A Few Days Later
Hot Spring, Grass Continent
A few days have passed, and a lot of things have happened since. Team Dawn has taken 5 jobs per day, balancing between the normal job and outlaw subjugation in each trip to a dungeon. Of course, he didn't forget to visit the dojo to continue his training, and much to his relief, his teammate also returned to the dojo for more training. He had honestly been worried that they might slack off after so many successful missions that they didn't want to improve, but he was glad to be proven wrong.
For training, Victor still sucks when fighting with a sword, but he did make sure to learn several attack moves that might help him, which is honestly isn't that hard given how basic Veemon's move is. He also improved his stamina, not wanting to collapse from exhaustion during battle. Another thing that he had an issue with was the lack of progress in summoning the blue sword from his first dungeon experience. Despite his control over MP having grown better, it didn't allow him to summon the sword. He speculates he needs to get much stronger or increase his MP quantity, and since he had no idea how to do the latter, he tries to focus on growing his strength.
He also made sure to train how to fight with his tail. Victor didn't give much thought to his tail since he doesn't have any issues with it, especially when he somehow instinctively controls his tail to maintain his balance, despite almost forgetting he has one, until Daichi reminds him by stepping on his tail during one of his training sessions.
Yeah, Victor's not gonna forget that moment anytime soon, nor forget about his tail.
Thorn surprises him by learning Power Whip, but it was only a matter of time, given how he did an improvised version of it during his fight against Sally. Speaking of moves, the Kecleon brothers had heard about the team rescuing Azure, and they rewarded them with a free TM selection. Victor decided to let his teammates choose since he wasn't compatible with any TM. Sabo chooses to master his Extrasensory first, so he declined, while Tesla prefers to master his moves first, so they decided to let Thorn choose, and he got Energy Ball.
Victor let his intrusive thoughts take over and suggested that Thorn try to consume the Energy Ball. At first, everyone looked at him like he had suggested committing suicide, but Thorn decided to put his trust in Victor and did so, much to Tesla's and Sabo's disbelief. Upon doing so, Victor witnessed something he didn't expect: Thorn's bulb covers with beautiful green energy, his eyes glowed green, and he noticed the petals covering Thorn's bulb open slightly. They experimented with the sudden power boost by using his moves, and true to Victor's prediction, his moves were enhanced, and each moves were covered in glowing energy.
Sabo tried it with his Flame Burst, much to Tesla's reasonable concern, but to Pikachu's relief, Sabo was fine, and the boost worked. Sabo can't help but feel disappointment when the boost only slightly changes his appearance: the back of his flame seems bigger and more powerful. Sabo admitted that he wished to look a bit flashy like Thorn, much to Victor's amusement. The power boost seems similar to Thorn's, albeit it's Fire-Type Moves.
Tesla tried once, but Electro Ball only formed at the tip of his tail, and it exploded before it could reach Tesla's mouth, much to the Pikachu's annoyance and everyone's amusement. So, Tesla decided not to try again until he found an alternative method, and he asked Daichi to assist him.
When Daichi heard Victor's discovery, he tried to do it with Mud Shot. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and he felt like he was eating the world's most disgusting mud. It was that Victor discovered Ground and Rock-type Pokemons could eat rocks, dirt, sand, or mud to satisfy their appetite, but they still prefer berries or meat, depending on their species.
Overall, the team made sure they didn't slack off, diligently training and doing Guild jobs or chores, while also getting enough rest, as Daichi suggested multiple times. Currently, they're enjoying their day in the Hot Spring again, and this time, they were accompanied by Daichi and some Guild members, Barry, Sally, and Helena. All of them soak in the pool of a hot spring, looking relaxed.
"Ah, I can feel my muscles lose their soreness…" Victor let out a relieved sigh as he leaned his head on the edge of the pool.
"By golly, please tell me you didn't overexert yourself," Barry exclaims in a concerned manner. "You are young, Victor. Don't damage yourself by overdoing your training."
"Don't worry, senior Barry," Victor says with a smile. "I'm not planning to harm myself. I know how overexerting myself will only bring negative results. And also, I am not as young as you think."
"Oh, right. Dragons are known for being slow in growth." Sally comments as she takes a sip of cold water. Victor can't help but sweatdrop at her choice of drinks. "How old are you exactly?"
"22," Victor replies.
"Oh my gosh! You're older than us!" Sally exclaims in shock, almost dropping her glass.
"Yup, yup! I had honestly thought you're their age, with how you act with your team," Barry comments.
"Would you prefer me to be a grumpy old Mon who is pessimistic with everything in life and brooding so much that I turn to Dark-Type?" Victor asks, making Sally and Barry giggle.
"Hey, Victor," Helena says as she floats towards Victor. "May I ask why you keep thinking about '0' and '1'?"
"Huh?" The three of them ask Helena in puzzlement.
"Every time I use Psychic, I can't help but catch a glimpse of Pokémon's surface thoughts, but whenever it happens near you, your surface thoughts have always been either '0' or '1', may I ask why?" Helena asks.
"I…had no idea why," Victor replies honestly, making Helena frown slightly.
"I see…sorry for the trouble…" Helena says before floating away and sinking herself into the pool. The three of them look at each other in puzzlement.
"…well, that was something," Sally comments as Barry nods. "Anyways, I should get some more water. I feel like my leaves dried from the heat."
'Then, why are you even entering the pool?' Victor thought while sweatdropping, questioning what exactly was in Sally's mind as the Sunflora slowly walked out of the pool.
"Hey, Vic," Victor turns to see Thorn approaching while holding Moomoo Milks with his vines and offers one to Victor, which he accepts. "So, where did senior Sally go? I thought she might enjoy the hot spring, given how much she…mentioned her skin issues."
"She feels her leaves dried up from soaking in hot water for too long," Victor says as Thorn looks puzzled.
"Seriously? I never had those issues." Thorn says before he enters the water, letting out a relieved sigh. Victor takes a sip of the milk before glancing at Barry.
"D-don't ask me, I have no idea either, yup yup!" Barry exclaims. Victor merely hums as he looks at Tesla, who tries to interact with Sally, but his body shakes like an earthquake. At a distance, Sabo tries to cheer, but his voice is too low to hear. Victor can't help but find the scene hilarious and adorable.
"…are they still at it?" Thorn can't help but comment as he sees Tesla and Sabo from afar.
"Yup," Victor replies with amusement before sipping his milk.
"What exactly are they doing?" Barry asks in confusion.
"Tesla tries to change himself for his own sake and his brother, which includes interacting and being nice to other Pokémon. As you can see, he's struggling due to being socially awkward. Sabo tries to build his confidence by cheering his brother as loudly as possible, and you can see the result." Victor says.
"…will that even work?" Barry asks in confusion.
"I would help, but unless he's desperate, he won't ask or accept my help," Victor explains as Barry frowns before nodding. Since he had witnessed how Tesla acted, he couldn't help but agree with Victor.
As Victor sips his Moomoo Milk, he starts to think about his situation. He may not like how he got isekai'd, but he was at least grateful that his isekai starting point isn't as bad as anyone could expect. He got an ally, a place to sleep, a job, and a way to survive the fight. If he had to be honest, he would probably be one of the lucky ones. There are so many worse starting points for getting isekai'd, like getting manipulated to do corrupt higher-ups' bidding, being framed for crimes you never committed, starting in the middle of dangerous places filled with murderous monsters, or worse, slavery.
Victor is happy he didn't go through any of those, but too bad it didn't matter when the future's at stake.
"What are you thinking, Vic?" Thorn asks, getting Victor's attention.
"…a lot of things," Victor admits before finishing his milk and getting up.
"Vic?" Thorn asks in concern.
"I'm okay, just want to get some dessert," Victor says as Thorn merely nods, slightly unconvinced by Victor's words. As Victor walks, he looks down at his belly, or the lack thereof. The constant training he endured had flattened his previously round stomach.
"…it's fine for Veemon to have a flat stomach, right?" Victor mutters with a sweatdrop. "Yeah, Digimon and Pokémon biology are weird." Victor decided not to think about it as he walked to a vendor and ordered a bowl of berry salad covered with ice and a bottle of Moomoo Milk. He pays for the food before pouring the milk into the bowl and eating it. His actions give him a strange look from the pink-ball-shaped Pokémon (Chansey) that owns the vendor.
"Excuse me, young Bagon," Victor's eyes twitched at getting called Bagon before calming down and turning around to face the Chansey. "Why are you pouring milk into the salad?"
"…it's to add some flavor to the salad," Victor shrugs before walking away. The Chansey looks at Victor strangely before she makes one bowl for herself and pours the milk into it. She takes a bite before her eyes light up, grabs the menu board, and writes something down.
Victor sits at the pool's edge next to Thorn and continues eating his salad, trying not to think about it. But there are things that he can't stop thinking about.
Is he doing enough? Is he wasting too much time? Is joining the Guild a bad idea? There are so many doubts lingering in his mind that he stops eating.
'Daichi asks me to take it slow and be patient, but…' Victor thought anxiously, looking at the sky. The disaster is coming; he should've been preparing and getting stronger, but here he is, relaxing in a hot spring with his friends. Then, he still needs to return to his homeworld, reuniting with his family. He feels like he's a terrible son for not caring enough, not working hard enough to find a way back, and only being able to rely on his game knowledge and imagination from reading too many fanfics.
'…Arceus, this is frustrating,' Victor decided to push his thoughts aside before eating the salad as quickly as he could, before he felt pain in his brain, causing him to groan.
"Fuck, brainfreeze…" Victor winces, rubbing his temple. Meanwhile, Thorn notices Victor's been deep in thought several times, and he can't help but be worried for his friend. He wanted to know what's been troubling Victor and wishes to help, but Victor refuses to tell him anything, which frustrates him a bit. Did he trust him? Why did he have to carry the burden alone? Why can't he let him help him?
After enjoying their time in the hot spring, Team Dawn and their senior decided to walk back to the Guild. Tesla asks why they didn't just teleport back to base using the badge, but the seniors point out how it will ruin the fun and just enjoy the journey.
It takes a few hours to return to the Guild, and upon arriving, Charlie suddenly calls the team to meet them in the office. Confused and slightly concerned, they reluctantly agree. When they entered, they were greeted by the Guildmaster and the vice guildmaster, looking at them expectantly.
"Is there something wrong, Guildmaster? Vice Guildmaster?" Victor asked as William let out a chuckle.
"No need to be that polite, my friend. I am here because I want to give your team your first task as guild apprentices," William says as all members of Team Dawn look visibly confused.
"What task? Is it a job from a client who specifically asked for us or anything like that?" Victor asks.
"No, nothing of the sort," Charlie says while shaking his head. "We want to assign you two to a mission worthy of a proper exploration team."
"Eh!?"/"No way!"/"For real!?" Team Dawn is shocked by what they have heard. Did Charlie say correctly!?
"Yes, now open your Wonder Map so I can properly explain," Charlie says as Sabo nods and pulls out the map from the bag. He opens it widely before showing it to everyone. William pulls out a brush and draws a single dot near the center of the map.
"Tomorrow, I want your team to go there and investigate the area," Charlie explains while using his wing to point at where William drew the points. "There's a waterfall flowing in that area. It may look like a normal waterfall, but our intel told us that there might be a secret there. And that's where you all come in. I want you all to investigate the waterfall and determine what's in there. You all understand what the mission entails?"
"We do," The quartet says in unison, with Sabo looking at Tesla with barely contained excitement while Tesla gives him an excited grin. Thorn looks at Victor, who simply gives him a wide smile, but Thorn notices how it didn't reach his eyes.
"Alright, I shall leave you all to thoroughly investigate the waterfall tomorrow!" Charlie exclaims before looking at Sabo, shaking violently. "Um, Sabo, you okay, kid?"
"…" Sabo looks at Charlie excitedly, happy tears barely contained.
"W-what's wrong!?! A-are you okay!?!" Charlie asks in panic, while William can't help but laugh.
"No need to worry, Charlie. Our friend here is simply crying tears of joy." William says as Charlie looks at William before giving Sabo a questioning look.
"Y-yes, G-Guildmaster William is right..." Sabo says shakily as Tesla rubs his back. "B-but, I am also nervous due to the anticipation…I-I mean, this is the first time we get to do a real job as an exploration team!" Sabo wipes his tears off violently. "S-sorry, I'm a bit worked up here…"
"You sure know how to scare someone," Charlie mutters as William laughs.
"Alright, now you four should get ready for tomorrow. Make sure you're all prepared with everything, especially supplies," William says as they all nod. "I shall wish you all luck!"
"Thank you," They all say in unison before they leave the office. After they close the door, Sabo jumps in excitement, clutching the Wonder Map like a kid in a candy store.
"I can't believe this!" Sabo exclaims excitedly. "We got an exploration job! A real one!!!"
"Haha, that we do," Tesla says with a laugh, ruffling Sabo's head as they both excitedly talk about what they might discover in the waterfall tomorrow. Thorn looks at them and smiles at the brothers' interaction before his smile turns sad as he reminds himself of the past. He decided not to think too much about it and focus on the future before noticing Victor deep in thought once again.
"Victor?" Victor snaps out of his thoughts before looking at Thorn, who gives him a concerned look. "You don't seem to be excited about tomorrow. What's wrong?"
"I-it's nothing, I was simply thinking about all the things we need to prepare for tomorrow's exploration," Victor replies hastily as Victor frowns.
"Do…you trust us?" Thorn asks, causing Victor to freeze before the Veemon lets out a sigh, deciding to admit some truth.
"I worry you too much, didn't I?" Victor asks as Thorn nods. "I…was simply thinking if I did enough…enough to get myself back to my home, reuniting with my family…I feel like I didn't work hard enough or do more to find my way back home. I know Daichi-sensei told me to slow down and be patient, but I am worried for my family back in my world, and I probably worried them too since I went missing. I mean, I am literally in another world filled with fictional creatures I've known since childhood and befriend them, I-!"
Victor pauses before looking at Thorn, who gives the 'He's losing it' expression, causing Victor to Mareepishly rub the back of his head.
"S-sorry, I'm going off-topic. The point is, I feel like I didn't do enough to go back to my family, and I start to feel like I…" Victor trails off, looking unsure how to describe how he feels.
"…I understand," Thorn says as he summons his vines and wraps them around Victor's hand. "I get it…and I'm sorry as well."
"W-what? Y-you don't have to-!?" Victor exclaims as Thorn shakes his head to cut him off.
"We ask you to join us so we might get the chance to travel out there and promised that we will help find you a way back home, but…we didn't do much to help keep that promise…" Thorn says. "We're so busy with our own issues that you have to step in and help us…f-for that, we're sorry…"
"…I didn't demand you guys to do more…because you guys did so much for me," Victor says shakily. "I-I could've arrived in this world being completely alone…no one that could help me…completely defenseless…clueless about the entire world…my knowledge wasn't enough to survive…you guys did so much that…I wasn't daring enough to demand more…"
"…I-I promise," Thorn says shakily. "…I promise I will do more to help you find a way to go back…I promise as a friend…"
"T-thanks…" Victor says with a smile. Both of them turned and froze when they noticed Tesla and Sabo staring at Victor with wide eyes.
"… how much did you guys hear?" Victor asks, letting out a defeated sigh.
"…we never leave, remember?" Sabo comments, making Victor facepalms before groaning. He's easily the worst person when it comes to keeping a secret.
"…so, human?" Tesla asks, his voice filled with disbelief. Like most Pokémon, they all hear the story of humans saving the world from disaster. Tesla had a begrudging respect for the human for doing that. No one could do something like that.
"…yes," Victor sighs before Sabo grabs Victor's hands while staring at the human-turned-Veemon with starry eyes (Victor wonders if this world follows cartoon and anime physics).
"I can't believe this!" Sabo exclaims in awe. "A human, a human has always been part of my team! I-I had never been so excited! I think I can die happy-!"
"Please don't die," Victor says with an exasperated tone before looking around and sighing in relief. "L-let's get back to our room if you guys planned to ask more questions." Neither of them argued and immediately went back to the room.
Unknown to them, their discussions were not unheard by other Pokemons, specifically Charlie and William. Charlie's beak dropped to the ground while William looked indifferent, merely smiling after hearing the story.
"Victor's a-!?!" Charlie's shout was cut off by William using his hands to clamp down on Charlie's beak, preventing him from shouting out loud. William takes his friendship seriously, and that includes keeping his friends' secrets and letting them decide if they are willing to share their secrets.
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Later
Victor decided to come clean with everything since there's no use in keeping everything a secret, telling his human origin to the rest of his teammate. Thankfully, they both understand why Victor chose to be quiet, much to Victor's surprise, especially since Tesla also understands.
Tesla admits he would've been pissed if it wasn't for Victor helping him to fix his relationship with his brother, so he didn't do anything about it. For Sabo, he didn't mind, and like Thorn, he was a fanboy towards the previous human. Tesla can't help but wish that there won't be a world-ending threat again, and realizes his mistake when his words accidentally made Sabo scared.
After the entire discussion, they went to the Kecleon Shop and bought supplies for tomorrow's exploration. Along the way, they meet with Mark and Azure again, and they talk about how their lives have changed. Azure and Mark told how their mother had gotten better but needs more rest to speed up their recovery, which made the team feel relieved and wish their mother a fast recovery.
They went to the restaurant for a quick meal, and Victor was hugged by Gary and Kara; both were concerned that Victor hadn't visited them for a long time. A brief meal and a short talk later, they went to the bank to deposit their money. Victor and Tesla were held back as they both attempted to murder the Persian running his stupid mouth again.
Then, they return to their guild and wait for dinner time. While waiting, Sabo asks more questions regarding the human world, as he is as curious as Thorn. The brothers were in disbelief when they found out Pokémon are fictional creatures in the human world and how they're popular amongst human children. Of course, Victor made sure to leave out the 'Pikachu is Pokémon's mascot and known worldwide' part.
After eating dinner, all of them returned to the room and decided to rest, not wanting to be exhausted for tomorrow's exploration. Unfortunately, all of them had trouble sleeping due to excitement.
"…great, I can't sleep," Sabo says with a sigh.
"Me too…" Thorn admits.
"…" Tesla grumbles under his breath as he shifts around his bed.
"Just close your eyes and don't think too much," Victor mumbles, also having trouble sleeping. It didn't help that his teammates were talking.
"…Victor?" Sabo asks as Victor grunts, wondering what Sabo wants. "Are…are you being honest…when you said you want to find a way to go back?"
"…I was," Victor mutters. "I had a family back home…"
"…you're lucky," Victor stiffens before guilt squeezes his heart. He didn't mean to sound like he was bragging. "…let us help you find your way back home,"
"….I'm sorry," Victor says quietly.
"It's okay," Sabo says with a smile, trying to hide his sadness. He had finally found a friend, but he had never asked to be here, and all he wanted was to go back home. Victor's guilt grows tenfold as he hears Sabo's response.
"…before we find my way back home…" Victor mutters. "I promise… we're gonna explore as many places as possible…maybe we'll…discover the place where that Relic Fragment originates from…"
"R-really?" Sabo asks in surprise and a little bit of hope.
"Y-yeah, l-let's…" Victor says, trying not to choke. He tries to convince himself not to tear up, telling himself they're not going to separate anytime soon. He may only spend less than a month with them, but he "...spend as much time…as a team…as friends…what do you think?"
"….y-yeah…" Sabo says with a smile. "I-I would love that….let's enjoy our journey…all of us…"
"Yeah…" Thorn replies.
"…sure," Tesla mutters, closing his eyes.
"…let's get some sleep, we've got an exploration tomorrow, remember?" Victor says as they all hum in agreement. Victor glances at the moon through the window. '… Mom, Dad, I'm sorry…I might take a while before coming back…I hope you're willing to wait for this idiot of a son to come back…'
Victor closes his eyes as he lets the darkness take over.
To be continued