Chapter 4: Volts and Walls

“… Reya… what is this?”

“It’s an electrical outlet, duh! I thought humans had that in their world.”

“I said food… not a place to charge my iPhone…” Reya, the Ninetales, brought John to an electrical outlet in the living room. ‘Oh yeah… my phone kinda stayed in my old body. Still, why did she take me to an outlet in her house?’

“Oh yeah, your species feeds on electricity of another electric type Pokémon. If I were to make a comparison so you could understand better… you’re kinda like an electrical vampire.” She giggles.

That made John immediately raise an invisible eyebrow. ‘They have vampire stories in here too?’ The Joltik sighed. “So… I’m some kind of bug with electric affinities… do I have some type of electric attack as well?”

Reya answered with a smile. “Oh, you do! For example, you can make electric webs, so you can paralyze an opponent unfortunate enough to fall into your traps!”

John couldn’t help but wonder in disbelief, making a mental image of him shooting electrical webs out of his rear end. ‘Oh my fucking god… just what the hell is this world…?’ He quickly shook off the thought. “But if you brought me here… then that means, you don’t have an electric Pokémon willing to let me suck their volts?”

The deity-looking fox said with a grin. “As expected from a human, you do catch on fast. Yes, a bit from your fangs do sting a bit, so most Pokémon kinda don’t like it… but I’ve been thinking, what if you suck it right out of an electrical outlet?”

John glanced at the outlet before looking back at Reya. “So, you want to test if I’m some kind of living plug?”

“I mean… looks kinda silly in my head, but it’s worth a shot, right?”

John sighs and faces the outlet. “Alright…” Although, there was a problem… it was too high for John to reach it. Even when he tried standing up in two nubs while leaning on a wall to reach higher, it still wasn’t enough. It was the same height as Reya’s. ” … I can’t reach it, Reya…”

“Well, then just walk on the wall.”

 John tilted his head in confusion. “How? I know that spiders can do that but… I don’t know how to do it.”

“Oh yeah… hm…” She put a paw on her chin while closing her eyes, making a thinking face. After three seconds, she opened her eyes again. “I may not be a bug, so I don’t have any experience with climbing walls. Even so… try digging your nubs into the wall while starting to think really hard… I am walking on the floor normally, this wall is a floor! ” The Joltik looked at her in silence. She chuckled. “Well, it could work. You’ll never know if you don’t try.”

He sighed. “Fine… I’ll try it… but if I fall, please catch me.”

“Alright then, I’ll use my tails as a big pillow.” As she said that, she turned around and put her tails on the ground. She looked behind, looking at the tiny green spider. “Are you ready?”

While that was happening, Claire peeked around the living room and saw her mom. Although she couldn’t see John because of her mom’s big tails. Still, she could hear his high-pitched voice.

“Ready as I’ll ever be!” The Joltik said out loud.

‘What are they doing…?’ The Vulpix thought as she looked at the two Pokémon in the living room.

John slightly backed away from the wall, closing his eyes, then walked as fast as he could towards the wall. He put his front nubs on the wall first, digging as deep as he could, then putting his back nuns on the wall next. He started walking in circles on the wall. He shouted frenetically in his mind, hoping that it would do the trick. ‘This wall is the floor, this wall is the floor, this wall is the floor!’

Reya said with a smile. “Oh hey, you’re doing it!”

Curiosity got the better of Claire as she got closer to the scene. ‘Mom, what is going on?’

“Well, little John over here is learning how to climb really steep surfaces, just to get some electrical grub.”

Claire squinted her eyes at the green blur moving on the wall, and she realized who it was. “Oh, I see. You’re doing it John, you’re standing on the wall!”

“Okay John, you can stop running now.”

The Joltik asked desperately. “But what if I fall!?”

The nine-tailed fox reassured me. “It’s okay, my tails will lighten the fall! Trust me!”

“Alright…!” John then stopped running and slowly opened his eyes. He almost lost his balance and fell from the scare of standing on a wall. But he kept position and steadied himself. He looked at Reya and Claire, the angle he was looking at the two of them was making him have an urge to puke. “I… I did it… I actually did it!”

Claire said happily with a smile. “Yes John, that’s how you do it!”

Reya grinned. “Congratulations John, this is your first step toward becoming a Pokémon!”

“So… when will I get some powers-?” He was quickly interrupted by the sound of his small stomach.

“Well then, your moves come at a later time, but for now, get your well-earned volts.” Reya chuckles while Claire giggles with her.

“This still feels weird as hell but… I don’t have any other choice, do I?” He mumbled to himself as he walked slowly towards the outlet that made him learn the bug way, unfortunately. He reached it and suddenly felt that his body was being attracted. The volts and sparks, dancing inside that outlet… he wanted them, he wanted that succulent electricity so bad. He opened his mouth, highlighting his upper fangs, and sank his teeth into the two holes of the outlet below him. He felt an electrical current running through his teeth, then into his whole body. Instead of pain, it felt… delicious!

After a couple of seconds, he removed his fangs from the holes. His belly was full. If John would compare that new way of eating, it would be like he just sucked an apple juice box from a straw, but the apple juice had more sugar than intended so he had a slight sugar rush.

The Ninetales fully turned to John. “So… did it work?”

 The Joltik thought about a fitting description of this whole situation. “… If I had to put my past experience into words I’d say… It was a shock in a half…”

Claire looked a bit concerned. “Um… and what does that mean exactly?”

“… It means it worked. And way better than I expected… and yes, I’m full!”

Claire grinned happily. “That’s awesome! I never saw a report of a Joltik eating from an electrical outlet!”

Reya giggled. “Hehehe, it was all my idea! You might say I’m a revolutionary Pokémon” She winked and stuck her tongue out.

John looked at her “… I honestly think any Pokémon could’ve come up with that idea.”

She looked down, making a fake sad look. “Aw man… here I thought I was the next Isaac Applin…”

Claire put a paw on Reya’s back and started stroking her with a supporting look. “Hihi, maybe next time mom.”

The Ninetales instantly looked back up with a grin. “Now that you’re well fed, let’s talk about-“

She got interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. “Home, safe and sound, but tired…”

“Hi, dad!” Claire beamed. 

“Hello, my little pepper!” Claire ran towards the snow-white figure that was her father. John couldn’t see what he looked like since Reya was in the way. So he ran up the wall to a higher position to see what he looked like. His appearance was quite similar to Reya, but unlike her, his fur was the same color as another fox John didn’t want to think about, but tinted pink. His tails were thinner and the fur was combed kind of in a wavy way, even so, it looked godly either way. His face was different from Reya, his head fur was tilted to the side, his eyes were pink, and he wore circular glasses as well with a tie tied around his neck. The Ninetales didn’t notice John yet.

Reya approached her ice counterpart and nuzzled him on the head. “There you are my snowball~! How was work?”

The ice fox sighs while patting his daughter on the head. “Same as usual, I guess… although, the reports of those strange colored Pokémons were a bit higher than usual.”

The fire Ninetales stopped nuzzling her husband and she looked at him with a more serious look. “Ah, I understand.”

Meanwhile, John wondered about what the ice god in front of him meant. ‘Strange Pokémons? I thought all of them were strange anyways…’

Claire butted in, excited to share exciting news with her father. “Dad, dad, dad, dad! You won’t believe what I found today!”

The white Ninetales smiled at his daughter. “What is it, my pepper?”

“I was out in the forest, doing uh… research! And I found something really amazing!”

He tilted his head curiously.”Oh really?” His daughter nodded. “What is it…?”

While he wasn’t paying attention, John crawled towards the Ninetales and sat in front of him. The ice fox then looked down, toward John. He even tried to adjust his glasses to see if the Joltik wasn’t a mind trick. “… Is that… a friend that you made today?” Even if he said that his mind was already thinking the worst. ‘Did she steal from a Galvantula’s nest!? It looks like a newborn!’

The Joltik started looking aside. “Um… nice to meet you, sir. My name is John Kennedy, but you can call me just John. He looked back at the ice Ninetales, analyzing his tie and glasses. ‘He looks important, if he’s the father then I gotta look as presentable as possible.’

The ice type’s eyes widened as he flinched in realization. “Wait, you can already talk!? How? You look like you just came out of an egg because you’re way smaller than the average Joltik!”

“Um… because that’s… what happened.”

“Dad, he’s a human!” Claire said ecstatically.

The ice fox recoiled. “He’s a what !?”

The temperature dropped around the room slightly, but even still, John felt like he was in a blizzard without clothes. “L-look, I know you’re s-surprised and all b-but it’s fucking c-cold…!”

In that realization, the Ninetales apologized. “Ah, sorry!” The temperature went back to normal. “Excuse me about that. But… are you really a human?”

“Yes, I am. I uh… heard the stories that your daughter told me. Is it really all true, about humans saving this world?”

“Well… history does confirm it. Statues were created, and society evolved because of them.”

John just couldn’t help but stay in silence, a bit paralyzed in knowing what was possibly going to happen in the future and how badly it would go.

However, the Ninetales added. “But not all humans that came here saved the world. Some were brought here by either pure chance or by a mistake.”

John’s face lightened up when he heard that. Is it true? Was he brought here by chance or either by mistake…? He hoped that one of those was the case. Maybe he could live a peaceful second life without any troubles! “I see… oh, I never asked, what is your name sir?”

“My name is Izo, nice to meet you, John.” He said with a smile.

 John looked away, a little nervous. “Um, so mister Izo… Can I ask you about something…?”

“Sure, go ahead little human.” He makes a friendly grin towards John.

“So… I um… don’t have a home right now, and like… I’m too weak to live by myself, I basically just woke up in this body in a random forest. And it would be… really helpful if you and your lovely wife shared your home with me. Please?” John was slightly impressed with that mannerism he still had. Even when talking to a literal ice Kitsune deity-looking creature. ‘Man, I feel like my higher social interactions are working after writing a bunch of letters to corporations.’

“Woah, no need to speak so formally, I was already gonna let you stay here anyways. Besides, it wouldn’t cost more poké because of your size.”

John was a bit in disbelief by it all. Really? Was it that easy to get onto Izo’s good side? “… Oh… okay.”

“Yes!” Claire pounces on John again and hugs him close to her again. “You’re gonna stay with me, John! How exciting is that?”

The Joltik just smiled sheepishly, however, it was getting pretty hard to breathe. “Really exciting and all… but please… you’re gonna suffocate me…” He was coughing and gasping between words, even though he breathed through his sides now, they were being covered by big paws. He was quickly released and put on the ground.

“Oops… sorry… I kinda get a tad bit excited about some stuff…” The Vulpix said ashamed.

He coughs. “Could tell…”

“Well Claire, tell your sister it’s time for bed. You should go now, and properly stay awake for school. I got a call from your teacher that you sneaked away from class after break…” Reya said a bit disappointed with her.

Claire protested. “Well, it… it was still for a worthy cause!” She points at John.

Izo sighed. “But still, class is important, guilds are way harder to join nowadays, you also need to know to be better in combat.”

The Vulpix sighed defeatedly. “I know, I’ll go to bed… goodnight, mom, dad, John.”

They waved goodnight and Claire went to her room, while also telling her sister to go to bed while she was on their computer. Meanwhile, John looked back at the pair of Ninetales. “I guess I’ll go to bed as well… too much happening in one day for me…” He then thought. ‘Maybe if I go to bed, it’s going to reveal it’s all a big nightmare…’ He sighed. “Is there somewhere comfortable where I could sleep without being rolled on and crushed?”

The fire type in the room looked towards the sofa. “Hm… there’s the sofa I guess, unless you want to sleep on a small cardboard-“

“Dibs on the sofa then. Again, thank you for everything. Goodnight Izo, goodnight Reya.”

Both Ninetales said in unison. “Goodnight!”

John climbed on the sofa next to him and immediately fell asleep.

Meanwhile, the pair of Ninetales went to their bedroom. “Have you told him yet? About the dangers that humans have in this world nowadays?” Izo asked while removing his tie.

“No… I am planning on telling him tomorrow after he goes to school with Claire.” 

“Are you sure sending him to watch over one of our daughters is a good idea?”

Reya yawned a little, revealing her sharp canine teeth. “Well… since he’s that small, I’m sure he’ll be hard to notice. But don’t worry, he is a smart human. I’m sure he’ll know when he’s in danger. All he has to do in case he gets caught is to pretend to be a baby.”

Izo sights and lays on the bed, using his tails to cover his body while his wife does the same. “If you say so… just don’t forget to tell him about it okay?”

“Like I would forget when you easily forget your own age.”

Izo protested, getting defensive of his good memory. “Hey, I know my own age!”

Reya looked at him with a “ seriously?” face. “And that is…?”

“… thirty… thirty-five?”

Reya put a paw on her chin, looking at him playfully. “Close.” She chuckles and kisses her husband on the cheeks. “Goodnight snowball.”

“Goodnight my sun goddess.” Izo said with a smile.

Both Ninetales fall asleep. Everyone had a dreamless sleep except for Claire, who was dreaming about her and John fighting evil Pokémon in a Mystery Dungeon.

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A Galvantula enters a hole below a tree trunk carrying a web of dead Caterpies, Weedles, and Scatterbugs. “Hello my children-” The electric tarantula interrupts herself when she sees one of the eggs in the middle of the trunk, completely hatched. She got close to it and inspected it.

“… My child… WHERE ARE YOU!? “