War. War never changes
When the final war consumed the Earth, those who survived did so in great, underground vaults. When they opened, their inhabitants set out across the ruins of the old world to build new societies, establish new village, form new tribes, and most mutated into crosses of humans and the wildlife that populated their world, Pokemon, becoming the humanoid Poke-people.
As centuries passed, what had been the region of the Indigo Pokemon League united beneath the flag of the New Kanto Republic, dedicated to old-world values of democracy and the rule of law and the new world's domination of Poke-people. As the Republic grew, so did its needs. Scouts spread east, seeking territory and wealth, and found what had once been the Kalos region now devastated into a desert wasteland. They returned with tales of a city untouched by the war that had scorched the rest of the world, and a great wall spanning their great river.
The NKR mobilized its army and set it east to occupy the Gaiva Dam, and restore it to working condition. But across the great river, another society had arisen under a different flag. A vast army of slaves, forged in the conquest of 86 tribes: Nobunaga's Kogun.
Two years have passed since the Republic held the Dam – just barely – against the Kogun's onslaught. The Kogun did not retreat. Across the river, they gathered strength. Campfires burned, training drums beat.
Through it all, the New Lumiose Strip has stayed open for business under the control of its mysterious overseer, Mr. House, and his army of rehabilitated tribals and police Porygon.
Her mind still in a haze after the disaster at Galar and nothing left but her work, the Lucario-woman courier Dee has taken a job from the Kalos Express to deliver a package to the New Lumiose Strip. What seemed like a simple delivery job has taken a turn for the worse.
Dee came to on the ground, staring at her bound hands as voices reached her.
"You got whatchu were after, sssso pay up," a snake-like voice hissed.
A more stylish voice answered, "You're crying in the rain, paley."
Dee managed to force herself into a kneeling position, the ropes that bound and gagged her not allowing anything else, as she focused on the source of the voices: an Arbok-Man with a snake tail instead of legs wearing an armored leather jacket with a big red R painted on the chest, a Persian-man in a checkered suit smoking a cigarette and a Nidorino-man in similar armor to the first but with pants.
The Nidorino-man turned to see Dee try and get up, "Guess who's waking up over here?"
The Persian-man with the stylish voice dropped his cigarette and stamped it out, "Time to cash out," he turned to look Dee in the eyes.
"Would you get it over with," the Arbok-man glared.
The Persian-man held up a hand without breaking eye contact with Dee, "Maybe Rockets kill people without looking them in the face, but I ain't a fink, dig?" He pulled a small metal disk out of his coat, the large platinum poker chip that Dee had been given to deliver. "You've made your last delivery, kid." The Persian-man put the chip back into his suit, "Sorry you got twisted up in this scene," he pulled out an ornate pistol which made Dee try her best to struggle free but her mind was still too addled to focus enough aura to break her bonds as the Persian-man continued, "From where you're kneeling it must seem like an 18-carat run of bad luck. But the truth is," he aimed the pistol at Dee's head, "the game was rigged from the start."
*BANG!*
Fallout: New Lumiose
Chapter 1: Ain't That a Kick in the Head
Dee didn't expect to wake up again, much less indoors on a bed. As she came too and sat up she felt a strong hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Whoa easy there, you've been out cold a couple of days now," the voice was male and had the practice of beside manner. "Just take it easy and get your bearings."
Dee's eyes focused on the face of a middle aged Herdier-man clothed in clean clothes more suited to working on a ranch, though his demeanor and the office meant she was sure he was a doctor. "How about your name. Can you tell me your name?"
"My name is Dee. Who are you and where am I?" Dee shook her head as the fog finally cleared from her mind.
"I'm Doc Mitchell, welcome to Vaniville Town. We're in the Kalos region." The doctor reached for a mirror he had on a table by the bed, "Now I hope you don't mind, but I had to go rootin around in your head to pull all the bits of lead out, but you're in good condition for someone who took a bullet to the face."
"I heal fast."
"I take pride in my needlework, but you'd better tell me if I put anything out of place," Doc Mitchell handed the mirror to Dee.
Dee stared back at the mirror, at her face. The structure was the same but the colors were all different: a yellow furred face with a grey mask around her eyes and up the top of her head instead of blue and black.
"Something wrong?" the doctor asked.
Dee's gaze snapped up to meet Doc Mitchell's "My fur's changed color! did you do this?"
The doctor shook his head, "No, you were the same color when Victor dug you out."
"Who's Victor?" Dee tried to stand but stumbled as her balance was completely thrown off, so much that Doc Mitchell had to catch her to steady her.
"Easy there, don't want you collapsing right away." He got her steady on her feet.
That was when Dee felt the extra weight on her front and looked down, her breasts were huge! She reached back and felt her butt and hips had equally inflated and she started to panic, "Can I use your bathroom or any place with a bigger mirror?!"
"Sure, that way-" Doc Mitchell was almost blown off his feet as Dee bolted to the bathroom, with a couple stumbles.
Dee was wearing a patient smock and nothing else that she tore off when she got to the bathroom. Her tits had gone up a couple cup sizes and were now practically watermelons hanging off her chest and her ass and thighs too. She looked back and gripped her bigger posterior and hips, she was what some might have termed 'thicc', no wonder she'd almost fallen over. More than that all her fur had changed color: her ears, most of her arms, upper legs, mouth region and most of her head were yellow gold; her feet, hands, aura dreads and 'face mask' were grey and the colored bands around her neck, aura dreads along with her nipples and areola were metallic gold in color. How had this happened?
Wait… when was the last time she really looked at herself or tried to figure things out. Ever since…
"Excuse me, Miss Dee, I hate to interrupt a lady in the powder room but I would like you finish your medical exam and make sure everything's alright." Doc Mitchell's voice came through the door.
"OK," Dee looked down at the patient gown on the floor, "Mind if I don't redress, that gown didn't do much."
"That's fine, I've seen plenty of all the men and women in town," the doctor assured her. Dee stepped out and followed him back to the exam room.
Doc Mitchell whistled when he watched Dee use the vita-tester machine, "I guess that explains how you're still alive. You're built as solid as an oak."
"Have to be with how much I'm on the road," Dee sighed and took a few more steps to make sure she was steady on her feet.
"Most patients don't get out of bed that fast after being shot, but you're in pretty good control of yourself," the doctor motioned for Dee to follow him, "Let's talk about this, make sure your head's on straight after getting that bullet out."
Dee nodded and followed him and sat down on a couch across from where Doc Mitchell sat on a chair, "I haven't had my head on straight for a couple years." She put a hand to her forehead, "Ever since what happened at Galar."
"The Divide!" The doctor's eyes went wide, "You survived that disaster! How?"
Dee looked left and right to make sure no one was listening in, "You'll keep it a secret?"
"I promise." He held up a hand as if making a pledge, "Doctor-patient confidentiality, as archaic as that seems in this post-war world."
Dee took a deep breath, "There's a strange parasite inside me that heals me from almost anything. I remember everything burning as I forced myself to crawl out of there and… honestly… I've been living in a daze for the last couple years, just doing courier jobs and never really noticing where I was. That must be how they got the drop on me, my aura sense was completely fucked. Maybe that's what made my body change, I wasn't this thicc or busty before the disaster, or had shiny fur."
"I see. That's a bit hard to believe," the doctor kept his voice level though. "They had to block off the pass to Galar. Whatever happened there made it too dangerous for anyone to even get close now."
"I've been through a lot and I don't feel like sharing the whole story." Dee poked one of her breasts to make sure it was real, "I grew up in a vault, wait," she checked her left wrist and only now noticed the lack of the familiar weight of her Rotom-boy there.
"Relax, I had to remove it to make sure nothing got trapped underneath," Doc Mitchell held up the wrist-mounted computer he had grabbed while Dee was in the bathroom, "I grew up in a Vault too so I know how to safely remove these since I took mine off years ago when I settled here." He handed the Rotom-boy back to Dee, who re-attached it to her forearm, wincing slightly as it powered back on.
"I kinda felt naked without this on, well…" she looked down at her otherwise naked, "Got anything I can wear. I don't think the town will appreciate me walking around naked."
"Just one thing, a moment." Doc Mitchell stood up and walked to his bedroom. He returned a moment later with a blue jumpsuit in hand, "Here, this was my wife's. It should fit you, almost."
Dee took the jumpsuit which had a bright yellow 21 emblazoned on the back, "Should I really be advertising myself as a former Vault Dweller."
"Folks 'round here don't care much as long as you don't make trouble. Might be a bit tight, she wasn't as full-figured as you," he couldn't resist a chuckle.
Dee had to struggle to get the jumpsuit on, it stretched like a second skin across her hips and ass and the zipper proved to be an even greater challenge as it just barely made it past her breasts. Even after it zipped up the zipper's teeth were strained and Dee was afraid it might burst open at any minute. "Where is your wife?"
"She died, failed to hybridize after we left the Vault and her weak immune system couldn't take things," Doc Mitchell sighed sadly, "It was a long time ago, don't think I'll get over it but the people here accepted me and my medical training so I just settled down."
Dee gave a sympathetic look "Sorry to hear that. Any idea who shot me? I remember…" she strained, "I think it was a Persian, Arbok and Nidorino?"
"Dunno," the doctor led Dee to the door, "Only Victor saw what happened and he hasn't said anything to any of us, here's what's left of your stuff, by the way."
Dee took the backpack that Doc Mitchell handed here, no food or water, only a small stack of money, and a delivery notice from Kalos Express, "Who's Victor?"
"He's the Porygon floating around, hard to miss in a town this small." The doctor gave Dee a concerned expression, "what are you going to do?"
"All I can do," Dee stepped out the door, "Find that man and finish my delivery." She shut the door and stepped out into the town. Vaniville was a small town, resembling something of a post boom-town in a western that people just stayed in after the gold dried up.
Almost immediately, Dee spotted Victor. He was a Porygon, not an anthro Porygon-man but a normal Porygon the size of a small car just floating down the road and wearing a cowboy hat and neckerchief. As Dee approached, Victor turned to face her and his eyes lit up in joy.
"Howdy, pardner!" he spoke with a fairly exaggerated western accent, "Might I say, you're looking fit as a fiddle."
"Thanks, and thanks for saving me from those men," Dee was a bit surprised but this was far from the most unusual thing she'd seen.
"Don't mention it! I'm always ready to lend a helping hand to a stranger in need, by the way what's your name so you don't have to stay a stranger." Victor extended one of his… arms?… forwards.
Dee took his 'arm' and shook it, "I'm Dee. So how did you find me?"
Victor withdrew his arm, "I was out for a stroll that night when I heard the commotion up at the old bone orchard. Saw what looked like a bunch of bad eggs so I laid low. Once they'd run off, I dug you up to see if you were still kicking. Turns out, you were, so I hauled you off to the Doc right quick."
"Thanks again, do you know anything about those men who tried to kill me?" Dee asked
"Can't say I'm familiar with the rascals." Victor shook his head, "Some of the fine folks in town might be able to help you out with that. That sorta thing would stick out since Vaniville's a right peaceful town and I reckon it's as fine a place to settle as any."
Dee looked around, "Yeah, if I had someone to settle down with." Memories of her mate, Helios the Charmeleon-man, came rushing to the surface and she wondered if he was still alive. She pushed the sad thought from her head before she asked, "Where would I go to ask about them?"
"Try the Prospector Saloon, everyone heads there to wet their whistle and hear the news around Kalos," Victory pointed with his nose towards the building with the name he'd given over the door in lights.
"Thanks," Dee turned and headed for the saloon.
Dee was greeted by a Pyroar-woman wearing leather armor with a rifle slung across her back inside the saloon. "So you're finally up and around, we were worried the Doc couldn't pull it off. Sunny Smiles," She extended a hand towards Dee.
"Dee," Dee shook Sunny's hand, "I was just wondering if you know anything about the men who tried to kill me."
Sunny shrugged, "Not much, they looked like Team Rocket other than the Persian in the checkered suit, he looked classy enough to be from New Lumiose."
"How do I get there?" Dee was eager to get going.
"Fastest way is north, that's way they came from- hey wait!" Sunny didn't have time to stop Dee as the Lucario-woman ran out the front door. Sunny cursed then ran off after her.
Dee ran to a canyon entrance north of town and only slowed as she approached when she realized she didn't have any food or water. A sudden buzzing drew her attention to a blur from the canyon, she winced at the sound as it got louder and saw a hostile red aura approach at blinding speed.
"GET DOWN!" Sunny's shout came almost too late as she unslung her rifle and Dee barely had time to see a black insect Pokemon seem to appear out of nowhere. She dodged back just in time for the crack of the rifle to be heard and strike the creature in the side. It barely slowed down as it turned to Sunny as she clicked the bolt-action on her rifle. There was an audible buzz from nearby as Victor approached and launched a Thundershock at the creature, it struck home.
Dee drew her hands back beside her and focused, a gust of energy swirling up between her palms then condensing into a swirling ball of blue energy that she fired at the insect, only for the ball to spiral out and fly into the nearby canyon wall. The monster turned back to her, chittered and charged and Dee barely had time to swing a Blaze Kick at the creature's mask-like face. Thankfully it connected and set the creature ablaze while knocking it to the ground where it lay twitching and smouldering for a minute before it finally died.
"What the hell was that thing?!" Dee held a hand over her chest above her breast, trying to calm her breathing.
"Ninjask mutant with a Beedrill's poison stinger, we call them Ninjadrills," Sunny slung her rifle on her back, "They move so fast most never see them before being cut in half or poisoned. Not as durable or strong as a Death-Scyther but a lot faster and they live in swarms."
"I reckon this little dogie got curious and wandered close. When it saw you it thought you'd be easy pickins," Victor chimed in.
"That's assuming they think at all," Sunny rolled her eyes, "don't try to eat them either. Whatever was done to them made them toxic, even for a steel-type."
"So how do I get to New Lumiose if not this way?" Dee started the walk back into town with the other two.
Sunny pointed south, "You gotta go south through Santalune city then follow the road east through Coumarine City until it turns north. Then head through Dendemille Town through the trading post, you'll bypass Cyllage city unless you want to take a detour. From there it should be a few kilometers of open road." She turned and pointed off into the distance where one could faintly glimpse the top of a tower, "you can see the tower from a fair distance away if you're up high enough."
"Doesn't sound like the layout I remember from the games," Dee sounded confused.
Sunny laughed, "Doc Mitchell said the same thing. The maps in that old stuff were changed so kids could find things more easily. I walked that trail once so I know the path as far as the trading post. Now I just stay here, watch out for anything trying to kill or rustle the Dubwool," She pointed a penned herd of the large woolly Pokemon, "And keep the Gecleon from harassing the townsfolk."
"Gecleon?"
"Used to be Kecleon, but the mutation from the war made them change in whatever environment they end up in." Sunny opened the door to the saloon, "'round here they're just bigger and meaner, out in the desert they're fire types and if the radiation is strong enough they're poison types. Might be others but that's what we find around here. Their hides are worth a few caps if you can skin them."
"Caps?" Dee walked past Sunny into the saloon, Victor had already parted company with them by now.
"Right. A lot of people out here use bottle caps from pop bottles as currency since the NKR isn't that far out here. But you can still spend NKR money, bigger outfits prefer that since it weighs a lot less than hundreds of metal bottle caps." Sunny guided Dee to the bar, "I'll buy you a drink to get you going then you can get supplied up before you head out."
"Thanks, Sunny." Dee accepted the drink. "I should probably stop by the Santalune Kalos Express office anyway, I think I have some more money there."
"When you find that Persian, what are you going to do?" Sunny asked before downing her own drink.
"Maybe kill him, maybe thank him," Dee rubbed her forehead with a finger where she'd been shot, "that bullet kinda snapped me out of a daze I've been living in for the last two years." She thought about asking Sunny to come with her on the walk but as more saloon patrons came and greeted the Pyroar-woman, Dee knew she wouldn't want to leave.
After the drink and a meal, Dee stopped by the general store and stocked up on as much water and food as she could. No grenades so she'd have to rely on her own fighting skills to get by. She set off south in the mid-afternoon, heading for Santalune City.