"The more time passes, I can't help but feel uneasy. I notice shadows spying and preying upon us. I fear darkness approaches- and it comes from within."

-Wazir of Defence Tai Wu.


Chapter V: Ordinary World II

"Hm… The storm seems to be only worsening…" Kommo-o grimaced, staring outside, sand and wind blocking the view.

"Mama, shouldn't he be back by now?" Mirari asked, confused and clearly worried.

"I told Togepi to return as soon as he felt like the storm would come." She said, musing "And by the time it started, he couldn't be too far from here."

"I wouldn't have even dreamed of sending him had I known it would hit us so soon." The adult continued, still staring at the seemingly infinite amount of sand clouding outside.

"Do you think he's lost? Oh no! Maybe he's stuck somewhere and can't get out! Mama, we gotta-" The small jangmo-o tries to get up in a hurry, only to wince, and feel her body refuse to follow her commands, biding her to the bed she was laying on.

"You certainly don't expect much from him." Kommo-o added, which Mirari responded only with silence, "maybe he's already by her house as we speak."

"B-But he'd have to endure this sandstorm! And by the look of things…" Mirari almost whispers, her mother just keeps staring in silence.

"C-Could he have pushed himself…? But why…? How…?"

Kommo-o smiles quietly to herself, "Hm. Very well, human. I can sense what you've done. You passed the first test."


Pichu's House

"I-I need another break!" A very tired male voice says, proceeding to huff and puff in exhaustion, soon falling to the floor.

"That's ok. We've reached another milestone!" A equally tired, but slightly more cheerful female voice replied, sitting with him.

The togepi put the scarf they were using to clean the house on the ground with them, looking at it with interest, "Who w-would have guessed that scarf was so good at cleaning?"

Lawrence stared at the place, noting how most of the grime and dust had been eradicated by the strange scarf, just using it to scrub things was more than effective- though the once light green scarf was certainly getting darker the more they used it.

The Pichu stared curiously at the green scarf, examining it with laser focus. "Hm. That seems to be a No-Stick Scarf. It stops items from getting dirty and sticky- and apparently, it's pretty good at cleaning old houses."

"W-Wait did Miss Kommo-o give me a rag to wear!?" Lawrence suddenly exclaimed.

The pichu stared at him with amusement, smiling a bit, "Kinda…? I mean, it's an item that certainly would have helped protecting you from a sandstorm!... At least a tiny bit!"

Lawrence smiled sheepishly, "Well, it didn't do much! That sandstorm still hit me hard- I thought I was gonna go blind there!"

Pichu thought for a little bit, "Why did you hurt yourself just to come here?" She questioned, getting a little closer to the togepi, "I live a bit far from the rest of the village. Considering you came from Mrs. Kommo-o's house… well, it's a long walk. Especially if you don't know where my house is."

Lawrence smiled sheepishly and looked away, gulping nervously, "Hah, I'll admit I was scared at first…"


Oasis Village, Earlier

I was already trembling, I could see the winds picking up around me, and miss Kommo-o had said that a big storm was coming. It was like a whisper in the back of my mind, just reminding me of the imminent danger, and even the tiniest of coincidences was an omen of doom in my paranoid mind…

"Not good, not good…" I whispered to myself, seeing as more and more small grains of sand begun flying from the ground, being carried by the ever increasing waves of air.

I didn't find any house that fit the description she gave me! It's almost like she was hiding information! To be honest, it was pretty dumb for me not to ask…but in my defence, I really thought that what she said was all I needed to know.

And as I've already told you, it wasn't!

"Ugh. None of t-these houses fits the description!" I frantically looked around. For some reason, all the houses in this town were strange. They were all made of rock, and looked pretty… plain. I'm sorry if that offends you! No offence? Oh, good!

Anyway, I could see a huge cloud of dark brown sand approaching from the distance, just where I was… saved by miss Kommo-o, in the desert.

So I was slowly freaking out! I couldn't see any pokémon in the streets, and those I saw looked scared and in a hurry! I assume they were all returning home to hide or something. Thankfully, I found somebody who seemed surprisingly calm!

It was an armadil- I mean... a pokémon with yellow hide, with a bricked pattern and a white snout and underbelly. He seemed really serious, and striked me as being pretty calm, even if he was in the middle of nowhere like me, and utterly alone. Something told me he was of my age, if not a little older.

"U-Um… excuse me." I said, a bit more shaky than what I would like. I… am not good with starting conversations, and honestly hate stuff like small talk and whatnot.

He only stared at me quietly with those strange almond-shaped black eyes. It took me a while to notice they were actually just really dark blue. I tried to avoid staring for too long at them.

"E-Erm… Um…" again, not the best at dialogue, especially with a stranger… "I'm looking for… P-Pichu…"

The sandshrew stared at me with an unreadable expression, I felt my heart nervously beating in my chest, "Um! She's a… pokémon that lives here!" You don't say, captain obvious, "and… I think she lives in a house made of wood?" I noted how every house around here was made of rock, yours had to be unique.

I was starting to think this pokémon was mute, and I was just offending him by blabbering on, so you can assume how surprised I was when he answered me with a gentle, yet at the same time surprisingly rough voice, "I know her. Why do you want to know?"

He didn't even ask me who I was and stuff! Not that I'm complaining, straight to the point is always good for me, "U-Um… I'm going to deliver her food! Miss. Kom- Someone that cares for her told me she sometimes needs it!"

The sandshrew stared at the 'present' I was carrying. He was contemplative. Unsure what was on his mind, I decided to be the vocal one, "A-Are you her friend?"

He seemed alarmed by the question, quickly answering a simple and dry "No." His expression stoic as ever, but he seemed to have a hint of emotion… I don't know why, but I could sense it was… guilt? And… worry?

"Then why are you worried?" My simple question seemed to take him by surprise, his claws shifted a bit, and I could tell his heart accelerated if only for a second.

He seemed to be having an internal debate. I felt that the more I talked to him, the more I could understand his feelings. It's like he was opening up to me somehow, or maybe I was opening up to him.

Eventually, he seemed to make up his mind "My friends… pick on her a lot." Again, this guy was very stoic and maybe even cold, but I could sense sincere regret in his voice, "I don't like that."

"Why do they pick on her?" I ask, knowing he'll answer with sincerity.

He seemed confused by the question "The excuse is that her father… nevermind." He stopped himself, and by his tone, I felt it was better not to push it.

"Why don't you stop them, then?" I ask, I'll admit my tone might have been a bit more harsh than what I intended.

"...I like my friends. And that's just how they are." He replies, but he did not seem completely sure of his own answer.

"But you like Pichu as well, don't you?" Again, I might have been more harsh than normal in my tone, even if I did not mean it.

"... She lives alone on top of that dune. Nobody but her goes there." He pointed at it, it was indeed quite the big dune, and thanks to my diminutive size, I never would have figured it out unless I asked, "she's the nicest pokémon I know."

I could tell how strong and sincere his feelings were, by that single last sentence alone.

"O-Ok but you haven-" Before I could finish, he interrupted me.

"It has begun. Good luck." He said, turning around. And just as I was about to question him again, I felt a huge gale suddenly assault me, in my obliviousness, I was careless and easily thrown into the desert floor, my body being assaulted by one thousand needles of sand...


"..."

"...?"

"..."

"...And then?" Pichu finally squeaked curiously, seeing as the togepi was quiet all of a sudden.

"...T-Then I arrived here!" He said, laughing nervously.

"Wha- But you can't just stop there! You skipped the climax of the story! That is… the one thing you absolutely can't do!" Pichu indignantly replied, crossing her arms and staring deeply at Lawrence.

"U-Um, It's really not that interesting! I just discovered that the sand didn't stick where the scarf protected, and I crossed the storm to reach here! That's it!" He tried to appease her, though Pichu's deep stare easily tore through him.

"Ok, ok… I'll continue. Geez, your eyes are like dangerous weapons." He sighed, blushing a bit as he pondered how to phrase the rest of the story, Pichu smiled, arms still crossed.

"Thank you. Now please, if you may." She made a playfully exaggerated gesture with her paw for him to continue, Lawrence only lowered his head.


I'll have to admit, never have I ever wished I was taller than when I started trying to get through that dune. The damn thing was like a mountain… but soft, annoying and filled with sand! By that point, I had already noticed that the green scarf protected me somewhat from the little needles in the air, not allowing them to stick to me, so I used it to cover my face and 'neck'.

I honestly don't know why, but ever since I got thrown to the ground like a ragdoll by the wind, I started running towards your house. The thing is, my rational side knew it was safer and more logical to run back to Mirari's home and wait it out… but yet, I had chosen to shut off my rational side. At least until I found you.

The more I tried to ignore the multiple stings that the infinite flying grains of sand unleashed upon me, the more they hurt. Had I not been bandaged and with the scarf, I feel like it would have stung even more! I almost started feeling faint, my eyes were already half-closed to try and resist that storm.

I wanted to give up. My logical side was taking control, I simply couldn't do it. I was almost in the middle, but my little feet gave in, I was panting, it was getting hard to breathe, the winds were hurting my hearing, my heart was racing, I started rolling down the sandy hill, getting even more sand all over me, and further damaging my little muscles. I'm very thankful for this little egg armor I have, else I feel like I would have fainted right there and then. I felt a rush of despair as I saw all my progress get erased just like that. It felt like I was literally in the bottom of a mountain.

Then there I was, pathetic, tired and scared, on the verge of falling asleep in the middle of the sandstorm… But then, I remembered what miss Kommo-o told me about you. I wasn't delivering you a toy or a letter or something superfluous/inessential. I was to deliver food. You could starve if I failed. You could feel hunger and pain. Of course, I now realise I was overreacting, but again, my reason wasn't completely in control. And in that moment, I felt like you were counting on me.

But then I remembered what that armadil- that sandshrew said, you were lonely. No one but you came here. Not only were you relying on me, but only on me. In my stupid little head at the time, I thought that if I gave up, then you'd be all alone.

And to me, that was unacceptable.

Don't ask me how that works, but I had a power I completely forgot about, Mirari referred to it as 'Life Stew'. For some reason, when I thought of you, and how only I could help you, I could weave that strange energy, and I begun shining aqua blue. My energy returned to my body, giving me another chance, even if the odds were still stacked against me.

So instead of just trying to tough it out and walk through the sandstorm, I would have to be smarter, since I was far too meek to simply brute-strength my way past my problems. I had to try and control that healing power if I wanted to reach your home and complete my quest.

Previously, I merely used the power through my emotions, it was instinctive, I couldn't really command it. It was a burst to energy, but now, I decided that It was necessary to use it in short pauses, to recover some of my energy, and push myself further and further to climb the dune.

Feeling my body burn in the sand bellow, I started to act, using my newfound energy to push forward, and restart the journey up. I decided to go slowly, preserving my ever-lowering stamina, my feet already felt like they were on fire because of the hot sand. I think I was there for too long. Luckily, I was already making my way up, and trying my best to ignore that, plus the sand stabbing against my fragile skin.

To use 'Life Stew', first I used the those thoughts I had of you, how you needed me, and how I couldn't fail. Sure, that worked, but it was still quite inconsistent. So I tried to take power from something… simpler. I tried to slowly dismember the thoughts on my mind, perhaps then I could find out what really was the 'fuel' to my power.

I simplified the emotions I felt. Instead of focusing on something of the present, I instead choose an idea. Instead of thinking about how you'd starve without my help… I started thinking of you in general. How fondly miss Kommo-o thought of you, how Mirari seemed to like you, and those things that Sandshrew said.

"She's the nicest pokémon I know." I heard Sandshrew's voice in my mind.

That was when I realised, I didn't feel pity for you. I wanted to see you happy. Someone I haven't really met, and never even interacted with. I wanted to see you smile, simply because the thought of you sad angered me.

I realised that just as I was about to fall again, my weak body trembling as the wind pushed me back, as if nature itelf wanted me to fall. My heart was beating faster and faster, I was shaking even more, though this time it wasn't fear, it felt like… a culmination.

And then I started walking faster, and faster… and began sending those aqua-blue lights more often. Because that idea that I wanted to see you happy was very easy to think, and just as motivating as my previous ones.

And just like that, I blinked, and I was in front of your door. I didn't really see the outside of your home, I didn't really need to. I knocked against the door, slowly feeling my mind calm down, and my rational side returned in full force.

I saw a small, confused yellow rodent, staring at my battered, exhausted, but healed body with cute eyes, she seemed to be my size, and I could tell she really didn't know what to say. I didn't blame you.

"U-Um… excuse me! You're P-Pichu?"


Lawrence then finally finished telling his story, he gulped and looked away, Pichu's ears shifted, as she kept staring at him, "Why were you so hesitant to tell me that part?"

He avoided eye contact with her, "A-Are you serious? That felt like a story you'd hear from a self-help book! I didn't even know you, and yet I acted like you were the sole reason for my existence!"

She didn't seem fazed at all, "I think that was really sweet. The sweetest a pokémon my age has ever been to me."

He blushed scarlet red at her statement, "S-Still! T-That's embarrassing to admit…"

She smiled, avoiding gaze at him too, clearly as embarrassed as he was, "Thank you, Lawrence… not only for pushing yourself for me, but for the cleaning… and the company."

He found the courage to stare into her eyes, still with a faint blush in hhim, he smiled once more,"Of course. Anytime, friend!"

Pichu's skipped a beat when he so casually used that word to describe her. This foreigner was weird! Being so casual with his feelings and affections wasn't common around here! Pokémon didn't just throw around the word 'friend' like that!

She didn't notice, but Lawrence was looking around the house to see their results, the floor of the house was completely clean of dust, sand and any mold, it was like the scarf erased them from existence. The walls no longer had that very decrepit look, and while they couldn't really clean the roof or the upper half of the walls, their work had considerably improved the place, no longer it looked like a haunted house from a horror movie. It was still empty and a bit gloomy, but it was more clean, at least.

Though when he looked at the rag they were using, he saw how it was dirty, sandy, a bit thorn, and no longer was it the vibrant green from before, "Well, I'll have some explaining to do to miss Kommo-o…"

Pichu stared at the pitiful state of the scarf, "I'm sorry. I'm sure she can get it back to shape, though."

"I mean, I don't even like green all that much. But this just looks dreadful." He pointed at it.

Pichu had an idea, and quickly asked "Oh yeah? What's your favorite color?"

The togepi was surprised by the question, but shrugged it off and thought for a moment, "Hm… Blue! Not light, but not too dark either!"

"So more or less cyan?" She inquired further.

"Yeah, actually! Cyan's my favorite color!" He pointed at her playfully, "how about yours?"

"I like red. And black." She pondered, before growing quiet again, thinking and planning something.

"Say, you never told me your name." Lawrence asked.

Pichu looked at him in confusion, head tilted to the side, "Hum… I have. It's Pichu."

It was the togepi's turn to look at her in confusion, "No, I mean… your real name!"

"...It's Pichu." She said, waiting for a punchline or something.

"So you're telling me that after you evolve, your name will be 'Pikachu'?" Lawrence himself thought that she was the one who was about to tell a punchline.

"Correct…?" Pichu could only stare at the fairy-type, trying to see where he was going.

"Huh? You don't have a unique name, like Mirari does?" He questioned, Pichu still tried to comprehend what he meant, until she had an idea.

"Ah. You are a foreigner, so perhaps you don't know, but here in the sand continent, we have a deep divide between pokémon…" Pichu explained, when she saw Lawrence's confused expression, she elaborated.

"You see, unlike in the other continents, we of the sand were once an 'empire'." Pichu said it, almost as if Lawrence wasn't supposed to know what that last word meant "It is said that we inherited our customs from the humans, before they mysteriously vanished thousand of years ago."

Lawrence felt his heart skip a beat at the mention of that, his focus was absolute, "The exact accounts vary from source to source. But what's important is that, in those ancient times, the empire eventually turned into a 'tyranny', where the few begun controlling the many."

"Where have I heard that before…?" Lawrence gulped, nodding and silently allowing her to continue the story.

"The pokémon from the continent rebelled, and after they dismantled the emperor, two sides in the rebellion begun clashing for power. The Mawal, loyalists who embraced the humanist ideals and wanted the culture and structure to remain similar to how they said humans taught them, for they believed they were enlightened and virtuous beings." She took a deep breath, Lawrence still didn't know where any of that would go.

"And the Shimabara, pokémon who were fed up with the way things were, and thought humans vanished because Arceus himself vanquished them for their twisted ways. And thus, they wanted the pokémon from the continent to adopt a completely different way of life, completely free from humans." Pichu paused, the togepi seemed to have an expression of worry, fearing this world might be more hostile than he originally thought.

"W-Who won…?" He asked, sweating bullets, unsure if he'd rather have tyrants that liked humans, or extremists who hated them.

"Well… both lost." She dryly said, trying to explain it thoroughly, but not make it too complex, "At first, the Mawal had the control over the continent, but the Shimabara revolt soon took over. They abolished and erased most of the human influence, much to the Mawal's dismay. Many battles were fought, a lot of time passed… and after all that conflict, the former empire disbanded, and eventually we were forced by the other continents to cease the fighting, and adopt a more foreign-friendly policy, it's why we now speak the same tongue, and have long abandoned some of the more archaic traditions. Erm, mostly."

"But… What does all of that have to do with names?" Lawrence was still puzzled, but he clearly was paying close attention.

Pichu then clarified, "Well. Naming was a human thing, so the Mawal were pretty adamant about it. The Shimabara denounced it, and instead preferred to use a pokémon's species as their name, with physical characteristics and titles to differentiate two pokémon of the same species."

Lawrence couldn't seem to wrap his head around it, "Huh? I don't follow… What do you mean titles or physical characteristics?"

Pichu put one paw on her chin, pondering how to illustrate it, "Hm… You see, the Shimabara value freedom, nature, strength and accomplishment above all, while the Mawal value hierarchy, loyalty, knowledge and order. So to a Shimabara, a 'name' would be utterly meaningless, but through a title or a physical uniqueness, they could truly see your 'worth', or lack thereof…"

"So… If I became famous and known throughout the world as Lawrence, the dune climber… because I climbed a lot of dunes, is that how a Shimabara would call me?" Lawrence tried.

"Well… you'd be Togepi, the dune climber, yes." She corrected "Names are a human thing, don't forget. But it's not unheard of to see titles in the lines of Duneclimber or Climberdune, for example. More of a title your parents or clan gave you, to show their expectations or something like that."

"But… does that mean you're a Shimabara? Because you have no name, I mean." He deducted, Pichu looked down.

"I mean, only the more traditionalists of Mawal would ever adopt a name these days. It's rare. So you can say that it's a dying tradition, thanks to the Shimabara's influence." She sighed, "But yes, this is a Shimabara village. The architecture is a very easy way of identifying it, it's simple, not at all luxurious, and prefers practicality to beauty."

Lawrence remembered the other houses, looking more like huts made of rock. Like he said before in his story, it all looked… bland. Uninspired. "I really don't mean to offend anyone, but I think that the houses here look… boring. Except yours. At least outside. Why's that?"

That sudden question made Pichu look away, her ears and tail falling down in a sad way, "I'd… Rather not talk about it. Same about my lack of title..." Lawrence feels the sudden rush of melancholy washing over her, and drops the topic, being surprised when she takes the initiative and changes the subject before he could, "in any case, your way of thinking and acting is similar to a Mawal. I suppose your continent must be closely related to humans. Where are you from, exactly?"

He could tell that it was a innocent and simple question, but he couldn't help but cringe and shift as soon as he heard it. Lawrence sucked at lying. He understood now why going around saying he was a human… wasn't the best idea, maybe.

"U-Um… I-I…" Lawrence gulped, knowing he wouldn't be able to tell an all-out lie, so he chose to instead tell a half-truth, "I-I… Don't remember. When I… got separated from my parents, I just woke up unsure where I came from…" Again, that wasn't really the truth, but he wasn't deceiving her completely either.

After the fairy was done talking, he could sense her expression softening up, Pichu was taken back and clearly was a bit shocked at the revelation, "I… See. I'm sorry for asking. I would be glad to answer any questions you might have, if I know the explanation of course."

Lawrence merely smiled, waving dismissively, "It's ok, I know you didn't mean anything by it. I t-try to just not think about the amnesia too much." He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he dodged a bullet there, "You'd make an excellent teacher. There are some things I don't quite get yet… but you really helped me!"

Pichu smiled, a rush of happiness overtaking her as the Togepi complimented her so openly, feeling happy to have helped with her knowledge, "You're welcome. I love learning. I've always dreamed of being a healer. You know, take care of illnesses, wounds and curses."

"'C-Curses'…? Oh, nevermind. I think it's a great dream!" He sincerely cheered on "I have that weird healing power I meantioned before, but I don't think I could ever be a doctor. It's too much responsibility!"

"Hah. Yeah… But honestly, I just get happy at the thought of being appreciated. As a healer, or 'doctor' as you put it, I believe I would be… useful." Pichu said with a sorrowful expression, before Lawrence could really say anything, she cut him off, "I have lots of books we could read while you rest. Would you like to?"

At first, he frowned a bit, feeling how much Pichu seemed to bottle up her emotions, as if some strange togepi instinct of his was telling him the subtle cues of her feelings. Though feeling like he could cheer her up more if he simply dropped it again, Lawrence instead chose to give her a smile and nod "Of course! What's your favorite?"


-?, Sand Continent-

The sun was high upon the cloudless skies. Burning the ground below, mercilessly scorching all the poor pokémon who were inevitably caught in its path. The breeze was weak, just pushing a bit of a biped, concealed pokémon's cloak. He was relatively small, and seemed to be travelling light, with only a common explorer's bag to call his.

The endless desert surrounding him would make lesser pokémon feel despair, but somehow, this wanderer knew exactly where he was meant to go. But that didn't mean he was happy about leaving the more grassy and rocky parts of the sand continent to go to the more… sandy parts.

Suddenly, he had to halt his trip, as he heard a faint, yet very familiar beep coming from inside his bag.

He used one of his white, sharp claws to pick up a badge, safely hidden in a secret compartment of the bag. Said badge was black and purple, looking like a dark sun.

"What?" A young, yet rash sounding male voice said, muttering a bit under his hood.

"Cancel your current mission. They are making a big move. I need my best agents in key locations. Return to Gobi and await further instructions." A cold voice came out of the dark badge.

"What!?" The hooded figure growled, almost yelling, having to resist the urge to crush the badge between his claws, "I've spent weeks walking through this damn desert sun, tracking this bastard! And when I finally got he-" Before the bold one could continue, he was harshly interrupted.

"Agent. Do not forget your place. Do not mistake my favor for you for affection." The voice spat, verbally smacking the other, "enough of your blabbering. Do not talk back to me. Obey my command. Your skills are better used elsewhere. I do not care who you are hunting, nor how long you are. Return to the Town of Gobi and await further instructions. That is all."

"I-!" And just like that, the voice cut off, and the device's light turned off. The cloaked figure was even more mad than before.

"You son of a- Damn you!" He growled, tightening his grip around the dark device, his mind boiling with anger.

"You know what? You can go suck it, 'boss'." He spat, throwing the device to the ground, stepping on it callously.

He then used one claw to grab his cloak, and rip it to shreds in but a moment, exposing his dark blue, almost black, fur with three bright red, almost pink, feathers for his tail, and a single, large one in his ear.

The sneasel stretched his slim body with a smirk, looking at the midday sun, then back forward, in the seemingly endless desert ahead, his grin only growing.

"Time to go dark again!" He announced with glee, gracefully dashing across the desert to reach his destination, his bag flowing alone with his dexterous movements.

As the ice-type hurriedly made his way to his intended location, the dark, sun-shaped device in the sand vibrated and beeped with urgency, only to be ignored and left buried, cracked and forgotten in the sand.


-Pichu's house-

"...And this one, is mostly about anatomy and pokémon types." The electric-type pointed out, in front of the sitting togepi, that had an enormous pile of books right by his side.

"What's it doing in the 'history' section, then?" Lawrence asked, trying his best to read the strange language, hiding his confusion at the footprint-like letters.

"I don't know, actually. Might have put there by mistake." Pichu pondered, not like she was the most organized pokémon in the world anyway.

"How about fantasy books? You got any?" The curious fairy asked, to which the Pichu could only shake her head, "Would be ironic, pokémon having fantasy books…"

"I don't particularly like those. I think reading them is a waste. History is much more interesting, and useful." Pichu stated, Lawrence could only shrug.

"Lawrence, look!" The togepi jumped a bit at Pichu's sudden change of tone, looking around frantically for something wrong.

Then, he felt his stubby little hand be grabbed by the rodent, pushing him towards the window, before he could even speak, the harsh, yet pure sunlight greeted him, not being obscured by any sand or cloud.

"T-The sandstorm! It's gone!" The togepi smiled to Pichu, she nodded and smiled back.

"Yes! Finally… usually, we don't have that many sandstorms, nor do they last that long." She said, looking at the sun up in the sky, reflecting in her little eyes, and on Lawrence's.

She suddenly noticed they were still holding paws, and hastily let go, thankfully, the unaware fairy didn't seem to notice. That didn't stop her from looking away in embarrassment.

"Wow, it has been a while! Let's go outside!" He looked at her with a smile, beckoning her to follow as he went for the door, she did without complaint.

When the two left, they could see the village from up the dune, the sun illuminated it all, showing the pokémon leaving their stone huts as well, talking and chatting amongst one another. Lawrence could identify a Rhyperior talking with a Rapidash, he also saw a small, fire monkey/gorilla like pokémon running around with a puppy-like pokémon. A familiar armadillo pokémon quietly stared at Lawrence's direction, before he turned away and slowly floowed after the two.

There was a strange, insect/crab-like pokémon around, its huge shell resembling a cutaway block of sediment with multiple layers and strata visible. It seemed to be greeting and talking with the other pokémon in its path.

The fairy's analysis was interrupted by the footsteps of the small rodent behind him, the much less oppressive breeze making her fur move along with it, and the sun only making her colors shine brighter.

The two grinned at each other, and just when they opened their mouths to chat, a loud, awkward growling could be heard, straight from Lawrence's belly. Pichu giggled merrily, while Lawrence did the same, but awkwardly.

Again, just as they were to comment on the comic sight, almost on cue, Pichu's belly did the same, growling and begging for food rather loudly. Now, the roles were reversed, and Lawrence laughed politely, while Pichu blushed and frowned.

"I guess time really flew by!" Lawrence spoke.

"Yes… I suppose I haven't eaten while we played." 'Play' was the correct word, right? The electric rodent pondered to herself.

"Well… since you and me are starving, why don't we go eat at miss Kommo-o's?" He asked all of a sudden, almost making Pichu jump out of her fur.

"I mean, I'm sure Mirari and miss Kommo-o would love the company! I promise I won't let her drag you into a dungeon or something." He smiled once again, "not like she can do much in her condition anyway. But who knows what she's up to…"

Pichu was quiet, looking down and clearly not in the same playful mood as the togepi. The moment he realised this, he immediately backed away, "U-Um… b-but if you prefer, you can stay here! I… just thought you'd be lonely and all!"

Pichu, again, felt her heart miss a beat from nervousness, not too unlike when Kommo-o asked her the same thing, to just spend some time in that lively residence.

Though this time, she felt like she had the courage to actually do it. She felt like she had the energy to go for it. This time… she wasn't going to be held back by fear. Pichu decided to at least try and risk herself, much like this togepi had for her.

"... Sure." Was all she managed to say, despite wanting to speak a lot more.

"Cool! Erm. Want me t-to go pick up your lunch?" Lawrence asked, clearly unaware of the feat he just accomplished, to pull the introverted rodent out of her comfort zone.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll go grab it and we may leave for mrs. Kommo-o's. I assume I might have to guide us." Lawrence laughed and nodded sheepishly, making the Pichu smile weakly once more.

"O-Ok! I'll… just wait h-here!" Pichu nodded tp Lawrence and entered her house, while the fairy stayed outside. He couldn't help but shake a bit, as a cold breeze suddenly passed by him, a strange feeling washed over him.

Little did he know, he was being closely watched by silent, emotionless eyes in the distance.


-Mirari's House-

Knock Knock Knock

"Miss Kommo-o? It's-" The door was slowly opened by the diminutive pokémon and as soon as he took his first step inside the house, he was tackled to the ground by a much bigger, more bandaged and scalier pokémon.

"Lawry! You took so loooooong! Where were ya? Did ya hurt yourself? Why are you making faces and turning blue?" Mirari questioned, her snout inches from his face, her red eyes looking at him all over, before she realised why he was trying to punch her and struggle free, "Oh right!"

The togepi took long, deep breaths when the big dragoness finally stepped back and allowed him room to stand. And more importantly, room to breathe. Literally.

"Geez. G-Good day to you too." He wheezed, coughing a bit, "Weren't you having trouble getting up? How did you muster the energy to jump at me?" Lawrence asked, in a mix of annoyance, concern and astonishment.

"Hah! That is very simple, my fairy friend! I spent the previous three or so hours accumulating energy to do that!" Mirari proudly declared, her eyes soon spinning, "having said that… I now have run out of energy… Because I wanted to wait for you to eat lunch… And I'm soooo hungry..."

Lawrence was about to say something, before he saw the dragon stumble and tumble, he shrieked and tried to run away only to fail, Mirari's eyes practically turning into spirals as she fainted right on top of the togepi, burying him under a heavy wall of scales.

Meanwhile Pichu was still at the door, her mouth agape in horror, staring at the fainted togepi and jangmo-o, frozen in confusion and shock, still carrying the present Kommo-o sent her.

"Pichu! So good for you to join us. I assume your food must be cold. Do not worry, I'll cook you a new one." A mighty, yet gentle voice broke her from her paralysis, she still didn't found the voice to say anything, only nod weakly.

"Hiiiiii Pichuuuu!~" Came the weak, dazed voice from the Jangmo-o, her eyes still confused.

Underneath her, Pichu could her the muffled, angry screams of the fairy, most of the sounds being suppressed by the shield of scales and muscle on top of him.

That was certainly a very, very strange first impression.

Mrs. Kommo-o laughed merrily.


-Many hours later-

"Bye Pichu! If you wanna come back tomorrow, I can show you my super-duper awesome drawing skills!" Mirari waved happily, while Pichu walked towards the darkening village.

"You can tell me about that egg-something book you told me! Today was fun!" Lawrence smiled and waved as well.

"Be careful on your way home, little one! You are always welcome to pass the day and stay the night." Kommo-o said, more calmly than the duo, yet as sweetly as ever.

Pichu slowly made her way out the house, smiling bashfully and waving back, "Thank you for the day! Thanks for having me! Um, I could come back tomorrow, maybe!" She tried saying each sentence directed to one of the three, still not used to this at all. Yet it was undeniable that her beating heart was, for once, doing so out of joy.

That same night, Pichu remembers floating through dark, endless nothing, feeling lost in the absolute blackness of the landscape surrounding her. Alone, cold and forgotten. She didn't remember her dreams most of the time. And usually, these thoughts would not be alien to her, but on this specific time, she felt…

Before she could really process that, something grabbed her paw, pulling her out of that self pitying, gloomy darkness, the world around her shining with a warm, powerful and comforting light. Much like the sun after the sandstorm went away.

That night, Pichu slept well. And for once she was... happy.


A/N: This one took a little longer than expected! Had to rush this one a bit too! Sorry for the delay! But hey, Sneasel gets introduced, learn abit about the world, we explore a bit more of Lawrence, and also Pichu! No conflict so far!... Right?

BradiLain: Glad you enjoyed Pichu! About the romance, I don't think I can comment on it, but do tell me what you think! I can say that the questions regarding relationships in general will be adressed in time! And hey, your little comments are always a joy to read!

Lupercus1944: Thank you for the review! It really warms my heart to see such a dedicated and passionate comment! I thank you for all your compliments, and really appreciate that you like the characters so far! I hoped to make a character centric story, with a strong plot too- so It's very nice to see people enjoying both! As a fellow amateur writter, I can say that your criticism was pretty on point too, despite what you say! I'll do my best to fix the points you brought up! Though I blame that mostly on the fact that English is not my native language, hah! I really should try and focus on revision! I would love to hear your thoughts on the upcoming chapters as well!

Oh, and regarding the fact that Lawrence didn't dwell too much on the fantasy aspect... Hm, I can say it's a point that will be adressed! Glad you noticed~

And about the Jangmo-o... I simply couldn't find it in the character options here! It's quite annoying, because I think the Jangmo-o line are the only pokémon absent!