Sorry for the delay on this chapter! I've been working on story planning lately. I didn't know what I wanted to do to celebrate 20 chapters, so here's some fun facts as well as plot reminders. I'll do this every ten chapters so people aren't lost if they forget-

* Sunny's family consisted of his mother and father, and his 3 siblings. Vesper the Quilava, Red the Cyndaquil, and one more sibling that hasn't come up yet.

* Sunny's temperature is 104 while awake but he cools to 98 while sleeping. Some of the crew find it unsettling.

*Pokemon seen so far-Sunny, Laboon the Wailord, Red Gyarados, and a mystery pokemon who saved Luffy in Loguetown.

* Sunny came to OP world when he was about 5 months old, joined Strawhats at 6 months, and is currently 8 months (currently around preteen age-ch.4 has my pokemon age headcanon)

* The Big Displacement occurred 3 months ago now, but other displacements have occurred all over the world for the last fifty years at least. A pokemon is responsible.

*Per WhiteyWolf's request- Sunny is level 13 at the beginning of this fight. His Sp Atk IV is 29. He's got good speed but the rest are nothing too impressive. HP is 33.

"Stop!"

The giant lowered the barrel from his lips at the sudden cry. Sunny didn't have time to stop and rolled into a ball, back igniting while Nami and Usopp dove for cover, pelted by splintered bits of the barrel.

Brogy blinked before his eyes rolled back in his head, blood running from his forehead where a large piece of metal had embedded itself and he fell backward with an earth-shaking thud.

"BROGY!" Usopp and Nami shrieked, running over to him.

Sunny stood stiff. His vibrational sense and scent were momentarily stunned. But, why were there explosives in that barrel? He didn't understand except that it must have been foul play.

Then he heard the sound of laughter. High-pitched and giggly.

Sunny looked around the clearing for the voice. Behind him, Usopp confirmed Brogy was still breathing.

"Up here, little dinosaur," the voice chirped. Sunny finally spotted the figure-a human child, a girl, sitting in the tree, laughing and waving her hand.

"Come play with me! We can have a tea party...or we can do some painting!" She hopped off her tree, skinny legs bending easily on landing and pulled a giant paintbrush from behind her to the easel she was holding.

She looked at Brogy. "Didn't his mama tell him drinking's bad for you? Though it's too bad you made me detonate early, or he wouldn't'a suffered so much. This is realllllly no fun.

"I may be small but I'm really strong. Maybe you know something about that, little dino. But I've been training under our group's best agent for the last month, so you won't stand a chance against me."

She crouched where she was standing and started painting around her in yellow. Sunny shot an uneasy look back at his friends. Was this the fight? She had clearly hurt Brogy somehow, but she was a child, and she didn't have any weapons humans tended to carry into battle.

She was just painting, and humming to herself as if she had forgotten the intimidating words she'd used just seconds before.

Nami and Usopp were still trying to wake Brogy. The girl finished her circle and smiled up at Sunny. "Oh, and my name is Ms. Goldenweek, sorry, I forgot!" She stuck her tongue out, knocking the side of her head lightly.

So she was really from that group Sanji had mentioned. The one from Vivi's island.

Her grin dropped as she pulled at her paintbrush, which extended to twice the length, reinforced with metal, and started to run forward, painting a thick line of black as she went.

Was she separating the field? Sunny knew that official pokemon battles sometimes had rules like this but it didn't seem to apply. The paint didn't smell explosive like the barrel, it didn't smell like anything. Still, Sunny darted around the field as she got nearer, salvaging the space between them, Sunny now facing Ms. Goldenweek, and behind her, Brogy, and his crewmates.

She was halfway done with her large circle when Sunny charged experimentally. After all, if a Smeargle could use a paintbrush as a weapon, this girl probably could too. She reacted with a jerk, dipping orange paint on her brush and splattering it outward.

Sunny stumbled off to the side slightly as fat paint drops landed on him, adding a new layer of bright spots to his body. Before he had time to roll in the grass to remove it, Ms. Goldenweek shouted, "Color Trap: Vermillion of Fire!"

Sunny's eyes widened as all the paint on his body combusted violently across his head and back. The tiny cyndaquil was momentarily knocking over, but hopped back up a moment later, pleasantly surprised he was a little singed, but otherwise just fine.

Sunny licked some of the still-burning orange fire off his muzzle. The rest of the orange fire combined with his back flame when he expanded it briefly. Ms. Goldenweek had taken his momentary distraction and put distance between them, now more cautious.

Her hands went into the bag at her back, pulling out a dozen of small orange balloons.

More paint? Sunny wasn't worried as she threw the paintballs, splattering orange paint on the ground like a mine field. If they became fire, he could take it. She barely managed to pull her hat down to take the brunt of an ember aimed at her head. She dropped the scorched hat with a pout.

"Sunny!" Nami had left Brogy's side and was running toward the fighters now. The orange-haired girl as she snapped together a three part blue metal bo staff in a fluid motion. It was surprisingly familiar to Sunny. Had that been what Usopp had been working on for the last week or so? It seemed sturdier than her wooden weapon. Sunny growled uneasily as she stepped across the unfinished black circle. He still didn't know what it did and she was much less fire-proof than Sunny.

Nami seemed to realize what she'd stepped on and crossed it more carefully with a determined nod.

Ms. Goldenweek giggled as the two both moved to surround her. He was almost exclusively a melee fighter. His only special attack was ember but it had no real power if she tried to keep her distance, and tired him out quickly. Sunny tested her again, charging forward. His skull buried itself a few inches into her stomach as she exhaled a pained grunt and fell on her butt a couple of feet back. The attack had been too swift, and she hadn't been expecting it-she hadn't had a chance. He jumped back in to try to bite her when she called out again.

"Color Trap: Betrayal Black!"

Sunny's mouth closed around Ms. Goldenweek's arm, he felt the force of his small teeth on her skinny arm start to involuntarily loosen her grip on the paintbrush.

He was dislodged with a whack across the nose that sent him skidding across the group. He blinked. The girl hadn't done it. It had been a flash of blue...

"Nami?" Sunny called uncertainly, shaking his head to try and clear his double vision and eye-watering pain in his snout.

Nami's eyes were blank as she lifted her staff again, embedding it in the ground where Sunny had been a moment ago as he stumbled out of the way in disbelief. Nami was standing over Ms. Goldenweek and pulled her staff out of the ground with a shower of dirt. Her expressive brown eyes looked glazed and undereyes shadowed as she lifted her staff again.

It's not her. Sunny knew instantly, with more suriety than he would have expected. He didn't know how Ms. Goldenweek could control her, or if she'd been painted on, but he was sure that's what had happened.

"Nami!" Usopp yelled. She didn't react. Nami prepared to swing down again as a pellet whizzed by her face, close enough to shift a lock of orange hair. Sunny didn't doubt that had been on purpose—the warning shot gave Sunny just enough time to retreat without getting hit and reconvene with Usopp. Nami stared us down coldly, staff firmly held in her hands.

"What did you do to Nami?"

"Big sis doesn't need you guys anymore, she's happy with me!" Ms. Goldenweek stuck out her tongue.

Usopp was sweating as he placed a pellet onto his slingshot again. Another second and his knees were knocking. "Nami, fight it! Put the climatact down!"

Nami's scowl grew but her grip remained on her weapon, blank eyes trained on the fire-type. Her thumb pressed a button on the climatact as she squared her feet.

Sunny tensed, entirely unsure what to prepare for. If he retreated and it the weapon had any range, he'd be an easy target, if he approached and it wasn't a fake-out, he'd take another hard hit.

"Nami, stop!"

Nami clicked the button down. Sunny tensed. A little bird sprung out of the top of the staff like a jack-in-the-box. Nami, Sunny, and Ms. Goldenweek stared at it, uncomprehendingly for a moment.

"Tch," Nami hit another button. Sunny was already moving, dodging a shot of soy sauce. He needed either to fight Ms. Goldenweek to stop the control or take Nami down without hurting her. What he'd done to have sleep powder at the moment.

Ms. Goldenweek tried to block with her extended paintbrush but Sunny went high, reaching out to grab the brush with his front paws as he pivoted. He didn't try to take it this time but used it as a base to deliver a double back kick to her face.

Her head shot back at the blow. Best part was she couldn't use her brush—but Sunny had miscalculated as Ms. Goldenweek's head came back up with a dark grin, blood dripping from her nose. One of her hands had left the brush, he realized too late she'd slammed it onto her easel and her small hand smacked into Sunny's side, sending him a few feet away. He righted himself well enough. He weight was his biggest obstacle, just about any force sent him flying. His back leg smarted but it wasn't the most pressing issue—the purple handprint was.

Of course she didn't need a brush! He hadn't been thinking, he'd just been fighting! In battles, trainers were supposed to watch out for that kind of thing. Not that pokemon needed people, but with something complicated like unique powers and skills, pokemon's natural style of dodge, find a weak spot, and attack with three or four moves didn't cut it. As much as Sunny didn't like it, pokemon teams worked in his world because humans were free to plan and assess. They could cover type weakness and see things more impartially. He'd seen it on the occasion, trainers had come across his mother or father and tried to fight them. The trainers hadn't won, but some of them had been a good match. And in a world where humans were also strong enough to fight on equal footing, well, it was a scary thought.

"Color Trap—" The rest fizzed out like static, causing Sunny to look around in confusion. Other than the momentary static, nothing seemed to have changed. Usopp ran over to rejoin Sunny, pulling out another handful of pellets. "B-Broggy, a fellow warrior r-requests your aid!" he shouted to the unconscious giant.

Sunny turned back to Ms. Goldenweek and prickled and jumped back with shock. Her grin was demonic, terrifying, as she leered down with yellow eyes. She rose a hand, and four long, white-and-brown striped creatures at her heels split off with their famous swiftness.

Sunny's stomach dropped. Nami was brainwashed, Luffy was gone, and four linoone were darting around, circling them. How did they get here? Sunny's sight-his weakest sense-couldn't track them. They were so swift they didn't make a single disturbance on the ground. Sunny backed up against Usopp's leg, whistling a nervous warning.

"What?" Usopp looked confused. This miscommunication could be the end of them. Usopp would underestimate them if he thought they were just animals.

Nami rounded back on us, and I split off to deal with the four linoone, not happy about leaving Usopp with two opponents. By his protests, he wasn't happy about it either. He shot a rotten egg bomb at Ms. Goldenweek, whose eyes watered as she clamped her hands over her nose at the putrid stench.

Sunny did not appreciate her new status as a determinator as Usopp tried to parry her climatact with his slingshot, looking terrified.

Sunny did his best to stay clear of the linoone weaving and slashing around him. He tried a few embers at his targets but couldn't predict their movements as they darted away unscathed, much to Sunny's growing frustration.

Small scratches managed to cut across his face thin like whiskers despite their massive claws. They were mocking him!

"Sunny! Stop, come back over here!" Usopp shouted out. Sunny suddenly realized he'd been getting close to the black paint in the circle, actually, it looked like it was dry. He didn't have to worry about it, so he wasn't sure what had Usopp so frantic. Ah. Probably being outnumbered and having Nami attacking him. Dumb question.

He blew out another ball of fire and jumped to impede another linoone, who swiftly dodged out of the way.

Nami was increasingly frustratedly pulling one gag trick out of her staff after another.

All she to do is defeat her two weakest crewmates and this toy was making it impossible! She would give the sniper a hard smack for this later. While she tried to activate a disastrous, possible fatal, mode on the piece of tech Usopp had just today guaranteed would help her win any fight, she'd activated a tinny music box, a small Straw Hats pirate flag, and a pepper grinder.

Nami hissed, at her wit's end completely when she saw Ms. Goldenweek had taken the chance to sneak up behind the sniper, painting a slash of green paint across his back.

Usopp turned around, shakily, sweating. "W-wait, please d-don't—"

"How about a nice picnic?" Ms. Goldenweek sneered, shoving him onto his rear. "Color Trap: Calm Green! Color Trap: Burning Vermillion!"

Before Sunny could see the effect of the first color, a series of fireballs the size of the paint splatters across the field plumed upwards. Usopp had gotten close to several of them in his attempt to distract Nami. In a jolt of panic, Sunny realized that unlike him, Usopp wouldn't get out of it unscathed. He chanced looking away from the other pokemon, ready to try to help him if he was injured or playing dead.

Instead, Usopp's form emerged from the smoke, singed, a few pieces of clothes glowing with fading embers, and few burned spots on his arms and face. He had a lopsided grin on his face as he stared down Ms. Goldenweek. His shaking had stopped altogether, the bright green streak of paint clear on his back despite the soot.

"If you let my friends go now, I may even forgive you. If not, I won't be accountable for what happens next." He pulled a handful of caltrops from his pouch like a spike trap attack.

"No, why didn't my color trap calm you down? You shouldn't be fighting anymore!"

"I am calm. I am the Great Level-headed Honorary Warrior of Elbaf!" And he threw the spikes at the girl's feet on the scorched grass.

Sunny backflipped away from a linoone who surged in with a fury-swipes ducking and dodging the quick follow up attacks. The sound of growling felt like it was boxing him in, making him increasingly more hesitant to attack outright. As soon as they got serious, they could cut him open. He could only fend them off with embers and hope his stamina—and Usopp—could hold out.

The sniper was holding Nami off with his slingshot as she tried to hit him or loose a special attack from the weapon. She was thinking she'd really rather have her wooden bo staff at this point. After inadvertently seasoning the ground again, her fingers found one last button she hadn't tried yet near the grip.

"Ah, the handwarmer! Good choice, Nami," Usopp declared proudly.

Nami growled and went for a swing instead. "This thing's useless!" Usopp noted the black on the bottom of her sandal as her foot lifted.

Usopp loaded a stink bomb and shot it toward Ms. Goldenweek, but it shot past her, toward Brogy instead.

"Are you really not going to hurt me, even with what you said, mister?" She jumped over the caltrops like she was playing hopscotch. "I'm too strong for that, I've been trained by our group's very best!"

Sunny felt his attention keep shifting to Usopp and Nami, barely throwing himself out of the way of the blurring linoone. He landed with a thump, while the brown-and-white figure pelted off again to join the others. Just watching them move made him dizzy. He had to conserve energy, he was running out of fire breath and they didn't even look singed..

Sunny's stomach dropped. No.

No.

Really?

Not making vibrations in the ground, not taking damage, their attacks not hurting… the linoone weren't real?

One of them broke off to charge and he didn't move, rooted in place as the normal-type slashed through him as surely as if he were a ghost-type.

The paint?

The paint.

He looked at the handprint on his side and blasted it with prejudice despite the sunburn it would leave on his skin. The zagging pokemon vanished without a trace, leaving Sunny strangely bitter for a moment—the lin had seemed a large threat, but it made Sunny remember all the times he'd spotted them at the pond, scuttling off if mom got too close. In the cool season, the arrows on their fur thinned and they became almost completely white while the summer turned them more brown...

He shook off his thoughts of his first home. He had to get to Usopp—who was doing just fine, actually. He had a very uncharacteristic, self-assured grin for a battle. He thumbed his nose. "I'll show you the true spirit of Elbaf! BROGY!" As he pointed to the downed giant, Brogy suddenly startled back to life, sitting up.

Sunny's the type to fight what's in front of him and not ask questions, so he didn't quite notice... Did you guys? Let me know what you thought!