RocketKnight66
404: Consistent Schedule not Found
Hello everyone! This is a gen 7 inspired PMD fic that I've been working on. It's worth noting that it takes place in it's own world rather than the main PMD world, so I wanted to clarify that. I'm looking to put chapters up every Monday, and I'll try my best to hold on to that schedule. I'm pretty new to writing, so any feedback is very much appreciated!
Now, let's get on with the show!
Night had fallen on the city of Shibuya. Despite it being so late, the massive city remained ripe with activity. It was full of buildings of all types and sizes, and amongst them was a smaller apartment building. The outside was mostly metal, with wood making up the inside. It didn't look as appealing as some of the bigger buildings next to it, but it was well made. Most of the lights had been turned off, although a lamp remained on in one of the bedrooms. In the bedroom was a young boy who was playing with a black game system that he was holding in his hands.
This was Takumi Inoue, a teenager from Japan. He had black hair that looked rather messy, and he had red eyes. His skin was a light brown, and appeared somewhat pale. He was a bit on the lighter side, but appeared to be healthy. He was wearing a white shirt, and black pants. His eyes were focusing intently on the screen of the game system, and had a look of determination on his face.
“Come on Litten, I know you can do it...” he mumbled tensely, concentrating on the game. A few moments later, his face lit up with elation. He jumped up into a sitting position, with his fist clenched in victory.
“YEAH! That's another totem down!” he shouted with a big grin on his face, not thinking much about how late it was. Surely enough, this caught the attention of the other person in the building.
“Takumi, quiet down! It's eleven at night, you should be asleep!” a voice sounding like it belonged to a middle-aged woman emanated from another room. Takumi flinched, startled by the voice.
“S-Sorry mom!” he stuttered awkwardly, before looking back at his game system. She's probably right though, it's getting late... this feels like a good stopping point, anyway, he thought before pressing a button to turn the system off and closing it. With that, the boy flipped a switch on his lamp to turn the light off. He then laid down on his bed, pulled up his bed sheets, and got comfortable. Within minutes, he drifted off to sleep.
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Takumi heard a strange sound, one that almost sounded like a drop of water falling. He opened his eyes and found that he was looking at white. At this, he got up onto his feet to survey his surroundings. He appeared to be in a strange void of white, with some yellow creeping into parts of it. It looked surreal, and it was very quiet, aside from the occasional sounds of water. The ground underneath him didn't look like much at all; it was the same kind of void around him. As he was standing, it almost felt like he was standing on a cloud.
“...Huh? Where am I?” he said with confusion, looking around. “Am I... dreaming?” he continued, beginning to piece together the situation. Suddenly, there was a flash of yellow light, and the boy shielded his eyes with his left arm in reaction. Moments later, it returned to the empty void of earlier before a masculine sounding voice suddenly echoed through the space.
Hello, Takumi. I have been waiting for you. The sudden appearance of the voice surprised Takumi, who jumped backwards with a startled yelp and looked around frantically.
To answer your previous question, this is a world within your own subconscious.
“My... subconscious?”
Yes. It is the world your mind resides in when you are asleep.
“But wait... If this is my subconscious, then how did you get in here? Who are you?” Takumi asked, worried.
I am a wandering spirit, one that works tirelessly to keep our world's balance. Takumi looked very surprised by the voice's words, but chose to continue listening. You needn't worry, I am not here to bring harm. Actually, I'd like to ask you a favor.
“A favor? What kind of favor?” the boy inquired.
You see, I have protected our world for thousands of years. A long time ago, I faced a terrible force, and sealed it away. However, as my power has begun to fade, the seal will soon slip. When that happens, a terrible calamity will approach our world... and I will be unable to stop it.
Takumi's face paled. “A calamity?! Like the end of the world?!”
Yes, and I am unable to do anything about it in my current state... but then I learned about humans. They seem to possess a strange power, one that could be of great help to us.
The boy was confused by the voice's words, but simply tried to process them. As he thought about it, his expression dampened. “But... why would you want me? I'm just a normal kid,” he said meekly.
I am aware of your world. You have a fondness for those creatures you call “Pokémon”, yes?
Takumi furrowed a brow. “I do... But what does that have to do with anything?”
That is why, the voice started again, surprising Takumi with it's response. Because of your affection toward Pokémon, I felt that you would understand them well. As such, I believe that you are my best option.
“Because I like Pokémon?... wait, does that mean Pokémon are real?!” Takumi jumped back in shock and amazement, thinking that the creatures he knew as virtual actually existed.
Not in your world, but yes.
“Does that mean that you're a Pokémon, too?” he asked excitedly.
You could say that. However, I currently hold no physical form.
Takumi wanted to ask the voice more about Pokémon, but he assumed that wasn't it's purpose here. Thus, he held those questions back in his mind and asked what he assumed it wanted to hear.
“So, what do you want me to do?”
You must come to our world, and use your power to reawaken us. If you do that, we may be able to prevent the coming disaster.
“Wait, there's still something I don't understand.” Takumi started, “You keep talking about a 'power' I have, but what do you mean by that? I've never had any special powers that I'm aware of...”
...I would like to answer that question, but I am running out of time. So, I must bid you farewell.
“Wait, hold on!...” Takumi tried to stop the voice, but his cries were unheard.
I wish you luck... And hopefully we will meet again.
“Hey, I still have more questions-” the boy called out, but there was another sudden flash of light.
Everything went to white, and his consciousness faded.
When his consciousness finally returned, Takumi was able to hear the sounds of nature around him. He also felt some kind of vegetation under his body. Not expecting it, his eyes shot open. He sat up, and began to look around him.
“Wha-?” he uttered in confusion.
What he found was a vivid forest that was full of life, with large and healthy trees, grass that grew a lush green and was blowing in the wind. In the background, sounds of wildlife could seemingly be heard.
Well, I'm definitely not in Shibuya anymore, he mused. But... where is this? How did I get here? he added, trying to look around. I won't learn anything by sitting here. Exploring is gonna be my best bet, he finished before trying to get up. However, when he tried standing up, he felt strangely unsteady.
“Whoa!...” he said as he lost his balance and wobbled around, nearly toppling over. He managed to stay upright, but he wondered why his legs were so keen on letting him fall. That was weird... Why am I having so much trouble standing? he started to think, before shooing the idea. No, it's nothing. I'm probably just dazed- he continued before moving his right hand to rub his head.
However, what he found was not a human hand, but a paw coated in black fur with a pair of red stripes around his leg. He stared at it for a few moments, eyes widened, before the realization set in.
“AHH!” he yelled out in shock before losing his balance and falling onto his back, then quickly sitting back up. He again pulled up what used to be his hands, and saw that they were indeed paws now. Panicked, he then looked down at his body, and was unsettled to find that the rest of his body was also fur. His legs appeared cat-like, which would explain his trouble standing. On top of all that, he had a tail. Whatever he was, it became clear his body was no longer human.
W-What? What's happening to me? he stuttered mentally, staring at his body in disbelief. Wait, don't tell me... He looked around frantically, trying to find something to help him. To his left, his eyes caught a pond that he hadn't noticed before. Ah, over there! attempting to reach it, he got up on his hind legs again and tried to walk. This time, he lost his balance and fell on his stomach. He let out an “Oof!” as his body hit the ground.
I guess I can't walk like that anymore... he looked at his paws again and sighed. Well, if I can't walk, then I'll crawl, he added, crouching with all four of his legs on the ground. He pushed off, and slowly began to make his way towards the pond. Little by little, he inched his way forward, until finally, he was close enough to look down at the water. He gulped, worried to find out what he had become.
Here goes nothing... he thought, lowering his head to look at the water. As he stared, his reflection formed, and it finally became clear what he was. He was a black cat tipped with red around his muzzle, and tufts of red fur on his cheeks. He had a pair of pointy ears, with faded gray fur on the insides. A pair of parallel red stripes ran across his forehead, and one between both split them down the middle. His sclera were yellow, and his eyes were red. His jaw dropped as he made the connection. I... I know what I am now. It's just as I thought... I've turned into a Litten!
Takumi had to sit down from the revelation. He lifted up his right forepaw and stared at it in disbelief. T-This can't be real! I must be dreaming! he panicked, before stopping in realization of something. ...Wait! If I'm dreaming, then I just need to slap myself, right? That'll snap me out of it! He closed his eyes and slapped his right cheek with a forepaw. When he opened his eyes again, he looked down, and found that nothing had changed. No, I don't think I'm dreaming at all... this is real.
He furrowed his brows in thought. But... how did this happen? Why am I here? His eyes then widened as a memory from earlier flashed in his mind.
“You must come to our world, and use your power to reawaken us...”
Right... That voice said it needed me to come to their world, he mused as he looked around him. So, this must be their world. A few moments later, the cat's eyes widened. Wait. So if I'm a Pokémon, and this is their world, then... does that mean I'm in the Pokémon world?!
Takumi's eyes sparkled. This... this is awesome! I've become my favorite Pokémon, and now I get to explore the Pokémon world! Maybe this won't be so bad, after all. Moments later however, his expression straightened. But I still don't really know what's going on... oh, right. I was going to start exploring.
He slowly got up onto his four legs, being careful not to fall. He looked to his right, and saw what looked like a pathway. He confirmed his intentions and nodded. Well, there's no time like the present. However, as the Litten started to get going, he realized something: he had no idea how to walk on four legs.
“Uhh...” he uttered in confusion as he stared at his paws, before deciding he just needed to try. He slowly put one leg in front of the other, wobbling around a little bit. He managed to make a few steps, but then when moving his right foreleg, he lost his balance and fell down. With a groan, he then pushed himself back onto his feet.
Mom's cat makes it look a lot easier than it actually is... he thought as he made another attempt. He managed to make a few more steps before stumbling, this time keeping his footing. He slowly trudged on, slowly beginning to maintain his stability. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this! he was beginning to gain confidence, but that wouldn't help much when he failed to notice a fallen tree branch ahead of him. One of his paws caught on it, causing him to trip and tumble onto his stomach. Nevermind... he sighed in frustration.
Takumi did eventually get the hang of walking on all fours, and was making his way down the path. As he was walking, he looked around him, taking in his surroundings. I didn't think much about it, but I've never really seen something like this, he mused. I didn't leave Shibuya much, so I never really knew what the forest was like. As he continued, he breathed in the fresh air, and smiled softly. This is wonderful... I'm glad I finally got to experience this.
While he was thinking, he failed to pay attention to the front again, and he bumped into something black. He bounced off and staggered backwards, almost losing his balance. Upon regaining his composure, he looked up to find a large bear staring at him.
It had black fur on it's body, along with it's arms and feet. It's head however, had pink fur. It's snout and ears were tipped with white. It had small black eyes, and it had a pink tail similar to that of a raccoon. Notably, it's arms were rather large, and they looked like they were strong. Takumi's face blanched upon seeing the bear. Oh no, that's a Bewear... I need to get out of here before he tries to hug me, he thought, trying not to panic.
“U-Uhh, h-hey there...” the cat stammered. The Bewear continued to stare at him, making him even more anxious. Then, the bear spoke.
“Hug?” he asked, sending a chill down Takumi's spine.
O-Okay, d-don't panic. I can h-handle t-this, the Litten thought, trying to suppress his fear.
“Umm, n-no thanks...” he replied with a stutter as he carefully walked around the Bewear. As he got past, he looked behind him, and saw that the bear was glaring at him. The look sent a chill down his spine. O-Okay, I think it may be time for a crash course in running, he pushed off with his hind legs and took off in a sprint.
“Waait, come back!” the bear exclaimed before chasing the Litten, the loud noises of his heavy body stomping on the ground only making Takumi panic more. Up ahead, he saw a fallen tree branch that was rather large, although it looked just short enough to jump over. In reaction, the Litten briefly crouched down and pushed off, jumping into the air and clearing the branch before touching back on the ground. Takumi stumbled on landing, but regathered his bearings and running off again.
Behind him, the Bewear was not very far behind. As he reached where the fallen branch was, he swung his right arm. His arm made contact with the branch, effortlessly smashing it in two with a loud crashing sound. Bewear was completely unfazed, and continued running.
Takumi then came across a tighter pathway. The trees seemed to squeeze together, but the gap was large enough for him to slip through. Not wanting to give any ground away, he charged in at full speed, managing to slip out through the other side. Only a few seconds later, he heard another crashing noise, which made him squeak in shock.
“Come back, kitty! I just want to give hugs!” the bear called out.
P-Please leave me alone... I don't think I can keep this up much longer... Takumi was breathing heavily, very worn out from running for so long. Luckily for him, the Bewear suddenly slowed down, although he was too fixated on running away to notice. The bear slowed to a stop, before looking around with his right paw held up against his head in thought.
“...What was I doing, again?” Bewear said absentmindedly.
Back with Takumi, the Litten was still running. He then slowed to a stop and looked around, noticing the Bewear was no longer there. D-Did I lose him?... he thought tiredly. As he turned he head to look in front of him again, he saw what appeared to be a sharp righthand corner. Panicking, he crouched down and shifted his body to the right, turning for the corner before skidding to a halt. Before he could catch his breath however, he saw a blue sea lion-like Pokémon charging straight towards him. Both saw each other and they panicked, trying to slow down. However, the sea lion was moving too fast to stop in time.
“Ahh!” they both shouted in surprise before the blue pokémon slammed into the Litten with an audible crash, causing the both of them to tumble onto their backs.
“Ughh...” the two of them groaned, dazed heavily from the impact. Suddenly, a voice called out.
“Alissa!” the voice shouted, sounding annoyed. At this, the sea lion snapped awake, and rolled over onto her stomach so that she could stand up. Meanwhile, Takumi was still on the ground, his head feeling like it was spinning.
The voice belonged to a Rowlet, an owl Pokémon with a rounded body. He had a mostly brown plumage, although his face and stomach were white. He had large black eyes and a stubby beak, while his feet were an orange-brown and had two forward facing toes, and one backward facing. He also had a pair of leaves on his chest that looked like a bowtie, along with a large one that made up his tail.
“Alissa, I told you to watch where you're going!” the Rowlet chastised the sea lion.
“But he just appeared out of nowhere! There's no way I could've expected that,” the sea lion responded, trying to defend herself.
Alissa was a Popplio, a blue sea lion Pokémon that was pinniped. She had large eyes with black pupils, along with a long, white snout that had black whiskers and a round, pink nose. Two small, rounded flaps made up her ears, and she had a light blue ruff around her neck. She had two large flippers on the front, and two smaller ones on the back, and the front flippers had a pair of white markings separating the toes.
“That's why you watch ahead of you! So you can be alert and react to the unexpected!” the owl explained, before sighing and looking at the Litten that was still laying on the ground. “Look, just be careful next time, ok?” he began to calm down and walked towards Alissa and Takumi. “Now, excuse me while I fix the mess you made.” he complained while moving beside the Litten. Alissa moved towards the cat as well.
“Hello? You alright?” he said, nudging the cat's body with his right wing. In response, the Litten moved both of his forepaws and rubbed his eyes with them.
“Urghh... My head...” he said with a groan. As he slowly opened his eyes, he found the smiling face of a Popplio standing over him.
“Hiya!” she shouted loudly, causing Takumi to yelp in surprise and scramble onto his feet. As he turned around, he saw the Popplio and a Rowlet looking at him.
“I apologize for my sister. She's kind of... eccentric.” the Rowlet said. Takumi was taken aback by his words, however.
Did he just speak? Like a human? he thought, before a thought crossed his mind. Oh, right. Since I'm a Pokémon, I can probably understand them now... Come to think of it, that Bewear spoke to me, too- his train of thought was derailed by the Rowlet speaking again.
“Err, hello? Anyone in there?” he said while waving his wing, trying to get Takumi's attention. This snapped the Litten back to reality.
“Oh!... Uh, y-yeah, sorry,” Takumi responded, sounding embarrassed.
“Could I ask who you are? I haven't seen a Litten in these parts before,” the Rowlet asked in a formal tone.
“...M-My name is Takumi,” the cat replied awkwardly. The owl looked like he was about to speak again, before the Popplio hopped in front of the two of them.
“Hiya! I'm Alissa!” she said with a big smile, surprising Takumi with her sudden appearance. “Oh, and sorry for running you over earlier, I didn't mean to!” she added, although she seemed oblivious to any kind of guilt.
Takumi gave an awkward smile. “Oh, uhh, It's fine.” He looked a bit to the right and found the Rowlet walking up to him.
“The name's Mitsuharu, but everyone calls me Robin,” said the Rowlet, making a gesture with his left wing.
The owl looked attentively at the Litten. “Say, you looked like you were in a rush. Mind if you tell us what you were doing?” he inquired. Takumi froze for a few moments, trying to think of something to say. Then, he spoke.
“...I was running from a Bewear.” both the Rowlet and Popplio were surprised by the response, although the Popplio quickly recovered.
“Ooh, that sounds like fun!” Alissa chirped.
“N-No, it really isn't...” Takumi said, sweatdropping.
“Wow, what did you do to piss him off?” Robin said sarcastically.
“I-I didn't do anything! It was the first thing that happened after I woke up!” Takumi attempted to defend himself, freezing up upon realizing what he said.
Robin's brow furrowed. “Woke up?... Hold on, you were asleep in the middle of a forest?” the Rowlet looked at the cat with skepticism. “Why were you sleeping in the middle of nowhere? It doesn't make sense to me.”
W-What do I do now? I can't tell them I'm human, they'll never believe me! Takumi worried as he tried to think. But... it would be just as bad to lie. I'd never want to hold a secret like that. He went over his options and sighed. I can't... I just can't do it. I can't lie to them. I'm just going to be honest, and hope for the best. With his mind made up, he looked back at the two, and took a deep breath.
“I'm a human... or at least I'm supposed to be. I woke up like this, with no idea why, or where I am,” he explained. The Rowlet and Popplio stared in silence for a few moments, which made him even more uncomfortable.
“You have got to be kidding-” Robin started to speak before Alissa bounced in front of him.
“Humans really exist?! No way, that's amazing!” she said with sparkling eyes, and pressed her foreflippers against her cheeks. The Rowlet put his right wing up against his face and sighed in frustration.
“No they don't Alissa, he's clearly lying.” he said with exasperation.
“I'm telling the truth, I swear! Look, I can prove it!” Takumi retorted, getting the two's full attention.
“Oh, really? Then do tell, I'm dying to hear it,” Robin replied in a sarcastic tone which Takumi chose to ignore.
The Litten took a deep breath and started to elaborate as best he could. “I grew up in a human city with my parents and two siblings, one older and one younger. Sometime later, we moved to another city, and I started school, hoping to learn how to program. My older sibling moved away a few years later, and eventually, it was just me and my mom. Last night, I had a strange dream, and then I found myself here, in the body of a Pokémon, with no idea how or why.”
There was stunned silence for a few moments, before Robin spoke up. “Wow... you didn't hesitate,” he gave a surprised look. “Either you already knew all of... that, or you're the greatest liar in the world.”
Alissa hopped onto her hind flippers, smiling happily. “See, see? I knew it, we can believe him!” she said excitedly, pointing at Takumi with one of her front flippers.
“So... you believe me?” asked Takumi.
“Yeah, I believed you right away!” Alissa replied very enthusiastically.
Takumi was taken aback by her reply. “Wait, really? You trust me, just like that?”
“I mean, it's true humans are only mentioned in fairy tales, but that doesn't mean they're made up!” the Popplio started, “I think things like that can be real, we just haven't found them yet! After all, there's still plenty of undiscovered mysteries out there!”
That's... really open minded, Takumi thought to himself, before nodding and smiling happily. “Well, thank you for trusting me. I'm really glad.”
“Yup!” Alissa responded, nodding back. She then turned around and looked at Robin, as if she was waiting for a response. Robin looked back at her, before looking over to Takumi and sighing.
“Alright, fine. I'll believe your words for now,” the Rowlet conceded. “You clearly couldn't have made all of that up on the spot,” he continued. “But don't get excited, I still don't trust you. I just don't think you lied,” he gave Takumi a glare.
Alissa's eyes widened and she had a big smile on her face. “Yess! I have a human friend! This is so cool!” she shouted happily, bouncing in circles around the Litten, who had a look of surprise and confusion on his face. Eventually, she stopped and looked intently at Robin.
“Hey, Robin! Can we take him back to the village?” she asked.
“I don't think that's such a good idea. We still can't really trust him-” he started before Alissa grabbed Takumi with her right flipper. The cat yelped in surprise before the Popplio squeezed him up against her cheek.
“Pleeease?” the Popplio stared at Robin with puppy-dog eyes, making Robin feel increasingly uncomfortable until he eventually flinched and looked away.
“Alright, fine! We can bring him!” he yielded. “Just quit looking at me with those eyes!” Alissa then let go of Takumi and jumped up on her hind flippers again.
“Yayyy!” she shouted, clapping her flippers in excitement, before jumping up and flipping backwards, landing on all fours again. “Come on Takumi, the village is this way!” she added, looking at Takumi and pointing to the path behind her with her left flipper. Then without warning, she took off running in the direction of the village, shocking Takumi.
“H-Hey, wait up!” the Litten exclaimed before taking off after her. Meanwhile, Robin sighed, pressing a wing against his face again.
“Oh, Alissa... why am I not surprised?” he said with exasperation, before he began to follow them.
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And that's the first chapter! I hope I've piqued your interest, and I'll assure that there's more to come!
Next time: Takumi meets some new faces and learns more about the world he's ended up in.
Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting (You are here)
Chapter 2: Welcome to Greenhorne
Chapter 3: Rescues are Ruff
Chapter 4: Boldore and Brash
Chapter 5: Hitting the Road
Chapter 6: Trails and Tribulations
Chapter 2: Welcome to Greenhorne
Chapter 3: Rescues are Ruff
Chapter 4: Boldore and Brash
Chapter 5: Hitting the Road
Chapter 6: Trails and Tribulations
Now, let's get on with the show!
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RocketKnight66 presents...
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Celestial Guardians
Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting
~Shibuya, Japan~
RocketKnight66 presents...
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Celestial Guardians
Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting
~Shibuya, Japan~
Night had fallen on the city of Shibuya. Despite it being so late, the massive city remained ripe with activity. It was full of buildings of all types and sizes, and amongst them was a smaller apartment building. The outside was mostly metal, with wood making up the inside. It didn't look as appealing as some of the bigger buildings next to it, but it was well made. Most of the lights had been turned off, although a lamp remained on in one of the bedrooms. In the bedroom was a young boy who was playing with a black game system that he was holding in his hands.
This was Takumi Inoue, a teenager from Japan. He had black hair that looked rather messy, and he had red eyes. His skin was a light brown, and appeared somewhat pale. He was a bit on the lighter side, but appeared to be healthy. He was wearing a white shirt, and black pants. His eyes were focusing intently on the screen of the game system, and had a look of determination on his face.
“Come on Litten, I know you can do it...” he mumbled tensely, concentrating on the game. A few moments later, his face lit up with elation. He jumped up into a sitting position, with his fist clenched in victory.
“YEAH! That's another totem down!” he shouted with a big grin on his face, not thinking much about how late it was. Surely enough, this caught the attention of the other person in the building.
“Takumi, quiet down! It's eleven at night, you should be asleep!” a voice sounding like it belonged to a middle-aged woman emanated from another room. Takumi flinched, startled by the voice.
“S-Sorry mom!” he stuttered awkwardly, before looking back at his game system. She's probably right though, it's getting late... this feels like a good stopping point, anyway, he thought before pressing a button to turn the system off and closing it. With that, the boy flipped a switch on his lamp to turn the light off. He then laid down on his bed, pulled up his bed sheets, and got comfortable. Within minutes, he drifted off to sleep.
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Takumi heard a strange sound, one that almost sounded like a drop of water falling. He opened his eyes and found that he was looking at white. At this, he got up onto his feet to survey his surroundings. He appeared to be in a strange void of white, with some yellow creeping into parts of it. It looked surreal, and it was very quiet, aside from the occasional sounds of water. The ground underneath him didn't look like much at all; it was the same kind of void around him. As he was standing, it almost felt like he was standing on a cloud.
“...Huh? Where am I?” he said with confusion, looking around. “Am I... dreaming?” he continued, beginning to piece together the situation. Suddenly, there was a flash of yellow light, and the boy shielded his eyes with his left arm in reaction. Moments later, it returned to the empty void of earlier before a masculine sounding voice suddenly echoed through the space.
Hello, Takumi. I have been waiting for you. The sudden appearance of the voice surprised Takumi, who jumped backwards with a startled yelp and looked around frantically.
To answer your previous question, this is a world within your own subconscious.
“My... subconscious?”
Yes. It is the world your mind resides in when you are asleep.
“But wait... If this is my subconscious, then how did you get in here? Who are you?” Takumi asked, worried.
I am a wandering spirit, one that works tirelessly to keep our world's balance. Takumi looked very surprised by the voice's words, but chose to continue listening. You needn't worry, I am not here to bring harm. Actually, I'd like to ask you a favor.
“A favor? What kind of favor?” the boy inquired.
You see, I have protected our world for thousands of years. A long time ago, I faced a terrible force, and sealed it away. However, as my power has begun to fade, the seal will soon slip. When that happens, a terrible calamity will approach our world... and I will be unable to stop it.
Takumi's face paled. “A calamity?! Like the end of the world?!”
Yes, and I am unable to do anything about it in my current state... but then I learned about humans. They seem to possess a strange power, one that could be of great help to us.
The boy was confused by the voice's words, but simply tried to process them. As he thought about it, his expression dampened. “But... why would you want me? I'm just a normal kid,” he said meekly.
I am aware of your world. You have a fondness for those creatures you call “Pokémon”, yes?
Takumi furrowed a brow. “I do... But what does that have to do with anything?”
That is why, the voice started again, surprising Takumi with it's response. Because of your affection toward Pokémon, I felt that you would understand them well. As such, I believe that you are my best option.
“Because I like Pokémon?... wait, does that mean Pokémon are real?!” Takumi jumped back in shock and amazement, thinking that the creatures he knew as virtual actually existed.
Not in your world, but yes.
“Does that mean that you're a Pokémon, too?” he asked excitedly.
You could say that. However, I currently hold no physical form.
Takumi wanted to ask the voice more about Pokémon, but he assumed that wasn't it's purpose here. Thus, he held those questions back in his mind and asked what he assumed it wanted to hear.
“So, what do you want me to do?”
You must come to our world, and use your power to reawaken us. If you do that, we may be able to prevent the coming disaster.
“Wait, there's still something I don't understand.” Takumi started, “You keep talking about a 'power' I have, but what do you mean by that? I've never had any special powers that I'm aware of...”
...I would like to answer that question, but I am running out of time. So, I must bid you farewell.
“Wait, hold on!...” Takumi tried to stop the voice, but his cries were unheard.
I wish you luck... And hopefully we will meet again.
“Hey, I still have more questions-” the boy called out, but there was another sudden flash of light.
Everything went to white, and his consciousness faded.
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When his consciousness finally returned, Takumi was able to hear the sounds of nature around him. He also felt some kind of vegetation under his body. Not expecting it, his eyes shot open. He sat up, and began to look around him.
“Wha-?” he uttered in confusion.
What he found was a vivid forest that was full of life, with large and healthy trees, grass that grew a lush green and was blowing in the wind. In the background, sounds of wildlife could seemingly be heard.
Well, I'm definitely not in Shibuya anymore, he mused. But... where is this? How did I get here? he added, trying to look around. I won't learn anything by sitting here. Exploring is gonna be my best bet, he finished before trying to get up. However, when he tried standing up, he felt strangely unsteady.
“Whoa!...” he said as he lost his balance and wobbled around, nearly toppling over. He managed to stay upright, but he wondered why his legs were so keen on letting him fall. That was weird... Why am I having so much trouble standing? he started to think, before shooing the idea. No, it's nothing. I'm probably just dazed- he continued before moving his right hand to rub his head.
However, what he found was not a human hand, but a paw coated in black fur with a pair of red stripes around his leg. He stared at it for a few moments, eyes widened, before the realization set in.
“AHH!” he yelled out in shock before losing his balance and falling onto his back, then quickly sitting back up. He again pulled up what used to be his hands, and saw that they were indeed paws now. Panicked, he then looked down at his body, and was unsettled to find that the rest of his body was also fur. His legs appeared cat-like, which would explain his trouble standing. On top of all that, he had a tail. Whatever he was, it became clear his body was no longer human.
W-What? What's happening to me? he stuttered mentally, staring at his body in disbelief. Wait, don't tell me... He looked around frantically, trying to find something to help him. To his left, his eyes caught a pond that he hadn't noticed before. Ah, over there! attempting to reach it, he got up on his hind legs again and tried to walk. This time, he lost his balance and fell on his stomach. He let out an “Oof!” as his body hit the ground.
I guess I can't walk like that anymore... he looked at his paws again and sighed. Well, if I can't walk, then I'll crawl, he added, crouching with all four of his legs on the ground. He pushed off, and slowly began to make his way towards the pond. Little by little, he inched his way forward, until finally, he was close enough to look down at the water. He gulped, worried to find out what he had become.
Here goes nothing... he thought, lowering his head to look at the water. As he stared, his reflection formed, and it finally became clear what he was. He was a black cat tipped with red around his muzzle, and tufts of red fur on his cheeks. He had a pair of pointy ears, with faded gray fur on the insides. A pair of parallel red stripes ran across his forehead, and one between both split them down the middle. His sclera were yellow, and his eyes were red. His jaw dropped as he made the connection. I... I know what I am now. It's just as I thought... I've turned into a Litten!
Takumi had to sit down from the revelation. He lifted up his right forepaw and stared at it in disbelief. T-This can't be real! I must be dreaming! he panicked, before stopping in realization of something. ...Wait! If I'm dreaming, then I just need to slap myself, right? That'll snap me out of it! He closed his eyes and slapped his right cheek with a forepaw. When he opened his eyes again, he looked down, and found that nothing had changed. No, I don't think I'm dreaming at all... this is real.
He furrowed his brows in thought. But... how did this happen? Why am I here? His eyes then widened as a memory from earlier flashed in his mind.
“You must come to our world, and use your power to reawaken us...”
Right... That voice said it needed me to come to their world, he mused as he looked around him. So, this must be their world. A few moments later, the cat's eyes widened. Wait. So if I'm a Pokémon, and this is their world, then... does that mean I'm in the Pokémon world?!
Takumi's eyes sparkled. This... this is awesome! I've become my favorite Pokémon, and now I get to explore the Pokémon world! Maybe this won't be so bad, after all. Moments later however, his expression straightened. But I still don't really know what's going on... oh, right. I was going to start exploring.
He slowly got up onto his four legs, being careful not to fall. He looked to his right, and saw what looked like a pathway. He confirmed his intentions and nodded. Well, there's no time like the present. However, as the Litten started to get going, he realized something: he had no idea how to walk on four legs.
“Uhh...” he uttered in confusion as he stared at his paws, before deciding he just needed to try. He slowly put one leg in front of the other, wobbling around a little bit. He managed to make a few steps, but then when moving his right foreleg, he lost his balance and fell down. With a groan, he then pushed himself back onto his feet.
Mom's cat makes it look a lot easier than it actually is... he thought as he made another attempt. He managed to make a few more steps before stumbling, this time keeping his footing. He slowly trudged on, slowly beginning to maintain his stability. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this! he was beginning to gain confidence, but that wouldn't help much when he failed to notice a fallen tree branch ahead of him. One of his paws caught on it, causing him to trip and tumble onto his stomach. Nevermind... he sighed in frustration.
Takumi did eventually get the hang of walking on all fours, and was making his way down the path. As he was walking, he looked around him, taking in his surroundings. I didn't think much about it, but I've never really seen something like this, he mused. I didn't leave Shibuya much, so I never really knew what the forest was like. As he continued, he breathed in the fresh air, and smiled softly. This is wonderful... I'm glad I finally got to experience this.
While he was thinking, he failed to pay attention to the front again, and he bumped into something black. He bounced off and staggered backwards, almost losing his balance. Upon regaining his composure, he looked up to find a large bear staring at him.
It had black fur on it's body, along with it's arms and feet. It's head however, had pink fur. It's snout and ears were tipped with white. It had small black eyes, and it had a pink tail similar to that of a raccoon. Notably, it's arms were rather large, and they looked like they were strong. Takumi's face blanched upon seeing the bear. Oh no, that's a Bewear... I need to get out of here before he tries to hug me, he thought, trying not to panic.
“U-Uhh, h-hey there...” the cat stammered. The Bewear continued to stare at him, making him even more anxious. Then, the bear spoke.
“Hug?” he asked, sending a chill down Takumi's spine.
O-Okay, d-don't panic. I can h-handle t-this, the Litten thought, trying to suppress his fear.
“Umm, n-no thanks...” he replied with a stutter as he carefully walked around the Bewear. As he got past, he looked behind him, and saw that the bear was glaring at him. The look sent a chill down his spine. O-Okay, I think it may be time for a crash course in running, he pushed off with his hind legs and took off in a sprint.
“Waait, come back!” the bear exclaimed before chasing the Litten, the loud noises of his heavy body stomping on the ground only making Takumi panic more. Up ahead, he saw a fallen tree branch that was rather large, although it looked just short enough to jump over. In reaction, the Litten briefly crouched down and pushed off, jumping into the air and clearing the branch before touching back on the ground. Takumi stumbled on landing, but regathered his bearings and running off again.
Behind him, the Bewear was not very far behind. As he reached where the fallen branch was, he swung his right arm. His arm made contact with the branch, effortlessly smashing it in two with a loud crashing sound. Bewear was completely unfazed, and continued running.
Takumi then came across a tighter pathway. The trees seemed to squeeze together, but the gap was large enough for him to slip through. Not wanting to give any ground away, he charged in at full speed, managing to slip out through the other side. Only a few seconds later, he heard another crashing noise, which made him squeak in shock.
“Come back, kitty! I just want to give hugs!” the bear called out.
P-Please leave me alone... I don't think I can keep this up much longer... Takumi was breathing heavily, very worn out from running for so long. Luckily for him, the Bewear suddenly slowed down, although he was too fixated on running away to notice. The bear slowed to a stop, before looking around with his right paw held up against his head in thought.
“...What was I doing, again?” Bewear said absentmindedly.
Back with Takumi, the Litten was still running. He then slowed to a stop and looked around, noticing the Bewear was no longer there. D-Did I lose him?... he thought tiredly. As he turned he head to look in front of him again, he saw what appeared to be a sharp righthand corner. Panicking, he crouched down and shifted his body to the right, turning for the corner before skidding to a halt. Before he could catch his breath however, he saw a blue sea lion-like Pokémon charging straight towards him. Both saw each other and they panicked, trying to slow down. However, the sea lion was moving too fast to stop in time.
“Ahh!” they both shouted in surprise before the blue pokémon slammed into the Litten with an audible crash, causing the both of them to tumble onto their backs.
“Ughh...” the two of them groaned, dazed heavily from the impact. Suddenly, a voice called out.
“Alissa!” the voice shouted, sounding annoyed. At this, the sea lion snapped awake, and rolled over onto her stomach so that she could stand up. Meanwhile, Takumi was still on the ground, his head feeling like it was spinning.
The voice belonged to a Rowlet, an owl Pokémon with a rounded body. He had a mostly brown plumage, although his face and stomach were white. He had large black eyes and a stubby beak, while his feet were an orange-brown and had two forward facing toes, and one backward facing. He also had a pair of leaves on his chest that looked like a bowtie, along with a large one that made up his tail.
“Alissa, I told you to watch where you're going!” the Rowlet chastised the sea lion.
“But he just appeared out of nowhere! There's no way I could've expected that,” the sea lion responded, trying to defend herself.
Alissa was a Popplio, a blue sea lion Pokémon that was pinniped. She had large eyes with black pupils, along with a long, white snout that had black whiskers and a round, pink nose. Two small, rounded flaps made up her ears, and she had a light blue ruff around her neck. She had two large flippers on the front, and two smaller ones on the back, and the front flippers had a pair of white markings separating the toes.
“That's why you watch ahead of you! So you can be alert and react to the unexpected!” the owl explained, before sighing and looking at the Litten that was still laying on the ground. “Look, just be careful next time, ok?” he began to calm down and walked towards Alissa and Takumi. “Now, excuse me while I fix the mess you made.” he complained while moving beside the Litten. Alissa moved towards the cat as well.
“Hello? You alright?” he said, nudging the cat's body with his right wing. In response, the Litten moved both of his forepaws and rubbed his eyes with them.
“Urghh... My head...” he said with a groan. As he slowly opened his eyes, he found the smiling face of a Popplio standing over him.
“Hiya!” she shouted loudly, causing Takumi to yelp in surprise and scramble onto his feet. As he turned around, he saw the Popplio and a Rowlet looking at him.
“I apologize for my sister. She's kind of... eccentric.” the Rowlet said. Takumi was taken aback by his words, however.
Did he just speak? Like a human? he thought, before a thought crossed his mind. Oh, right. Since I'm a Pokémon, I can probably understand them now... Come to think of it, that Bewear spoke to me, too- his train of thought was derailed by the Rowlet speaking again.
“Err, hello? Anyone in there?” he said while waving his wing, trying to get Takumi's attention. This snapped the Litten back to reality.
“Oh!... Uh, y-yeah, sorry,” Takumi responded, sounding embarrassed.
“Could I ask who you are? I haven't seen a Litten in these parts before,” the Rowlet asked in a formal tone.
“...M-My name is Takumi,” the cat replied awkwardly. The owl looked like he was about to speak again, before the Popplio hopped in front of the two of them.
“Hiya! I'm Alissa!” she said with a big smile, surprising Takumi with her sudden appearance. “Oh, and sorry for running you over earlier, I didn't mean to!” she added, although she seemed oblivious to any kind of guilt.
Takumi gave an awkward smile. “Oh, uhh, It's fine.” He looked a bit to the right and found the Rowlet walking up to him.
“The name's Mitsuharu, but everyone calls me Robin,” said the Rowlet, making a gesture with his left wing.
The owl looked attentively at the Litten. “Say, you looked like you were in a rush. Mind if you tell us what you were doing?” he inquired. Takumi froze for a few moments, trying to think of something to say. Then, he spoke.
“...I was running from a Bewear.” both the Rowlet and Popplio were surprised by the response, although the Popplio quickly recovered.
“Ooh, that sounds like fun!” Alissa chirped.
“N-No, it really isn't...” Takumi said, sweatdropping.
“Wow, what did you do to piss him off?” Robin said sarcastically.
“I-I didn't do anything! It was the first thing that happened after I woke up!” Takumi attempted to defend himself, freezing up upon realizing what he said.
Robin's brow furrowed. “Woke up?... Hold on, you were asleep in the middle of a forest?” the Rowlet looked at the cat with skepticism. “Why were you sleeping in the middle of nowhere? It doesn't make sense to me.”
W-What do I do now? I can't tell them I'm human, they'll never believe me! Takumi worried as he tried to think. But... it would be just as bad to lie. I'd never want to hold a secret like that. He went over his options and sighed. I can't... I just can't do it. I can't lie to them. I'm just going to be honest, and hope for the best. With his mind made up, he looked back at the two, and took a deep breath.
“I'm a human... or at least I'm supposed to be. I woke up like this, with no idea why, or where I am,” he explained. The Rowlet and Popplio stared in silence for a few moments, which made him even more uncomfortable.
“You have got to be kidding-” Robin started to speak before Alissa bounced in front of him.
“Humans really exist?! No way, that's amazing!” she said with sparkling eyes, and pressed her foreflippers against her cheeks. The Rowlet put his right wing up against his face and sighed in frustration.
“No they don't Alissa, he's clearly lying.” he said with exasperation.
“I'm telling the truth, I swear! Look, I can prove it!” Takumi retorted, getting the two's full attention.
“Oh, really? Then do tell, I'm dying to hear it,” Robin replied in a sarcastic tone which Takumi chose to ignore.
The Litten took a deep breath and started to elaborate as best he could. “I grew up in a human city with my parents and two siblings, one older and one younger. Sometime later, we moved to another city, and I started school, hoping to learn how to program. My older sibling moved away a few years later, and eventually, it was just me and my mom. Last night, I had a strange dream, and then I found myself here, in the body of a Pokémon, with no idea how or why.”
There was stunned silence for a few moments, before Robin spoke up. “Wow... you didn't hesitate,” he gave a surprised look. “Either you already knew all of... that, or you're the greatest liar in the world.”
Alissa hopped onto her hind flippers, smiling happily. “See, see? I knew it, we can believe him!” she said excitedly, pointing at Takumi with one of her front flippers.
“So... you believe me?” asked Takumi.
“Yeah, I believed you right away!” Alissa replied very enthusiastically.
Takumi was taken aback by her reply. “Wait, really? You trust me, just like that?”
“I mean, it's true humans are only mentioned in fairy tales, but that doesn't mean they're made up!” the Popplio started, “I think things like that can be real, we just haven't found them yet! After all, there's still plenty of undiscovered mysteries out there!”
That's... really open minded, Takumi thought to himself, before nodding and smiling happily. “Well, thank you for trusting me. I'm really glad.”
“Yup!” Alissa responded, nodding back. She then turned around and looked at Robin, as if she was waiting for a response. Robin looked back at her, before looking over to Takumi and sighing.
“Alright, fine. I'll believe your words for now,” the Rowlet conceded. “You clearly couldn't have made all of that up on the spot,” he continued. “But don't get excited, I still don't trust you. I just don't think you lied,” he gave Takumi a glare.
Alissa's eyes widened and she had a big smile on her face. “Yess! I have a human friend! This is so cool!” she shouted happily, bouncing in circles around the Litten, who had a look of surprise and confusion on his face. Eventually, she stopped and looked intently at Robin.
“Hey, Robin! Can we take him back to the village?” she asked.
“I don't think that's such a good idea. We still can't really trust him-” he started before Alissa grabbed Takumi with her right flipper. The cat yelped in surprise before the Popplio squeezed him up against her cheek.
“Pleeease?” the Popplio stared at Robin with puppy-dog eyes, making Robin feel increasingly uncomfortable until he eventually flinched and looked away.
“Alright, fine! We can bring him!” he yielded. “Just quit looking at me with those eyes!” Alissa then let go of Takumi and jumped up on her hind flippers again.
“Yayyy!” she shouted, clapping her flippers in excitement, before jumping up and flipping backwards, landing on all fours again. “Come on Takumi, the village is this way!” she added, looking at Takumi and pointing to the path behind her with her left flipper. Then without warning, she took off running in the direction of the village, shocking Takumi.
“H-Hey, wait up!” the Litten exclaimed before taking off after her. Meanwhile, Robin sighed, pressing a wing against his face again.
“Oh, Alissa... why am I not surprised?” he said with exasperation, before he began to follow them.
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And that's the first chapter! I hope I've piqued your interest, and I'll assure that there's more to come!
Next time: Takumi meets some new faces and learns more about the world he's ended up in.
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