- Chapter 3: Chespin Without a Home -
B-BMP!
It rang strong through her entire body. A strong surge to move. The battle had begun.
The Staravia took a step forward before it lunged. Its wings stretched out as it took a short flight. It was a blur, faster than Meowth could follow.
It slammed across her body. Meowth was on the ground.
"Meowth!" Pineno gasped.
The Staravia made its lunge again, but it couldn't go any further. It cried out as it fell back to the ground. A pair of vines constricted one of its wings. Pineno held his ground as the avian stood. He called his vines back in time to avoid the blur of its attack.
Meowth was back on her feet as she watched the pair try to land a blow on each other. The Staravia was quick, and Pineno was slower with his attacks, but his reaction time was impressive. He struck it across the chest with his vines, and watched as it fell on the ground.
The Staravia stood back up and puffed out its chest. A horrible, seething, primal growl rattled from inside. It sent chills down Meowth's spine. Pineno was just as spooked, but he shook it off and attacked again. It was sloppy. It merely toppled the bird over. He was swatted by a running tackle, and he fell to the ground in a nasty tumble.
Meowth gasped as the Staravia walked over, lifting a talon towards his head. She didn't know what she could do, but she couldn't let him get hurt, not after what he had to endure the night before!
She ran. It was clumsy, but she closed the gap between them as she lunged. She latched onto the Staravia's back. Her claws gave her an extra grip as the avian tried everything in its power to throw her off. Meowth screamed as the world spun around her. She realized that she was in the air.
The Staravia twisted its body in a spiral. Meowth lost her grip, and she hit the ground. An oof escaped her as the air got pushed from her lungs. High above, she could hear it.
The Staravia dove back down and rammed its body against hers, sending her tumbling across the clearing. Meowth stood back on her feet, and the blur of the attack struck her again. She was on the ground. Everything stung. She could hardly move. Doing as much as trying to get on her hands and knees seemed like an impossible task. The Staravia struck her again. Her vision blurred.
Everything was starting to spin.
(I…I can't…keep going…) Meowth thought. (Why a Meowth…out of all things? Why not a Pikachu…who can shoot lightning? Or…a Charmander that could at least breathe fire…? What am I going to do…with this body?)
The massive avian landed in front of her. She winched.
A swinging vine struck the bird across the head. The Staravia staggered and turned. Pineno stood with a glare, but he took a step back as the Staravia made its lunge. He was brought back down to the ground by a single tackle.
Meowth was back to her feet. She wasn't sure how many more blows Pineno could take before he would pass out again. She was in no better shape, but she couldn't stand by. There had to be some way to send the Staravia away if she couldn't fight it.
It noticed her. Insulted by her stubbornness, if stretched out its wings again and fanned them in the air with another screech. It jumped and soared.
Meowth ducked, and the bird flew back to the skies before it dove back down. She tried to run, but she was brought down to the ground when her backside was attacked. The third time the bird dived, she wasn't able to move. Fear crossed her again as it got closer. She shut her eyes.
The bird screeched in pain.
Eyes snapped open, and the first thing seen were falling feathers. The giant starling had been scratched across the face, and it definitely looked to hurt. Unfortunately, it doesn't stall for long enough. Once it shook the pain away, all it did was make it angrier.
Raa-aa-aah!
Again! It cried out again! Meowth moved back as she saw her chance to gain distance. But when it didn't move, she was left confused.
Raa-aa-aah! Raa-aa-aah!
It wasn't screaming in anger.
That was a distress call.
Ee-eree-errre!
Meowth looked up. The familiarity made her stomach drop.
Starly. Two of them.
"Uh…Pineno?" Meowth called.
The Chespin whipped his face from the dirt he fell on before his attention went towards the sky. His face went pale.
The Starly pair flew from the trees and towards them both. They missed as their targets lunged out of range. They circled the clearing and attacked again. Both Meowth and Pineno covered their heads as they were relentlessly attacked.
Meowth blindly swung both of her paws as she tried to keep the Starly away from her. One of her swings landed, and her claws caught feathers as the Starly hit the ground. She stood and looked at her paws before mentally slapping herself.
(Of course I could do something! I have claws!)
Her body wasn't happy about her standing again, but she couldn't stay down. Pineno was keeping his own problem at bay with his swinging vines, but it was less effective. All it did was knock his own target back a few feet.
The fallen Starly got back to its feet and lunged. This time, Meowth didn't try to run. Her eyes followed its movements, and by some miracle, she was able to keep up with them. The image of the flying Starly was vivid as it drew near.
Meowth swung once the distance was close, striking the bird across its belly. It fell back with a pained cry. She didn't wait for it to move. She hurried her way towards the Starly that was attacking the Chespin.
WHAM! She fell on her back as the Staravia reminded her of its existence. It knocked her back down as she tried to get back to her feet. It pinned her down with a heavy talon and spread its wings. The smallest effort to move only pushed the talons to pierce her skin. Meowth froze, fearful that the sharp pain against her chest would worsen. The Starly saw her vulnerable state. It made a beeline for her.
It couldn't be serious!
The Starly rammed its body against her head, and the world rattled. It struck her again, then again. The fourth time was halted as it screamed. It was thrown back by a vine.
Pineno cried out a loud and determined cry as he swung his vines in every direction. The pair of Starly were knocked back. The Staravia jumped back, dragging Meowth with it. The talons stabbed through her skin. The Staravia snagged one of the vines with its beak, but the second one slapped it across the face. It spat, confused and insulted.
"Let go of her, you fiend!" Pineno shouted as he charged. He recalled his vines and lunged before tucking his arms and legs close to his body. He turned himself into a ball as he rolled towards the confused avian.
Meowth was freed as Pineno crashed against its body. The Staravia's scream was the worst she had ever heard. Having fallen face-first on the ground, Meowth sat up and felt her paws grazing the coin on her head. She growled at the reflex.
(Don't worry about that now! The Chespin needs help!)
She got to her knees and looked back. The green blur was still rolling. Pineno struck the pair of Starly from the air, and he made a sharp turn towards the Staravia.
It got struck again. It staggered and almost collapsed. The Staravia stomped the ground and spread out its wings before lunging high in the sky.
Pineno stopped rolling, back on his feet as he focused on the sky. The Staravia was making a quick descent with wings that were illuminated with fierce energy.
Pineno braced himself as he summoned his vines again. He planted his feet and blurted out; "Fear won't cross me, I am not alone!"
(What is he doing?! He can't possibly stop that attack!) Meowth stood, and she ran as fast as her legs would allow. (I'm not going to make it!)
A blur of a sphere struck the Staravia from the sky. It burst into water that drenched its chest. It squawked and flailed its wings as it fought to regain its flight.
Blue light highlighted its body, and it remained fixed in the air without a single wing beat. Its unpleasant cries spoke of the amount of effort it was putting forth to try to break itself free from the mysterious force.
Confused, Pineno looked at Meowth, but she shook her head, growing concerned.
Footsteps made them both turn around to see who the newcomer was.
The tall crown on its head was the first thing they saw. The abnormal shape and size was nothing seen before. The horns were thrice their normal size, with angular corners and branches that shared the likeness of a pair of antlers. It was tall enough to reach just above the top of the shell. Around its neck was the familiar red and white striped frill, but a large, matching cape was the extension that fluttered past its back.
The Slowking was the source of the interruption. Both the gemstone of its crown, and its eyes were glowing a gentle light-blue. It swung its arm to his right, and the Staravia screamed as it zipped across the field. Its body slammed against a tree. Feathers scattered. It fell limp on the ground, its wings twisted.
Startled, Meowth stepped back as Pineno hurried to her side, keeping his vines pointed towards the Slowking.
(That's not a normal Slowking.) Meowth gulped.
If it could do that to the Staravia, there was absolutely no way they would survive a battle against it.
But the glow in its eye faded. It placed a paw on its shell and shook its head. "Oh dear. Even a small fraction was still too much. I was sure I restrained plenty…"
He glanced at the children, taking notice of their hostile stances.
"Now, now. There is no cause to be alarmed. I am not your enemy."
Again. The voice caught Meowth by surprise. His was deep but smooth, almost like a wise professor. But at the same time, again, he spoke in a way she knew couldn't be possible. Almost as if every word was spoken through a yawn. She had to get used to the fact that she could understand Pokémon.
But what she didn't understand was how was she able to understand the Slowking and Chespin, but not the Pokémon within the forest? Did they speak another language?
Did Pokémon have languages?
The Staravia was still on the ground. It wasn't responding to anything. That final blow was a terrifying sight. Meowth wasn't sure if she wanted to trust the stranger who saved them. She looked at Pineno for answers. While his face did relax, he didn't call his vines back. They remained in their battle-ready position. His gaze was fixed.
The Slowking smiled. "Aha-hah! Alright. I understand. You two must have had a long morning. But you aren't in any good shape to defend yourselves, are you? Give me just a moment."
Meowth watched for any tells of danger, but instead, the Slowking reached in what she didn't notice before.
A shoulder bag.
He pulled out a pair of oran berries and tossed them to their feet. "I have plenty more where those came from, so no need to worry."
It was a bit awkward. She was hesitant, but she knew she needed it. Picking it up, she sniffed it to assure it was no trick.
"I'll be out of your way now. There's someone waiting for me."
The Slowking was already taking his leave. He was pretty far. If he saved her, did it mean he was good? Or perhaps all the racket displeased him. Maybe he wanted to end the battle quickly for his own odd reasons.
"It's not a look-alike." Pineno's voice snapped Meowth from her thoughts. "It's safe to eat."
(A look-a-what?)
Pineno was already eating his, so Meowth saw no reason to hesitate. She ate it within a few bites, and the pain started to ebb out. To her displeasure, it only focused on the worst of her injuries. There were still aches, including the new headache that made itself known.
It didn't make much sense. She thought the oran berry had a better effect before.
The vines hissed as they were pulled back into Pineno's shoulders. He tilted his head. "That Pokémon…he just brought the boss down and left. I guess he knows where he's going. But…I've never seen a Slowking that looked like that before. You saw how massive his horns were, right? Do you think he might have come from another continent or something?"
It was just another bunch of questions to add on top of Meowth's ever-growing list.
"We should get going, too. I don't want to fight anymore birds."
Meowth could agree with that. She nodded and followed him as he took the lead.
Pineno stopped mid-step, his paw tapping his chest. As he stopped his foot down, he looked to his left, then his right. "Oh! The poké!"
"The what?" Meowth saw his panic. She glanced at the sky in case another Starly decided to make itself known.
"I put it down before the battle so I wouldn't lose it! But I don't see it anywhere!" Pineno blurted out. "Oh, no! I need that! If I don't have it, then they won't…!"
His words were caught. Pineno jogged one way, then another. He spun and searched as his head weaved around, but whatever he was searching for didn't seem to turn up. His panic kept growing as he kept muttering "Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no…"
Meowth then remembered: his little bag. That was what he dropped before the Staravia attacked. She took careful steps and scanned her surroundings for any sign of it. Her constant blinking didn't make her strange vision change, but there was no time to worry about it. The little bag seemed too important to let go.
Could it have been disturbed while they were battling? It was the only explanation for why it was misplaced. With every passing second, Meowth could hear his frantic words growing worse. She tried to search faster, if it was even possible.
Then, she caught sight of something that wasn't a rock or a dead cluster of leaves.
She approached it at first to assure her eyes weren't playing tricks. But indeed, there it was: a small sack with a thin gray rope tied around the opening.
Why did he choose brown out of all colors? It was no wonder he missed it. But somehow, to Meowth, she could make it out just fine.
"I found it!" she announced.
"Really?" Pineno hurried to her side, and he leaped for joy. "Victini's luck! Thank you so much!"
He scooped it from the ground, the contents inside shifting in a jingle. Meowth felt her ears perk. It sounded like a cluster of metal…coins, perhaps? The very thought excited her, but for what reason, she didn't understand. She watched as he secured it until it hung like a necklace again.
"You should probably get a bag that's a brighter color," Meowth suggested.
"I know, I know. But this was all I had," Pineno said. He gave her a big grin. "You saved me again! You really are lucky! So lucky!"
"I…" She wouldn't consider her situation anywhere close to good luck.
"Now we can get going!" Pineno nudged Meowth into a hurried walk. "Let's go, let's go! Before they wake up!"
She took a final look at the pair of Starly, who still lay unconscious on the ground. Their leader Staravia was in far worse shape. Krista didn't know bird anatomy all too well, but she was sure wings weren't supposed to bend in such an unnatural angle. She didn't want to stare too long. A part of her was afraid that it wasn't breathing.
But she couldn't move on without knowing.
"Hey…that Staravia. Is it…?"
"Oh, no. It's fine," Pineno answered, aware of what she was going to ask. "I mean, it looks bad, but it's still alive. Most Pokémon usually yield before they get knocked out like that though."
Meowth couldn't shake the gruesome sight out of her head.
"We can take a hyper beam in the face and still be breathing!" Pineno assured. "And I have special armor! I eat hyper beams for breakfast!"
As if to prove a point, he struck his own head with a heavy fist. The quills had stiffened into blades, but only for a second. Despite the injuries he sustained, he still had a march to his step.
(I guess that makes sense. I think I remember…that Pokémon are built battlers. That Slowking knocked out that Staravia without a problem, but Pineno was pretty strong, too. What move was that anyway? The Starly didn't stand a chance against it.)
The pathway spread out more and more, until they finally stepped out into a large dirt path in an open space. Pineno ran ahead and stopped, standing at the edge of a ledge.
"Hey! Meowth! Take a look at this! We made it!"
Meowth followed, but not as eager. However, the moment she joined his side, she could understand his excitement.
Riverside Path
Just beyond the ledge, was a vast and open space that stretched for miles. The dirt path bounced down the rolling hills and split like a river. What sliced through the hills was a massive river that sliced the land in half. Further down the river, it split into smaller branches. And those branches split into even smaller branches. It kept going until it reached too far for her to follow.
It looked like a live painting of a tree. And they were at the base of it.
"Awesome! Riverside Path looks even cooler in person!" Pineno laughed. "The hills are a lot bigger than I thought! Oh wow, where does it end?! I know it goes on for miles, but this is incredible!"
Meowth was impressed by the landscape. Even if she could remember, she doubted it was anything she had ever seen before. But, it was frightening, how far it stretched to the horizon. In the distance, there were mountains at least. It had to be where the river was coming from.
"Now, I just need to find the Central River," Pineno said. "And then, I can meet up with them!"
"Them?" Meowth echoed. The idea of meeting a group of strangers almost made her freeze in place.
"Oh, right. You don't have a clue!" Pineno laughed. "But hey, you made it out of that annoying place, so now you're good to go! Maybe we will see each other again?"
Meowth just stared at him. She wasn't sure what to say. (He's leaving? Yeah…of course he would be. I don't know what I was expecting.)
"You should return home as soon as you can."
Home. She didn't have a home. Meowth felt a clutch in her chest. What could she say?
"It's late in the afternoon for sure, so you should be OK for a while," Pineno said. "But try not to let sundown catch you. I don't think I have to explain why."
(W-what?! What is he talking about?! Sundown?! I guess it's because it'll be hard to see at night. There doesn't seem to be any lamps or anything…)
"Um…are you alright?" Pineno asked.
"Huh?" Meowth didn't realize her face was giving her thoughts away.
"You seem troubled by something. What's the matter? Is your home pretty far from here? I guess that makes sense. You do look very different from other Meowth. Are you visiting, maybe?"
(What am I supposed to tell him?! It's not like I can just blurt out that I'm a human trapped in a Meowth's body! Doesn't seem logical. But…maybe…)
She decided to explain everything else. How she woke up in a tree and got ambushed. How it led her to the dungeon. How, no matter how hard she tried to think, her mind always went blank on anything prior to the day.
Pineno's reaction wasn't what she expected. He was deep in thought, but his face was twisted with pity, "Oh no…that sounds terrible. You really…don't remember anything, do you? Are you sure? Not even your name?"
"You…believe me?" Meowth was surprised.
"Well, this isn't anything new to hear. Especially in these parts," Pineno said. "A lot more Pokémon have been turning up confused lately, you see. Some had forgotten where they lived. Others forgot their own families. But the worst cases are those who forget even themselves. That's the scary one. But, this is the first time I've heard of a Pokémon losing all of their memories. Somehow, you aren't twisted one bit! That's amazing!"
Meowth almost didn't catch the last sentence. She sent him a glare. "What do you mean by—"
"Oh, Meowth. I am so glad you are okay!"
Meowth almost lost her footing as the Chespin gave her a tight hug. She wasn't sure how to respond. It was…a bit uncomfortable. All she could do was pat his back. She didn't want to be rude about it.
He stepped back and turned away. His arm brushed over his face. "Maybe there's a reason we've met, after all. You don't seem to be Corrupted or anything. The fact you lost your memories, but you're still talking is amazing on it's own!"
(The heck are you on about?) Meowth wanted to ask him, but she instead said; "I…I'm sorry. I don't understand."
Pineno turned to face her again. "It's a lot to take in, I know. But this isn't a good place to talk about it." He took a quick look around, scouting for any possible eavesdroppers. "But I can't exactly go back home, either. I don't really have any other place to go. And neither do you. So I guess we are two peas in a pod, huh?"
Meowth frowned. Perhaps they were. She didn't want to prod on why he couldn't return home. But if he thinks they are similar, she's sure his reasons were something too personal to talk about.
"Say, Meowth. How about you come with me?"
"What?"
Pineno smiled as he looked off to the riverside. He pointed a single paw. "There! If we follow the Central River, it should take us to the heart of the country. We should be safe there. As long as we are careful while traveling, we won't stumble across another mystery dungeon. It's uh…somewhere down there. I'm not sure where exactly it's located, but your gut should warn you if you get too close."
(My gut?)
"This district is protected by a descendant of a king that ruled this region centuries ago. He and his Retaliators help all sorts of Pokémon! They call him The Central Headmaster, and he's somewhere down there. If we can meet him, then he could help us too!" Pineno continued. "I've already sent out a request for an escort. I really do hope that someone took it. But it was and anonymous request. And usually, Pokémon don't take those because…b-because…"
He was trembling.
"Ah…escort requests are not well-liked from what I've heard. And it's an anonymous one on top of it. They've been used as traps in the past. So…it's likely…that it's still posted somewhere collecting dust…until it's marked as cold and hopeless…"
Meowth noticed his smile faltering, but he was trying to hard to keep it. He was holding on to hope that someone took his request.
"B-but! Even if I have to wait a week, that's okay! I'm not alone this time!"
His smile quivered, and he toppled over to the ground.
"Pineno!" Meowth gasped.
"I'm not alone this time…haha…I don't have the poké to cover for a second client…"
His paw gripped the string of his small bag. As he lifted it, the slightest jingle was heard. Again, it made Meowth's ears perk, but his sadness drew her attention back to him.
"It took me eight months to get all of that money. I can't wait another year to cover for you, too! Oh, it's just not fair!" Pineno sat up, pouting. "Why do they make these things so expensive?! I understand the anonymous rule means you have to pay extra for safety reasons but…urgh…"
(He seems really bummed out. He really wants to help me.) Meowth thought as she approached him. (He didn't have to help me, but he chose to right after hearing my story. It doesn't seem fair that he has to sacrifice his chance for help just because I've decided to tag along. He already went through enough trouble.)
(That's it. I've decided.)
"Hey. Pineno. You don't have to—"
"Yes I do!" Pineno stood strong, balling his paws into fists. "I don't care how much you try to turn it down! I'm not going to leave you all by yourself when you don't even know how you got here! It's just…it's just wrong!"
He sighed, and he turned away.
"Maybe anyone else would do it, but I'm not going to leave someone on their own over something they can't control. That's not who I am."
There was no convincing him. It would be pointless to continue to try to turn it down. But she's worried about how they would take it, whoever they are. If someone took the request, they would expect to be paid for one person. Not two. She would understand their disappointment when it came to it.
But the determined look in Pineno's face was not wavering.
She sighed. "Alright. Let's get going."
His smile returned at full. "R-really?! You don't have a problem with that?!"
"I mean, you did have a point. I don't really have anywhere else to go." Meowth tried to think again, but there was nothing to search through. "I don't know how to describe it. I just woke up with my mind completely wiped, I guess. If I do have a home, it's not like I would know where it is. I don't recognize where I am. And there's…a lot of running water here. I don't want to find out if I know how to swim or not."
She shivered at the thought. She couldn't tell if it was because she was a Meowth, or something related to her previous life. But, the idea of falling into any kind of water brought unpleasant feelings.
Pineno gave her a pitiful smile. "I'm sorry if it looked like I was trying to force you. It's just…I got really worried and all. I know it's tough and scary right now, especially after what happened to you. I just hope once we get there, we will get some answers."
"Yeah. Maybe." Meowth agreed.
Pineno was already turning away from the ledge. He followed the dirt path that traveled along the side, descending down a hill along the outskirts of the forest.
"Hey, Meowth."
Meowth followed. It was going to take some time until she learned to answer to that naturally.
"Since you don't remember what you are called, is it alright if I pick a nickname for you? That's if…you can't think of anything yourself, I mean." He stopped and held his paws out in surrender. "I-I totally didn't mean to sound like I was trying to force one on you or anything! It was just a thought! If you already have one picked out, then I'm all ears!"
For once, she smiled with a small chuckle. "Why are you so worried? I'm not going to get mad at you all because of a suggestion."
"Oh, ok…" he returned the chuckle.
"You're just trying to help, right?"
"Yeah." Pineno laughed. "So usually by tradition, a Meowth is nicknamed after a gemstone of some kind. Or anything related to shiny things. You know, because…well, you already know."
(Huh?)
"So what do you think? How does Diamond sound? Or Ruby? Gold? Maybe Sapphire?"
The first few suggestions didn't sound all too appealing.
"No good, huh? I guess Platinum wouldn't be very fitting for you. Your fur doesn't have the matching color for it. What about Pearl? Does Pearl sound ok?"
"Eh…?"
"Ok no Pearl. Emerald is too specific…uh…Crystal? Does that sound alright?"
"You're going to name every single gemstone that exists, are you?"
"Uh…" Pineno smiled. "I guess you don't like that one?"
"Well…it doesn't sound too flashy compared to the others. I think," Meowth answered. "But I think Crystal is still a bit much. I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be picky or anything. I didn't think names were so hard."
"It's ok. I was without a nickname for the first few years of my life. It's pretty normal," Pineno said. "I was just called Chespin 5. Because I was the fifth hatched and all. Ahaha…ha…"
His smile vanished, but only for a second.
"We can try again later if you want. Maybe where it's safer."
Meowth thought over the list. Perhaps it could work, at least temporality. "No wait. Actually…I think I like Crystal."
"Huh? Really?"
"Not entirely, but I can deal with it."
"Almost, huh?" Pineno tapped his chin, and a thought crossed his mind. "How about Krista? It's not super fancy. Just a little shorter."
"Yeah. That could work," Meowth agreed. She was already feeling better. Being called by the Pokémon she turned into was a bit strange as is. It was nice to have a proper name. "I think I'll go with that."
"Awesome!" Pineno cheered. "Then it's decided! For now on, you're the Meowth called Krista until we find out what your real nickname is! It's nice to meet you, Krista! Hehehe!"
He was grinning ear to ear. Krista didn't realize it until then, but his joy was quite contagious. All he did was pick a name out for her, and he was over the moon. She worried that once they got to their destination, he might just pass out.
"Well, come on! Let's get going!" Pineno bounced on his feet and jogged down the hill. "We don't want to kill the sunlight!"
"Wait! Slow down!" Krista followed him down, and the pair ran down the hill and towards the vast terrain. The pine tree forest was behind them at last as they walked among the rivers, into the unknown.
Espeon804 Presents…
"Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Retaliation Corps"