Hi all! It's been a long time, but another story got stuck in my head.
Don't expect this to be dark like my other story, Fairy Survivor, as I don't believe that Pokémon stories should be dark and dreary. Expect more of a light-hearted adventure story.
I plan on posting a chapter every week, but there may be more or less every now and then. As such, a follow would be greatly appreciated!
Comments, constructive or otherwise (even just hating), are always fun to read. If you have something to say, share it!
With all that said, let's get started!
It began, as most fantastical tales do, with a dream.
A reoccurring dream where I lived the life of my childhood fantasy. Free to travel the world in wonderment, simply soaking in the serenity and beauty of nature around me. No responsibilities to shackle me down. No great task or looming threat to burden my spirit. Just me and my partner, following whatever path our feet take us down.
Frustratingly enough, I could never remember the identity of my partner; even when everything else was so clearly vivid.
I knew that I was in the world that my much younger self daydreamed of living in: the Pokemon world. I knew that I was traveling on a trainer's journey, facing down against one obstacle after another. I also knew that others doubted me, ridiculing the very idea of my success. However, more fiercely than anything else, I knew that my partner and I would tear down anything in our way. No amount of naysayers and doubters would turn us from our path. Our will was one, and it was unbreakable.
Which is all the more reason why I was so vexed about not remembering who that partner was!
It stands to reason that it was a Pokemon, but no amount of moaning and groaning, and straining my brain has helped me even narrow down the options.
No, my partner's identity remains a tauntingly stubborn blank.
This rings true even now.
But what is so special about now? After all, it wouldn't be much of a story if it ended with just a dream.
No, it certainly did not end with a dream. In fact, I only told such a mundane tale to set the stage for the ridiculous, yet wondrous circumstances I now find myself in.
After about a week of continuously dreaming about my otherworldly adventures in the vast world of Pokemon, I began to notice something.
My slumber began to extend past when I would wake up.
Now, I know what you are thinking. That doesn't make sense. How can it still be called slumber if you have woken up already?
I agree, but that is truly the only way I can explain it. You see, it was a sensation where my dream had ended and I could see my room, but I could also see my body, still sleeping! It was as though I was floating above my body, merely in spirit form, looking down upon myself!
The first time it happened, I was barely an inch above my body's face, staring at my lidded eyes. Had I still been in my body, I might have had a heart attack. Furthermore, I couldn't move my spirit one iota, so I could only panic in place. It ended after less than a minute, though it felt like hours.
The second time I was suspended a good foot above my soulless body, and I could slightly turn my head. Now an experienced soul-walker, I was only slightly (very) terrified! This time, it lasted nearly five minutes, so I still fell into a panic by the end of it.
This brings us to the third time. In other words, right now. This time, I can move my body freely. Well, I would be able to move freely, were I not being held in place.
Looking down at my stomach, I see massive gray fingers wrapped tightly around my torso. It looks like a human hand with a winter glove on, but the size is far beyond what any human could have. After all, at 6'1, 205 pounds, I'm a pretty big guy. A hand that can wrap around my waist is a large one indeed.
My stomach lurches and I feel a sticky lump of pure terror rising in my chest.
I knew some weird stuff was going on, but what the hell is this? Is this a demon? The Devil? Is my soul being taken? I've never been super pious, but aren't you at least supposed to wait until I die for that?
Damn it! I've always been an avid follower of the practice of not looking at scary things in your room at night. You know, hiding under the covers when you hear a noise, or squeezing your eyes shut after a creepy-looking shadow flickers on the ceiling. However, if I'm going to get scammed out of my soul before I even kick the bucket, you better believe I'm going to look at the impatient bastard's face!
With a herculean effort, I begin to turn my head to look at my soul-napper's ugly mug. Then I look forward again and take a deep breath, cause this is some seriously scary shit. Now, before I can psych myself out again, I rapidly twist my head back and peek at the being behind me.
A massive gray face with bulging yellow eyes and a jagged yellow mouth awaits me. I can only be glad for my new discovery that souls aren't able to defecate, as I would have soiled my pants otherwise. Why on Earth is its mouth so wide?!
…Wait.
Those eyes aren't actually looking at anything, and that mouth is just a striii… nope never mind the mouth just moved! Pretty sure the eyes actually aren't real though
In fact, a floating red orb in what I had first thought to be a hat seems to be what's focused on me… Holy shit, it's a Dusknoir!
What in the name of all that is holy is going on here?
I'm trying to freak out here, but my soul can't make any noise, so I'm just kind of flailing around in its hand. The red orb narrows into what I can only assume is a squint, and it starts to pull me towards it.
The absurdity of the situation has helped to distract me from my fear, so I can at least think properly again. I'm trying to remember everything I can about Dusknoir, which isn't too hard, considering it's one of my favorite ghost types.
I know that Dusknoir can pull people to the spirit world, which is essentially the Pokemon world's equivalent of an afterlife. I think it usually does this to dead souls that haven't passed on, but it can also pull out a living person's soul. That, I remember distinctly from the episode where a Dusknoir straight-up kills Oak because he said he wanted to see the spirit world. Obviously, Oak didn't actually die, which tells me that they can also put souls back into bodies. I think I remember something about them guiding lost spirits too.
While I struggle to remember anything that might be relevant to my absurd circumstances, my thoughts are interrupted by a single, fierce tug that sends me up and over the Gripper Pokemon's head. Only now do I see the gaping, black hole in the very fabric of the universe that had been floating above Dusknoir's head.
I guess seeing a real-life Pokemon was just too distracting, because how in the hell did I miss that?!
Anyways, the Dusknoir has let me go at this point, having already gone through with the action of yeeting my helpless spirit into the distortion in space. As soon as I enter the dimensional tear, images flash in and out of my vision, far too fast to keep up and far too fleeting to remember. All I know for a fact is that there were untamed wildernesses and strange creatures innumerable.
Finally, my vision settled on a forest, thick with vegetation and showing no signs of human interference. Well, other than the still corpse of a young boy, he just looks out of place, to be honest.
More than a little freaked out, I look around for the Dusknoir and almost feel lost when I don't see it. After all, what do I even do as a bodiless soul in a seemingly foreign world? If it's going to drag me into an eldritch portal, the least it could do is take some responsibility.
"Noir"
As that thought comes to my mind, an inhuman voice behind me turns my head. Just in time to see a massive gray palm sumo slap me upside the head, shoving my entire soul straight down into the boy's corpse.
"Uhgg" I let out a groan that carries all the pain of my splitting headache. "Why do these dreams just keep getting weirder?"
My tired mumbling sounds awfully high-pitched, but the headache and drowsiness don't allow room for me to pick up on that. Instead, I sluggishly sit up and put my head in my hands. The constant pounding isn't going to make for a pleasant day, that much is certain. Thankfully, it's the weekend, so I don't have to go out at all, and nobody will bother me now that I live alone. Time to catch another hour of sleep and hope the problem is gone when I wake up.
I let myself fall weightlessly back, only to give an undignified yelp when my head bounces off what feels like a rock. Once again, I spend some time curled up with my head cradled in my arms. That certainly was not my pillow, and now that I've quite literally been knocked awake, I can tell that I am not on my bed, nor am I in my room. Peeking out from my protective arm cradle, I confirm that it was indeed a rock that my head hit. That, combined with the fact that there is grass all around said rock, heavily implies that I am outside.
Why?
Ignoring all my current ailments, I explode up to my feet and wildly look around myself. My jaw drops in shock when I see my surroundings.
I'm currently in the middle of what has to be the thickest, most untamed forest I have ever seen in my life. Not only is there greenery and massive trees as far as I can see in any direction, but the woods are truly alive with a cacophony of noises.
It almost feels as though I am out of place in such a location. Not because I have no idea what the hell is going on (that too), but because this feels like a place so ruled by nature that a human shouldn't encroach upon it. Though, beneath the panic at being in an unknown wilderness, beneath the strangeness of feeling out of place, beneath everything else; I can't help but notice a truly serene calm in the core of my being. This place, this atmosphere, this beauty, this serenity; being here feels better than any city or building I've ever been in before. It almost feels as though my soul has finally found the comfort of home.
I take a deep breath and am just about ready to calm down and begin attempting to ascertain my whereabouts when I see a spot of orange on a nearby tree trunk. My vision focuses in on it, and everything clicks.
Any respectable fan of the Pokemon franchise would be able to recognize a Weedle at a glance, and this oversized horned caterpillar is certainly a Weedle.
Seeing that is all it really takes. My dream must not have been a dream after all. A Dusknoir truly came to my room through a portal and launched me into a new world. It only makes sense that this new world would be the one Dusknoir came from: the Pokemon World.
It feels odd to accept this so readily, but with all the weird stuff that's been happening to me this past week, I don't even feel like questioning it. The only thing I would ask is why me, but I suppose that doesn't really matter now, does it? Besides, only Dusknoir and Arceus could probably answer me, and how do I expect to ask them anything? No, my best option at this point is to accept the fact that I am simply now in the world of Pokemon, and I am likely here to stay.
Though, if my Dusknoir dream was real, what of the corpse? I'd rather not stumble upon a dead child as my first Pokemon adventure.
A quick scan of the area comes up empty, but I can't help but notice how large everything seems. Even the Weedle, which I don't think should be any bigger than a foot, looks massive when I stick my hand in front of me to measure.
…Wait.
WHY IS MY HAND SO TINY?!
My hand is dainty and pale, and my arm is like a twig. The lost musculature from daily dedication to protein and powerlifting nearly brings me to tears. Instead, I merely fall to my hands and knees in defeat, the headache coming back in full force. I already suspect that I know what happened.
In Pokemon, parents are absurdly irresponsible and you start your journey as a trainer at like 10. This means that to start an adventure like normal here, I would need to be a kid too. Thinking further on it, Dusknoir shoved my soul into that kid's corpse, didn't he?
Well, that's kinda morbid.
"Whelp, guess there's no use dwelling on it." I push myself up to my feet and try to look at myself as best I can.
I can't see my face, but I've got pale skin and spindly limbs, though my frame feels large enough to put on some good mass in the future. I'm currently wearing clothes so torn up that they're barely holding themselves together on my body. This includes a pair of black jeans and a light brown hoodie. Some brown hiking boots complete the look and are thankfully the only things in good shape still. Trailing down to my shoulders, I can also see some light ash-brown hair. A quick, and slightly worried, pat down tells me that I am still a male though.
Said pat down also revealed to me some crucial information about my current possessions. Which is that I have absolutely none beyond my clothes. Part of me was wishing for a Pokeball to be in my pocket or something, but that must have been the excessively greedy part, cause I've got nothing.
BOOOOOM*
Before I have a chance to investigate anything else, an explosive noise sends a wave of air pressure through the forest.
BBZZZZZZZZTTTTTTT*
A furious buzzing sound follows it and my mind instantly goes to the Weedle from before. When I whip my head in its direction, I notice that the bugger's nowhere to be seen.
BBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTT*
The buzzing is louder, closer now. It sounds like there are more now than there were before. I think back to the early Viridian forest episodes of the Pokemon anime, and I briefly wonder if that's where I am before I remember how those Beedrill acted towards Ash and company. That memory gets me moving and I dash and dive into the nearby underbrush, safely out of sight.
BBBBBBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTT*
I get there just in time to see a small, brown quadrupedal figure dash through the clearing. Seconds later, a swarm of 3-foot-tall, drill-armed bees storm through in its wake. All of them are sending waves of what I can only assume to be pin missiles and poison stings in the direction of the fleeing brown figure.
They are gone as fast as they arrived, but I wait in my hiding spot a good 30 seconds after they've left, just in case. A good decision too, because shortly after those 30 seconds are up, a full pack of small brown figures, similar to the fleeing creature, stream through, seemingly chasing the action.
When I push myself back to my feet and into the clearing, I notice the blood and fur on the ground. I can't help but sigh deeply to myself, already knowing that my next course of action may be the least intelligent choice possible.
But what can I do, if I saw things right, this blood belongs to one of my all-time favorite Pokemon. I can't just leave him hurt like that, even if there realistically isn't much that I can do to help. Nonetheless, I'll do what I can. If I don't go, I won't even have the chance to do that.
With such foolish thoughts in mind, I set off after the two groups of Pokemon that came through. All I had to do was follow the trail of blood and poisonous needles.
"If this is going to get me killed, you better at least hang in there, little one." My mutters betray my lack of optimism.
My feet pound heavily through the forest, though my heart pounds even harder.
"Hah hah hah" Listening to my panting breaths as I run after the two groups of Pokémon, you'd think I'm dying. "How am I already this tired?"
As a former Division 1 athlete, the frailty of my new body is almost physically disgusting. That's going to need to be fixed asap. Nevertheless, I push through the exhaustion with all my might. Even a short break might mean the difference between arriving on time to save the injured Pokémon and being too late to do anything.
I already know that it's a terrible idea to chase down an aggressive group of Beedrill, but it doesn't matter. I already saw how desperately that little Pokémon was fleeing, and how determined its pack was to come to the rescue. After seeing that, from one of my all-time favorite Pokémon no less, there was really no question about whether or not I would try to help.
Also, supersizing bugs surprisingly makes them feel much less repulsive to me. So that doesn't hurt.
As I stumble along in an awkward jog, I can still hear the chaos ahead of me. This confirms that I'm on the right path if the trail of blood, fur, and needles hasn't already.
*BOOOOM*
"What the pfft" A loud explosion ahead of me takes me off my feet and careening face-first into the forest floor. After spitting out the leaves and dirt, I hastily clamber to my feet. "What was that?"
I continue my trek forward, only to realize that the sounds are no longer moving away from me. I'm finally catching up. After clumsily climbing over a recently fallen tree and pushing my way through several low-hanging branches, I finally arrive at the scene of battle.
*BBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTT*
The buzzing of insect wings is so loud that I can hardly hear my own thoughts. The noise is omnipresent here, unavoidable and berating me from every direction. When I crane my head up and look around, it's obvious why this is the case.
Coming here already feels like a suicidal mistake.
Beedrill. Everywhere I look is nothing but a sea of yellow and black. They are swarming around the clearing I now find myself in, furiously flying in erratic patterns and making threatening chittering noises. My only saving grace is that all of the hundreds of red eyes are focused on the center of the clearing.
I attempt to follow their gaze, but I am blocked off by the living wall of Beedrill. I can make a guess though, as there is a steady stream of Beedrill lancing down there from above.
Now that I'm here, the question I faced when I first decided to chase them confronts me: what can I even do? It's lucky enough that they haven't noticed and killed me yet. If I try to force my way into the center, well, I'll die before I get halfway there.
While I'm feeling helpless, my sight is naturally drawn to a newly seen figure. High in the sky, far above the clearing, higher than even the massive tree tops, is an orange light. I squint my eyes in the hopes of getting a better view, but they widen again in panic when I identify the source of that light. I've seen this attack far too many times in the anime not to recognize it.
A massive Beedrill, nearly three times the size of the rest, is charging up a Hyper Beam.
Without thinking, I sprint back out of the clearing and throw myself behind the first tree I reach.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM*
"GOOOOON!"
A massive wave of air pressure and loose dirt flies around the clearing, whipping my long hair about my face. A desperate and defiant voice echoes out alongside the wind.
Peeking around the tree, I see that the Beedrill are also in slight disarray from the supersized Hyper Beam. A spherical green dome fades away in the center of the clearing, and I can finally see the Beedrills' targets.
Brown and white, jagged stripes run through their fur. Their eyes are blacked out, almost as if they had masks on. They look like the most adorable mix between raccoons and puppies.
That's right, they're a pack of Zigzagoons, and they are dying.
I quickly count out eight of them that are lying on their sides, wheezing for air and periodically wincing in pain. Two more are limping around their fallen pack mates, pulling poisonous needles out of them. However, they too tense in intense pain every few seconds, showing signs of being poisoned.
There is one more though. One which I can't help but feel drawn towards.
Standing in front of the pack with a ferocious snarl on its face, a lone Zigzagoon is defiant against the insurmountable odds. Faced with an onslaught of fully evolved Pokémon, the brave tiny raccoon Pokémon shows no fear. Its eyes are filled with a challenging light.
I've never felt this before, but somehow, I can just tell that the gears of fate are at play here.
This is my partner. I know it like I know that the clear sky is blue. All my dreams snap into focus. This is my partner.
"Goon"
An incredibly weak cry from one of the fallen pups snaps me out of my thoughts. The cry came from the smallest Zigzagoon lying down in the very center of the pack, who I now realize is the one who was fleeing the Beedrills' pursuit. My sight zeroes in on all the red in the clearing, and I realize that the poison isn't the extent of their injuries.
All the Zigzagoon are littered with cuts and puncture wounds. Though none bleed more profusely than the one at the front, defending the pack.
At this point, the Beedrill begin to recover from the giant's Hyper Beam and are once again closing in on the pack.
My eyes wander, my head swivels around, my brain strains to its limit, and every part of my being is working in overdrive to find a way to help them survive this predicament. That's when I see what may be their only chance. An incredibly foolish idea comes to mind.
Before I can even act on it, a flurry of motion bursts into action in front of me and three Beedrill are sent careening back. I only see a brown blur hit them until the guardian Zigzagoon skids to a halt back by the pack.
What was that?!
Zigzagoon is one of the Pokémon that I have used the most in my life of gaming, so I'm pretty confident in knowing its moveset well enough. My first thought is Quick Attack, but I know they don't learn that. It doesn't take me long to think of the only other option, but it's almost hard to believe. A certain egg move that I always bred my own Zigzagoon to have comes to mind. This little fellow must come from quite the lineage if it already knows Extreme Speed.
Unfortunately, the effects of using such an advanced move at a seemingly young age and low level are instantly apparent.
The brave Zigzagoon's chest heaves and its legs tremble furiously. The three Beedrill that it hit are all slow to get up, but injuring them is only about as useful as stopping a single raindrop in a downpour. Using such an exhausting move in this dire situation was an obvious mistake, and it shows the young fighter's lack of experience.
At this point, it's clear that they won't survive much longer on their own. The only chance they might have is if my foolish idea works. I'm not smart enough to think of a better way to solve this. Let's hope I don't die.
When I was looking around before, I found something walking through the woods, just within sight of the clearing. Something that could probably kill me, but also has an ability that will allow it to go toe to toe with this Beedrill swarm and cause some serious chaos.
An adult Ursaring lumbers through the woods, unconcerned by the life and death struggle close by.
Ursaring would make the perfect distraction for me to run in, scoop up the Zigzagoon, and book it. With its ability, Guts, Ursaring will only grow strong after being poisoned by the Beedrill. On top of that, it's enough of a powerful brute that its rampage would throw even a swarm this massive into chaos.
I don't think that even an Ursaring can beat this many Beedrill, but they will all need to turn their attention to what is obviously the bigger threat.
Now, I just need to find a way to make it go berserk. Luckily, the anime's first episode showed me exactly what I need to do.
Pokémon really don't like it when you throw rocks at them.
I can't shout or make any noise, because that would turn the Beedrills' attention to me first. Thus, my only option is to pelt the big superpowered bear with a rock and hope that the Beedrill will panic and stop it when it charges at me to kill me.
Sounds like a foolproof plan, right?
I'm screwed, aren't I?
"Zig!"
A panicked voice has me turn back to the center, just to see that the massive Beedrill is starting to charge another Hyper Beam. The Zizagoon pack probably won't survive another, so there's no time to wait.
I pick up a fist-sized rock and wipe it in a poison puddle on the ground for good measure. With a practiced motion, I turn and beam it at the Ursaring with all my strength.
Ursaring is taking her usual stroll through the woods. She knows that there is a nice berry grove nearby with some of her favorite sweet pink berries. In no rush, she continues to amble through the trees in that direction.
The forest is a bit noisy today, but that doesn't matter. There's nothing here that would dare offend her, so why should she care when the weaklings squabble? The Beedrill could be a bit troublesome, but cowardly Pokémon who can only rely on numbers could never scare Ursaring.
*THUNK*
A sharp pain strikes Ursaring's head, just below the ear. It's by no means a debilitating injury, and it hardly even hurt in the first place. However, there is a persistent stinging at the point of contact, reminiscent of a Bedrill's Poison Sting. Far more infuriating than the pain is the fact that something dared to attack her in her own forest, especially with such a pitiful attack!
Ursaring looks in the direction that the pitiful attack came from, and, for a moment, all her anger melts into confusion. After all, standing there with its body still in the position of having just thrown something, is a scrawny little human child. The young boy looks at Ursaring with a face reminiscent of how a Deerling might look at her. Then, the kid's terrified stupor breaks into an aggravating smirk, as if to say "Yeah, that was me. Do something about it."
Now, this isn't the first time Ursaring has seen a human, so she knows how this usually goes. When a human picks a fight with you in the woods, it's almost always because they are what you call "trainers" and they want to forcefully recruit you to their team. It's the old contract between Pokemon and humans since long ago: pokemon cooperate with humans, and humans help Pokemon grow stronger.
Ursaring has no qualms about that, but the child in front of her is clearly not a Pokemon trainer. All trainers have a strong scent of various Pokemon clinging to them, and the boy has none of that. Meaning that this sniveling brat just pelted her with a rock without any team to challenge her. Had he done it just to be a nuisance?
With her ire rising above her confusion, Ursaring's face shifted to a ferocious snarl. Seeing that, the boy's face pales, and he turns to run into the center of the clearing.
"ROOOAAAARRRRRR"
The movement triggered Ursaring's instincts and she bellows out her anger, barrelling her way toward the human child in a full sprint. It won't take long to catch up. She knows that she needs to hurry though, as the child is foolishly running directly into the Beedrill swarm. Ursaring doesn't want them to kill the boy before she can get a bit of justified revenge.
*BOOOOOOOOOMMM*
As Ursaring enters the clearing, a massive orange beam falls from the sky to meet her. A hastily thrown Hammer Arm stops the Hyper Beam in its tracks, but not before Ursaring's charge has been halted. Looking to the sky, she immediately sees that the local queen Beedrill is the attacker. She knows that the hive queen is reasonable enough, and she could simply explain that she's after the human boy, thus avoiding a pointless fight. However, such a thought is something Ursaring would never even consider.
Ursaring is the true ruler of this territory of the forest. A child naively throwing a rock is one thing, but how could the queen allow a full-on attack to go ignored? The Beedrill seem to have gotten too comfortable with their excessive numbers lately.
Ursaring charges a Hyper Beam of her own, readying the attack much more swiftly than the queen Beedrill had, and fires into the swarm. By strafing her aim all around, dozens of Beedrill fall unconscious from a single attack, though she knows that this won't easily happen again, now that the battle is starting in earnest.
As every Beedrill in the area turns to face her, Ursaring sends one final glance toward the human, committing his face to memory. The child is knelt down in front of that famous rascal of a troublemaking Zigzagoon, seemingly attempting to convince him of something or another. They seem to come to a quick agreement, as they soon move to carry the fallen pack out of the clearing.
Any further consideration is saved for later, as the massive queen Beedrill imperiously orders her swarm to attack Ursaring as a unit. Staring up at the sea of attacks, Ursaring grins as her muscles swell from a swift use of Bulk Up. It's time to remind the forest dwellers why she's the ruler around here.
When the massive superpowered bear gives you the "I'm going to kill you look," it really makes you reevaluate your life's decisions leading up to this point.
It's now or never, so I swivel around and sprint toward the Zigzagoon pack. The swarm of human child-sized, lance-armed bees now appearing much less threatening in comparison to the beast behind me. Maybe it's because I now recognize them as my unwilling allies in protecting me from the consequences of my foolhardy plan.
"ROOOAAAARRRRRR"
An earth-shaking roar bellows out from behind me, but I can no longer afford to turn back. I'm rapidly approaching the center of the clearing, and I now need to convince the Zigzagoon to help me without slowing down. I do, however, take note of the fact that the Beedrill have all turned to face the larger threat behind me now.
Go, my faithful defenders! Show that honey-licking lug your sense of Gen 1 superiority!
*BOOOOOOOOOMMM*
Another explosion rings out behind me, the wave of air pressure boosting my speed like a Tailwind. Seems like the colossal Beedrill above decided to redirect its aim at the new challenger. It isn't long before I feel the heat of another light beam zooming around the air above me. Ursaring must have just answered back.
Why am I being subjected to so many Hyper Beams, barely an hour after my arrival in the Pokemon world?! What happened to my relaxing adventure through the beauty of the natural world?
Fighting back my tears of injustice at the cruel betrayal of my dreams, I finally arrive before the Zigzagoons.
"GRRRRR" The lead Zigzagoon growls menacingly at me. I feel my heightened emotions calm a bit. Is this how the move Growl works? "Zigzag"
"Listen up little guy," I kneel down and put my palms on the ground, face-up to show that I mean no harm. "If we want to save your pack, we don't have much time. You'll just need to trust that I genuinely want to help you and wouldn't piss off an Ursaring for no reason. If we wait around to do anything, we won't make it out of here."
I'm taking a risk here by stopping to explain things. I don't even know if the football-sized Pokemon can understand me. If it's only as intelligent as a wild animal, no amount of explaining will get it to cooperate with me.
"Zag" The brave Zigzagoon's brown eyes harden with resolve and it gives me a quick nod.
"Good." A wave of relief washes over me, that was the second biggest hurdle. Just slightly behind surviving this whole ordeal. "Okay, you have a big pack here, and I've got little arms. I can't carry them all, so you are going to need to carry at least two. Can you do that?"
"Goon" The diminutive creature actually scoffs at me. It then proceeds to stack two members of its pack on its back and lift another two in its mouth by the scruff of their necks. It then looks at me with a glint in its eye that is clearly chastising me for wasting time watching.
With four already accounted for, I need to take the remaining six. I flip the front of my hoodie up like a pouch to carry them in and reach down to grab the first.
Heavy!
How is this little thing so heavy?!
I get that my new body is far, far weaker than my old one, but this is ridiculous. Each of these little things must be at least thirty pounds, and that's if I'm lowballing my estimate! Despair starts to sink in when I realize that there's no way that I can carry all six.
"Zig"
"Zigzag"
Two of them call out to me and lift a third between them, each getting a grip on the third's scruff with their mouths. I recognize these two as the less wounded pair that was helping out the fallen pack members before. They give me one last look before heading off after the guardian.
I'm left with three for myself, two of which seem to be the runts of the pack. They left me the lightest three to carry. It will still be a challenge with this body, but I can do it. No, I have to do it. There's no other option!
One at a time, I scoop the final three prone Zigzagoons up and place them in my makeshift hoodie pouch. My arms wrap below it for further support, and I push my feet off the ground to squat up. All told, there must be around eighty pounds of Pokemon in my arms, and my body is shaking like a leaf, but I've got them up. We're going to make it!
One step at a time, I march on after the lead Zigzagoon, hoping that it will know the best direction to flee towards. I can feel the lactic acid burning in my legs and lower back, but the sounds of battle behind me don't allow me to stop. One foot after another, never breaking pace. If I take a break, I might not be able to start moving again.
To distract myself from the burning in my legs and lungs, I take to examining the Pokemon in my arms.
Not one of them is longer than a foot, even with their tails included. Despite that, their muscle density must be off the charts because I'm currently feeling how damned heavy they are. Their large eyes are squeezed shut, but the black strip of fur across them, combined with their little button-nose is utterly adorable, even in their battered state.
When thinking of their current state, my eyes can't help but trace over the multitude of cuts, scrapes, and bruises covering each of their bodies. There is something else that's even more of a pressing issue though.
"Hey!" I call out to the lead Zigzagoon. It doesn't stop, but its ears twitch and I know that I have its attention. "These little ones aren't going to last much longer! Their injuries can heal, but we need to deal with the poison! Do you know where we can find a healer? Maybe a Pokemon Center?"
"Zag!" A muffled yell is my response. I have no idea what was said, and I can't imagine it can say much more while carrying two of its packmates, but it sounded confident enough. All that's left is to trust and follow.
"Hah hah hah"
My legs are on fire. My chest feels like it's caving in. My arms and shoulders are numb. I'm not even going to think about my back. Between my exhausted heaves for breath, I can only redouble upon my conviction to get this body into peak physical shape.
It's been nearly a half hour since we've left the clearing, and my body has given out long ago. I've been running exclusively on willpower and necessity. The knowledge that slowing down could very well mean death for the adorable young beings in my arms is the strongest motivator I could ask for. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean tomorrow morning is going to feel any less unpleasant.
Worse yet is that I run out of things to distract myself with. The last and most effective one that I had was mentally freaking out with giddiness over the fact that I had communicated with a real-life Pokemon, but even that thought has now been overtaken by my sheer exhaustion.
As I trudge through yet another thick wall of foliage, I'm forced to a halt when I see that the Zigzagoon have all come to a stop.
"What's wrong? Why have you…" My words trail off when I wearily raise my head to find what halted our progress. "Wow…" I can only breathlessly exclaim my shock when I see where we are.
I carefully squat down in one final effort and set my three passengers on the ground as gently as possible. When I stand back up, I simply soak in my surroundings.
We're in yet another clearing, but this one is so vibrant with color and life that it's almost hard to believe. Pinks, reds, blues, and a single spot of yellows; the entire clearing is spotted with plentiful berry trees of various kinds. I quickly identify them: a large patch of Pecha berries, Cheri and Oran berries galore, and a single tree of Sitrus berries. It looks like I was right to trust the pack's little defender, as the Pecha berries are just what we need. Assuming, of course, that they work the same as they do in the game.
"Zagoon!" It looks like I've spent too much time gawking, as my complacency is admonished by the very Zigzagoon who led us here.
We both make our way to the Pecha trees, as the other two Zigzagoons that could walk collapse to the ground, the poison finally catching up to them. They'd been struggling even harder than I was on the hike here.
The berry trees are filled with Pokemon, so I'm careful to only approach clear areas. Gathered around the Pecha trees are Beatifly, Taillow, and Slakoth. None of these seem to be too threatening, but I don't want to take my chances. Especially because I know that even friendly animals can turn aggressive when they think their food is threatened. Though their presence does give me an idea of where in the world I am.
Zigzagoon is quick to climb the tree in the clear spot in front of me and throws down several Pecha berries. I scramble to scoop them up and turn back towards the pack. I make a couple of trips back and forth across the clearing until every member of the 10-pup pack is munching on a sweet pink berry. Only after the entire pack has finished eating, does the guardian Zigzagoon finally eat one for itself.
I collapse to the ground in relief. My muscles are screaming in pain, but not even that can detract from the immense sense of accomplishment in my heart. They're all going to make it!
"Zig!" A cheerful voice calls out from above me and a soft ball hits my shoulder.
My head turns to see that a blue berry lies on the ground beside me. Tracing the direction of the noise, I can see Zigzagoon happily trotting along the branches of the Oran tree, paying no mind to the Wurmple, Cascoon, and lone Swellow that it passes by. Once again, it tosses a berry to every single member of its pack before grabbing one for itself.
This time, it climbs back down the tree and trots right up next to me, where it plops down and starts eating. I can't help but grin at the cute display before taking a deep bite out of my own Oran berry. My eyes widen at the burst of flavor. There really isn't a category I could put this in to describe it. It isn't sweet, but neither is it sour or bitter. The best way I can put it is that it is like a burst of rich flavors that are almost similar to a red grape, but not as sweet and much stronger.
However, the flavor, novel as it is, is not the most surprising part of the experience. No, it is that I can physically feel the pain in my muscles fading away. It's not gone by any means, but there is a dulling effect to it that has taken place immediately upon taking the first bite. If this is the effect of a mere Oran berry, what could a stronger type do? I can't help but look towards the single Sitrus tree, but the Pinsirs scattered along its branches deter any ideas I have of testing the waters. Now those things are damned scary looking!
When I finish my berry, a nudge to my side takes me out of my thoughts.
"Zigzag!" The guardian of the pack is bouncing back and forth while looking at me with its tail wagging. Suddenly, it lunges forward once again, nudging me in the thigh. "Zagoon!"
A smile splits my face and I lunge out to grab it, ready to begin roughhousing in the same way that I used to play with my family dogs. We soon descend into a giggle (or in its case, yipping) pile of tussling limbs. Though this little one is far smaller than my parents' three great pyrenees, its strength is in a class of its own. I'm swiftly tiring out, but we're both having too much fun to notice. How can you not love Zigzagoon? They're just little bundles of joy and energy.
After a few minutes of joyful play, we're both lying next to each other, panting heavily; one of us in joy, the other in exhaustion. You can guess which is which. A quick peek to the side tells me that the pack is sleeping soundly. I take a deep breath to prepare myself for what I'm about to do.
"Hey, Zigzagoon." My voice is calm and even, masking my bundle of nerves. "Have you ever thought of leaving this forest?"
"Zag?" Zigzagoon sits up and looks at me with its head tilted.
"I've only just arrived here, so I don't really know how things work yet, but I know there are people called Pokemon trainers." I just start speaking my thoughts as they come, I don't spend the time to filter or think my words through. "They travel the world alongside their Pokemon partners, exploring the unknown, challenging insurmountable obstacles, and battling one another to test their bonds and rise to the top."
Zigzagoon's eyes are wide. It's obviously a young Pokemon, and this appears to be the first time it has heard of anything beyond the bounds of its home.
"Pokemon trainers battle alongside their partners to take on the world and prove themselves as the very best." I can feel myself getting passionate as I speak. My own goals are beginning to form themselves. "I want to take the world by storm, conquering one obstacle after another. I want to rise to the top and prove that my partner and I are the best there's ever been. I want to travel the world, unfettered and free to go wherever my feet take me. I want to live as I please, enjoying every moment." I stop to look at the young Pokemon, seeing that it is staring up at me with starry eyes. "But to do that, I need a partner."
Now, some people may think it's foolish to choose a Zigzagoon as a starter if my goal is to become the strongest trainer in the world. After all, what is a Linoone to a Garchomp? Wouldn't I be better off giving this speech to one of the Slakoth or Pinsir around me? Heck, even a Weedle would give me the chance to utilize mega evolution. To those people, I would say shut up and watch me.
Zigzagoon is my most used Pokemon of all time, and I'll be damned before I say it's incapable of becoming strong. I'll admit, as a child picking up Pokemon Sapphire for the first time, Zigzagoon was a useful HM slave. However, bringing him to the Elite Four changed everything. He learned Belly Drum along Victory Road and swept Sidney with his speed. Even after that, he was the core of my initial offense in every single Elite Four battle during that playthrough, which was my first time ever completing a traditional Pokemon game. That was the moment where child me felt terrible for treating him like he was only good for HMs.
I have since reflected on Karen's words "Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled trainers should try to win with their favorites."
Zigzagoon and Linoone jumped straight to my favorites list. Despite being treated as a tool to carry my HMs or use a revive in a tight battle, he came through at the end to show his will. It then became my job as the trainer to make him shine. Zigzagoon became the first Pokemon that I bred for egg moves and IVs. I completed a playthrough using only Linoone in battles, ditching even my trusty Mudkip from the very start. I even made Linoone the core offense of my competitive teams on Showdown.
Zigzagoon's history with me is truly one of going from zero to hero.
With such thoughts in mind, I look into the starstruck Pokemon's eyes and ask the most important question of my life.
"Zigzagoon, if you agree, you will be competing with Pokemon even fiercer and stronger than that Ursaring back there, and you'll be winning. A swarm of Beedrill will be nothing to you, but you will need to train and sacrifice enough to reach that level." Zigzagoon takes a nervous gulp. "Knowing that, will you be my partner on my journey to the top of the world?"
I reach my hand out before the tiny raccoon Pokemon with a massive heart, palm up. My own heart is thundering in my chest. While I felt fate at play and can't imagine any other partner, there's no guarantee that Zigzagoon will agree.
Zigzagoon stares at my hand for what feels like hours, then turns back to face the pack. All of which are now wide awake and watching our interaction. Zigzagoon slowly trudges back towards its pack and my heart sinks.
"Zigzag"
"Zig"
"Zagoon"
"Goon"
A cacophony of voices cry out when Zigzagoon walks away from me. All ten members are yelling out at their fearless guardian. The little runts even run out and try pushing their leader back towards me. Their interaction turns into a chaotic mess of yips and rolling and tussling. Soon all eleven Zigzagoons are in a jostling ball of activity.
This continues on with me not being able to understand what they are arguing about, or if they even are arguing, for nearly fifteen minutes. After which they all have tears in their big brown eyes. It's honestly adorable, but my fraying nerves don't allow me to appreciate the sight.
The brave little rascal then turns and runs to me in a sprint. I barely have time to brace myself before a thirty-five-pound missile of spiky brown and white fluff hits me in the gut.
"Zigzagoon!" The Pokemon happily calls out.
"So you agree?!" I wheeze out. "You'll be my partner?"
"Zig!" A nod and a lick to my face are all the confirmations I need.
A crashing sound at the edge of the clearing turns both of our heads before we can soak in the moment.
"Beedrill"
A slightly wounded Beedrill flies into the clearing. The Zigzagoon pack all start growling, and it turns towards them, taking an aggressive stance. Of course, the guardian of the pack won't tolerate that, so my new partner jumps out in front to face the threat.
"Well partner," I move into position alongside the pack. "Looks like our first battle together is going to happen sooner than expected. This is the first step on the road to conquering the world!"
