Chapter 1: Pyrose
Swampert March was extraordinarily tired.
Walking back to the base from Pelipper Post Office after such a long trek through the bottom of Silver Trench was painful, and each step he took felt like his hind legs could wobble to jelly and collapse. His forelegs were not doing any better, though they felt more of a dull, aching sensation from attacking with Waterfall too much. Or perhaps they had finally numbed from one too many uses of Earthquake. It did not matter, he was too tired to care. His bulky, built body wanted in that moment to do nothing more than slink home and flop into his warm, soft bed, but he had responsibilities to take care of first.
"Hey March!" a gruff voice called out to him. He turned to see Granbull waving at him. He returned the greeting with a curt nod before continuing on his way. Pokémon Square was lively as always, the air crisp and fresh under the afternoon sun overhead. Pokémon were out and about, doing their business as usual. Many approached him as they saw him, asking how his day was. He would respond with "fine" like normal.
It had been years since he had played a role in waking up Rayquaza to destroy the comet that was falling over the Air Continent. He still remembered it vividly – the terrifying fireball that covered the sky, the deafening roar that drowned out even the loudest of screams from his friends. He shuddered. It was behind him. It was behind him. It was behind him.
"Oh my gosh, it's Swampert from Team Go-Getters!" March turned slowly to find a gaggle of small children running up to him.
"Could you sign us an autograph?" they begged, and he delivered, messily scribbling his signature in footprint runes onto the slip of paper they offered him. He watched as they ran off, waving their newfound treasure like a flag.
"Kids will be kids, eh, hero of legend?"
March spun around, recognizing the voice as belonging to one of the Kecleon brothers that ran the market in town. He had been standing in front of their shop, having nearly made it to the bridge at the edge of the square without noticing he had walked so far. Both of them watched him expectantly.
He rubbed his face, eyes bleary. "I guess so. Just wish people'd stop calling me a legend and all that. I'm a 'mon like everyone else."
"Let's not belittle your achievements, eh?" the purple one said. "You really are a–"
"Legend. I get it. Just don't call me that." March reached into the bag around his shoulder. I'm looking to sell this Gold Ribbon I found," he pushed it onto the counter from his bulging bag, "And also I'm looking to purchase one of your–"
"TM's?" the purple brother interrupted. "Perhaps Focus Punch, imported from Buried Relic? For your friend Verdant?"
"Yes, actually, how did you know?"
They both chuckled, and the green one answered, "We wouldn't be salesmen if we were oblivious to our customers' habits and needs."
March tilted his head in confusion. "We literally didn't find out when Verdant's hatching day was until last year, how did you–"
"Trade secret!" The Kecleons sang in unison. "Word gets around fast, you know."
"But–You know what, nevermind." March swept the disk into his large bag, leaving behind a sizable amount of money and the Gold Ribbon. With one final word of thanks to the merchants, he turned, and made his way across the bridge that led out of the town.
After a while of walking through the stretch of forest that separated Pokémon Square and Team Go-Getters' base, the path eventually smoothened out, the ground beneath his feet becoming more packed while the grass began to part. He emerged into the crossroads, where the sight of a comically large Charmander head greeted him. It made him smile, remembering Pyrose complaining about keeping small-scale, but gushing over the new base just moments after it had been revealed. His eyes shifted focus from the building to the two Pokémon that stood in front of it.
Magneton Polare was their first recruit ever, having been enlisted soon after they rescued them from Thunderwave Cave all those years ago. While they looked like any other Magneton from a glance, a closer look revealed green and yellow-tipped magnets instead of the traditional red and blue ones that others of their species would have. The team decided to do it to help distinguish Polare from the rest of their kind whenever they visited their friends. As a relatively serious talker that occasionally snarked, Polare helped the team out with logistics a lot of the time, and in battle they served as a defensive teammate that could absorb blows and fire back with powerful ranged moves.
They were talking with Breloom Verdant, who, as the fourth team member of Team Go-Getters, was recruited one day during a mission into Sinister Woods. For a Breloom, she stood rather tall, nearly the same height as March and Pyrose, though she still remained the shortest of the bunch. She never talked too much in public, and only ever really spoke up around her friends. This certainly didn't reflect on battle prowess, however. She was the designated hard-hitter of the team, focusing on the strongest ferals in the room to stagger them with massively powerful blows. She did struggle with facing multiple opponents at once, however weak they were, in which case she would hide behind March or Polare, both of whom were bulky and able to sponge hits with relative ease, providing the group with longevity and access to defensive tactics.
"March!" Verdant called upon noticing him, giving him a cheerful wave. "You're here!"
"BZZT, GREETINGS MARCH, BZZT," Polare buzzed. "BZZT, WE WERE DISCUSSING VERDANT'S HATCHING DAY, BZZT."
Verdant blushed a bit, hiding her face. "Oh, it's not that important, we all have our days…"
Despite his exhaustion, March mustered the energy to put on a smile. "Are ya kidding? Come on, what kind of a friend would I be if I glossed over such an important day for you?" March patted her back gently. "We'll wait for Pyrose to be back and then we'll celebrate it for you right proper!"
"BZZT, HOW DID THE MISSION GO, BZZT?" Polare inquired.
"Oh yeah, that. Went well enough. I got the Drizzile and Salandit out just fine." He shook his head. "Out of all the places for a boat to capsize, the waters directly over Silver Trench are probably one of the worst."
"Are they okay at least?" Verdant asked, brows furrowed with concern.
"Yeah, they were unharmed, don't worry. We got most of the legendaries to go to sleep a while ago, remember? Lugia wasn't making waves."
"BZZT, AND THAT MAKES SILVER TRENCH SO MUCH SAFER, DOES IT, BZZT?"
"Well, no, but that's why I was careful! Don't worry about it!"
"Sounds like something Pyrose would say," Verdant tittered.
At that moment, they heard a flapping sound behind them. They turned around to see an orange shape rapidly closing in on them. "Speaking of Pyrose–" March said, crossing his arms and grinning.
The Charizard touched down on the path just before them, his great big wings flapping outwards momentarily before folding up onto his back. For a Charizard, he was surprisingly thin, lacking the rounded belly that other members of his species would normally sport. Instead, he was much more serpentine in appearance, with a wiry build that augmented his natural aerial agility, befitting his role as the scout of Team Go-Getters. In battle, he could weave in and out of danger with his maneuverable flight, letting him keep a bird's-eye perspective on any situation and command his team to victory, all while contributing a constant stream of long-ranged fiery blasts himself. He was the leader of Team Go-Getters, and an efficient and assertive one at that. How else did they get their reputation as the human of legend?
He twisted his head left and right, craning his long neck, and stretching his spine, before grumbling and slouching forwards, walking forwards to greet them while unslinging the bag from around his shoulder. March could not help but notice a slight limp to his gait, which itself was overly casual, as though trying to hide something. He narrowed his eyes, but did not say anything.
"Hey guys, how's it been?" he asked, gently plopping the bag near the mailbox and leaning on the nearby brick wall.
March shrugged. "Alright, just finished a mission at Silver Trench."
"Oh," he said, his normally dull green eyes sharpening a little at the mention of the dungeon. He stood up, looking directly at March. "How'd it go?"
"BZZT, RESOUNDING SUCCESS, BZZT," Polare answered.
"Oh, great," Pyrose yawned, slumping back onto the fence. He blinked blearily, prominent eye-bags betraying exhaustion despite him playing it off. "I feel like I'm forgetting to do something."
"It's–"
"BZZT, LET HIM FIGURE IT OUT INDEPENDENTLY, BZZT," Polare chuckled, their voice metallic and ringing.
"Hmm… finished the applications… checked on the new recruits…"
He snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! Happy hatching day, Verdant!"
The Breloom blushed, hiding her face in her claws as the rest of them burst into laughter. "Took you long enough to remember, Pyrose!" March managed to get out between gasps. "That has to be a new record!"
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm getting forgetful these days, I get it. At least I remembered this time!"
"BZZT, OF THE THINGS YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN PREVIOUSLY, HATCHING DAYS ARE NOT AMONG THEM, BZZT."
"See? It's fine!" He reached into his bag. "Alright, now, let's get her some gifts! At least I didn't forget that!"
"Come on guys, you didn't have to–" Verdant mumbled, her face still flushed red.
March interrupted her, "You're our friend, of course we have to! That besides, we wanted to anyways!"
From his bag, he dug out the disk he had bought at Kecleon's Market earlier. "Happy hatching day!" he said, handing it to her.
"What is… oh, March, TM Focus Punch? You shouldn't have, how much did it cost?"
He waved it off. "It was nothing, found a Gold Ribbon during the trip that paid for most of it. I know you've been looking for it for a while–"
He was cut off as Verdant grabbed him in a hug, which he reciprocated by patting her on the back. "Happy birthday," he said with a grin as they broke apart. She blushed even harder, holding the disk up to her face to cower behind it.
"BZZT, AHEM," Polare interrupted, their eyelids half-closed in what could only be a smirk without a mouth. "WE HAVE DECIDED TO GIVE YOU A GIFT AS WELL, BZZT."
A small object floated out from behind their back towards Verdant, supported by magnetic powers. An empty notebook.
"Oh, how thoughtful of you, Polare," Verdant said, plucking it from the air. She took a moment to run her hands over the smooth leathery covers. "Thank you so much!"
"BZZT, IT WAS OUR PLEASURE. WE ARE CERTAIN YOU WILL FIND SOME CAPACITY OF USE FOR IT, BZZT."
"I sure will!"
"Ahem." They all turned to look at Pyrose, who had stopped leaning on the fence and was holding something behind his back. "Ready for mine?"
"Of course I am, but really none of you needed to get anything–"
"Don't argue, Verdant, just take it," March sighed, rolling his eyes while smiling.
"Alright, alright," she grumbled light-heartedly. Walking up to Pyrose, she tried to glance behind his back to see what it was, but he kept it hidden. Only when she was directly in front of him did he reveal it to be a small orange choker.
"Happy birthday!" he exclaimed, holding out the item for her. She blushed and thanked him as she picked it up, fumbling with it somewhat as she tried to put it on her neck with only one claw, the other busy holding the items March and Polare had given her.
After a few more fruitless attempts to attach it, she held it back out to Pyrose. "My claws can't really put it on that well, could you?"
"O–oh, sure thing–"
He gently picked it up with the tips of his own claws, wrapping it around Verdant's neck as she held still for him. He made a spinning motion with a finger, and she turned around for him to buckle the clip. And with a light clicking sound, he did so. They made eye contact for a moment when she turned around, the air silent as March watched them.
Pyrose finally grinned. "You look beautiful. Happy birthday."
Verdant touched the choker with her right arm. And she smiled back. But it wouldn't last long, as her gaze went lower and she began to frown.
"Pyrose, are you hurt?"
March and Polare closed in on him as they heard this. Pyrose fidgeted, using a wing to cover up his side.
"It's nothing, really–"
"Let me see that, Pyrose," March commanded, his expression stern. Pyrose did not argue, sighing before turning around. Along his back were a number of lacerations and scratch marks, some of which drew blood. Nasty purple bruises, previously unnoticeable, were now visible, the swollen flesh an ugly purple against the orange scales. One of the gashes extended along his hip, a nasty red line that was partially scabbing over.
"I knew I should've eaten an Oran before I got here," the Charizard grumbled.
"How–"
"BZZT, DELCATTY MARKS, BZZT."
March looked up at Pyrose, who turned away sheepishly. "I went on a mission to Mt. Horn, thought I could handle it–"
"Pyrose, we're a team, you HAVE to stop going on missions alone!" March scolded, brows furrowed with concern.
"He's right, you should have told us," Verdant quietly agreed, examining Pyrose's wounds more closely.
"Come on guys, it's really not that serious."
"BZZT, PERHAPS NOT ONCE, BUT THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING TREND, BZZT."
"They're right, this has been going on for a while now. I get if maybe it was Sky Tower, I go on solo missions to water dungeons because I can't take any of you with me sometimes. But it's not like we can't help you with Mt. Horn, we did it the first few times together even! Even with Ho-Oh asleep, that's still a really dangerous dungeon, and you're not built to take hits! What if you weren't careful and got knocked out?"
"It's–" Pyrose started, but March did not let him finish.
"You're the team leader, but you're just that. A team leader. What would Team Go-Getters be if it was just you?"
Verdant nodded. "What he said. Pyrose, please bring us along next time."
"Guys–"
March interrupted him again. "You came back with a broken arm last time. I'm surprised but thankful it wasn't that bad this time. Just because it worked out fine this time doesn't mean it will in the future."
"But–"
"Pyrose, please," Verdant pleaded.
Pyrose looked at his teammates, all of their faces filled with anxious concern for him. "I… alright."
An awkward pause, and then March sighed. "You know, sometimes it's pretty exhausting being your partner. And you're the one that does all the paperwork."
"I'm pretty good at taking care of it though."
"That's not the point." Another sigh. "Let's just get you inside, there's probably an Oran lying around there. Did the mission at least go okay?"
"Yeah, it worked out great. Got the requested items and rescued an Eevee who got lost. The Sobble and Litten waiting for her seemed pretty relieved."
"Well, there's that at least."
As they entered the Team Base, March breathed in the smoky scent that filled the room. The floor was lined with a soft red carpet, the walls made of brick with torches embedded in the formation at regular intervals to brighten the room. Beneath the single window on the far side of the room was a bed of straw, the tips at one end slightly singed, and beside that was a dark-colored wooden desk that was practically buried in a mountain of paperwork. Pyrose was never one to collect much, and with the exception of the four stone dolls that sat in the yard to the side of the building, most of his possessions were in the care of Kangaskhan's storage services. As such, aside from the occasional bag that sat in the corner, there was really nothing else to the room.
March pulled up a stool–one of the few in the room–sitting on it while Verdant dug around in the aforementioned bag. Procuring a bright blue fruit, she tossed it to Pyrose, who caught it and took a large bite out of it, the juice nearly seeping from his maw. The effects were instantaneous, as his injuries began to dull in color and heal over, the scratches scabbing and the bruises turning a more normal shade of orange.
"Well, it could've been worse," he said after taking a moment to swallow, wiping the dribble from his lip with the back of his hand.
March frowned. "That's not a good thing."
"I know, I know. But I'm capable, you know I am! I'm the leader after all–"
"Just because you're the human and whatnot doesn't mean you have special powers, Pyrose."
"I may be a human but I'm also a dang good Charizard." Pyrose paused to scratch his chin, eyes glancing towards the ceiling in a pensive manner. "In fact, I might just be the strongest in the world."
"Well, with ACT retired, you're definitely the strongest on this continent," Verdant commented.
"I guess so. Didn't put in the time to train at Makuhita's for nothing."
"BZZT, YOU DID EXERT THE MOST EFFORT DURING PRACTICE SESSIONS, BZZT."
"You guys worked really hard too."
"Oh we did, but you almost LIVED in that dojo."
"I did not!"
"Then how come I could never find you in your bed at night?"
"Well, I, erm…" Pyrose sputtered, apparently trying to think of a response but failing. March and Polare chuckled.
"Great comeback there, partner," the Swampert said. "Sit on the bed, will ya? Orans only do so much, you still have to let it heal."
"I know, I know." With much groaning, he slowly lowered himself onto the straw bed, finally sitting down in the middle and wrapping his tail around his legs, wings still folded behind his back. "Man, my back aches…"
"BZZT, MAYBE IF YOU HAD BEEN MORE CONSIDERATE OF THE DANGERS AND ELECTED TO BRING ONE OF US ALONG, YOUR BACK WOULD NOT HURT, BZZT."
"Yeah, yeah, but no it's not that. I don't know why, but," he stretched it left and right, "it feels… almost stiff somehow. It's been getting worse."
"You've been doing too much work, that's why," March said, frowning.
"Well, I just thought I'd save you guys the trouble–"
"The three of us still have to do missions no matter how many you do for us, cause it's our job as rescuers. We just end up doing them without you because you keep disappearing off to random dungeons every day to do missions solo."
Polare chimed in. "BZZT, AS PROOF, MARCH JUST RETURNED FROM A SHORT RESCUE MISSION IN SILVER TRENCH, BZZT." March nodded.
The Charizard sighed and leaned back. He had maintained the facade well in front of the base, but now that he was reclined on the bed, his exhaustion became much more evident. Even ignoring the wounds, Pyrose was sporting deep eyebags and a heavy slouch. March could barely see much light in his dulled, half-lidded eyes.
He sighed. "We're your friends. Your partners for… how many years has it been?"
"BZZT, SEVENTEEN, BZZT."
"Seventeen years," March repeated. "Could you at least tell us why you're acting so weirdly? This has been happening for a long while now, it's not like you. We used to do everything together. Thought we could take on the world."
"We can."
"That's not what he means, Pyrose.," Verdant whispered.
"I know, I know." Pyrose sighed. "I… I'll tell you guys later. Is that alright?"
March crossed his arms. "Why not now?"
"It's… complicated. And somewhat personal."
"We've had each others' backs, lives even, for this long, and you can't share some secrets?"
And awkward pause. Pyrose fidgeted uncomfortably, seven eyes all trained on him as he opened his snout. Yet no words came, and he closed it.
March sighed. "You know what, I trust you. You don't have to tell us if… if you don't want to. Just please don't do that again, alright? We're worried for you, every time you come into camp hurt. You're our leader, and that means you have to have a team. Us."
Pyrose sighed. "Okay."
"Promise?" Verdant asked. March leaned in closer.
"...Promise."
March took a deep breath, exhaling loudly and leaning back on his stool as far as he could without falling over. "Well, at least that's out of the way."
He looked over at Verdant, nodding. "Back on track. Happy birthday, pal!"
She flashed him a wide grin. "Thanks! I can't believe it's been so long since I joined the team!"
"I can't believe it's been so long since I MADE this team," Pyrose said, snorting. "Seventeen years..."
"Agreed. It's unbelievable."
Pyrose leaned back. "Sure is. Something about time flying when you're having a good time."
"BZZT, A 'GOOD TIME' IS A QUESTIONABLE ASSUMPTION FOR WHAT WE EXPERIENCED, BZZT."
"Come on the comet wasn't–"
"BZZT, NOT WHAT WE INTENDED TO MEAN, BUT THAT TOO WAS QUITE TRAUMATIC, BZZT."
"I mean, we've seen bigger fireballs before–"
"It was less the fireball and more the fact that you literally faded out of existence moments after that had me in shambles," March pointed out. Verdant and Polare each nodded in agreement.
Pyrose shrugged. "Well, I came back, didn't I?"
"Yeah, so we could torture you with our advice on healthy work schedules," March laughed.
"Yeah yeah, I get it, I overwork myself." Pyrose rolled his eyes. "What else is new?"
"Well, the Jumpluff twins might be coming back," Verdant piped up.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, I overheard someone talking about it in the Square."
"When?"
"I… don't actually know." She slouched sheepishly. "Bunch of people swarmed me asking for autographs right after."
March sighed. "Yeah they just don't seem to get enough of us, do they?"
"BZZT, THEY DO NOT, BZZT."
"Nope."
March leaned back. "I just… I mean you guys are my best friends, but I wish I had more people to talk to."
"We aren't enough for ya?" Pyrose teased, but he didn't smile. He knew March too well after all these years.
"No. Well, yes, but it feels like I can't talk to anyone else anymore. Nobody thinks of me as 'March the Swampert' anymore, I'm just 'The Legend' now."
Verdant nodded and sighed with him. "Yeah, I get where you're coming from. Doesn't bother me as much, but I know you've always been a people person."
March waved his arms indignantly. "Like, come on people, you were literally there when I was still a Mudkip, how come I'm this celebrity now? Just treat me like–like–"
"BZZT, LIKE A NORMAL POKÉMON, BZZT?"
"Y–yeah. Just… just a normal Pokémon."
Another deep breath, and he leaned back again. "Remember when we were still part of the town? Like, when we used to pull pranks or just talk with people?"
They all mumbled their agreement, allowing their minds to collectively wander, thinking of such a time.
"BZZT, I RECALL MARCH TAKING US TO FILL WHISCASH POND WITH FLOATING BALLS, BZZT."
Pyrose raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Really? That's it? I–"
Before he could say anything further, however, the front door to the base was thrown open. All four of them instantly whirled around, Verdant crouching low to the ground, Pyrose flaring his wings, March raising his arms and Polare letting off sparks from the tips of their yellow-and-green magnets.
Against the doorframe leaned a familiar yellow Pokémon with a bushy mustache and a brown chest that resembled a tunic. Alakazam was entirely out breath, as though he had sprinted here rather than levitated with his psychic powers, and his appearance, normally kept pristine, was disheveled and messy. A dim green light leaked through the cracks between his clenched right fist.
"Alakazam? What are you–"
The older rescuer looked up, and March was silent. He swept his gaze around the room. "I–I found something." He looked directly at Pyrose. "Something you'll find very interesting."
"Wha–"
"It… it took a while to convince the birds to help me on this project, but I finally accomplished it, and was rewarded with a truly marvelous sight,"
"Alaka–"
"There is an entire world out there–"
"ALAKAZAM." Pyrose cleared his throat after suddenly yelling. "Just tell us what you found!"
For the first time in a while, March could see a sparkle in the old Pokémon's eye. He swept his gaze around the room, all four of the gathered members of Team Go-Getters listening attentively, curious.
And, finally, he spoke.
"There is a whole other world out there. An alternate universe, one alike yet completely different to our own. And I believe Pyrose came from this universe."
"What makes you think that?"
"Because of what I saw. As I wandered around, I saw them. They were everywhere."
"Humans."
