attack.
"That was close." Naofumi muttered. "We need to avoid that lightning at all costs." He then saw Raphtalia dissolved into invisibility via Hide Mirage in an effort to sneak up on the Nue and kill it. However, the monster was somehow able to pinpoint her location, much to the surprise of Naofumi. "Raphtalia, look out!"
The snake-tail hissed before it lunged towards where Raphtalia was. Fortunately, she managed to barely dodge the strike as the spell faded.
"Whoa! That thing just knows where Raphtalia is!" Tyler exclaimed.
"My guess is that the monster is relying on its hearing." Kurisu theorized.
"Yeah, this one is really sensitive to sound." Filo added, confirming Kurisu's theory.
"To sound, huh?" Naofumi searched through his weapon tree where once he found it, he turned the shield to its newest form, which was dubbed the "Voice Gengar Shield (Bat Form)". He then saw the Nue leaped towards him, with the intent to kill. "Filo! Yell into this thing as loudly as you can!"
"Okay!" The shapeshifting Filolial nodded in compliance.
"Everyone, cover your ears! Quick!" Naofumi urged them, which they proceeded to do just that.
"ROAAAAAAAAAR!" Filo screamed through the shield, causing a green soundwave to spread from the shield and to outside, where the damage towards the Nue was so great that blood started exploding from its ear.
"Kill it now!" Naofumi told them while still covering his left ear with his free hand.
"Zweit Fire Blast!"
"Fast Water Shot!"
Both the woman and Kurisu unleashed their attacks that damaged the chimeric monster. It was then followed up by Raphtalia thrusting her sword through the Nue's body, causing it to roar in pain.
"My turn!" Tyler shot the chimeric monster several times using his Savage Wolf Shotgun, which left several holes in the body.
For good measure, Filo slammed the monster in the head using one of her talons, followed by Aron using Headbutt on to the monster's body. The resulting attacks finally finished off the Nue as it landed on the ground, dead.
"We won!" Filo cheered as she landed on her talons.
"Hmph! Who says this little guy can't be mighty?" Aron stated as he felt proud of his first battle.
"Is everyone all right?" Naofumi said as he approached them.
"Mhm!" Filo nodded.
"Got some bruises, but nothing too serious for you to worry about, pal." Aron replied. "Just give me some healing stuff and I'm good to go."
"And how about you?" Raphtalia asked as she clutched her right arm.
"Yeah, I'm fine." The messy haired young man answered as he approached his first slave and examined her right arm. "Don't be so reckless, next time."
"But, uh…" Raphtalia then saw her master pulled out a bandage which he used to cover the wound.
"What if you're seriously hurt?" Naofumi began as he wrapped the bandage around the wounded spot on Raphtalia's right arm. "You could've been scarred for life!"
"You mean you worried that I could've…" The demihuman swordswoman muttered as she was slightly blushing.
"Got it?"
"Umm… Yes." She answered with a warm smile.
"Wow! So pretty!" The two turned to Filo, who was admiring the crystals that were spread throughout the room with the others. Well… All, but one.
"They're so beautiful!" Raphtalia said, awestruck as the rest.
"I guess they're all right. I would be more impressed if they're made from iron." Aron commented with an indifferent tone.
Naofumi proceeded to approach one of the crystals that were grown from the ceiling before he used a hammer to mine a magic gemstone. Once he got it, he returned Aron to his Poké Ball before leaving the area with his companions.
After arriving back in Melromarc's Castle Town, they immediately stop by the Magic Shop where Filo has weaved some threads thanks to the newly-fixed magic spinning wheel. After weaving enough threads and parting ways with the magic shop owner, they then gave the magic thread to the Tailor at her shop and was told to come back tomorrow to see the outfit, which they did as they head to the city's local inn to turn in for the day.
(The next day)
They came back to the Tailor Shop as soon as it opened, where the Tailor had Filo trying out her new dress. It didn't take long for Filo to come out of her dressing room, now wearing her new dress.
Her current outfit is a white dress with light blue frills around the cuffs and bottom section of the dress. She also wore a blue ribbon on the center.
"Wow…" Noafumi muttered as Raphtalia looked at him with a jealous pout.
"She's actually kinda cute…" Tyler commented.
"Oh? Already setting your sights on her, I see?" Kurisu teased him.
"No! I don't!" The gunman refused. "And besides, what kind of person do you take me for!? She's just a kid!"
"Right, right. Whatever you say, you big softie."
"Well? How do I look? All right?" Filo asked Naofumi.
"You look terrific." The Shield Hero replied.
"Yay! Thank you, Master!" The winged girl proceeded to jump towards her master and hugged him, much to Raphtalia's jealousy.
"I mean, sure. She's cute and everything." The demihuman swordswoman grumbled with an envious tone.
"She's darling!" The Tailor chimed in as everyone looked towards her. They noticed the bags under her eye and her hair was a little messier than usual. "I did my very best to bring out every last of Filo's angelic charm and I think I did a hell of a job!" She stated proudly. "I used white as the base color, to go with her wings. And then I added plenty of frills as a nod to her feathers too. And since it would contrast best with her lovely blonde hair, I went blue for the ribbon as you can see."
"S-Sure, right…" Raphtalia replied with a sweatdropped.
"She might be even more crazy than my mom." Tyler muttered.
"Well now, that magic outfit and the monster crest that add up to… Umm…" Naofumi stated before counting the numbers of the cost. "340 silvers, I guess. You had to work hard to pay it off."
"Yay! I'll do my best!" As she said that, a white puff of smoke enveloped her before she appeared again in her Filolial form.
"Ah! Don't suddenly transform indoors!" Raphtalia scolded Filo.
"Huh?"
"AAHHH! Even in a monster, it's cute!" The Tailor complimented before she looked at Naofumi. "I'm sure you'd agree, don't you? Isn't your daughter cute as a button?"
"She's not my daughter!" Naofumi denied as everyone looked on with a smile.
Next: Chapter 6: The Savior of the Heavenly Fowl
That's about it about today's chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.
I have said it in my Pokémon X One Piece story, but I'm busy because of the changes that I'm forced to adapt. Playing some games, doing college assignments, etc. And now, I'm working on a story to be used for my thesis. I'll see if I can balance things off between my activities.
And now the first appearance of my second main OC, Chelsea Arel. If you're curious, Chelsea is going to be one of the female OCs that is in love with Tyler. Kurisu, on the other hand, is still neutral to Tyler at best. There's also the fact that some of delays is that I kept changing the Pokémon on her team. Fortunately, her team is now fixed... I hope.
Fun fact: I didn't know when I'm working on this chapter that the season 2 of Rising of the Shield Hero was about to air its first episode soon, so I speed the work up so I can watch the episode.
And as always, don't forget to leave a review and if you like it, follow and favorite it!