Ah shit, here we go again.
So, kinda late to updating this chapter. And like, the rest of my stories. Sorry! However, as sad as I am to say this, I will be discontinuing some of my fanfics since even after all of this time pondering, I still can't think of an interesting direction to take them.
However, worry not, readers of this fanfic! I still plan on chipping away at this one. Also, don't forget that in this fic, the human-to-Pokemon language barrier is the same as the anime. As far as I know, Pokemon can understand humans, but can only communicate to humans through telepathy, spiritual powers, learning human speech or divine powers, if they're a legendary. With how I wrote this chapter, I hope that the formatting makes sense to you all, and if it isn't, please review your confusion and suggestions on the matter.
Hope you enjoy!
- O - O -Mysteries? Hero!- O - O -
"This is unbelievable, Shelmet! You and Pancham are going to push things too far one day and you'll regret what happens to Goomy then!" Deerling shot at her trouble-making classmate.
The little snail bug receiving Deerling's scolding had just revealed to her that he and Pancham convinced Goomy to venture into the Foreboding Forest alone as a dare. Trembling and looking for any way out of the trouble he found himself in, Shelmet perked his attention to the sudden commotion elsewhere in the plaza. "W-what's going on over there?"
Noticing the clamoring as well, Deerling relented in case something important was happening. "Come on, let's see what's happening. Though, don't think for a second that this is over!"
- O - O -Mysteries? Hero!- O - O -
With her tall companion's promise made known to the village-folk, Espurr could finally add her input on the situation. "He's right. Please stay calm so we can sort this out without confusion. Besides, he's hungry and tired, can't you see?"
The gathered Pokémon looked to the green-haired anomaly with new clarity. He did seem a bit disheveled, and the hand he kept on his stomach supported his supposed hunger. He doesn't seem to be much of a danger either. And if he does turn out to be one, then I could stop him myself. Carracosta thought.
Taking responsibility as one of the Pokemon that overreacted, Carracosta spoke up. "I guess you're right, Espurr. There was no need for us to act up like that, now was there? We owe the both of you an apology." He said, bowing forward.
Nodding in acceptance, Espurr began to explain one of the big factors that caused the confusion. "Before we continue, it must be known that for some reason, uh…hmm."
Realizing she never got the human's name, Espurr asked him telepathically for the answer. "Sorry, but what's your name?" "O-oh, that's right! I forgot to tell you, my bad. It's Midoriya Izuku, uh, n-nice to meet you all!"
Facing back to her fellow villagers, Espurr wrapped up her explanation. "Right. So if you couldn't tell, Midoriya here can't understand us, yet we can understand him. As this is the case, I suppose that for now, I'll relay anything you need to tell him through my telepathy."
The villagers contemplated this, feeling guilty for having caused the odd creature more trouble on top of what he was already going through. Speaking of oddities, the matter of Izuku's species bubbled up again. It was Hippopotas that asked the question that was in the back of everyone's heads. "So Espurr, is zis Midoriya fellow a real human? In ze flesh?"
Having narrowed down the answer herself, no matter how illogical it was that a creature from their bedtime stories managed to suddenly appear out of nowhere, Espurr nodded without hesitation. She did telepathically double check with Izuku though, to which he answered: "I am! I'd also be interested in knowing more about your species, though I guess that can wait until later."
The crowd just marveled at their first view of a real human. Wanting to know more, they began asking questions like a class full of eager children. Espurr dutifully translated their questions for Izuku while the human in question answered bashfully. With questioning going smoothly, the overall tone rose to a more friendly feel, to Izuku and Espurr's relief. The village shopkeeper, Kecleon, even offered Izuku a Perfect Apple to make up for his lack of meals.
- O - O -Mysteries? Hero!- O - O -
"Hmm? An apple?" Izuku noted, staring at the red, almost shining fruit that was given to him. For some reason though, calling the apple in his hand simply an 'apple' made the green reptile that gave it to him upset. "S-sorry!"
Quickly leaning over to Espurr, Izuku whispered his confusion. "Why's he mad? I don't know what I did wrong!" "That isn't a regular apple; it's what's called a Perfect Apple and they are capable of completely satisfying your belly alone. Labelingsuch an expensive item as its inferior version probably insulted Kecleon as a quality shopkeeper."
His eyes bulging from his head, Izuku pondered the fruit with intense scrutiny. Huh? For one apple to completely satisfy hunger, maybe it's highly condensed with nutrients? Looking at even its outer appearance, this 'perfect' apple really does seem perfect! How does it even grow so picturesque? Speaking of growth, is the soil in this area equally richer? Before he could mumble himself away, Izuku shook himself out of his thoughts and quickly apologized to Kecleon.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Kecleon! I didn't mean to offend you! Thank you for the meal!" With that incident dealt with, Izuku experienced his first Perfect Apple.
Tasty. It's very tasty! And just like Espurr said, it's surprisingly filling. It almost feels like I didn'tgo the past day without missing my meals! This is amazing!
Swallowing down the last bite, Izuku thanked Kecleon again before continuing to answer the questions given to him. It wasn't until someone asked what he did before arriving in Serene Village did things start getting...interesting.
"Lom, lombre bre lombre lom?" "He's asking what you do for a living."
Rubbing the scarred knuckles of his right hand, Izuku answered honestly. "I'm not doing any jobs yet; I am still just a teenager. Right now, I'm a student at a high school called UA. It's a pretty high-end hero school and I plan to graduate and become the greatest hero, just like my role-model, All Might!" He ended with a steadfast smile.
The whole crowd perked up in interest at this 'hero' occupation. I wonder if they're anything like the Expedition Society in Lively Town? I hear that they do more than just exploring… Espurr wondered.
From the midst of the many villagers, a young pink and peach-furred deer suddenly trotted towards Izuku, a little snail bug trailing behind.
"Deer deerling ling, deerling deerling!" She asked in what seemed like an earnest tone.
Espurr seemed to know the two Pokémon personally as she decided to ask them about their outburst directly. "Espurr, purr purr espurr?"
'Deerling' began explaining something to Espurr, to which the grey feline nodded along in understanding. Lost in the language difference, Izuku could only wait patiently until Espurr explained it to him herself. After some back and forth between the two Pokémon, Espurr nodded with finality before contacting Izuku again with her telepathy. "Midoriya, this is my friend Deerling and the one behind her is Shelmet. We are all in a class together and it looks like another one of our classmates got into trouble. His name is Goomy and he went into a mystery dungeon alone, which is why Deerling here wants your help once she heard that you were a hero."
Realizing the situation, Izuku caught on to what they were getting at. "You want me to make sure Goomy is safe, right?" "Please do. I know it's very selfish of us to ask this, but you can use this opportunity to garner further trust with the villagers at the least."
Shaking his head with a smile, Izuku sharpened his sights on rescuing Goomy for the moment. "Don't worry about it, Espurr. I'm worried for his safety now too, so I am definitely going to save him, that I promise." The boy's determined reassurance brought nods of approval from several of the villagers and caused Deerling to relax herself from her previous tension. It even managed to get a smile on Espurr's face.
"When you're ready, we'll follow Deerling and Shelmet; they'll lead the way to the mystery dungeon while I explain how they work."
- O - O -Mysteries? Hero!- O - O -
Izuku absorbed what Espurr has just taught him about mystery dungeons as the group walked along a forest path. Woah… These dungeons sound so unpredictable. Are they even natural? It just doesn't seem so with how deliberately it's set up. Either way, with a fresh layout each time it's explored, these dungeons sure sound scary to get lost in, especially for a little kid. And for some reason, Pokémon found inside them are hostile…we might have to fight then.
Finalizing his mental preparation, Izuku noticed the greenery shift towards a more purple hue, darkening the atmosphere. Well, I guess they did say this dungeon was called the Foreboding Forest…
Finally coming up to a clearing, the group noticed another Pokémon waiting for them. He was a bipedal panda that looked at the group with some smugness, conveying it by resting his hands on his hips with a confident smirk. Shelmet from their group excitedly hopped over to greet his friend and partner-in-crime. Apparently, Espurr had contacted Pancham telepathically ahead of time to meet them here so he could explain exactly what he got Goomy into.
"Pancham pancham. Pan pan cham pancham! Pa ha ha!" Despite not understanding what the panda Pokémon was even saying, Izuku could tell from the tone that he ran into a bully. So that's why Goomy was put in such a risky situation.
Deerling stamped her hooves from what he said, nearly dashing into the dungeon herself, but got stopped by the suddenly worried Pancham and Shelmet. They would allow a kid younger than them into this dungeon, but not a girl their age? Izuku could see why those two are called troublemakers.
"Shouldn't we be focusing on saving Goomy? There's no time to fight with each other." The hero in training suggested, trying to get the kids back on track.
- O - O -Mysteries? Hero!- O - O -
Pancham groaned at- what was his name again? Something dumb, he was sure. Anyways, while a real live human sure was surprising to him, the green-haired boy acted like an annoying adult. Besides, he looks like a total chump! I bet even I could beat a human like him.
Facing Espurr, Pancham decided to just get the rest of his explanation over with. "Look, the important part of the dare was that Goomy has to get a piece of paper we left in there and bring it back. It's not that deep in, so I don't see why we have to waste time looking for him."
"Pancham!" Deerling butted in to argue about his lack of responsibility again, but said panda wasn't having any of it. Meanwhile, Espurr relayed the details of Goomy's predicament to Izuku.
"I see… This shouldn't be too hard then with Espurr here. She could reach out to Goomy telepathically to reassure him and ask his location, while we just have to make it through the dungeon until we reach him, which shouldn't be too far." Izuku mumbled to himself to straighten his thoughts.
It's still quite odd that we can hear him talk clearly, but he can't understand us. I guess it's the result of how humans interact with Pokémon. Espurr mused.
After double-checking everything in his head, Izuku took in a deep breath. "Okay, I think I'm ready. Is everyone good to go?"
The sole human looked around expectantly, but just face-palmed at the sight before him. Deerling and Pancham were bickering again about stuff not even related to Goomy now, while all Shelmet was doing was supporting his friend from the sidelines. Sighing, Izuku turned to Espurr. "Should we do something?"
Espurr shook her head. "It's fine. I heard from your mumbling that most of your plan only requires my telepathy, so I'm ready whenever you are. You don't need to worry about them. Despite how Pancham and Shelmet act, they actually idolize Deerling quite a bit because of her integrity, so they won't breakout into battle. Though, you can probably tell that their respect doesn't extend to everyone, and as much as I'd like for them to take responsibility over Goomy, they just won't understand, not as they are right now anyways."
Deciding to let go of things and to trust Espurr's decision, Izuku limbered up and faced the forest entrance. "Alright then. Let's go save Goomy."