Chapter 5 - The mountain

He didn't really know when he got here.

His eyes were closed, awaiting his enemy's final blow, cheers and boos echoed around him, his body was losing strength, his tears were stopping.

Tonight was his last night, if he had defeated his enemy, he'd be free.

But it was a lie.

They put him against an opponent they knew he couldn't fight back.

They wanted a grand ending for his departitude.

And they got it.

All sounds slowly got muffled, and his body became light, vision darkening, consciousness escaping his claws.

And then, out of nowhere, he was jolted awake.

Awake with a human boy rovering above him.

Instincts screamed and he did de first thing he could think.

Attack!

"Nature! Snorlax just Gigantamaxed!"

He stopped on his tracks when he saw that Nature wasn't alone.

Sylvester was there, which was good, as Nature was more calm when he was there, Tapu Koko was there with that young Zarude, which was bad, as Nature could go rampant if they start fighting again.

But it wasn't just them, there was a group of humans with them, one of the Chimchar was on the female shoulders waving her hand at him.

"I've found a trainer!" She said, proud.

He didn't know if it was good or bad.

But now it wasn't the time.

Nature sighed, looking tired.

He couldn't be blamed, as it was the fifth time this week, and it was still Tuesday.

"Where is he?" Asked Nature.

"Near the Heart Tree" Alpha, the Zarude who accompanied him, said "Mune and Solana are there as well"

Alpha got that nickname as the oldest Zarude raised on the ranch and leader of the species here, he takes care of the young ones and makes sure that they don't cause trouble.

But well, not even he can contain that cub.

"Gothitelle and the young ones are on top of him" He said "we called them to help them out"

Nature nodded, turning to Alpha.

"It's ok if they come?" Nature asked "We were going to meet with Gothitelle"

"It's fine by me" Said Alpha "But I won't babysit anyone"

"That won't be needed" Nature said turning to him "Can you and Sylvester acompain them on land? I'll go ahead with Tapu Koko and the kids"

"No problem" He said "Just go before the twins start something"

With a nod, Nature launched to the trees with the deity, Zarude and Chimchar, who decided to follow them, much to the humans surprise.

"She'll be fine" He reassured the humans "She used to come here a lot with the Zarude and some Grookie, she knows the place like the palm of her hand, now come, we have to move"

He started moving, not even looking if they were following.

====================================

"Sooo… how can you talk in human language?"

He looked back, a bit surprised that they could keep up.

Nature had told them a resume about this new world, a world without Pokemon (which, he might add, was surreal, how in Arceus's name could there be a world without Pokemon?), a world where humans were able to use abilities similar to Pokemon moves, and a world full of beasts that attack human settlements.

It took him some time to digest all of that, mainly the fact that they are in another world (again, how in Arceus's name was that possible??), but he thought that humans couldn't be that different from their world.

Well, he was wrong.

Even the lanky human with a goatee could keep up with him, even though he was a little behind, together with Sylvester.

Who gave him a smug smile.

"You underestimate them too much~" The Sylveon said.

Ignoring the Sylveon, he responded to the human.

"I've learned some years ago, and I'm not the only one who knows, any Pokemon can learn if they try, it can be of great help sometimes"

"I can imagine" Said the human with dark skin with a smirk.

This human was more close to him, obviously to talk to him, the three older ones were further away, the smaller and the taller apparently at a lower pace to keep up with the lanky one.

The female was closer to the older ones, at a lower pace too.

Is bizarre to imagine that these humans could be passing him if they wanted.

"What brought you all to the Ranch?" He asked.

That made the human become awkward.

"I came to investigate" He admitted "I saw a post about this place and thought it was some kind of trap, like, a person trying to convince other that they could tame Demonic Beasts, it happened once, the Empire got quite shaken because of this, well, this and I wanted a excuse to not face my finance"

The man pointed at the female, who was staring at him in a strange way.

"But not anymore?" He said, trying to distract himself from her gaze.

"Not anymore, when I got here I've meet Faith and the Raboot siblings, honestly, they're pretty chill, and damn, the food here is amazing"

Oh, another one bewitched by food.

Well, he can't complain, he's the same.

"I thought it would be a good idea to take one with me to learn more" The human continued "Then I've got Fiama, the Chimchar you saw, returned home, she burned my grandfather in front of my uncles, they got curious, decided to come here to show the place, my fiance found me and make me bring her too"

He stopped for a second digesting the information.

"I thought she was your fiance's partner" He admitted.

"Nah, I don't know why, but Fiama just adore Helena, and I don't think it will and up well for me"

The human's face darkened, like he had a bad premonition.

He didn't know what to think about it, but one thing is for sure.

He was annoyed.

He slowed down a bit to be more close to the human.

"Why is she staring at me like that?" He finally asked.

He couldn't stop feeling her eyes on him now that he knew she was staring.

"Like what?" The human asked.

"Like I'm prey"

The human stared at him in confusion before looking back, nearly falling after seeing it.

"Fuck!" Was his main reaction.

It did little to help him calm down.

"Helena for god's sake!" The human hissed at the woman "Stop glaring at him"

"I'm not glaring at him!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

The two stared at each other for a moment.

But then a pair of wings appeared on the woman's boots.

"Fuck!"

Again, it did little to calm his nerves.

The man dodged when the woman charged with a surge of wind, barely escaping her grasp and staying a little behind.

She now was by his side, and he didn't know how to feel about it.

"I saw your scars, they're really cool! How did you get them?"

He was surprised not only by the comment, but by the genuine and innocent smile the woman gave him.

"I was a fighter in an illegal arena since I was little" He said "Humans put us to fight to death with each other, I was a champion before, now I prefer the tranquility when I can find it"

She looked at him for a moment, an air of realization on her.

"Now I know why you game me my grandpa's vibes"

He was stunned for a moment, confused if he should be offended or not, and, at that moment, the male came back, catching up with them

"You definitely saw the walking mountain over there" He said pointing behind "That's her old man"

That enormous and suspicious guy in a coat was her grandfather?

Should he be offended?

"He used to be my guild's leader" Said the woman "He's a Berserker, like me, but he actually hate fighting"

"He retired when we were kids" Said the man "He fighted 'cause it was needed, but prefer gardening, he now owns the most famous flower shop in the empire, even that jerk of an emperor love his plants"

So he was being compared to a retired hunter?

Not the worst thing he had heard.

"And you kind of feel like him" She continued.

Now that he didn't know how to take.

"Helena have a strange thing on her that let her 'feel the vibes' of others" Said the man "She can literally feel a person energy and judge them, it is really useful, but no one can explain what it is since it's not a part of her class, subclass or a skill, just a her thing"

Ok, the misunderstanding was solved.

"And I have a question!" The woman said.

"You may ask" He said.

"You called Nate Nature, why?"

Oh, he forgot about it.

"Nature is his name" He explained "Nate is the nickname the young ones gave him as it was easier to pronounce and faster to say, but most rescues call him by his name"

"Then why did he introduce himself as Nate?" The man asked.

"Nature isn't exactly a human name is it?"

They both got quiet, and by their faces, they seemed to agread.

"What is that Gigantamax thing you said earlier?" The man said.

"Is kind of an evolution, Gigantamax is basically when a pokemon pass by the Dynamaxing process but goes a little further, receiving not only more size, but also a new form"

He saw their confused faces, but only smiled when the world started to get red.

"You'll see, now follow me!"

He darted forwards, already hearing the sounds of a battle.

They arrived at the clearing at time to see Solana in Dynamax attacking the berry growing in Snorlax's tree and making it fall.

It was delightful to see their reaction as Snorlax jumped to eat the barry mid air, and he nearly barked a laugh when they all fell when the pokemon landed.

"That's a Gigantamax" He said, amused "And the smaller one is a Dynamax"

"You're telling me all Pokemon can do that?!"

The woman, Helena, was baffled, chin on the ground.

The man, who he still doesn't know the name of, had the same expression on his face.

"All Pokemon can Dynamax, but not many can Gigantamax"

Nature approached the group, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Sorry for that" Said Nature "Leaving him like that would make the Zarude nervous, and a nervous Zarude is a… bad call"

He smiled bitterly, it was true, he saw how dangerous a whole group of agitated Zarude could be.

And they are still to reach adulthood.

Bad call could be said to be an understatement.

But Nature just smiled as Solana fell into the ground, back at her normal height.

"That was boring" She said, a paw on her waist.

"It's not every day that you get in a good fight" Her twin said, shrugging.

"All you two think is fighting" He said, a smile on his face "Go challenge Tapu Koko or Tapu Fini than"

"Yeah!" The deity said, excited "I'm itching for a second round!"

"No way!" Mune said.

"Last time it took us weeks to fix our fur!" His twin said.

"It takes time and dedication to make it so pretty!"

"Who cares about fur? Fighting is more fun!"

"We care!"

He and Nature chuckled at the three, already used to their fights.

But Nature soon came back to his business self, which means he came to his ignore-the-Tauros-shit mode.

Which was even better than watching Mankey and Primeape fighting over something stupid.

"Anyway, Gothitelle is waiting for us with some of the young ones, follow me"

And so the group moved (After everyone returned to their senses and Fiama took her place on her trainer's shoulder), soon seeing Gothitelle surrounded by young pokemons, Umbra was surprisingly there too.

They were about to approach the group, when the group approached them.

All the young ones accompanying Gothitelle and Umbra jumped in the walking mountain.

_______________________________________

Friedrich was a bit stunned for a moment.

He stayed still while a series of weird cries and small creatures surrounded him or used him as a jungle gym of some kind.

When he found the courage to look at the boy, he saw him holding his laugh, Sylvester snickering, the felines and the talking pokemon laughing to their heart's content, and the humanoid pokemon he assumed to be Gothitelle chuckling quietly along with a small black and yellow Pokemon that make him think of Sylvester, this one with a swollen belly.

"I am so sorry for that" Said the boy, not really looking sorry "These kids have only met Pokemon, so they're pretty curious, Gothitelle, could you?"

"Gothi"

The pokemon's eyes glowed in blue and soon all the Pokemon, all surrounded by a blue light, flouted out of him with cries of protest.

It didn't take long for the, now familiar, voice of the pokedex to inform him of what kind of pokemon was this one.

"Gothitelle, of Psychic Type, Gothitelle unleashes psychic energy and shows opponents dreams of the universe's end. These dreams are apparently ethereal and beautiful. It gazes at the stars to predict the future. It acts somewhat detached because it has seen the end of all existence"

An interesting description for such a creature, but also hard to believe.

"Oh, you guys got a Pokedex!"

The talking Pokemon, who seems to have recovered from his laughing episode, looked at the device with interest.

"I haven't seen one since I came here!" He said "If I'm not wrong, this model was used in Kalos!"

"Kalos?"

Goban was curious, as always, asking questions without thinking twice.

"Kalos is the region I was born" Said the pokemon "This Pokedex is the model used around there, but there are other more practical models like Rotom Phone or Rotom Dex, but since dose two need a Roton to work, not many used it back at Kalos"

"Roton can be unpredictable" Say the boy "Especially since many of then are tricksters, Ghost and Electric can be an… interesting combination of Types, for lack of better word"

"Just like Mimikyu's Fairy and Ghost Type" Said the pokemon "Or my Fighting and Flying, I mean, really? My kind can't even fly, we just plane or use our wings to leap around, and I can barely do even this, my feathers are still growing back!"

The observation brought Aiden's attention, making him point the device to the Pokemon.

"Hawlucha, of Fighting and Flying Type, Hawlucha live quietly without flocking together. They fight constantly with their natural enemies: noisy groups of Primeape. Its elegant finishing moves—performed by nimbly leaping around using its wings—are polished in the forest where it was born and raised"

"That would be more accurate if I had grown in the forest" He said a with a bitter smile "But yeah, I don't really like Mankey and Primeape, to noisy and violent, and they steal my food"

"They are one of the few Pokemon that can make Hawlucha mad to the point of fighting" The boy added.

"They're just balls of fur and rage, how can I share a room with such a Mon?"

The boy, Gothitelle and the black and yellow Pokemon chuckled, while Sylvester and the felines had a mischievous smile on their face while looking at the Hawlucha, who turned around with crossed wings and closed eyes, 'Nature', or Nate, turning to the young ones.

"We have guests for Gothitelle today, so no trouble!"

The protesting children soon agreed, clearly not intending to stay put.

Nate rolled his eyes playfully, a fond smile on his face.

Seeing this, Friedrich couldn't help but said.

"I don't really mind taking care of them"

All eyes turned to him, but he just put a smile on his face.

"They are curious" He said "And so am I, and since my friend here want to meet their caretaker, let me keep an eye on them"

Nate and the other 'older' pokemon, as he assumed they were, enchanted a few looks.

"Veon"

"Umbre"

Sylvester and the black and yellow Pokemon took a step forward, the former with an aloof attitude, and the latter with a timid attitude.

"I'll help in their place"

The Hawlucha, too, stepped forward.

"Umbra can't keep up with them now that she's about to lay an egg and is too stubborn to stay in her bed" He said "And, no offense Umbra, but your mate is a bad influence to the children"

"Sylv!"

"You're only proving my point"

"Breon…"

"We all know that the twins are as trustable as a Zorua, and, in case you need a reminder, it was Sylvester that raised them since they were Espurr, and you two can stop laughing, it was not a complement"

The two pokemon stayed quiet, Sylvester's face dark, while Umbra's face was full of embarrassment.

"He has a point" The boy said "And he's right Umbra, you should go rest, no one want you to risk you and your kid, the twins take you back"

"Meow~"

The 'twins', apparently being the felines, only snickered, eyes glowing in blue moments before the pair and Umbra start to float away with a blue light and the three of them, Sylvester on their backs, following from the ground.

"Is it wise to let them go together?" The Hawlucha asked.

"Probably not" The boy answered.

"Then why let them go?"

"You may not trust them with many things" Said the boy "But you can trust Umbra with them, Sylvester is her mate, and she's practically the twins mother"

Friedrich chuckled with this.

Yeah, that he knew very well, after all, he has two grandchildren who are the same way.

Helena and her brother could be a piece of work sometimes, but when family was involved, they were the best pair one could find.

"With this resolved" Said the boy "Gothitelle, could you?"

"Gothi"

The blue light covering the children disappeared, and soon Friedrich found himself with a green monkey on his face.

_______________________________________

She looked at her ankle with wonder.

It healed after a second.

It was, well, magical.

"It's incredible!"

She could only praise Tapu Lele's healing abilities, while the bunny approached.

[I know/ These guys surprisingly know to do something other then fight]

"Seems so" She said with a chuckle.

"Raboot"

The bunny-thing looked amused at her, a similar looking bunny was at his side, this one with a pink ribbon on its ear and a badge with [Looking for a home] writed on it, and Tapu Lele floating above them, Fergus had been gone.

"And who is this one?"

The second bunny was hiding behind the one she knew, looking a bit flustered, its fur a bit messy.

[My little sister]

She was a bit surprised, as she thought the second one was a male, just like the one she met.

"Are you twins or something? You two look so similar"

In fact, apart from the color and the ribbon, they were identical.

[Not really/ I'm two years older/ We look alike because we're from the same species/ Her color is like albinism/ But without the bad parts]

Same species? So that's why they look so alike, but still, a whole species that looks like that doesn't sound bad?

"I've been kind of wondering for a while" She said "But what are you?"

The three creatures froze for a second, Tapu Lele and the female bunny looking at the male bunny.

"Tapu?"

"Boot?"

The male hesitated, she could see sweat forming on his forehead.

"...boot"

"Raboot!"

The female bunny soon started to 'scold' the male, while Tapu Lele snickered.

She chuckles a little at the situation, finding it amusing.

After a moment of 'scolding' the male soon explained to her.

[We are pokemon/ Short for Pocket Monster/ That's how we are called as a whole/ But there are different kinds of Pokemon/ My kind of Pokemon is known as Raboot/ Tapu Lele and Tapu Koko are Pokemon too/ But different kind/ Fergus is a Mudsdale/ The kid you saw before in the forest is a Zarude/ And the one with Mr. Aiden is a Chimchar]

Pocket Monster?

She looked at the three big creatures- Pokemon in front of her with a strange gaze.

The male saw that and soon started to write.

[Know what you are thinking/ We have something here that seal Pokemon on a small container and let you carry them in your pocket/ That's why the name]

Oh, still a bit strange to imagine, but better to understand.

Anyway, she got enough information for now.

"Thank you for everything" She said "But We need to go"

The Raboot siblings enchanted an odd look, before the brother wrote down something.

[You should rest more/ You seems exhausted]

After they came, Tapu Lele had healed them, but they were all exhausted, so they passed out.

Her teammates were awake for some time when she got up.

"I've rested enough" She said "And we were here on mission, or guild will send someone to for us if we don't come back"

Well not entirely true, but not at all wrong.

If they send someone, it will be just for her team leader.

That if the guild master cares enough for blood bond.

The two still looked at her strangely, but she stood up, ignoring the voice on the back of her mind telling to just lay down and sleep.

"Could you show us the way out?"

The pair hesitated, not responding for a while.

It made her nervous.

Was this a trap? Has she been tricked? Were they planning on keeping them here?

She could already see the team leader preparing to use his jerk card when Tapu Lele interven.

"Tapu Le!"

She caught the siblings' attention, floating from side to side, pointing at them and then to the door.

The older Raboot sighed, the younger giving her some side eyes.

He then writes.

[Still think you should rest more/ Tapu Lele said you guys can go/ Go home, rest, eat and sleep]

Oh, so they were worried.

She now could see that the strange looks she received were looks of worry.

No trap.

No trick.

Just worry.

Wow, now she feels bad for being suspicious of them.

"Thank you" She said "And don't worry, we'll be fine"

By the faces of the pair, she could tell they didn't believe her, but got along with that.

[Follow me]

They soon were leaving the medical wing, meeting on the way a pink pokemon with a notebook of its own and swimming goggles, who greeted them shortly and left with a blue crying lizard who made them all cry along for no reason.

[Soble's tears have the effect of 100 onions] The Raboot brother writes with teary eyes [Be near one with no protection and you'll cry to no and/ The fact that they extremely timid doesn't help]

She only nodded, trying to no vain to clean the tears from her eyes.

It didn't take long for them to reach the entrance.

"Lele!"

"Bu!"

"Ko!"

And, once again, meet with Tapu Koko and the group from before, with some new additions.

Aside from Soaring Sky's guild master, her personal blacksmith and the fire chimp (now known as Chimchar, there were three old men, each accompanied by a pokemon.

Well, apart from the living mountain, who had three, a green monkey on his hand, a bush-goat on his side and a humanoid one with many scars and missing feathers on his shoulder.

It was almost comical how the little green monkey was so small on his hand.

The smaller old man had what seemed to be a red chick, it was chirping in weird cries on his shoulder, looking happy.

And the one with a goatee had a humanoide one at his side, both staying politely quiet.

Soaring Sky's guild master also had one with her, an eagle, obviously still young, on her head and.

Tapu Koko was there too, along with a Pokemon similar to himself, but that also resembled a bull, Tapu Lele floated in their direction happily.

"Raboot!"

On the contrary, the Raboot sister quickly bolted somewhere, so fast that she wondered what happened, her brother stayed, but was wary.

She was confused by the reaction, but got even more confused with what happened after that.

"What did you do to scare her that much?"

The Pokemon talked.