Sacha Chanthra had been an interesting person since they had transferred into Chan-hyeok's team.
He had been told about their arrival a month in advance. There was a programming vacancy, and the company felt it would be more cost-effective to move someone who was already employed and trained into that position, even if it meant moving someone from the Bangkok team to the Busan team. Chan-hyeok only remembered feeling grateful that he was being told about someone moving in, and not being told to fire someone. He hated doing that. Too many emotions involved.
Their visa was then shortly approved, and their first day quickly approached. The whole office was abuzz about this development, which irritated him. All meaningless drivel about whether this Thai programmer was a woman or not, if that hypothetical woman was hot or not.
Then that Thai programmer had shown up, a tall, imposing person with tan skin, long dark hair, heavy dark makeup, piercings on their ears and lips, and a penchant for long shirts that hid away tattoos that crawled up their arms. Almost all the programmers that had been obsessed with them turned their backs on Sacha. It was pitifully obvious what they had wanted.
Therefore, after Sacha had settled into their new job, they sat alone on their lunch break eating a simple lunch of the same brand of cup ramen. To Chan-hyeok, it was just growing pains, he figured that eventually, they'd find a friend group to integrate into and chatter aimlessly with.
That never happened. For weeks and weeks, Sacha sat alone, eating their cup ramen.
Then, one day, he looked over and thought about sitting across from them. It'd be nice an quiet, and he was pretty sure that the programmer wouldn't talk his ear off about such inane rubbish.
So, the next day, he walked over to their table, and sat his sandwich down. Sacha merely looked up at him for a moment, then back down at their phone as they ate their ramen.
This is perfect, he thought, finally, someone who understands the use of peace and quiet. Why didn't I sit here before?
And for a week the two of them entered this awkward, strange sort of ritual, where Sacha would sit first, Chan-hyeok second, and then they would eat their food silently. No words exchanged, no words needed.
Sacha broke this ritual the next week suddenly, and without warning.
"You know," they said, not looking up from their phone. "I know what you're doing. Cut it the fuck out."
"What am I doing?" Chan-hyeok asked, startled by their voice.
"You feel bad for me," they sneered, but low enough that no one at the surrounding tables could pick up on it. "You see me sitting alone, so as the boss, you sit with me to encourage people to talk to me. Cut it out. It's like a teacher sitting with the loner kid at lunch, it's pathetic and no one buys it."
"Who said I was trying to encourage people to sit with us?" Chan-hyeok asked. "I sat here because I wanted to."
"Did you now?" Sacha said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. I grew tired of hearing Young-min crow all break about clubbing and girls, and the others will probably ask me some inane questions about marriage or the weather in some attempt to fraternize and climb up the ladder so they get promoted. I hate boring talk like that. It makes my food taste like paper. You're quiet. That's why I sat with you."
He half-expected Sacha to bristle, or get even angrier, but to his surprise their body language loosened, and they looked up at him. A small smile cracked on their face.
"Oh really?" they said. "Guess I'll keep it up then."
Chan-hyeok smiled back, before returning to his sandwich.
After that little disagreement, the two of them finally reached a perfect equilibrium. Sacha knew what he wanted, knew that he was not patronizing or pitying them, and accepted his presence at the table. And, Chan-hyeok got his peace. Occasionally, the two would have a short conversation about work, but other than that they enjoyed their silence.
One day of note was a week before this strange incident, when Sacha suddenly called out to him.
"What is it?" he asked, looking up at them.
"Catch," they said simply, before tossing over a small package.
Chan-hyeok caught it, and quickly unfurled his hands to look at it. It was a package of sweet bread, with a drawing of a pikachu on it and the Pokemon logo on it. He felt something warm surge in his chest and he looked back up at the programmer.
"I accidentally got two," they explained. "I figured you'd want one, Boss. It's been selling out, apparently."
"Thank you, Chanthra," he said simply, smiling. "I used to buy this with my allowance, back in the day."
"Did ya?" they smiled back at him. "Well, there you go. Some nostalgia for you."
Chan-hyeok laughs, before opening the package up. It was the same as it was when he was a child, a long oval strip of cheesecake, and a little package. When he opened that package, a little sticker of a strange pink cat-thing fluttered to the ground.
"Oooh," Sacha hummed, "Clefairy. Nice, nice."
"You know these things names?" He asked, picking the sticker up from the floor and waggling it a little.
"Oh yeah. Used to be a big pokemon fan. Haven't played in a while."
"Huh," Chan-hyeok had replied, and that was the end of that conversation.
For some reason he couldn't understand, he held onto that sticker. Even felt compelled to put it by his keyboard as he worked. Though, he did regret it once Young-min saw it, and yapped his ear off about how he had gone to fifteen different supermarkets to try and get one pokemon bread for himself.
Maybe it was fate, if one could believe in something like that.
Chan-hyeok really didn't want to believe that all this was fated, as he skipped and hopped through the scrub forest, Sacha slinking behind him.
What a stupid form he had taken! He felt tiny and pathetic, having stubby, tiny little arms and legs. Not to mention his pink fur, and itty bitty wings. Why would a man like him get turned into a cute, pink little thing?
He especially felt ridiculous next to the elegant, regal dark form of Sacha, whose body seemed to flow in the breeze. They seemed to be embarrassed, cautious of their new body, hiding away from him when they first met. But why? It didn't make any sense to him. They were so beautiful. If anything, he should be the one hiding away from the world.
Finally, after what seemed like years of running through brushes, getting whipped in the face by branches, they broke into a clearing. Chan-hyeok pushed through and was faced by three pokemons of differing sizes. Two of them, a humanoid blue dog-thing and something that looked like a green glob of snot were harassing a little white dog-wolf thing, with tufts of fur on its head and neck that seemed to trail off into the air.
As soon as the two pokemon spotted Chan-hyeok, they took off running, back into some strange path made by the brush tangling together into some archway of some sort.
"Wait!" The fox pokemon shouted, in a distinctly low male voice, trying to stand but collapsing into a heap.
Chan-hyeok rushed over to his side, trying to help the creature to his feet. But, it head quickly whipped to bite at his paw, and he pulled back.
"I don't need your help," the fox sneered, before slowly rising to its feet.
"Well then," Chan-hyeok said, adjusting his glasses. "What was all that about?"
"None of your business," he sneered, hackles raised. "Piss off."
"You shouldn't be rude to someone just trying to help," Chan-hyeok stated, placing his hands on his hips. "Is this how all pokemon act to one another, Chanthra? Are they all this… uncivilized?"
Chanthra said nothing, and the fox's face furrowed.
"What the hell are you talking about?" The fox snapped, pawing at the ground. "You know that you're a pokemon too, right mister? You're weird, even by clefairy standards."
"I am one now," Chan-hyeok said cooly, standing up straight. "But I was a human until very recently."
The fox-creature laughed, throwing its head back.
"Human?!" He crowed, and Chan-hyeok felt something hot simmer inside his head. "You literally cannot be serious. Everyone knows humans don't exist! They're fairy tales told to children!"
"I am serious!" Chan-hyeok shouted, stamping his tiny foot. "You- Chanthra. You know these… things better than me. Come out and explain our situation."
Chanthra did not come. In fact, when Chan-hyeok whipped around to look for them, he saw no one, just the setting sun against the brush.
"Chanthra," he demanded, crossing his arms. "Are you hiding?"
Finally, they spoke up.
"Don't wanna come out."
Their voice sounded sullen, but in that moment Chan-hyeok was so frustrated that he couldn't care less.
"Come out of there this instant!" He shouted, balling his hands into fists. "How dare you act so… insubordinate in times like these! To your own boss! Do you realize what sort of situation we are in? Stop being such a child!"
Slowly and silently, Sacha rose from the large brush they were hiding behind, and trudged over to his side. Chan-hyeok sighed, crossing his arms, before turning back to face the fox again. The fox's eyes had gone wide, and its fur was fluffed out like a terrified cat.
"What?" Chan-hyeok questioned, looking between Sacha and the fox. "What's wrong now?"
"Y-You…" he stammered, whole body trembling. "That's… That's a…"
"'That'? That is a person, actually. Or a 'pokemon', now. My loyal subordinate, Sacha Chanthra. They are my companion, as they have knowledge of your world that surpasses mine."
The fox looked between him, and Sacha, his eyes almost impossibly wide.
"You… are in charge of a darkrai?" He asked, backing up. "How strong are you..? How could you get one to submit to you…?"
"Submit?!" Sacha shouted incredulously before Chan-hyeok interrupted them.
"There is no 'submission'," he sniffed, his cheeks feeling hot. "Have you never been employed before, little one? They are the employee, and I am their supervisor. Simple."
"Rich of you to call someone little, Boss," Sacha retorted.
"Quiet, Chanthra. Why is this so odd to you? What kind of pokemon is this 'darkrai'?"
"W-Well uh, they're a pokemon that's surrounded in legend," the fox explained, eyes firmly on Sacha, who was looking away. "They say if you encounter one, you'll be trapped in nightmares for the rest of your life."
"Is that true, Chanthra?" Chan-hyeok asked, glancing up at his subordinate. They seemed to be almost bashful, playing with their claws.
"Yes," they said softly. "But I can't do any of that."
Chan-hyeok adjusted his glasses, before sighing. That would explain their caution, then. He doubted Chanthra had such a power, myths and legends could be so easily disproven. And something irritated him about how this fox cowered and feared Chanthra, as if they were a violent monster. Something he couldn't put his finger on.
"Wait!" The fox shouted, moving in front of Sacha. "You… You're not evil, are you?"
"No…?" Sacha responded, holding a claw up to their face.
"Then, could you help me? That rilou and that solosis, you saw them right?"
Sacha nodded slowly.
"Well, they took something of mine! And-and I'll be in big trouble if I don't get it back. Can you scare them so I can steal it?"
"Uh, sure man," they said simply, and Chan-hyeok gawked at them.
"Chanthra, should we really help this thing?" He demanded. "It only started being kinder because it got scared of you..."
"Do you have any better ideas?" Sacha snapped, their eyes going wide. "Genuinely, do you, Boss?"
Chan-hyeok opened his mouth, then shut it silently. He didn't.
"Thought so," they said curtly, before moving to the fox thing. "Let's go."
And just like that, the three of them set off down the strange path, the trees forming a strange cover over them. It blocked out the dimming sunlight, leaving them in near darkness. It made Sacha's new blue eyes stand out more, as they trudged along.
"Chanthra," Chan-hyeok said softly, reaching a stubby hand out to them. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Boss," they said softly, their eyes narrowing. "Just… a little nervous, that's all."
Chan-hyeok sighed, deciding not to press further. He felt antsy, an uncomfortable energy radiating off of them, and he wasn't sure if it was because of their new powers, or his body subconsciously imitating their anxiety. Maybe it wasn't even anxiety, Chanthra's new form lacked a mouth and eyebrows… He could only guess their emotions now. He wants to reach his hand out, to clasp one of their long fingers in his grasp, but didn't.
"Heh, a nervous darkrai…" The annoying fox snickered. "That's like an oxymoron…"
"Quiet, child," Chan-hyeok snapped, puffing out his chest. "Do not mock my subordinate… what was your name?"
"I'm Zorua! And I'm not a child!"
"Zo- No, that simply won't do," he said, shaking his head. "I'll call you 'Yeou' from now on."
"You're going to call him 'fox'?" Sacha questioned, their head tilting.
"Fine then, 'Dubu'."
"Oh, you're awful with names," Sacha replied, shaking their head. Their voice with high with mirth.
Chan-hyeok ignored that comment, shaking his head softly before continuing on:
"You must understand, Dubu, that Chantara was once a human like me. This new form is strange to them. And I imagine your comments do not help them any."
"Stop calling me 'Dubu'!" Dubu shouted, stamping his paws. "And I don't believe any of that! You're just… two weird pokemon. I don't know why Darkrai hasn't put you to sleep already…!"
"Boss," Sacha said, before Chan-hyeok could retort back at the insolent little fox. "No matter what you say, he's not going to believe you. Let's just give up on it for now."
"Fine," Chan-hyeok sighed, shaking his head. They were right, anyway. No point in stooping to this child's level.
Finally, the path broke into a clearing, with large wide-leafed trees hanging over it. It was rather large, and foreign in what had appeared to be a scrub forest on entry, too green and vibrant to be only a few meters away from the ocean. This world was strange… The pokemon, the snot one, and the bipedal dog one, Chan-hyeok had already forgotten the names, were standing off to the side, the dog flipping through a brown satchel.
"Stand back, Darkrai," Dubu said, his head whipping back quickly. "Come out on my cue."
Sacha huffed, but stepped back, hiding in the pathway. Chan-hyeok glared back at the fox, but followed him out into the open.
"Hey!" Dubu shouted, and the two pokemon looked back at him. "G-Gimme my stuff back."
Chan-hyeok glanced back at him, grimacing a little. For all his yapping, this fox was pretty cowardly. He was lucky that he had Chan-hyeok and Chanthra with him, or that bag would've been long gone.
Sure enough, the little dog pokemon smirked back at him, mouth full of sharp teeth.
"Oh, look who it is," it said, turning to its snot-like companion. "Zorua the chicken!"
Zorua grimaced, shuddering slightly. A weak insult caused that reaction? This fox would struggle hard in the human world… Chan-hyeok sighed, shaking his head.
"You two," he called out, hands on his hips. "Give him back his bag."
"Or what?" The snot one called out.
How are you even alive, Chan-hyeok thought to himself, incredulously, how can you survive with that body? The others, I understand, but you? Maybe Chanthra could tell me.
"O-Or our Darkrai will kill you!" Dubu shouted, no longer shaking.
The two paused for a moment, before bowling over in laughter. Chan-hyeok wasn't sure how the green one could do that, but it did.
"Gehehe!" It snickered. "Everyone knows that Darkrai's a myth! You really are nothing but a lying Zorua!"
"Oh yeah?!" Dubu shouted, hackles raised. "Come out, Darkrai!"
Slowly, Chan-hyeok watched as Sacha began to creep out from their hiding spot. They walked slowly on their spindly legs, eyes wide and arms held out in front of them. The two pokemon stared up at them, eyes wide. The blue dog's mouth was open, fur fluffed out all over the place as it slowly stepped back, away from the bag.
"Give that back," Sacha said, voice booming.
The pokemon said nothing more, the dog kicking the satchel over to Dubu, before rushing out of the clearing, the snot one hopping behind its friend. Was there more like it? Did it have a family? How did they reproduce?
As he pondered this, Dubu ran over to the satchel, shifting through it. After a moment, Dubu's haunches relaxed, and he turned to the two humans.
"...Thank you," he said softly, his voice trembling. "If I lost that…"
"What does it have in there?" Sacha questioned, tilting their head sideways.
"Supplies for my family," Dubu said, opening it to reveal a cache of berries and other odd items. "If I didn't get this there…"
Dubu shivered, shaking his head quickly. Chan-hyeok sighed, hopping closer to the fox, looking down at his bag. Sure enough, it was chock-full of berries and other foodstuffs. Poor thing, maybe it was a good idea for the two of them to help him out.
"Listen, buddy," Sacha called out, and Dubu turned towards them "I really hate to do this, but can you do us a favor as well?"
Dubu looked up at them as they slowly trudged over to him, claws clasped in front of them.
"You mind if you let us stay at your place?" Sacha said, tilting their head. "Just for the night, so we can gather our things together."
Dubu stared up at her, eyes wide. Quickly, it looked between them, Chan-hyeok, and his bag. Its eyebrows, or where they would be on his face if he were human, furrowed and he sighed quickly.
"It should be fine…" He said finally, before looking up at Sacha. "As long as you can hide away… I-I think you'll scare them."
Chan-hyeok felt something hot rise in his face again. How could he…?
But before he could object on their behalf, Chanthra nodded, their blue eyes closed.
"Yeah, I understand," they said, and Chan-hyeok whipped his head around to look up at them with an open mouth. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I can just hitch it in Boss' shadow?"
"Chanthra, but…" Chan-hyeok stammered, walking closer to them. "Why should you have to hide away?"
Chanthra looked down at Chan-hyeok for a moment, their white hair flowing in the wind. Then, their eyes shut, and their head tilted slightly.
"It'll just be this one time, Boss," they said, crossing then uncrossing their arms. "I promise."
One of their claws went up to their face, and their eyes opened back up to look at him.
"'Sides, I'm just glad I didn't have to fight. I don't know how to use my powers yet."
Dubu whipped his head to face them, orange eyes nearly popping out of his skull.
"What?!"