Sorry this chapter is a little late. For those of you who don't know, last week I posted a special Holiday Gift for you all. A sequel one-shot to "Orpheus: The Tale of Marceline" called "Typhon and Echidna: A Tale of Love" which you can read right now. Anyway, Pokémon is the property of Nintendo, Gamefreak and several other companies, while Beast Wars and all other Transformers related media is the property of Hasbro and Takara Tomy. Yadda. Yadda. Enjoy.

Chapter 3: Terra Incognita

Mornings in Pallet Town were without a doubt the most beautiful in all the world; at least in the opinion of Prof. Samuel Oak, but to be fair it was a very educated opinion. For to quote one of his own poems,

I've done my share of traveling,

I've shed my share of tears,

I've gained my share of knowledge,

I've faced my share of fears,

I've hobbled and I've hustled,

From the mountains to the sea,

But there is just one place,

That fits my personality.

Or to put it in less flowery terms, in spite of everywhere he'd been and everything he'd accomplished, in his heart of hearts, Prof. Oak was still just a little boy who loved his hometown. Which is why it surprised literally nobody when he'd chosen it as the location for his world-famous Pokémon Research Facility.

In any case, the Professor had just finished his breakfast of poached eggs and toast, and was allowing himself a minute or two to digest before beginning his morning routine. To pass the time, he fiddled with the new smartphone his grandson had given him for his birthday; such a remarkable little device. He was flipping through the various local newsfeeds when he found an article that caught his interest.

The Phantom Meteors

Evidently, dozens of people across the region had claimed to have seen a pair of falling stars the night before, and yet the Kanto Astronomical Society fervently denies their existence; claiming that they detected no such objects entering the atmosphere on their advanced equipment and are attributing the sightings to some kind of mass hysteria.

Most fascinating, especially since one of these celestial objects was supposed to have crashed somewhere near his lab. But before he could ruminate about this strange phenomenon any further, a familiar face burst through the door.

"Prof. Oak!" exclaimed the Professor's young research assistant, Tracey Sketchit. A fine young fellow. Capable. Trustworthy. If a bit excitable at times. "Prof. Oak! We have a situation!"

"Tracey?" the old researcher said confusedly. "Good word, lad. I thought you were still in bed."

"No, Sir. A strange noise woke me up last night. And then I saw a shooting star and I had to sketch it while it was still fresh in my head, but by the time I finally finished it was almost sunrise, so I figured I'd get a head start on my chores and…"

"And let me guess, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you?" Prof. Oak said knowingly.

"Well… no, but…"

"Sigh. Tracey, you know what happens when you don't get enough sleep and skip breakfast. You get all hyperactive and you start seeing things."

"I know, Professor, but…"

"Last time this happened, you came in here swearing that one of Ash's Tauros had turned pink."

"I know, but…"

"So before you go any further, might I suggest you sit down and have a muffin, or at least a protein bar, or something."

"But there's no time! The Houndoom are attacking each other! We have to do something now!"

And before he could protest, the old researcher was grabbed by the arm and led outside.

Once out in the open air, his ears were almost immediately struck by an awful racket; like a pack of Houndoom barking all at once. And sure enough, that's exactly what it was. For reasons unknow to the old Professor, three of the Houdoom in his care had cornered a fourth by one of the lab's outer walls, with the clear intent of doing it harm.

Not being one to stand for such things in his own facility, Prof. Oak pulled out a special high frequency whistle and blew on it until all four canines were whimpering on the ground. He hated to resort to such tactics, but sometimes drastic measures were required. And besides, it's not like the sound actually hurt them or anything; they just found it extremely unpleasant.

"Now that'll be enough of that." He said in a stern voice as he came to stand before the perpetrators. "I don't know what this Houndoom did to upset you all so much, but I will not tolerate this type of behavior in my facility. Now off with you."

Not wanting to get another earful, the three offenders did they were told and ran off. With that settled, the old researcher turned around and knelt down on one knee so he could speak to the remaining Houndoom at eyelevel.

"I'm so sorry about that." He said as he gently petted the poor creature's head. "Those three won't bother you anymore."

The Houndoom responded to this by barking happily and playfully licking the Professor's face.

"Whoa, easy there, boy." He said, laughing a little at the odd sensation. "Friendly little fellow, isn't he. Tracey, who does this one belong to?"

"I don't know, Professor. He's not one of ours. He must've wandered in from the forest." Replied his trusty assistant.

"Hmm… Well, that certainly explains why he got those other three so riled up. But he's a little too comfortable around humans to be wild. Poor thing must be lost. We'll keep him here for now and see if anyone comes to claim him."

"Do you want me to call Officer Jenny to see if anyone's filed a Missing Pokémon Report?"

"In a bit, but first… I'm sorry I didn't believe you earlier." The old researcher said embarrassedly as he and his young associate headed back to the lab.

However, the lone Houndoom hung back for a bit, and once it was sure it was really alone, it tapped the side of its head with its front paw and spoke in a hushed voice.

"Houndor to Big Bot. Houndor to Big Bot. We've got a situation here."

XXX

"Humans?" asked Optimus dumbfoundedly, still in his Blastoise Beast Mode. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, Big Bot. I heard 'em say it and everything." Replied Houndor over the com. "They seem real friendly too."

"Yes, well, be that as it may. We still don't know how they'll react to strangers from outer space. Maintain cover for now. I'll inform the others of your discovery."

"Copy that, Optimus. Over and out."

With his communicator turned off, the Maximal Commander sighed and shook his head.

"This just got so much more complicated."

"Psyduck Psy." Said a little Psyduck standing at his feet, holding its head and looking as though it were in pain. "Psy-y-y."

"My sentiments exactly."

XXX

A short time later in another part of the facility, Backstop was taking in the sights and sounds with all the quiet and dignified enthusiasm of a professional naturalist; which of course he was, among other things.

"Fascinating." He said aloud as he continued to stroll across the grassy field. "A parallel universe. An alternate version of Earth, so very different than the one we know. Why, I can think of at least ten scientists back on Cybertron who'd sell their Sparks to Unicron for an opportunity like this. Well, better not waste it then."

As he continued on his merry walk, the gentle giant happened upon a medium sized pond just bustling with life. Squirtles, Wartortles, Politoeds and Quagsires played happily on the surface. While below, Corsolas, Lanturns, Horseas and even a Milotic swam about without a care in the world. And on the shore a Krabby scuttled about, a Slowpoke tried to fish with its tail, and a Stantler stopped by to have a drink.

"Interesting fauna." The Maximal mused before moving right along.

A little bit later, he passed a field of colorful flowers where herds of Oddish, Bulbasaurs and Tangelas romped and frolicked in the pedals.

"Though the flora's nothing to sneeze at either."

Just then, something bumped into his left leg. Looking down, Backstop saw a group of Bellossom and immediately realized that he was standing in their way.

"Oh, pardon me, ladies." He said politely before stepping back a bit.

The 'ladies' all gave him a curtsy in return before going on their way, earning a light chuckle from the gentle giant before he too moved on.

A few minutes later, he came across a small grove of trees where he saw a Heracross sucking up sap and a Scyther sharpening its blades.

"Hmm… the bugs can grow pretty big around here. Better make a note of that, might come in handy later."

Not long after that, he happened upon a Nidoking and a Nidoqueen nuzzling each other affectionately as they watched over what appeared to be a clutch of eggs.

"Aw~ How sweet."

But while looking at them, Backstop wasn't watching where he was going and accidently bumped into something large and soft.

"Lax?" went the Snorlax lazing under a tree as it was suddenly jarred awake. "Snorlax?"

"Oh, sorry about that, friend. My bad." The Maximal said apologetically.

The Snorlax tilted its head curiously as it examined the strange intruder, but ultimately it just shrugged it off and went back to napping.

"Hmm… looks like you've got the right idea. Mind if I join you for a little siesta?"

"Lax. Snor. Lax. Lax." It replied, gently tapping the empty spot beside it.

"Mighty neighborly of ya. Thanks." Backstop said with a smile as he sat down to join his new friend. "Sigh. You know, I think I could get to like this place."

"Snorlax, Lax."

"Heh. Heh. Couldn't have put it better myself."

XXX

Elsewhere, in yet another part of the facility, Rattrap was in a rotten mood, but then what else is new?

Not that anyone could or should really blame him. After all, none of this was in his job description. The contract he'd signed when he'd joined the crew of the Axalon listed his possible duties as a Communications Officer, a Computer Technician, an Engineer, a Security Officer, a Custodian, and if necessary a Demolitions Expert. Nowhere did it say anything about being a Galactic Patrolman, or a Spy, or a freaking Soldier.

This was supposed to be an easy assignment. Just a simple five year mission to explore uncharted planets; ideally without ever leaving the ship. He never set out to be a hero or a cowboy; he just wanted to get away from the big city noise for awhile and make some honest cash.

But no, not half a deca-cycle out from Cybertron and he gets shanghaied into a highspeed chase and flung into a whole different universe. And if that weren't enough, the damage to the ship's engines was so severe, it'd be a miracle if it ever got off the ground again. His only hope now was that all the Predacons were dead and the humans wouldn't discover their presence until after someone came to rescue them, but something told him Primus wasn't going to be that merciful.

Anyway, he had just rounded the corner of what appeared to be a stable full of flaming horses, when some stupid moron stepped his big fat foot on his tail; instantly shaking him out of his pity party.

"YAAAAAH!" he wailed in pain and alarm as he pulled his throbbing extremity out from whatever had stomped on it. "Why don't you watch where you're goin', ya big goon!"

This however proved to be a very poor decision. For the 'big goon' in question was in fact a young boy in his mid to late teens; and from the look on his face, he hadn't been expecting to hear him talk.

"Uh… I mean, Squeak, Squeak."

And just like that, the boy dropped the bags of feed he'd been carrying and ran off screaming,

"Professor! Professor!"

"Oh… that can't be good."

XXX

At almost exactly the same time, Optimus had reached the facility's main building, in the hopes of confirming Houndor's report. Not that he didn't trust his young scout's judgment, you understand, but it never hurts to make absolutely sure.

Anyway, he was just rounding a corner and, sure enough, he got his confirmation.

Humans.

A whole bunch of them.

Now granted, Optimus had never met one in person before, but he knew one when he saw it, just like any student of Cybertronian History would.

But he still wasn't 100% convinced that these humans wouldn't be hostile towards an otherworldly visitor, so for the time being, he creeped back behind the corner to watch the scene play out in secret.

"Ash! Delia!" said the old man in the lab coat excitedly. "So good to see you. Feels like it's been a million years."

"Oh, I was just here yesterday, you old flatterer you." The youngish looking woman said, blushing a little bit. "By the way, I brought you one of those strawberry pies you seem to like so much. I thought it might make a nice treat after lunch."

"Ooo~ I can hardly wait. And Ash, my boy. Just look at you. You're practically a man now. I saw you on TV at the Ever Grande Conference. You did your hometown proud."

"Aw shucks, Professor. It was nothing." Said the boy in the baseball cap. "Besides, I only made it into the Top 8."

"Don't be so modest. That's quite an accomplishment for someone your age."

"Oh, don't mind him, Professor. You know how Ash is." Said an older boy with strange looking eyes. "He won't be satisfied until he's the undisputed champion of the world."

"Heh-Heh. Yes, I suppose you're right. Good to see you too, Brock. Always a pleasure." The old man said politely before casting his gaze on yet another guest. "Ah, and you must be May. So wonderful to meet you. I saw your performance at the Hoenn Grand Festival. You did quite well for your first time."

"Thank you." The young brunette replied with an adorable blush.

"Excuse me, Professor." Said a smaller boy in glasses with an almost smug demeanor. "I'm Max. May's younger brother. And may I just say what an honor it is to meet you. I've read all of your books."

"Oh, well thank you, Max. Always a pleasure to meet a budding young Pokémon enthusiast. Tell me, would you care to hear one of my latest poems? I haven't even shown it to my publisher yet."

"Well, actually I…"

"Professor!" shouted yet another young human as he came onto the scene in a panic. "Professor! Professor! You'll never believe it!"

"Ah, Tracey. I was wondering where you were. Did you finish feeding the…"

"Never mind that now! We've got another situation! One of the Raichu spoke to me! He yelled at me when I stepped on his tail! And he kind of sounded like Meowth!"

Optimus had no idea what a 'Raichu' or a 'Meowth' was, but something told him Rattrap was involved.

"Sigh. Tracey, I told you to grab a protein bar or something before going back to work." The old Professor said in mild exasperation before turning his attention back to the main group. "Sorry about this, everyone. He skipped breakfast this morning."

"Just the thought of that scares me." Said the boy in the hat.

"Me too." Added the young girl.

"But Professor, I swear I'm not…"

Just then, the ground began to shake. Just a little tremor at first, but before long it was a regular 4.5 on the Richter Scale.

"W-W-What's h-h-h-happening?" asked the girl, apparently named May if the Maximal Leader remembered correctly.

"Look!" shouted the older woman, pointing into the distance.

On a reflex, Optimus turned around to see what she was pointing at and received the shock of his life.

A giant metal sphere was rolling across the field and heading straight towards them.

End Notes:

I really hope this chapter was worth the wait, but seriously, give "Typhon and Echidna" a chance. I worked really hard on it and you were all begging for a sequel, so I'd really appreciate it if it got a few more favs and reviews. But whatever, you're free to do as you please.

See you in the next chapter.

Peace.