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Bella's not sure where she has wandered. She thought she was about to walk into a shop, but this appears to be an unattended bar. With none of the windows associated with the shop she thought she was entering. It could be an elaborate psychic assault of some kind, but it doesn't feel very... assault-y... and she was in the middle of a town and doesn't think any humans want to sic their 'mon on her. It's strange. She approaches the bar, looking around warily, hand hovering near her belt.
A pair of... people... walk in the same door that brought her.
One is wrapped in green leafy vines, in a roughly symmetrical pattern that just about barely conceals the parts of him that humans are expected to. He has more vines sprouting from his back, arranged in the shape of wings, with long feathery leaves. They move and stretch like real limbs. Tiny green tendrils twine through his hair.
The other has a similar height and general build, but a completely different peculiarity: he is wrapped in lightning. It crawls over his skin in tight crackling arcs and spreads out from his back and shoulders into wings shaped roughly like the vine man's, although the limitations of the medium mean that you can't really claim these ones have feathers.
the_very_best
Well, her first guess is that these are Pokémon she's never heard of. Some Pokémon walk on two legs. Bella hates indoor battles and they aren't making challenging noises at her, but she lets Fireflower out, just in case. Fireflower tosses her mane.
"Whoa, what the fuck?" says the lightning man. The vine man arches a wing protectively around him and gives Ace a curious look.
the_very_best
Not Pokémon, then - or, exciting legendary talking ones. She pats Fireflower's neck.
"She's a Rapidash."
"And what's one of those?" inquires the vine man.
the_very_best
"They evolve from Ponyta. Fire-types, if it wasn't obvious. Uh, what are you?"
"Earth and Lightning," says the vine man, gesturing respectively to himself and his friend. "If it wasn't obvious. Do you happen to know where we are?"
the_very_best
"No, I just - got here myself, still figuring it out. I've never heard of you or seen anything like you before."
"And neither have we heard of or seen anything like your Fire-horse," says Earth. "But you seem to be an ordinary human as far as I can tell, and we're familiar with those. That's interesting."
"They resemble your Rapidash, minus the horn and with the fire replaced by hair in more or less the same locations and shapes. They're not magical in any way."
the_very_best
"I don't know that I'd call Fireflower magical." These 'mon or aliens or whatever pretty clearly don't seem to want to attack her; Fireflower can go back in her ball. "You mean they're, like, Normal-type...?"
"If I knew what Normal-type meant, perhaps I could answer that question," says Earth, smiling slightly.
Lightning seems to have become bored by this conversation and is holding Earth's hand and gazing around at the bar in general, wings folded to his back.
Lightning seems to have become bored by this conversation and is holding Earth's hand and gazing around at the bar in general, wings folded to his back.
"And what's a Pokémon?"
the_very_best
"...Fireflower is one. I've only got six on me but there's hundreds of species. They're, you know, the things that move around besides humans. Or they are where I'm from. Iiii'm guessing you guys aren't talking Pokémon after all?"
"The things that move around besides humans where we're from are either animals or elementals, never both. Elementals resemble humans, with various halos - Fireflower looks a little bit like a horse with a Fire halo. Horses are a species of animal. Apart from Fire, Earth, and Lightning, the other single elements are Adamant, Air, Glass, Ice, Shadow, Shine, Stone, Water, and Wood."
the_very_best
"Huh. Some of those are also Pokémon types - ice and water and fire. And some of the others are close. But yeah, you are not Pokémon. Sorry for thinking you might be."
"Is that the sort of thought one apologizes for?" asks Earth.
the_very_best
"I would be mildly put out if I were mistaken for one? I'm not sure how that would happen, but if it did. I'd be more put out if they thought I was one long enough to attack me or try to capture me."
The end of that sentence attracts Lightning's interest; he looks at her. It's hard to tell his expression under all the lightning, but his posture is somewhat aggressive. Earth squeezes his hand, drapes a leafy wing around his shoulders, and otherwise ignores him in favour of the conversation.
"Are attack and capture the usual responses to Pokémon?"
"Are attack and capture the usual responses to Pokémon?"
the_very_best
"Well, you'll notice I didn't have Fireflower try to set you on fire right away, and I don't even want any more, I have six - if you don't have your 'mon attack a wild one that gets in your space, though, it'll basically kill you unless you're very lucky. People who don't have at least one 'mon of their own pretty much can't leave cities."
Lightning snorts. His halo throws sparks, which dissipate harmlessly where they fall on Earth.
"That sounds... inconvenient," murmurs Earth. "Thank you for not trying to set us on fire."
"That sounds... inconvenient," murmurs Earth. "Thank you for not trying to set us on fire."
the_very_best
"You're welcome. I hate indoor battles anyway, unless they're in adequately sized purpose-built stadiums, those are okay."
"Hmm?"