Treasure Town ~ Woodland Outskirts

[Tanuki]

The people of Treasure Town had to be some of the most prejudicial he'd ever met—even rivaling his treatment back home! A simple beckoning strangers into a dark alley had them screaming for their lives, calling him that zangoose that "robbed" a store. This brutish, punitive "justice" system didn't end his sentence after his community service. It marked him a pariah for a simple mistake anybody could make.

Suffice it to say, not one person offered to help him, so he only had his own memory at his disposal. Maple had said something about moves in the woodlands, so to the outskirts he went. He didn't have the slightest hint of direction, but he trusted his luck. It can only stay bad for so long, after all.

 

[Namohysip]

The sun was at or just past its apex, casting precise yet glittering shadows on the ground that shifted any time the treetops moved to the wind. It was unnaturally quiet here. Celeste had mentioned something about an insane Rattata, perhaps one that had been infected? But it was gone now. Perhaps it traveled to another part of the forest? That could be a problem later, but for now, a new creature made itself known.

In a small clearing, there was a creature sitting down. Perhaps bipedal, with its legs crossed, but there was a large, thick, gray robe draped over him, to the point where he nearly looked like another boulder. It wasn't moving, but it wasn't slumped over and dead or asleep, so was it awake?

Its shrouded form moved in response to Zane's steps.

 

[Tanuki]

Zane froze at the sight of the hooded figure. Had it seen him? What was it? Why was it out here? He had no idea how long he’d taken to notice it. No idea how much time he gave it to prepare.

On the other hand, he was hopelessly lost. No, wait, same hand; every cliché horror started with getting lost. This thing would kill him. D-death is temporary, right? he plead to Diyem, closest to a genuine prayer he’d come in he didn’t know how long.

He didn’t want to risk the death thing. He needed to escape. He needed to run—but what if it outran him? Was he already doomed? Perhaps the monster would spare him if he treated it nicely.

The thought of approaching it froze his paws to the ground. He couldn’t run. He couldn’t speak. He could only stare in mild distress and hope the creature hadn’t noticed his presence.

 

[Namohysip]

The creature obviously noticed Zane by now, but the fact that Zane wasn't doing anything, just standing in place...

The wind stopped by some powerful force, like the rustling of the bushes irritated him. It was so quiet that Zane would be able to hear his own breathing, no matter how quietly he wanted to do so.

"What do you want?" this creature asked. His voice was deep and rough and stern.

 

[Tanuki]

“To live!” Zane squeaked at the broken silence. A foot flinched back, and he felt the need to run growing with every second. He was out here to learn how to attack, but that left him defenseless against this beast. He didn’t know how to fight. Without teammates to stand in front of, he didn’t stand a chance against this monster.

All he had at his disposal was his winning charisma and endearing personality. Perhaps he could convince the thing it didn’t want to eat him. “W-what’s your face—name? How’s it going?” His life was forfeit.

 

[Namohysip]

As Zane panicked, he creature in front of him slowly uncrossed his legs and stood to his full height, which turned out to be nearly twice that of Zane's. He stared down, but under his robe, his features were indiscernible. A menacing, oppressive aura radiated off of him, like gravity itself was stronger, and the air was made of hot knives.

"My name," he said slowly, "is Karat. And you..." He held a hand up, though once again his robe covered it, "are bothering me with your sniveling. You came for a reason. Find the courage to speak it."

 

[Tanuki]

Sniveling? Zane grit his teeth. All his fear evaporated away from a flame of indignation. He stepped forward and crossed his arms. “How dare you. Do you know who I am? This town would be rubble without me. You think I’m scared of some long-legged carrot? No respect.”

 

[Namohysip]

Suddenly, a phantom force of some kind wrapped around Zane's neck, squeezing until he could no longer talk. "Aren't you that outlaw who looted the town while the rest of your team prepared? Hmph. Don't waste my time." He released his invisible hold on Zane, dropping him back to the ground. "Tell me why you are here or leave."

 

[Tanuki]

Oh, he was going to die. Unfortunate. He didn't bother scraping at the phantom force (if he couldn't see it, no way he could touch it). Then, he could breathe again and realized his feet returned to the ground. He survived.

He expressed his thanks at the opportunity to continue breathing by growing even angrier. "Outlaw? And what are you? Slinking about outside town, hiding under a widdle bwankey because they're buddy buddy with you?" He sneered at Karat before rolling his eyes. "I'm looking for someone. Can I go now?"

 

[Namohysip]

This time, the Psychic hold gripped Zane and slammed him into the tree. That was going to leave a bruise no matter how he landed.

"The person you are looking for is me. You're searching to learn techniques that others cannot teach. Techniques lost to time, lost to this world for your kind." The robed figure pressed Zane harder against the tree despite not even moving. The bark of the tree was groaning. "Consider yourself lucky that you're all under Arceus' good graces, or I wouldn't be humoring you." He finally released the hold again, and if the pattern were to continue, the punishments would only get worse.

"Now speak. What do you want to learn?"

 

[Tanuki]

Send help, you fat, burnt pumpkin!, Zane prayed while his bones cracked against the tree. "How was I supposed to know I was looking for you?!" he strained. "An attack! Obviously!" He could barely get enough air in his lungs to breathe, much less to speak. He shouted as loud as he could regardless. "Not like I'd come to learn the power of friendship!" Even while darkness speckled his vision, his winning personality still came through.

 

[Namohysip]

What happens, happens, Diyem replied.

The annoyed, robed Pokemon sighed and shook his head. "An attack. You wish to learn an attack. What sort of attack? Do you have any knowledge of what you are capable of, human? Or do you just not know what to pick, and have been hopelessly trying to mimic what the rest of the team is doing?"

The robed figure paused, and then a tired groan followed.

"Perhaps that is what I will teach you until you actually gain more knowledge."

 

[Tanuki]

I swear to God, I will kill you the first chance I get, he prayed to the closest being he'd had to a god that listened (or at least bothered to answer his calls).

"Of course I know what attacks are!" he spat, not having the faintest idea what attacks were. "Let me go, and I'll show you the definition of attacking!"

 

[Namohysip]

The robed Pokemon looked at Zane, then at his hand--still hidden--and then back at Zane. If anything, he was a good actor. Or perhaps he broke his body so much that Zane didn't even realize that he was freed. Either way, perhaps some assistance was warranted.

"Very well. I've let you go."

He disguised the gesture as a Heal Pulse toward Zane instead, restoring his body.

"Show me what you are capable of."

 

[Tanuki]

The heal pulse gave him just enough energy to pry himself out of the tree.

Before even receiving permission, Zane dashed forward with his lethal claws balled into an ineffectual fist. He used all the momentum of his run and every bit of his strength to slam his fist towards the robed figure. To add insult to the (he hoped) soon to be injury, he grabbed the robe to tear off the pokémon when it reeled backwards.

He’d figure out what this monster was, defeat it, and warn the others. He would not let it wreak havoc on his team like it had him. On some level, he knew he didn’t stand a chance, but he attacked still. Karat was a menace he wouldn’t let go without a fight.

 

[Namohysip]

Unfortunately, or fortunately, Zane wasn't fast enough to so much as touch this assailant, who abruptly disappeared and reappeared behind Zane. If Zane tried to strike again, the same thing would happen.

"You aren't channeling your energy when you attack," Karat said. "You barely know how to channel moves that aren't on accident, do you? Hmm." He floated back--by now, his robe and entire self was at least half a foot off the ground--and crossed his arms. "I know what I will give you. This will allow you to learn moves without having to dedicate yourself to them. Whether this will help you or not, I don't know. But it will be a boost. Hold still."

 

[Tanuki]

"Like hell I'll hold still!" Zane shouted. "I'll show you channeling!" His assailant behind him, he threw himself backwards in a somewhat impressive backflip into a kick. Impressive, at least, until it hit only air, and he landed on the grass head first. Dazed, dizzy and confused, he accidentally gave Karat just what he'd asked for, laying mostly still while he tried to remember the so called "up" direction.

Regardless of what some may consider an abject failure, Zane assured himself he'd proven Karat wrong (and even surprised himself) with that impotent acrobatics display. Clearly, he reasoned, he had some knowledge of fighting in some world's sense of the word. Unfortunately, no such world stuck around to weigh in on the matter, too embarrassed to risk association.

 

[Namohysip]

A strange, electric feeling enveloped Zane, and suddenly it felt like some part of his spirit's shoulders had been loosened up. Did something unlock? It was difficult to tell... but whatever it was, it came from Karat.

"Done. Go away." He turned around, and in that angle, his hood partially revealed his face. Intense, violet eyes on a pale face glared at Zane, but then it was shrouded in shadows right after. "You're barely worth my time."

In a flash of light, Karat vanished.

 

[Tanuki]

The electric sensation jolted Zane out of his stupor, and he shot up ready to fight. Whatever Karat just did to him couldn’t be good, and this charging of light wouldn’t be any better. He charged the energy and swiped through it, only for all the light to shoot into him.

His cat-like reflexes sent him tumbling backwards head over tail over head over and again. He must’ve triggered the attack... but it didn’t do anything. He sat up, assessed his form (spent slightly too much time worrying if he had any more than the average zangoose pudge) and surveyed his surroundings.

The coward left. He must’ve known Zane would destroy him. He didn’t even do his job! What a waste of time. A scam to break his bones into a tree. As angry as he wanted to make himself, he only felt exhausted.

He just wanted to go home. Then, he was gone.

 

[Tanuki]

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