"A human really where?" Akira asked as he looked around the area, doing so to remove the tension that Maria had been suffering under, Akira could easily tell that Maria was uncomfortable with the group composed of ponies and pokemon. "I've always wanted to meet one," His tone was joking, but his body was still tense ready to go just in case shit went down.

"We're talking about you, Mister!" The blue and rainbow maned Pegasus said as she flew straight up to in his face pointing a hoof at him.

But Akira couldn't resist continuing to be a snarky smartass. "I am a Homosapien, not a human," He responded with a smirk on his.

Which caused the Pegasus to tun towards the group she was a part of. "Wait, do you guess like have multiple human species like us ponies do?" She asked all the while this little exchange had occurred. Maria had made his way to his side, a smile now her face caused by him fucking with the people that had been ganging up on her.

While she appreciated him coming to her aid, she was still a little disappointed in herself as she was twice his age, and hadn't been able to exit that situation on her own. But the group just walking up to her and asking questions had caused her to slightly flashback to… no, she didn't want to think about that right now.

"He is messing with you, Dash, Homosapien is the scientific name for the human species, he is just pedantic," The rock pokemon wearing a lab coat told the now named Dash, and Akira had to guess that she was former human just like Maria.

Guess they can blush through that coat of theirs. Akira thought as he saw Dash's blue pelt become slightly crimson around the cheeks. "And I ask again, Maria, were these guys harassing you?" He asked again.

"Wha!" The purple pegacorn? Exclaimed in shock at his question, hearing it correctly this time. "It's not like that we just wanted to know if she had seen a male Zoroark around since she was one herself, but then Juniper here noticed the Cigarettes? She was smoking," She explained, pointing to the stone pokemon in the lab coat.

"That is correct such thing does not exist in this world, only cigars do, and they need to be imported if you want them here in Equestria," She stated, but Akira had to wonder how whatever pokemon she was could talk without a mouth. "But I am more concerned and curious about the fact that a normal human is here, shouldn't you've been turned into a Pokemon like myself."

"Are you sure that he is a human, Juniper? He could have turned into a Ditto, which could explain the eccentric clothes?" The Pokemon with the blade arms asked. Now Akira wished that Futaba was here cause she would know the name of all of these creatures, he was only able to remember a few but at least he knew that lab coat was named Juniper, and that the Pokemon next to the arm blade one was a Gardevoir. He had seen enough hentai featuring one thanks to Futaba, continually providing links to that stuff along with other pornographic images.

"He is a human Gene, I can't enter his mind it's like I am being blocked by hundred different minds, but the psychic energy he is emitting is on the same frequency as a human's" The Gardevoir informed as Akira saw her eyes glow with what Akira presume to be the Pokemon version of psychic energy.

"We will not allow her to invade the Sanctuary that is your psyche," Came Arsene's voice.

Thank you.

"So he really is a human, so how did you not end up getting changed like Gene and me?" The Haxorus, yes, that was the species name it had been on his team in Black, though this one was a female and former human.

But right now, it was time to make an exit. "Maybe Arceus missed a spot, maybe he is not as powerful as he says he is or perhaps my reason for being here is not the same as yours, and now question time is over, see yeah," Akira announced as he threw down a smoke bomb that had been enhanced by the darkness of Curse Magic creating a temporary bubble of absolute darkness that surrounded all of them.

But that wasn't an inconvenience for Akira.

Focus.

He mentally said as the Third-Eye was activated, and he saw the silhouettes of everyone currently present while they yelled in surprise and panic at suddenly being robbed of their sight.

Akira grabbed Maria's form, the much smaller fox woman feeling very light in his arms as he quickly took out his Grabbling Hook Launcher out and hooked himself to a building that got them out of the bubble of darkness.

"What the hell was that, Akira?" Maria asked as she quickly reoriented herself after her displacement.

"I like to call it a Darkness Bomb, the superior version of a smoke bomb. A handy thing for getting away from a group of enemies," He answered her.

"I urgh, not… I meant to ask why you did that?"

"I didn't want to answer their questions, and to get you away from them cause you were not comfortable at all."

Well, it looked like Akira had easily been able to pick up on her mood rather easily. "Yeah, I don't like it then large groups like that approach me," She said in a small voice, dammit she hated feeling like this. "By the gods, aren't I pathetic relying on a kid half my age as emotional support."

"I don't think, so I have a lot of adult friends who used my shoulder to cry on, you don't need to tell me what happened right now, but I will listen if you want to talk," He told her truthfully.

"You're a weird person, Akira, you know that, we've only known each other for a few hours, yet you act like we've been friends for months," She told him with a smirk.

"That has been said to me a few times before, now how about we go before they find us-."

"How did you get up here?" The blue Pegasus asked as she floated in the air in front of them. "Guys, Bell was right!"

"Sorry can't have you chasing," Akira said as he placed his hand against his mask and switched to another Persona. "Sandman, Dormina!" He shouted the name of the spell and Persona, the moon-faced creature of sleep quickly manifesting behind him, casting the spell in a flash before disappearing and his mask returning.

"Wha!" Was all Dash managed to say before she fell asleep and dropped out of the air?

"Let's go, Maria,"

"Yeah, that is probably a good thing."

Xxx

"Ah, Rainbow!" Twilight shouted as her friend fell and was about to hit the street though before that happened, a blue aura surrounded the Pegasus. Twilight recognized it as Bell's psychokinetic aura, and she immediately wanted to slap herself for not using her own spell to grab her friend in the air.

"Good job Bell," Gene complimented his partner. The human turned Gallade looking approvingly at his mate.

"Though they are outside of my range now and I can't track them," She said as she floated the pegasus over to them.

"Bummer," Iris stated, but more important things were on the former Champion's mind. "But can someone just tell me what just happened? And what was darkness just now?"

"I think we messed up our conversation… again and had someone turn hostile again," Twilight said with a sigh. "Well, this has been a disastrous trip so far. Let's just go and find Korrina and Lucario, and return to Spike and Magus at the hotel. We're going back to Ponyvill tomorrow morning," Twilight informed the others.

And they responded with shocked faces. "Huh, what about the Zoroark? And the human too?" Iris asked.

"The Zoroark isn't causing trouble, but is preventing, and honestly, we should just have not bothered with him from the beginning. And as for the human, he isn't our problem, remember what he said before he ran? That his being here is unrelated to yours. So I think he is from a completely different universe entirely, one where humans have magic going by the darkness and the sleep spell he put Rainbow under," Twilight said as the connection formed in the Alicorn's brain.

"Yeah, I can see the logic in your words Twilight," Juniper responded after thinking it over.

"And don't worry, I am going to write a letter to Princess Celestia about our encounter, but I don't think we have to worry too much. Not like a singular with a few spells can cause as much chaos as all of the newly arrived Pokemon," Twilight stated with confidence.

Xxx

"Man, this curry is great!" Maria exclaimed within their temporary dwelling, a hotel room in a hotel that hadn't asked any questions about a human and a pokemon renting a room for the night. "And that magic bag of yours if nifty too," She addressed Akira the teenager no longer wearing that stylish outfit of his, which made Maria a little upset that thing was a fashion marvel, she could have made an entire chain based on it.

"I know, the thing is so freaking handy, and yeah, Boss makes the best and try it with the coffee too. It completes the dish," Akira told her.

"Really? Okay, if you say soo," She said as she opened up the canteen and poured some into a cup before tasting it. "Holy shit, you're right!" She stated as the two tastes melded together in perfect union. "But in all seriousness, what are we going to do next?"

"Like I promised you, we're going to find Arceus and have him change you and everyone else who wants it back to human," He stated as a matter of fact.

"You actually meant that?" Maria asked she had thought it was empty talk to make her feel better, but it sounded like he was a hundred percent serious about confronting the Divine Pokemon and have him undo what he had done.

"Of course I did you are, my friend, now, and besides I would have done it even if you weren't, he violated both your will and personhood with that act. He didn't give you an option he didn't give you the choice that is the right of every being capable of questioning their own existence. He took that away from you, in the belief that his thoughts, opinions, choices, desires were the only ones that matter. That he has the right-."

"Akira!" Maria almost shouted as she cut off the teenager's rant.

"Sorry, I just hate beings like that. Those who choose to suppress the free will of others. Removing their ability to choose," He said more calmly sounding mature beyond his years. How much shit as this boy actually gone through.

"I feel kinda the same I hate having my choices taken away from me too," Maria responded desperately not trying to think about that event.

"Though the biggest problem is finding him, I mean, I have no idea where he is, do you?" Akira asked her.

"I… Actually now that I think back to his announcement he mentioned a place the Everfree Forest I think? Might be where he is?" Maria responded as she tried to recall the announcement, the loud booming voice of Arceus inside of her head.

"That's great at least we have a start, so how about tomorrow we go to the train station and ask where the Everfree Forest is located, and take the train to the most nearby town?" Akira suggested, and Maria couldn't help but agree. The kid certainly has charisma, and it doesn't hurt that he is both cute and handsome… what the hell am I thinking?

"Sounds like a plan, but I can't but feel this relationship is one sided, you know?"

"Why is that?"

"You've been helping me out the moment we meet, and now you plan to do this? And I have nothing to give in return for your help," She said, he might have said they were already friends. But Maria felt like she was taking advantage of Akira's generosity and kindness.

"You don't need to give me anything, but if it makes you feel better you can teach me about Pokemon, cause despite knowing my version of them, my knowledge is limited, and I've forgotten most of it. And I don't think turned-based video game mechanics apply to real life," He said the last part with a laugh.

"You're right about that. I was a pokemon trainer for most of my youth and I never forget what I've learned, so sure I can teach you Akira," Maria said, while fashion was her thing, she still loved pokemon and even batteled a few times for nostalgia's sake. So she would be happy to impart some of the knowledge she had obtained over the cause of her time as a trainer.

"It's a deal then?"

"It's a deal."

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion.

That moves thou through the world.

With the birth of the Art Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

Shall lead to continued freedom and new power…

Well that is interesting. Akira thought has felt a new confidant bond form between him and Maria.

The Art Arcana belonged in the Thoth deck and was the counterpart to the Temperance, signifying one who created beauties and the unification of two things to form a new balanced whole.

Xxx

Celestia sighed as the paperwork that had been created by the new presence of Pokemon never seemed to vanish and even more appeared to pile up over time.

But thankfully she was brought out of the monotone work routine as a Spike sent letter appeared in front of her. "Probably a report on the Manehatten situation, let's see…" Celestia began to read but stopped as she came to a certain section. "Why me," She almost wanted to cry.

"Ma'am, what is wrong," Honedge asked in concern, the sapient sword hovering beside her as an everlasting guard.

"Nothing, just another headache in the form of a second, dimensional traveler from the looks of it," She didn't even want to imagine Arceus reaction.

xxx

A/N: Made a poll about chapter sizes and what you would prefer for larger ones means more time between updates.

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