Los Platos
The town of Los Plato wasn't much. It was small and unobtrusive, as it was wedged against a hill. The small community had a nearby Pokecenter, and Auronaku could see an ice cream stand next to it.
According to Nemona, the town was one of these places where everybody knew each other and what they did and are doing. There were some lurid stories that came out of the town's past, like the legend of the daughter of a great lord, who settled down in the town with a farmer after she ran away from her all-too-brief marriage to one of the king's three sons. He died in the conflagration that had followed the collapse of Paldea's monarchy while the other two had been exiled, as the story goes.
Another legend had spoken of how three and a half centuries earlier, a great family once resided within the halls of the former Sanz Manor on the outskirts of the town. But it was said that the eldest daughter ran away with a mysterious man who wore elaborate armor with carved skulls on it after the family tried to finagle the woman into a political marriage that would offer them an advantageous position. Unfortunately for them, the planned alliance ended when her family and that of her would-be betrothed were exiled to Orre and Hoenn for their numerous crimes against the townspeople.
Of course, these things were outlandish stories told to pass the time among the locals, as there really wasn't much to do there. She and Nanda could attest to the experience, as the seaside hamlet they lived in when they were in Alola was somewhat isolated. The outrageous gossip about person X, place Y and event Z was akin to the celebrity tabloids that graced the newsstands everywhere.
Auronaku scoffed at these stories, a lot of them turned out to have plenty of falsehoods. It was like a fucking telephone game, for Arceus' sake!
"Your Trainer ID, please," the voice of the Nurse Joy broke Auronaku out of her thoughts.
She took out her Rotom phone and tapped on the League app that held her personal details. Alin had done an excellent job converting the details of the birth information that the girls had provided to a logical, organized form that was commonplace in the Pokémon world.
According to what she could recall, Auronaku had been born in early winter to her mother and her unknown father at midnight. The winds of the winter had begun to pick up at that time in the Khanduran swamps. Her homeland's winters were extremely cold and harsh, a stark contrast to the mild Alolan and Paldean ones.
Nanda was born on the spring solstice. Even though her mother was Kehjistani, she had been welcomed with open arms to the village her new Khanduran husband had brought her to. It was a forbidden love affair born out of a desperate attempt to escape an arranged marriage that even the local matchmakers in her homeland had agreed would fail. Even if Nanda's memories of her mother were a bit hazy, what she had told Auronaku about the woman's background was that the Taan diviners hired at the Liurmien betrothal dinner saw several inauspicious signs in their castings. Despite that, the parents still went ahead with their plans. And that was when Nanda's mother fled westward, abandoning everything because she saw the warning signs signaling disaster for all parties involved.
Turning her Rotom phone to the monitor, the QR code on her phone was scanned, and it transferred all the data.
"May I confirm that you are going onto the gym circuit?" The Nurse Joy spoke again.
"Yes," Auronaku replied.
"Registered, and you'll see a symbol on your Rotom phone indicating your challenger status," Joy answered.
Auronaku was excited; this was just the beginning of her career! She could envision herself in the trainer's box in the annual Paldean Pokémon league conference that was held every fall. Rowlet could sense her good mood; she made little loops and barrel rolls while hooting loudly.
The Nurse Joy then turned to Nanda.
She then repeated the procedure, confirming Nanda's desire to go on the Festival circuit. Taking out a box, she handed it over to the grayette. The contents consisted of two Ribbon cases, and a PokeBlock case.
"That's the Paldean Contest Pass. She gestured to Nanda's phone, and an image with a ribbon and a QR code appeared. You'll be grouped in the 14-17 age group. The others are the 10-13, 18-21, 22-25 and 26+ groups," Joy explained, "After you win five ribbons you can enter that year's Grand Festival."
Nanda let out a cheer, while Popplio clapped noisily.
"Let's get some ice cream from that stand. I've wondered at the selection there," Auronaku added, "Back in Alola we had strawberry, lemonade, ramune, and double chocolate."
"There's teriyaki ice cream. That's new."
"Yeah, let's try it."
The duo paid for their wares. Walking down the main street eating their ice cream, they could see how lively the town of Los Platos really was. Two old women bickered on a front porch while playing backgammon, while their hen-picked husbands stood off to the side, discussing the rumours of a planned conversion of the Sanz Manor site to a full-fledged Contest Hall. A trio of children played marbles on a recessed thigh-high concrete pillar a small local restaurant had built to give them something to do while they waited for their orders to arrive.
"This is surprisingly good," Nanda remarked.
"No wonder the stand owner said this ice cream has a small but devoted following," Auronaku licked the last bits of her morsel off her hand, "I think I might have joined them."
The street gave way to a T-shaped fork. One path to their right curved back to meet in a second fork, while the other was straight. The duo, intrigued by this, went down this path. A gentle curve to the path led to a second T- shaped fork. The path on their left led into a fork pin turn. This led to an abandoned hacienda estate; the building's exterior had overgrown plants obscuring the windows and doors. The stairwells leading to it weren't much better; centuries of thermal expansion and shrinkage had broken them up.
"Isn't that the Sanz Manor I've been hearing so much about?" Nanda's question was expected.
"So that story had a grain of truth to it, it seems," Auronaku answered, "But if the original family was exiled to Orre, then the crimes must've been really bad to the point that it was necessary to do to ensure Los Platos' safety."
"Orre is a wretched hole, pure and simple," a new voice voice rang out from behind them, "But a few of my paternal ancestors came from that land. Auronaku, your observations are spot on."
"And why is that?"
"The Sanz family was plotting to overthrow the government of that time and install themselves as the new rulers of Paldea. To achieve that ambition, they made numerous marriage pacts with various noble houses all over the South, and increased the tributes the local peasants were required to pay to the lords. From there they begun conscripting the men for their campaign. But it soon crumbled as their generals turned on the Sanz family after discovering the heinous crimes they did to humans and Pokémon alike," A new voice caught the duo's attention, "I'm Mrs. Letitica Raifort, and I'm the history teacher at Naranja."
A bespectacled dark-sinned woman was standing behind Auronaku and Nanda. Her messy purple hair was shoulder-length, and the duo could see references to legendary Pokémon on her accessories.
"And what happened after their exile?" Nanda questioned.
"The government selected the Sada clan to oversee the stewardship of the South," Raifort replied, "They were a family of scholars and archivists that originally operated out of the Cabo Paco Enclave, and one of the six founding families of the Academy."
Auronaku could recall the town hall at the heart of the town; it was a medieval structure that still saw some use as the town hall slash library. The numerous upgrades the building had gone through had seamlessly integrated the modern conveniences with the traditional lines of Paldean gothic architecture.
"Apparently the Cabo Poco town hall used to be that enclave," she observed, Rowlet landing on her shoulder after a flight over the disused estate.
"Correct."
"Bris, don't forget your physio exercises!"
A bespectacled skinny girl with dark purple hair that faded into pale lilac tips rolled their green eyes as their oldest brother reminded them.
They was extremely clumsy, and their fine motor skills were just as bad. After a few years of their teachers commenting on their bad handwriting, someone somewhere had a lightbulb moment after observing their gross motor skills and realized how poorly coordinated they was.
That somebody was their grade three teacher, who had pushed for Brisallan Mortimer to be screened for development coordination disorder. The confirmation had been made at the end of that school week, as their family physician had ordered all kinds of tests to rule out other conditions.
Although Brisallan had told their family a few months ago that they had identified as non-binary and taught them the proper pronouns they would like to be identified with, some family still referred to them as she/her, and Brisallan was fine with it as well.
Their short, fine hair was cut in curtain bangs at the front and at the back the slightly longer hair was layered in such a way that it flipped away from the head. It was a cut that they had specifically chosen to express their identity as a non-binary person. Add to that their kilted Naranja uniform with matching blazer and tall black boots, and Brisallan was set for school.
Their Misdreavus hovered at their shoulder; he had been their constant companion in their family's ancestral graveyard that lay near their house. It was a well-known fact that the Mortimer family were experts in funerary rites, and many locals in their corner of Paldea had come to them to handle the final disposition of beloved humans and Pokémon alike.
The reason for the trip to Mesogoza? Brisallan had declared their intention to become a Ghost-type specialist with the intention of eventually succeeding Ryme or another Ghost-type gym leader after their retirement. And Naranja Academy was merely the first step on their journey.
They took their first steps and... stumbled. Damn, they hated their clumsiness. But to reach for their dream, stumbles and trips would be part of the journey, both literal and metaphorical.
Hiking the brief trail between their family compound and Montenevera, they came upon an injured Greavard. The pokemon seems to have gotten in a fight with another one of their kind, judging from the bite marks on their body.
"Greavard: The Grave dog Pokémon. This friendly Pokémon doesn't like being alone. Pay it even the slightest bit of attention, and it will follow you forever." Brisallan's slate gray Rotom Phone emerged from the pocket of their blazer and scanned the Pokemon.
Brisallan recalled that in the weeks leading up to this day, they had impulsively purchased a couple of Heal Balls. Taking one of them out of their leather crossbody bag they tapped the button against the Ghost Dog's forehead, and it was quickly absorbed into the ball.
"Mis, Miss!" Misdreavus circled their head as Brisallan held up the ball. Pressing the button, they released the Pokemon. The confused Greavard scrutinized them then moved in for a sniff. Brisallan moved to scratch the Ghost Dog's head, being mindful of the candle on the head.
The pokemon yipped in excitement and ran in circles around Brisallan's legs.
"You wanna join me?"
Another happy yip, and Brisallan smiled. Greavard was going to be a great addition to their team. They was definitely excited for the adventure ahead.
"That's one giant pair of doors," Auronaku and Rowlet looked up at the southern entrance to Mesogoza.
"Not surprising when you factor in the region's history," Nanda commented as she held Popplio, "Paldea used to be a region steeped in conflict."
"Kalos did try to conquer Paldea in the distant past. We all know how well that went over," Auronaku added, "But there's also the fact that Galar and Paldea duked it out over trade routes fourty-hundred and fifty years ago."
"Plus, all three are known for their colonialism, and the Indigenous people in Unova and its surrounding regions has been calling out the bullshit for years," Nanda noted.
"Didn't the Anshina'abe clan help found Naranja? If I recall correctly, they were an Indigenous clan who was chosen because of their deep knowledge of the natural world,"
"Riight."
"Hey!" Nemona's voice interrupted their conversation.
"I'm pumped for another battle!" she waved her hand to beckon the duo over.
"Yeah, the trainers around here were too easy!" Auronaku smirked.
"Come on out, Pawmi!"
"Go, Tarountula!"
The pokeballs of the respective Pokemon were tossed in the air, and they emerged.
"String shot!"
"Quick attack!"
As Pawmi sped up toward Tarountula, the latter leapt up in the air and shot a sticky string at them. The act served to slow down Pawmi's momentum.
"Follow up with Tackle!"
Tarountula collided with Pawmi, causing them to be caught off guard.
"Quick attack, again," Nemona called out again, "When you see an opening, take advantage of it!"
"Dodge, then follow up with String Shot!"
Tarountula dodged Pawmi and fired off another salvo. It missed as Pawmi rolled out of the way. An idea suddenly popped into Auronaku's mind. Recalling how spiders often trap their prey, and Tarountala's evolution, Spidops, was no exception; she formulated a plan based on that observation.
"Feint to set up your trap, Tarountula!"
"Oun," The String Ball pokemon acknowledged her order.
As the pokemon laid in wait, it didn't take long for Pawmi to fall in their trap. Firing a string shot at Pawmi, it caused the Mouse Pokemon to stumble.
While Auronaku deployed the strategy, she didn't notice Nanda's wince, and the signs of an incoming panic attack. Popplio sure did, as the Sea Lion leapt into action.
Reaching out to her trainer, Popplio nudged Nanda's face. She was hyperventilating and trembling. Apparently Auronaku's new tactics had brought up some traumatic memories in her mind.
Another nudge, and Nanda broke out of her fright.
"Thank you," She patted Popplio's head. That really helped, seeing the tactics Auronaku had deployed had brought back these horrible memories of these two spider victims that she always saw in her dreams. Why couldn't she remember who they were?
"Thundershock!"
"Dodge, then lay another trap with your String Shot!"
Tarountula dodged Pawmi's attack. Moving away from the Mouse Pokémon, the String Ball pokemon did a back flip before lying in wait.
"Quick attack!"
Tarountala let out another string shot, slowing Pawmi down.
"Tackle!" Auronaku ordered, and her Pokemon complied. Tarountula collided with Pawmi, knocking Nemona's Pokémon back.
"Grab Tarountula, there's the opening!"
Pawmi did so, gripping two of Tarountula's legs. Restraining the String Ball Pokémon, the Mouse Pokémon prepped for a Thundershock. Tarountula struggled to break free.
"You can do it!"
Tarountala struggled in Pawmi's grips. These motions eventually turned green, and the Pokemon broke free, dealing damage to Pawmi.
"Hooray, you learned Struggle Bug!" Auronaku cheered, "Lay another trap with String shot, then strike with it!"
"Taroun, oun!"
"Quick attack!" Pawmi dashed toward Tarountala. The String Ball Pokémon shot out their sticky string that tripped Pawmi. The trademark slashes of Struggle Bug caused the Mouse Pokémon to faint.
"Great job Pawmi!" Nemona returned her Pokémon to her Pokeball.
"Excellent job on using your Pokémon's natural instincts to your advantage! With that skill you'll be Champion-ranked in no time!" Nemona's praise made Auronaku blush.
"Thanks!" she rubbed her hooded head in embarrassment, "I recalled that spiders were natural predators and capitalized on that fact."
"That was some smart thinking, though. Our biology teacher could help you refine that aspect," Nemona added, "His name's Enrique Jacq."
"Let's get back to the match. It's so fun!" Auronaku commented.
Nemona laughed out loud.
"Come on out, Fuecoco!" she tossed another pokeball into the impromptu battlefield.
"Fuecoco: The Fire Croc Pokémon. Its flame sac is small, so energy is always leaking out. This energy is released from the dent atop Fuecoco's head and flickers to and fro." Auronaku's Rotom phone scanned the Pokémon.
"Tarountula, you ready?" Auronaku asked the String Ball Pokemon, "This is going to be a bit of a challenge."
"Tount!"
"Keep moving. You're really weak against fire, and if Fuecoco hits you, you're toast," Auronaku instructed.
"Ember!" Nemona's Fuecoco acted on her command. He belched a small flame at Tarountula, which the pokemon promptly dodged. Another belch of flame caused a near-miss, before the third finally hit their mark. It left a burn on Tarountala, who winced in pain at the injury.
"You ok, Tarountula?"
"Tul!"
"Use your String shot to evade the flames," Auronaku ordered.
Tarountula shot out filaments, attaching it to a nearby rock. Using it as an anchor point, The String Ball pokemon swung out of the way of Fuecoco's flames. As the Fire Croc fired off another Ember, Tarountula dodged that too with another swing. Rinse and repeat. Auronaku and Nemona could almost swear that Tarountula was doing the Pokemon equivalent of quipping, and it made for a comical sight.
"That's quite the web-slinging!" Nemona laughed out loud, "Were you by chance inspired by Ariados Man?"
"My favorite comic book hero while growing up!" Auronaku answered, "One of his most unforgettable lines involved taunting some Unova mob boss by saying that the subject was so fat, whenever the individual shaved marshmallow fluff comes out when he cut himself."
"Oh yeah, that was hilarious!" Nemona was nearly in tears from laughing so hard.
"Fuecoco, Tackle!"
"Dodge, then follow up with another String shot!"
Tarountula did so, doing a backflip to evade Fuecoco's attack. Shooting another salvo of silk, they slowed Fuecoco down with it. The Fire Croc blew another Ember that burned away the silk. Tarountula shot another silk filament that attached itself to an overhanging branch. Using the swinging as momentum, The String Ball pokemon prepared themself for a Tackle.
Only for Fuecoco's Ember to hit them in the air. It was a lucky shot that caused the pokemon to fall out of the air. Upon hitting the ground, Tarountula fainted.
"You did great, Tarountula. We'll work on your speed when we arrive at Naranja!" Auronaku returned her pokemon to her Pokeball.
"Go, Rowlet!" Auronaku gestured to her Grass Quill Pokemon to take over the battle.
"Row Row!"
"Now I'm getting excited! Let me show you something!" Nemona took out a black orb with a strange hexagonal opening in it. Clutching it with the other hand on her wrist, she empowered it, and Fuecoco was soon surrounded by crystals; they broke away to reveal Fuecoco's new form, which resembled a glimmering jewel. The crown on top looked like a chandelier with five candles on top, reminding Auronaku and Nanda of their birth home which often used things like that for task lighting.
"That's Terastallization! It's Paldea's pride and joy, and it was said that Professor Sada developed it when she was in Area Zero!" She explained.
"So, it's like Z-moves," Nanda answered, "We didn't get our Z-bands, so it's impossible to demonstrate it here. But I do know the move required to activate the Water Z-move, Hydro Vortex."
She crossed her arms, then brought them to chest level, and made circular moves with her arms. It was followed up by her making waving motions much like the ones seen in traditional Alolan pau dances.
"And I know the Grass-type one. It's called Bloom Doom, and you do it like this," Auronaku crossed her arms, and squatted, hands in a prayer position. She stood up while opening her hands in a way that resembled the unfolding of a plant seedling as it greeted the sun.
"Interesting," Nemona remarked, "One day I'll go there to take the Trials! You can be my guides; you know the islands well!"
"Thanks!" Both girls let out a nervous chuckle.
"Rowlet, Leafage!"
"Fuecoco, Ember!"
As Rowlet fired off another twirl of leaves, Fuecoco burnt the leaves in a display of increased power. Throwing more Embers at the Grass Quill Pokemon, Rowlet deftly dodged the projects, displaying her speed well. Weaving in and out of Fuecoco's attacks, she fired another Leafage at the Fire Croc pokemon. Some leaves hit their mark, while others missed.
"Tackle!"
"Leer!"
Rowlet struck true, damaging Fuecoco. Even if the Leer slowed her defense, she never lost her momentum. Fuecoco winced but threw out another super-powered Ember that badly injured Rowlet.
"Dodge, then Tackle!" Auronaku's instructions were heeded; Rowlet dodged and tackled Fuecoco again.
"Leer, then follow up with Ember!" Nemona commanded.
Fuecoco's leer weakened Rowlet's defense, and the Ember finished her off.
"You did well, Rowlet!" Auronaku walked over to pick her partner Pokemon up.
"That was a great match!" Nemona returned Fuecoco to their Pokeball, "Let's heal up and head into Mesogoza."
Mesogoza was quite a sight, even if Auronaku and Nanda had visited the city multiple times. There were plenty of food stalls and restaurants, and people congregated together at these places to socialize and enjoy the sunny day. There were even a few Pokemon Battles ongoing, and onlookers on both sides were cheering for the trainers.
Auronaku could see the giant staircase that led up to Naranja. However, the path there was blocked by two people. They wore motorcycle helmets and star-shaped goggles and were ganging up on a girl with a fluffy Eevee backpack.
"Don't you get it? If you join Team Star, you can shine as bright as anybody!" the female of the pair said, while her companion, a dark-skinned male with dreadlocks spilling out the helmet clapped.
"... … …." The girl didn't react.
"Seriously, what's with you? Don't you wanna burn bright with awesome friends like us?"
"Not really."
"Look-we've got a quota we're supposed to fill for new members, so sign up already!"
"Um...I'd rather not," The Eevee girl answered, her voice filled with indignation.
That was when Auronaku entered the conversation.
"Why is it always khamwati like you who always pick on the weak?!" She spat out.
Nemona and the Eevee girl were confused at the foreign word. They blinked and their baffled expression made Nanda sigh.
"I guess I must explain. Khamwati literally means dimwit in Auronaku's native language," Nanda answered.
The Team Star grunt bristled at the insult.
"Well, well, looks like we'll have to defend our honour!" Grunt A took out her Pokeball.
"Go, Shroodle!" Tossing it into the makeshift battleground she made a gesture with her hands that looked like she was drawing a star. From the grunt's pokeball, a shrewlike pokemon appeared. It had a tuft of white fur on top of their head and their purple and white tongue was sticking out.
"Go, Rowlet!" Auronaku watched as Rowlet flew to the centre to face down the Toxic Mouse Pokemon.
"Shroodle: The Toxic Mouse Pokemon.Though usually a mellow Pokémon, it will sink its sharp, poison-soaked front teeth into any that anger it, causing paralysis in the object of its ire," Her Rotom phone scanned the new Pokemon.
The Shroodle scrutinized their new opponent.
"Tackle, Rowlet!"
"Shroodle, scratch!"
Rowlet moved out of the way of the Shroodle's attack before she tackled the Pokemon. The ensuing damage knocked the Toxic Mouse pokemon back. Shroodle attempted to attack again, but Rowlet rolled out of the way. Rowlet dove into another Tackle, and this move caused Shroodle to faint.
"Return, Shroodle," The disgruntled female Team Star grunt snapped, before she pushed Grunt B forward.
"Your turn, you dumb twat!" she screamed at him.
"OK, ok, I'll go!" The boy rolled his eyes, before he sighed in annoyance at his assigned partner.
Auronaku frowned in distaste at the scene. They reminded her of a certain bullying duo she would rather not name at her old school who was always getting into trouble with the police one way or another. They ended up joining Team Skull and it was the day before Alin, Nanda and she left for Paldea that she really found out the reason for all their antics.
The duo's father was a violent drunk, and their mother was nowhere to be found. Auronaku had a sinking feeling that the man had murdered her. But without concrete evidence to back it up, she could only speculate on it. And the most disturbing aspect of it was how the duo had casually mentioned their mother's fear of abandonment as if it was the weather.
"Go, Yungoos!" The male grunt threw his Pokeball into the battlefield. From it emerged a mongoose-like Pokemon with a comb-over crest.
"Yungoos: It wanders around in a never-ending search for food. At dusk, it collapses from exhaustion and falls asleep on the spot," Auronaku's Rotom Phone spoke up again, the scanning function already completed.
"Yungoos, Tackle that stupid owl!"
As Yungoos headed straight for Rowlet, the Grass Quill Pokémon just made a barrel roll out of the way. As a result, the Loitering Pokémon crashed into a nearby wall and promptly fainted.
"Well, that was anti-climactic," Auronaku remarked, and Nemona, Nanda and the Eevee girl could only nod in silence.
"Let's skedaddle! Hasta la vida staaar!" The two grunts ran off, clearly ashamed by their pitiful defeats.
Turning to the stairs, Auronaku and Nanda could already tell tranversing these steps was going to be a chore.
"Welcome to the stairs from hell," Nemona chuckled.
Their dorm rooms were plain; and after looking over the design board that Nanda had dreamed up for Auronaku and hers which shared a kitchen and bathroom, but had two separate bedrooms, the duo got to work, swapping out Naranja's standard-issue beddings with the bedding they had packed in their respective suitcases. It was soon followed up by stocking the combined bookshelf/desks in their rooms with their treasured possessions.
"Paint job tomorrow?"
"Yes!"
"It was a long day today. We're pooped. Better hit the sack right now," Nanda admitted, as Popplio hung on her shoulder and Hoppip in her lap.
"Yeah, this is going to be a long week of settling in," Auronaku yawned as Rowlet sat on her head. Tarountula ran circles around her feet.
The two walked off to their respective rooms and closed the doors. That night, the duo would have the first of many dreams about their birth world.
The ruins of a demon-razed village were framed by the setting sun. Auronaku could see the remnants of her mother's blacksmithing shop. It was a sad sight, the forge that once made and repaired hundreds of weapons was now a pile of stones. But that was not what she noticed. In front of it was a muscular man that looked like he came straight out of these corny fantasy novels and comics about barbarians. But he was grief-struck as he cradled in his hand a wooden toy figure of a warrior woman.
"I came too late to save the two of you! This wouldn't have happened if the Vahalkin chieftain had called me away from you. Bul-Kathos forgive me, for I have failed!" He broke down and knelt, sobbing.
He bellowed, his war cry carrying the echoes of his grief over the area.
Meanwhile a brown haired woman carrying a staff wiped away tears as she traced the remnants of the magics of a certain gray-haired girl. As she moved forward, she could see the barbarian.
"What are you doing here, O son of Arreat?" Her question did little to distract him from his grief.
"My daughter lived here with her mother. The demons most likely killed them," He answered, "You, follower of Esus?"
"A family had a daughter with strong magical gifts. I was supposed to visit them on the girl's seventh nameday. When I sensed the magical surge, I came as fast as I could. From what I could trace, I realized that the girl had unintentionally cast a teleportation spell that brought her to this place,"
"How old was she?"
"Four," the woman answered.
"My daughter was the same age." The man added, "If your girl teleported to the smithy, perhaps she was close friends with my daughter?"
"That's an astute observation," She remarked. Pulling on the ambient magics, images begun to resurface. A curly-haired child was shoved into a hidden alcove by her terrified mother, and then Khazra goatmen begun dragging the woman away while the terrified child watched in horror. A blink of light, and the classic popping sound of forced air displacement accompanying a teleport followed. Another girl appeared next to the curly-haired child; she had straight hair. Both embraced each other; they were so terrified that they clung to each other.
"So, that confirmed our suspicions," The man answered.
"What's more disturbing to me is how she manifested her powers," the unamed woman answered, "I need to investigate further and submit the report to the elders of the Zann Esus."
"Noted. I'll need to return to my tribe with the news of the demon attack and the deaths of my daughter and her mother," The man added as he stood up.
"May we meet again in more fortunate circumstances,"
Author's Note: That's it for Chapter 2.
If you spot the Ultimate Spiderman Easter egg, good on you! Now's here's the question, what was the number and year of the issue of Ultimate Spiderman that this iconic scene I had Auronaku reference?