- Location
- Finland
Quick and easy?
I mean if they have only twelve coders, some shortcuts have to be taken.
A Backwards Grin (Pokemon) (Mawile SI)
- Thread starter Flairina
- Start date
I mean if they have only twelve coders, some shortcuts have to be taken.
- Location
- Here
My typo, yeah, 1/3.
- Location
- USA
Because they don't have any incentive to get better. They could put literal shit on a platter and make half a billion dollars
Flairina
Least Omnipotent Goddess
- Location
- The next infinity over
Heh, assuming I'm deliberately putting on an act/playing a part, yeah, it works well enough.
Poor Clefable!me just wanting to be a hermit, but for various reasons no one will leave me alone, also does indeed sound like the type of scenario I'd potentially set up were I writing that fic instead of this one. What can I say, I'm bad for myself. ^^;Really now? Because I thought for certain the kind of comments I'd receive on this image would be more along the lines of...
...yeah, that. XD
Hey, that statement was conditional - I can provide a picture of my skeleton, so long as you're okay also seeing the skin and organs still attached to it. Otherwise, it's a no go.
Perhaps - though, maybe save this topic for the chapter after next, as I expect it to be a very relevant topic then going by my current plans.
Mawile!me, swaggering out of the store with accompanying swag in tow: "Oh yeah. Looks like Christmas came early for me this year." 🎀
I mean, he didn't, really. He even officially denounced me for being too independent to be worth bothering with back during his interlude. But more on that later.
It is if you don't have enough badges, apparently. 'Hmmph, where's your human amulets of power, weakling? I only see/smell/feel four; you need at least FIVE to earn the right to command me!'
(I've seen multiple fics where the badges have like, psychic energy imbued into them to try and have this make sense on a more logical level, but frankly I think it's easier to just chalk it up to video game logic and ignore it unless you're writing specifically in that universe. Not EVERY person who has a Pokemon is running around collecting badges after all.)
Sorry, not sure what that means. Gold/Silver version?
That... does sound rather absurd. I also seem to recall something about how the entire Sun/Moon pokedex was leaked because they removed the normal models from the demo version of the game, but not the shiny models? The series does seem rather prone to mistakes like that. But hey, at least the games seem mostly functional nowadays, without too many truly problematic bugs, and the ones from the first few generations have entire mythos' surrounding them nowadays. It worked out, for the most part.
Well, I don't know if I'd call those my defining traits, but that is at least rather flattering, so thank you! 🥰
chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
It would make more sense if Pokemon just know vaguely what a gym badge actually is. The only pokemon who pop up in the bushes want to be caught, but just getting lucky in a fight doesn't necessarily denote the skill and power to consistently make one's way in the world, so pokemon with a high sense of self worth might just not feel that a trainer is worth their time unless they're accredited, essentially.
It's a different kind of relationship from the personal ones pokemon build with non-trainers; you don't need a degree to be friends with somebody, but you would to give them good and reliable personal training and workout advice on the competitive circuit.
- Pronouns
- He, his, him, they
Thank you for annihilating every desire within me to read the manga.
Darchias
Pokemon Professor
- Location
- Texas
Gen 1 and 2 in the Pokemon Adventures manga was fuckin' wild man. It's more like a sci-fi action manga than Pokemon. It calmed down in later generations. I chalk up the 'psychic metal badges' up to Early Installment Weirdness myself, but the Pokemon Adventures manga bears little to no resemblance to the story of the anime or games, despite using many of the same characters in the same world. I do highly recommend reading them, you just have to let go of your preconceptions of what a Pokemon story should be.
- Location
- Here
Huh. Does that explain some of the weirder Pokemon fic, then?
(Also, from what very little I've seen described elsewhere, it doesn't stop being weird after gen 2 - Pryce comes out of a time portal to battle the creation trio in gen 4 after having been trapped outside time by Celebi in gen 2)
(Also, from what very little I've seen described elsewhere, it doesn't stop being weird after gen 2 - Pryce comes out of a time portal to battle the creation trio in gen 4 after having been trapped outside time by Celebi in gen 2)
Crusader Jerome
Subsisting on Supplication
- Location
- My home away from Rome
Not to mention that Reshiram amd Zekrom's orbs can be used as portals to the Dream World.
For something like Pokémon, fanon can't beat out canon for weirdness. The hurdle is too high.
Burned_Cookie
Very tired girl.
- Location
- Plato´s cave.
- Pronouns
- She/Her/It/Its
More flattering than having managed to get the nickname of godess, even if of the least omnipotent kind?
Burned_Cookie
Very tired girl.
- Location
- Plato´s cave.
- Pronouns
- She/Her/It/Its
That insert remains in limbo both in the figurative and in the literal sense.
Motile Mollusc
Bitten by a radioactive were-tilde
- Location
- Here
Are you sure you actually have a skeleton? Have you ever seen it?Hey, that statement was conditional - I can provide a picture of my skeleton, so long as you're okay also seeing the skin and organs still attached to it. Otherwise, it's a no go.
The Crimson King
It's possible to eat an orange with just teeth.
- Location
- America
Well, there is an easy way to check.
- Location
- Somewhere other than where I am.
General Systems Vehicle. Picture a giant AI-god spaceship with a sense of humour. One naming itself the GSV In Name Only is entirely appropriate for those guys. Sorry that the joke fell flat.
Hyp3rB14d3
Gotta catch 'em all!
X-Rays are a thing.
Chapter 13: Want It So Bad You Can Taste It
Flairina
Least Omnipotent Goddess
- Location
- The next infinity over
Shrugging to myself, I begin making my way across the road towards the building I've just sighted. After the less-than-pleasant events of both yesterday and this morning, it's rather nice to have serendipity work in my favor for a change.
As I move up to a nearby crosswalk and stop to check for oncoming cars — not that this city even seems to have any, oddly enough — I notice several nearby pedestrians watching me, openly gawking at the tiny Pokemon passing through their midst. I quickly refocus my gaze forward, doing my best to avoid making eye contact with any of them.
Now that I've been here a while, I'm gradually getting better at ignoring the stares, I think. However, it's still rather unnerving to know that I'm being nigh-on constantly watched by the various people I pass. I know that they're probably just looking because they're wondering what kind of Pokemon I am, as well as why I'm walking around the city without a trainer, but that doesn't stop it from being highly disconcerting all the same. I've never been all that comfortable with the idea of being the center of attention, and this... really isn't helping, honestly.
Doing my best to put my watchers out of mind, I cross the road and step onto the sidewalk just outside the store, taking the chance to examine the building as I do.
Going by the lettering on the roof, this place is apparently called "Safe Journeys", and now that I'm close enough to see through the wall-sized windows, I can tell that it appears to specialize in travel necessities. Seems like a weird kind of store to set up in the middle of a modern city, but I suppose in a world where preteens are actively encouraged to go wandering around the country on their own for months on end, this is probably a pretty common type of business to see around just in general. I wouldn't be all that surprised if there turned out to be a store like this in literally every city in the region, honestly.
I shift my focus to the poster I noticed before. According to it, this place's so-called Adventure Bags are now new and improved, capable of carrying even more items than before... regardless of their size or weight? Wait, how the heck is that supposed to work-
My eyes widen. Hang on, is this poster telling me that bags of holding are a thing in this world?! I mean, if I think about it, that might actually make perfect sense — it's basically the same principle that Pokeballs operate of, and would neatly explain how Ash and company manage to tote around tents, food supplies, and even fold-out furniture with them, despite clearly not having room in their packs for all that — but still, that's... that's awesome! Now I really want one!
My excitement dims slightly as I remember the inherent issue with that. Yeah, I want one, but the question is, how do I get one? As previously noted, I don't have any money, and as a Mawile, I can't exactly just go get a day job. Buying one is flat out.
For a moment I consider simply going inside, grabbing a bag, and silently pleading with the nearest cashier to let me have it. However, while the technique of simply looking and acting cute has been working pretty well to get me food so far, a piece of dessert or a small free sample is a rather different proposition from what's probably a decently expensive piece of traveling equipment, especially since there's no obvious reason that I, a Pokemon, would want/need it. I don't think that strategy's going to work here.
Hrm... I might be able to steal a bag, I guess, but... must I? I mean, Paul was at least an acceptable target; that was practically just karma catching up to him. I'm significantly less eager to steal from a place that's done me no similar wrong however, and which may or may not even deserve it, as it feels significantly less justified.
I sigh. That said, I think I'm just going to have to get over it. Unless I'm giving up on getting a bag at all — which I really don't want to, because 1) I truly do need an accessory for at least the time being to make sure no one else gets catch happy with me, and 2) bag of holding — I don't really have any other options available to me here. Hell, if I ever do find a map, I'll probably have to steal that as well, which I hadn't actually thought about up until just now. I can't afford to feel bad about this.
Trying to keep a hold of that perspective, I walk over to the store's entrance. Thankfully, the door here appears to be automatic, and thus doesn't require me to sit around waiting for someone to come help me open it — though, I do still have to jump and wave my arms a few times to get the overhead sensor to recognize my presence.
Once I'm through the door, I step into the shop and take a quick look around. As befitting of the place's name, most of the items on display appear to be various types of camping and outdoor equipment, including clothes, tents, flashlights, sleeping bags, water bottles, rations, and more.
...it also appears to be entirely empty of patrons at the moment, which I suppose is a good thing, considering what I'm about to do.
I find the advertised Adventure Bags pretty easily — they're apparently the store's premium item, and as such are set out on several large shelves right next to the check-out counter. Which also appears to be abandoned at the moment, oddly enough. Weird, is this place actually closed right now, and they just forgot to lock up or something? I mean, it's pretty convenient for me that there's apparently no one here, but it's honestly a little unsettling...
Unsure how to feel about my apparent good fortune, I set it aside and start looking through the available bags. There's a staggering degree of sizes and styles on display, featuring everything from hip-pouches to sling bags to something I swear looks like it's meant to be worn on the back of one's head, but the kind I think will probably work best for me are the ones that look rather like miniature duffel bags. Based on their size, I imagine they're usually meant to be carried by hand, but at my height, I think I might be able to use one as a sort of improvised backpack, with the handles substituting as straps.
Not wanting to risk spending any more time here than necessary, I quickly reach up with my still-closed horns to swipe one of the bags in question off the shelf, picking out a vivid teal one simply by virtue of it being the only one close enough for me to actually reach this way. Hate being this short...
As I pick the fallen bag up off the floor, I note that according to the price tag, it's supposed to cost 5500 Pokedollars each. I'm not exactly sure what that equates to in terms of currency I'm more familiar with — my best guess would be 55 dollars, assuming that Pokemon money directly translates to yen — but since I currently have 0 Pokedollars, I guess it doesn't really matter that much.
With the bag now actually in my hands, my guilt at the idea of just taking it and walking out returns — to my considerable irritation, as I'm well aware that it's not particularly logical. I mean, this place looks pretty well off; I doubt it's going to terribly miss the profits from a single missing item. Besides, I'm a Pokemon now, aren't I? I no longer qualify as a member of human society, and as such, its rules no longer apply to me, meaning this isn't really stealing, so much as just... foraging, right? Right! All I'm really doing is looking for things to help me get by, and as an "animal", I can't be blamed if I have no way of obtaining those things without taking them from someone else. This a perfectly natural thing for me to do; nothing immoral about it.
...alright yeah that's a terrible argument; this is absolutely stealing, but I'm not going to let that actually stop me from doing it. Just have to-
"Hmm, what an unusual-looking little customer to come back to."
I jump in alarm and whirl around, only to belatedly realize that the check-out counter is no longer abandoned — there's now a tall girl in what looks to be her late teens standing behind it, her gaze firmly locked on me. Her light green hair has been put up in a high ponytail, and over top of her simple white blouse sits a bright red vest, a name tag pinned to the front reading "Kiara". Oh no, an employee-!
As I stand there, all but frozen in place at having been caught red-handed, the girl continues to stare at me, absently blowing a strand of hair out of her face before speaking.
"Hey there little... whatever kind of Pokemon you are." she starts, sounding rather bemused. "Sorry to say, but I'm afraid that bag isn't for you. Mind putting it back?"
My grip on said bag only tightens. Damn it, I probably could have gotten out just fine if I hadn't been so busy justifying my own decision to myself!
"Come on, don't make this difficult." the girl says, stepping out from behind the counter.
I shrink back from her. What do I do here? I suppose I might still be able to just take the bag and run, assuming I can somehow lose this girl if she tries to chase me. If I do that now though, after already having been noticed, I might get in actual trouble for it — I may theoretically have "immunity" to the law right now, but there's only so far I can realistically push that before it gets me in hot water anyways. If I don't run however-
Before I can finish fully considering my options, the girl — Kiara — steps forward and kneels down to grab at the bag in my hands. I pull away, but her reach considerably outstrips mine, and she manages to get a hold of it anyways.
"You need to let go now, alright?" Kiara says softly, lightly tugging at the miniature satchel. "Seriously, nothing against you, but you can't just take this."
I grit my teeth, but with no way to get her to let go that I can really see ending well, I reluctantly release my hold on the bag. Kiara smiles at me.
"See, was that so hard?" she asks, standing back up and turning to place the bag back on the shelf.
I narrow my eyes, not willing to give up just yet. Plan A has apparently failed, and if this girl is just going to be hovering around the area now then I probably can't salvage it. Even if I don't have much hope for it however, I suppose Plan B is probably still worth a shot...
As soon as Kiara turns back around, I activate Fake Tears. Massive droplets of water immediately begin welling up from my eyes, which quickly succumb to gravity and start pouring down the sides of my face like miniature waterfalls. For extra effect, I also add a few sniffling, sobbing sounds to simulate full-on crying, hoping that might help sell it. Come on, pity me!
Kiara does look rather taken aback upon seeing me abruptly burst into tears, and for a second I think that my act is actually going to work. Her surprise rapidly fades away however, and is soon replaced by clear exasperation, to the point that she even rolls her eyes at me.
"Hey now, no Fake Tears. You'll make the floors all wet, and I'll be the one who ends up having to clean them up."
Having been nigh-instantly called out on my fakery, I slump, allowing the floodgates to close again. Kiara smirks as she sees the flow of tears cut out.
"That's what I thought." she says teasingly. "You're a cute one and all, but I've seen way too many pretend tantrums from my own partner at this point to not recognize a fake cry from a real one."
I squint up at her. Seriously? I didn't really expect that to work to begin with, but I actually had to run into the one person familiar enough with the move to immediately call me out on it? Not fair...
Kiara starts to move away, but I grab onto her leg to stop her, prompting her to glance down and meet my gaze again.
"Pleeeeease let me have the bag?" I ask, looking up at her with shining, still-wet eyes.
"Ooh, finally talking, hmm?" Kiara hums. "Glad to hear it... wish I could understand you. Would make this conversation feel a lot less one-sided."
She pulls away and moves back behind the counter, while I pout for a moment at her incomprehension and move in front of said counter, still hoping to somehow leave this store with the item I came in for. I can't reach any of the small bags now, so I need this girl to willingly give me back the one she just took... though, I'm admittedly kind of short on ideas of how to do that without resorting to either force or intimidation, neither of which I can see working out terribly well for me in the long run.
"You know, my boss isn't terribly fond of letting Pokemon wander around his shop unsupervised." Kiara idly notes, leaning over the glass front of the counter to meet my eyes again. "Lucky for you, I'm the only one here at the moment, and I think that's a stupid rule, so feel free to hang out for a little while and keep me company."
Um. That's... nice of her, I guess? I don't exactly plan on sticking around though.
"So, what brings you in here anyways?" Kiara continues, resting her face against her palm. "At first I thought maybe you smelled some of the food, but pretty much everything in here is sealed up to make sure it stays good, so that can't be it. Besides, you don't really seem to care about any of that stuff anyways."
"Correct." I flatly reply. "I just want a bag."
"Hmm.... you're not just wandering around randomly, so you're probably not lost, right?" Kiara continues to muse.
I tilt my head back and groan. Not being able to speak "human" anymore is proving to be even more inconvenient than I expected it to be. This would be so much easier if I could just talk to her directly... in fact, are there any pencils or pens in here?
I look around, but there appears to be a serious lack of writing utensils in the vicinity — I'm in the wrong type of store for that sort of thing to just be lying around, I guess. Still, surely there's something in here I can use... maybe Kiara can lend me something, assuming I can communicate at least that much to her?
Looking up at the girl still staring at me from over the counter top, I attempt to mime writing something on a sheet of paper, holding one hand flat and "scribbling" on it with the other. I then point at her, cup my hands together, and bring them back towards myself.
"What are you- are you trying to tell me something?" Kira asks, raising an eyebrow.
I nod, then repeat my previous gestures again.
"Scratches? A list?" Kiara guesses. "No, wait... writing? Instructions? A pencil?"
I nod again, more fervently this time. Yes...
"Me... a person? A trainer? This store? You... taking something? Getting something?"
More nodding. Yes...!
Kiara's eyes widen in realization. "Oh! Are you trying to tell me your trainer instructed you to come here and pick up something from the store?"
I stare at her for a moment, wondering how exactly she ended up at that conclusion, before sighing heavily. No...
"Huh, that's actually pretty cool." Kiara continues, only getting further from the mark. "Though, Pokemon or not, you do still have to pay for anything you're planning on buying, so next time your trainer needs to send you along with some actual money."
She smirks. "Wonder how that slipped their mind. They must be pretty clever if they managed to teach you all that, after all."
Disheartened, I look down and shake my head. I should probably just give this up as a bad job at this point. Stealing didn't work, begging didn't work, and honestly, even if I could talk to this girl properly, I doubt she'd be willing to let me just take what I want and leave. There's no point in sticking around any longer.
Kiara blinks. "Wait, no? They're not clever? Or... are you saying you don't have a trainer?"
I quickly snap my gaze back up. How would she- she thinks that was what I was shaking my head at? Crap, that's definitely not the impression I wanted to give her if she's actually a trainer herself.
I start to shake my head again in an attempt to correct her, but before I can even twitch my neck, Kiara looks away from me and slaps her hand to her forehead.
"So you're wild then." she mutters. "I've been standing here having a conversation with a wild Pokemon for the past several minutes. This job really is driving me stir crazy."
I pause. Wait, what? What is the connection between those two statements? I think I've made it pretty clear by now that I can understand her, and people talk to wild Pokemon all the time in the show. Why would she call that crazy?
"No, hang on, you can't be totally wild, right?" Kiara continues, seemingly talking to herself more than me at this point. "A released Pokemon, maybe? But why come in here then? Did you just want some sort of souvenir, or...?"
She stops, then leans back over the counter and smiles at me again.
"You know what?" she says brightly, as though having suddenly had an idea. "Wait right here. I've got something for you."
Kiara steps away from the counter, and I hear a door open somewhere behind it, probably to some sort of back room. I can't actually tell, since I'm too short to see over the counter itself.
Regardless, I immediately turn around to leave the shop, mostly out of concern that the "something" Kiara just spoke of might turn out to be a Pokeball. I only make it a few feet however before Kiara returns, having been gone for no more than a few seconds.
"Here we are." she says as she steps back out from behind the counter, revealing that she's now holding a long, red length of soft-looking fabric. Is that a scarf?
"This was slightly damaged when the store received it." Kiara says, again seemingly more for her own benefit than mine. "Just a couple of frayed threads that were easy enough to restitch, but apparently we still can't sell it. So, if you were looking for a souvenir..."
Kiara suddenly kneels down in front of me again and starts wrapping the scarf around the thin tube that connects my horns to the rest of my head. The unexpected close contact startles me, but in the interest of both keeping up my current "cute" persona and not accidentally maiming someone who doesn't deserve it, I manage to refrain from doing anything hasty. Besides, I... guess I'm being given a gift right now? Though, I'm not exactly sure why she's wrapping it around the base of my horns rather than my neck...
After a surprisingly long time spent doing... something, Kiara steps away from me, allowing the feather-light pressure of the scarf to settle just behind my skull. Placing one hand on her chin, she tilts her head and seems to appraise me for a moment, then nods in apparent satisfaction.
"Perfect! As good as the local groomer's work, I think."
...the local groomer? Hold on, what exactly did she just do?
I roll my eyes up and backwards, trying to get a view of the scarf. While my peripheral vision is better than it was when I was human however, it doesn't extend quite that far — I still cannot see the literal back of my head.
Giving up on that, I instead start looking around for a nearby reflective surface, and quickly spot the display case built into the nearby check-out counter. Though not exactly a mirror, the glass is relatively clear, and conveniently already at my height. That'll probably do.
I walk over to the case and step in front of the pane. My partially-transparent reflection enters it in sync, whereupon it immediately becomes apparent what Kiara was referring to: rather than being wrapped up like one would normally expect, the bright red scarf has instead been tied and styled into an oversized bow, which sits at the base of my horns like a huge, fancy, and surprisingly sturdy-looking hairband.
"See? Now you're even cuter." Kiara says with a wide smile.
I turn and give her a flat look. Cuter in the sense that I now look less like a Pokemon and more like a tiny roving Christmas present, yes, I suppose so. If that's what you were aiming for, then I applaud you.
"Keep it." Kiara says, oblivious to my own feelings on the matter. "My gift to you for being the most interesting thing that's happened here all week."
I suddenly hear the sound of a door opening somewhere else in the building. Kiara's head rapidly twists in the noise's direction.
"...that's probably my boss coming back from lunch, so you need to get out of here now." she urges, leaning down and physically pushing me back towards the front door. "Seriously, he'll throw a fit if he finds out I didn't shoo you out earlier; go go go!"
Honestly rather grateful for the chance to leave at this point, I hurry back towards the entrance, making my way out of the store as quickly as I can. Passing by a startled couple standing outside the door, I move around the corner of the building and onto the adjoining sidewalk, then duck behind an empty bench encircled by a couple of rounded bushes planted in the concrete. It's not exactly proper cover, but it's the best I can really do.
Grimacing in annoyance, I bring my maw forward and try to remove the somewhat absurd-looking scarf-bow now tied around its base. Unfortunately, my arms don't even reach the top of my head, much less the back of it, making this a somewhat hopeless proposition to attempt on my own. I need help...
My hand drifts down to my right leg as I consider calling out Chimchar and getting his assistance with this, perhaps after going back to the alleyway from earlier first so that no one happens to see a Mawile suddenly pull out a Pokeball. After a few more moments of thought however, I decide to maybe wait on that for now — as well as on removing the scarf-bow in general, for that matter.
I wave my horns around behind me, feeling the ends of the scarf brush at my neck. Sure, I'm not terribly fond of the idea of walking around looking like a tiny yellow dress-up doll, but given the role I've been playing since arriving in this city, looking even more "cutesy" can likely only help me right now. Plus, even if it's not nearly as useful as one of those bags would have been, a scarf does at least fulfill the criteria of being a "human" accessory to signify that I'm not a wild Pokemon. I'll probably take it out of its current arrangement at some point, but for the time being, I suppose I can leave it as is.
Besides... it's kind of nice to finally have something that's mine again. That I didn't steal, I mean.
The ear-splitting wail of a siren suddenly kicks up from somewhere down the street. I panic and dive behind the nearest bush for a moment, before remembering that I've really done nothing thus far that would warrant those being for me. I mean, unless those kids went to the police...
Standing back up and peeking around the side of the bush, I calm further as I realize that the siren isn't coming from a police car, but from an approaching fire truck — I guess there is a purpose to the roads here after all. It speeds past my hiding spot fast enough to kick up wind its wake before continuing all the way down the street, heading for what I think is the outskirts of the city.
...huh. Wonder what that's about?
As I move up to a nearby crosswalk and stop to check for oncoming cars — not that this city even seems to have any, oddly enough — I notice several nearby pedestrians watching me, openly gawking at the tiny Pokemon passing through their midst. I quickly refocus my gaze forward, doing my best to avoid making eye contact with any of them.
Now that I've been here a while, I'm gradually getting better at ignoring the stares, I think. However, it's still rather unnerving to know that I'm being nigh-on constantly watched by the various people I pass. I know that they're probably just looking because they're wondering what kind of Pokemon I am, as well as why I'm walking around the city without a trainer, but that doesn't stop it from being highly disconcerting all the same. I've never been all that comfortable with the idea of being the center of attention, and this... really isn't helping, honestly.
Doing my best to put my watchers out of mind, I cross the road and step onto the sidewalk just outside the store, taking the chance to examine the building as I do.
Going by the lettering on the roof, this place is apparently called "Safe Journeys", and now that I'm close enough to see through the wall-sized windows, I can tell that it appears to specialize in travel necessities. Seems like a weird kind of store to set up in the middle of a modern city, but I suppose in a world where preteens are actively encouraged to go wandering around the country on their own for months on end, this is probably a pretty common type of business to see around just in general. I wouldn't be all that surprised if there turned out to be a store like this in literally every city in the region, honestly.
I shift my focus to the poster I noticed before. According to it, this place's so-called Adventure Bags are now new and improved, capable of carrying even more items than before... regardless of their size or weight? Wait, how the heck is that supposed to work-
My eyes widen. Hang on, is this poster telling me that bags of holding are a thing in this world?! I mean, if I think about it, that might actually make perfect sense — it's basically the same principle that Pokeballs operate of, and would neatly explain how Ash and company manage to tote around tents, food supplies, and even fold-out furniture with them, despite clearly not having room in their packs for all that — but still, that's... that's awesome! Now I really want one!
My excitement dims slightly as I remember the inherent issue with that. Yeah, I want one, but the question is, how do I get one? As previously noted, I don't have any money, and as a Mawile, I can't exactly just go get a day job. Buying one is flat out.
For a moment I consider simply going inside, grabbing a bag, and silently pleading with the nearest cashier to let me have it. However, while the technique of simply looking and acting cute has been working pretty well to get me food so far, a piece of dessert or a small free sample is a rather different proposition from what's probably a decently expensive piece of traveling equipment, especially since there's no obvious reason that I, a Pokemon, would want/need it. I don't think that strategy's going to work here.
Hrm... I might be able to steal a bag, I guess, but... must I? I mean, Paul was at least an acceptable target; that was practically just karma catching up to him. I'm significantly less eager to steal from a place that's done me no similar wrong however, and which may or may not even deserve it, as it feels significantly less justified.
I sigh. That said, I think I'm just going to have to get over it. Unless I'm giving up on getting a bag at all — which I really don't want to, because 1) I truly do need an accessory for at least the time being to make sure no one else gets catch happy with me, and 2) bag of holding — I don't really have any other options available to me here. Hell, if I ever do find a map, I'll probably have to steal that as well, which I hadn't actually thought about up until just now. I can't afford to feel bad about this.
Trying to keep a hold of that perspective, I walk over to the store's entrance. Thankfully, the door here appears to be automatic, and thus doesn't require me to sit around waiting for someone to come help me open it — though, I do still have to jump and wave my arms a few times to get the overhead sensor to recognize my presence.
Once I'm through the door, I step into the shop and take a quick look around. As befitting of the place's name, most of the items on display appear to be various types of camping and outdoor equipment, including clothes, tents, flashlights, sleeping bags, water bottles, rations, and more.
...it also appears to be entirely empty of patrons at the moment, which I suppose is a good thing, considering what I'm about to do.
I find the advertised Adventure Bags pretty easily — they're apparently the store's premium item, and as such are set out on several large shelves right next to the check-out counter. Which also appears to be abandoned at the moment, oddly enough. Weird, is this place actually closed right now, and they just forgot to lock up or something? I mean, it's pretty convenient for me that there's apparently no one here, but it's honestly a little unsettling...
Unsure how to feel about my apparent good fortune, I set it aside and start looking through the available bags. There's a staggering degree of sizes and styles on display, featuring everything from hip-pouches to sling bags to something I swear looks like it's meant to be worn on the back of one's head, but the kind I think will probably work best for me are the ones that look rather like miniature duffel bags. Based on their size, I imagine they're usually meant to be carried by hand, but at my height, I think I might be able to use one as a sort of improvised backpack, with the handles substituting as straps.
Not wanting to risk spending any more time here than necessary, I quickly reach up with my still-closed horns to swipe one of the bags in question off the shelf, picking out a vivid teal one simply by virtue of it being the only one close enough for me to actually reach this way. Hate being this short...
As I pick the fallen bag up off the floor, I note that according to the price tag, it's supposed to cost 5500 Pokedollars each. I'm not exactly sure what that equates to in terms of currency I'm more familiar with — my best guess would be 55 dollars, assuming that Pokemon money directly translates to yen — but since I currently have 0 Pokedollars, I guess it doesn't really matter that much.
With the bag now actually in my hands, my guilt at the idea of just taking it and walking out returns — to my considerable irritation, as I'm well aware that it's not particularly logical. I mean, this place looks pretty well off; I doubt it's going to terribly miss the profits from a single missing item. Besides, I'm a Pokemon now, aren't I? I no longer qualify as a member of human society, and as such, its rules no longer apply to me, meaning this isn't really stealing, so much as just... foraging, right? Right! All I'm really doing is looking for things to help me get by, and as an "animal", I can't be blamed if I have no way of obtaining those things without taking them from someone else. This a perfectly natural thing for me to do; nothing immoral about it.
...alright yeah that's a terrible argument; this is absolutely stealing, but I'm not going to let that actually stop me from doing it. Just have to-
"Hmm, what an unusual-looking little customer to come back to."
I jump in alarm and whirl around, only to belatedly realize that the check-out counter is no longer abandoned — there's now a tall girl in what looks to be her late teens standing behind it, her gaze firmly locked on me. Her light green hair has been put up in a high ponytail, and over top of her simple white blouse sits a bright red vest, a name tag pinned to the front reading "Kiara". Oh no, an employee-!
As I stand there, all but frozen in place at having been caught red-handed, the girl continues to stare at me, absently blowing a strand of hair out of her face before speaking.
"Hey there little... whatever kind of Pokemon you are." she starts, sounding rather bemused. "Sorry to say, but I'm afraid that bag isn't for you. Mind putting it back?"
My grip on said bag only tightens. Damn it, I probably could have gotten out just fine if I hadn't been so busy justifying my own decision to myself!
"Come on, don't make this difficult." the girl says, stepping out from behind the counter.
I shrink back from her. What do I do here? I suppose I might still be able to just take the bag and run, assuming I can somehow lose this girl if she tries to chase me. If I do that now though, after already having been noticed, I might get in actual trouble for it — I may theoretically have "immunity" to the law right now, but there's only so far I can realistically push that before it gets me in hot water anyways. If I don't run however-
Before I can finish fully considering my options, the girl — Kiara — steps forward and kneels down to grab at the bag in my hands. I pull away, but her reach considerably outstrips mine, and she manages to get a hold of it anyways.
"You need to let go now, alright?" Kiara says softly, lightly tugging at the miniature satchel. "Seriously, nothing against you, but you can't just take this."
I grit my teeth, but with no way to get her to let go that I can really see ending well, I reluctantly release my hold on the bag. Kiara smiles at me.
"See, was that so hard?" she asks, standing back up and turning to place the bag back on the shelf.
I narrow my eyes, not willing to give up just yet. Plan A has apparently failed, and if this girl is just going to be hovering around the area now then I probably can't salvage it. Even if I don't have much hope for it however, I suppose Plan B is probably still worth a shot...
As soon as Kiara turns back around, I activate Fake Tears. Massive droplets of water immediately begin welling up from my eyes, which quickly succumb to gravity and start pouring down the sides of my face like miniature waterfalls. For extra effect, I also add a few sniffling, sobbing sounds to simulate full-on crying, hoping that might help sell it. Come on, pity me!
Kiara does look rather taken aback upon seeing me abruptly burst into tears, and for a second I think that my act is actually going to work. Her surprise rapidly fades away however, and is soon replaced by clear exasperation, to the point that she even rolls her eyes at me.
"Hey now, no Fake Tears. You'll make the floors all wet, and I'll be the one who ends up having to clean them up."
Having been nigh-instantly called out on my fakery, I slump, allowing the floodgates to close again. Kiara smirks as she sees the flow of tears cut out.
"That's what I thought." she says teasingly. "You're a cute one and all, but I've seen way too many pretend tantrums from my own partner at this point to not recognize a fake cry from a real one."
I squint up at her. Seriously? I didn't really expect that to work to begin with, but I actually had to run into the one person familiar enough with the move to immediately call me out on it? Not fair...
Kiara starts to move away, but I grab onto her leg to stop her, prompting her to glance down and meet my gaze again.
"Pleeeeease let me have the bag?" I ask, looking up at her with shining, still-wet eyes.
"Ooh, finally talking, hmm?" Kiara hums. "Glad to hear it... wish I could understand you. Would make this conversation feel a lot less one-sided."
She pulls away and moves back behind the counter, while I pout for a moment at her incomprehension and move in front of said counter, still hoping to somehow leave this store with the item I came in for. I can't reach any of the small bags now, so I need this girl to willingly give me back the one she just took... though, I'm admittedly kind of short on ideas of how to do that without resorting to either force or intimidation, neither of which I can see working out terribly well for me in the long run.
"You know, my boss isn't terribly fond of letting Pokemon wander around his shop unsupervised." Kiara idly notes, leaning over the glass front of the counter to meet my eyes again. "Lucky for you, I'm the only one here at the moment, and I think that's a stupid rule, so feel free to hang out for a little while and keep me company."
Um. That's... nice of her, I guess? I don't exactly plan on sticking around though.
"So, what brings you in here anyways?" Kiara continues, resting her face against her palm. "At first I thought maybe you smelled some of the food, but pretty much everything in here is sealed up to make sure it stays good, so that can't be it. Besides, you don't really seem to care about any of that stuff anyways."
"Correct." I flatly reply. "I just want a bag."
"Hmm.... you're not just wandering around randomly, so you're probably not lost, right?" Kiara continues to muse.
I tilt my head back and groan. Not being able to speak "human" anymore is proving to be even more inconvenient than I expected it to be. This would be so much easier if I could just talk to her directly... in fact, are there any pencils or pens in here?
I look around, but there appears to be a serious lack of writing utensils in the vicinity — I'm in the wrong type of store for that sort of thing to just be lying around, I guess. Still, surely there's something in here I can use... maybe Kiara can lend me something, assuming I can communicate at least that much to her?
Looking up at the girl still staring at me from over the counter top, I attempt to mime writing something on a sheet of paper, holding one hand flat and "scribbling" on it with the other. I then point at her, cup my hands together, and bring them back towards myself.
"What are you- are you trying to tell me something?" Kira asks, raising an eyebrow.
I nod, then repeat my previous gestures again.
"Scratches? A list?" Kiara guesses. "No, wait... writing? Instructions? A pencil?"
I nod again, more fervently this time. Yes...
"Me... a person? A trainer? This store? You... taking something? Getting something?"
More nodding. Yes...!
Kiara's eyes widen in realization. "Oh! Are you trying to tell me your trainer instructed you to come here and pick up something from the store?"
I stare at her for a moment, wondering how exactly she ended up at that conclusion, before sighing heavily. No...
"Huh, that's actually pretty cool." Kiara continues, only getting further from the mark. "Though, Pokemon or not, you do still have to pay for anything you're planning on buying, so next time your trainer needs to send you along with some actual money."
She smirks. "Wonder how that slipped their mind. They must be pretty clever if they managed to teach you all that, after all."
Disheartened, I look down and shake my head. I should probably just give this up as a bad job at this point. Stealing didn't work, begging didn't work, and honestly, even if I could talk to this girl properly, I doubt she'd be willing to let me just take what I want and leave. There's no point in sticking around any longer.
Kiara blinks. "Wait, no? They're not clever? Or... are you saying you don't have a trainer?"
I quickly snap my gaze back up. How would she- she thinks that was what I was shaking my head at? Crap, that's definitely not the impression I wanted to give her if she's actually a trainer herself.
I start to shake my head again in an attempt to correct her, but before I can even twitch my neck, Kiara looks away from me and slaps her hand to her forehead.
"So you're wild then." she mutters. "I've been standing here having a conversation with a wild Pokemon for the past several minutes. This job really is driving me stir crazy."
I pause. Wait, what? What is the connection between those two statements? I think I've made it pretty clear by now that I can understand her, and people talk to wild Pokemon all the time in the show. Why would she call that crazy?
"No, hang on, you can't be totally wild, right?" Kiara continues, seemingly talking to herself more than me at this point. "A released Pokemon, maybe? But why come in here then? Did you just want some sort of souvenir, or...?"
She stops, then leans back over the counter and smiles at me again.
"You know what?" she says brightly, as though having suddenly had an idea. "Wait right here. I've got something for you."
Kiara steps away from the counter, and I hear a door open somewhere behind it, probably to some sort of back room. I can't actually tell, since I'm too short to see over the counter itself.
Regardless, I immediately turn around to leave the shop, mostly out of concern that the "something" Kiara just spoke of might turn out to be a Pokeball. I only make it a few feet however before Kiara returns, having been gone for no more than a few seconds.
"Here we are." she says as she steps back out from behind the counter, revealing that she's now holding a long, red length of soft-looking fabric. Is that a scarf?
"This was slightly damaged when the store received it." Kiara says, again seemingly more for her own benefit than mine. "Just a couple of frayed threads that were easy enough to restitch, but apparently we still can't sell it. So, if you were looking for a souvenir..."
Kiara suddenly kneels down in front of me again and starts wrapping the scarf around the thin tube that connects my horns to the rest of my head. The unexpected close contact startles me, but in the interest of both keeping up my current "cute" persona and not accidentally maiming someone who doesn't deserve it, I manage to refrain from doing anything hasty. Besides, I... guess I'm being given a gift right now? Though, I'm not exactly sure why she's wrapping it around the base of my horns rather than my neck...
After a surprisingly long time spent doing... something, Kiara steps away from me, allowing the feather-light pressure of the scarf to settle just behind my skull. Placing one hand on her chin, she tilts her head and seems to appraise me for a moment, then nods in apparent satisfaction.
"Perfect! As good as the local groomer's work, I think."
...the local groomer? Hold on, what exactly did she just do?
I roll my eyes up and backwards, trying to get a view of the scarf. While my peripheral vision is better than it was when I was human however, it doesn't extend quite that far — I still cannot see the literal back of my head.
Giving up on that, I instead start looking around for a nearby reflective surface, and quickly spot the display case built into the nearby check-out counter. Though not exactly a mirror, the glass is relatively clear, and conveniently already at my height. That'll probably do.
I walk over to the case and step in front of the pane. My partially-transparent reflection enters it in sync, whereupon it immediately becomes apparent what Kiara was referring to: rather than being wrapped up like one would normally expect, the bright red scarf has instead been tied and styled into an oversized bow, which sits at the base of my horns like a huge, fancy, and surprisingly sturdy-looking hairband.
"See? Now you're even cuter." Kiara says with a wide smile.
I turn and give her a flat look. Cuter in the sense that I now look less like a Pokemon and more like a tiny roving Christmas present, yes, I suppose so. If that's what you were aiming for, then I applaud you.
"Keep it." Kiara says, oblivious to my own feelings on the matter. "My gift to you for being the most interesting thing that's happened here all week."
I suddenly hear the sound of a door opening somewhere else in the building. Kiara's head rapidly twists in the noise's direction.
"...that's probably my boss coming back from lunch, so you need to get out of here now." she urges, leaning down and physically pushing me back towards the front door. "Seriously, he'll throw a fit if he finds out I didn't shoo you out earlier; go go go!"
Honestly rather grateful for the chance to leave at this point, I hurry back towards the entrance, making my way out of the store as quickly as I can. Passing by a startled couple standing outside the door, I move around the corner of the building and onto the adjoining sidewalk, then duck behind an empty bench encircled by a couple of rounded bushes planted in the concrete. It's not exactly proper cover, but it's the best I can really do.
Grimacing in annoyance, I bring my maw forward and try to remove the somewhat absurd-looking scarf-bow now tied around its base. Unfortunately, my arms don't even reach the top of my head, much less the back of it, making this a somewhat hopeless proposition to attempt on my own. I need help...
My hand drifts down to my right leg as I consider calling out Chimchar and getting his assistance with this, perhaps after going back to the alleyway from earlier first so that no one happens to see a Mawile suddenly pull out a Pokeball. After a few more moments of thought however, I decide to maybe wait on that for now — as well as on removing the scarf-bow in general, for that matter.
I wave my horns around behind me, feeling the ends of the scarf brush at my neck. Sure, I'm not terribly fond of the idea of walking around looking like a tiny yellow dress-up doll, but given the role I've been playing since arriving in this city, looking even more "cutesy" can likely only help me right now. Plus, even if it's not nearly as useful as one of those bags would have been, a scarf does at least fulfill the criteria of being a "human" accessory to signify that I'm not a wild Pokemon. I'll probably take it out of its current arrangement at some point, but for the time being, I suppose I can leave it as is.
Besides... it's kind of nice to finally have something that's mine again. That I didn't steal, I mean.
The ear-splitting wail of a siren suddenly kicks up from somewhere down the street. I panic and dive behind the nearest bush for a moment, before remembering that I've really done nothing thus far that would warrant those being for me. I mean, unless those kids went to the police...
Standing back up and peeking around the side of the bush, I calm further as I realize that the siren isn't coming from a police car, but from an approaching fire truck — I guess there is a purpose to the roads here after all. It speeds past my hiding spot fast enough to kick up wind its wake before continuing all the way down the street, heading for what I think is the outskirts of the city.
...huh. Wonder what that's about?
For a chapter I expected to be fairly easy to get on paper, this took an awful lot of replanning and rewriting to finish. I also didn't expect what was basically just one long, extended scene to end up taking up the entirety of it, but somehow that's what happened anyways. Thus, a bit of a slow update this time — no worries though, things should pick back up a little next chapter.
A huge thanks to @Pheonix14, @Warclam, Henry Branscombe, and my five other patrons not named here, as well as an extra special thanks to a certain generous patron who wishes to remain unnamed. Each of them receives a pouch-sized Adventure Bag (max limit: ~15 items) in a color of their choosing. Please do not attempt to store one of these inside of another; I don't want to have to think about the potential ramifications of doing so, and thus would prefer to just avoid such a situation altogether. 👝
A huge thanks to @Pheonix14, @Warclam, Henry Branscombe, and my five other patrons not named here, as well as an extra special thanks to a certain generous patron who wishes to remain unnamed. Each of them receives a pouch-sized Adventure Bag (max limit: ~15 items) in a color of their choosing. Please do not attempt to store one of these inside of another; I don't want to have to think about the potential ramifications of doing so, and thus would prefer to just avoid such a situation altogether. 👝
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- Location
- Somewhere other than where I am.
Then she could write "Mawile ma wile ma!", because you just know that's what she'd get.
Krazyfan1
Worrying for the future.
- Location
- Australia
Alternatively, she could draw pictures.
- Location
- Out in the banjoes
If I had to guess, it's slightly possible fire may be involved.
At the very least, Chimchar isn't involved due to still being tucked in Flairwile's fur. That's the only reason I can think of to get involved as a part Steel-type.
Unless... Well, that Momma Urasaring probably still holds a grudge, so even less of a reason.
Can't say I've really watched that season of the show, so I don't know if there was a forest fire episode that Paul may need to have worried about, but I'm sure not having a Fire-Type present for that sort of thing would still be okay. On the other hand, it's Paul, so if anything happened to him then cue *sarcastic "Oh noooo"*.
Mawile can write. See here: