It was a beautiful day as Alex and Wushen walked along the overgrown dirt road, the crisp brown grass rustling in the breeze as the sun shone warmly upon them. While Alex was a bit disheartened at the sight of no other life, she still felt full of energy and optimistic for her future here. New world, new rules. Maybe she could finally be herself as she really was.
She didn't recall why she hadn't been able to before, but she suspected that was a good thing. The lurking emotions told her it had absolutely sucked.
Shaking off the momentary gloom, Alex returned to enjoying the day. She danced across the road, Wushen plodding along slowly behind her. She had to keep turning around to get back to him, so she started doing a little twirl every time she did so.
Twirling made her skirt spin around, and that was something she'd never been able to do before. In fact, she never had been able to wear a skirt before, and it felt so freaking good.
It continued like this for quite some time. She'd skip along the road until Wushen fell too far behind, then she'd do a little twirl (eeeee skirt go spinny!) and skip her way back, cheering to herself as she reveled in the euphoria. Then she'd reach Wushen's side and it'd start all over again.
Finally, as she started getting a little tired, Wushen asked, "Why do you keep doing that?" His muzzle was scrunched up in confusion, his head somewhat tilted.
Alex looked up at him with a dumb look on her face. "Skirt go spinny.", she answered.
Wushen stared at her, the best he could without actually being to see.
"I don't think I understand.", he commented.
"It's a trans thing, you wouldn't get it.", Alex replied.
Wushen tilted his head further. "Trans?", he asked, his voice full of puzzlement.
Alex frowned. "You don't know about trans people?"
Wushen replied, "No, I don't believe I do. Would you be able to explain it to me?"
Alex sighed. This was gonna be fun.
"Okay, so, you know how when people are born, they're generally biologically classified as either male or female?", Alex asked.
Wushen seemed even more bewildered. "Yes…?", he replied.
Alex continued, "Well some people, when they get older, they don't feel like other boys or other girls. Let's say someone is born as a boy. But maybe they don't like playing rough with other boys or doing "boy stuff". Maybe they like the color pink instead of blue, or want to try wearing girly clothes. Perhaps they just don't feel like a boy, and all the things that boys are supposed to be. Maybe they often feel or want to feel emotional or don't like fighting. Perhaps they don't like big muscles and want to be pretty and curvy instead. Often, they don't feel comfortable the way they are. They dream of being a girl, and would probably feel much happier and more normal as a girl instead of having to pretend to be a guy. Eventually, they decide to transition to identifying entirely as a girl. And it makes them feel so happy and right, their inside matching their outside." Alex sighed. "That's basically a trans person, and this was a terrible explanation because it's so much more complicated than that."
Wushen looked thoughtful. "Hmmm…it sounds…strange, to me. But I suppose it also makes some sense." He frowned curiously. "So, you're one of these trans folk?"
Alex nodded, feeling a little more confident seeing that he hadn't suddenly started hating her or anything. Then she facepalmed, realizing he could not actually see her nodding.
"Yes. Transfem, specifically.", she replied, "Been one for a couple years actually."
She wasn't sure how she remembered that, but it sounded right.
Wushen nodded. "I see…I must admit, if you had not told me I would've thought you'd been a girl all your life."
Alex blinked. He what?
The thought that someone would think that she had always been a girl, that she was already perfectly being one, it was an amazing thought. It meant that it wasn't just her pretending.
The resulting wave of happiness made her feel very warm, fuzzy…and dizzy. She stumbled, and fell over, the sheer euphoria flooding her brain and overloading her synapses.
This led to her fainting.
When she finally recovered, Wushen was looming over her, looking worried. "Are you alright?", he asked worriedly.
Alex smiled. "Never been better."
Wushen tilted his head. "Are you sure?'
"I'm fine!", Alex replied, "I just felt so happy, it just sorta knocked me out. Sounds weird but that's what happened. I'm good now."
Wushen sighed. "The way you just passed out like that…I don't think you should be doing more walking until we get to a village. Here, I've got you."
"What do you mean-"
Alex yelped as he scooped her up in his powerful arms, before slinging her over his neck and resting her on his pack and shoulders. Alex felt a little alarmed at first, but relaxed and leaned into Wushen's fur as he set off into a careful walkdown the path. His fur was thick and warm, and smelled like berries and wood smoke. It reminded her of the comfort of home…not that she remembered what that had been like.
After some time, she started dozing off, but was shaken awake as Wushen slowed to a stop. She pulled her head up to his shoulder to see why.
Up ahead, the road had turned to cobblestone, leading into a bustling town. Huts built of earth and grass lined the path, with handmade signs crafted using the elements advertising shops in some unusual runic language that Alex somehow had no issue deciphering. Red, green, white, and gold banners waved everywhere, and a particularly large one displaying the sun in a bird-like shape was being raised above an odd obelisk in the town center. Pokemon were moving around everywhere, setting up tents woven from silk and moving carts full of assorted goods, like berries or carvings of various Pokemon Alex did not recognize. The smell of baking treats wafted from the windows, and Alex felt her mouth watering from the warm sweet scents.
"Is there a festival going on?", she asked Wushen curiously.
The Urshifu glanced around, sniffing and listening. "It would seem so. That smell, those are honeysuns, a special little cake made in honor of the sun's rising. And those drums you hear on the wind, those are the solstice drums, played by the priests of Ho-Oh's temple upon the sun's greatest height. However…it is far too early for them to be celebrating summer. That isn't for another two weeks at least."
"Maybe they're celebrating something else?", asked Alex, "Like I dunno, a victory or a royal birthday or something?"
Wushen shrugged. "Perhaps." Alex noticed he seemed tense as he started walking closer. He clearly didn't like being over here, perhaps because of all the people.
As they came closer to the town outskirts, Wushen whispered, "We will need to be very careful here. We'll just go in, get you some sort of clothing and supplies, and go out as quickly as possible."
"Why do we have to be quick?", Alex asked, "Surely you're not that antisocial."
Wushen's face darkened. "It's complicated."
As they walked into the town, a lot of the Pokemon stopped what they were doing and stared as they walked past. Alex caught some of their whispers as they moved through.
"- what kind of Pokemon is that-"
"- never seen a species like hisbefore in these parts -"
"- is that a wildling on his shoulder?"
"Not even a scarf! Is that even a sentient?"
Many more similar remarks peppered Alex's ears as they strode into the marketplace, Wushen's odd appearance and her presence on his shoulder attracting everyone's interest. Finally Wushen stopped, and lowered Alex off his shoulder.
"There should be a tailor around here.", he said, "I think…there?"
He pointed a claw at a shop selling scented candles.
Alex replied, "Yeah, that's not it."
Wushen turned and pointed at another shop. This one was full of books and scrolls, and while Alex would've loved to go in and conduct some research she knew that wasn't right either.
"Those are books," she commented.
Wushen sighed. He turned completely around, his claw finally settling on a hut with many assorted outfits on display. "There. Just go get a scarf or a hat or something. Anything that will make sure people are aware that you're not a feral."
Alex shrugged. "Alright." Then she remembered something. "I, uh, don't exactly have any money."
Wushen reached into his pack and pulled out a small coinpurse, dropping it into her hands. It jangled with small golden coins, and Alex took one out curiously. Studying it, Alex saw that there was a P with lines through it on one side and an image of some sort of god Pokemon on the other.
"That should be more than enough.", Wushen said, "Please do try to be quick."
Alex nodded, then felt dumb again. "Yeah, I'll do my best." She dashed into the shop, her eyes taking in the many sights inside.
All around her were outfits sized to every sort of Pokemon. There were long cloaks with short sleeves for quadrupedal Pokemon, fancy tunics for humanoid Pokemon (with convenient tail holes of various size), endless rows of scarves and hats and bandanas, boots shaped for paws, claws, or any sort of feet a Pokemon may have (there were a couple weird long floppy ones clearly meant for tentacles), various belts for any purpose, and so much more. But what caught Alex's attention immediately was the dresses.
They were gorgeous, coming in all sorts of dazzling colors and patterns. Some had sparkles or ribbons. Others were woven from scale or warm fur (Alex decided it best not to question where the materials were from). There were short, convenient ones and long flowing ones that would have made her the star of any ball. Some had capes or gloves or hats. All of them Alex wanted to try on.
As she stood there staring at the dresses and struggling to choose, a voice behind her asked, "Can I help you?"
Alex turned and screamed.
Standing right behind her was a big red and black spider, with yellow and purple legs. A strange face pattern was on its back, and its purple insectoid eyes stared at her curiously. It was wearing a pair of glasses linked with fine silk chains to its "neck", as well as wearing a saddle-like attachment filled with rolls of fabric and spools of silken thread, as well as some assorted tools.
"Oh, pardon me for frightening you!", the spider said in an old lady's voice, "I have a bad habit of doing that, comes from my younger days as a hunter. Always had to be quiet and light on my feet, you know. Anyways, what brings you over here, sir? Looking for a gift to a lover, perhaps?"
Alex, overcoming her initial alarm, replied, "Well, uh, it's for me, actually."
The spider gave her a confused look. "Odd. Never had a young man interested in wearing dresses before. Are you sure you aren't interested in something else?"
Alex felt a little annoyed at being misgendered, but kept it down. "Yes. I am more sure than anything else."
The spider clicked her mandibles together. "I see. Well, I suppose I can see what I can do. Which one appeals to you the most?"
Alex looked around, her eyes settling on an elegant purple dress with soft, petal-like pink frills along the bodice and a gossamer cape. "That one."
The spider shrugged before getting to work.
Between her front legs, she stretched out a measuring tape, which she used to measure Alex's shoulders, waist, and height. Then she started measuring out fabric, cutting it with her claws and using silk to masterfully weave it together. Alex watched in awe as it quickly took shape, turning into…a vest, with a skirt-like attachment.
Alex felt a little disappointed, but it still looked cute. Plus it was amazingly cool to see the spider weaving an outfit together right in front of her eyes.
As the spider added the last floral adornments, she used another pair of her legs to retrieve a matching hat, gloves, and boots. Pulling the outfit together, she carried it over to Alex and laid it in her waiting hands.
"Go ahead, try it on.", the spider said, her initial hesitance replaced with lurking pride.
Alex eagerly obliged, pulling on the vest and slipping on the gloves and hat and boots. She looked around until she found a mirror, and gasped.
She looked STUNNING.
The outfit fit perfectly, drawing out her more feminine features and practically sparkling. The shimmering purple was gorgeous, and the pink flowers added some light and additional beauty to the look. The boots were sturdy yet slim and elegant, only increasing the appeal even more. Alex did a little twirl, marveling at the flowing light cape and the spinning of her skirt.
The spider looked pleased. "What do you think?"
"It's perfect.", Alex breathed. She had always dreamed of having an outfit like this, of it looking good on her. And now here it was, right out of nowhere.
Alex nearly fainted again, but this time kept her bearing.
The spider nodded. "My work is incomparable. And now, I must receive my payment."
Alex nodded, pulling out the coinpurse. "Um, how much?"
The spider studied the bag. "Oh, I'd say about 1800 Poke."
Alex blanched. That had to be like ninety percent of the bag.
Then she looked in the mirror again, and nodded. This was more than worth it.
After paying the desired amount, which was indeed the majority of the bag, Alex strode outside with a smile on her face. A smile that quickly froze when she saw what was going on.
Wushen was surrounded by a mob of Pokemon, all glaring at him or growling. All of them were brandishing some small wooden figurine shaped like that bird on the banner.
"Begone, exile, begone! The sun struck you from this land for your heresy!", they chanted, slowly moving in closer.
Alex immediately ran to the center, standing in front of Wushen protectively with her arms outstretched. "Hey, leave him alone! He's my friend, and he hasn't done anythingto you all!"
"His eyes are gone. He must be a heretic, exiled from this land!", hissed a large blue beetle, grinding his claws together.
"What are you talking about?", asked Alex.
A pink bipedal sheep with wool only around its neck answered, "Any who dare defy our beliefs will get their eyes burned out by the glorious light. They do not deserve to gaze upon the warmth of our father sun if they do not follow him. His eyes are lost. Truly this must've been his fate!"
Alex crossed her arms. "That's stupid. What if he's just naturally blind? You can't tell if he's had his eyes burned out or not! Also, that whole thing just sounds really gross and barbaric."
"Stay out of this, Kirlia.", growled a large black dog with bone patterns on its body, "We will do what our god declares!"
"Why on earth is a male Pokemon wearing female clothes?", commented a really weird Pokemon, looking like two different giraffe Pokemon fused together. Its front half was yellow and had a typical face, while the back half was black and ended with a head that was ninety percent teeth.
Alex replied, "Because I AM a girl, jerks!"
That sent the entire crowd into a frenzy.
"What utter delusion!", screeched the beetle.
"This is blatant heresy! Never has any mon claimed to be a girl when they are obviously a man!", roared the dog.
"Girl clothes don't make you a girl!", yelled the giraffe.
"Burn him! I mean her! I mean it! I dunno, just burn the damn thing! Clearly they must be trying to rise above their proper station! Just look at how fancy those clothes are!", yelled a really weird pink bat with a scorpion tail.
"Wobbuffet!", shouted a blue punching bag thing.
"Heresy, heresy, heresy, heresy, heresy, heresy-", chanted the crowd, readying weapons or attacks as they moved in closer and closer.
Wushen and Alex pressed against each other, both trembling as the mob advanced on them. This was about to get very rough. (-o-)