The Next Day
Sharpedo Bluff, Grass Continent
"Hah!" Victor practices his punch, his fist coated with MP as he hits the air, creating a shockwave. He can feel that charging MP becomes much and much easier with how much he practices and how much his strength grows in this universe.
"yawn...Why are you waking up so early?" Thorn asks tiredly as he crawls out of the house.
"Sorry, I got used to waking this early…" Victor says Mareepishly. "Since I have nothing to do, I just practice everything I have learn."
"…why are you so obsessed with strength?" Thorn can't help but ask.
"…you can say life is a constant danger, I like to have the strength to defend myself, to keep myself from getting hurt," Victor replies. "It's sucks…to be defenseless…"
"…I suppose I understand that a bit…" Thorn mutters as Victor pauses and looks at Thorn.
"…I…don't want to sound insensitive, but did your family…?" Victor stops himself, hesitates to finish the sentence. Thorn looks confused, wondering what he is implying, before it clicks, and Thorn shakes his head violently.
"No, no! My family put a lot of pressure on all of us, but they were never abusive!" Thorn exclaims.
"Constant verbal abuse counts as one, you know," Victor says as Thorn raises his vine before pausing and lowering his head, unable to respond. "I…am sorry, that was insensitive of me…"
"I-it's okay…you're just being concerned," Thorn says as Victor shakes his head.
"That doesn't excuse what I did," Victor says, still feeling guilty. When Thorn didn't say a word, Victor decided to sit next to him, staying by his side. "…I'm really sorry. I'm the older one here, but I was insensitive…"
"…I forgot you're older than us," Thorn can't help but chuckle, and Victor joins in.
"Well, it didn't help that I didn't act mature," Victor says jokingly.
"Nah, you did act mature, especially towards Sabo," Thorn says with a smile. "No offense to Tesla, but his short fuse hasn't exactly helped Sabo grow. His attempt to stop his brother was halted as he's scared of him getting angry at him."
"He knows, but he can't stop thinking about the possibility," Victor comments as Thorn nods.
"Yeah, so having you give him a talk whenever he had trouble…it's a nice change..." Thorn says before looking at Victor. "Also, it's fine, Victor. I don't mind you asking; that just shows you care."
"Of course I care," Victor comments. "We're friends, remember?"
"…yeah," Thorn says with a gentle smile.
"I promise I'll be more careful in the future…" Victor promises, and Thorn merely nods. After all, it's much better than him apologizing again. "Also…is it okay to just speak behind Tesla's back?"
"He had been a jerk to you, and you're still concerned about him?" Thorn can't help but look at him incredulously before shaking his head. "I have told him about his issues right in his face, but he always shouts angrily at me. So, I just give up and wait for Sabo to tell it so it could get into his skull, but…"
"I honestly think he might murder me," Victor comments with a dry chuckle. "He never stops giving me death glares whenever I talk with Sabo."
"I never understand his overprotectiveness. Every time I ask, he doesn't give me a clear answer. He just shut up, staring at me for so long until I dropped the subject." Thorn grumbles in annoyance.
"I tried to ask Sabo, but he didn't give me a clear answer as well. So, it must be a sore subject for both of them…" Victor mutters as he pulls out his book before writing down something. Thorn tries to take a peek, but since Victor writes in human language, he can't understand it.
"Victor…" Thorn says, getting Victor's attention. "…how do you know the language that human uses?"
"W-what?" Victor asks in surprise.
"That language you wrote," Thorn says. "It was used by the human who led a rescue team and saved the world from the falling star…"
'Oh, crap! Fuck this universe!' Victor panicked as Thorn narrowed his eyes and got closer.
"… you were a human, aren't you?" Thorn asks accusingly, making Victor stiffen. "I-it does make a lot of sense! Not knowing how to use a move, acting lost, and having nowhere to go, and then, this! There is so much evidence to prove you're human!"
"…y-yeah," Victor lowers his head, conceding. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you-!"
"I'm not mad," Thorn says as he lightly taps Victor's head, surprising him. What surprises him is Thorn giving him a beaming smile. "I was happy and excited!"
"Y-you're not mad?" Victor blinks, unable to process what he said.
"Nope!" Thorn shouts excitedly, causing Victor to jump in shock. "Oh, um…Sorry, I was too excited. I mean, you're the same kind as the hero of this world!"
"Y-yeah…but, that doesn't make us the same, you know," Victor says with a small smile. "I…am nothing special."
"No offense, but your appearance and strength say otherwise," Thorn says.
"Not exactly, the species I turn into is quite common in their world," Victor says.
"In their world, but not here," Thorn argues, which made Victor silent. "But, that begs a question; does everything you said about yourself just a fabricated story?"
"What? No," Victor shakes his head. "All of it was true, I just never mentioned specific things in my world like humans, or anything related to it."
"…huh, that's a great way to tell the truth, but at the same time, didn't," Thorn says in curiosity, making Victor sweatdrop.
"Please don't try to pull it off," Victor begs as Thorn huffs.
"Fine," Thorn says before they both go silent. "…do…you miss them?"
"Hmm?" Victor raises his eyebrow.
"Your…friends? Family?" Thorn asks hesitantly as Victor goes silent before nodding shakily.
"…a lot," Victor admits, causing Thorn to feel guilty before leaning closer to Victor. Victor unconsciously rubs his head, slowly calming down.
"I'm sorry…" Thorn mutters.
"For what?" Victor asks.
"For…what happened to you…." Thorn mutters. "I…can't exactly imagine how it feels leaving the one I loved…without knowing a way to return…"
"…you're a good friend, Thorn," Victor mutters as they both watch the sun rise on top of the Sharpedo Bluff. "And I'm glad you're my friend in this world…"
"And I'm glad to be your friend as well," Thorn says with a smile before he stutters. "N-not because you're a human, w-well, that's more like a bonus. But, because you're a nice person who doesn't seem to act like a jerk and-!"
"Haha, I get it," Victor chuckles as Thorn stops before he joins in. Both of them chuckle for a good, long minute before they go silent again.
"…so, are you going to tell Sabo and Tesla about it?" Thorn asks.
"Maybe not, I am not ready to tell anyone. The only reason you knew is that you're smart enough to connect all those pieces." Victor says while shaking his head. "Can you…?"
"Yeah, sure." Thorn agrees without hesitation. "It's your secret, all I could do is not tell anyone. It's your decision."
"Even if that means keeping things from your friend?" Victor asks.
"Like them having their secret to keep, you have yours. So, your secret will be safe with me." Thorn exclaims as Victor smiles in gratitude.
"Thanks a lot, Thorn. I owe you one again." This immediately causes Thorn to groan out loud.
"Please, no more 'owe me one' again," Thorn says dramatically, causing Victor to snort in amusement. After that, both friends walk towards the Treasure Town and meet with Sabo and Tesla before they both go to the dojo. It has become a routine for them, but Victor can't help but be bored by the repetitive cycle.
After an intense training session with Daichi once again, the team is resting, each of them doing their own thing. Tesla is brooding on his own while glaring at Victor, who is having another language lesson with Sabo, while Thorn is merely reading a book.
"Um…" Daichi had noticed this and couldn't help but call them. "Children, do…any of you have anything else to do besides training? I…can't help but notice you guys always come here and spend all the time here. I am happy for my students to be diligent, but I can't help but find this to be concerning."
"Um, Big bro Tesla and I don't have other things to do, almost all the time," Sabo says as Tesla continues to brood.
"I did occasionally go to the inn to help Miss Kara and Sir Gary, but they said today's my day off. So, I'm having a language lesson right now." Victor explains.
"Nope, nothing to do," Thorn answered with no hesitation.
"…" Now, Daichi looks fully concerned. If this is how their routines are, how lonely these kids are before the dojo, and planning to be explorers together? "Alright, that's it. Tomorrow, there won't be any training."
"Wait, what!?!" They all stop what they're doing and exclaim in disbelief, causing Daichi to sweatdrop. He had honestly expected kids to be less enthusiastic in training, but these four are something else.
"Continuous training without a rest would cause more harm than you think. So," Daichi says as he places his club on his shoulder. "Tomorrow, we're going on a small field trip!"
"…eh?" They all blink Noctowlish, completely caught off guard by this.
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The Next Day
Grass Continent
"D-Daichi-sensei, where in the world are we going!?"
Daichi turned to see his students, each holding a small bag, and they all looked exhausted from the constant walking. They have started their journey with the Marowak for 3 hours, and they haven't seen any sign that they're about to reach their destination.
"Come on, let's keep moving. If this is your limit when walking, then clearly you should avoid becoming an Explorer. They walk on foot more than you all could think of!" Daichi says as he encourages everyone, which earns a groan from his respective students, but they still comply. "No more complaining, students. Because we're about to arrive at our destination!"
"I swear to Arceus, if he's gonna bring us to some dumb place like an empty hill or something, I'll shove my fist through his shining hole!" Tesla snarls.
"Please don't…" Sabo mutters as he walks tiredly. "He must have a reason to bring us here."
"Don't defend that numbskull, Sabo! He needs to get his ass kicked!" Tesla exclaims, causing Sabo to shrink.
"D-do you have any idea where we're going, Thorn?" Victor mutters, trying to control his breathing so he won't get tired easily.
"I…I have no idea either." Thorn replies, looking winded. It takes them another 10 minutes of walking, and all of them look completely exhausted. Tesla looks like he's gonna explode, Sabo looks wasted as he lies on Thorn's bulb, who lies on the ground in exhaustion, while Victor feels his knees getting weaker.
Victor groans, noticing how much more exhausted he feels compared to just clearing dungeons. He takes a few deep breaths before thinking about the situation. Unlike in the dungeon, where most of the time Victor takes his time to practice, the entire journey had him, his friend, and acquaintances forced to walk with zero rest (another thing he questioned was what's on Daichi's mind, telling them to get some rest, but he put them in a grinder) to Arceus-knows-where. Victor notices how, despite having higher endurance compared to before, they are still not enough for long-distance travel for a few hours straight.
"Alright, everyone!" Daichi calls, getting their attention. "We're all here!"
"Where is 'here'?" Victor grumbles before walking towards Daichi, and he widens his eyes when he sees a familiar scene. A path leading to a giant crater filled with water and steam rising from the water, a bunch of Pokemons lying in the water relaxing, some drinking a glass of Moomoo Milk, and some eating a popsicle.
"A…Hot spring?" Victor asks in surprise.
"Oh, I'm surprised you knew. Yes, this is Hot Spring, a place for the locals to enjoy their day off, relax their bodies, and enjoy themselves!" Daichi exclaims as the rest of the Pokémon look around in awe, eager to go. "Well, then. What are you all waiting for? Go!"
"Yes!" They all cheer before rushing towards the Hot Spring, feeling their strength returning. After placing their bags in a safe location, they jump into the hot spring with zero hesitation. The moment the hot spring makes contact with their body, they feel the pain in their muscles and joints slowly disappear, and their body instinctively relaxes in the water. All of them have a blissful expression plastered on their face.
As Victor closes his eyes in relaxation, he feels something poking his cheek. He first simply ignores it, before he feels someone poke him. This happens for a while before Victor opens his eyes and sees a tiny bear with a yellow crescent on its head looking curiously at him, its finger pointing at his cheek. Victor recognizes the Pokémon as Teddiursa.
"…. .can I help you?" Victor asks, trying to mask his annoyance at the Teddiursa ruining his relaxation.
"You're a weird Bagon," The Teddiursa exclaims, causing Victor's eyes to twitch.
"…it's because I'm no Bagon," Victor mutters, sinking his body lower as the Teddiursa tilts his head.
"Then, what are you, mister?" Teddiursa asks before he is lifted by a bigger bear with a lunar ring on its body. Victor recognizes the Pokémon as Ursaring, the evolved form of Teddiursa, so Victor thought it might be Teddiursa's parent.
"Ted, what did I tell you not to bother other Pokémon?" The Ursaring exclaims before looking at Victor. "I am so sorry for my son bothering you, Sir Bagon."
"…not a Bagon," Victor mutters under his breath before replying to the Ursaring. "Not to worry, miss…."
"Again, sorry…" The Ursaring mutters before walking away. Victor let out a sigh before he heard quiet laughter. He turns to see a red-scaled turtle with a grey metallic shell standing at the top of a pillar on the edge of the hot spring. Victor recognizes the Pokémon as Torkoal.
"Hoho, seeing children's antics truly reminds me of my youth…" The Torkoal says as he looks at Victor. "And you are quite a curious case. I have never seen a Pokémon like you, youngster."
"…hello?" Victor greets, looking unsure at the old Pokémon's talk.
"Hello," The Torkoal greets back with an amused smile. "You are quite a unique one. May I ask where you come from?"
"….It's a faraway land, I've been trying to seek a way to return," Victor answers as Torkoal blinks, or at least he seems to do it. It's hard to tell when the Pokémon is constantly closing its eyes.
"I see…I hope you found the way, youngster…" The Torkoal says with a gentle smile that Victor always sees from any grandfather. "How do you find the Hot Spring so far?"
"It's relaxing," Victor says with a relaxed smile. "I can feel my exhaustion washed away thanks to its heat."
"Hoho, of course. This hot spring has existed for a very long time since the volcanic eruption, and it has been a great place for locals to simply wash away their stress, anxiety, and exhaustion." The Torkoal explains. "There's still Pokemons visiting this place from time to time, but compared to the past, they have reduced quite a bit."
"… Is there a reason behind it?" Victor can't help but ask.
"Rescuers and Explorers happen," Torkoal explains, causing Victor to blink. "The job required them to be constantly busy, especially with the high-paying job, so they're too focused on the job, exploring dungeons, and never had time to come here."
"…that's kinda sad," Victor muses as Torkoal nods.
"I hope one day, when you become an explorer, you never forget to take a break. Constant work will wear you down, and you'll eventually break," Torkoal says as Victor catches off guard from the advice, but he nods.
"Of course…" Victor mutters before blinking. "Um, how do you know I plan to be an explorer?"
"Most young Pokémon here have such dreams," Torkoal chuckles. "And from what you said, the only way to find the way is to go around the world, is it?"
"…yeah," Victor nods.
"Then, I wish you luck," Torkoal says with a smile. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Cole. May I have your name, youngster?"
"It's Victor, Elder Cole," Victor replies as Torkoal nods before dozing off. Victor looks at the Torkoal before smiling a bit. He knows that this is the real world, but having conversations with Pokemons around him reminds him how much the world is more than pixels.
Victor can't help but frown, unable to imagine the world destroyed by a rampaging Legendary Pokémon. If the supposed protagonist of the world ends up dying, he is willing to take his place to save the world. He refused to let these Pokémon greet their avoidable doom. His thought was halted when something cold touched his scale, causing him to jump a bit and see a bottle of cold Moomoo milk wrapped in vines next to him.
"Victor, here," Victor looks at Thorn, who gives him a wide smile. Victor smiles back before accepting the milk and drinks it, feeling refreshed. "So, how is it?"
"It's nice," Victor answers as they lower their body. "It's relaxing…a much-needed change of pace after our constant monotonous training routine…"
"Yeah, it was getting boring, and I can't help but feel like it was getting meaningless…" Thorn chuckles. "Maybe we should do this often."
"Including walking here for three straight hours with no rest?" Victor asks in amusement as Thorn blanches.
"For Arceus' sake, are you out of your mind telling me not to rest again like earlier!?" Thorn asks before shivering. "Once is enough!"
"Haha, I was joking," Victor chuckles as Thorn pouts.
"I can't believe you…" Thorn mutters as they both take a sip of their Moomoo Milk. "… Do you think we're ready?"
"Hmm?" Victor questions.
"I mean, ready for the Guild's entrance trial…" Thorn says, looking unsure. "The requirement to enter the Wigglytuff's Guild is unknown, as it wasn't mentioned in the details like other Guilds. So, we're going in completely blind. I…can't help but be nervous…"
"Well, I believe we'll be able to get in," Victor says confidently, getting a surprised look from Thorn. "All of us work very hard in our training. You, me, Sabo, and even Tesla. We'll pass the trial."
"…you're confident we're gonna pass," Thorn mutters before taking a sip.
"Do you prefer if I'm being all gloomy, depressed, and pessimistic, and always respond to all your questions with a 'we're all gonna die'?" Victor asks while making his tone as depressed as possible, causing Thorn to spit his milk and burst into laughter before Victor joins in. The Pokemons nearby can't help but smile at the two friends' interaction, knowing they're enjoying their time at the Hot Spring and making the place feel livelier.
Meanwhile, Sabo looks at Thorn and Victor interacting with a slight envy. He was honestly excited to have a friend after a while, but having his brother breathing down his neck made it hard for them to socialize. It leads Victor to prefer to interact with Thorn, and from how they interact, they seem close.
He loves his brother dearly, but Tesla is too much for him. He can't live his life without his brother constantly by his side, and shield him from everything. The reason why his brother is very overprotective is due to his fear of losing Sabo, like how they lost their parents. It was very traumatic, sure, but Sabo can't help but feel like he's living in a cage.
He wants to tell his brother off, told him to stop treating him like porcelain that might crack or disappear from him, but he fears his brother. He fears that his brother's irrational fear turns into rage, and it is directed at him. He fears his brother taking things the wrong way, causing misunderstandings and creating rifts between them, keeping them apart.
He was snapped out of his thought when he felt something cold touching his forehead before looking up and seeing his brother offering him a cup of berry-flavoured sherbet. Tesla didn't say a single word, just a simple gesture to Sabo showing how he truly feels.
Sabo silently accepts the bowl before looking at it. It's the other reason why Sabo fears telling his brother off. He fears that he might never see his brother displaying kindness to him, the only genuine familial love he has ever gotten and needed. He didn't want to lose it all, so he decided to endure it because he couldn't bear the possibility of his brother being torn away from him.
The future team spent the entire day enjoying the Hot Spring, eating as many desserts as they could discover, interacting with Pokemons from the other side of the Grass Continent, and so on. Daichi sees Victor and Thorn relaxing, which makes him smile as his mission is a complete success. Sabo and Tesla also seem to be relaxing, but compared to the duo, they seem to keep a distance from any Pokémon.
This made Daichi slightly concerned about them. He truly wants to help them, but both refused to accept his help. One refused out of annoyance, the other refused out of fear. He doesn't have a full idea about their situation, so he can't truly help the brothers. It's the reason why he brings them all to the Hot Springs, a perfect place to relax and possibly interact with more Pokemons.
Daichi merely sighs as he takes a sip of the Moomoo Milk, wondering what he should do. He isn't exactly good at helping kids emotionally, especially since he's an orphan himself. He had no one to help him; he had to handle everything himself. He knows the pain of losing a parent, so seeing the kids with no sign of their parents made him want to help them. Unfortunately, his forte is combat training.
"What should I do…" Daichi mutters in frustration, annoyed by the fact that he is unable to help them when they need it. He could only watch the kids having fun from a distance, but he couldn't stop thinking it was merely a temporary solution, ironically unable to relax despite being in a Hot Spring.
After a long day, they both returned to the Treasure Town, and this time, they made sure to enjoy their time going back. After 2 hours of walking, they all have a rest and set a campfire. The sun is fully set, and all of them help each other out cooking food for dinner. They enjoy their meal while watching the night sky full of stars.
After the dinner and a short moment of stargazing, they all continue their journey, and in an hour, they're able to reach the Treasure Town. Sabo had fallen asleep during the middle of the journey, so Tesla had no choice but to give Sabo a Spoink-backride. They all split up after arriving at the Town, each going back to their respective home.
"What a day…" Victor says as he and Thorn walk side-by-side.
"Yeah," Thorn says with a smile. "I bet you never had this kind of experience in the human world."
"I did. Not long before I came here," Victor retorts before smiling. "But honestly, I have a much better experience here than there. There's an earthquake when I'm enjoying myself in my homeworld's hot spring, and I twist my ankle when attempting to evacuate."
"I can see how you had a better experience," Thorn says with a sweatdrop.
"Yeah," Victor chuckles as they walk to each other's bed and lie down.
"…Victor," Thorn calls, getting Victor's attention.
"Yeah?" Victor asks.
"Can you…tell me more about your world?" Thorn asks as Victor looks at his friend before smiling.
"Sure, what do you want to know about?"
Both friends spent their entire night talking about the human world. It was a great day for them.
To Be Continued