Episode 11: May’s Quest

The thoughts wouldn’t leave my mind from the moment I departed. It didn’t matter whether I was in agreement or not, whether it was fate or destiny, or whatever I felt during this tough time. Everyone poured everything they could onto me: their hopes, their wishes, their dreams, their futures, and their money. Everything they had rode on me and the outcome of my studies.

Hammock University…

The peak of Isnomian education awaited in the largest city in the world, the technological forefront city of Hammock. Pokémon travel from all over the world to study here, and from their achievements, are guaranteed stability and success for their families – both older and newer generations. There isn’t a single story or record of someone graduating there and failing through the remainder of life.

…

That is why I am here… nothing less. Never forget, the Pichu opened her eyes slowly. She was tied up so tightly the rope felt like it was bruising the skin beneath her fur. Sat in a horribly cramped position in the corner of this transport, a few other masked Pokémon were her only company. The one beside her held the other end of her rope and showed no signs of relieving her. Even with all that said, any sane Pokémon must ask why I am here.

“You know, you’re getting a very good opportunity here,” came a low, peaceful voice from the front. Pichu didn’t look at him, so he came over. The dark blue light of the cramped space made it tough to tell who was what unless they were nearby, so the masks did a good job hiding the species. Even so, this Pokémon removed theirs and came close enough, revealing themselves as a Morpeko. “Come now. Smile. If you keep scowling, your face will stay like that forever.”

As far as May could tell, he was different to normal Morpeko, both subtly and yet obviously at the same time. His shape and form were normal besides a couple of spiky notches on his ears. However, his fur was dark on both sides, rather than one side being light brown and the other dark. He grinned at her, his shallow, red eyes almost ghostly in this dim container.

“Ladies look better when they smile, which they usually do when they get nice things. I’ve got myself something nice, so won’t you, for me?” he cupped a paw under her chin uncomfortably to bring her close. His voice remained calm and monotone despite his motions. “If you’ve got no choice, you might as well make the best of it. You and I are going to have fun studying.”

“Arrival in fifteen, boss,” came a call from the front. Morpeko let May go, but not without a stroke of her cheek. She almost spat at him, but her willpower was enough not to. Anything to look good in front of him. Smiling just wasn’t possible right now.

She could feel the vibrations in the floor pick up as they neared their destination, evident by aggressive orders spoken by Morpeko’s comrades. The vehicle came to a sharp stop, and she almost fell to the floor. Lights came on and an exit was finally opened up, letting a beam of light fill the space.

“Ah thank gods, I couldn’t stand another minute in this thing!” she heard the masked Pokémon remark similar quotes as they shuffled out. “Well, what’re you waiting for? Bring ‘er out. Untie her, too.”

Finally, the Pokémon beside her began to undo those ropes. He wasn’t rough, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. They really were so tight that it felt like the material had pricked into her like a bunch of splinters, and she couldn’t help stretch and hiss sharply as circulation returned to her form. She only had a second to do this before a thick, metal choker was clamped around her neck, and she yelped.

“Wha-what is this?” she gasped. It was even tighter than the ropes, enough that it definitely limited how much air she could breathe.

“Temporary measures,” the male beside her informed. She stretched her head up and clawed at it, anxious to get it into any sort of more comfortable position, but it wouldn’t budge, at least in a way that didn’t make it worse.

“Can’t you loosen it just a little? I can hardly breathe in this thing!” May complained.

“You think I’m falling for that? You’re a Pichu. Any smaller and we’d be endangering ourselves,” the Pokémon said, shoving her into the light of the doorway. The sudden force made her choke, so she gave up. At least she could finally make out his figure from here, and confirmed he was an Indeedee. He booted her in the stomach, sending her tumbling down a ramp.

“Be careful with what you’re doing. That’s my student you’re hurting,” Morpeko said, stopping her at the foot of the slope. He knelt down and curled her face up by her chin. “Are you okay? Able to breathe?”

May coughed to catch some air, and wiggled helplessly. “B-barely.”

“Good enough. Stand,” he instructed, pulling her by the paw. She felt his grip sturdy so she took it, and was surprised by the delicacy with which he pulled. He made sure she was stable on her feet before letting go, where she could finally catch her breath and get a hold of herself. It was still a lot harder to do so, enough that she was sweating profusely, but at least she wasn’t going to faint. Just a little light headedness, and then she worked up a tolerable rhythm.

They were parked in the middle of the desert somewhere. Not the sandiest part, but the rockiest sections one could call a canyon. There was nothing out here besides blue skies, gritty earth made of whites and oranges, and tall towers of rock amongst cliffs. All of this was under unforgiving sunlight that made the scenery wiggle in waves of heat.

“All of you proceed to your next mission. We don’t have a lot of time,” Morpeko instructed to his masked comrades. He clapped to get their attention. “Move quickly. We’ll be alright on our own.”

The masked Pokémon all saluted him and clambered back on board the vehicle, an unusual floating cart shaped like a Chansey. Its legs were wheels, the egg pouch was a jet booster, and the hair strands were as sharp as aircraft wings. The way it was all fashioned, it flew backwards to the way a Chansey ran. At the very least it was quiet, besides the heavy gush of wind and sand it kicked up as it took off. May had to clench her eyes shut and cover her face, and still she was covered in a small mountain of sand.

“… I really wish they wouldn’t do that,” Morpeko commented, in the same position. Both mice popped out of the sand and shook themselves off in sync. “Okay. Let us get down to business, shall we?”

“I thought you said you would take me to Hammock Uni? This is the middle of nowhere!” May cried.

“We are going to Hammock Uni. But this is what you get with a private course. We’re going to walk there, and we’re not going to take any detours until we get there. The training starts now,” he answered. “Oh, and before we get ahead of ourselves…”

May had been looking away to try and find the city, so she didn’t see him pull something out of that pocket of his. She just suddenly got jolted, and not in a fun way. A sharp burn stung her neck somewhere beneath the choker, making her hiss and claw at it again. “What the—”

Twisting around to Morpeko, he now held the handle of a leash, no doubt attached to her choker. As inhumane as she already felt, he had a plain grin, made all the more mocking by those empty white eyes of his. His eyes were normally dark with a slight tone of red, but large white pupils made that red tough to see from far away.

“All of this is part of your training. Things have to be this way because you’re an extraordinary Pokémon,” Morpeko explained. “I know you’ve got those magnetic powers. We’re going to train that as we make our way to the city on foot. That thing around your neck is fully magnetic. Try to use your powers and it’ll tighten. If it’s too much and you want to hang yourself, you have the option. If you can withstand this, then you’re ready for Hammock University.”

May could not stop her face from contorting with all sorts of disgust. All this time, even as he explained this horrific device, Morpeko’s monotone volume didn’t change. He was morbidly peaceful the entire time, a complete and total contrast to the blank, innocent grin on his face. Just keeping eye contact felt offensive.

“What kind of university course is this?” May leaned toward him. She couldn’t hide the tears in her eyes.

“Crying’s not befitting right now. To answer your question, this is how harsh training at Hammock Uni is,” Morpeko continued. “Now get a move on. I’ll follow from behind. If you take too long we’ll wind up sleeping in the desert, and I will not sharing my tent with you.”

“This is nothing but demeaning!” May snapped at him.

“Oh and by the way, keeping saying or doing things that annoy me, and…” he trailed off for a moment, and then clenched his end of the leash. An even harsher shock than earlier came, and May choked on her own breath as her body spasmed into a coil against her will. It stopped after a second, but just that little electric shock was enough that her body felt like it had been set alight, and she shivered in pain. “You follow my orders, or you pay the price. Now hurry up. Lead the way.”

“You… you bastard…” she huffed as she struggled to her feet. Morpeko’s eyes narrowed, and he held the leash higher, implying he was going to shock her again. “What way even is it?”

“That’s for you to figure out. You want to live and not let your parents down, you follow my every instruction until you graduate from the course. No ifs, buts, or wants. Understand? You’re my property until I say so,” he stated. “In the meantime, I feel we should get acquainted. You may call me Dusk. Or any charming nickname you can think of.”

“I’ll settle for Dusk,” May grumbled as she fully recovered.

She chose what she assumed was a road running between some rocks. The sand was lighter and flatter here than elsewhere, but that didn’t make it any less irritating and itchy on the feet. Combined with the harsh sun and the fact that Dusk walked slower than her, all sorts of minor conditions kept her mood down. It was too hot, her walking fast pulled on the choker, and she could only pray he wasn’t going to shock her if something unfortunate happened.

It’s for the Scrapyard, May whispered and shut her eyes. The faces of her family and friends back home cropped up. All of them, homeless Pokémon marked with grubby faces and malnourished bodies unlike her own. She knew what it was like to be on the verge of starving to death every waking moment for days on end. What she was withstanding was little compared to them right now. Dusk was right – if she could withstand this, she could save them. It was all for them.

“You’re walking fast. Good, you understand what’s going on,” Dusk spoke up, popping up beside her. He was silent in his approach, so she flinched. At least with him not lagging behind, the choker loosened a little. “So, let’s get to know each other a little. I know your parents poured their literal lives into this course for you, but they were very much all business. I know nothing about you.”

“Me?” May rubbed at her choker. She glanced side to side to scout for a new direction, and chose to stick to the white road. Some feral Pokémon were starting to show up, mostly rock and ground Pokémon that hid themselves in the terrain.

“Is this the course you wanted? Or your interests, otherwise,” Dusk clarified. He was oddly casual here, and not in the demeaning way like earlier.

“I was under the impression I’d be studying technology, not taming my extraordinary power,” she answered.

“Patience, my dear Pichu. We will get around to that. On that topic, I hope the Egg Bun was an interesting experience,” Dusk smiled.

“Egg Bun?” she glanced at him.

“The vehicle we were in earlier. It’s not the most convenient thing. I find it cramped, and not in an intimate way. But it gets us gerbils places fast and discreetly, so I put up with it,” he shrugged. “If you wind up making something better, I’d appreciate it.”

“That thing had an Indeedee or two in it,” she pointed out.

“Yes, and any other short staff they can spare. They hate it as much as I do. Now face forward, there are ferals around,” Dusk tucked his paws into his pockets.

“It’s a bit tough to avoid them… this place might be a mystery dungeon,” May became tense as she realised how many were around. Trapinch sticking their jaws out of little pits, Vibrava positioned on the side or tops of rock pillars, Rabsca fluttered around Rellor dung, and many more species all with eyes on the main path.

“If you go and get yourself defeated, that will come out of your grade,” Dusk warned, unmoving.

“What? You expect me to fight on my own?” May spun around.

“And who is the student being addressed?”

“I’m a Pichu!” she snapped.

“And a grown woman. A full eighteen, perfectly legal teen rating,” Dusk grinned. May’s eyes twitched. His tone not matching his expression or the subject aggravated her so much. “Don’t make me press the button.”

What in the world does he expect me to do? Most of these are ground types. Even if I had electricity strong enough, I couldn’t touch these Pokémon, least of all without my magnetism! May shifted a foot back. Perhaps I’m supposed to use it despite the choker… if it supresses my powers, then they get stronger with me forcing it.

All she needed was a metal object. Something large, anything. There. To her right in the clearing was a discarded chunk of rusted metal, amongst other broken bits and pieces. It didn’t matter what it was before now, it was just what she needed. With a thrust of her arm, May’s body sparkled with white electricity, and a pulse of magnetic energy flew out, visible as a clear orb that refracted light.

The instant she thrust her arm however, her choker did its job, and by no exaggeration. Her mind blacked out for a moment from how suddenly and harshly she was strangled. Her neck was squeezed so tight that not only did her air flow stop, it almost felt like her blood got backed up in her throat and chest. She froze, eyes widened and paws pulling helplessly at her neck as her vision turned white and her mind blanked.

It loosened after a few moments, and she fell on all fours, heaving and gasping as her consciousness returned. Her chest and throat burned, itching with fluid that wouldn’t come up no matter how much she coughed. Unbearable was an understatement. She had just experienced what it felt like to die for a very sudden moment.

“I meant it on the magnetism. No extraordinary powers. You fit in with the normal Pokémon, or else,” Dusk stated, still unmoving. “Get up and stop wasting my time. Running away from enemies is not an option.”

“Then what do you expect me to do? There’s no feasible way to fight these things,” May huffed dryly as she got back up. Her head was still a bit clouded, but she could manage. Despite asking that question, she advanced, her chest as heavy as a Snorlax.

Perhaps if I’m calm, they won’t notice me, May held her breath this time. She walked quickly but casually, and thankfully, Dusk kept up with her. Without even glancing at the ferals, she felt their gazes burrow into her, to the point she started sweating. Just keep going. They’re not looking, they’re fine with me…

A Trapinch popped up in front of her, sand draining into the hole it came from as it snapped its jaw to make a loud clicking noise. May hopped back in time, but that put her in the centre of a group of ferals, all staring at her with dark aggression.

“Are you panicking? This is not a smart move,” Dusk commented.

“There is no reason I wouldn’t use my powers in this situation. There’s no reason I shouldn’t, but you’ve locked them away anyway,” she hissed at him.

“So? What’re you going to do, heroine?” he teased.

May moved only her eyes to scout her situation. Three Trapinch, two Vibrava, five Rabsca, four Rellor, and in the back guarding the way perfectly, a Sandslash. If she launched an attack now, they would undoubtedly all attack at once, and she’d be knocked down in no time.

The painful thing about being a Pichu at this age was that her body no longer kept up with her mentality. Her electricity wasn’t strong and she still shocked herself, meanwhile she always felt her stamina was underwhelming for an adult. Add in Pichu’s natural fragility, and fighting was her weakest area. It made situations like this truly frightening, each one a life-or-death encounter that perhaps even the ferals didn’t fully understand. Her only advantage was that she was normally small enough to slip by undetected. With a leash and Dusk latched to her however, that wasn’t an option.

How? How am I supposed to defeat them? If it wasn’t for this damn choker! May grit her fangs as the ferals closed in. She felt the floor shift, and a second later, Sandshrew claws jutted through, making her jump aside. Two of them emerged, both growling at her.

They wouldn’t wait for her, either. The Sandshrew stretched their claws wide and rolled toward her, forcing her to jump aside to dodge them both. She tapped her feet in order to keep herself moving and nimble, and was right to do so. The Vibrava swept in after, both with dusty flames leaking from their mouths. With monstrous blares, they spewed blue flames across the ground, forcing May to dive aside again. She rolled to a stop this time, and found herself right below a Rabsca.

“These ones are…” May whispered. Its orb began to rotate, so she reacted fast. A light tap of her cheeks loosed her electricity, and a thrust of her arms unleashed it. Yellow bolts fried the psychic insect, and it fell behind her. “No problem.”

Another Vibrava came to force her to roll again, and she almost fell into the pit of a Trapinch. Perhaps she was lucky, she felt like she tapped off of its jaw rather than falling into its mouth. There was no respite as a couple of Rellor were waiting for her. She twisted and curled away as the duo spat Mud Shot, and then thrust her paws to zap them with more electricity. Her attack was cut short by a sharp hit to the back however, and she was sent tumbling forward, stopping only when she crunched into a rock.

She hissed and growled as her sight was blurry, and not due to the heat. Whatever she’d been hit by, it continued to surge through the rest of her body, making all movement difficult. She managed to squirm onto all fours, and focused her sight and breath to get a handle on the situation. The Sandshrew and the Trapinch had her cornered against the rock.

“D-damn,” she whispered as she attempted to stand upright. Doing so gave her another sharp pain, making her retract and rub her back. She shivered hard when she brought her paw to her front, and it was red. “I-I got hit just once…”

Snapping jaws brought her attention forward again. There was no way out of this. Those Sandshrew were going to claw her to mounds of flesh, and those Trapinch were going to eat her. If by some miracle she did get past those, the Vibrava and Sandslash overseeing everything from behind would finish her off for sure. If death was a certainty, then she wasn’t going down looking like a helpless Pichu. She promised herself that.

So she frowned. She frowned so fiercely that the ferals hesitated. Paws clenched, one foot forward, cheeks sparking, and fangs grit, as if she had a plan. Self-shocking and bleeding back be damned, she was going to leave her mark on this world.

The Sandshrew at the front didn’t take notice, however. They dove for her again, but the instant they moved, a dark blur stood in their way. May noticed them just in time, and gasped. She couldn’t follow what he did, but Dusk managed to knock the Sandshrew away. They slid across the sand on their backs, while the other Pokémon hesitated.

Huh? May shuddered. She kept herself tense in case of anything.

She wouldn’t need to. Without a sound, Dusk gathered energy between his paws. It looked just like electricity, only it was dark purples and blacks, and spread like some sort of stringy, gooey substance. He stayed still for a moment, awaiting the ferals next move. The moment Trapinch scuttled toward him, he released his attack.

The gooey electricity expanded into a spiderweb of the same colours, and it was wide enough to engulf both ground types. They were slammed to the ground on their backs, and then the web exploded as most Pokémon attacks do, drowning out their clacking jaws with smoke and purple particles. When it cleared, the other ferals were a lot warier.

This time it was the Vibrava that came swooping in, each one spraying Dragon Breath across the ground. Dusk launched himself into the air, tapping off rock formations to go above the height of the Vibrava. May worried her leash might pull her, but it didn’t. From up high, the Morpeko released two more Electroweb attacks, these ones smaller but still painted in dark colours. One Vibrava shot another Dragon Breath at the web, while the other attempted to charge through it. The webs wrapped around both and sent them plummeting to the ground like stones, where they crashed in loud, dusty scrapes.

That dark Electroweb… is he an extraordinary Pokémon as well? May stared in disbelief as Dusk landed. One look at the other ferals, and they fled, even the Sandslash. Dusk watched them until they were in the distance before he turned back to May, his face expectant and tired. She didn’t know what to think until he raised his end of the leash, implying he was going to shock her. “Why did you save me?”

“Have you forgotten already?” he replied. He walked toward her quickly, and stopped right in front. Another downside to being a Pichu – even other small Pokémon were able to loom over her. His emotionless look made her sweat. No doubt he was going to slap her or something. Her did raise a paw, but cupped her cheek instead.

“Ah,” she shuddered lightly. He stroked her chin and across her cheek with nothing less than delicacy. Being this close to him too, her heart began to race as his appearance didn’t change. He had the feel of someone who adored her like she was one of his own, and yet his look was no less unreadable as ever. Even though he was close enough that their noses could touch, she couldn’t even feel his breath, while she couldn’t close her own mouth.

“Who-who do you think you are?” she broke away and turned her back.

“This is all part of my initial assessment. Do not forget what you are here for,” Dusk stated.

“To graduate on the tech front and save my Pokémon,” May answered.

“And until then, you are my property. I can see some uses for you, so it would be wasteful to have you die on me,” he continued.

“Wait, don’t—” was all she had time to gasp before he shocked her collar again. She took in a sharp breath and choked as volts surged through her form, sending her spasming upright. He didn’t shock her for more than a second or too, and yet the previous moments all vanished into regret and anxiousness. May coughed a puff of black smoke as she struggled to stay on all fours, where she gave the Morpeko a vicious glare.

“Don’t waste any more time. We’re going to Hammock, and we’re not stopping until we get there,” he ordered.

She couldn’t stop shivering, but she managed to get back up. With paw on her choker and a whine, she gave him one last silent snarl before scanning her options. In their little moment, the scenery and paths had changed only slightly from when she last checked. This truly was a mystery dungeon.

She took the path that looked the least like they were going backwards. A couple of hills and slopes of white sand enclosed this spot, each with round formations of rock peeking out here and there. Her ears twitched at the occasional rustling of Bramblin that rolled down beside them, while Sandile eyes popped up to keep her on her toes. Neither attacked.

If they all saw that battle, we might be home free, she prayed as they reached the top of the hill, passing a sleeping Crustle. The feral peeked at them with one eye and seemed more interested in protecting their two Dwebble, so May squeezed up against the rock beside her to show she wasn’t a threat.

The top of the hill was an unusual clearing for the desert. The sand here was low enough that she could feel hot rock on her feet, while the wind carried light dustings of sand across the area. The heat was at its easiest here too, likely thanks to the height. It was hot enough to sweat, but cool enough that May was happy to shake herself off and bask in relief. She slowed to scout for more ferals, but none were around, so she headed to the edge.

“There. That’s the city, right?” she asked, spotting their destination right away. It was a little blurred thanks to the heat in the distance, but far ahead was a huge wasteland with a single grey road running through it. White sand as far as the eye could see with a grey line weaving through it, almost straight. It led to a humongous bridge that crossed a gorge, while below it, skyscrapers filled said gorge. Even with the sun and heat blurring the scenery, the glitzy lights of the city were attractive enough to make her eyes glimmer.

Her eyes returned to their direct surroundings and how to reach there. The hill descended in several directions, each one clear whether it would help or not. For them, it would be a steep slope into a valley of rock pillars, most of which arched into odd shapes and sizes. It looked short from her distance, but she knew they might be there for a while if she continued to dawdle.

“That area is the Yucca Trench. Another mystery dungeon,” Dusk informed. “It is the shortest way to the city, but also the most dangerous. Down there, the temperature is the opposite of up here. Cold and unforgiving. You will need to further fight if you dare to take that path.”

“So, what’s your goal?” May shrugged. “On one paw you’re treating me like property, on the other, you’re looking out for me. I don’t understand.”

“Questioning my methods is a sign of distrust, May. I should hope by the end of this, our relationship could grow into something… more understanding,” he tucked his paws into his pockets.

“What’s there to understand?” May rolled her eyes as she returned to scouting. Close to the slope were a couple of bushes, some even growing Oran berries. She made her way over a little too eagerly, but the moment she picked one, her choker shocked her, and she dropped it with a yelp and a hiss. “What the?”

“If you thought you had earned yourself a snack, you are sorely mistaken. You must be aware of Morpeko’s biology,” Dusk stated as he retrieved the berry. He ate it in one bite, behaving as if her longing stare from the ground wasn’t there. She reached out for the other berries on the bush, but he took them before she got close, and showed no intention of sharing.

Just the sight of his greedy eating brought her paws to her stomach. After everything she’d been through today, starving was an understatement. Maybe it was adrenaline or desperation, or whatever it was that distracted her until now. Whatever it was, not having a morsel was going to make this next trip hell. If this was how he acted about Hunger Switch now, it was clear she wasn’t going to get any real relief until they made it to the city. To that end, she stood up, sucked up her pride, and made for the slope.

…

All that followed their little escapade through Yucca Trench was more of the same. May kept her wits about her as she always did, but it didn’t matter. She was too weak to drive off feral Noctowl or Shellos, both of which were coloured with desert themes as they adapted to their environment. Yucca trench housed all sorts of Pokémon unfitting for the desert like this, each one aggressive in their attempts to eat her alive. They would attack, May would try to fight them off with electricity, her attacks were too weak, and then Dusk would come to her rescue. He didn’t shock her like before, but he did have a belittling look every time.

There was no main path here, so May took note of what direction the city was and focused on that as they got lost in the pillars. It was somehow as dark as the depths of the ocean here, complete with a blue hue across the rock pillars and floor. This did mean the Noctowl could camouflage all the same as the Sandile and Geodude, to her annoyance. She wound up in more scrambles than she would be brave enough to admit.

After what felt like hours, they were finally back out under the sun on the cruel march to the city. After all the cold of the trench, the heat felt extra punishing. The only relief was that this public road was devoid of ferals. It was just her versus the sun, and whatever Dusk expected her to do.

Speaking of, you’re oddly quiet… still judging me, I guess, May glanced back at the Morpeko. He appeared completely unaffected by their harsh walk. No sweat, no squint from sunlight, not even the slightest adjustment to his stance. May couldn’t help but slump as she walked now, and her paws were latched to her belly. If she stopped walking, she would collapse and not get up.

“This way, over here,” he took the lead all of a sudden, directing her almost a one-eighty turn. May watched sceptically until the leash tugged her, and she jogged over.

“Good. I thought you wouldn’t notice me. You told me to put effort into concealment, but I guess I play hide and seek too well, ahaha,” laughed a jolly, feminine voice. May slowed at the sight of a Tinkaton leaned back on a vehicle, an unusual hovercraft unlike anything she’d ever seen before.

First, the Tinkaton. She was tall for her species, with a slender build unfitting for the hammer shenanigans Tinkaton were known for. The hammer was still present despite, alongside all manner of other weapons strapped to her in ways unknown. At this first glance, May could spot a sword, an axe, a gauntlet, knives, and even a bow. This Tinkaton was a walking arms shipment, a total contrast to the messy, spiky pigtails and the innocent smile she wore. With hairbands keeping that in place, she probably hid even more hair than was convenient.

“So is this the new student? You got me all excited over this measly pint?” Tinkaton hopped off the side of the vehicle to size may up. She felt so undignified with the way she was examined. “Huh, at least you didn’t pick a kid this time. Maybe we’ll actually get along this time.”

She could tell my age before I even spoke? May realised, and stood straight. “And this is…?”

“Oh come on, Dusk didn’t even inform you? Or is this all part of the assessment?” Tinkaton put her hands to her hips. Her hammer almost fell down, so she scrambled to pick it up.

“It is part of the assessment,” Dusk replied. “You are to—”

Tinkaton curled her head back to groan, and then slithered around until she was upright. “Ugh. Look, I don’t care about that stuff, you know I don’t. As long as you do your course, I’m intrigued. To get us out of this desert heat quicker, I shall tell you my name, and don’t you forget it!”

May blinked in disbelief. Tinkaton had fangs as opposed to the ‘square’ teeth of her species, and the more she animated, the more May believed that she could actually not be a Tinkaton. “You must call me Vega, alright? Vega. Don’t go and forget it, or you will regret it! Vega. Say it, Vega!”

“V-Vega…” May said out loud.

“Good, you can speak. Now I’m trusting you to do me good in this next part. If you do bad, I just might be through with trusting others!” Vega spat. She jumped up high into the air and landed on the back of the hovercraft. Though she landed safely, she was heavy enough that it sounded like the whole thing smashed. “Get on, chop, chop! I’m sick to death of all the sand in my fur. If you like hanging around this yucky, dry desert, we’re not gonna get along.”

“May I please get some sort of explanation?” May requested.

“I am overseeing your course, while Vega will be more… hands-on,” Dusk answered, putting his paws in his pockets. “I decided that your physical ability limits you from my usual methods of teaching. Vega is being brought on to assist.”

I’ve been assessed already? When did he have time to… forget it. Don’t question these things, May concentrated. Dusk led her to the front of the hovercraft, where he gestured to let her on first. She was fine until he didn’t get on himself.

“You are driving. Move over,” he ordered.

“M-me?” she squeaked, examining the thing. It was a go-kart without wheels, and a bumper that went all around it rather than merely shielding the front. It must have been made for Pokémon around her and Dusk’s size, as the controls could be handled without fingers or long legs. There were no pedals or gear sticks here, just a black, two-handed controller with coloured buttons and a control stick. The vehicle was even themed around Mareep, with the bumper resembling Mareep fluff, and the front blue as its head. “I guess it’s obvious enough how to use this…”

“Don’t worry about me, just get going as fast as you can,” Vega barked from the back. The open trunk had her weapons and a few boxes layered up. “I can’t stand another minute in this desert!”

If I just play about with the buttons, May hummed to herself as she pressed the small red button. The vehicle puffed out a noisy gust as it took off the ground, floating just slightly above the sand. It then reversed, and they almost hit the pillar behind them.

“What do you think you’re doing? Learn to drive you ninny!” Vega barked. Dusk didn’t glance at her, but he did shock her. The Morpeko was fixated on the front while May was left smouldering.

“Move. Now. No side tracking,” he demanded calmly.

Then that means the big green button… fair enough, May held that down instead, panting to get some semblance of energy and focus back. Thankfully this was the right button this time as they promptly took off straight ahead. The stick turns left and right, while the Y and X buttons change speed level. Yes, it’s simple enough

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