The Alchemist by mikaelbrigman (Pokémon)

Latest Update:COMPLETE

Summary: A single soul is torn from one world and placed into another. The endless cycle is turning once again. The year, 2011. Two years after the Heavens Shattered. The world is no longer what he expected. (Massive Pokémon AU with a lot of different influences. As of 6/5/2022, COMPLETE!)

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13986112/1/

Word count:221k

Chapters:27

Chapter 1: Prologue

There is a boy sleeping in an abandoned house, his body broken and his memories mismatched. There is a girl that molds the Earth around her while she remains still and watches life go by. There is a man that will do anything it takes to bring back the world he once knew and Mend what was Shattered.

Which one of them can change the world?

Chapter 2: Attack

In a dark, dusty room, a young man stirred. At least, as much as he could when it seemed like his skin was trying to tear itself free of his muscles. A thousand cuts laced his body, beginning to drip red from the sudden movement. He cried out in pain, and his eyes shot open. A flurry of white hair flew from his eyes, spotted with red. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes as he tried to push himself into a sitting position.

The floor he had found himself on was dirty and covered in nails, though it still resembled his bedroom.

"Where…" he tried to say, though his lips cracked. "Where am I?"

There was no bed, no doors, no curtains, only a ratty blanket and faint moonlight seeping through a cracked window. Some sort of dog barked in the distance, and he could hear the whirring of wheels on asphalt.

He grasped at the blanket, sharply inhaling when it rubbed against his skin. Slowly but surely, a deep crimson began to seep into it as he began to stand. It was at this point, to the least of his concern, that thanks to gravity he realized he was naked. He stumbled over to the door, wincing as he stepped on the edge of a nail, though luckily a smooth side, and wrapped the blanket around his waist. With every step he took into the next room, an attic next to a staircase, his skin itched more and more, like it was covered in sandpaper. The carpet had long since been stripped, making each step down an unpleasant exercise in avoiding splinters.

At the base of the staircase, he saw a variety of doorways but chose to follow the corridor with a window at the other end.

His vision had long since gone blurry, though he was fairly certain the chill that was blowing across his skin was due to the snow falling outside. The door beside the broken window as barely hanging on its hinges, letting a bit of ice seep onto the floor. As such, because he didn't notice this, he slipped and fell into the door, breaking it free of the wall and sending him sprawling onto the porch and furth down the steps and onto a sidewalk.

"God damn it," He sobbed, near silently. He rolled off of his side to look at the sky. "This is total bullshit…"

Freezing snow stung his face, though it gave him some strange relief. His tears burned hot in contrast, blurring his vision further.

"What did I do to deserve this? God?" His breathing was heavy as he looked into the starry sky. The lights all seemed to blend together, forming swirling shapes in his eyes.

He couldn't even move as the sound of footsteps nearby grew closer, suddenly stopped, then accelerated and became louder.

A blob of sky-blue and bright gold appeared above him, and the light of the stars seemed to form a halo around its top.

"...Are you an angel?" He slurred out, nearly incomprehensible through the soreness of his throat and the dryness of his mouth.

The blob grew closer to him, and he heard someone yell out as he became limp in their arms.

Over the next few hours, he was barely conscious, his eyes half-lidded as the blob carried him somewhere else, and thought he heard them speaking with someone else. At one point, the lights in the sky faded away and were replaced by a much closer white ceiling and beige walls. The blobs carrying him grew more visible, and he could nearly see splotches of green, though he was still bleary-eyed.

From soft arms, he found himself placed on a soft mattress, and felt the stinging of… some kind of antiseptic across his body. There was a pink blob beside him, and then a faint trill with a tone of worry.

"What kind of bird are you supposed to be…" he murmured, weakly trying to reach out towards the blob, which moved away with a speed he didn't expect. His arm would have flopped weakly onto the bed sheet, but the blob moved towards him again, something grasped his arm, and a cool bandage began wrapping around it, and similarly were his other limbs enveloped. For a few moments, it felt as if he was floating on air, and that he was being submerged in a fountain of youth. But soon enough, the pressure of his body on the mattress returned, and the pain on his skin had faded to a mild, but manageable ache, as if it were a weak sunburn.

He managed to fall asleep for a period of time, how long, he didn't know exactly, but it could have been two minutes and he wouldn't have cared, because at the very least it offered an escape from the confusing situation he found himself in, and gave him a moment to think.

In his mind's eye, he floated in darkness, metaphorically tapping his finger to his chin and trying to put his thought process into silent words.

"You know, I'm really glad I came up with a plan for if I ever ended up in some strange situation like this. I'll work through this logically. One, I woke up in something that looked like my house, but wasn't my house. Could be a dream. Two, the pain, which I don't think could be dreamed without me waking up. Am I in a computer program? No, I don't remember anything like that. Did I get Isekai'd? Sent to another world? Up for analysis. Could be a hallucination or I'm in a coma, which would explain why I can't wake up. Counterpoint, I don't remember anything. I'll work with the idea I got Isekai'd. If so, shit. If not, still shit, because that means I'm in some weird situation where I can't escape naturally. Three, ask for context without looking like a weirdo. I shouldn't tell people that I think this is a dream or a fantasy."

And with that, he opened his eyes, and saw the pink blob take a more definite form. He looked down at its very lifelike, but bulbous blue eyes, the winglike ears, and the antennae pointing downwards towards its large, cream-colored torso and stubby arms that seemed to be shaded pink like a jacket before shutting his eyes and beginning to panic.

"That's an Audino. That's a Pokémon. What the hell."

And then he opened his eyes again, looked at the Pokémon, who cheerily trilled at him, and then started staring off into space.

"This is the most cliche shit ever. Am I a self-insert? Self-insert of who? What's my name? Oh shit, what's my name? Is this all in my mind? What's an Eva? Is that some sort of Freudian thing? Oh hell, does that bus run through here? I mean, I'd like to go home now, but… Oh God, where's home?"

He blinked, returning to slight attention.

"Why can I remember Pokémon and… that... but nothing about myself? I mean…"

He tried to remember who he was. He ran through his life story. Weird family situation, probably being bullied in middle school, becoming unable to connect with people because of someone he couldn't remember the name of…

"Ah, damn, I could be anyone! This doesn't help at all!"

He writhed slightly, tugging at his hair, which gave him a clue.

"I don't have white hair. But I have white hair. What the hell?"

He looked at the Pokémon, tried not to think too hard about it, and tried to ask for a mirror. Unfortunately, it came out more like, "Cam I hamve a mirwo?"

It tilted its head at him, trilling again with a tone of confusion.

"I think I need some chapstick," he tried to say.

It didn't understand that either, but luckily attracted the attention of someone outside the room.

At that point, he wondered if his initial guess at an angel didn't sound too incorrect.

The girl seemed about his age, cloaked in a sky-blue and tan, rather than a black and white, nun's habit. Her eyes were a brilliant green, and her hair was bright gold. She had a glass of water in her hands, which she quickly brought to his lips. He managed to get a grip on the base and drank it all down, only realizing how thirsty he was at the moment.

"Thank you," he half-rasped out, before totally regaining his voice. "I thought I was gonna die."

"Then I'm glad I found you," she said, smiling as wide as the Audino. "You're in quite the state."

"You're telling me," he replied, shaking his head, inadvertently throwing his hair around. "Where am I?"

"This is a Church of Helix, in Swellowtail City."

He racked his head for a moment, lining up his bedroom and the equivalent place he woke up.

"How close is that to Unova?"

"I'd say… a good few regions away, but it's still on the same continent."

So the Pokémon world corresponds to the real world, he thought to himself. Interesting.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up so injured?"

"I wish I could tell you. Can't remember most of it."

She clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, that's terrible! I'm sorry…"

"What? No, it's fine, don't worry about it. Roll with the punches, that's what… someone... always said." He flashed a small smile, though he was sure it was obscured by the bandages covering the rest of his face. "Say, do you have internet access around here? I'd like to look some things up."

"I think one of the other priests has a Holo Caster, I will ask. Don't move, please!" She scurried out of the room, gesturing for him to relax.

"Holo Caster… I think those were a thing in Pokémon X and Y."

A few minutes later, she returned, clutching a blue, playing-card-sized machine in her hands, before quickly placing it in his hands and sitting down.

He held it up in curiosity, surprised that he could see right through it in some places before he tapped it with his other hand.

The girl was watching him as he did so, though his attention was placed on the front page of the browser.

"So it's not called the world wide web… GTS, yeah, that does make sense," he muttered looking around the page. It was a search engine with recent news alongside it, but he decided what he really needed to do was establish a timeline.

The date read December 29th, 2011, which didn't really help much, but it was a good starting point. He started by looking up, or at least managing to, Team Rocket, using the small keyboard that appeared on the transparent plastic. That gave him results from 2006 about their collapse, and then some about a return in 2009. He presumed that was the link to Red and Blue and Gold and Silver respectively. Then he looked up Team Aqua and Team Magma, and found results from 2006 as well, though very little afterward. Humanitarian efforts seemed to be all that was left of those teams, which made him feel a little bit hopeful.

Then he looked up Team Galactic, and that sense of hope all but disappeared.

The words, bolded, read, DUE TO THE UNITED REGIONS' COUNCIL'S DECISION TO CLASSIFY THE SHATTERED HEAVENS INCIDENT AS A CK-CLASS REALITY RECONFIGURATION SCENARIO, ALL RELATED INFORMATION MUST BE FOUND THROUGH OFFICIATED REGIONAL CHANNELS. PLEASE SPEAK TO YOUR LOCAL LEAGUE REPRESENTATIVES IF YOU WISH TO ACCESS THIS INFORMATION.

"What the hell is a Shattered Heavens incident? And since when can the government block internet searches, what is this, 1984?" He looked over to the nun, who was pressing her fingers together.

"Um… I understand you may be confused, but please don't swear... This is a church, after all."

"Oh. Right, sorry about that. So… uh, what was your name?"

"Ariel."

"Right, Ariel… What's the Shattered Heavens Incident?"

She pulled at a frill on her sleeve, looking down in thought. "...In 2009, there was… A very terrible event. A group of people tried to seize the power of various Legendary Pokémon, including the lords of Time and Space, Dialga and Palkia. I do not know much else, but there was a man who rose up against them, called the Aura Guardian, and fought them back. Afterward… I hesitate to speak of it, but various anomalies have begun appearing all over the world. It was a dark time, the year afterward. Many cities were destroyed, lives were lost. There was much confusion, and much anger. My home sect in Kalos was destroyed during the attack of one of those Anomalies."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Internally, he questioned it. Anomalies? So... Ultra Beasts, he thought. The hell?

"It's alright. They've actually managed to start repairs, and it will be completed in a few weeks!"

"That's good," he said, offering a smile. "Are there still these, uh, anomalies around?"

"Well, yes, but they're being dealt with much better than they were back then. Do you really not remember any of this?"

"No, not at all, sorry. That being said…"

He started doing some quick mental calculations.

"By the sound of it, the plot's gone entirely off the rails. Meaning I don't have to insert myself in that plot. If I wasn't inserted to be a hero, I might as well find somewhere to live comfortably. Kalos was the easiest region according to thirty-year-olds on the internet with too much time on their hands, so I should probably…"

"I think I'm actually from Kalos too."

"They wouldn't buy me saying I'm from Alola, nowhere near tan enough for that, I'm fairly certain."

"What a coincidence!"

"Don't lampshade it don't lampshade it don't lampshade it-"

"That means I can take you there when you're healed!"

He quirked an eyebrow. "I think you're underestimating how long it'll take me to heal."

"Well, it will only be a few days, won't it?"

"What kind of accelerated healing bullshit are these people on- Wait, it's a video game or something, logic doesn't apply."

"I'll take a shot in the dark and say probably not. Have any painkillers?"

"I think we have some old medicine in a cupboard somewhere, I'll take a look. Don't take too many at once though. Audino, could you please help me out?"

The pink Pokémon trilled as Ariel stood and followed her out of the room, leaving him on his own.

The church got in contact with a local Nurse Joy, who quickly brought over some other, more modern medicines.

None of which worked. At least, not as well as they were supposed to. He put that up to more chemicals being listed than he expected, none of which he recognized, and that they attempted to treat him with a Potion, which acted more like a face full of Lysol.

He did enjoy his conversations with Ariel, though. She would recommend nicknames, on account of him not having a name of his own, and one day, they went something like this:

"Snow White?"

"I'm not a bishounen or anywhere pretty enough to fit the connotations."

"What's a bishounen?"

"A pretty boy, basically. So the opposite of me."

"I don't know about that, you're plenty pretty."

He gave her a weird look, at which point she lit up red and bowed her head, the flap of her habit falling over her face. She stuttered, "I mean…"

"No big deal, Ariel." He shrugged, ignoring a slight ache in his shoulders. "I mean, I don't know how you'd come to that conclusion with all these bandages, but thank you."

A low-pitched whine seemed to be emitting directly from her hidden face.

"Oh, wait, yeah, you're pretty too. Is that what I'm supposed to say? How do compliments work again?"

At which point she shot out of the room, leaving him alone with Audino, who had just brought in a set of tea for the two of them.

"She doesn't get out much, does she?"

The Pokémon tilted its head, as if translating, before nodding slightly and handing him one of the cups.

The next day, before Ariel came for her usual visit, one of the older priests stopped by, a hunched-over, stern, but understanding woman.

"I'm not very informed on the Church of Helix, but is there a reason for, well, the prudishness?"

"You speak of Ariel, do you not?"

"Yeah, but like, not in a weird way. I'm definitely not in the situation to be flirting. That'd be weird. And especially not in a church."

"Hmm," the woman chuckled at his ramblings. "Ariel was raised in the church, though most only take their vows of celibacy upon completion of their journeys. Due to recent events, such journeys and pilgrimages have been made… difficult."

"The Shattered Heavens Incident."

"As they call the calamity, yes."

"Has the Gym Challenge been put on hold?"

"I believe it was this year, but I have heard whispers of its return next year. Trainer Schools will be reopening their doors as well."

"That's good- Wait, when does that start?"

"Soon after the Winter Solstice holiday is over. Early January."

"And when will Ariel be returning to Kalos?"

"Before then, I believe."

"That's awfully coincidental. Someone upstairs really wants me to go to Kalos."

"I trust you'll be re-enrolling? They've delayed Trainer Licensing as well, but you may be able to transfer into a certification program, by the look of it."

"What does that mean? I'm not that old. Probably."

"Well, you look below even young Ariel's age, young man. I'd say seventeen, maybe sixteen. I don't see any facial hair."

"I'm a late bloomer, okay?" He said, before pausing, screwing his eyes up in thought, then sighing. "Dam- Darn. I think I nearly remembered something there. That sounds about right, though. I thought trainers started at ten?"

"Oh, sonny, you've forgotten more than you realize. The starting age has been sixteen for the last few decades."

That doesn't add up, he thought. Well, he was already sitting in the church of an ascended meme after some sort of world-ending event in Pokémon of all things; a slight age discrepancy wasn't the worst thing he'd heard of.

"Why's that?" He had to ask.

The elderly priestess shook their head, looking far-away for just a moment, before hobbling out of the room without a word.

"Well… that's a bit weird." Near immediately after, he picked up the holo caster left on his bedside.

"Why is the starting trainer age sixteen instead of ten?" He thought as he typed it in, then clicked on the first result.

https gts bulbapedia bulbagarden net/Pokémon_Trainer/

The starting age for trainers across the world has been a topic of debate for decades. Long ago, the journey was seen as a coming-of-age ritual, and upon completion a child would receive a name beyond that of their families. However, as the world developed, determining the cut-off became a topic of debate. After the first industrial revolution and the invention of primitive healing items, such as Potions, and other aids, such as Escape Ropes, many determined that ten years old would be appropriate. By this time, the tradition of naming upon completion of the journey. For the history of naming schema of this sort, click here. However, after the Great War, which took place from 1959 to 1965, there was a large amount of controversy. This was due to the drafting of anyone with a trainer license, including those as young as ten years old. Many regions then changed the minimum age to sixteen, and some to eighteen. For a list of these nations, see here. This was agreed upon by most, with the notable exception of those who were of age during the War.

However, after the events of the Shattered Heavens Incident, [REDACTED], and the UR Council determined to place a hold on Trainer Licensing until the world was put back on track. Luckily, as of 2012, Trainer Schools will be reopening, and though students will be sorted into the next numerical grade rather than by their age, few will miss the opportunity to be licensed.

Need more help? See our disambiguation page...

He cleared out the browser and put the device down.

This still doesn't make sense to me, he thought. War? In Pokémon?

At which point Ariel walked in, holding a pair of steaming cups.

"Good morning!"

That night, the boy dreamt for the first time.

There are few things you can learn and remember forever afterward without review. The only reason he was able to do so in this case was that it burned itself into his memory like a red-hot brand.

The small bedroom they set him up in was dim. The curtained windows outside let in no light, the door wasn't leaking any in, and the lamp was off.

It gave him the sense that he was seeing in a way that he shouldn't have and that he'd entered a space he was not meant to enter.

Even so, he tried to move from his cloth-and-pillow tomb, only to find that every inch of his body was still asleep like he had become the very concept of television static.

From the corners of the rooms, shadows cast by a million invisible stars began to drip sideways. They lashed out, melded together, flowed like a crashing tsunami on the edge of everything that he could see. The shadows moved up, down, left, right, out, in, and he started losing trust in his vision.

The living darkness pixelated, while floating off the walls and through the air, and began vibrating in blocky grey-scale.

I am the missing number.

A gaping maw opened inside the depths of darkness, turning a bright bloody red. The inside was the endless infinity of space, of every star in the sky. It had as many teeth as there were grains of sand.

I am every integer of time and space that lies in the negatives.

Seven claws formed themselves from the ink, lancing out, piercing the air with a thunder crack. One rose above the others, above the maw, and arched itself towards the frozen boy.

I am the death, and I am the life, and I am the loss; Of every soul that exists.

The ink pulsed in the unmoving air, spiking outwards and inwards with a brilliant concavity.

I am where all souls form, and I am where they return.

Red eyes burned into existence, piercing through him with their light. They widened to near globes, before sharpening. Lines grew from the seventh claw, the being's spine, as it tore into reality.

My reign is of the borders of every mind and every plane, such as this one, and the one from which I have brought you from.

Golden feathers spiraled from its forehead, as twelve withered wings appeared, six on its back, and one on each claw.

For I am MissingNo. And you, child, are my avatar.

He tried to hide away from the abomination that he couldn't comprehend but found its beady eyes and gaping maw pressed against his face no matter where he looked. The air, if he had any left inside him, was sucked from his lungs.

I am not bound by the rules of this world. Your body has been torn to atoms and molecules and rebuilt by my will across realities. Xerneas may control life, Yveltal may control death, but I control you. It shall do you well to remember. Your duty here is of my will. Already, though your new form is imperfect, you have begun doing my bidding. Do not fear, for I will make you more than you could ever be.

MissingNo's head rose impossibly high into the sky, never touching the ceiling, but never seeming to stop, just going on and on into a constricted infinity.

Run along to Kalos. For that is my command. You are my player, just as many have been yours. You will soon learn what it is like to be on the other side of the screen.

His vision was once again filled with static.

He jumped from his bed with a shout, sweat-soaked into his bandages and his bandages rubbing uncomfortably against his skin.

All he could do was sit up and hold an arm across his chest and try to keep breathing.

"What a goddamned nightmare… What kind of… thing... names itself after a glitch? Was that Darkrai? Have I already pissed off a demigod?"

His thoughts were interrupted by a light turning on outside and knocking at the door. His heart rate spiked, and it seemed like it would leap out of his chest.

"Are you alright?" Ariel called. "I heard you shout a minute ago, and I'm a light sleeper, so…"

"Just a… nothing, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? Did you have a nightmare?"

"You could call it that," he sighed, rubbing his ribs. "Go back to sleep. I'm fine.

"You know, since we're both Kalosian (probably), we could go with a name from around there," he offered the next day. They still needed to call him something, after all, and there wasn't much small talk to make, considering how few memories he had and how much experience she had with people her own age.

"Oh! That does seem like a good idea." Ariel put down her cup of tea and tented her fingers without interlocking them. "Your eyes are pinkish, so we could call you Rose!"

"I still have some of my dignity," he said, physically recoiling from the suggestion, not registering the reasoning behind it. "Unless it's like a metaphor or something, no flowers."

"Oh…"

"Good one, though," he said quickly.

"Thank you!" She perked up. "Um… How much of the Kalosian dialects do you remember?"

"You mean French?"

"...That's quite old-fashioned of you, it hasn't been called France for nearly… What was it, 19… 60? 65?"

"Right. Guess they lost that war too…" He muttered. "Well, I'm always up for a pretentious foreign name. Give me your best shot."

"Your eyes are more red than pink, now that I look closer…" She leaned towards him, her face entirely too close in a way she definitely wasn't aware of. "Why are your bandages turning red?"

"I don't think I have a nosebleed…" That would be stupid. Even if he was a teenage boy.

"It's your cheeks…. Oh, no! Do you have a fever too?" She pressed a hand to his forehead, though obviously didn't feel any warmth.

"Thank God or Helix or whoever that there are people just as oblivious as I am."

"No, see, Ariel, when people get older, they start going through some changes in which- You know what? It'll be funnier if you find yourself."

"I think… Rouge?"

"Like, the Bat?"

"Pardon?" She tilted her head, looking at him, which from that close, was probably very bad for the blood pressure.

"Eh… what does that mean?"

"Red."

"I think the red eyes are the least noticeable thing about me- Wait, I have red eyes?"

"Yes, you're… what's the word? I don't wish to offend. Al… Albin…"

"Albino?"

"I believe that's it, yes, thank you!"

"Don't worry about it. But if you're thinking of some variation of Alby, I'll have to pass."

"Right… Well, Blanche means white…"

"Blanche… Blanche, Blanche, Blanche… yeah, that's pretentious enough for me."

"Alright then. Blanche," she added his name on second thought, trying it out. It didn't sound half-bad.

"I think that'll be good for now. Thank you."

"And now, my name is Blanche. If I were shorter, I could make my last name 'Dwarf', but alas, the universe doesn't appreciate my sense of humor."

Blanche never felt the snow on his skin, but he did spend some time outside with an umbrella, and so he got to see his hometown in the Pokémon world.

He'd lived in the capital of his state, but it was more of a small town pretending to be a big city than anything else. And boy, now that it was a region of its own, it was more than he ever expected.

Ariel had taken him to see the sights before they left for Kalos, making for an odd-looking combo. A nun clad in sky-blue and tan and an albino wrapped in ratty clothes and bandages. They got some aside looks, but that was from the people that didn't greet Ariel.

She seemed to be well-known around town. A few waitresses on patios, a couple of passersby, and a decent amount of young hoodlums that dressed like Scraggy. That they had a few of that species of Pokémon in tow was not lost on him.

"Someone's popular," he said off-handedly.

She waved him off, flashing a smile. "Who, me? Don't be silly."

"You don't have to be modest, it's good to have friends. Wish I had some."

"...Are we not friends?" She asked, and he got the impression that those puppy-dog eyes would be able to sway even the most card-carrying of villains.

"I mean, yes! But, uh, I don't remember having any."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she replied, frowning and looking off into the distance. "It's good to have friends, isn't it?"

"Of course," he said, a bit puzzled by the question.

"Is friendship a distraction from our duties in life? Is it allowed in the eyes of the Lord?" She shook her head. "I apologize, I was lost in thought."

"No worries. What kind of duties do you mean?"

"Well… If I were to spend more of my time out and about when it was unnecessary, I wouldn't be able to spend that time in service to the Lord."

"That's…"

"That's a little dumb."

"Ariel, how old are you? Out of nowhere, I know, but just bear with me."

She tilted her head at him. "I'll be turning seventeen next year."

"So you're free."

"Excuse me?"

"You're young- We're young." He ran a hand through his hair, before tousling it again. "Having friends is good. Making friends is better. But spending time with the people you care about, and the people that care about you- That's not a distraction, and you should take the time to do that."

"...I see."

"I'm sorry about that, I have a tendency to talk pseudo-philosophical. I think. Also, I've been told I talk too much. Call me a Large Ham, I guess."

"What?"

"Nevermind. My point is that you're allowed to have friends. I don't think a good god of any sort would want you to isolate yourself like that."

"Oh, right… You don't follow Lord Helix, do you?" She asked, like the question itself would cause her to be smitten by lightning.

"There are so many layers to the real answer to that question that I might as well not answer."

"I couldn't tell you if I tried."

"Of course, your memory. I apologize, you have a lot of wisdom, that much I can see… it makes me forget that you've forgotten who you are."

"Literally, don't apologize to me. Ever. Or feel bad on my behalf." Blanche looked off into the far-away forests, covered in snow for the first time that he'd ever seen. "I…"

I don't deserve it, he thought with nary a pang of guilt.

"I appreciate the thought, but you really don't have to worry about that sort of thing. Really," he said, suddenly realizing that he'd walked ahead of her, leaving her out in the falling snow and uncovered by the umbrella. Already, light fluff was beginning to pile onto her habit.

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

She giggled in response, likely at the obvious irony. "I'm not allowed to apologize to you, but all you do is…" She stopped, as he placed a hand on her head, an easy feat due to the slight height disparity, and swept off the snow.

Blanche, being the idiot that he was, couldn't tell that the heat in her cheeks would have melted the pile anyway, and for that matter, any other snow that fell too close.

"Oh. I forgot I was tall." He pulled back his right hand, the other holding their shield above them, holding it against the air and trying to get a sense of scale. His chin was at her eye level, so that could've just been his absurdly long arms. "...Did I shrink?" He wondered aloud as he flexed his bandaged fingers, and ignored the twinge of pain and ever-present burn.

Ariel seemed to recover somewhat, as could tell any outside observer and shook her head frantically. "Well… I… I'm glad we could talk like this."

"And I'm glad you could show me around my… around here. I owe you one and a few more."

"You're welcome, but please don't get the impression you owe me anything. All I do is in His Name."

"Man, Helix really is just Jesus around here, huh? Or wouldn't that be the Pigeot?"

"That gets me thinking. What's the deal with Bird Jesus?"

And soon after that, they began their journey to Kalos.

Ariel said her goodbyes and deepest thanks to the Helixians of the local church, while Blanche did the same to a lesser degree for the shelter.

The airport was a good distance away, but it seemed that this version of the town had a MagLev train station headed north.

Said MagLev was supposedly able to make the traversal to Unova in less than two hours, after which they would take a flight from the city of Misaltron, the central airport of the Americas, and head to Lumiose-3 in Kalos.

There were quite a few things about that order of events as he thought it over while Ariel nodded off next to him on the train, and to be completely fair, Audino's humming was very soothing.

First of all, since when did his backwater hometown have a MagLev? Hell, the public transportation barely worked half the time. But he could put that up to the fact he was in a fantasy world that happened to mostly match his home's geography, and that the laws of physics didn't seem to apply in most cases anymore.

Second, since when in the hell was it called Lumiose-3? When did they build the third one? Why were there three of them?

Third, was he allowed to move with Ariel leaning on his shoulder like that?

Blanche was pretty sure there was an actual rule about that. He glanced to his side, brow slightly furrowed, as the nun snored. Audino was giving him a blank, nothing-behind-the-eyes smile, which he couldn't begin to comprehend. It was a sign of trust, he assumed. Misplaced for sure, in his opinion, but he had absolutely zero intentions of violating that trust. Because that would be bad. Obviously.

And the MagLev continued near-silently roaring down the American countryside. He looked out the opposite window, thankfully unblocked by other passengers, and watched the grassy plains pass his by.

"To paraphrase… This world of ours is widely inhabited by creatures we call Pokémon."

Miltank were grazing somewhere in the distance, the cow-like Pokémon sticking out against the green with their fat pink bodies and hood-like black fur. As they passed through a forest, monkeys with red, blue, and green fur were swinging through the trees, and for the slightest sliver of a second, he could swear he saw a flash of lime-green and a pink flower.

They passed by a lake, which one he couldn't tell, and it seemed that Wingull, little white seagulls striped with blue, were just as bountiful as he expected. A geyser rose far off a few hundred feet into the air, with a red speck flying even further above.

Another passenger, a dark-skinned countryman with quite a few gray hairs, whistled. "Those Magikarp sure have been jumping high lately."

He exclaimed, "That's a Magikarp?"

Their MagLev got off right near Misaltron, meaning the trip to the airport couldn't even be considered a hike. Ariel was still a bit sleepy, but she bought some sort of coffee made from Chesto berries at a kiosk before they got on the flight.

Again, they were quite the pair. Well, trio, since Audino preferred to stay out of their Pokeball and by Ariel's side. A nun and albino, you've heard it before.

No TSA, not exactly, because if there was, he would have a lot more questions. Not even metal detectors, no use considering everything with a pulse could be considered a living weapon. But there were a good few police officers with cyan hair walking around. As you do.

They boarded the flight pretty easily, Ariel's convent having scraped together enough donations and offering so that they could both get tickets. Obviously.

A voice sang over the flight's PA, "Hello, everyone, this is your captain, the wondrous Skyla!"

Blanche, who'd just opened a water bottle, just barely avoided a spit take.

Is this what they call a character shout-out? He asked mentally, wondering about the timeline.

"Please strap in, and though we won't be opening any windows, we've gotta be safe!"

"Obviously," he muttered, having already done so. He was sitting across from Audino, while Ariel was sitting to their left. He guessed that she was fairly embarrassed after waking up when the train stopped, but it also meant that he was sat next to the window. Machamp, with their four muscular gray arms, loaded cargo off of trolleys and into the cargo hold, though neither of them had anything larger than a carry-on.

The plane's interior seemed larger than life. He considered that he might have shrunk for the second time, but he wasn't sure that the ratio of wings to the body would work.

"I'd like to reassure all of our fliers that though your flight today may run on Infinity Energy, it will be perfectly safe! And for that matter, even safer than the flights you could take on our older models, such as the Bronzong 747, Fieseler Torchic, and…" The intercom was suddenly cut off, and a few moments later, it came back on. "I have been reminded that I am not to go into aviation history at the drop of a hat! Deepest apologies! Now, please, enjoy your flight."

What a character, he thought. Could I get her autograph?

Soon enough, the plane took off, firefly-like Volbeat blinking clearly even in the mid-noon brightness. They flew out over the ocean, and…

Think about it like this. In the world Blanche was from, there were whole patches of garbage floating in the ocean. That crisp, clean ocean water you always saw in photos only existed in tourist spots because those were the only places people gave enough of a damn to keep clean.

Somehow, it was like that everywhere off the coast of Unova.

Even from a couple dozen thousand feet up, he could see deep into the ocean, see the sandbars rise and fall as they ascended. The way the sunlight reflected, how the currents flowed like a painting; It was picturesque, really. He saw whales swimming along the currents, guessing them to be Waillord from the blocky, yet ovaloid silhouettes. He could almost smell the sea air, even with the air pressure decimating his senses. No one else seemed to be affected, so he toughed it out without complaining. Out loud, at least.

"How do they keep the water so clean? I thought Unova had a big issue with pollution," he asked Ariel, guessing from his knowledge about New York's river Hudson.

"Oh… I don't think I could tell you but I believe… Have you ever heard of Shaymin?"

"Mythical Pokémon, right? Green hedgehog with a pink flower- wait a minute."

"That's right, it was a myth, but around three years ago, before the Shattered Heavens Incident. A trainer had discovered a Shaymin and befriended them, and brought them to Castelia City, Unova's central port. I remember reading a bit of the news back then, but… I'm sorry, I don't remember much else."

"Trust me, my memory's much worse," he joked.

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"We've been over this!" He brought his fingers to his forehead, shaking it slightly. "I'm allowed to joke about my own misfortune, so don't apologize for bringing it up."

"Well… I would really hate to be rude."

"It's fine. So, what about other Mythical Pokémon? You know, Victini, Manaphy, Darkrai…"

"Hoopa?"

"Yeah, those guys."

"Well, they're myths. Children's tales. Darkrai is just a ghost story. Victini is a metaphor for victory. And supposedly, there's a castle in the sea that only the Prince, Manaphy, can enter. But those are just stories."

There's a sort of irony here, he recognized, but I stick out enough without mentioning that.

"How about that?"

"Where did you hear about those?"

"I read a book or two," he said while shrugging, making it up on the spot.

Around sunset, their plane began its descent as it entered the airspace of the Kalos region. Right on the coast of mainland Europe and shaped like France, which is to say, like itself, it was home to much more geographical and biological diversity. Mountains, deserts, rivers, lakes; Quite a few of which weren't supposed to be found within the European Plains.

The plane continued further inland, making him slightly anxious as the plane began passing over the suburbs of Kalos. A tower of gleaming metal and glass towered over the land and the few skyscrapers that surrounded it.

"We're getting really close to the city, aren't we?" He asked, grip tightening around the armrests.

"Well, of course," she looked at him quizzically, "That's where the airport is."

"Inside the city limits?" He asked, involuntarily gritting his teeth as the streets below just barely came into view.

"That's where the city is… I'm sorry, I know you're asking me a question, but I don't understand how to answer."

"It's fine," he resolved, glancing out the window.

The metropolis was an architectural marvel, that much he was certain of. The tower was the centerpiece and everything else folded out from there. There were at least two dozen walkways that led into the open plaza thick with people going about their day. Trams ran in between buildings above the streets, gliding along like paper in the wind. Flashing lights covered buildings on all sides. In many other plazas throughout the expansive city, fields were open, rectangular, and painted with the boundary lines of battle arenas.

He rubbed his eyes as the seatbelt light audibly blinked on overhead, and he tensed up as he awaited the landing.

Luckily, nothing bad happened, which didn't necessarily reassure him. It led to Ariel herding him out of the airport while he kept shivering.

"I'm fine, really, I just…" Wasn't there something he was forgetting? Planes and cities… those didn't mix, he was sure. "It's just nerves, don't worry about it," he told her while tugging at his collar.

The outskirts of the city were laid out before them. They stood at the peak of a small hill, a plaza in front of the airport that had paths branching out on either side and many stairs that led to the ground floor of the city. The sunset would have looked much more poetic if it didn't inspire so much dread inside him. Where would he go? Hell, where would either of them go? They were both teenagers without ID in the middle of a sprawling city, and-

Somewhere in his mental processes, a mirror of himself slammed a paper fan into his skull. Get a hold of yourself!, it yelled. You're playing a video game, but for real! Kids go on adventures at ten years old here, you'll be fine!

Sixteen, he reminded himself, and he wasn't even sure if he was that.

The shadows the two of them cast were long and stretched across the concrete blocks. Audino appeared from their Pokéball, increasing their number to three.

"So, what's the plan now?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"I intend on finding a train station and traveling to…" As she spoke, a monorail screeched into the station just ahead. Red lights blinked off and were replaced with green. "...to reunite with my home sect. What are your plans?"

What were his plans? Goddammit, why didn't he think this through? He said he was from Kalos because it would be easy, but he didn't even have a Pokémon! The city was bigger than New York or any other city he'd ever seen- Was that normal? It had enormous walls surrounding it well into the distance, and he couldn't think of a single city like that!

Okay, think, dipshit, think! Get a Pokémon.

Where the hell was he supposed to do that? It's not like one would just fall out of the sky! The MissingNo thing was just a dream, he wasn't a protagonist, how was he supposed to get one? Ask for a starter Pokémon from the regional Professor?

It was his best bet, really.

"Don't worry about it. I'll… look you up, I think the term is, if I'm in a jam."

The girl bowed to him and the flap of her habit fluttered for a moment. "Very well. I wish you the best, Blanche."

"Same to you. I owe you one. More than one. Definitely a few at least." He facepalmed as he was sure his face was turning red. "What I'm trying to say is, thank you. I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't picked me up out of the snow when you did."

"Perhaps there's another world where I didn't, but you don't need to worry about it!" She flashed a smile that would have melted even the coldest Ice-types. "You're here now, and that's what matters."

He closed his eyes, absorbing her words, before smiling thinly. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Ariel. See you around." He asked himself if nuns were allowed to shake hands with outsiders. So, in his endless charisma and social understanding, he offered her a thumbs up.

She gave him a hearty laugh in response, responding with one of her own. "You're welcome. I hope we'll meet again someday."

The green lights above the rail station blinked and turned yellow, and a speaker blared that the car would be leaving soon.

"Come, Audino, I believe we should arrive before darkness falls."

He watched as the pair walked down the elevated path towards the station. Ariel turned slightly to wave at him before the doors slid shut.

Blanche stood there beneath the setting sun, soaking in the tinged light.

"Shit."

It took him only a few minutes to find a city map, and then a few more to wait for the tourists using it to leave. He was somewhere on the west side of the city, on the outskirts of the near-fractal-shaped map. Lines crisscrossed in and out of themselves, six layers were displayed on the board, labels took up as much space as empty space.

It took him fifteen minutes to find the Sycamore Pokémon Lab, as it was nestled in-between a smattering of cafes right off of one of the main roads leading south. Luckily, it was part one of the concentric rings of the city rather than a free-standing block, meaning he could find his way from anywhere in the circle if he kept an eye out.

The city was truly massive. From overhead, most cities seem to be the archetypical urban sprawl, but the view from the plane hadn't made it clear how layered the city was. Walkways and parkways swerved around each other, going from level to level. And as he walked, he was surprised that streetlights from a hundred feet above his head still cast a shadow upon him. As the sun set, darkness was only found in the furthest corners of his vision. Six layers of paths, roads, and supports; Really, it could be called the metropocalypse.

On one hand, he would have arrived at the lab quicker if he'd taken the monorail. On the other, he was still trying to get a feel for the city.

On both hands, it was entirely pointless, as when he arrived at the lab, he learned that it was only open until five in the evening. And at that latitude, beneath the dimming sky, it was clear that he was too late.

He sighed at his misfortune, before leaning back on the wall. What was he supposed to do now? He was effectively homeless, had a few coins of a currency he barely understood (A Pokédollar was around one cent, right?), and he didn't know anything else.

What's the plan now? He thought, scraping the bottom of the mental barrel. Prism Tower was a pretty major landmark, but it was also a Gym, so he'd probably get kicked out if he tried to talk to the Gym Leader without battling.

A high-pitched whine began blaring through the city, though his train of thought continued on unimpeded.

Could he get a hotel room? In such a huge city with spare change in his pocket? Not a chance. An overnight cafe, or whatever they were called? Maybe, and given he only had a small duffel, he probably wouldn't get robbed.

He became more aware of the warbling in the air, craning his neck towards the source of the sound.

"Probably a fire truck or something," he assumed.

Then he heard screaming. Not the kind that horns make, but the piercing, dreadful screams of people. He froze, before stumbling away from the wall and walking back into the street.

There. A few hundred feet away, the air seemed to be cracked. A portal of white and blue light had opened in the air above the street, beneath an overpass.

Something had descended from the portal, a jellyfish-like Pokémon with cloth-like tendrils. It had a hazy aura surrounding it, flickering blue and orange.

People were running away as fast as they could, parents grabbing their children and returning their Litleo or whatever Pokémon they kept as pets. A Gogoat, a towering ram with leafy fur, bucked a boy with orange hair and threw him to the ground before running into a lamppost and breaking it clean off the base. Blanche froze to the spot that he stood in the center of the road.

"An Ultra Beast? In Kalos? What was it called… a Nihilego, that's it!" He clenched his fist as the otherworldly Pokémon began advancing on the orange-haired boy, who was scrambling away on the ground. And still, his legs refused to move. "Why can't I move?" His legs shuddered, but refused to obey his commands. To run, he was sure he wanted to.

Which direction?

I'm not a hero, he thought. It's not my responsibility. Someone else will help.

Bystander Syndrome. The common result of an emergency in a highly-populated area is that no one will help. After all, someone else will come along who's better equipped to solve the problem. But in tragic cases, this is not always true.

And Blanche knew this. He was completely aware of Bystander Syndrome. He hated it. He hated people that fell victim to it. So naturally, in the moment that the Ultra Beast took hold of the terrified boy, he hated himself.

What am I doing? WHY CAN'T I MOVE?

Because I'm weak.

So what?

I can't help.

I can try. It's not like I'm worth much here anyway.

But I will feel pain.

And so will they, if I don't MOVE.

He shot to the side, lightning crackling through his veins as he ran towards the downed streetlamp. It wasn't tied to any external wires, and the internal ones had been sheared straight through by the Gogoat's horns. Using every bit of strength in his arms, he lugged it from the ground, pulling his wounds open on his arms and back.

The Nihilego wrapped its tendrils around the catatonic boy's face, pulling him from the ground even as he tried to push himself away.

"Hey!" He shouted, running towards the Pokémon as he lugged the pole onto his back. Muscles along his spine strained themselves, and red began leaking into his bandages from his arms and sides. "Here! Look here, you bastard!"

The monster didn't halt in its advance, seemingly ignorant to his presence as it began drawing the boy from the ground and into itself.

Blanche thrust his legs forward, and his calves began to burn. Fifty feet. Forty. Twenty. Ten. Five. He cracked the metal pole across the Ultra Beast's head, sending it a few feet to the side and loosening its grasp on the boy. The haze around it wavered, and its tendrils waved around through the air, trying to sense something. It turned towards him, and its head, the transparent globe, tilted in what he assumed was confusion before he slammed the bent pole diagonally downwards. It made no sound, though it simply floated away from him with its tendrils limp.

The boy on the ground didn't move, his orange hair soaked in sweat. Blanche dragged the lamppost along the ground until he stood between the monster and the unmoving boy. A wicked grin tore itself from his lips and his pupils grew larger, even as he struggled.

"I'm not a badass. I'm most certainly normal. But, if you put the two together, you know what you get?" He raised the pole, arms throbbing with exertion. "The guy who's going to kick your ass." He lunged forward, turning his forward momentum into upward velocity for the pole behind him, and then worked with gravity to slam it into the Rock-type Ultra Beast. The tip of the post shattered, scattering glass shards around the Pokémon as it slowly descended to the ground.

He whacked it again, more weakly, and the pole fell from his hands. Wiping his bloodied hands on his shirt, he watched with mild interest as the haze surrounding the Nililego began expanding, lashes of orange and blue lancing outward from its body.

"Oh. That's probably not good..."

He wasn't able to finish his sentence, as the ensuing explosion blasted him dozens of feet away, and as his body met pavement, his mind met darkness.

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13986112/2/