Prologue: God-beings have each other on speed dial.
"Ugh," Sombra moaned. "Why does my everything ache? What happened to m... Oh, right. The cotton candy upstart and her boy-toy usurper."
Sombra took a moment to vow a number of things too vulgar to repeat in languages too old to remember.
"...Faust, am I dead?" Wondered the former tyrant after he had settled down a bit. "...Did a purple and green dragon hatchling facilitate my demise? I... the mighty Sombra... he who challenged both Celestia and Luna... felled by a lowly drake and a glorified supermodel." Sombra let out a growling sigh. "Well, at least it can't get any worse."
"Oh, hello there!" called a voice full of mocking laughter. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"What?" Sombra whirled. Or tried to, anyway. It was difficult to move in the strange void he found himself floating in. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"
"Now," the voice continued unabated, "are you a boy or a girl?"
"What sort of inane question is that?" Sombra replied derisively.
"Oh? I see," said the voice. "So you're a girl--"
"I AM A STALLION, YOU IMBECILIC FOAL!" Sombra roared with a hint of embarrassment. "SHOW YOURSELF AT ONCE!"
"Oh, so you're a boy?" the voice called. "And you're name is...?"
"Harrumph," Sombra 'harrumph'ed, as evil kings are known to do. "Whoever you are, you have the honor and privilege of addressing King Sombra, Dark Lord of the Crystal Empire. Show yourself and grovel at my hooves, you insignificant worm."
"That's quite a mouthful. How about... Sombrero for short?" the voice mocked.
Sombra began to protest that he was not a wide-brimmed hat from Mexicolt, but stopped when he realized that the barb, as well as the tone of the voice that delivered it, were slightly familiar. "Wait a minute. I know that voice..."
Suddenly, an annoyingly recognizable Draconequus popped into existence in Sombra's view... wearing a white lab coat.
"Discord," Sombra growled.
"The one and only," Discord agreed with a flourish. "Well, in our universe, anyway. Some places actually have a whole gaggle of me running around!"
"Is that what they call a collection of you?" Sombra asked with an unamused sneer.
"Actually, the proper term for a congregation of Draconequii is unpronounceable by most beings, so we just use whatever is funniest at the time," Discord replied. "But that's neither here nor there. Nor there. Nor there... and especially not there. Ah, but I digress. Still want me to grovel at your hooves, Sombrero, old 'friend'?" Discord batted his eyelashes, each eye shifting to a different color and shape whenever they opened.
"...That would be prudent, yes," Sombra replied evenly, as his past experiences with the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony had prepared him for Discord's many... quirks.
"Well, that's going to be a bit of a problem," Discord declared. He pulled a deflated balloon out of his ear, and with a great huff of air, inflated it until it morphed nonsensically into a full length mirror. "I mean how can I possibly grovel at your hooves when you don't have any hooves to grovel at?" With that, Discord turned the mirror to face Sombra.
Or rather, what was left of him. Sombra had expected to see a tall unicorn stallion with imposing plate armor and a red, fur-lined cape, signifying his kingly status. Instead, all he saw in the mirror was the severed end of his own horn, still emitting the dark aura of his magic.
Sombra reeled. "I... What... What have you done to me, trickster?!"
"Me?" Discord echoed with mock innocence. "I didn't have a thing to do with that. No, you landed in that mess all by yourself, Sombrero."
Through the incoherent rage Sombra felt building, he knew Discord was telling the truth. Before his... defeat, the Tyrant King had charged various agents under his thrall with gathering information on the affairs of the world during his absence. His sources had informed him that Discord had managed to get himself recaptured less than a day after his escape from his stone prison. As such, Sombra knew that Discord could have had no hoof, paw, or claw in his current state.
He was, however, the closest thing available for Sombra to direct his fury at. But, before the dark unicorn could begin on a rage-fueled tirade that bards would sing of for ages, he was interrupted.
"What? Not even a 'thank you' for your old pal Discord?" The Draconequus pouted with all the sincerity of a snake.
"And what reason, pray tell, could I possibly have to offer gratitude to you?" Sombra spat venomously.
"Oh, I don't know," Discord mused, "how about the fact that you aren't rotting away in Tartarus at the moment?"
"Reduced to an immobile fragment of my former self and forced to listen to your senseless prattle for all of eternity?" Sombra groused. "Sounds like Tartarus to me."
"Oh come now, old boy," Discord reproved, "Is that any way to speak to the being that's going to facilitate your return to power?"
"And how do you plan to do that, you jabbering lawn ornament?" Sombra challenged. "I'm surprised you even had enough power available to pull this off."
Discord flexed his arms, only to have them droop cartoonishly. "True, I'm not in top shape, I'll admit..." He summoned a Rolodex with a snap of his mismatched fingers and flipped through it. "...But I do know of a universe where a number of the local god-beings owe me a favor or three."
"And what do you get in return?" Sombra inquired. He knew any deal with Discord would come at a price.
"Why Sombra!" Discord crowed. "How very callous of you. Can't I simply do something out of the kindness of my heart?"
"Do you take me for a foal, trickster?" Sombra snapped. "You want something."
"Ah, but don't we all?" Discord opined. "...Oh all right, fine. If you must know, all I desire is that upon your triumphant return you create enough chaos for me to stretch my legs again."
"...And?" Sombra rumbled.
"Nothing gets past you, does it, Sombrero?" Discord chuckled. "Well, except Princess Foalsitter, her stallion-child husband, all six bearers of the Elements of Harmony, a bumbling infant reptile, and the one thing that could possibly be used to defeat you. But other than that, nothing gets past you. No, sir."
If Sombra had a mouth, he likely would have been foaming at it due to his inability to cause bodily harm to the Draconequus in front of him.
"Ooh, I'm sorry. Did I touch a nerve?"
Sombra suggested to Discord that he do something rude and very uncomfortable with a piece of gardening equipment.
"I'm sensing some hostility here, Sombrero old boy. Ah well," Discord deflected, before pulling a card from the Rolodex, which popped out of existence. "To be honest, there's no guarantee that you'll return from this world at all. Granted, there are options available with higher chances of success, but none of them scream 'Discord' quite as well as this one does. At the very least, it will give me some entertainment for a while. The statue garden gets ever so droll after the first five minutes."
"So that's you're angle?" Sombra accused. "The King is to be the Jester's jester?"
"Now now, Sombra," Discord replied. "I'm a Chaos Spirit of my word. If I say I'm going to give you a second chance at life, then that's what you're going to get. Is it so wrong for me to admire my handiwork? It's not like I have much else to do at the moment."
Sombra was silent in contemplation. The deal was obviously unfair to him, the odds horrendously out of his favor... but in his current state, what other choice did he have?
"Fine," he eventually answered. "On one condition: Upon my return, you get the core of Equestria and the lands to the southwest in whatever ridiculous shape you wish, and I get the northern lands, the Crystal Empire, and everything beyond. Do we have a deal?"
Already, Sombra was plotting his betrayal of Discord and his eventual rulership of all the known nations of Equus.
"We do indeed, old 'friend'," Discord replied. "Let's shake on i-- Oh, right. Silly me."
Sombra then decided to change his plan for vengeance from 'swift and efficient' to 'slow and excruciating'.
Discord pulled a banana out of the pocket of his lab coat and started pressing invisible buttons on it, each press accompanied by a different animal sound. "Now, let me call up my old drinking buddy and hammer out the details..."
Knowing Discord's usual antics, Sombra was unsurprised when the banana started ringing. "Arceus! Hey! It's your old pal Discord. How's tricks?"
Sombra couldn't make out the voice that emanated from the banana's stem, but he could hear the tone of confusion. "...Discord? ...The Draconequus? ...I made it rain oranges for a week?"
The tone's confusion was replaced with recognition. "There you go... Oh you know. Same old, same old. Arcie, listen. I'm calling in the favor you owe me for that whole Giratina business... No, no. Nothing major. I just need you to move somepony from my universe into yours... Ah, but that's the beauty of it. He's a bit lacking in the whole 'body' department, you see... Yes... Uh-huh... No, let's make him a human. I do love how unpredictable they are... Mmm, I'd say sixteen sounds good... Oh Arcie, you know me so well! No, as hilarious as that would be, let's let him keep his gender... Littleroot Town? Where's that again? ...Oh, Celestia's Plot-- trumpets everywhere! ...No, no, that's perfect... Wonderful... Thank you. Don't be a stranger, now!"
Discord tossed the banana over his shoulder, where it sprouted frog's legs and flew away. "Hate that guy," he muttered.
"What was that I heard about genders?" Sombra growled.
"Oh, don't you worry your severed little horn about that, old boy," Discord dismissed. "It will all make sense in a moment. Now Sombra, allow me be the first to say..."
"Welcome to the world of Pokemon."
Chapter 1: "What the buck is a Pokemon?"
Littleroot Town: "A town that can't be shaded any hue."
The town of Littleroot was a quiet place, as small a town as any you could find in the region, nestled in the calm and tranquil woods around it. It was an easygoing town, full of easygoing people. Beyond the tranquil folk that had decided to make their homes away from the hustle and bustle of big-city life, there was usually little of note in this serene little village. The sun shone brightly over Littleroot Town that morning, illuminating the carefree locals as they went about their business.
That was not all the light of the morning touched, however. The rays of the sun shone also on an out-of-the-way house in this out-of-the-way town, peeking through the curtains of the house's only bedroom, and striking the closed eyes of the bedroom's only occupant.
It was a strange individual that the light had found that morning. But, his strangeness was not because he was the house's only occupant. Nor was it because he was lying on the floor. No, this individual was strange because, before the light had touched him that morning, he did not exist in this world.
Had the sunlight been capable of thought, it would have pondered this strange new person. Perhaps it would have wondered from where this young man had come from, or maybe it would have been curious as to why he seemed so dour, even while sleeping. If sunlight were capable of making observations, it would have been aware that the strange youth appeared to be around sixteen years of age, with dark hair and pale, almost grayish skin. It would have noted that his clothing, though it was obviously meant for travel, was perfectly clean, despite the youth having never been anywhere in the region before this morning.
But the light's musings (had it been capable of musing) were cut short by the slow opening of the youth's curiously red eyes. The being groaned as he blinked away the effects of an incredibly potent slumber, and he shifted around on the rug beneath him as if to find a more comfortable position. He stopped suddenly as if something were horribly wrong about his situation, then brought his hands up to feel his face. He lowered his hands again and observed them passively for a moment.
As it has already been stated, sunlight is not capable of thought, observation or musing in the same way that a person is. It is not an individual, and cannot bear witness to any event.
As such, when the reality of his situation had finally processed in his mind, there was nobody around to see Sombra, former unicorn and dethroned King of the Crystal Empire, scream at the top of his new lungs:
"FAUST'S FEATHERS, WHAT FRESH TORMENT IS THIS?!"
An hour later, Sombra had finally taught himself to stand on two legs, and marked his achievement by sitting on the nearby bed and glowering at everything.
"...'return to power', my missing hooves," Sombra groused. "I should have known better than to trust Discord, that crazed lunatic. Even my own magic fails me in this useless form."
Sombra's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of white noise from the room's television set. "Performance issues, Sombra?" Discord taunted. "It's not uncommon, from what I hear."
"Discord!" Sombra seethed, standing unsteadily. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Asking the Spirit of Chaos for meaning, are we? Now who's crazy?" Discord's smiling image appeared on the screen. "Look Ma, your baby's on TV! Oh, she'll be so proud."
"We had a deal, Discord!" Sombra growled as lowly as his new voice would allow. "How am I to regain my strength and return to Equus as... as this creature?"
"I'm so glad you asked, old 'friend'," Discord grinned. "See that doorway to your right? If you can keep the wobble out of your knees long enough to get down the stairs, I'll give you your answer." With that, the TV was silent once more.
"Hmph. Pompous foal. As though the mere act of walking were a challenge to a Dark Lord," Sombra said aloud, before striding forward with confidence and purpose.
He also kept one hand firmly on a nearby wall. It was purely to test the craftsponyship of this new world's buildings, and not at all because of how difficult it was to walk on only two legs.
"Pah. He calls these 'stairs'?" Sombra sneered at the top of the wooden staircase. "This paltry collection of steps could never prove a challenge for the great King Som--" *trip* "--buck-!"
As gravity took hold of the former unicorn, Sombra was (for the first time in his life) grateful for such a short staircase.
With a comedic series of crashes and thumps, Sombra tumbled down to the ground floor of the house, landing on his neck at an uncomfortable angle. As the sound of Discord's mocking laughter drifted across the room from yet another television set, Sombra took a moment to move the trickster's name to the top of his mental list of Enemies to be Killed Immediately.
"The only thing that could have made that moment better is if I had planned it," Discord opined.
Sombra said nothing and readjusted his neck, mentally circling Discord's name a few times in red ink.
"Now, if you can hold off on the pratfall comedy for a moment and come here, there's something you'll want to see."
Sombra picked himself up and shuffled over to the television, where Discord's smirking image waited. "Well?" he demanded. "I'm here. What are you waiting for?"
Discord vanished as the TV screen burst to life, showing a field on which two strange creatures were locked in combat, underscored by fast-paced trumpet music.
On one side stood a ferocious looking wolf-like creature with shaggy black fur. Behind it, a young woman glared determinedly at the man on the other side of the field.
This man stood tall with his arms crossed, not the least bit perturbed by the woman or her beast. The creature before him, an enormous ape-thing with the snout of a pig, matched his expression by lounging as if there weren't a bloodthirsty predator mere yards away.
The woman said something to her beast and pointed, and the animal bounded toward its opponent with a hunter's grace.
The ape creature swatted lazily at its attacker, but the hound juked to the side at the last moment and buried its fangs in the ape's hairy arm.
Instead of flinching in pain, or even trying to shake its attacker off, the ape just turned its head slightly until it could see the man out of the corner of its eye.
The man's reaction was calmly subtle. With a nod and a faint smirk, the man said one word to his creature.
The ape nodded, and suddenly it was standing upright, the surprised hound trapped in a bear hug. The ape twisted and fell face first, landing so that all of its considerable weight was applied to the smaller creature.
The resulting snaps, cracks, and pained whimpers could be easily heard, even over the blare of the trumpets.
The camera cut away to statistics and instant replays that Sombra could make no sense of as an announcer spoke. "And there you have it, folks. Another victory for the Leader of the Petalburg Gym. Honestly folks, all I can say about this match is... Either that Mightyena was a desperation play on the part of the challenger, or someone didn't do nearly enough homework before challenging Norman. Either way, that was one sorry match-up here, today. Now let's see if we can't get a few words from Hoenn's very own Normal-type expert--"
The announcer was silenced and the on-screen images replaced with Discord's expectant look.
"As mildly entertaining as that was, trickster, I fail to see how that answers anything," Sombra sniffed.
"Well then allow me to explain, my minuscule-minded associate," Discord replied glibly as the camera zoomed out. Or, perhaps, the camera remained still and the Spirit of Chaos simply chose to be farther away.
With a snap, Discord's lab coat reappeared. "The world you now live in is widely inhabited by creatures known as 'pokemon'." Stilled images of the ape and the hound popped up beside him. "In case you can't put two and two together, I'm referring to the colorful creatures with more naturally formidable forms than the weak pile of human gelatin you're currently stuck with.
"Humans and pokemon live beside each other in this world, and, despite the impossible odds against their continued survival as a species, humans have managed to tame not only their environment, but the pokemon in them. In fact, over time, humans have used pokemon for just about any thing you can think of. Even the nasty things. Especially the nasty things."
"And let me guess," Sombra derided, "forced combat is at the top of that list?"
"Got it in one, Sombrero," Discord replied. "Though, that's not all they're used for. And it's rarely 'forced', per se. Pokemon seem to have a unique tendency towards competitive violence."
"Hnn. So either this is a world where organized dogfights have been legalized, or a world built upon the concepts of gladiatorial combat," Sombra declared without a hint of malice. He himself had been a proponent of the Crystal Empire's combat tournaments in his day.
"That is how some of the humans see it," Discord agreed. "Unfortunately, most of them think it's all about bonds and, ugh, friendship."
The two villains shuddered in disgust at the thought of any sort of positive emotion.
"Nnn. That at least explains where and what I am now," Sombra stated, "but you have yet to reveal how this will restore my power."
"As a matter of fact, I was just getting to that," Discord answered. "Head back up to the room you woke up in, and I shall explain more."
The trip back up the stairs was much easier than the trip down, and Sombra found himself standing in front of the TV once again.
"Well, somepony took their sweet time," Discord grinned.
Instead of responding, Sombra frowned in thought. Despite the thousand-year time variation between the Crystal Empire and modern Equestria, Sombra was easily able to determine that both the box-like devices with the glass screens Discord had been appearing on were built for the same purpose.
"You could have easily relayed all the information I needed without having me leave this room, trickster," Sombra scowled.
"I could have, it's true. But I wanted to give you some practice with your new legs," Discord smiled. "And from the looks of things, you sorely needed it."
At that point, Sombra removed Discord's name from the top of his list of Enemies to be Killed Immediately, and placed it on an entirely separate pre-list that superseded the original.
"Enough, trickster!" Sombra warned. "Either give me my answers or begone!"
"Temper, temper, Your Highness," Discord replied, using the title to placate the former King. "Now, you want to know how to return to Equus?"
"Obviously," Sombra answered through clenched teeth.
"Well, then all you need to do, my little ex-pony, is use your gifts as a natural born leader."
"...Are you even capable of speaking in anything other than riddles, trickster?" Sombra said after a short pause.
"I can switch to bawdy limericks, if you'd prefer," Discord answered with mocking concern.
Sombra brought a hand to his face and growled. "Just... just tell me what I need to do, damn you."
"First off, look at the map there, on the wall."
Sombra inspected the map, unsurprised that not even one of the landmasses was even the slightest bit familiar. "Hoenn..." he murmured, testing how the name of the strange new land sounded. "Hnn. Sounds completely inane. And what am I to be doing in 'Hoenn', trickster?"
"Why, training pokemon, of course," Discord said merrily. "Or would you rather enjoy one of the region's many cruise lines, instead?"
Sombra considered it, but only for a moment. No, there would be time enough for cruises when Equus was in his grasp. "So, I am to raise an army of creatures to do my bidding, then find a way back into our world?"
It was a daunting task indeed, Sombra mused, but it would of course be no challenge to a king such as he.
"You've grasped the most basic of concepts, oh very good!" Discord laughed.
Sombra spent a brief moment happily imagining how each of these "pokemon" might inflict pain on the annoying Spirit of Chaos. "I do believe I've decided on a method to determine the worth of each of my future slaves," he said to himself.
"I'd cut back on the 'slave' talk if I were in your shoes, Your Highness," Discord warned lightly. "You might end up angering the local Poke-Gods."
Sombra fixed the television with a flat look. " 'Poke-Gods'? Really, Discord? ...I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."
"Meh. Your funeral. Now, if you would, please turn your attention to the desk on your left."
Sombra moved over to the desk, which held an empty writing journal, a messenger's bag, a small blue case, and an oddly-shaped plastic box with a glass screen.
"Everything you'll need is right there on that desk," Discord stated.
"Hnn. How convenient," Sombra replied with a hint of suspicion. "Am I to assume this hovel was simply abandoned before I was brought here?"
"That's a funny story, actually. You see, the person that used to live here--"
"Will this story aid me in reconquering my Empire?" Sombra interrupted.
"Not likely."
"Then I am physically incapable of caring less about it than I currently do," Sombra stated, rifling through the bag's pouches and finding a great deal of nothing.
"That's what I like most about you, Sombrero, old boy," Discord chatted merrily. "Your concern for the little people."
"Hnn," Sombra replied with all his kingly demeanor. "What's this?" he asked holding up the case.
"That is where you would store your Gym Badges," Discord replied. "Well. If you had any Gym Badges. At the moment though, it's just a glorified wallet and a place to keep your ID card. That's the little plastic rectangle with the picture of the dim-witted child on it. Don't lose it, because you won't be getting another. Now, if you would turn your attention to the little glass screen that doesn't have a devilishly handsome Draconequus on it, I'll teach you how to use a device the kids call a 'computer'."
Sombra booted up the PC.
Accessed Item Storage
Withdrew Item(s):
(Potion x1)
"A potion?" Sombra mused as he examined the spray bottle that had materialized in a port on the side of the PC. "What are its effects?"
"In this world, potions and the like are used to heal injured pokemon," Discord replied. "They also have a delightful berry taste."
Sombra sprayed some of the potion on his tongue, gagged, and immediately flung the item across the room.
"...Of course, a human's taste buds are arranged differently from a pokemon's..."
"I BET THEY ARE, YOU LYING SACK OF FESTERING HORSEAPPLES!" Sombra roared.
"Now that is entirely uncalled for, Sombrero--"
Despite his unfamiliarity with his new form, Sombra had little trouble picking up the nearest solid object and hurling it through the television screen with a satisfying crash.
In response, Discord's image migrated to the PC screen with a look of indignation. "Well, if you're going to get violent, then I'll just head home, Your Highness--"
"Then hurry up and get out of my sight, you petrified pigeon-toilet!" Sombra seethed.
"Humph! Good day to you, sir! And good luck getting around without my guidance." Then Discord disappeared, and Sombra was alone, huffing in rage.
The former King took a moment to collect himself and calm down. He retrieved the fallen potion and dropped it in the bag, along with his Trainer Case and, after a moment of consideration, the Journal.
"Hnnh," Sombra groused. "As if I would need that foal to hold my hoof and lead me along. The mighty King Sombra requires the aid of nopony."
Sombra made his way (very carefully) down the steps of the abandoned house, then headed towards the closest thing that looked like an exit.
As the light of mid-day shone down on him, Sombra shielded his eyes with a hand and scowled at the native peasants, all of whom were none the wiser to what had occurred in the old, out-of-the-way house.
Sombra walked forward onto what passed for a road in Littleroot Town, then stopped to examine his environment. After carefully scanning the area and taking in every detail, Sombra nodded with a level of confidence and purpose that only a King such as he could muster.
"...Where the buck do I go now?" he muttered to himself.
Chapter 2: So I heard you like overused memes.
Sombra's cursory inspection of the town revealed nothing of value, so he headed towards the nearest opening in the copse of trees around him.
If these "pokemon" inhabit the wilderness, Sombra mused, then into the wilderness I shall go. I wonder how the first conscripts of my army-to-be will look...
As Sombra approached a path (Route 101, according to a conveniently placed sign), his thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of a distressed young child, standing directly in his path.
"Um, um, um!" she stammered, as Sombra masked his disgust at her very existence. "If you go outside and go in the tall grass, wild pokemon will jump out, mister!"
"Truly?" Sombra inquired. "Good. I shall tame these beasts and make them my own." He tried to step around the little girl, but she blocked his path again and threw all her little weight against his midsection to stop him.
Despite the girl's blatant disregard for his regal status, Sombra restrained himself from retaliating. After all, despite being a tyrant and a Dark Lord, he was still a King, and uncouth acts such as striking children were far beneath him.
"Wait, mister!" the girl protested. "It's too dangerous if you don't have your own pokemon!" She dug her feet into the ground to try and push him back into the safety of the town, but only succeeded in kicking up dust.
"Nonsense, little one," Sombra assured her. "No harm will come to me."
"But, but, b-but..." the girl trailed off, tears welling up in her young little eyes.
Sombra's eyes, however, were rolling as he sighed. A wailing foal was the last thing he needed today.
"Alright, child!" he exclaimed. "You have convinced me. Dry your tears."
Sombra picked the girl up under her arms and carried her back into the town limits, setting her down beside the road. He knelt down until he was at the sniffling child's eye level, and spoke calmly.
"Now," he began as gently as was possible for him, "to venture out into the wilderness, I must first acquire a pokemon of my own. So be it, little one. If that is the case, then where in this town I might find a pokemon to claim?"
The girl sniffled a few more times before replying. "W-well, um... You could ask Professor Birch. He knows all about pokemon."
"Hnn," Sombra nodded. "And where might I find this... Birch?"
The child gave him a curious look. "Everybody knows where Professor Birch lives. Are you new in town, mister?"
"...You could say as much."
"Oh. Okay," the girl replied. "The Professor lives in the big house down that road, there. The one with the sign out front."
Sombra nodded, then stood up and headed in the direction the girl had pointed.
"Goodbye, mister!" she called.
Sombra didn't even spare her a glance as he walked away.
"Ugh," he muttered to himself. "Even the younglings are hideous here..."
Birch family residence
Sombra stared at the simple wooden sign in front of the home, then looked down the road he stood on to see the very same house he had awoken in.
He allowed himself to acknowledge the fact that he had walked right past this building the first time without paying it any attention, then took a moment to try and mentally delete that fact from existence.
As Sombra entered the home without knocking (a King goes where he pleases), he noticed a middle-aged woman with brown hair sitting at a table and sipping tea, watching a young boy play on the rug with colorful figurines.
"Oh! Hello, there," the woman greeted upon noticing Sombra. "I didn't see you come in. Can I help you?"
"Greetings, Madam," Sombra replied. "I wish to speak with a 'Professor Birch'. Is he in?"
"My husband?" She gave Sombra's clothes a look over. "Oh, you must be an aspiring Trainer."
"Indeed," Sombra replied.
"Hmm. I thought so," Mrs. Birch nodded. "Well, good for you! Strange, though. I don't remember seeing you in town before."
"I... moved here very recently," Sombra evaded.
"Oh, you did? Well, in that case, welcome to Littleroot Town," she replied. "Where are you staying? I haven't seen any new houses for sale."
"The house at the end of the road," Sombra answered, his patience thinning.
"Oh, that old place?" Mrs. Birch replied, mildly surprised. "That's a relief. After poor Brendan's disappearance, I thought that house would never sell."
"That's all well and good," Sombra said quickly, nearly before she had finished speaking. "Now, about the Professor..."
"Oh yes, of course! I'm sorry for rambling, dear," she apologized sheepishly, before placing a finger to her chin in thought. "Hmm, I haven't seen my husband since this morning... Ah, but my daughter May might know where he is. She helps her father with his field research."
"Hnn," Sombra grunted. "Where is she?"
"She'll be upstairs in her room," Mrs. Birch said before turning to look at the boy, who had been watching the conversation from the carpet. "Max, honey? Be a dear and go introduce this young man to your sister." She turned to address Sombra again. "My daughter's roughly the same age as you. I'm sure the two of you will be great friends."
As Sombra's lip curled in disgust, an egg timer chimed from elsewhere in the house, drawing Mrs. Birch's attention.
"Sorry, you caught me in the middle of making lunch," she stated as she left for the kitchen area. "Max, when you're done helping our guest, go wash up. And make sure to tell your sister lunch is ready."
Sombra trudged up the stairs without waiting for the boy, completely uninterested with the details of peasant family matters. Once he was out of earshot at the top of the staircase, he muttered darkly to himself about the nattering gossip of housewives, and their invasive questioning.
"Hey, wait up!" called a voice from behind him. The boy, Max, came bounding up the stairs two at a time with a deftness Sombra was in no way envious of. Sombra debated abandoning his guide, but the child was in front of him before he could act.
"A complete stranger walks into her home," Sombra criticized instead, "so your mother sends the younger of her children off with him unsupervised to find the other? The woman must be an absolute sage."
Max looked shocked for a moment, then grew indignant. "If you wanna try something, then go ahead," he huffed. "My Mom's Ninetales is still picking bits of the last guy out of her teeth!"
In Sombra's professional opinion, that threat rated about a three-point-five out of ten; a respectable score, considering the age of the one who delivered it. "Sure it is, little one," he sneered. "And I'm secretly made out of Crystalberries."
"I'm serious!" Max cried. "That guy, Brendan? He tried to grab one of Ninetales' tails, so she ate him! Swallowed him whole in one bite!"
"If this creature devoured a person whole, then why would the remains still be lodged in its teeth?"
"W-well..." Max faltered. "Um..."
"Hmph. You're adorable," Sombra smirked mockingly, then ruffled Max's hair to drive the insult home.
"Yeah, well... whatever!" Max retorted embarrassedly, slapping Sombra's hand away. "My sister's room's over there. I hope she gives you the Pokerus, you weird-eyed jerk!" With that, he stomped off.
The door Max had indicated was halfway open, so Sombra let himself in. Though it had more of a feminine touch, the room he now found himself in was quite similar to the one in which he had awoken. And much like Sombra's new- if temporary- living quarters, this room's original occupant was nowhere to be found.
"First the Professor is missing, and now his daughter vanishes," Sombra groused. "Are the peasants here trying to waste my time purposefully, or are they just that inept?"
Since there was no one around to point him in the direction he needed to go, Sombra examined the room, looking for some hint as to where the elusive Professor might be. He passed over the horde of stuffed animals occupying the bed, flipped through a sketchbook of what he assumed were pokemon, and glanced at a few family photos hanging above the writing desk before noticing a curious object resting on the dresser of the far wall.
It was an orb, roughly the size of an apple, its deep red upper half and contrasting white bottom standing out greatly from the room's softer colors. As Sombra moved closer to examine it, he realized it was a device of some kind. He reached out to pick it up, but a voice from behind him stopped him in his tracks.
"Huh? Who... Who are you?" a feminine voice asked cautiously.
Sombra turned to see a girl standing in the doorway, frowning at him. She wore a sleeveless orange vest that extended past her waist like a mini-skirt, over a pair of worn but resilient-looking jeans with many pockets. A green bag hung backwards on her waist, like a belt. Her light brown hair fell loosely to her shoulders, and her blue eyes met his own with little trepidation.
As Sombra turned to face her fully, a strange sensation somewhere between fluttering and clenching bloomed in his stomach. He clamped down on it, and mentally reprimanded himself for being caught off-guard.
"Greetings," Sombra answered, nearly calling her "little one" before remembering that his new form's apparent age was close to her own. "My name is Sombra. I... recently 'moved' into your town, and wish to become a Trainer of Pokemon."
The girl stepped into the room, looking about suspiciously. "Um... I'm May. Glad to meet you..." she replied, though her tone was far too uncomfortable to be sincere.
An awkward silence formed between the two of them, in which Sombra realized he had intruded heavily upon this girl's privacy. His status as a King would make this irrelevant, but in this new world, that status did not apply. At least not yet.
"...Your brother Max was supposed to introduce us, but he ran off," Sombra stated into the silence, his tone forming the words into an accusation against the boy.
May's cautious expression shifted, first to surprise, then annoyance. "Please tell me he didn't feed you some story about Mom's Ninetales cursing the neighbors and turning them into pokemon?"
Sombra glanced over her shoulder at one of the photos on the far wall. In it, a large fox with orange-white fur and multiple voluminous tails looked on while a much younger May hugged its neck and smiled at the camera. May's mother stood beside her, holding up a first-place ribbon from some sort of contest.
"Actually, he claimed that it ate the previous owner of the house I now live in," Sombra replied.
"Ugh, the little dweeb!" May huffed, then looked at Sombra again with much less suspicion. "Do you have any younger siblings?"
"No," he replied truthfully.
"In that case, you're lucky," she told him. "But seriously, sorry my brother was bothering you. He's just looking for attention."
"He was hardly a bother at all," Sombra stated haughtily.
"Really? Try having to live with him," May joked. "So, you said you're looking to become a Pokemon Trainer?"
"Correct," Sombra nodded.
"That's awesome! I'm a Trainer, too!" May exclaimed, before growing self-conscious. "In fact, I... Well, I have this dream of becoming friends with pokemon all over the world..."
Sombra made a gagging, retching sound.
"Hey, are you alright?" May asked, putting a hand on Sombra's shoulder.
"Yes, I'm fine," he answered, stepping out of reach. "Just had something... inane stuck in my throat."
May blinked in confusion, then smirked. "Heh, you're funny, Sombra," she chuckled, punching him lightly in the arm. "You know something? Even though we just met, I think we're going to be best friends, eventually."
Sombra might have given a very heated reply, but lost the opportunity when May gasped in shock.
"Oh no, I forgot!" she cried, then hurried around the room frantically collecting items. "I was supposed to go help Dad catch some wild pokemon! Sorry Sombra, we'll talk more later!"
"Hold on," Sombra called as a brown-haired tornado flew around the room, "I need to speak to your father about acquiring a pokemon of my own. I was told you know where to find him?"
"Iph fee's na in hith lab," May answered around the gloves she held in her teeth, while hopping around on one foot and trying to fit a shoe on the other, "hen he's pralaly out on loot lun-oh-lun."
Despite the mangling of her words, Sombra was able to understand May's information. "Where exactly is this lab?" he asked as May tied most of her hair up under a green bandanna.
"Thuh bi buildin a he en of thuh maim row. Can' mith it," she replied, now focused intently on the screen of a PC of her own.
Again, Sombra understood. He turned to leave but stopped at the door, studying the profile of May's face, gloves still hanging from her mouth.
A part of him wanted to express gratitude to her in some way, but a "thank you" was beneath him. Still, he felt as if he should say something before he left, so as he turned back to the doorway, he raised his voice and said, "Your mother has finished preparing lunch. Make sure you eat something before you leave."
He left without waiting for her response and walked down the stairs, pushing the conversation from his mind. Max was there at the bottom of the stairs, glaring at Sombra with his arms crossed. Sombra didn't even spare a glance in his direction, even as the boy stuck his tongue out at him.
"Your time was appreciated, Madam," Sombra called to Mrs. Birch without stopping. "Now, I have business elsewhere."
"It was no trouble at all, dear," she answered. "I can't wait to meet your family. They must be lovely pe--"
"I live alone," Sombra bluntly stated.
"O-oh," Mrs. Birch replied uncomfortably. "Well... Goodbye, dear--"
She was cut off as Sombra shut the door behind him and walked away.
Sombra stepped through the double doors of what was easily the largest building in Littleroot Town, though that wasn't saying much.
Aside from a handful of computers and a few other machines, the place was no different from a public library- a small, very disorganized library, at that.
Sombra approached the building's only occupant; a bespectacled man in a lab coat, milling about. "You, there!" he called. "Are you Professor Birch?"
"Hunh? Professor Birch?" the man replied dumbly. "The Prof's away on fieldwork. Ergo, he isn't here."
Sombra rolled his eyes in disgust.
"Oh, let me explain what fieldwork is--"
"I know what fieldwork is, you useless simpleton," Sombra growled as he turned and stalked away. "And in the future, remember that sprinkling words from a dead language into your sentences doesn't make you smarter. It just makes you look like a witless fop."
The Professor was neither in his home nor in his laboratory, so, as May had indicated, the only other place he could be was Route 101.
"Nearly two hours of my time, wasted," Sombra muttered darkly as he walked down the main road, "only to find that the one person I could coerce into giving me a beast of my own is currently exactly where I had been heading in the first place. And for what? To appease some simpering foal that didn't know better than to block a King's path? Rrrgh, somehow this is all Discord's fault. I know it."
As he approached the same opening in the trees that he had been heading for earlier, Sombra saw the same little girl who had started his pointless backtracking in the first place. She stood staring out into the wilderness listening intently, half hidden by the tree she stood against. Sombra moved behind her and loudly cleared his throat to get her attention.
She jumped in surprise and whirled to face him. "Um, h-hi mister," she stammered.
Sombra stared down at her, arms crossed.
"There are some scary pokemon out there. I can hear them howling!"
Sure enough, Sombra could hear the faint sounds of some kind of animals in the distance.
"I wanna go see what's going on, but..." the child began hesitantly, "I don't have any pokemon..."
She looked up at Sombra hopefully. "Can you go see what's happening for me?" she asked, in complete defiance of her earlier stance on leaving the town.
"Hhh," growled Sombra as he pushed past her into the woods.
Route 101
"H-h-help me!" someone called over the sounds of an enraged animal.
Sombra rushed forward, more out of curiosity than concern.
Ahead of him, a bearded man in a lab coat was being chased around in a circle by a zig-zagging brown creature.
The man tripped over one of his sandals, and the raccoon-thing wasted no time backing the man into a corner made of dense trees.
As the beast snapped at its prey, the man caught sight of Sombra.
"Hey!" he cried in between the animal's attacks, "Over here! Please! The Pokeball in my bag! Help!" He pointed to a tan messenger bag laying half open by the wayside.
Sombra picked the bag up by its end, scattering its contents into the dirt. Among the notebooks and loose papers, there was a familiar red-and-white orb, exactly like the one in May's room.
Sombra picked it up and loped out awkwardly to confront the strange, if mostly non-threatening creature.
A wild Zigzagoon appeared!
Sombra's footsteps were by no means silent, and at his approach, the animal turned and growled bitterly at him.
Unperturbed, Sombra examined the Pokeball. More by accident than intent, he depressed the white button on its arbitrary "front", causing it to spring open in his hand.
He nearly dropped the Pokeball in shock as an amorphous blob of light sprung from it onto the ground in front of him, resolving itself into the shape of a blue, four-legged amphibian.
Sombra sent out Mudkip!
The amphibian creature glanced around quickly before staring at Sombra, tilting its head in a curious expression.
"Creature!" he called, pointing over it at the raccoon and the man. "Defend your master!"
The amphibian turned, noticing the man, the man's minor wounds, and the raccoon in that order. It then squared its shoulders and emitted a strange growling noise.
The raccoon's ears folded back, and though it did not back down, it's own growls became far more subdued.
"A sonic attack to unnerve the opponent?" Sombra mused appraisingly. "Hmm. Useful. But your enemies aren't going to surrender unless you make them, creature. Strike, before it can recover!"
The amphibian charged forward and threw itself bodily at the raccoon.
The raccoon was ready for it, however, and dodged before answering with its own tackle.
The attack struck true, but the force behind it was diminished, and the amphibian was barely pushed back before responding in kind.
"Good, creature," Sombra called. "Don't give it even a moment's rest!"
The battle continued for a few more moments, the raccoon's stamina visibly dropping with each strike it recieved.
Finally, after a particularly vicious attack from the amphibian, the raccoon's nerve broke and it fled, zig-zagging its way into the trees.
The wild Zigzagoon was defeated!
As the fleeing animal's tail disappeared in the woods, the amphibian stood proudly, despite its own collection of cuts and bruises.
"Well done, creature," Sombra praised. "You fought well, for something so small and unassuming. Here. A reward." He retrieved the Potion from his bag and held it before the pokemon. "This will heal your wounds. Or, so I am told."
He sprayed the substance on the amphibian's largest welts, looking on in slight wonder as they healed before his eyes. As the last of the pokemon's cuts evaporated, it turned and faced Sombra with its mouth open expectantly, its black eyes shining.
On a whim, Sombra sprayed the remainder of the Potion into the creature's mouth, and, in a stark contrast to his own reaction, the pokemon accepted it happily, the corners of its large mouth turning upwards.
"Hmm," Sombra mused quietly, "maybe it does taste like berries to pokemon, after all..."
As Sombra tended to the little blue being, the man picked himself up from the dirt and dusted himself off.
"Whew..." the man sighed. "I was studying pokemon in the tall grass, when that Zigzagoon jumped me! That'll teach me not to pay attention to my surroundings. Anyway, thanks a lot, kid. You really saved my bacon!"
Sombra examined the man. From his build, his facial hair, and his poor choice of footwear for the situation, Sombra would have easily assumed the man was just another run-of-the-mill peasant fool. The white lab coat he wore might have attested otherwise, but Sombra's current track record for individuals in lab coats was less than stellar. In spite of all of this, though, there was a look in the man's eyes that indicated a vast amount of practical knowledge, and the thirst to acquire more.
"Hnn," Sombra finally replied. "You are Professor Birch, yes?"
"Yep. That's me," the Professor replied as he gathered up his scattered belongings.
"Finally. My name is Sombra. I recently moved to your town, and am attempting to become a Pokemon Trainer."
"Sombra, huh?" Birch replied. "Nice to meet you. Look, this isn't the best place to chat, so why don't you and Mudkip there come with me back to my lab?"
"Mud...?" Sombra murmured, looking down at the amphibian pokemon by his leg. "Oh, is that what you are?"
The Mudkip nodded, making a sound almost like an "Uh-huh".
"This is acceptable," Sombra stated, answering the Professor. "Lead on."
Littleroot Town: Professor Birch's Lab
"So, Sombra..." Professor Birch began once they were all back in the safety of his lab. "Even though you seem to know shockingly little about pokemon, you still battle like a natural!"
"It was hardly what I would call a battle," Sombra replied. He would liken it more to a pair of children slapping each other until one gives up and runs home in tears.
"Don't be so modest, Sombra," the Professor continued. "You and Mudkip were amazing. I can tell the two of you really bonded out there!"
Sombra looked down at the pokemon. To his distaste, it sat there gazing up at him adoringly.
"In fact," Birch stated, "As thanks for rescuing me, I'd like you to take Mudkip with you. Your very first pokemon!"
Sombra received the Mudkip!
"Wh-what?!" exclaimed the bespectacled man from earlier, who had up to that point been glaring at Sombra from behind a microscope. "Professor Birch, you can't be serious," he complained, moving to the Professor's side. "Letting this... this brat have one of your own pokemon?"
"This young man saved my life, Ethan," Birch replied. "You should show him more respect."
"Sir, this child is the most ill-mannered, disrespectful, churlish..."
"Now, now," Birch dismissed, "While I admit Sombra may be a bit... brusque, I owe him for what he did earlier today. What's more, I can tell that beneath his unpleasant exterior, Sombra's got a good heart."
Oh, how wrong you are, Sombra thought silently.
"You hardly know the boy!" Ethan protested.
"In any case, it's still my decision to make," Birch frowned with a tone of finality. "As is your continued paid internship here as my assistant. Don't think there aren't a dozen other candidates out there, willing to do what you do at a fraction of your salary. My daughter May, for instance."
"Wh-- bu-- but Professor..." he stammered.
"Word to the wise, 'friend'," Sombra spoke up, smirking cruelly. "Quit the field before you dig yourself any deeper."
The assistant threw his hands up and left in a huff.
"Sorry about him," Professor Birch said once they were alone again. "He's always been a bit self-obsessed, but I really don't know what his problem is today."
"Hnn," Sombra replied, feigning innocence. "Perhaps I just have one of those faces that makes people insecure."
"Anyway, back on topic, why not go ahead and give your new Mudkip here a nickname?" Birch smiled.
"Why?" Sombra asked, trying not to sneer. "Isn't 'Mudkip' enough of a name?"
"For some Trainers, sure," Birch replied. "But this isn't just any Mudkip now, this is your Mudkip. Your friend. Your first ever pokemon. Giving him a name that's personal, that means something- not only to you, but him as well, will strengthen the bond between you two as you embark on the journey of life."
Sombra tuned out the Professor's overwhelmingly boring speech, choosing to stare off into the distance until it was over.
Halfway through, though, Sombra's ears pricked at the sound of someone tapping on glass. Without turning away from the Professor, he spied Ethan sitting at one of the PC terminals in the corner, tapping away on the keyboard. The assistant did not react, however, when the screen went dark and Discord's grinning image appeared.
The Draconequus pointed at Sombra, then at the Mudkip, and held up a sign with big, cartoonish letters.
Rule 1: Nickname all your pokemon or you're never coming back.
Discord winked, then the image vanished and the screen returned to normal.
Sombra's fists clenched, and he very nearly growled in rage before he noticed Professor Birch staring at him expectantly.
"Hhh. Fine," Sombra relented. "I'll name the thing."
He knelt down to bring himself closer to the Mudkip's eye level. "Now... How does 'Minion #1' sound?"
The Mudkip frowned in disapproval.
"That was rhetorical, Minion," Sombra replied lowly. "You have no say in the matter."
The Mudkip kept frowning, and sat pointedly, furrowing its nonexistent brow.
"Rrrgh. Fine, you little..." Sombra lowered himself completely to the floor, placing himself in a sitting position.
He and the Mudkip sat staring at each other for the next twenty minutes, despite Professor Birch's hesitant objections.
Finally, Sombra spoke again, declaring one word. "...Tack."
The Mudkip tilted its head questioningly.
"Your name is Tack, minion," Sombra stated.
Tack looked up, as if in thought, then smiled and nodded at Sombra.
"Of course you approve," he preened. "After all, I thought of it."
"Tack" the Mudkip joined the party!
"Great!" Birch smiled. "I'm glad the two of you are getting along so well. If you work at it and gain experience, I think you'll make for an amazing Trainer, Sombra. My kid, May, is also raising some pokemon while she's helping me out."
"Yes, I know," Sombra replied. "We've met."
"Oh, excellent!" the Professor said happily. "I bet the two of you get along really well. Say, Sombra, don't you think it might be a good idea to go and see May?"
In truth, Sombra wanted nothing more to do with any of this town's peasants, after how unhelpful they had all been. Least of all, that sentimental foal of a girl.
So, it was to his own great surprise that he found himself saying, "I suppose so. Why not?"
"Great!" Birch smiled again. "May should be happy to see you, too."
"Wait," Sombra faltered, "I meant to say..."
"Sir, Professor Rowan is on the phone from Sinnoh," Birch's assistant called.
"Old Man Rowan?" Birch grinned. "I wonder what he could want."
"Professor, I--"
"Sorry Sombra, I've really gotta take this call," the Professor apologized as he ushered Sombra out the door. "Go meet up with May. She'll tell you everything you need to know about being a Pokemon Trainer."
"But--"
"Good luck!" Birch called through the closed door.
Sombra and Tack stood for a moment outside the lab, before Sombra's temper got the better of him and he gave the building's modest wooden sign a swift kick.
"Rrrgh! Who does that oaf think he's talking to?" Sombra growled. "I am King Sombra, not some juvenile errand boy!"
"No offense, Master, but you do look like you're just a kid..."
Sombra's head snapped to Tack's direction so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash.
"What's wrong, Master?" Tack asked, head tilted.
"..." Sombra replied wittily.
"Uh, Master? What's with the look? You're starting to scare me."
"..."
"...Master? ...You okay?"
"...You ...talk??"
Author's Note
Okay, so I changed May's design a bit and gave her pants instead of her weird compression short-things. Why? Because I've gone hiking before. The only reason you would have that much leg-skin exposed while walking through the wilderness is if you really love checking yourself for ticks and spider-bites.
Also, whoever guesses where that "Ninetales' tail" reference came from gets a cookie.
