The Doomed Sprout
Chapter 4
As her rugged paws kept moving her forward, a Nidoran was reminiscing about her past, memories of technology no longer at her hands, or paws in this case. There was a completely wild world around her, one she could try to learn, to move past her original world, at least until she could get back. However, just because she could let go of the past, doesn't mean she has any intentions to. And so, here she was, bobbing her head around to the beat of a half-alien, half-recognizable music while blindly walking through a small savannah, relying entirely on a confused and stressed-out Shinx to serve as an alarm for any potential threats they might encounter. Or any trees Fen may walk into again, the last time was already humiliating enough, her spikes very much eager to lodge themselves to any surface.
Admittedly, despite how loud they were being, it seemed like no Pokemon were bothering them. As they reached the pond, Lumin sat down and warned Fen, who shook her head, getting out of her daydreaming. She looked around, realizing she'd been walking in dangerous territory for over ten minutes without any care in the world for her surroundings. After a mental slap in the face, she noticed something quite peculiar : there were Pokemon all around them. None of them were moving, just staring at a distance. She turned to face Lumin.
« Hey, is that normal ? For them to just.. sit there and stare ? I thought they'd either run or fight us »
The Shinx looked at her, exhaustion showing in her gaze, which surprised the Nidoran. He spoke up hesitantly.
«Wh-what is that noise coming from ? It feels like I'm so close to being attacked, yet it remains safe and melodious… »
Fen blushed, realizing she never explained what the iPod was, and that Lumin must've been extremely concerned at how weird everything was for these last few moments.
« Sorry ! It's the iPod, that orange box that was stuck in the ice. It uses electricity and can transform it into sounds, which can form music ! »
« ...What is music? », he said, tilting his head.
« Music is when you combine sounds together in a way that feels good for the ears. It's meant to just be nice, and sometimes even express emotions. There's nothing to be afraid of, to be clear, I just wanted it cause music's awesome ! ». The Nidoran's eyes were shining as she explained, gesticulating wildly over her excitement.
« So.. music does nothing, then »
Fen's ears drooped, before retorting « Just because it doesn't help with hunting or whatever doesn't mean it does nothing ! Live a little ! ». She stomped the ground in frustration, before an idea germed in her head.
« Actually… I think music does do something for us, here », she continued. « We've not been attacked, even though all these Pokemon are staring at us… I think the music's weirding them out too much to know what to do, so they keep their distance ! It's a repellent ! », she said, clapping her paws together.
Lumin said nothing, putting down the strange box the music was coming from, and taking a closer inspection. He then looked at all the Pokemon that were surrounding them. Some Deerlings and Furrets, a Stantler, a Durant and even a small flock of Vivillons were staring from a respectable distance, not even taking each other into account. He decided to trust Fen's word that the ''iPod'' was safe and that it could be a good use of his electric powers to keep it working.
His decision made, he joined the Nidoran, who had walked up to the pond, awkwardly trying to hold water in her paws. After staring in confusion, he mumbled something about Outcasts and just drank the water his way, lapping it up patiently. Fen grew embarrassed over her repeated attempts and just decided to go and shove her entire head in the water to drink, grumbling in shame.
The water was awful, as was expected of a shallow pond with dirt all around and some fur here and there floating about. Still, it was refreshing, and she'll probably need to get used to it anyway. Rivers would taste better, but having Water Type Pokemon floating about in her drink wasn't something she really wanted. Yes, that was picky, but no one's there to call her off anyway, so who cares ? Certainly not Lumin, he's the one that brought her here !
Speaking of being picky, it seems like there were a few berries there, yellow with a big blue splash. Passho berries, if her mind served right… She would've preferred actual fruits she knew the taste of (somehow, on an alien planet. Still not over that fact), but that would be a good learning experience. Also if she ever got to fully evolve, she'd come back here for them. The two of them made a small pile, using a few reeds that were growing in the pond to tie them up together in a very janky net, before putting it on Fen's back, minding the spikes. It seemed like the berries were fairly light, as she barely felt any different.
Feeling ready, the pair walked away, Fen snickering at the sight of so many Pokemon staring at them from afar. Music was nothing to be scared of, and while it was certainly not the music the Nidoran knew from her past, the language seemed to be mostly the same (thank you Unows) with a rhythm that mimicked the jazz she knew and loved. The initial feeling of wonder and nostalgia passed, her curiosity grew on what sorts of songs this world had, and she ordered Lumin to stop, while she browsed on the iPod for selections of music, using a claw.
Lumin stood up suddenly and growled, sensing a presence. As he noticed who was getting closer, though, his confusion grew, and so did his growling. Fen noticed the commotion, and looked up from the machine, looking at her companion, and then where he was staring. Her reaction took the other two Pokemon by surprise.
« Oh my god, it's a shiny ! It's so fluffy ! That can be a pillow on its own... », she blushed, realizing how she was acting. Fen coughed, before walking closer to Lumin.
« ..Hey, why are you just staring at that Eevee ? Why isn't she moving ? », she whispered.
« She is an Outcast, like you ». The Shinx seemed extremely confused, shaking his head vigorously.
« Hey, that noise is awesome ! », shouted the Eevee, oblivious to what was going on, though Fen could see how she wasn't getting any closer, and her legs were shaking. She was ready to flee.
« It really is ! I could let you listen to it more, if you were willing not to attack us », Fen smiled, hoping to strike a deal, though expecting little from it. Lumin did just try to eat her not even two days ago, after all. The quick response got her by surprise.
« Sure ! »
« ...Really ? No suspicion, no trying to steal it ? », she said, taken aback.
« I've never seen commons that didn't chase me on sight, nor ones that travel with a predator, and I really like that noise, so I may as well try », said the Eevee, smiling brightly and leaning forward, her legs betraying that false confidence with all the trembling.
« ..Well, if you won't attack us, feel free to sit down and listen, I guess ? »
Fen sat down, nudging Lumin to do the same, as he ignores her and keeps staring at the newcomer while they get closer, sitting down and ears wiggling about. Fen assumed she was trying to find where the music was coming from and tucked the iPod under her paw, very much not wanting to be robbed by the first Pokemon that's not shown hostility to her, at least yet.
« So… How do you make that noise ? », said the Eevee, glancing worriedly at Lumin.
« Hang on there, you came out of nowhere. I'll ask the questions ! », Fen shot back.
The shiny Pokemon rolled her eyes, before motioning for Fen to continue.
« Well, first of all… You're an Outcast, according to Lumin over there. Is that true ? »
« Duh. Don't you see the shimmer around me ? »
Fen's mind was trying to make sense of it all. « So… Outcasts are all… Shinies ? »
« You know, I really overestimated how smart you were. Everyone knows Outcasts have a small shine to them, alongside the color change and stuff », she taunted.
« I'm new here, okay ! I've been called an Outcast without being a Shiny, I just had to make sure ! », the Nidoran's shouts making the Eevee flinch. For a few seconds, only the muffled sound of music could be heard.
« ..You're not an Outcast, though. You don't look like one ». The voice was quiet, though audible.
« Then tell that to mister Cat over here ! He's the one that called me that ! », Fen replied, frustrated. They both turned to face him, as he kept a respectable distance.
His answer came through gritted fangs. « The Nidoran was climbing a tree. That isn't normal »
« Climbing a tree ? What are you, a Mankey ? », the Eevee giggled.
« ...I am not going to delve into that. And as for you... », she said, turning towards Lumin, « I told you to call me Fen ! »
« Oooh, you have names, I forgot about that. Mine's Sera ! »
Fen looked at her suspiciously. « ...You forgot ? Have you been spying on us for a while, Sera ? »
Surprisingly, the answer came from the side, as Lumin spoke up. « She's been looking at us ever since we left the cave »
« Then why didn't you warn me about an Outcast ! And I asked you what Outcasts were, how come you didn't tell me about the shiny part ! This was important ! »
« I didn't warn you about her because she wasn't getting close. As for the color, I thought Outcasts were all of a different color before meeting you. You made me realize it was more related to one's lack of instinct than appearances ». Lumin's tone was just as unbothered as ever.
« Huh. Weird », Sera said, lost in thoughts.
Fen grumbled. « Whatever. We need to move, it's gonna get dark. You coming with us, miss Outcast ? »
« Only if there's more of that noise, miss Outcast », she replied, earning a giggle from the grumpy Nidoran. Lumin, meanwhile, seemed frustrated but followed along.
« Welcome to the team, Sera. Now if you could help with the berries, my back's feeling weird.. ». Fen's tired expression made Sera smile before she picked up the small net effortlessly in her tail. These Pokemon really do make it look so easy…
The trio then moved back towards the cave, followed by the cohort of frightened yet curious Pokemon. Lumin was, per Fen's suggestion, in the back of this line, both to ward off the Pokemon following from behind juuust a bit further away from them, but also to let him keep an eye on Sera. The shiny Eevee was walking alongside Fen, and was considering high-tailing it out of here and away from what is usually a predator and who's very much still baring his fangs at her. She was however still too enamored with the flow of the music that came from that very same Shinx that scared her so much. The absolute lack of fear from Fen puzzled her as well, as the Nidoran was just walking slowly forward with her eyes closed, humming alongside the vibrant tune, as if there was no threat. Fen did open up her eyes and mumbled something about her ego and being careful with some sort of plan, but the Eevee couldn't grasp what was going on.
As they reached the cave and headed inside, it seemed like their little following had finally realized they were going too far, and left in a chaotic mess of lost Pokemon and intimidating snarls towards each other. Fen giggled over the reaction, before sobering up, remembering this was life of death for most of them. She hoped she'd not feel responsible for this later on.
The current disposition wouldn't work anymore, since Lumin was, well, the light source, so they turned off the music, much to Sera's disappointment. The echo would've likely woken up any form of bat-like Pokemon anyway, so it was safer, alongside Fen being able to hold onto the iPod.
...And by hold, really it was more of smushing a berry on her front spike and putting the iPod half into the berry. Anything to keep that piece of technology away from someone she didn't trust !
« So.. why do you guys travel together ? ». Sera's whisper echoed lightly throughout the cave.
« Honestly, I have no clue why he follows me. I ain't complaining though, he knows a whole lot more than I do about things here ». Fen looked in front of her, Lumin either not hearing or not reacting to this.
« So you're the lead in this group ? Not the predator ? Even weirder... »
« Tell me about it… Though why are you following us now, exactly ? », the Nidoran enquired.
« I was lonely. Family was hunting me, and I was getting tired of hiding away. Then I heard the noise- »
Fen lifted a paw, stopping her. « Music. It's called a song, and the use of noise in a way that sounds good is called music »
« Oh. Well, I heard the music, and I figured that since I'm destined to be hunted, I may as well risk my life to see what that was ». The Nidoran was staring at her with worry in her face, though simply nodded. Sera continued. « And now I'm here, and I have no clue what I'm doing, but I'm gonna do it ! »
« I… suppose that's as good a reason as any other. I don't mind you staying with us for now, just gotta make sure Lumin's convinced, he seemed pretty weird back then »
Sera's head slumped at that, she apparently dreaded anything related to the Shinx in front of them.
« Relax », Fen whispered, « He's not attacked you yet, and these berries are our dinner tonight. You'll be safe, so long as you can-heck ! ». As she was comforting the eevee, she slipped on the icy floor and fell over, the iPod sliding over in the ice, poking Sera's paw.
« ...Help ? », finished Sera, giggling as she helps an embarrassed Pokemon stand up, putting the machine back in place.
« ..Yeah, that »