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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Worlds

Chapter 9

"Honey?"

Moto rolls over in his bed and nestles up against the Pokemon with him.

"Honey! It's time to get up! Breakfast is ready!" the female voice calls again.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" Moto calls back, grunting as he sits up. Rubbing his eyes, he places his hand on the Pokemon sleeping next to him. "Come on, or mom's gonna get mad. And we've got a long day ahead of us."

As Moto climbs out of bed, the Pokemon that was next to him sits up and stretches, letting out a long, squeaking yawn. Moto gets himself dressed in a pair of baggy blue jeans, slips on a sky blue t-shirt, and then places a dark blue ball cap on his head to cover up his messy black hair.

"Moto, if you don't get down here this instant..!"

"I'm up mom!" Moto calls back. "C'mon, we should hurry before she comes up here and throttles both of us. You know how she gets."

The canine nods in agreement, then twists to put his feet on the floor and gets out of bed. The pokemon stands on two legs, and is barely shorter than Moto. The tips of the Pokemon's long, pointed ears creates an illusion of being taller than the boy.

"Hurry up and get your shorts on," Moto says, passing the Pokemon a pair of green camouflage patterned shorts with cargo pockets.

Catching them with both paws, the Pokemon lays the shorts on the floor, steps into the holes, and uses the spikes on the backside of his paws to pull up the shorts by a special loop sewn into them. Another strap is laid over the root of his long, slender tail and fastened with a metal toggle to help the shorts stay up. The shorts are long enough to cover his thick, blue colored thighs, leaving only his black legs sticking out beneath them. His torso is a pale gold color, with another steel-like spike in the center of his chest, similar to those on the back of his paws. The canine's head is the same deep blue color of his thighs and arms, with a black mask that stretches from the tip of his nose, and then separates into stripes that go around the sides of his head, with a third going over the top between his ears.

His ears slap the sides of his head as he shakes it. Moto chuckles as the Pokemon then looks at him with a smile. "Your mother is waiting."

"Right," Moto says. Even though his pokemon never truly speaks, he and his Pokemon's bond is strong enough that they have learned to communicate with each other as any human could with any other human. Since Moto was little and before hisPokemon evolved into what he is now, it has been as though they were always inside each other's heads. They could communicate entire conversations, trivial or serious, without saying a word to each other. Moto has tried this with his parents Pokemon, but he's never been able to develop the type of bond he has with his Pokemon. "So what do you want to do today?" Moto asks as the pair walk out to the hall and into the bathroom.

"After training you mean." The Pokemon smirks. The four long, thick dreadlock-like strands of fur that hang down to his shoulders catches his eye in the mirror, and he turns to face it so he can straighten them out. They'd gotten scraggly while he slept..

"Well of course after training." Moto shrugs and then starts brushing his teeth. "We gotta keep you from getting fat," he says, dripping toothpaste from his mouth.

"That will never happen. And if it weren't for me, you'd have gotten fat a long time ago," the Pokemon replies with a huff.

"Oh c'mon, Nicky, I wash jusht kidding."

"Hmph."

"I gotta get shome food, fursht. My shtomach's grumbring." Spitting into the sink, Moto rinses his mouth out and the pair turn toward the hallway.

"Let's eat and then get to training." Without waiting for a reply, Nicky starts the race to be the first to the breakfast table by bolting out the door.

Moto runs after him. "No fair, you got a head start!"

"Hah!" Nicky calls back in a bark, making it downstairs in a single jump."

Moto reaches the top of the stairs, hearing the sound of a newspaper rustling.

"Nicky! How many times have I told you not to jump down the stairs?!" a male voice yells out. "You're going to go right through the floor one of these days.

The Pokemon shrugs and looks up at Moto with a grin, then dashes for the dining room before Moto can catch him.

Moto speeds down the stairs, taking them in pairs. Before he reaches the bottom, he clips the edge of one with his foot, trips, and falls the rest of the way down the stairs and into the wall with a crash.

The rustling newspaper is heard again, followed by slapping a table. "Be more careful, Moto!"

"Sorry dad," Moto replies, chuckling and rubbing his head. He gets to his feet and wanders into the dining room, then sits down at the table. "You cheated, Moto says, glaring at his Pokemon with narrowed eyes.

Both of Moto's parents shake their heads at him, and his father once again hides behind the newspaper. "Still kids, both of you," he jokes, rattling the paper. "Never gonna grow up."

"Hnn," Nicky replies with a smile. A moment later, a plate of ham steak and eggs, with bacon and sausage is placed in front of he and Moto. Pressing the end of his fork between two digits of his paw, he stabs at one of the sausage links and stuffs the entire thing into his muzzle. He chews slowly however, letting out a soft moan as he leans his head back.

"Glad you like it!" Moto's mother says with a chuckle.

Moto copies his Pokemon, and fights his sausage link into his mouth. "Ah c'n do hat too!" Seeing his Pokemon eating slowly and enjoying every bite of his food, Moto slows down as well.

Unlike his Pokemon who, as usual, declines the syrup when it's offered, Moto drenches his plate in it. Nicky wasn't always sitting at the table, sharing the same food as the rest of the family. Moto laughs thinking about how he used to sneak food to him when they were little, even though his parents insisted Nicky only be fed Pokemon food. But after a while, they gave up and allowed him to eat at the table, so long as he learned proper table manners. When Moto sees Nicky looking at him with his head cocked to one side, he smiles, proud of his Pokemon for learning how to eat with a fork and spoon. The ham steak on his plate still needs to be cut by someone else, and when Nicky is ready for it, he slides it over to Moto to cut it for him.

Moto chuckles, cuts it, and slides it back to Nicky. When their plates are finished, Moto's mother comes and takes them, Nicky offering a bow of thanks to her. He's always shown appreciation for everything the family has done for him, and Moto again smiles wide at his Pokemon. "Always so polite. I think that's why mom lets you eat at the table with us."

"He has better manners than you, that's for sure," his mother says with a laugh.

Nicky smirks at Moto. "Maybe you should learn more manners as well. Then maybe she'll let YOU eat at the table more often."

"Hey!"

Nicky grins wide then bolts out the door before he could be caught, Moto giving chase.

"Be careful, boys!"

"We will!" Moto calls back, waving as he takes off after his Pokemon. "Come back here!" He can hear his mother laughing as the door shuts behind him.

As Moto chases Nicky down the street toward the edge of town, the Pokemon turns and runs backward, sticking his tongue out. "I'm GONNA catch you, Nicky! Then you're gonna get it!"

Nicky grins at Moto, letting him catch up some before turning around again. Just as he does, he slams nose first into a tree in one of the neighbor's yards. He grabs his nose with both paws and stumbles backward with a groan. "Ow..."

Moto speeds up, laughing. "Got you now!" Moto pounces on his Pokemon, and rolls to the ground with him. They end with Moto sitting on top of Nicky's thighs. "Ha." The he notices his Pokemon doesn't look too happy. "What's wrong? You're not giving me the usual 'about time!' look you give me."

"That hurt..." Nicky grunts, motioning toward the tree and wiping the blood from his nose with his paw.

Moto blinks a few times, looks at the tree, then back to Nicky. "Oh, OOH! Sorry, I didn't think you hit that hard!" Moto gets off of his Pokemon and helps him sit up. "You okay? Let me look." Moto takes Nicky's muzzle in one hand and angles it where he can see. "It doesn't look too bad. You want to have mom take a look at it?"

Nicky shakes his head, gently pushing Moto's hand away. "I'll be fine. Let's just get to our training spot." Moto nods, and then falls into step behind him.

They reach the edge of town and walk down the path leading into the woods. After a short distance they reach a small parking area resting at the beginning of a trailhead, and they follow the trail for a short distance before breaking away from the path. Minutes later, they reach a small dirt clearing that's surrounded by trees, with a single large maple in the center. The bark all around the trunk has been stripped away and is covered in scratches.

After a few minutes of stretching, Nicky finally motions that he's ready to begin. Moto finishes moments later.

"Ready when you are." With a final stretch, Moto squares himself up with Nicky, placing one toe on the ground just a foot in front of his other, and sets his hands out in front of him, fingers straight, and elbows slightly bent, with his hands in line with his sternum. Nicky mimics the stance and nods.

"I'm kinda excited."

Nicky tilts his head at Moto.

"Well, mom and dad are going to be gone for the weekend," Moto says. "So after tonight, it'll be just you and me for a few days."

The Pokemon smiles. "I'm looking forward to it as well." With another nod, he signals to begin. As usual, he waits for Moto to make the first move.

Moto nods, then attacks. He delivers a punch, which Nicky deflects and counters. Moto blockss it and strikes again. This process continues for several minutes, the pair getting faster and faster. That is until Moto realizes he is actually connecting more often than usual. Nicky normally blocks far more effectively, only truly allowing a connection when a punch or kick was properly delivered. But today, his Pokemon doesn't seem himself. Nicky seemed to notice it as well and steps back, shaking his head.

Moto doesn't pursue. "Hey." He walks over the oak tree and sits down, leaning back against it, and then pats the space between his legs. "What's going on? You're off in space somewhere." Nicky sits where indicated and leans back against Moto. Once his Pokemon is settled, Moto wraps his arms around him and clasps his hands on Nicky's stomach, then continues. "It's not because you ran into that tree before, is it?"

"No." Nicky shrugs. "But it's related." He looks around at their surroundings. Moto can feel that Nicky isn't so much looking at the trees around them as he is looking beyond them. After a moment of silence, Nicky sighs. "I feel...something." Nicky places a paw over his heart, the same place a human would. "It's been growing for a while, and I don't like it. It feels...it makes me nervous, and it's disrupting my concentration." Placing his paws over Moto's hands, he squeezes them gently.

Moto turns his hands to squeeze back, looking around as Nicky had before. He feels nothing. The bird Pokemon are still chirping, and he can't help but reach out with one hand to feel the warmth of the sun still shining around them. "You know, I kind of noticed you seemed out of sorts lately. Even jumping down the stairs, you usually land more quietly than that." He shrugs and takes Nicky's paws into his hands again. "Think you can walk home? Or should I carry you?" He pokes Nicky in the stomach.

"Oh please, you didn't hit me that hard." Nicky jabs an elbow backward into Moto's side and grunts, smirking. "I'll be all right, but I think I've had enough training for the day." A short nuzzle against Moto's cheek is all that was needed to convey the message. "I just can't concentrate."

"All right. So is there anything particular you want to do? Or do I get to decide again like always?"

Nicky shrugs. "Let's go swimming. It's hot out here." Moto agrees with a nod of his head, and the pair start the walk home. When they turn the corner to their street, Moto can see his parents pulling out of the driveway.

"They're leaving already?" Moto starts to run, his Pokemon keeping pace with him. They are unable to catch his parents' attention before they disappear around the next street corner. "Huh..." Standing in the driveway to his house, Moto stares in silence.

Nicky places a paw on Moto's shoulder. "They probably left a note. Got called into work early again."

"Yeah probably. C'mon, let's get out back before you fry," Moto says with a light jab to his Pokemon's arm, making a hissing sound as he holds his fist against him.

Nicky smiles and pushes the hand away from him. "Beat you there!" In an instant, he starts running. He goes for the side of the house and instead of going through the gate, simply leaps over the fence.

"No fair, you got a head start!"

---

"N-nicky..." The Totodile squirms against Viggy.

Viggy tries to calm him with a gentle touch to the head, but the Totodile continues wiggling.

"Not fair...head start..."

Viggy tilts his head at the Pokemon in his arms and lets out a huff. He taps him on the forehead with a claw and gently shakes him.

"Mmnh," Moto groans, batting at the claw at his hand. Viggy grunts and pokes him harder. "Huh., wha?!" Moto sits up suddenly, causing Viggy to jump. Moto blinks and then catches Viggy's gaze. "Viggy? Where...what happened?"

Viggy coughs and motions downward with his head. Moto follows his gaze.

"Gah!" The Totodile wraps his arms around Viggy's neck and hangs on so tight that it forces Viggy to cough. "WHY are we up in a TREE?! I'm not some flying type, y'know!"

Shaking his head, Viggy sets the Totodile down on the branch against the tree trunk. Thunder rolls on in the distance, the storm having passed over them some time ago. Water still drips from down from the leaves, but the rain itself has reduced to a light drizzle.

Moto looks over in the direction of the thunder and gulps, but doesn't cower from it. Viggy can only assume it's far enough away for Moto feel comfortable with the sound.

"What happened?" the small crocodile asks after a few moments of silence.

Viggy starts frantically pantomiming, his thoughts on everything that occurred between they and Krookodile and Krokorok.

"Slow down! I can't keep up."

Viggy huffs, then starts over. He describes the rain falling, Moto nodding when he understands. Viggy continues with the battle, forming holes between fingers and claws, and using the other clawed hand to push through the hole.

"So they used Dig to get close without us knowing."

Nodding, Viggy then makes a slow slashing motion at Moto's chest. The Totodile looks down and takes one of the torn bandages into his hand.

Moto looks up at him. "How'd you fix it? Shouldn't it still be bleeding?"

Viggy forces a half smile and points at a bald spot of fur on his side. The flesh there is raw with small dots of blood, then points again to the small crocodile's chest.

"You used your fur to soak it up?"

Viggy nods.

"That couldn't have felt good." Moto averts his gaze for a moment, then meets eyes again. "You have risked your life, and caused yourself harm to help us so many times already...We wouldn't have survived without you. And here you are, doing it again, and making a bandage out of your own fur." The small water type leans forward and hugs Viggy tightly. Viggy hesitates a moment, then lets out a slow sigh and hugs him back. After a moment, Moto lets go. "So what happens now?"

Viggy shrugs, then points at a tree, then at the branch they're sitting on. Straightening his arm out, Viggy uses two claws to simulate a Pokemon jumping.

"Y-you mean..." Moto swallows. "We have to stay up here?"

Viggy smiles and nods again.

"I-I don't think I can-"

Viggy takes holds of Moto's shoulders, staring into his eyes. He shakes his head, then again points at the trees.

Moto swallows again. "I..." He looks down at the ground, gulps, then leans back against the tree trunk with his eyes closed. "Calm down, Moto. You promised yourself...you wouldn't be afraid anymore." He opens his eyes and takes another short glance over the side, then looks back up at Viggy. "So how are we going to do this?"

Smiling, Viggy turns around and reaches back behind him.

"You want me to ride on your back?"

Viggy nods, looking back over his shoulder.

"Won't I be too heavy?"

Rolling his eyes, Viggy quirks a brow at him, then motions with his eyes all around them.

"You got a point...you did get me up here easily enough apparently."

Viggy nods again, then motions his head to tell Moto to get on. Moto gulps, but does as he's told. He crawls onto Viggy's back and wraps his arms around Viggy's neck. With a short hop, Viggy settles the crocodile on his back more comfortably, then stands up and looks over his shoulder once more and gives Moto's hands a gentle pat.

"I know, I'm hanging on as tight I can without strangling you," Moto says.

Taking a deep breath, Viggy hunches down and, letting go of Moto's legs, takes a giant leap to the next tree. Moto lets out a shriek of terror right in Viggy's ear that causes a moment of blindness. Viggy lands hard on the next branch, barely maintaining enough balance to stay on it as the shriek in his ear continues to deafen him.

Viggy shoots Moto a glance over his shoulder.

Moto stops screaming, swallows, and returns Viggy's stare with a half-smile and furrowed brows. "Err, sorry...Just not used to being this high up. Over ground anyway. I can dive off a cliff into water no problem. But this..."

Viggy snorts and shakes his head. After another adjustment, Viggy again looks over his shoulder with a smirk, raising one eyebrow.

"I'll...try to stay quiet."

Viggy nods, and then once again, makes another leap. Moto gives a short squeak, but remains quiet otherwise. Viggy continues on for several minutes, leaping from tree to tree and Moto whimpering in his ear with every jump.

"So why are we doing this again?" Moto asks when Viggy stops to rest.

Viggy uses a claw and points at his ear, then at the ground.

"Right, ground types...they can hear the vibrations." Moto sighs. "So what about Lance? Won't they hear him too?" Viggy only shrugs in reply, and Moto lets out a long, slow breath. "That's what I was afraid of..."

Viggy forces a smile and pats the small crocodile on the shoulder. Moto smiles back, but then looks off into the woods. "So Viggy..? Why are you doing this for us?" Moto turns and locks eyes with him. "I mean...we did nothing for you, even would have attacked you when you got involved in the fight before. And yet you stayed out of it, patched our wounds, and are now risking your life for us. What did we do to deserve this help from you?"

Blinking at the crocodile, Viggy doesn't respond. He hadn't expected to have to answer that question so soon, nor had he considered his actions except that he was looking for a way out of Sceptile's gang.

"I hope Lance is wrong about you...I really do," Moto says finally.

Smiling, Viggy nods again with another pat to the crocodile's shoulder.

"But still. Why us? Why not someone else who's stood up to Sceptile? Why continue helping us so much? If Sceptile catches you..."

The smile fades from Viggy's lips and he closes his eyes. He can feel Moto's eyes on him, waiting for an answer.

---

"VIGROTH!"

Gulping audibly, Viggy slowly approaches Sceptile sitting down in his seat placed in the middle of a large, dirt covered area. "Y-yes, Sceptile?"

"Chikorita's injured again. Go tend her."

"Yes, Sceptile." Viggy bows and walks forward, going past the chair.

Sceptile reaches out and grabs him by the shoulder. "And make it quick, or you get to become her replacement." He then thrusts Viggy away from him.

Viggy hurries on his way toward the pens in the center of another clearing. Like the meeting grounds where Sceptile discusses his plans with his members and tortures prisoners, this area also void of trees, cleared by Pokemon. In the center is a series of pens made of thick bars of wood and held together by Caterpie silk. Right now, only one is occupied.

Inside is a small pokemon, light green in color and covered in scales. She has short legs with a single clawed toe on each of her four feet, and a large leaf growing from a stem on the top of her head. Her face is flat, with no discernible nose except for the two short slits above her mouth.

Viggy nods to the Pokemon guarding the cage, who opens it for him, and locks it once he's inside, and then walks away. Viggy checks her over, and as far as he can tell, she seems to be in fair condition. That is until he checks behind her. She's unconscious, and beneath her short, pointed tail, both of her orifices are swollen and bleeding. Her reproductive organ however, is torn to double its normal size.

Sighing, Viggy takes off his shoulder bag and kneels beside her. "I'm sorry," He says with a sighas he takes out a pair of Oran berries and a small bowl made of clay. He cuts the stem off with a claw and then starts pulverizing the berries in the bowl.

The Chikorita groans as the cold berry gel is spread over her wounds, but remains unconscious.

"It'll feel better soon, I promise. And I'll do what I can to ease it for next time." Viggy sighs again, and starts mashing a Figy berry into a gel as well. "I wish I could stop it altogether..."

---

Viggy rubs his neck and lets out a slow breath as the sky lights up momentarily, the rumble of thunder rolling around them a short time later.

"Viggy?" Moto tilts his head at him. "You okay?"

Blinking, Viggy shakes his head and looks at the crocodile. He gives a small smile and nods.

"You didn't answer my question."

Viggy cocks his head to the side and blinks. After a moment, he raises his eyebrows and nods. He plops down on the branch and does his best to pantomime about the Chikorita, Moto only acknowledging that there was some small female Pokemon involved.

"So you're hoping to make up for not being able to help her then?"

Viggy nods, averting his gaze.

"What happened to her? Maybe we can save her?"

Shaking his head, Viggy closes his eyes and sighs. With a single claw, he makes a cutting motion in front of his neck.

Moto gets to his feet and balances his way along the branch to Viggy's side, and sits down, letting his tail hang down behind him. "I'm sorry," he says, scooting closer and wrapping his arm around Viggy's shoulder.

Viggy forces another small smile, still not looking up.

"Well, you helped us, and for that I'm grateful." The water type squeezes Viggy's shoulder. "I'm sure Lance is too, he's just slower to trust I guess. He'll come around." After a short nod from Viggy, Moto shrugs. "Who knows? He might even come to like you."

Viggy smirks at the joke and gives the crocodile a gentle squeeze to his thigh.

"C'mon, we should get back." Moto stands up again and, once Viggy is ready, climbs onto his back as he did before.

As they leap from tree to tree, Viggy smiles at the lack of noise the Totodile is making, sure now that he is trusted completely by the water type. Good to have real friend...