I apologize for the delay in posting this. Between my family and myself all catching covid (it sucked all my energy for weeks) and all the things I have to do in October, I've barely had time to blink at this story.
Thank you all for reading and special thanks to Lady Doragon! All your reviews really helped me keep going!
And remember that you can also catch my story on AO3 now.
The Team! Loxley-braixen, Tobio-pidgeotto, Delacour-fletchinder, Zen-zorua, Levi-azurill, Basil-bulbasaur, tyrunt-unnamed
Chapter 24: Before We Go
Fortunately, Ilima seemed pleased enough with our teamwork.
"I suppose going to this Kalacour isn't too far-fetched after all," he admitted with a smile. "I have to say, I was worried for a moment."
[Quest Update!]
Oh Captain My Captain! Complete! +200 EXP, +€2000, Ilima joins you on your trip to the Kalacour
What, specifically, the older boy had been worried about he didn't say, and there were no hidden objectives listed to clue to me in. But as we made our way back to the Pokémon Center, he strolled ahead with Louis, quietly going over details again. I didn't mind a bit, and lagged behind to chat with Lisette instead.
"Soooo," I started coyly. "You and Louis."
Lisette's dark pink lips curled up even as I said it.
"We've known each other since we were kids," she readily admitted. "His mom was my mom's first friend in Kalos. We moved when I was … 5 … 6 maybe? It was right before I enrolled in jardin d'enfants. She told him to show me around, and he's been right there ever since."
"Awww," I tittered . "That's really sweet." I spied Louis smiling back at us smugly and shot him a naughty grin in return. "Are you sure we're talking about the same guy? This sarcastic lout?"
Louis gaped in mock offense and mimed taking off a glove to duel me while Lisette laughed openly at us both. We only circled her once in our play fighting before Louis dipped a dramatic bow and trotted back up to a snickering Ilima.
"He's such a dork," I laughed as I smoothed down my hair.
"Are you any better?" Lisette teased, green eyes sparkling.
"Madamoiselle, how dare you?" I scoffed in my own fake outrage, hand on my chest and everything. "Now see here, I resemble that remark!"
The grin on my face stretched wide as everyone around me snickered. Looney Tunes did exist in this world, in a fashion. I'd managed to catch a few episodes on tv either in Pokémon Center lounges or hiding in Lt. Moreau's flat. The difference was just that all the characters were pokémon instead of normal animals and the main setting was a forest not a farm. And it was from the animation studios in Saffron City, so it was more anime than I was used to. But the blaziken version of Foghorn Leghorn was just as pompous and sarcastic as the barnyard rooster, so the phrase remained the same. There were so many strange similarities between this world and Earth. (The Kalos version of TinTin was odd.)
As the giggles faded away I turned back to Lisette.
"Earlier in the Pokémon Center…" I hedged carefully. If I was remembering correctly, and this was from both worlds, the place didn't have the best reputation… "You mentioned Pyrite Town? Have you been to Orre, then?"
Lisette's face twisted into an embarrassed hybrid of a wince and a smile.
"I was born there," she admitted. "But like I said we moved when I was really little."
"I guess it's had some problems," I shrugged like it was no big deal, hoping to ease my new friend's nerves. To say the region had a rough reputation was putting it mildly. "But it looked pretty enough from the pictures. Kinda dry, though."
"Kinda dry…" Lisette echoed incredulously, but with a relieved grin emerging slowly. "The place is a dust bowl. Can't grow anything unless you're right on the coast. And even trying to run livestock is rough. My parents moved to Kalos hoping that it would be easier." Her smile vanished as the last part was muttered so low I could barely hear. "And until Team Flare it was."
The chilled lump was back in my stomach and I stopped walking.
"They did take your pokémon then?" I asked quietly.
Lisette flushed a deep vermillion, nodded, and stopped; hugging herself carefully. Louis immediately turned around to put a hand on her shoulder and she took a deep breath.
"Not mine but... My parents own a farm outside the city," Lisette explained quietly without turning back around. "I'd been staying in the dorms at school, but they came to see me after …" She turned back around, trying stubbornly to blink back the water condensing in the corner of her eyes. "After what happened in Santalune Forest. They were in in town for a few days. But when they got home, none of our pokémon were there. The wattouatt, all our couaneton… even our miaouss was gone. All they have left is our couaferal,(1) and only because they'd brought him to town with them…"
"Lisette's wattouatt is the only one left from her family's herd," Louis continued as Lisette trailed off. "We want to catch more for them too. If we can."
The softness in his eyes was heart-wrenching. I hoped I had someone who looked at me like that someday. But what he said also made me want to rage. How lucky had I been, to get away from Team Flare like I had? Lisette and Louis had had been attacked, their pokémon stolen, their friend murdered, and they get out of the hospital only to find out it had only gotten worse. I hoped the Kalacour really was the pokémon oasis Louis thought it would be, because we that was a tall order to fill. Lisette's farm, the school…
I ignored the quest update that popped up in the corner of my vision. I didn't need the Game to tell me we were looking for more than just some starter pokémon for kids.
Looking over the huddled pair, I could see Ilima frowning morosely; his grey eyes narrowed in determination as well.
XYXYXY
We'd all wandered for a bit, talking more about travel plans and decent pokémon to catch, before heading back to the Pokémon Center. Louis was sharing a room with Ilima, but left the older teen on his own to help Lisette repack. In her own single room. Alone. Ilima and I shared a smirk as the two blushing teens wandered away denying everything. So. Cute.
"Have fun!" Ilima quipped helpfully right before the elevator closed.
The Alolan teen and I parted ways still chuckling at our friends' expense. Ilima needed to call home. I did too, but there were errands I wanted to run first. It was already mid-afternoon, so while my father was probably up in Alola, the stores here in Camphrier would be closing for weekend soon. And I still hadn't restocked my leppa berry supply. Luckily, I'd seen a produce market on the way home with a plethora of different berries.
As I headed back toward the door, I could see a sudden shuffle of activity in the medical office in my peripheral vision.
"Madamoiselle Higashi?" A petite nurse with strawberry blonde hair neatly pulled back in a polished twist walked out and set down a tray with the single blue great ball for my tyrunt next to a small brown bottle as I approached. "I am Joelle Leredu, the head nurse here in Camphrier. I've reviewed the incident of your arrival to our Center and I wanted to apologize for any inconvenience my staff has caused you."
"Ah." I blinked in surprise. I hadn't met this nurse before, she had a strong presence that captured my attention and I definitely would have remembered her. Meanwhile, the rest of the staff seemed to have vanished. "Thank you? It's not really a problem."
"I appreciate your understanding in this matter," the nurse countered with effortless grace. "I've spoken with Champion Cugnot, and their behavior was indeed very unprofessional. Still, I'm grateful you didn't place a formal complaint about my Center with the League."
"It didn't even cross my mind," I admitted with embarrassment as my brain engaged properly. "It was all resolved rather quickly…" Something about this woman seemed strangely familiar, and I couldn't place it, and it was poking at my brain, and … oh sweet goddess I was an idiot.
"That's a relief to hear," Nurse Joy answered with a perfectly polite smile. "And I'm pleased to inform you that your ptyranidur will make a full recovery. I believe you've already received instructions for its nutritional care? The upper respiratory infection shouldn't be an issue going forward either. We've given your ptyranidur a long-lasting antibiotic injection, that should clear that right up. There's a bottle of clindamycin powder here as well. Just add a teaspoon to its water every day until it is finished."
"Thank you," I grinned widely as I took the ball and medicine from the tray. "I was worried I would have to give it pills…"
"Oh no," Nurse Joelle smiled back. "When it comes to pokémon with teeth that sharp, tablets are best avoided."
And wasn't that an assessment I could agree with?
"Please let me know if there's anything else you need," Nurse Joelle finished kindly.
"I will," I promised with a nod. My new baldric had come with a belt, and getting clips for my pokeballs had been stupidly cheap. I snapped the tyrunt's ball to my waist and headed out of the Pokémon Center.
Most stores in Kalos were closed on Sundays; and shut early on Saturdays as well. The berry stall wouldn't be open for much longer.
XYXYXY
With fresh leppa berries, dried leppa berries, and the dreadfully bitter energy powder I was determined to only use on myself all stocked into my inventory (and thank goodness the Game was not limited to 99 of any one object) I returned to the Pokémon Center.
With a sedate wave to the nurses, (because who could hold a grudge after meeting someone as famous as Nurse Joy?) I scrambled back to my room to call up a dungeon for one last run before I headed out with Louis and all.
Since I had zero desire to go back to the Haunted Hamlet and its zombie apocalypse in the making, I'd decided that bugs would just have to do for now. Caterpie stank less than the undead by a long shot.
"Infested Forest Area 2," I ordered impatiently.
Dungeon not available.
I blinked in horror at the game window. There was no way… I was not going to be stuck in a zombie apocalypse until I leveled up the ID create skill again.
"I unlocked Area 2 after the dynamax battle!" I countered. The game picked the worst time to pull this shit with me.
Area 2 is unlocked.
"Then load the damn dungeon!" I insisted to the screen. I had a baby zebra to pet darn it!
Dungeon not available.
I growled, grasping at air because I wanted to strangle the whole damn system.
"What," I grit out. "Do I need to do. To use Area 2 of Infested Forest?" There. A clear specific question.
New sections in dungeons must be accessed via the main dungeon. New areas only become available in the menu after they have been accessed in person.
Attention! Accessing a new section of dungeon will cause the previous area(s) recommended level to increase by 25%.
Closing my eyes, I took several deep breaths through my nose. Look on the bright side, I told myself, at least I'll get more experience points without going back to the Haunted Hamlet.
"Just load the dungeon," I whined to the game. It wasn't worth fighting a losing battle against the Gamer system for something so trivial. At the level I was at, I could probably take the Infested Forest on my own. As a matter of fact…
Readjusting my belt, I breathed a deep sigh as the forest pixelated into existence around me. I did want to see what I could do on my own. This might be a pokémon game, but what was the point of being a Gamer if I couldn't fight on my own? Taking a moment to consider, I let the sounds of the dungeon soak into me. The distant chirps and croaks of the dark forest were so much better than that horrible ghost town.
Checking the game map, I could finally see the whole section of forest outlined, even the part where we had fought the dynamaxed butterfree. My starting circle was in the middle of the oblong dungeon, and opposite of the canyon with the boss battle was a new tiny section in the map outline lit up in green. The map didn't allow me to tap on it for new information or anything, but I was fairly certain that it was the new area I'd unlocked. I called up my inventory to equip my armor, before changing my mind and calling up my regular status page instead. I wanted to see what I looked like without any equipment buffs.
Gryffin Higashi lvl 20 1645/5537 EXP to next level, €12647/148900
HP: 950/950 MP: 42/42 ED: 26/26
STR: 21
DEF: 22
VIT: 22
DEX: 34
INT: 22
WIS: 25
CSM: 27
LUK: 15
AP: 36
PP: 10
I whistled, truly appreciating my Dino-Mighty perk for a moment. Even without any buffs I had nearly 1000 HP already. I had no idea how the calculations ran, but raising my physical stats for HP boosts and my mental stats for MP boosts was clearly how the Game was working out. And since my physical stats were taken care of with my various equipment buffs, it was my MP I needed to worry about. Because magic was awesome.
30 sounded like a good number, considering my current level, so that's what I raised my Intelligence and Wisdom to. I was rewarded with my MP increasing to 76. Fantastic. Now I just needed the leppa berries and everything to keep it full. And not liking how low it was compared to the rest of my stats, I raised my Luck to 25 as well. Maybe if my game luck was higher, my personal life would follow suit. A girl could dream.
After tugging my armor into place, I carefully tied my hwando into place on the baldric. With the dagger finally secure for carrying, and a few tests unsheathing and sheathing it, I turned to the Infested Forest once again.
A giant weedle attacked me almost as soon as I left the opening circle. Fortunately, it was still only level 7 and, like the rest of the insects the instant dungeon manifested, had the giant bug perk slowing down its speed even more. With my drastically higher level and stats, I felt it safe enough to tackle on my own. Especially with the safety of the starter zone directly behind me.
With a quick sidestep, I lunged in with a horizontal stab with my dagger. The insect squealed in a nearly hypersonic volume. The keen blade dug deep into the unprotected body of the bee larvae, and left a devastating slash as I pulled it with me as I continued to step past the weedle. 122 HP out of 265 gone in a single, normal attack. A darkly satisfied smirk pulled across my face as I adjusted my stance to allow for a strong back swing. A slightly downward slash, and the weedle's head separated from its bleeding body; it dissolved into the now familiar golden loot orbs before it could hit the ground.
I turned to the sound of rustling undergrowth. Presumably attracted by the weedle's death wail, a quartet of more of the pale yellow worms had slithered out from the trees. Raising my blade again, I narrowed my eyes at the enemy weedle. I could do this.
XYXYXY
Huffing, I leaned against the rock wall at the edge of Infested Forest for several minutes to catch my breath. Cutting through the dungeon on my own had been an informative experience to say the least. The lesson learned? Being a human in a pokémon game sucked ass.
Even with my huge level advantage, solid armor, and tier 3 weaponry, the bugs of the infested forest had still done a number on me. Taking a gulp of cool air, I spun a cure spell over myself. My HP limped slowly back into the green. My overconfidence from the first weedle had been swiftly shattered.
The caterpie and weedle might only average at level 7, but they could still do 50-70 points of damage with each hit. Yes, I was doing over twice that back at them with my hwando, taking out the giant bugs in one or two swings, but there were a lot more of them than there was of me. A single horde fight with a clump of eight weedle had taken out nearly a third of my health. The only thing that had really kept me ahead of the insects had been my speed, but I couldn't avoid all of them all at once. Talk about humbling. At least I'd managed to avoid getting poisoned. Worse was that each battle was still costing me a full Endurance Point. And falling below half of my ED was enough to leave me winded. With the speed at which the Infested Forest churned out caterpie and weedle, I only had 5 ED left.
But I'd made it through half a dungeon without my pokémon, so that had to count as something, right? Right, let's go with that.
Another cure spell, and I released my team with sigh.
"Brraaiiiiii!" Loxley scolded as soon as he was loose from his ball. He'd rattled a few times, while I was fighting, but hadn't forced himself out. He still was very clearly unhappy about me fighting my way through on my own. His displeasure grated like sand stuck between my brain and my skull.
"Knock it off, Lox," I grumbled, rubbing my temples at the intensity of the overprotectiveness wafting off my fox. "I need to be able to handle myself and this was the safest place to test it."
Another wave of mental grumbles rolled over my brain, but it was gentler this time. An odd note of confusion was added to it, and I looked down to see Loxley shaking his head at me. Reaching down, I gently ruffled his fuzzy ears.
"Hey, hey," I crooned. "I'm okay. Really." And wasn't it odd to be comforting my pokémon about a battle instead of the other … way… Oh.
"Loxley," I glanced down at my clever little fox once more. "You know that the Game means I'm going to keep fighting, don't you? That it's the whole point of the system?"
A wail of dismay rose not just from Loxley, but all of my pokémon. Growls and grumbles and chirps and purrs. Levi and Zen cuddled harder than normal into my ankles as Loxley's claws dug into my thigh almost hard enough to be painful. I knelt down to pull all three of my fluffy monsters into a hug.
"I'm going to keep fighting," I repeated despite my pokemons' protests. Loxley at least was intelligent enough to understand. And explain it to the others if they didn't. "There are terrible things happening right now, and the Game is going to keep putting me right in the middle of it." A confused growl, and Loxley was in my lap with his paws clinging tight to my chest. "I have to keep getting stronger. Because I want to be safe. And because I want you to be safe. The Game makes it so the more I fight, the stronger I'll get."
A moment of grumpy silence languished before Loxley conceded by dropping his head against my torso. He snuggled in possessively even as the rest of the team pressed in around me. Covered in fur, feathers, and vines, I spent several minutes just petting all of my pokémon.
When I finally pulled away from the cuddle pile, I brushed the not-insignificant amount of hair from my clothes (I was going to need a lint brush) and tapped the map section of my HUD to enlarge it again. I was less than ten meters from the glowing wall section that represented the next dungeon area. With another tap, the display went back to the top corner of my vision and I took a better look at the area. On the opposite side of the Infested Forest, the ground had risen up and trees had given way to dry bushes and boulders as it entered the canyon I'd fought the dynamaxed butterfree in. Here, the reverse was happening. The elevation was definitely a bit lower and the trees denser. The ground was lush with grasses and flowers and vines dripped from the sturdy limbs of old growth trees. There was certainly a rock wall that defined the edge of the map, but it came with a curtain of lichen and moss that softened the stone edge.
Where the game map had been highlighted, a break in the wall. A pile of loose stone, with its green carpet and vines holding it together, rose high enough to act as a step into a narrow passage. Despite being barely a meter wide, it was quite short and open to the sky besides. I could clearly see the other side as well, with more bright trees and a perfume of flowers. I was through it in less than a minute.
A game notification popped up before I could take stock of anything.
Congratulations!
You have discovered Infested Forest Area 2: Meddlesome Meadow
That was it. No amount of prompting could convince the Game to give up more information. Waving the alert away, I peered suspiciously around. If the Game was going to call something "meddlesome" then it was absolutely not to be trusted.
Which of course was completely at odds with the seemingly idyllic garden meadow I'd found myself in. There were still trees, gigantic oaks flowing with winding vines and flowering beeches with tiny pink puffs of flowers bobbing at the end of every branch, but they were spread out, towering like guardians over the flowers instead of the thick forest from before. Innumerous bouquets of daffodils, crocuses, daisies, and more sprung from lush green clover between the arboreal giants. Smelling water, I could just hear the trickle of a distant stream and a light mist hung low in the air, fragrant and cool, painting the landscape with dew. Tiny bees danced joyfully from blossom to blossom.
No.
Wait.
I allowed myself a brief sigh of relief. They weren't beedrill. At least they weren't beedrill. The Gen 1 pokémon was known to aggressive and territorial at the best of times. Swarms were even known to not just chase unlucky trespassers but to actively hunt humans. I didn't want to deal with normal beedrill, let alone the giant variety that inevitably inhabited this dungeon.
The bees were not beedrill. They weren't tiny either, as my brain had first assumed, but they weren't beedrill. Instead it was a mix of combee, at twice their normal size making them bigger than Zen, and cutiefly of all things, also oversized and just bigger than my azurill. A more careful observation revealed giant spider webs strung between the trees and nearly invisible in the haze, though I couldn't see any spinarak, and clusters of bright red and green umbrella-like mushrooms huddled at the base of the trunks, probably paras. White and pink cocoons the size of beach balls hung like poison fruit in every tree. I could hear the rich string symphony of unseen crickets echoing at odd angles. A blue and yellow beetle pokémon I couldn't remember the name of toddled in the distance; it looked like a small boulder. And all the pokémon that were close enough to use Observe on were all between levels 15 and 18.
A cutiefly buzzed by at level 16 with over 600 HP.
"Well fuck," I admitted to myself. The bugs less than half my level were a pain and now this dungeon was nearly on par with my team. "We're going to have to so much grinding," I grumbled morosely.
I absolutely did not want to go through this dungeon at the moment. With a massive trip starting the very next day and me already wearing myself out in the first section, the newest part of the Infested Forest was completely unappealing. I looked down at my pokémon. Loxley was alert, ears twitching at every sound and a gleam in his vermillion eyes. The rest of my team … not so much. Basil had limped just far enough to plant himself on my feet again and Zen had cuddled up next to him while looking up at me with a woeful expression. Levi was hopping back in forth in front of me in curiosity but constantly checking in with Loxley in either direction. Tobio and Delacour had perched on the rocks above, giving the undoubtedly perilous forest clearing narrow glares.
"Do we want to do this?" I asked my team, completely passing the responsibility off to them. My answer was six pairs of teary eyes set in woeful expressions.
Loxley trotted a few paces to sniff disdainfully at a puddle and then summoned the Game window to exit the dungeon and waved it in front of me.
My eyes rolled at the sheer nonsense that was my team. "You could have just said no."
And with that I exited the dungeon with zero regrets. A quick menu check confirmed that I was now able to go directly to second area of the Infested Forest whenever I wanted to call up the dungeon. Considering my travel plans, it was probably going to be a while.
Going to bed early sounded like a good idea, but before that I decided to take advantage of the showers one last time while I still had the chance. The steaming deluge felt like bliss.
XYXYXY
The next morning Louis dragged us off to the post office immediately after a late breakfast. It had been more of a truck depot than anything else, with various mail cars and lorries crammed into a hidden square behind the building. There were even gogoats saddled with letter bags and pelippers roosting next oiled sacks to be sent off. The post master here was apparently a friend of Louis' father and had no compunctions about putting a bunch of teenagers to work for free despite the multitude of pokémon around to help. Well, free for the others at least. The Game was nice enough to give me €1000 and +25 [Rel] with Kalos for my troubles.
And since we'd provided extra labor we were able to get out sooner than we expected.
"Better to leave earlier," grinned the driver, a congenial older man named Gustav. "The road at night is terrible." And then his face grew more somber. "And not so safe right now, either."
And with that cheerful missive we were packed into the canvas covered back of the lorry bed with a bag full of sandwiches from the post master.
"Bon chance, Louis!" the man waved after us as the truck left the yard. A few minutes navigating the narrow city streets, and the truck squeezed through the city gates headed south.
Gustav had warned us that the road was bad at night, but he completely failed to mention it was no better in daylight. We were on the paved road to Ambrette for less than half an hour before turning due south on a dingy gravel road. And when I say gravel, what I mean is moist dirt with more potholes than rocks. The truck rattled like it was coming apart at the weld seams, and taking my teeth with it for shits and giggles.
Levi, who I'd plopped in my lap for the trip, cheered at every tiny bounce.
XYXYXY
A citadel of ancient oaks carpeted the mountains around them, blocking the light in every direction. Every direction but one.
"It's here." A tall woman in red and black harlequin pants tuck a lock of pink hair behind one ear. Despite the waning light, her glasses glinted saffron as she stared out at the path of destruction.
A scar in the old growth forest stretched before her; the giant trees cracked, withered and grey. Only along the very edges did a faint shimmer of green appear, a sign of newly unfurled spring leaves somehow sprouting on the dying wood.
Another woman, with close cropped lavender hair, bent over her knees to catch her breath after descending the steep path behind her. She lifted her head long enough to reveal a thin metal visor across her face, and a flash of orchid light scanned the forest with a staticky whir.
"Do we need to go back and get more laborers?" she asked the first woman.
"Not yet, Celosia," the tall woman answered dismissively. She reached into a slim pocket and held out a single pokeball to her companion. "Thank you for lending this to me."
"You're very welcome Lady Malva," Celosia simpered. "What did you think of my exagide (2)?"
"It's quite well trained," Malva admitted after a moment of contemplation. "Have you done some special training with it?"
"It's mind control was broken sooner than I expected," Celosia equivocated with a slick smile. "Lucario's aura apparently has the ability to repel it. Since then I've been working on overcoming that weakness."
"You analyze your battles quite carefully," Malva complimented.
"I don't like to make the same mistake twice," Celosia hissed. "I won't fail my mission again."
"You didn't." A dangerous smile grew under the orange glasses. "It was an experiment after all." Pink hair fluttered again as she turned back to the path of destruction before them. "And a huge success. You should have more confidence in yourself."
The purple haired woman adjusted her visor with smug satisfaction. "We should be able to control up to twenty people next time," she promised her companion. "Which one are we after for the absorber?"
"Either will work for our master's ultimate weapon. So whichever we find first," Malva said with a grin. And with a click of ebony heels, she slipped further down the mountain path.
"You heard her Unit A!" Celosia called over her shoulder as she moved to climb down herself. "Let's go!"
A handful of grunts in red suits scrambled down the mountain cliff after them.
Behind them, a dozen or so blank eyed bodies followed in a mindless shuffle.
A little world building, a little bit of the Game annoying me, and a hint of manga plot on the horizon to mess up my plans...
And there's practically no French in this chapter! I'll have to fix that next time...
1- mareep, ducklett, meowth, furfrou
2- aegislash
Joelle is the French name for Nurse Joy; Leredu was the name of the first Minister of Health in France.