Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

Junia’s Tales of Misfits and Mimikyu: CH04

“Hmm-hMmmM~! HmM-hmMm~”Junia hummed, her voice discordant and breaking on occasion. She had actually wanted to sing, but as it turned out, even Chief Redstone’s serenity had its limits.

The girl was currently sitting by the side of a Bouffalant-pulled carriage with her feet dangling off the edge — a mostly wooden construct with metal sleds adorning the sides that could be raised and lowered to traverse the sandy wastes as necessary.

The past few days had mostly been spent travelling from oasis to oasis with the sort of unfathomable deftness that only a tribe of nomads knew, visiting other, smaller scale settlements and tribes of desertfolk scattered all around the Castelian Desert.

That was pretty much the primary function of Redstone and his caravan, to act as a thread connecting all the disparate people living in and around the desert. 

At times, they would transfer hay to Sett-16 for milk and corn. And at times, they might even transport ore and manure to the cities for processing. It wasn’t the most efficient nor lucrative arrangement for both Redstone and the settlers. But they had been the first to offer help when Junia and her people began laying down roots by the edge of the Lostlorn Forest way back when, and so, there was a degree of trust that was pre-established.

As Junia’s pa liked to say; “Better to deal with a Boufallant from the front than a Liepard at your back.”

“The desert’s real big huh, Tumbleweed?”

“K̵͙̰̽͂ÿ̷͈͔̝́̒u̵̠͛ų̵̺͖͛u̸̗͉̰̓.̵̺̼̬͆̀̄.̵̰̖̰́̽.̴̬̦̀͒̕”

“Feels like I’ve been surrounded by it all my life and yet I’ve never actually been in it, you know?” It was a strange feeling, Junia should be jaded, she should be bored of this unchanging scenery… And yet, she wasn’t. 

There was just something about this vast sea of gold that never ceased to amaze her; the way that waves of sand undulated like water, the ever shifting landscape, and the people and Pokemon who somehow managed to make a life out here in these desolate wastes.

“They say that the wandering spirits of our ancestors like to hide gold amongst the sands, to entice those foolish enough to sift through the desert grains for its hidden bounty.” A voice came from behind her, deep and gravelly.

“Chief Redstone… Did you ever find any? Grains of gold?” The nomad liked telling stories like these — it was what kept Junia occupied all throughout their travels together.

“No, but when the wiyvsgi, your people, first came, they ventured out into the sands to look. What they found, however, was not golden nuggets but black ichor instead.”

“Oil…” Junia murmured. “Not really worth much these days but it must’ve been quite a fortune back in the day.”

Redstone scoffed. “To desecrate the land for wealth… You wiyvsgi are ever so foolish.” The word ‘wiyvsgi’ stood for outsider, the term that Redstone and his people used to describe the Galarian settlers who invaded from across the oceans way back when.

It was not necessarily a derogatory thing, though Redstone and the other native humans of the land did like to think of themselves as the true children of Unova.

“Our ancestors, they considered Pokemon to be the masters of the land. We hunted them for meat, squeezed them for milk and plucked them for feathers. But never once have we sought to take more than the land was willing to give.”

Junia nodded along. She had heard this story about half a dozen times before. It was Redstone’s favorite tale to tell — a reminder of why they were and how that came to be.

“Our mistake,” the nomadic chief continued, “was that we never thought to live together with them in harmony — to build a society together where humans and Pokemon stood shoulder to shoulder and lived hand in hand like true children of the same motherland.” He breathed out in sorrow.

“When the wiyvsgi invaded, they brought with them mastery over Pokemon, our arrows like feathers against their hides and blades like glass against stone.” Redstone wondered how history would have been had they joined forces with the true masters of this land sooner.

Junia tuned him out and reached a hand into Tumbleweed’s costume, to seek comfort in his chilling and eerie tendrils of shadow. “Next, he’s gonna yap about the corruptive influences of modern technology on the youth…”

“Our numbers, they dwindle by the day—”

“Yup.”

“—Our youths, they go out on their adanvdoi and come back changed, blinded by the luster of colorful screens and neon lights… They seek to assimilate us into the wider world and forsake our culture — our history.”

Redstone sighed. “And when the wisdom of our ancestors stands firm against the tides of change, they leave… Never allow yourself to forget your roots, young aniyvwi, for that is how one loses their way back home…”

And thus, that was how Junia spent her time on that barren, invisible trail of gold. Until finally, they reached the last settlement of their caravan’s journey; a little mining town nestled between the crags of a massive red and orange sandstone monolith standing proudly amidst an ocean of sand.

“Woah…” And when Redstone was kind enough to Fly Junia up onto the monolith’s peak, she could see in the distance a forest of heaven piercing steel pillars, bouncing sunlight straight off its exterior of glass and metal.

“That is the goal you seek, little one. Castelia City — the jewel of the wiyvsgi,” said the old nomad as he swooped his hands to the side, where a black line parted the desert in half, like a wound inflicted upon the world by a sinister blade. “And that, that is by far the most accursed scheme that your people have ever conceived — a foolish act of rebellion against the land!”

“Join Avenue and the Desert Resort…” Junia nodded. “Honestly, no objections here. I remember reading on the Pokenet that even folks in the city like to call it the shiniest of Copperajahs. Thirty years on and the project still ain’t done yet.”

Part of it was because of how fickle the desert’s landscape was. After all, there was only so much Ground and Rock Type Pokemon could do against the wrath of nature itself. “Like the chief said, a foolish act of rebellion.” 

Had they been more sensible and simply constructed the Avenue along uneven stretches of solid land, things would have been different. But nope, gotta have a perfectly straight line right in the middle. The result? Sunken foundations and constantly collapsing buildings.

“Are you sure you do not wish for me to escort you to the city’s gates?” Redstone asked, his usually stoic voice tinged with concern.

Junia beamed while Tumbleweed creaked. “Yup! Ain’t really a journey lest I get to pump my legs a little, y’know?”

The man nodded. “Very well. Then I ask that you stay the night and set off at dawn. It should be a two day trek from here to the adelanv-dayvdi, provided your bearings hold true. And before we part, allow me to bestow a blessing upon your adanvdoi.”

Redstone reached into his feathery skirt and retrieved the familiar spherical form of a Pokeball, one whose shell was painted with all sorts of colorful, inky patterns.

Junia gasped. “Gosh, that’s a stunning looking Pokeball you got there, chief! A gift for me? Truly?!”

The chief nodded. “Yes, it is our tradition to gift our youths a useful tool on the eve of their adanvdoi. It used to be arrowheads and daggers during my ancestors’ time. But these days, Pokeballs are much more practical.” The elderly nomad chortled with a cheeky little wink. “See? Even we have learned how to change with the times.”

Junia laughed along and thanked the man profusely for his generosity before the two of them quieted down to admire the glowing sunset in the distant horizon.

***

“oLd MacDONALD hAd a fArM~!”

“Ḿ̵͎̖̦̈́̀ͅỉ̷͔̹̏̒m̴̗͍̞̝̝̐í̷̡̭̼͜-̴̨̟̪́̀̓́̒m̵͓̘̋́̈̄i̵̧̻̖̰̲͠m̷̲̂͗ï̸̦ͅ~̸̩̮̩̑͜͝ ̷̛̤͔̉̍̽͘K̶̨̐́̉̈́͗y̸͓͂̋̍̈ụ̸̟͖͈̲͐̚u̷͈̘͎͋u̸̧͍̯̹͘ͅu̸̺̓͌̌̎̕~̴̟̗̰̀!̸̗̀̓”

“with A MimIkYu HERE! And a mImIKYU theRE!”

“M̶̦͓̏̾̓͜í̵̞̤̜͐͑m̷̰̦̊ĩ̵̤̮̥͋ḳ̴́̑͘y̴͎͙͂̀̃ú̸͙̲̤̇!̷̳͝ͅ ̶͔̣̊M̷̥̺̀͘i̵̢̜̞͊m̸̯͕̖̏͠i̸̝̦̽͋k̵̦̞̏y̶̳̙̎͒u̵͙̔!̷̬̼̈͘͝ ̸̧̖̑͝M̷͈̈́i̷̧̠̜̇m̶̜͛̈̋ḭ̸̻̲͌̒͝-̵̲̿̋͝m̴̺̟̀͂̒į̷̽̐m̴̗̜̀͒i̷̭̥̠͘͝-̴̠̉̑m̶̖̜̤͆ī̸̧̪̜͆̋m̵̮͓̉̀͗͜i̵̺̬̩̾̑̄ḳ̷̅͘y̵̟͔̼̅ư̷̢̪̆!̴͙͖̈́”

“OlD mACdoNAld HAd a fArM~!”

“Ḿ̵͎̖̦̈́̀ͅỉ̷͔̹̏̒m̴̗͍̞̝̝̐í̷̡̭̼͜-̴̨̟̪́̀̓́̒m̵͓̘̋́̈̄i̵̧̻̖̰̲͠m̷̲̂͗ï̸̦ͅ~̸̩̮̩̑͜͝ ̷̛̤͔̉̍̽͘K̶̨̐́̉̈́͗y̸͓͂̋̍̈ụ̸̟͖͈̲͐̚u̷͈̘͎͋u̸̧͍̯̹͘ͅu̸̺̓͌̌̎̕~̴̟̗̰̀!̸̗̀̓”

The discordant tune echoed throughout the desert, like a tear in reality, a horrid nightmare, or torture against one’s soul.

All around the dastardly culprits, Pokemon cowered in fear, cried out in anguish or ran away in horror. But further up ahead, nestled snugly underneath a cozy rock, a reptilian figure stirred, having been rudely awoken from his peaceful slumber.

“Scraaag…” The reptile hissed out in disdain then burst out of his abode with gaping red eyes, veins throbbing from anger.

“Scrag! Scraggy!” With a haughty pull of the drooping skin hanging from his waist, the dusty yellow lizard flung his head round and around to trace the origins of this heinous noise.

“oLd MacDONALD hAd a fArM~!”

“Ḿ̵͎̖̦̈́̀ͅỉ̷͔̹̏̒m̴̗͍̞̝̝̐í̷̡̭̼͜-̴̨̟̪́̀̓́̒m̵͓̘̋́̈̄i̵̧̻̖̰̲͠m̷̲̂͗ï̸̦ͅ~̸̩̮̩̑͜͝ ̷̛̤͔̉̍̽͘K̶̨̐́̉̈́͗y̸͓͂̋̍̈ụ̸̟͖͈̲͐̚u̷͈̘͎͋u̸̧͍̯̹͘ͅu̸̺̓͌̌̎̕~̴̟̗̰̀!̸̗̀̓”

Then, he saw it, a lone figure approaching from the distance, an ominous black Aura blaring all around them.

“Scrag… Scraggy…” The Scraggy narrowed his eyes in hesitation. This was it, probably the most daunting battle of his life. His instincts blared, dread washing over him at the thought that he might lose his life from the upcoming struggle.

“Man! Mandibuzz…”

“Saaand!”

“Pat! Paaaat!”

But hearing the cries of anguish sounding out from all around him, Scraggy shut his eyes tight and found his resolve. He would not allow such embodiment of evil to desecrate their land any further!

“SCRAG! SCRAAAAG!!!” With a powerful cry, the Scraggy emboldened himself with Swagger and charged forwards to meet his doom.

Meanwhile, as Junia was leisurely trudging along the sandy dune, all while serenading the land with her beautiful voice, she suddenly felt a pinch on her shoulder as Mimikyu gestured towards the distance.

“Hmmm? What’s up, Tumbleweed?”

“Ḱ̵̛̙̖͇͗̒̚y̴̤̳̋̈́̕ư̵̯͔̇̓͒!̵̙̊̍̉͐ ̸͔̥̉̌̓̈́̔M̷̢̘̘͋̃̋̍i̷̟̘̤͉̙͐m̵̖̻̩̔i̸̛̫̽k̵̼̜̻̫̊ÿ̶͚̜̤́̓̚u̵͚͐!̸͔͈͋̀̓”

Junia squinted her eyes against the glaring sun and looked towards the surge of sand and debris rushing her way. “Huh? That supposed to be a Whirlipede or something?”

“M̷̫̱̝̍͆͛̊ī̸̡̱̝͙̕m̴̤̔ḭ̸͇̞̝̈́̐̊!̵̭̙̝̇̔͊ ̶̟̌̄̀̕M̷̧̦͍̖͐͒i̷̦͋̊̃ḿ̵͖͕̑͒í̶̠̱̄̊k̴̡͓̺̗͐̍͘y̷͖̩̙͑ú̶̪̺̒̚!̸̻̖̊́̅”

But before the girl could get a good grasp on her circumstances, she was tackled out of the way by her partner, saving her from the dangerous blur of yellow that narrowly blew past her head.

“W-What in tarnation?!”

“Ḱ̵̛̙̖͇͗̒̚y̴̤̳̋̈́̕ư̵̯͔̇̓͒!̵̙̊̍̉͐ ̸͔̥̉̌̓̈́̔M̷̢̘̘͋̃̋̍i̷̟̘̤͉̙͐m̵̖̻̩̔i̸̛̫̽k̵̼̜̻̫̊ÿ̶͚̜̤́̓̚u̵͚͐!̸͔͈͋̀̓”

Tumbleweed, not appreciating the threat to his partner’s life, countered immediately with an Astonish, striking against the side of their assailant and sending him crashing against the ground.

“Scraaaag!”

“A-A Scraggy?! Is this… A Pokemon battle?!” Junia exclaimed as she jumped up in excitement. “We got our first challenger, Tumbleweed! Time to show off what we got!” Because if Scraggy learned of how strong they were, maybe she could persuade the mon to join her team.

“Ḱ̵̛̙̖͇͗̒̚y̴̤̳̋̈́̕ư̵̯͔̇̓͒!̵̙̊̍̉͐ ̸͔̥̉̌̓̈́̔M̷̢̘̘͋̃̋̍i̷̟̘̤͉̙͐m̵̖̻̩̔i̸̛̫̽k̵̼̜̻̫̊ÿ̶͚̜̤́̓̚u̵͚͐!̸͔͈͋̀̓”

The Mimikyu cried out in affirmation and swung a Wood Hammer against his opponent with gusto. Tumbleweed was looking forward to making new friends too!

Scraggy, shaken from his failed assault, was able to recover just fast enough to barely dodge a direct hit from the wooden mallet, the impact barely grazing the trousers of his excess skin.

Not knowing that Mimikyus were immune to Normal Type moves, Scraggy fought back with a Headbutt with his sturdy skull purely out of habit. But in the end, all it managed to achieve was a creaky squish of Tumbleweed’s disguise as he was sent crashing against the desert from inertia.

“M̷̫̱̝̍͆͛̊ī̸̡̱̝͙̕m̴̤̔ḭ̸͇̞̝̈́̐̊!̵̭̙̝̇̔͊ ̶̟̌̄̀̕M̷̧̦͍̖͐͒i̷̦͋̊̃ḿ̵͖͕̑͒í̶̠̱̄̊k̴̡͓̺̗͐̍͘y̷͖̩̙͑ú̶̪̺̒̚!̸̻̖̊́̅”

A sinister claw of darkness emerged from the abyssal folds of Tumbleweed’s disguise, to rake against the Scraggy with barely a scratch — Shadow Claw. The Mimikyu was unaware of the Dark and Fighting nature of the Scraggy either, and without a Pokedex in hand nor an encyclopedic knowledge of Pokemon, Junia was unable to advise him.

“Yeah! You go, Tumbleweed! Use Double Team and get in close with a Shadow Sneak!” The girl cheered as her mind desperately tried to recall all the things that she learned of her partner’s capabilities over the past month.

“Ḱ̵̛̙̖͇͗̒̚y̴̤̳̋̈́̕ư̵̯͔̇̓͒!̵̙̊̍̉͐ ̸͔̥̉̌̓̈́̔M̷̢̘̘͋̃̋̍i̷̟̘̤͉̙͐m̵̖̻̩̔i̸̛̫̽k̵̼̜̻̫̊ÿ̶͚̜̤́̓̚u̵͚͐!̸͔͈͋̀̓”

Tumbleweed cried out in affirmation and did as he was told, flitting so fast that a mirage formed before both Mimikyus disappeared into the shadows and reappeared around the Scraggy from both fronts.

“Scrag! Scraggy-scrag!” The Scraggy cried out in astonishment and desperately raised the folds of his skin trousers in a panic to defend against the strike.

Tumbleweed’s mirage pivoted, striking down from the front while the real Tumbleweed at the back struck down on Scraggy’s undefended head. The shedding Pokemon was, unfortunately, not old enough to have sufficiently long skin to provide full defensive coverage of his body.

“Scraaag!” The Ghost Type move was not so effective but it did still hurt all the same.

“Keep it up, Tumbleweed! Wood Hammer!”

“Ḱ̵̛̙̖͇͗̒̚y̴̤̳̋̈́̕ư̵̯͔̇̓͒!̵̙̊̍̉͐”

“Scraaaag!”

The two pokemon continued to clash, Scraggy threw up a burst of sand to blind his opponent while Tumbleweed’s Wood Hammer whiffed and smashed down against nothing but desert and air.

“Baby-Doll Eyes!”

Tumbleweed whimpered with a discomforting creak and did his best impression of a Lillipup. But Scraggy was utterly unmoved and countered with a Scary Face in return, haughtily pulling against his trousers and sneering like a delinquent, imbuing his presence with malicious intent.

Junia’s Mimikyu faltered ever so slightly but came away relatively unaffected — he was already used to the looks of fear and disdain from both people and Pokemon after all.

“Ain’t nothin’ to it, Tumbleweed! Just gotta force our way through! Get in there with another Wood Hammer!”

The little scarecrow charged forth with his tail swinging and so did Scraggy, his weighty skull barrelling towards Tumbleweed like a supercharged missile.

But, with the sort of agile deftness of a Pokemon used to being hunted, Tumbleweed, lashed out with a shadowy tendril, dug his claws against the sand, spun out of the way and pivoted his makeshift tail-cum-bludgeon back around to land a full blown Wood Hammer cleanly against Scraggy’s unguarded flank.

SCRAGGY! SCRAAAAAG!!!” The Scraggy cried out in pain, for real this time, as he crashed into the sandy dunes with a sickening thud.

“M̷̫̱̝̍͆͛̊ī̸̡̱̝͙̕m̴̤̔ḭ̸͇̞̝̈́̐̊!̵̭̙̝̇̔͊ ̶̟̌̄̀̕M̷̧̦͍̖͐͒i̷̦͋̊̃ḿ̵͖͕̑͒í̶̠̱̄̊k̴̡͓̺̗͐̍͘y̷͖̩̙͑ú̶̪̺̒̚!̸̻̖̊́̅”

“I got it, Tumbleweed! It’s now or never!” Junia frantically expanded one of her Pokeballs, the ones that she got from Gwen’s Pokemart. She was planning to save Chief Redstone’s present for a special capture down the line.

“Alright, Junia, believe in yourself. Just do it like you practiced… You can do this!” With a final breath, the newly minted Pokemon Trainer wound her hand back and threw out her Pokeball, towards the limping Scraggy feebly trying to force himself back up onto his feet. 

“Let’s go, Pokeball!”

“Ḱ̵̛̙̖͇͗̒̚y̴̤̳̋̈́̕ư̵̯͔̇̓͒!̵̙̊̍̉͐ ̸͔̥̉̌̓̈́̔M̷̢̘̘͋̃̋̍i̷̟̘̤͉̙͐m̵̖̻̩̔i̸̛̫̽k̵̼̜̻̫̊ÿ̶͚̜̤́̓̚u̵͚͐!̸͔͈͋̀̓”

Tumbleweed cheered as the Pokeball landed, right on the Scraggy’s cracking thick skull and absorbed it in a flash of light. Junia had actually been aiming for the wild Pokemon’s chest but, oh well…

The Pokeball landed, shaking against the sand while the light in its button flickered. 3… 2… 1… and Thunk!

The shaking stopped and the lights dimmed, Junia and Tumbleweed stood frozen in disbelief under the glaring sun. And when the realisation finally hit, the pair cried out in celebratory cheers.

“HECK YEAH! WE DID IT, TUMBLEWEED!”

“M̷̢̆̃Ḭ̶̞͖̅̕Ĩ̵͔̆I̵͓͉͙͊̕Ḭ̸͋̅I̷̤̖͇͋̾Ĭ̸̟͚̙͆I̷̧̓̀͝I̶͍͉͂̓̄I̴̟̟͊!̴̤̗͜͠!̴̫̉̔͝!̴͚̩͒́͊ͅ!̷͎̣̇̈͒!̷̥̀̚!̸̧̤͒̈̃!̵̖̣̥̈́!̷̬̯̾”

The girl and her Mimikyu broke out into a little song and dance, further scaring away the dejected denizens of the desert who grieved silently for their fallen hero.

“Phew… Probably shouldn’t have gotten so riled up under this scorching heat…” Junia whined as she fell on her ass and began to greedily gulp down on what little remained of her water supply.

“M̴̧̛̻̭̏̍̈į̴̢͆̈͜m̸̛̺̙͌́͝ỉ̷̯̺̹̥͆-̸̞̹̱͙̒̏͘ḱ̸̥̼͕̖́y̴͍̝̤̖̏ù̶̯͇u̶͍̒ù̷͚̤̟́̾ủ̵̘̭̏̈̾.̷̩͚͊̄͘̚.̵͓́̿.̴̙̤̈͘”

“I know, Tumbleweed. We should find ourselves a Water friend at some point, lugging all this water around’s killer on my back…”

Junia couldn’t afford dimensional storage, so she had no choice but to do things the old fashioned way. So aside from a few sets of extra clothes, dried rations and the barest of survival gear, the rest was pretty much all dedicated to water — the most critical resource out in the desert.

The girl didn’t even have a tent on hand, only a nifty little sleeping bag that folded up super tight. Which wasn’t really an issue when she was tagging along with Redstone’s caravan. But out in the desert, she pretty much had to rely entirely on Tumbleweed to keep her safe and covered with shadows.

“Good thing we’ve just about made it to the city, and good thing you’re not too fussy about needing to eat and drink and all…”

“Ḱ̵̛̙̖͇͗̒̚y̴̤̳̋̈́̕ư̵̯͔̇̓͒!̵̙̊̍̉͐ ̸͔̥̉̌̓̈́̔M̷̢̘̘͋̃̋̍i̷̟̘̤͉̙͐m̵̖̻̩̔i̸̛̫̽k̵̼̜̻̫̊ÿ̶͚̜̤́̓̚u̵͚͐!̸͔͈͋̀̓”

“Yeah I know. Now that we got this new friend of ours, we’ll need to start packing stuff for them too. But first…” Junia pushed herself up with an oomph and trudged on over to pick up the inert Pokeball. “Gotta release ‘em and ask if they wanna join the team or not…” Because Pokemon had their own thoughts and feelings too, that was one phrase from Professor Nina that really stuck deep in Junia’s head.

“M̷̖̲̪͑į̷͙͆m̷̖͖̂̄̾̚ȉ̴̻̫͇-̸̳̀k̶͔͚͚̖̕y̵͉̝͘͝ǘ̶̡̬̮̙ù̵̳̖́̍!̶̘͙͓̇́͒͂”

“Yeah, first rule of Pokemon training. Don’t just catch a Pokemon and bring ‘em straight to a Pokecenter, ‘less they’re super hurt or anything — really freaks them out and gets them all traumatised.” 

One should always check up on the Pokemon at the site of capture to minimise that shock factor, especially if it was a catch and release situation, to avoid troubling the local Rangers. Or at least that’s what Junia saw on TV.

“Right, and we should prepare some treats beforehand just to show that we mean well…” Junia rummaged around in her bag to produce a tube of Pokeblock, and laid out a couple of the candy on a piece of cloth before standing by with a Potion in hand. 

“Scraggy looked really hurt from that big ol’ Wood Hammer you dished out — really proud of you by the way, buddy. I wouldn’t have thought to do that. Shows I still got a long way to go as a Pokemon Trainer, huh?”

“Ḱ̵̛̙̖͇͗̒̚y̴̤̳̋̈́̕ư̵̯͔̇̓͒!̵̙̊̍̉͐ ̸͔̥̉̌̓̈́̔M̷̢̘̘͋̃̋̍i̷̟̘̤͉̙͐m̵̖̻̩̔i̸̛̫̽k̵̼̜̻̫̊ÿ̶͚̜̤́̓̚u̵͚͐!̸͔͈͋̀̓”

“Hehe. Thanks, partner… Now it’s time for us to say hello to our new friend.” With a press of a button, the Pokeball popped open and deposited the haggard looking form of the Scraggy they fought earlier, eyes still sharp from adrenaline.

“Scrag… Scraggy, scrag!”

“Woah~ Easy there, pal… You’re still hurtin’ from that last battle. Best not to move around too much.” Junia gestured towards the Pokeblocks. “Here, got some yummy little candies for ya. And a Potion too, if you’ll let me use it on you.”

The girl smiled her best smile, making sure not to show any teeth as she did. Even Tumbleweed was considerate enough to stay silent and utterly still to avoid startling their potential new friend.

“Scrag…” Meanwhile, Scraggy maintained his wary gaze, still unsure of the girl’s intent.

“We didn’t mean to hurt you.” Junia continued. “But you came barrelling in like a Tauros and I thought that, you know? Maybe you were looking to find a strong trainer to travel with?” Wild Pokemon living so close to one of the main routes typically only challenged humans when they were looking to test them. Even an ignorant bumpkin like Junia knew that much.

The girl fluttered her eyelashes with a pleading gaze. “Are you? Looking for a trainer, I mean?” She asked, before hastily adding; “It’s okay if you’re not, so don’t feel pressured or anything! I’ll still heal you and let you go. Just thought I’d ask, y’know? Shoot my shot and all…”

“Scrag…” The Scraggy narrowed his eyes, all while clutching at the side of his body that got hammered just now. Then, with a painful wince, started miming a very dramatic bellowing motion.

Junia hummed in consideration. “Are you talking about my singing?”

“Scrag. Scraggy-scrag!” The reptile nodded.

“Hehehe… Was my singing so good that you wanted to come and get an autograph?”

“SCRAAAAG! Scraggy-scrag, scraaag!” The Scraggy responded by violently shaking his head and screeching out in anger.

Junia wilted. “So you attacked because you wanted me to stop singing?”

“Scrag!” Scraggy nodded once more, finally mollified now that he got his point across.

The girl and her Mimikyu sighed out in dejection, the sudden creak startling Scraggy off his feet and agitating his wounds.

“Oops. Sorry about that, Scraggy, Tumbleweed means well. It’s just that his costume’s a little noisy. Here, lemme heal you up first, then we can talk.”

With all the care she could muster, Junia gently caressed the injured Scraggy and began meticulously applying the Potion onto every part of him with even the slightest bit of pain, considerably softening Scraggy’s stance towards her as a result.

“Are you still hurt, Scraggy? If you want, I can take you to a Pokecenter to get properly healed up first ‘fore bringing you back home?”

“Scrag.” The Scraggy shook his head in denial.

“Alright…” Junia returned with a feeble smile and nuzzled longingly against the scaly reptile, the lone little floppy red scale on his spherical head scratching against her face. “Hehehe… You’re all bald and smooth up there, Scraggy — musta used that head a lot on the daily, huh?”

“Scrag, scraggy-scrag.”

“Hehe… Welp, I guess that’s it then, Scraggy… Sorry we got you all hurt and all. But maybe next time, don’t start things off with a Headbutt. Tumbleweed and I would’ve been happy to hear you out, you know?”

“Scrag!” The little delinquent lizard shook his head and pointed a finger at Tumbleweed.

“Huh? Do you wanna battle Tumbleweed again?”

“Scrag…” Scraggy jiggled his oversized head side to side to indicate that Junia’s guess wasn’t entirely right.

“So maybe you’re saying that you wanna train with Tumbleweed and get stronger alongside him?”

“Scrag! Scraggy-scrag!” The little yellow lizard bared his teeth and nodded firmly in affirmation.

Junia buzzed in barely contained excitement as she asked again for confirmation. “But that means joining the team and traveling the world with us. Are you really sure about that, Scraggy?”

“Scrag! Scraggy-scrag!”

Junia shuddered, her hands trembling in joy. “Nghhh… YIPPEEEEE!!!”

“M̷̢̆̃Ḭ̶̞͖̅̕Ĩ̵͔̆I̵͓͉͙͊̕Ḭ̸͋̅I̷̤̖͇͋̾Ĭ̸̟͚̙͆I̷̧̓̀͝I̶͍͉͂̓̄I̴̟̟͊!̴̤̗͜͠!̴̫̉̔͝!̴͚̩͒́͊ͅ!̷͎̣̇̈͒!̷̥̀̚!̸̧̤͒̈̃!̵̖̣̥̈́!̷̬̯̾”

Junia and Tumbleweed exploded once more. This time, with the girl throwing her brand new Scraggy high up into the air in unbridled joy. “Welcome to the team, Scraggy! Tumbleweed and I’ll be the bestest of friends and take good care of you!”

“Scrag! Scraggy-scrag, scrag!” The fussy Scraggy began squirming and pried himself out of Junia’s grasp before breaking out again in another round of charades.

“Uhuh. No more singing, gotcha. Well, actually…” Junia hummed in consideration. “I can’t promise you that I’ll stop singing entirely ‘cause sometimes it just kinda happens, y’know? But if you do catch me singing while you’re around, just gimme a good ol’ nudge and I’ll make sure to stop myself. That sound good to ya?”

“Scraaaaagg…” The Scraggy groaned, but ultimately nodded his head in agreement, figuring that this was probably the best he’d be able to get out of the girl.

“Yay! And that’s a promise from me to you, Scraggy!”

“Ḱ̵̛̙̖͇͗̒̚y̴̤̳̋̈́̕ư̵̯͔̇̓͒!̵̙̊̍̉͐ ̸͔̥̉̌̓̈́̔M̷̢̘̘͋̃̋̍i̷̟̘̤͉̙͐m̵̖̻̩̔i̸̛̫̽k̵̼̜̻̫̊ÿ̶͚̜̤́̓̚u̵͚͐!̸͔͈͋̀̓”

“Hehehe… Tumbleweed says he’ll try his darndest to avoid singing in front of you too.”

“Scraaaagg…”

“Next, we should give you a proper name, Scraggy. You got any ideas? What should we call you from here on out?”

“Scrag. Scraggy-scrag.”

“I’m guessing you don’t really know, huh?”

“Scrag.”

“Let’s see here… Howzabout Johnny? You kinda look like a Johnny to me.”

“Scrag! Scraggy-scrag, scrag!”

That’s settled then. From now on, you’re gonna be Johnny — our Johnny. Welcome to the team, Johnny!”

“Scrag! Scraggy!”

And so with a Mimikyu on her shoulder and a Scraggy by her side, Junia continued along her journey towards Castelia City.

However, as Junia was marching along…

“Huh-hmm, hUh-HuH… OLD MACDONALD hAd a fArM~!”

“Ḿ̵͎̖̦̈́̀ͅỉ̷͔̹̏̒m̴̗͍̞̝̝̐í̷̡̭̼͜-̴̨̟̪́̀̓́̒m̵͓̘̋́̈̄i̵̧̻̖̰̲͠m̷̲̂͗ï̸̦ͅ~̸̩̮̩̑͜͝ ̷̛̤͔̉̍̽͘K̶̨̐́̉̈́͗y̸͓͂̋̍̈ụ̸̟͖͈̲͐̚u̷͈̘͎͋u̸̧͍̯̹͘ͅu̸̺̓͌̌̎̕~̴̟̗̰̀!̸̗̀̓”

“SCRAG! SCRAAAAAGGYYYYYY!!!”

The discordant melodies simply erupted out of her, completely beyond her control, and invoked a desperate cry from their newfound companion.