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[Double-take.

Triple-take, actually. In the dim light, features blur. It would be a wild coincidence for that figure, moving like Akira, to actually be Akira - but that's his hair, isn't it? The more Gladion watches, the more it moves like a mop of kelp.

...

This has to be a fucking sign.]

Akira? [Not loudly. He's still not sure he's right. But Gladion checks down the road, and jogs across the street for a closer look, and calls out again.

His own green face and hair is perhaps a lot more distinct.]

[the figure stiffens, ears alert, tail up, sifting around on hooved feet with something like anxiety- seems that "spooking" instinct he mentioned on the roof was true. But the second call eases his nerves, and he raises a hand in greeting]

Hey. Didn't expect you in town this early. Or late?

[Wow. Yeah, no kidding. It's rare to see Akira that...casually discomposed.

But Gladion's too tired to make anything of it right now, or link that to maybe not wanting to throw Silvally directly at his face. He himself looks more generally disheveled, like he's been running around all over this side of town for a couple of hours, because he has. Also, he hasn't slept.

But if there's any mystery about it, he'll clear it up real fast:] I have a quest from Mana. Can you help me finish it?

Yeah, of course.

[He smiles, relaxing fully and resting his hands in his pockets]

What do you need?

Some patience, and more open space than this.

[Turns around and abruptly realizes ah fuck wait this is the part of the city he really never got around to exploring exploring. Where the fuck is the nearest park or empty lot or something.

Sigh. Turns back.]

...All you'll have to do is stand there. If this works, it'll bring my partner Pokemon to this world, on the spot. We need enough room that I can reel it in if it panics.

Wait, your pokemon?

[HIs ears tilt forward, excited]

Alright, got it. Uhm... I think I passed a grassy lot just up the road while I was walking?

[Faintly grateful-sounding:] That'll work. Back that way?

[Let's go let's go. Gladion is walking Fast. He'll try to give a better explanation along the way, even if it has to be a little breathless.]

I had three. Silvally - the one I asked for - it's, you could say it's my ace. And - [his closest friend, but that's too much to say right now, for some reason. His gut churns.] This spell, or whatever, this is the last step, it's supposed to make Silvally appear, and it'll probably be facing your way. I won't let it attack you, so just - don't attack it, I'll handle everything.

Right. I'll keep the horse-thing under control.

[The startling, he means the startling. God he hates it so much.]

Here we go, think this will work.

[It's a little overgrown, but otherwise clear of obsticals]

Thanks. [And it means a lot because this isn't a - it's a small ask materially but he won't ever brush off the "horse thing".

This lot is perfect. As perfect as it's going to get without leaving the whole city and finding somewhere out in the hills. Gladion has the rock in his hand when they get there.]

This'll do. [He sounds a little shaky. He might look a little shaky too, if you look closely at his hand. He walks further in, wasting no time.] Stand wherever you like. We need a - a few yards of space, and I have to throw this on the ground between us. Silvally should appear there.

[He'll move as is appropriate for where Akira wants to be - near the street so there's room to move away, or further in where his blind spots are more covered.]

[And Akira... stands right out in the open. He completely trusts Gladion to know what he's doing- and himself to keep his control. He sees the shaking, and nods]

Hey. You got this.

[...He's got this. Did Mana got this? Will Silvally be alright - will the system be working, or will it be in pain again? Is it in some kind of limbo right now, waiting for him to get this right? Is it...

Gladion puts a battle court's space between them, and only then looks up. He doesn't feel at all like he's got this, but he can act like he's got this.

Look Akira in the eye. Imagine another life, where they're not in the fog god's stupid hellish playground, and where Gladion isn't so beholden to his mother's collateral damage that he doesn't have stupid normal friends to have stupid normal battles with for stupid normal fun. Silvally is there, and every step they take is taken together, and neither of them are afraid.

Hold up that rock. Take a deep breath, and no more hesitating.]

...I choose you, Silvally!!

[And throw.]

[The rock starts its arc through the air with the weight of a rock. But there's a flicker of red just before it hits the ground, and when it does, it bounces -

and unlatches and spills out light and very suddenly there is a large creature there, pale feathers of its head and neck and axe-like crest reflecting the sparse light.

It lands with its forelegs spread wide on the ground, long claws splayed. There's an immediate huff of an inhale, like a gasp, and it fixes Akira with a razor-sharp stare, pupils constricting, gaze flicking up-and-down-and-side-to-side in a panicked scrawl.

All this in the first second.]

[In the next, it takes one jolting step back, neck pulling into a defensive hunch, and emits a two-layered sound; a sharp hiss over a rattling snarl. Muscles tense in its shoulders, its haunches, ready to leap or lunge or explode into any other frantic show of violence.

But it doesn't get that far, because behind it, Gladion has moved from wide-eyed shock to wide-eyed calling out:]

Wait, don't, he's a friend!

[and at the sound of Gladion's voice, the creature immediately freezes in place, bird-whistling its anxious confusion. It backs away from Akira while swiveling, like a car backing into a turn, so that it can look at Gladion without Akira leaving its field of vision.

And when it does see Gladion, it freezes again, completely, all the feathers on the back of its neck standing up straight.]

Edited 2023-02-15 01:32 (UTC)

[Gladion is not frozen still. He's pulling off his hat and his scarf to expose his face completely, with small motions and still-shaking hands, and taking little strafing steps to circle around towards Akira, so that he's standing a little more between him and the Pokemon. He looks a little stricken.]

It's me. I look different, but it's me, buddy. [Gladion's voice is soft and strained, still shaking a little around the edges, as if he's fending off tears.] There's been - there's a lot that's happened. I know you don't - you've got to be confused. I'll explain everything, but it'll take a while.

[Silvally still hasn't moved a muscle.]

[gladion doesn't freeze but Akira absolutely does. His ears are pinned and his tendrils tremble with the need to flair up in defense. His muscles shiver and twitch with the deep instinctual need to shapeshift. He realizes he doesn't want to run, he wants to stomp. Both man and horse seeing all things predatory in Silvally and demanding he kill it before it kills everything he loves.

But he holds, he holds. He's fought bigger beasts in the Metaverse... yet his horse sense of smell can pick up all the dry musk of something so primally animal that no Shadow could ever properly mimic- it's not fully the same.

Still, it's enough to keep him still. Gladion has it, he has to believe that.]

[Still moving, until he's directly between the two - shielding Akira from Silvally, or the other way around. Gladion holds his hands out to his sides a little, demonstrating empty hands, showing it's just me.]

I was fused with something. That's the short version. It's been - four months, until I could...

[And now, the doubt yawns wider, as he trails off. He shouldn't have done this after all.

Whatever expression he wears makes Silvally crouch in place a little and make a quiet rasping sound, clearly overwhelmed and uncertain. Slowly, very slowly, it reaches forward with its neck - and sniffs, loudly and tentatively.

Just as slowly, broadcasting his movements before he makes them, Gladion moves his hands out in front of him and takes a step forward.

Another step.

Silvally creeps forward, too.

It sniffs at his hands, and its feathers flick and ruffle with its rolling fear/confusion/concern. Glances up at his face.]

It's me.

[And there's a moment a few seconds after that that's obviously the moment it all clicks for the creature; it settles its weight back and lifts its head and its feathers don't smooth out completely but the fear of immediate danger melts out of it because it trusts what Gladion is telling it.

It whistles a pained upward slide that sounds, emotionally, very much like what the fuck happened to you?? and bonks him in the chest, with his nose, hard.]

Oof!

[Then hooks its chin over his head, as Gladion, too, breaks tension and reaches up to ruffle its feathers, which turns into hugging its neck, and he's going to do that for a moment while he bleeds off some adrenaline and continues trying not to cry.

It shuffles its foreclaws forward in the dirt to return the hug a little better, presses its chin down against Gladion's temple, and with a soft, uneasy gurgle, takes the opportunity to look around behind him a little more.

What the fuck is going on.

Its eyes land on Akira again. It blinks at his face. It blinks down at his legs for much longer.]

[and once Gladion is petting and hugging it Akira loses much of his tension too- not all, but most of it.

He eyes Silvally in return, wondering if it sees him as a human or another pokemon- must be confusing. But if Gladion talked to it like it can understand he will too]

I'm like him- this place does it. Made me like a... Mudsdale?

[that was the horse-like Pokemon Gladion mentioned right? The mud vomit one]

[Fweet? it says, and squints at him.

Gladion coughs (not crying. definitely not.) and starts to detach.]

Not exactly. [Almost some humor in there! He reaches up to rub Silvally's neck as he takes a step back. And a deep breath. And - whoof, like he'd intended to say something else there but couldn't figure out what.] There's a lot to explain.

[Fwit (to the tune of "that's okay").]

[Gladion turns so he's not standing directly between them anymore; he looks tired, but not tense anymore, not quite smiling but also not quite frowning. Relieved, certainly, though not completely untroubled. He's keeping up contact with Silvally, whether by continuing to run a hand through its feathers or by sort of leaning against it, his side bumping its shoulder.]

This is Akira. He's, [looks at Akira for a moment here, very conscious of whatever words he's about to say, but perhaps less than he would be around anyone but Silvally:] trustworthy. Don't bite him. [Small huff. Silvally tentatively sticks out its neck again (birdlike) and sniffs at Akira with its odd metal nose (unbirdlike).]

[the pokemon is very surreal in how it moves, but again his experience with Shadows helps here- he's seen equally as weird. Though the Shadows always had a dream-like aspect to them. Silvally, for all it's mitchmatched-ness, moves like a real living thing. He offers his hands for it to sniff like he would with a dog or cat]

It's bigger than I expected.

Animals seem to run small. [Silvally says mrg? in the midst of its sniffing. Gladion leans against its shoulder again.] Part of the explanation. [Alrighty then. It sniffs Akira's hands, then takes another two steps forward - still tentative, but in more of a socially-cautious way than a nervous-about-Akira way, gently probing at his personal space before getting up any closer - and sniffs at his hair. From a polite distance.

(Gladion is sort of alternating between watching the interaction and staring off at nothing with that vibe of relieved exhaustion, taking the opportunity to just fucking relax for a moment and put some thought into the logistics of the next...day, perhaps.)]

[He smells distinctly of human-animal-plant-salt, but doesn't seem to mind it, actually laughing a bit]

The ones you see in a city, at least, yeah.

Edited 2023-02-16 01:35 (UTC)

[Clicks its tongue and steps back again, still mystified but content with what it's observed for now! Now it needs to sniff Gladion a little more thoroughly and try to figure out what the fuck is going on with his hair.

Gladion closes his eyes for a moment, aggrieved (friendly).]

And at the zoo, and out in the woods. I know about bears and cows. Animals still run small on average. [...opens his eyes] What were you expecting?

Edited 2023-02-16 01:46 (UTC)

How big do big pokemon get?!

And more like- [He guestures to a big dog, around his hip]

[Flatly:] Bigger. [At another tongue-click from Silvally, less flatly:] No, Silvally is a pretty big Pokemon, but it's also not too unusual in that. That's [nod at the gesture] low-middle range. It's like...the bell curve is steeper than it is for animals, I guess. Way more species in the shoulder-height range. Big generalization there. Bugs are definitely bigger across the board, though, on par with the distribution in mammals. [Silvally's fussing at his hair has become biting of his ponytail. The tie comes off. Gladion is now officially disheveled.] -Hey.

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