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Description
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Investigators of Soul/Heart/Spirit

a fanmade story

…
………
…………………………
…unh…
…wh…where am I?
I slowly come to, opening my eyes and taking in my surroundings. I'm in some rocky area I've never seen before…
Wait a-
What HAVE I seen before?
…
I can't remember anything. Nothing.
Wait…my name…
My name is Gabriel.
I know that much.
And…I know that I'm human.
Well, of course. I mean, why wouldn't I b-
Something catches my eye in a puddle to my left.
I get up and stand overtop of it...
A Ralts stares back at me in the reflection.
What? What kind of-
Wait a-
I stop and frantically look myself over. I have no hands; only white arms. My feet trudge along the ground with long white appendages stuck to them. My head is bigger than my body, and I can't see up through my green hair.
I'm a Ralts now?!
…
WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!
I stand there, looking myself over again, trying to comprehend my new form and remember anything, when someone else approaches me.
"Oh dear…" the stranger says to themself upon seeing me. "Yet another one..."
I instinctively try to make myself look intimidating as I look over them. The old woman has a very thin and fragile white build, with a huge purple mushroom-like head with a pink frill.
She gets even closer, walking towards me with her tiny pink feet, and I actually flinch and look into her blank black eyes with an equally nightmare-inducing frown.
"Are you lost, little one?" she says, strangely calm. "Where are your parents?"
Little one? Parents?
How old do I look to her, five?
Then again, how old AM I? Not much I can say there.
"Uh...good question," I respond.
"Well, you certainly can't stay here," the stranger says. "This is the Lycanroc Territory. I'm risking my life just being here."
"Then what are you DOING here?!"
"That's a question you could ask yourself."
Dangit, she's right.
She suddenly takes me by the arm. "Here. Let's get out of here. Come with me."
"Hey, WAI-"
I don't even get to say the "t" before the Pokémon is dragging me along.
"Who do you think you are, anyway?!" I snap, my arm starting to hurt from being pulled.
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry. My name is Shiinotic," she introduces herself. "I run an orphanage in Crossroad City not far from here, much safer indeed."
"Uh...okay? Can you let go of me now?"
"I suppose...but you must follow me, then."
"Fine, fine, whatever."
She lets go of me and leads the way.
A few steps in, and it's suddenly dark for a moment before it lights back up, and the place looks completely different, with walls and corridors that weren't there before.
"Um...what just happened?" I ask, as Shiinotic would obviously know more about the world than I do.
"We just entered a mystery dungeon."
"Mystery dungeon?"
"A natural maze in these parts, where the layout is never the same."
"What do you mean by that?" I ask.
"Every time you walk into a mystery dungeon, it's completely different. The paths are different, items and Poké are scattered on the ground randomly, and the enemies appear in different spots every time."
"WHOAWHOAWHOAWHOAWHOA," I shout. "Stop right there. Please tell me you didn't just say 'enemies'."
"I wish I didn't." Shiinotic frowns.
Oh, that's just great.
"Mystery dungeons are very dangerous places," she goes on. "Not only do you have to work your way through here, but yes, Pokémon living here don't take very kindly to visitors. They don't like having their lifestyle interrupted, and tend to lash out at anyone else. So you always have to be on your toes, ready to defend yourself."
I don't have toes... I think to myself.
"Here. Just do what I do."
She takes five steps ahead of me to the east. "Now just follow me. Use the Circle Pad to move."
"What the heck is a Circle Pad?"
"Oh, I wasn't talking to you."
Great. The woman's delusional. And she runs an orphanage? That doesn't sound like a very good combination.
But sure enough, I found myself right next to her again within five steps.
"There. Now just keep up with me until I say otherwise."
I followed her through a corridor until we reached another open room. I looked a bit to my right and saw a big blue fruit on the ground, guarded by two small, brown dog Pokémon sleeping right next to it.
Shiinotic simply approached one of the two Rockruffs and nailed it with Mega Drain, causing it to yip and run off.
Surprisingly, not waking the other.
"...a bit harsh?" I noted.
"It's either that, or they get the first hit. And you don't want that.
"Now you try."
"Wait, WHAT."
"Approach it and attack it. It's good practice."
Yeah, I'm sure of it. This woman is INSANE.
Still, I walked up to the Rockruff, and it woke up as soon as I was within range.
Uh...
I threw a weak punch.
Rockruff in return used Bite.
"OW."
"No, no, no!" Shiinotic called out. "Not the A attack!"
"Well, what else am I supposed to do, then?!"
"Hold the L button and you'll find your moves. Then press either A, B, X, or Y to use one!"
"It's all foreign to me!" A? B? X?! Y?! What are these, lazy video game names?
"Again, I am not speaking to you!"
Oh, for crying out loud...
I just focused, and all of a sudden knew that I could use Growl, Confusion, Encore, and Shadow Sneak.
I launched Confusion at the foe, and it took enough damage to flee.
"That's the spirit!" Shiinotic cheered from the sidelines.
"Yeah...ow..." was all I had to say in exchange.
The old lady gestured to the fruit on the ground. "Walk over that Oran Berry to pick it up."
I did as instructed.
"There. Now press Start to open the menu, and eat it from the Items department."
At this point I had given up arguing, so I just let instinct do its thing.
As soon as I bit into the Berry I felt better.
"And voila. Your HP is back," Shiinotic explained. "You can also regain HP over time by just walking, but an Oran Berry is a quick and easy fix."
"Sure. Whatever you say..."
"Let's move on, shall we?"
We went out the other end and entered another room with a staircase.
"Excellent!" said Shiinotic. "This is what we want, right here. There's a set of stairs on every floor of a mystery dungeon that leads to the next. Except for the last one, which leads out of the dungeon."
"So, the point is to find the stairs," I put together.
"Mm. A fast learner. How about you take the lead now?" Shiinotic offered.
"Alright. Guess I'll see what I can do!"
I went up the stairs, and everything went black again.
When I could see again, we were in a similar, but not even close to identical, room.
"So it always does this?" I asked.
"Every time you enter a new floor."
"Then there's no point in setting legitimate expectations."
"No, I suppose not..."
I just moved along, took a right, and there were the stairs.
Heh, I thought, and wasted no time moving on.
Another blink of darkness, and we were in 3F.
In the room that we spawned in, I found another item on the ground down south a little ways; it was like a twisted stick with a single leaf on the end.
"What's this thing?" I asked.
"Ah, yes! A Pounce Wand!"
"What?"
"Wands in general are effective items to have at all times," Shiinotic described. "However, they can only be used so many times. If you ever find another wand of the same type as one you have, they will become one and their uses will stack."
"I only understood like half of that, but okay."
"Go on, swing it!"
I looked down the hallway open the way I was facing, took the Pounce Wand, and shook it across my line of sight.
A single yellow ball of light flew down the path before breaking on the wall.
And the next thing I knew, I was following suit.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" I screamed, flying through the air at ridiculous speeds, somehow slowing down and stopping just before crashing into the wall.
Shiinotic teleported next to me. "See? It's a quick and easy way to travel."
"A bit too quick for my tastes..." I said, feeling like I was going to throw up.
"Do it again."
"UM, NO THANK YOU."
As I looked around in the open room we had ended up in, I saw there was no need to anyway; we were in the room with the stairs.
And also with a Sentret.
"We're gonna have to fight it, aren't we."
"Yes…but here's a little trick for you," the old lady whispered in my…not ear. "If you just feint with A, chances are they'll come into striking distance for you, as opposed to running in headfirst. It's also worth mentioning that they won't move until you do, so you can think out your strategy before doing anything reckless. There's no rush."
"Hm..."
I whiffed.
And whaddayaknow, the wild Sentret got up close and personal.
"Now! Attack!"
Confusion.
BOOM.
And just like that, Sentret turned tail and ran out of sight, dropping something in its panic.
I picked up the gold coin with the "P" inscribed on it.
"That's Poké; our currency. I'd say that one right there is worth...about 492 Poké," Shiinotic estimated.
"Ha! Well, then..." I studied the coin further. "Talk about getting rich quick!"
"Not so fast."
"Huh?"
"As big a number as that is, prices around here tend to be in even bigger numbers."
"Oh. OH. I get it. I think. Maybe."
With the Pounce Wand in one hand and 492 Poké worth in the other, I took the stairs.
Another flash of black, another floor.
"You have the hang of this general concept?" Shiinotic asked me.
"Yeah. I think I'm good."
"Okay, good. Something tells me you're going to need it..."
"Why?"
An awkward silence.
"I think you'll see soon enough," Shiinotic finally said.
Oh, no...
On edge, I went down the left corridor and disposed of an Espurr with Shadow Sneak.
Suddenly I felt a surge of energy phase through me.
"Huh?"
"You leveled up! Congratulations!"
"Huh?" I sounded like a broken record.
"The experience you've gained through fighting has permanently made you stronger. You can do a lot more as you level up."
"Oh."
Something inside me was trying to learn Double Team. But it was giving me a headache, overloading my mind with more moves than I could handle. I had to forget one.
Uh...
Let's go with Growl.
Suddenly, I forgot what I was just trying to forget, and knew Double Team.
Okay...that was weird...this whole Pokémon thing is going to take some getting used to, still...
Anyway...let's get going.
I went the rest of the way through the corridor and made it into an empty open room.
I chose to go west, and sure enough, another short walk led me to the stairs.
Without even thinking, I went up the stairs.
A flash of black.
Lycanroc Territory Border.
When I could see again, we were on the edge of the rocks where grass was beginning to overtake them.
The sun was beginning to connect with the horizon this late in the day, and looking a little further I saw a large brown sign just before a rocky, paved clearing surrounded by sand-colored rectangular buildings.
I couldn't read it from this far, but I knew what the sign said.
"Is that Crossroad City up ahead?" I asked Shiinotic.
"Why, yes!" she affirmed. "Yes, it's not far at all now."
"Ha!" I just kind of said, as I started walking. "This has been a lot easier than I-"
"HAAAAAA!!"
Suddenly two figures landed right in front of us, blocking our path. They were slim red, white, and brown Pokémon with shining red eyes, looking like crazed werewolf lunatics out to kill.
"Oh, me and my big mouth..." I facepalmed for jinxing myself.
"The Lycanroc brothers!" Shiinotic revealed.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't our old friend the senior," one of the Lycanroc taunted. "Came to save more precious children, didja?"
Shiinotic didn't react.
"Now, don't get me wrong, lady," the other one said.
"Normally we'd have no problem with people like you goin' out and about like this.
"Thing is, this is our turf. And you didn't ask for a pass."
"Now, now," the old lady replied. "Surely in the given circumstances I shouldn't need permission to do what I do..."
"Hey, genius, that's WHAT you do. Not WHERE you do it!"
"And you!" Lycanroc pointed at me.
"What?"
"I coulda sworn I already beat you half to death just earlier today. What are ya doin' still intact?"
That got my attention. "WaiwaiwaiWHAT?"
It got his brother's attention, too. "Ya mean you've already seen this one today, mate?"
"I coulda sworn..."
An awkward silence.
"Look, let's not make this any harder than it has to be, alright?" Shiinotic offered. "If you'll just breifly step aside, we'll be on our way, no questions asked."
"Lemme think...eh...no."
Uh-oh.
I think I know where this is going.
And I don't like it.
"First thing:" Lycanroc stated, "you, Shiinotic, came on in without asking the PROPER AUTHORITIES.
"Second thing: this little sucker here shouldn't even still be here.
"And third thing: I haven't had my daily dose of wreckage!"
Wow. Such reasoning.
The brothers snickered.
"I'm not even gonna say sorry..." one said.
"Because..." the other piped in.
Both: "IT'S BEATDOWN TIIIIME!"
They lunged at us.
Tutorial boss?
Tutorial boss.
Lovely.
I did what I was taught, throwing a fake so one would come close, while Shiinotic went straight for the other.
Why give me advice if you don't use it yourself...? I thought.
While she took a Rock Throw she didn't want, I launched Confusion at my foe, who retaliated with Leer.
LEER.
Yeah, just keep doing that, I thought, and used Encore to keep him that way.
Shiinotic's Lycanroc prepared Counter, but it was no use; he was down with one Mega Drain.
She made her way over to help me with mine, but I had just put him down with another Confusion before she could attack.
The two territorial freaks writhed on the ground in pain.
"Aargh..."
"Dmff..."
They slowly got back up.
"Oh, forget this! You win!"
And they ran like they've never ran before.
"Hey! Wait!" I called out, but it was too late. They had already fled the scene, apparently giving up their reign over the region as well.
"...that made no sense at all." I finally got out.
"Oh, whatever," Shiinotic told me. "They're just going through that rebellious phase, y'know? Nothing regarding them makes sense in this period."
"Eh…"
"Come on. Let's just get going. This doesn't concern us."
She took my arm and dragged me to Crossroad City.
The place was bustling. It was relatively small (I counted seven buildings, four of them being shops), but it was packed. Probably mainly Pokémon coming in and out from both ends of the village, with a sign over each entrance/exit, but there were a fair number of Pokémon here. Also, for being put together by Pokémon, it was surprisingly modern.
I was still looking around when something interrupted my thought processing.
"Miss Shiinotic!" a voice called out.
I looked towards the source of the voice; a dark blue seal Pokémon heading towards Shiinotic and I.
The Popplio handed something to the Pokémon who brought me here. "I got those Apples from the store together for dinner tonight!"
"Ah! Why, thank you, Aileen," the old lady replied.
Aileen turned to me. "Who's this?" she asked.
"Oh! Why, this is our latest addition. He's...um...I'm sorry, I never did get your name."
The one thing I can remember that she'd believe, and she just now asks.
I can't help but sigh.
This didn't seem to bother anyone. The Popplio held out her flipper. "Hi! My name's Aileen. Nice to meet you!"
I took it and shook it. "Gabriel. Right back atcha."
Shiinotic laughed from the side. "Ho ho ho! We just got here, and you're already making friends!"
"Yeah, well, gotta get 'em at some point, right?" I quipped.
That got a chuckle out of Aileen, too. "Oh, come on, I'm sure you'll fit right in with us."
"Let's see him to it, shall we?" Shiinotic gestured to the building straight forward to the right, with a logo resembling her head.
Shiinotic's Orphanage.
Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to be, I thought as the three of us made our way.
How bad could it-
Shiinotic opened the door.
The sudden change in volume nearly blasted me away. Even with the minor bickering going on between townsfolk outside, it was nothing compared to the chaos inside.
I wish I was joking.
It was that bad.
Pokémon were chasing each other throughout the orphanage, a couple of them were fighting over toys, one guy looked like he was having a migraine, and in the middle there were just two of them sitting there, not sure what the heck was going on.
Make that three.
I tried to make my eyes keep up with everything long enough to count and identify the orphans.
Elekid, Togedemaru, Glameow, Mincinno, Happiny, Inkay, Wimpod...no, wait, there's a Psyduck over there...
Plus Aileen and myself, that's ten.
TEN.
There are seriously this many orphans?!
HOW are there seriously this many orphans?!
I turned to Shiinotic, who just grumbled and, out of the side of her mouth, said "One big, happy family, isn't it."
With more force to it:
"CHILDREN!!"
And suddenly everything stopped on a dime.
That is, aside from Psyduck falling on the floor, but she still got his attention.
"Now, I'd like you all to meet our newest member."
As if she forgot about the heck being raised literally a second earlier.
Aileen just put her head in her flipper, shook her head, and sighed.
"This is Gabriel," Shiinotic tapped me on the shoulder. "Play nice with him, OK?"
And then she immediately changed the topic again. "Now, who's hungry? I brought Apples!"
While everyone else was rushing to the table and shouting "Me! Me! Me!" or the like, I just stood there, my mind blank for a moment, until I finally had one clear thought:
What the heck just happened?
I was also the only one to notice Aileen's confused expression as she said "B…but I brought them…"
And something even weirder:
"Ehehehe..."
A voice that I didn't recognize and couldn't find the source to sounded like it was trying to stop itself from laughing and keep quiet.
Even as I looked around, I couldn't see where it was coming from.
I turned to Aileen. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
She didn't.
I just shrugged and sat down at the table. Maybe I imagined it.
No reason not to eat.
I was the last one to finish, but it was a good meal nonetheless. Shiinotic showed me to my bed, sharing a room with Aileen and Minccino, both of whom were already fast asleep.
"Get a good night's sleep, young'yin," I was told. "Especially after today."
Oh, believe me, she couldn't understand how bad I wanted to.
But I couldn't.
I have so many questions I need to answer...
I have to set some priorities.
A) Who am I?
B) Why did I become a Pokémon?
And C) Why can't I answer these myself?!
...
I'll have to see what I can put together in the morning...
(Chapter 2 begins...)

Description
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Investigators of Soul/Heart/Spirit

a fanmade story

…
………
…………………………
…unh…
…wh…where am I?
I slowly come to, opening my eyes and taking in my surroundings. I'm in some rocky area I've never seen before…
Wait a-
What HAVE I seen before?
…
I can't remember anything. Nothing.
Wait…my name…
My name is Gabriel.
I know that much.
And…I know that I'm human.
Well, of course. I mean, why wouldn't I b-
Something catches my eye in a puddle to my left.
I get up and stand overtop of it...
A Ralts stares back at me in the reflection.
What? What kind of-
Wait a-
I stop and frantically look myself over. I have no hands; only white arms. My feet trudge along the ground with long white appendages stuck to them. My head is bigger than my body, and I can't see up through my green hair.
I'm a Ralts now?!
…
WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!
I stand there, looking myself over again, trying to comprehend my new form and remember anything, when someone else approaches me.
"Oh dear…" the stranger says to themself upon seeing me. "Yet another one..."
I instinctively try to make myself look intimidating as I look over them. The old woman has a very thin and fragile white build, with a huge purple mushroom-like head with a pink frill.
She gets even closer, walking towards me with her tiny pink feet, and I actually flinch and look into her blank black eyes with an equally nightmare-inducing frown.
"Are you lost, little one?" she says, strangely calm. "Where are your parents?"
Little one? Parents?
How old do I look to her, five?
Then again, how old AM I? Not much I can say there.
"Uh...good question," I respond.
"Well, you certainly can't stay here," the stranger says. "This is the Lycanroc Territory. I'm risking my life just being here."
"Then what are you DOING here?!"
"That's a question you could ask yourself."
Dangit, she's right.
She suddenly takes me by the arm. "Here. Let's get out of here. Come with me."
"Hey, WAI-"
I don't even get to say the "t" before the Pokémon is dragging me along.
"Who do you think you are, anyway?!" I snap, my arm starting to hurt from being pulled.
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry. My name is Shiinotic," she introduces herself. "I run an orphanage in Crossroad City not far from here, much safer indeed."
"Uh...okay? Can you let go of me now?"
"I suppose...but you must follow me, then."
"Fine, fine, whatever."
She lets go of me and leads the way.
A few steps in, and it's suddenly dark for a moment before it lights back up, and the place looks completely different, with walls and corridors that weren't there before.
"Um...what just happened?" I ask, as Shiinotic would obviously know more about the world than I do.
"We just entered a mystery dungeon."
"Mystery dungeon?"
"A natural maze in these parts, where the layout is never the same."
"What do you mean by that?" I ask.
"Every time you walk into a mystery dungeon, it's completely different. The paths are different, items and Poké are scattered on the ground randomly, and the enemies appear in different spots every time."
"WHOAWHOAWHOAWHOAWHOA," I shout. "Stop right there. Please tell me you didn't just say 'enemies'."
"I wish I didn't." Shiinotic frowns.
Oh, that's just great.
"Mystery dungeons are very dangerous places," she goes on. "Not only do you have to work your way through here, but yes, Pokémon living here don't take very kindly to visitors. They don't like having their lifestyle interrupted, and tend to lash out at anyone else. So you always have to be on your toes, ready to defend yourself."
I don't have toes... I think to myself.
"Here. Just do what I do."
She takes five steps ahead of me to the east. "Now just follow me. Use the Circle Pad to move."
"What the heck is a Circle Pad?"
"Oh, I wasn't talking to you."
Great. The woman's delusional. And she runs an orphanage? That doesn't sound like a very good combination.
But sure enough, I found myself right next to her again within five steps.
"There. Now just keep up with me until I say otherwise."
I followed her through a corridor until we reached another open room. I looked a bit to my right and saw a big blue fruit on the ground, guarded by two small, brown dog Pokémon sleeping right next to it.
Shiinotic simply approached one of the two Rockruffs and nailed it with Mega Drain, causing it to yip and run off.
Surprisingly, not waking the other.
"...a bit harsh?" I noted.
"It's either that, or they get the first hit. And you don't want that.
"Now you try."
"Wait, WHAT."
"Approach it and attack it. It's good practice."
Yeah, I'm sure of it. This woman is INSANE.
Still, I walked up to the Rockruff, and it woke up as soon as I was within range.
Uh...
I threw a weak punch.
Rockruff in return used Bite.
"OW."
"No, no, no!" Shiinotic called out. "Not the A attack!"
"Well, what else am I supposed to do, then?!"
"Hold the L button and you'll find your moves. Then press either A, B, X, or Y to use one!"
"It's all foreign to me!" A? B? X?! Y?! What are these, lazy video game names?
"Again, I am not speaking to you!"
Oh, for crying out loud...
I just focused, and all of a sudden knew that I could use Growl, Confusion, Encore, and Shadow Sneak.
I launched Confusion at the foe, and it took enough damage to flee.
"That's the spirit!" Shiinotic cheered from the sidelines.
"Yeah...ow..." was all I had to say in exchange.
The old lady gestured to the fruit on the ground. "Walk over that Oran Berry to pick it up."
I did as instructed.
"There. Now press Start to open the menu, and eat it from the Items department."
At this point I had given up arguing, so I just let instinct do its thing.
As soon as I bit into the Berry I felt better.
"And voila. Your HP is back," Shiinotic explained. "You can also regain HP over time by just walking, but an Oran Berry is a quick and easy fix."
"Sure. Whatever you say..."
"Let's move on, shall we?"
We went out the other end and entered another room with a staircase.
"Excellent!" said Shiinotic. "This is what we want, right here. There's a set of stairs on every floor of a mystery dungeon that leads to the next. Except for the last one, which leads out of the dungeon."
"So, the point is to find the stairs," I put together.
"Mm. A fast learner. How about you take the lead now?" Shiinotic offered.
"Alright. Guess I'll see what I can do!"
I went up the stairs, and everything went black again.
When I could see again, we were in a similar, but not even close to identical, room.
"So it always does this?" I asked.
"Every time you enter a new floor."
"Then there's no point in setting legitimate expectations."
"No, I suppose not..."
I just moved along, took a right, and there were the stairs.
Heh, I thought, and wasted no time moving on.
Another blink of darkness, and we were in 3F.
In the room that we spawned in, I found another item on the ground down south a little ways; it was like a twisted stick with a single leaf on the end.
"What's this thing?" I asked.
"Ah, yes! A Pounce Wand!"
"What?"
"Wands in general are effective items to have at all times," Shiinotic described. "However, they can only be used so many times. If you ever find another wand of the same type as one you have, they will become one and their uses will stack."
"I only understood like half of that, but okay."
"Go on, swing it!"
I looked down the hallway open the way I was facing, took the Pounce Wand, and shook it across my line of sight.
A single yellow ball of light flew down the path before breaking on the wall.
And the next thing I knew, I was following suit.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" I screamed, flying through the air at ridiculous speeds, somehow slowing down and stopping just before crashing into the wall.
Shiinotic teleported next to me. "See? It's a quick and easy way to travel."
"A bit too quick for my tastes..." I said, feeling like I was going to throw up.
"Do it again."
"UM, NO THANK YOU."
As I looked around in the open room we had ended up in, I saw there was no need to anyway; we were in the room with the stairs.
And also with a Sentret.
"We're gonna have to fight it, aren't we."
"Yes…but here's a little trick for you," the old lady whispered in my…not ear. "If you just feint with A, chances are they'll come into striking distance for you, as opposed to running in headfirst. It's also worth mentioning that they won't move until you do, so you can think out your strategy before doing anything reckless. There's no rush."
"Hm..."
I whiffed.
And whaddayaknow, the wild Sentret got up close and personal.
"Now! Attack!"
Confusion.
BOOM.
And just like that, Sentret turned tail and ran out of sight, dropping something in its panic.
I picked up the gold coin with the "P" inscribed on it.
"That's Poké; our currency. I'd say that one right there is worth...about 492 Poké," Shiinotic estimated.
"Ha! Well, then..." I studied the coin further. "Talk about getting rich quick!"
"Not so fast."
"Huh?"
"As big a number as that is, prices around here tend to be in even bigger numbers."
"Oh. OH. I get it. I think. Maybe."
With the Pounce Wand in one hand and 492 Poké worth in the other, I took the stairs.
Another flash of black, another floor.
"You have the hang of this general concept?" Shiinotic asked me.
"Yeah. I think I'm good."
"Okay, good. Something tells me you're going to need it..."
"Why?"
An awkward silence.
"I think you'll see soon enough," Shiinotic finally said.
Oh, no...
On edge, I went down the left corridor and disposed of an Espurr with Shadow Sneak.
Suddenly I felt a surge of energy phase through me.
"Huh?"
"You leveled up! Congratulations!"
"Huh?" I sounded like a broken record.
"The experience you've gained through fighting has permanently made you stronger. You can do a lot more as you level up."
"Oh."
Something inside me was trying to learn Double Team. But it was giving me a headache, overloading my mind with more moves than I could handle. I had to forget one.
Uh...
Let's go with Growl.
Suddenly, I forgot what I was just trying to forget, and knew Double Team.
Okay...that was weird...this whole Pokémon thing is going to take some getting used to, still...
Anyway...let's get going.
I went the rest of the way through the corridor and made it into an empty open room.
I chose to go west, and sure enough, another short walk led me to the stairs.
Without even thinking, I went up the stairs.
A flash of black.
Lycanroc Territory Border.
When I could see again, we were on the edge of the rocks where grass was beginning to overtake them.
The sun was beginning to connect with the horizon this late in the day, and looking a little further I saw a large brown sign just before a rocky, paved clearing surrounded by sand-colored rectangular buildings.
I couldn't read it from this far, but I knew what the sign said.
"Is that Crossroad City up ahead?" I asked Shiinotic.
"Why, yes!" she affirmed. "Yes, it's not far at all now."
"Ha!" I just kind of said, as I started walking. "This has been a lot easier than I-"
"HAAAAAA!!"
Suddenly two figures landed right in front of us, blocking our path. They were slim red, white, and brown Pokémon with shining red eyes, looking like crazed werewolf lunatics out to kill.
"Oh, me and my big mouth..." I facepalmed for jinxing myself.
"The Lycanroc brothers!" Shiinotic revealed.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't our old friend the senior," one of the Lycanroc taunted. "Came to save more precious children, didja?"
Shiinotic didn't react.
"Now, don't get me wrong, lady," the other one said.
"Normally we'd have no problem with people like you goin' out and about like this.
"Thing is, this is our turf. And you didn't ask for a pass."
"Now, now," the old lady replied. "Surely in the given circumstances I shouldn't need permission to do what I do..."
"Hey, genius, that's WHAT you do. Not WHERE you do it!"
"And you!" Lycanroc pointed at me.
"What?"
"I coulda sworn I already beat you half to death just earlier today. What are ya doin' still intact?"
That got my attention. "WaiwaiwaiWHAT?"
It got his brother's attention, too. "Ya mean you've already seen this one today, mate?"
"I coulda sworn..."
An awkward silence.
"Look, let's not make this any harder than it has to be, alright?" Shiinotic offered. "If you'll just breifly step aside, we'll be on our way, no questions asked."
"Lemme think...eh...no."
Uh-oh.
I think I know where this is going.
And I don't like it.
"First thing:" Lycanroc stated, "you, Shiinotic, came on in without asking the PROPER AUTHORITIES.
"Second thing: this little sucker here shouldn't even still be here.
"And third thing: I haven't had my daily dose of wreckage!"
Wow. Such reasoning.
The brothers snickered.
"I'm not even gonna say sorry..." one said.
"Because..." the other piped in.
Both: "IT'S BEATDOWN TIIIIME!"
They lunged at us.
Tutorial boss?
Tutorial boss.
Lovely.
I did what I was taught, throwing a fake so one would come close, while Shiinotic went straight for the other.
Why give me advice if you don't use it yourself...? I thought.
While she took a Rock Throw she didn't want, I launched Confusion at my foe, who retaliated with Leer.
LEER.
Yeah, just keep doing that, I thought, and used Encore to keep him that way.
Shiinotic's Lycanroc prepared Counter, but it was no use; he was down with one Mega Drain.
She made her way over to help me with mine, but I had just put him down with another Confusion before she could attack.
The two territorial freaks writhed on the ground in pain.
"Aargh..."
"Dmff..."
They slowly got back up.
"Oh, forget this! You win!"
And they ran like they've never ran before.
"Hey! Wait!" I called out, but it was too late. They had already fled the scene, apparently giving up their reign over the region as well.
"...that made no sense at all." I finally got out.
"Oh, whatever," Shiinotic told me. "They're just going through that rebellious phase, y'know? Nothing regarding them makes sense in this period."
"Eh…"
"Come on. Let's just get going. This doesn't concern us."
She took my arm and dragged me to Crossroad City.
The place was bustling. It was relatively small (I counted seven buildings, four of them being shops), but it was packed. Probably mainly Pokémon coming in and out from both ends of the village, with a sign over each entrance/exit, but there were a fair number of Pokémon here. Also, for being put together by Pokémon, it was surprisingly modern.
I was still looking around when something interrupted my thought processing.
"Miss Shiinotic!" a voice called out.
I looked towards the source of the voice; a dark blue seal Pokémon heading towards Shiinotic and I.
The Popplio handed something to the Pokémon who brought me here. "I got those Apples from the store together for dinner tonight!"
"Ah! Why, thank you, Aileen," the old lady replied.
Aileen turned to me. "Who's this?" she asked.
"Oh! Why, this is our latest addition. He's...um...I'm sorry, I never did get your name."
The one thing I can remember that she'd believe, and she just now asks.
I can't help but sigh.
This didn't seem to bother anyone. The Popplio held out her flipper. "Hi! My name's Aileen. Nice to meet you!"
I took it and shook it. "Gabriel. Right back atcha."
Shiinotic laughed from the side. "Ho ho ho! We just got here, and you're already making friends!"
"Yeah, well, gotta get 'em at some point, right?" I quipped.
That got a chuckle out of Aileen, too. "Oh, come on, I'm sure you'll fit right in with us."
"Let's see him to it, shall we?" Shiinotic gestured to the building straight forward to the right, with a logo resembling her head.
Shiinotic's Orphanage.
Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to be, I thought as the three of us made our way.
How bad could it-
Shiinotic opened the door.
The sudden change in volume nearly blasted me away. Even with the minor bickering going on between townsfolk outside, it was nothing compared to the chaos inside.
I wish I was joking.
It was that bad.
Pokémon were chasing each other throughout the orphanage, a couple of them were fighting over toys, one guy looked like he was having a migraine, and in the middle there were just two of them sitting there, not sure what the heck was going on.
Make that three.
I tried to make my eyes keep up with everything long enough to count and identify the orphans.
Elekid, Togedemaru, Glameow, Mincinno, Happiny, Inkay, Wimpod...no, wait, there's a Psyduck over there...
Plus Aileen and myself, that's ten.
TEN.
There are seriously this many orphans?!
HOW are there seriously this many orphans?!
I turned to Shiinotic, who just grumbled and, out of the side of her mouth, said "One big, happy family, isn't it."
With more force to it:
"CHILDREN!!"
And suddenly everything stopped on a dime.
That is, aside from Psyduck falling on the floor, but she still got his attention.
"Now, I'd like you all to meet our newest member."
As if she forgot about the heck being raised literally a second earlier.
Aileen just put her head in her flipper, shook her head, and sighed.
"This is Gabriel," Shiinotic tapped me on the shoulder. "Play nice with him, OK?"
And then she immediately changed the topic again. "Now, who's hungry? I brought Apples!"
While everyone else was rushing to the table and shouting "Me! Me! Me!" or the like, I just stood there, my mind blank for a moment, until I finally had one clear thought:
What the heck just happened?
I was also the only one to notice Aileen's confused expression as she said "B…but I brought them…"
And something even weirder:
"Ehehehe..."
A voice that I didn't recognize and couldn't find the source to sounded like it was trying to stop itself from laughing and keep quiet.
Even as I looked around, I couldn't see where it was coming from.
I turned to Aileen. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
She didn't.
I just shrugged and sat down at the table. Maybe I imagined it.
No reason not to eat.
I was the last one to finish, but it was a good meal nonetheless. Shiinotic showed me to my bed, sharing a room with Aileen and Minccino, both of whom were already fast asleep.
"Get a good night's sleep, young'yin," I was told. "Especially after today."
Oh, believe me, she couldn't understand how bad I wanted to.
But I couldn't.
I have so many questions I need to answer...
I have to set some priorities.
A) Who am I?
B) Why did I become a Pokémon?
And C) Why can't I answer these myself?!
...
I'll have to see what I can put together in the morning...
(Chapter 2 begins...)