Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any shape or form.
Key: Paragraphs written like *this* are flashbacks.
Chapter 5 – The Fairies
Uva academy, Paldea's largest and most prestigious university. Budding and experienced trainers alike hope to one day gain access to the wealth of knowledge it keeps locked away.
For some, it is a way to gain strength, an opportunity to be surrounded by champion rank teachers and bathe in their experience.
Others are there to make friends and experience the famed university lifestyle. Often, it is their first time away from home, as such the survival classes offer everything from basic cooking to general hygiene. Both at home and in the wild.
Then there are those who didn't have a choice, there's always at least one. Maybe they don't really know what they want from life, maybe they were forced out by parents with no time for their children. Maybe both.
"That's it buddy, deep breaths…" says a soft voice.
A tall teenager sits on a chair at a bedside, head draped over the edge, his long locks of grey hair fall over his shoulders and rest on the duvet. He wears the typical Uva academy uniform, but with a few modifications.
The standard dress shoes have been replaced by more practical hiking boots and rather than a blazer, a bright yellow vest is worn.
The room is his own. A typical one for Uva academy, yet the various berries, plants and books on medicine strewn about give it the feeling of someone well versed in the arts of survival.
"Very good Arven, continue to relax him, then administer the medicine as per my instructions," says a slightly distorted voice from the monitor on his desk.
Another man, this time a portly fellow, with glasses and a small brown moustache to match his bowl cut hair watches Arven through the screen.
The connection from Mesagoza to Cianwood City in Johto is not exactly a good one, but it doesn't need to be to follow the pharmacists' instructions.
Arven's attention is drawn back to his bed at the sound of a low whine. Sprawled on its side, is his best, first and only friend, Mabostiff.
"Just relax buddy…" says Arven as he leans forward once more. Practiced hands run through the thick grey fur along his partner's spine in an attempt to sooth the discomfort.
*"Come on bud, moms given up, but I think we can still talk him into coming home. Maybe if he sees us, he'll snap back to his old self!"
"Ruff!"*
The massage continues, hands slowly reaching up to two soft floppy ears. Arven gives a quick scratch where he knows Mabostiff likes it best.
*"Nearly there pal, wasn't too long of a walk from Medali."
CLICK CACHUNK
"Ah ha! The gates open! Now we just have to go through the teleporter, and we can see him again!"
"Raruff!"*
Arven's hands run ever so gently over two closed eyes and along the snout. What he would do to see those tiny orange orbs again.
*"Woah! I don't see him anywhere, but this is definitely a research centre of some sort. Look at all these books! Might grab one or two that look interesting… why are you growling bud? What's the matter?"
"Grrrrrrrr! Ruff!"*
"He seems relaxed enough, give him the medicine," says the Cianwood pharmacist.
Gently pushing apart his maw, Arven slips two small pills into Mabostiff's mouth, tilting his head and rubbing his throat to force a swallow.
*"Come on Mabostiff this way! We'll try to lose them in the cave!"
"Ruff!"
"I think we're good… I've never seen so many venomoth before… we barely made it out of there pal."
"Tiff…"
"Guess we should keep moving huh, gotta find him and get home. What do you think all these markings on the ground are?"*
"My medicine works rapidly, we should see results in a moment," the pharmacist explained.
Not responding to his words, Arven continued to tend to his partner. Over the eyes, back down the spine, down a leg, then the other. He pauses as the massage reaches the flank of his Pokémon.
A line where no fur will grow. A reminder of the worst day of his life. A scar. The wound healed long ago, but the pain and guilt still hits Arven every time he sees it.
*"What the hell is this thing! Mabostiff! Play Rough! Take that robot out!"
"RARUFF!"
"ANALYSIS COMPLETE. THREAT IDENTIFIED, INITIATING SPIRIT BREAK."
"MABOSTIFF NO!"*
"It seems there has been no reaction to the treatment," the pharmacist's words fall on deaf ears.
"Regardless, I will continue to research a cure and get back to you when I can," the pharmacist pauses, looking over the young man as he sobs silently, clutching at the fur of his Pokémon like a lifeline.
"Arven, please try to get some rest. To take care of Mabostiff you must first tend to yourself," he says, before ending the call.
*"We've tried everything we can. All his wounds are healed but Mabostiff still won't wake up. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay Nurse Joy, thank you for trying."*
"I'm sorry buddy," Arven says with a sniffle, "moment of weakness was all that was."
Slowly standing up, Arven walks over to his table, "Besides," he says, looking down at the violet book now in his hands.
"We're not out of options yet."
"Please explain to me exactly how we got into this situation," I say with a huff, "we're supposed to be looking for a way out, not new friends.
The walk to our current location was a rather confusing one. After exchanging a few words, Galiant dragged me along to follow the rather boisterous Tinkatuff back into the forestry we left only moments ago.
What followed was a guided traversal through a rather specific series of twists and turns in which I was told not to stray from the path, Galiant seemed rather adamant about this for some reason.
The walk took no longer than ten minutes, yet the sky is now dark and has been since we walked through that strange pink film draped along the open centre of a tree grown into the shape of an 'n'.
I was understandably nervous following a stranger through the forest, yet most of my apprehension has been mirrored by wonder at the site of our surroundings.
"THE TINKATUFF HAS PROPOSED A TRADE. AT THE MOMENT, INFORMATION IS VITAL FOR SURVIVAL. THE LOCALS CAN PROVIDE SAFE ROUTES OF PASSAGE AND POTENTIALLY A WAY OUT OF THE CRATER. WE ARE TO WAIT HERE UNTIL THEY RETURN," explains Galiant while I marvel at the village in front of us.
It's certainly lively.
Strewn about in no particular order are a series of open face huts, held together with scraps of leather, vines and other scavenged parts. While a river large enough to swim in bisects the area with crystal clear water that glimmers in a similar fashion to the air with the light of the moon.
The village is built seamlessly into the surroundings, no clear distinction between where the village ends, and forest begins can be made.
A group of Tinkatuff huddle around what seems to be a furnace some sort, using it to reshape metals to fit their various needs such as cups, weapons, and supports for the structures they reside in.
I watch as a Corviknight feather is fixed onto the end of a metal pole, forming what to me would be a large knife, but to the Pokémon of smaller stature, a potential machete or sword.
You would think the sound of the pink blacksmiths hammering away would drown out the sounds of any other Pokémon, yet they are only small part a greater whole. As such, the tink tink tink of their namesake melds into the hustle and bustle of the village.
Clefairy dance along rooftops and trees, singing to the stars they once called home. Jigglypuff try to join in, only to be stopped by their older evolutions who know the trouble their voices can cause. Pink Ponyta gallop along the treeline, kicking up fallen leaves as they race one another, all why being watched over by a pair of large Rapidash of similar coloration. Cottonee float about in the gentle winds, carefree as they're carried along.
It doesn't end there, Ribombee, Morgrem, Azumarill and many other fairy types inhabit the area, going about their daily lives.
"But why do we have to do that here?" I wave my arms at the village, "it's practically a small army of short, pink, and armed Pokémon! While they don't seem to be hostile, there are some mean looking fully evolved Pokémon over there. If they decide they don't like us, I doubt even you could get out unscathed."
"THE FAIRIES WILL NOT ATTACK, TO DO SO WOULD MAKE THEM POOR HOSTS. IT IS AGAINST THEIR NATURE." Galiant states, as if that explains everything.
Shaking my head in exasperation, I probe for a bit more info, "Can I at least get some dex entries on the ones I'm unfamiliar with? I'm not entirely convinced a bunch of armed Pokémon is good for my health."
"AFFIRMATIVE. CLEARANCE LEVEL ONE. UNAUTHORISED CONTENT CENSORED. DEX ENTRY 0958. TINKATUFF. THE HAMMER POKEMON. CLASSIFICATION: B. INATELY VIOLENT IN THE WILD, THIS POKEMON WILL ATTACK GROUPS OF STEEL TYPE POKMEON TO GATHER METAL IN ORDER TO CREATE WEAPONS AND HOUSING. A SPECIES CONSISTING OF ONLY FEMALES, THEY ARE INTELLIGENT, CURIOUS, CONFIDENT AND AGGRESSIVE, CAUTION IS ADVISED," says Galiant.
I choke on my spit hearing the last bit of the entry, coughing as I panic. "Woah woah woah, aggressive? That goes against everything you just told me about them not attacking! We need to leave! Now!" I say.
Regardless of my discomfort Galiant remains calm, seeming almost thoughtful before she addresses my concerns, "CLEARANCE LEVEL R̶̡̜̿̂E̵̦̊̂D̸̺̤̏̈́A̷̢̲͊̈́C̸̮̬͑͠T̶̰͆̽Ë̵̢́D̶̼͔́̀ AUTHORISED. TYPE: FAIRY. T̷̛͓̫̀Ḩ̴̣̄͝Ḛ̷̑ ̷̠͗̅R̴͔̈̏Ų̷̭͎͝Ḻ̵̑̀Ē̵̲̺S̵̯̫̑̅ ̴͉̉Ở̵͇F̸̢̭̌ ̸̬̀T̴̡͇̎̅Ĥ̵͇͆Ę̴̲͆ ̵̯͠F̸̨͙̿͠Ĕ̸͙̟̐Y̴̪͗̐. ENTRY NUMBER 15. WITH FEW ACCEPTIONS, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF THE FAIRY TYPING CONSIDER THEMSELVES ABOVE OTHERS, EVEN IF THEY DO NOT SHOW IT. TO BE A BAD HOST TO A WELL-BEHAVED GUEST PLACES THEM BELOW YOU. AS SUCH THEY WILL SUFFER SIGNIFICANT PHYSICAL BACKLASH AND RIDICULE FROM OTHERS OF THEIR KIND."
"À̶̠̪͕͎͆͑̄͊̕L̷̡̳̼̬̻̫̹̰̍̓̈͐͜͝W̸͖̙̟̻̯̔ͅA̶̮͔̘̞̓Y̴̢̢̛̖̗̥͉̣̲̏̈̃̚͝͝S̸̻͚͉̘̱͎̱̞̋͜ ̷̢̤͕͇̫̫͉̣̽͑͜B̷̥͍̌͆̏͛̏̂͐͝Ĕ̵̱̀̾̅̑̾̇̒͠ ̶̘̝̼̝̼͎͊̈́̾̈́͋̊͑͝P̸̳͈͎̗̪̼̒͗̐͋͐̐̿͜͠͠Ö̸̧̙̰̖́̕L̵̩̣̭̈́̉̓́̎̈̍̊I̴̬̻̜̱̝̱̰̿̓̆͜͠T̸̛̞͔͕͝ͅÊ̸̡͇̻͚̲̥͕̯̫͂̋̂̾̆͌̀́̚ ̵̛̺͚̻͕̝̬̤͕͛̒̒̅͒́́͛͜W̷̧̢̟̦̘̙̻͑̀̈́̔͑̌̔̌̽͜ͅͅḢ̵͙̺̦̭̠̦̮̘̯́͌̀Ȅ̶̝͈͈͇̹̺̲̈͆̈͠N̴̨̢̨͍̣̝̣͚͊̈̆̀͠ ̷̳͇͎̘͖̹̹̇̎̉͜͠Ī̸̬̬̖̥̹̺̼͙͍̐͊̆̉̽̚͠N̶̨̥̭̣͈̥̭̝̮̲̒̒̿ ̸̬͕̠̟̋͠T̷̢̬̤͇͎̜͌̒̎́̓̉̾͌̆Ḫ̷̢̭̮̩̭̗͋͗̄Ë̷̺̫͓̯̘̻͎̗́̽̒̏̏̒́̕ ̷͊̚͜ R̴͍̜̟̯͚̤͇̊̃̈́́̍̀͘̚Ȩ̸͚̥̗̥̳̟͔̝̮͒̚͝Á̵̺͛̈́͌͆̕̕L̷̹͓̱̟͚̙̭̰̐̂͘͜͝ͅM̶͍͑ ̵̨̤͍̦̙̲̙͗͜ͅǑ̸̺͎͚̗͙̰̃͒̓̈́͛F̶̝͉̻̻̍ ̴̝̼̥̖̯̟͆̑̑T̵͈̩̩̺̮̞̹͊̓̈́̋͜͜͠Ḩ̶̡̠̜͇͈̙͚̙̄̒̉̐̎̈́͐͜Ȩ̸͖͌̑̏̋͗̐ ̴̺̪͓̠̙͍̱͙̘̺̃F̵͕͍̉̌̀͊́͐E̵̹̥̯̝̬̞̙̯͋Y̴̠͈͕̙̰̞̻̟̯͛͆̓̏͂̈́̆͠ ̸̡͓͔̙͉͖̲̈́̋ͅĹ̵̝͛̔͌Ẻ̸̛̟̞͔̝̮̥̱͊͛̂͗̾̓͘͜S̷̢̢͕̦̭͆̎͛͝S̶̞̊̊ ̴̢͉̺͎͛͆̽T̷̬̺̼̞̲̿̊̉̾̓͘͘̚̚H̵̡̰͔̭̞̎̑̆͛̓͌͘̚ͅE̶̡̮̪͉̲͖͓͆̏͌̐͆̒̈̚͠͝Y̸͔̮͋̊͂̐̍͝ ̶̖͉̻̼̰̦͓̮̗̇T̸̛̙̱̣̰̬̼̖͑̎͌̉̂̿̑̋̽ͅA̴̟̳̙̪̩̒̏̂́͛͝K̶͚͚̭͐̋̉Ȇ̴͎̏̂͛̌͘ ̴̛͎̫̥̫͍͒̃́̑͗̐̓̕̚ͅC̸̜̹̮͇͎̹̈̐͋Ợ̵̢̾̔̈́̾͌̒̈́̆Ṋ̶̣̑̏̄̈́T̸̲̣̹̭͎͕̿̿͗̓̔̉Ř̶͚̯͓̬̗́͛͑͒̀̂̇̈́͗ͅÓ̵̝͕͕̍̿͗̎͑̇͋̊́L̸̆̍̐̈́͋̏̊́͑̚."
The distortions catch me off guard, but before I can comment, Galiant stumbles and the lights in her eyes flicker, so I rush to catch her, "Are you alright?" I ask while holding her up, "I feel like you weren't supposed to tell me any of that just quite yet."
"I wAS NoT SuPPoSED tO TeLL YOu THaT EVER," she manages to get out, "OuR HOsT HAS ARrIVED."
I look up to see the same Tinkatuff from before heading in our direction with a large smile on its face.
"Time to be a good guest then?" I ask.
A swift nod is the only response I get.
"So, your leader wants to speak with us?" I ask our Tinkatuff guide.
She responds with a shake of her head, "Tink," then points towards me.
"With me? How am I supposed to do that?" I question.
The Tinkatuff looks pointedly at Galiant, "Ka Tuff, Tinkatuff."
"I suppose that answers that…" I mutter.
Tinkatuff continues to lead us through the village, for the most part the Pokémon don't pay us any attention, although a rather large Grimsnarl does block our path at one point, a few words from our guide have it walking off in a huff. But not before giving me a particularly dirty look, I have a feeling I'll have a confrontation with that one sooner or later.
There's not much to say about the village that you can't see from the entrance, however, it is clear they are experts at using what the land provides them.
The narrow pathways and housing are built around the crystals commonly found in Area Zero, providing ample light despite the darkness of the sky. Fruit trees are abundant in the area, attended by Cutiefly and Flabébé while Spritzee flit from one plant to another.
While the primitive huts seem to be their main form of shelter, I see a few Pokémon disappear into the hollows of some larger than normal trees. It is one such tree that we seem to be heading towards.
This particular tree is massive. Almost nonsensical in size and only appears to be getting larger as we approach. The base of the tree is easily twice the size of a typical house, shooting towards the sky where hundreds, if not thousands of berries grow from its gargantuan branches.
If it were day, its leaves would carpet the sky, blotting out the sun.
This doesn't even make sense; how could we have not noticed something so large? So daunting? It would have to reach all the way to the top of the crater's walls! Wait… The walls! Where are the walls!?
"Galiant where are we!? Theres no way we wouldn't have noticed a tree this large, even from the research station we would have seen it." I ask before continuing, "and the walls, I can't see them, was that pink layer at the tree we walked through some kind of portal?"
"A TRICK OF THE EYE. THEY APPEAR TO HAVE THE ASSISTANCE OF A CAPABLE ILLUSIONIST. YOU SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE ENTRANCE. THAT IS UNUSUAL," Galiant explains, then pauses looking around.
"THE TREE IS UNDER A SIMILAR ILLUSION EVEN FROM WITHIN THE BARRIER. IF YOU WALK FAR ENOUGH YOU WILL EXIT THE ILLUSION AND SEE THE WALLS OF AREA ZERO ONCE MORE," she concludes.
I… I don't really know how to respond to that. Is that something difficult for a Pokémon to accomplish? A few that could do it spring to mind, but none of them are fairy types.
"Tinka," the voice of our guide pulls me from my thoughts as we enter an opening in the large tree. Items one would expect to find in a human abode are placed within the hollowed-out area.
A few vases here, a flowerpot in the windowsill and even bookcases filled to the brim line the back of the room. There is even a table with what looks like writing utensils situated in front of the bookshelves, almost like a small office.
A long, red-carpet spills down a winding staircase on the right side of the room leading to another floor that I cannot see. It is at the top of these stairs that the owner of the room has made themselves known.
A dress of leaves clings tightly to a slender, porcelain white figure. Surrounding its rounded head is an ornate bouquet of beautiful blue flowers and green, plant like lashes sit atop its deep, teardrop shaped eyes.
Eyes that are fixated on myself.
"A FLORGES," says Galiant.
Its black orbs shift over to Galiant for a moment before settling on myself once more, "Florges," it says, making its way down the staircase. It does not walk, rather, it floats elegantly just millimeters from the surface, eventually coming to a stop in front of us.
The creature is tall, easily a foot taller than myself, and holds itself with a sense of dignity and superiority I could only imagine in royalty.
"Florges," it says with a curtsey.
Not wanting to be rude, I do what I hope is an acceptable bow in return, "My name is Nevah, it is a pleasure to meet you."
The Pokémon giggles in response before responding once more, "Flor."
I look to Galiant out the corner of my eye, "Would you mind translating for me please? Word for word, if possible, I have a feeling there may be some hidden meanings in anything they say."
"UNDERSTOOD. I SHALL REFRAIN FROM COMMENTING UNLESS SPOKEN TO DIRECTLY FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS TO AVOID CONFUSION. TRANSLATION: THE PLEASURE IS MINE," Galiant replies.
The Florges looks at Galinat appraisingly for a moment before speaking once more, while I do watch the Pokémon's body language, I largely ignore the words, favouring to listen to Galiant's translation instead, "TRANSLATION: WE MAY SKIP THE PLEASANTRIES IF YOU WISH AND GET STRAIGHT TO THE POINT," the Pokémon turns and begins floating towards the desk near the bookshelves. Sitting down it speaks once more, "TRANSLATION: YOU REQUIRE A PASSAGE OUT OF THIS CRATER, NO? AS YOU ARE NOW, THIS IS AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK."
I try to maintain a straight face at the disappointing news but the frown on Florges' face shows my façade to be slipping, "'As I am now', implies that its possible but I have not met the conditions," I claim.
Florges nods its head before responding, "TRANSLATION: EVEN IF YOU WERE TO CLIMB OR FLY ABOVE THE ROCKY BORDERS, A HUMAN BARRIER SHALL PREVENT YOUR ESCAPE. WE KNOW OF A WAY PAST THIS, BUT YOU ARE TOO WEAK TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE."
"What exactly do I need to do then? I'll do what I must to leave this place," I say.
"TRANSLATION: UNDERSTANDABLE, HUMANS ARE NOT MEANT TO LIVE IN SUCH A PLACE. THE AIR IS AKIN TO POISON FOR YOUR KIND," it replies, "HOWEVER, WE WILL NOT YET TELL YOU HOW TO LEAVE."
"Now wait a- "
"UNTIL YOU HAVE MET THE PREREQUISITS OF THE TASK WE WILL SET IN EXCHANGE FOR THIS INFORMATION, YOU WILL FIRST DO WHAT HUMANS ARE KNOWN FOR ACROSS THE LANDS," it says interrupting me.
Something in its eyes tell me this is non-negotiable, so I look to Galiant for advice. No words of wisdom are offered, rather, a nod of encouragement and a defeated smile are sent my way.
With a sigh, I give my reply, "Very well, what will I be doing in the meantime?"
For the first time, a large smile spreads across the fairy's face and it's dark eyes glimmer as it responds in perfect Galarian.
"You, my dear, shall train."
This is not my home.
Glorious trees litter the path. Food is abundant and the air glitters, yet the glitter is not cold.
This is not my home.
A cave. A familiarity. I once lived in a cave with my mother.
A creature of wonder, of power, of malice. This cave is large. This cave is warm.
This cave is not my home.
A scent. A familiar scent. The scent of a human. Of Pokémon.
A scent of fear, of hope, of despair.
This scent is not from home.
The human is weak. The Pokémon is strong. It kills easily and quickly. The ghost is dead. The human asleep.
His dreams are good. His dreams are nightmares.
He dreams of home.
It is not my home.
My mother had a human. Before I came to exist. He made her strong. He made her angry.
He made her malice.
I will follow the human. Feed on his dreams and hope. Wallow in his despair.
Perhaps through the human. Through his borrowed strength. Through his dreams. Through his determination.
I will find my malice.
I will find my home.
Authors note:
IM NOT DEAD!
I know, I know. It's been like, three months at least since I last updated this. Unfortunately, that is the nature of my career. I was literally called at 3 in the morning, told to pack my stuff and head to the airport.
I won't disclose what I do but know that I had no internet, no personal computer, no personal devices. Nothing.
So, what's going to happen going forward? Well, the good news is I won't randomly disappear off the grid for months at a time again for minimum another year. The bad news is that I cannot remember where this story was heading for the life of me. In face I had completely forgotten about it until I got a notification on my email about a new follower!
So, I found my notes and finished off another chapter, but the notes only lead up to chapter 7. What happens after that? Who knows! Not even me!
But I figured I should at least give it an attempt ya know? So, I'm going to try to keep uploading once more. I'll write when I can and when I feel like it, hopefully at least once every two weeks minimum, but if I'm late, I'm late *shrugs*.
Anyway, here is the long-awaited CHAPTER 5!
Follow, review. All that jazz, you know the drill