Across Time and Space

by Asheton

Summary:

Komaeda Nagito’s luck was on the upswing. He was engaged to the reigning Champion of Sinnoh, had just ended his last season as a coordinator with a record for most consecutive overall contest wins, and was working to open his very own Pokemon daycare…until he hears a mysterious voice call out to him in his dreams.

-

Re-write of Legends Arceus with Komaeda as the main character. WARNING: Spoilers for Legends Arceus.

Notes:

• Inspired by What's Happening? by megastarstrike

WOO! I've been posting a lot this week, but I had this chapter waiting in the wings for posting, and why wait?

This is going to be an incredibly long project, as I will be rewriting the entire plot of Legends Arceus. As is customary, I have written the first chapter and the last chapter already, because I have no self-control and that's how we do things around here.

Anyway, without further ado please enjoy a very fluffy first chapter. This will be the only bit of fluff I will be providing for quite a while, and then we set sail for Pain Island, so enjoy it while you can :)

Chapter 1: Bright and Shining Future

 

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content warnings for this chapter: none

 

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The flashes and clicks of cameras were chaotic, but not as chaotic as the room full of reporters desperate for that perfect sound bite.

 

“Komaeda-san! Komaeda-san! How does it feel now that you are done with your final season coordinating?”

“Ah…it feels rather bittersweet, I suppose. Mochi and I have been doing this for so long. It’s hard to imagine doing anything else. But I never expected to have so much success, so I’m incredibly grateful that I was able to do this for so long…”

 

“Do you think anyone will ever be able to beat your record for most consecutive overall wins?”

 

“Haha…I’m sure some young person full of hope can reach even higher than I…it’s only a matter of time…”

“You don’t seem very upset by the prospect of someone defeating you.”

 

“Oh, of course not! To be a stepping stone for someone else’s hope would be wonderful. If I could inspire someone to achieve greatness, I couldn’t complain about that. I would be honored!”

 

The reporters didn’t seem to know what to do with that. There was a brief moment of chaos again as they tried to holler over each other for the next question.

 

“Komaeda-san, over here! Jubilife News Now! Does your retirement have anything to do with your engagement to Champion Hinata?”

 

Shock tainted his normally neutral, polite expression. He frowned, his fingers twisting his engagement ring on his finger with clear irritation. “Haji…” He swallowed. “My engagement to Hinata-san is separate from my decision to retire. It was something I had been thinking about for a few years.”

 

The room became even louder at that comment. Komaeda’s personal assistant stomped her foot and barked at the reporters to settle down. Anyone who could not remain polite and calm would be removed, in no uncertain terms. Fukawa-san was about the only person under 5’5” who could look physically threatening when annoyed. When the room had quieted again, she shrunk, a stutter returning to her speech. “Th-thank you. O-one at a time n-now…”

 

A reporter stood up, holding out her tape recorder. “Komaeda-sensei, some of your fans would like to know, why retire now at the top of your game? Some would say that you still have many more good years ahead of you. What is your response to this?”

Another polite smile. “I appreciate their faith in someone like me. However, I would argue, isn’t it better to end on a good note, rather than a bad one? While this may be terribly sad, I’m sure it will lead to a bright and shining future for coordinators in Sinnoh. I have been competing for a long time, since I came to Sinnoh when I was 16. I’m 26 now, and competition life has grown very tiresome for me. I don’t want something that I love so much to turn into something that fills me with despair…” He looked off to the side, away from the prying eyes, then back. “I hope that makes sense.”

—

Nagito groaned at the television. He wanted to throw something at it. He wanted to smash the damn thing and never look at it again. Mochi tugged at his sleeve, eyes full of concern and confusion. Nagito sighed, reaching down and patting the little Minccino on his head. “Maybe Fukawa-san’s right…the only way to properly deal with annoying reporters is with steel blades...”

 

A laugh bubbled behind him. “Oh boy, do I even want to know what’s going on in here? It must be something truly despairing for you to be agreeing with Fukawa.”

 

“Hajime!” Nagito smiled, looking over his shoulder. Hajime came up behind the couch, giving him a quick chaste kiss. “I missed you. How was your day?”

 

Hajime smiled, ruffling his hair. “Mostly boring. No one could get past Ishimaru today, and Izuru got so bored he decided he wanted to battle me again.”

 

Nagito hummed, leaning into Hajime’s hand. “And the result…?”

“Well I’m still the Champ, aren’t I?”

Nagito smirked. “Are you…?”

 

Hajime rolled his eyes. “You’re such a little shit.” Hajime gave his hair a final ruffle, then walked over to the kitchen to start making some dinner. “He did get me down to my last two Pokémon today, so that was impressive.”

 

Nagito crossed his arms. “Impressive for him, maybe. Disappointing for me. I expect better from my Champion.” Nagito scooped Mochi up and let him climb onto his shoulder, then stood up and followed after his fiancé. “That horrifying press conference is all over the news. Not a single channel is reporting tomorrow’s weather. Don't they have anything better to do? I’m so tired of seeing my ugly face.”

 

“Now I know you’re just fishing for compliments, love.”

 

“...what do you mean?” Nagito asked, genuinely.

 

“Acting as if you don’t know that  you’re the most beautiful man in both Sinnoh and Unova.” Hajime glanced to the side, flashing him a 1000-kilowatt grin.

 

Nagito's face heated up. "Stop that. You'll give me an ego."

 

"My Nagito? An ego? Never." He shook his head with a chuckle. Hajime took out a bag of fresh potatoes from the pantry. "Curry tonight fine?"

 

"Sure," Nagito replied. "Don't make it too spicy, it'll upset Mochi's tummy."

 

"Don't worry, I won't," Hajime smiled, tearing a hole into the bag with a quick pull. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, then turned on the kitchen sink and began washing a potato. Nagito couldn’t help but glance at the smooth, defined muscles of Hajime's forearms. Was it possible to be jealous of a potato? That would be ridiculous, right?

 

Yeah, that would be ridiculous. Nagito admonished himself. Don't be weirder than you already are on a daily basis.

 

Nagito reached up and took a chunk of hair behind his ear in his fingers, fidgeting with it. "Can I help?"

 

Hajime's eyes lit up, and oh , that really scratched an itch in the depths of Nagito's soul. He wanted to take a photo of that exact look on Hajime's face and keep it stored in his mind forever.

 

"Of course! I would love that!"

 

Nagito was just about to ask what he could help with when Mochi jumped up onto his head, tugging his hair and crying out excitedly.

 

“Ouch, Mochi, what’s gotten into you?” Nagito winced. He reached up and tried to pry the Minccino from his head.

 

“Chi!” Mochi exclaimed, pointing out the kitchen window. “Chi chi!!”

 

Hajime chuckled. “Oh, everyone’s outside. He must see Yuki.”

 

Mochi nodded very fast. “Chi!”

 

Sure enough, Nagito looked out the window and could see that all of Hajime’s Pokemon were relaxing in the backyard. Yuki, Hajime’s Sylveon, was jumping up and down in front of the window excitedly, waving his ribbons at Mochi.

 

Nagito let out a dramatic huff. “Sometimes I think he loves Yuki more than he loves me.”

 

“You’ve got to admit, it’s pretty adorable,” Hajime said, going back to what he was doing before. “It’s almost like when you and I were still crushing on each other~”

 

Nagito felt his face heat up. “Never once did I jump up and down just because I saw you through a window. If anything I distinctly remember most of the time, you were chasing after me.”

 

Mochi was growing impatient. He decided to jump down to the ground and make for the back door. Once he reached the door, he turned around and made a pouty face at Nagito. “Chi…chi-chi!”

 

Hajime chuckled. “Whatever you say, handsome. Why don’t you let the runt outside before he starts tearing up our kitchen in protest?”

 

“Okay, okay,” Nagito grumbled. He walked over to the back door, unlocking it and opening it for Mochi. “Out, you little fluffy terror. Go be with your boyfriend. Leave me to be here, all alone.”

 

Mochi chirped happily and rushed outside. He and Yuki tackled each other, wrestling playfully and laughing.

 

Nagito smiled softly. “Okay, I’ll admit they’re cute.”

 

“You’ll always be my number one, sweetheart!” Hajime called over his shoulder. Nagito’s heart fluttered. The way Hajime would say such sweet things so genuinely, and without hesitation, really did something to him.

 

“Even when I’m old and wrinkled?” Nagito asked, closing the door. He walked back to where Hajime was sitting at the sink, tucking himself into Hajime’s side as best he could without interrupting Hajime’s work.

 

“Especially when you’re old and wrinkly,” Hajime grinned. “Thinking about old man Nagito just gets me riled up like nothing else.”

 

Nagito scrunched his face up. “Ew, you pervert!” He smacked Hajime’s arm, then nuzzled it. “I didn’t realize you were into senior citizens. I may have to rethink this marriage.”

 

Hajime looked down at him, smiling. “I’m not actually into senior citizens. Just you.”

 

Nagito felt his face and ears heating up again. He looked off to the side, rubbing his cheek into the sleeve of Hajime’s shirt. “W-what do you need help with…?” he asked, changing the subject. Any more flirting and they weren’t going to make it to dinner.

 

“Mm, do you want to peel and chop the onions? I’ll peel the potatoes,” Hajime suggested. “We’ve got quite a lot to prepare. The team is pretty hungry after today’s battle. Two of the larger onions from the fridge should be enough though.”

 

Nagito nodded, getting out the onions from the fridge and starting to peel them over the trash can. Hajime got to peeling the potatoes over the sink, occasionally peeking out the window to watch his and Nagito’s Pokemon playing together.

 

When Nagito was finished peeling the onions, he took out a cutting board and set it on the counter next to Hajime. He placed his hand on the small of Hajime’s back as he passed by to get a cutting knife. It was something they would do - gently touch the other to let them know ‘Don’t back up right this moment, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt accidentally.’

 

“Jeez, those onions are really fresh,” Hajime winced, wiping his eyes.

 

Nagito settled in front of the cutting board, scowling. “Don’t rub your eyes, you’ll just make things worse. Dummy.”

 

“I can’t help it,” Hajime whined. “I don’t know how you’re so immune.”

 

Nagito began to chop up the first onion, shrugging. “I’m just lucky, I suppose~”

 

Hajime rolled his eyes. “Luck my ass.”

 

“You do have a nice one of those,” Nagito grinned, bumping his hip against Hajime’s.

 

Hajime choked, dropping the potato in his hand loudly into the sink. He scrambled to pick up the potato, grumbling and cursing with cheeks tinted pink. It was pretty amusing, considering how heavily he had been flirting with Nagito just a few minutes ago. “N-Nagito!”

 

Nagito feigned innocence. “Yes, Hajime~?”

 

“You made me…drop my potato,” Hajime said lamely. His face got redder as he said it. It seemed he realized how silly it sounded out loud.

 

Nagito smiled sweetly and leaned over to press a kiss to Hajime’s forehead. “You’re very cute, love.” When he pulled away, Hajime was still blushing, but looking considerably less pouty about it.

 

“Yeah well…so are you,” Hajime replied.

 

“I know~” Nagito replied in a sing-song voice.

They made quick work of all the ingredients together, and finally Hajime was able to get to cooking the curry. Since Hajime had dinner under control, Nagito sat at the kitchen table with his tablet. He opened up the app for ‘Coordinators Now’, an online magazine related to all things coordination. He groaned. A picture of that stupid press conference was front and center on the home page.

 

“I wish everyone would get over my stupid retirement,” Nagito sighed. “Everyone will forget about me in a year anyway.”

 

“You’re very talented at what you do, sweetheart,” Hajime replied. “It’s hard to think about a coordination season without Komaeda Nagito, even for me.”

 

“Yeah, yeah…” Nagito grumbled. “I just wish they would leave you out of it. It has nothing to do with you.”

 

“I…I know that,” Hajime said. Nagito looked over at him, frowning. Hajime sounded…strange. Almost as if he wasn’t actually sure about it after all.

 

Nagito put the tablet down. “It’s not. I’m just tired of it all.”

 

Hajime nodded, not looking at him. “That’s perfectly fine, love. You know I support you. I want you to be happy. If the Daycare’s going to make you happy, then I’m excited for you.”

 

“It will,” Nagito said, with finality. “I’m very excited about the grand opening. Being around so many Pokemon, getting to care for them and be close to them…it will be great. No more running around to different competitions, no more expensive flights, no more anxiety attacks before competitions. I’ll finally be free of all that.”

 

“I know I’ll definitely be happier with you not as anxious,” Hajime said, genuinely. “It was always rough when you were away, trying to comfort you from a distance.”

 

“It’ll be good for the both of us.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

Nagito sighed, closing the Coordinators Now app. He opened up his email, seeing several forwarded interview requests that had come in from Fukawa. He opened the first one, scowling and typing out a quick response:

 ‘Not doing any more interviews for a while, Fukawa-san. Will update you if that changes. 

 

 - Komaeda’

After responding to the first email, he deleted the requests. Fukawa didn’t need a manual response to each request. She likely already knew his answer. She was very good at what she did.

 

“Did you put any more thought into where you’d like to go for our honeymoon?”

 

Nagito blinked, setting down his tablet again. “Oh, I don’t know, really. I’m happy with wherever you want to go.”

 

“Mm,” Hajime hummed, thoughtfully. “We could go to Galar. It’s a beautiful place. And I hear the Wild Area is really something else.”

 

Nagito felt the color leave his face. He was glad Hajime was turned away from him. “I don’t know about the Wild Area…isn’t it kind of dangerous…?”

 

Hajime looked over his shoulder and smiled weakly. “Love, you’re marrying the Sinnoh Champ. I think the Wild Area Pokemon will be more scared of us than we are of them.”

 

“I suppose…” Nagito bit his lip. He was no good in battles. He never had been. It was a wonder that Hajime could even stand being seen with him, with how much of an absolute failure he was in anything other than coordinating. “I just wouldn’t want to cause you any trouble. You know I’m clumsy…and terrible in battle.”

 

Hajime frowned. “You should have more confidence. You may not have a lot of experience, but I know talent when I see it. And coordinating and battling aren’t that different. They’re really two sides of the same coin. You already have all the technical knowledge. If you wanted it, you could be the next Champion.”

 

Nagito scoffed. “I appreciate your flattery, but you don’t need to try so hard to get into my pants, love. We’re already getting married.”

 

“I’m not-” Hajime started. But then he sighed. “...so Galar’s a no.”

 

“Mm. I’m afraid so.”

 

There was silence between them for a moment, interrupted only by the sound of Nagito’s tablet keyboard clicking, and Hajime cooking.

 

And then finally, Hajime asked, “...what about Alola?”

 

“Alola does have some lovely resorts for young couples…” Nagito thought aloud.

 

“And you would get to see me shirtless on the beach,” Hajime added.

 

Nagito hit his fist into his palm, his mouth forming a little ‘oh!’ He grinned like the Cheshire Purrloin. “And I would get to see you shirtless on the beach!”

 

Hajime couldn’t help himself. The eagerness in Nagito’s voice made him laugh so hard he bent over, clutching his side.

 

He loved this man so much. He was so happy they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

Chapter 2: Love You More

Summary:

Nagito hears a mysterious voice call out to him.

Notes:

Hello everyone! Sorry this was delayed. I knew what I wanted to write for this chapter, but I had a very bad week, which culminated in me losing my entire Switch bag with my Switch and a ton of games in it. I was able to purchase a replacement, and I have travel insurance which I can use to file a claim, but I am still hoping that my Switch can be found. I filed a report and all that and now it's just a waiting game...

For more info about that, you can check out this thread: https://twitter.com/wisploid/status/1566122725437067265

I don't want to talk about it much more than what I've said on Twitter. It's very depressing that I've lost all my photos and videos on my Switch. Everything else is replaceable and I'm not hard pressed for money at all, but my memories can't be replaced. So here's to hoping I find it.

Anyway we are now getting into the actual beginning of this story for realsies! I hope you enjoy this fic, because we're really getting into the nitty gritty now!

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cw: dissociation implied, unreality, thoughts of death, anxiety, panic, sensory deprivation

 

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Nagito finished drying his hair and unplugged the hair dryer, humming happily.

 

He put away the hair dryer and removed the hair tie from his wrist, tying back his hair into a high ponytail. "...And that's that."

 

He looked over at Hajime, who was still sitting on top of the toilet. He was still undressed, with a fluffy towel wrapped around his shoulders. Hajime had his sleepy eyes trained on Nagito, trying to keep them open but doing a terrible job at it.

 

"Love, you look like you're about to fall over any moment," Nagito chuckled. "Why aren't you dressed yet?"

 

"'m too tired…" Hajime mumbled.

 

Nagito tilted Hajime's face up, giving him a soft, quick kiss. "And who's fault is that?" He admired a few dark marks that he had left along his fiancé's collarbone and neck.

 

"Yours," Hajime replied plainly, too tired to even get flustered about it.

 

Nagito buried his nose in Hajime's hair, which smelled of the sweet peach shampoo that they both shared. "Well. I'm not sorry about it."

 

Hajime hummed in tired agreement. "...me neither."

 

Nagito pressed another kiss to Hajime's hair, then took his hand and hoisted him to his feet. "Up and at 'em, Champ."

 

They made their way back into the bedroom. Hajime hung up his towel on the drying rack and sat on the bed, and Nagito busied himself with rifling through their dresser drawers for a shirt and boxers that his fiancé could wear. He settled on a t-shirt from their last visit to Snowpoint City, and a pair of boxers with multicolored pokeballs. Hajime accepted them gratefully, pulling them on. Then, he caught Nagito’s wrist and pulled him forward, hugging his waist.. Nagito made a little pleased noise and tangled his fingers into his fiancé’s spiky hair. Hajime sighed softly and nuzzled Nagito’s stomach.

 

“We should go on a date tomorrow,” Hajime mumbled with a yawn.

 

Nagito laughed. “We’re getting married.”

 

Hajime’s arms tightened around Nagito. “We should go on a date tomorrow,” he repeated.

 

Nagito smiled. “Okay, love. Anywhere in particular you’d like to go?”

 

“Verity…? We can have a picnic there.”

 

“Oh that would be nice,” Nagito remarked, finding himself already daydreaming about it. “We could bring the Pokemon, too.”

 

Hajime looked up, smiling sleepily. “Yeah… It’ll be great.”

 

Nagito was about to lean down and give his lover a kiss when he saw something out of the corner of his eye… a fluffy gray paw shoved under the space between the door and the carpet, fumbling around. “Speak of the devils. I should probably let the brats in before they riot.” 

 

He let go of Hajime, padding over to the closed door. When he opened it, Mochi cheerily greeted him and jumped up to his shoulder to nuzzle his face. Nagito giggled at the tickle of Mochi’s soft fur on his face.

 

“You are literally the least patient Pokemon in the entire world!” He laughed. His words had no bite to them. “Hello to you too.”

 

Yuki greeted him as well, though with much less jumping and climbing. He was a lot heavier than Mochi, so his days of sitting on shoulders and heads were long gone. Instead, he rubbed against the pant legs of Nagito’s pajama bottoms, purring happily. Nagito reached down and patted his head gently, then scooped him up.

 

“Hello, Yuki,” he said. “I see we didn’t stop Mochi from getting into trouble today. I thought you were on my side.”

 

“Veeon,” Yuki replied, with the same tone as someone saying ‘it is what it is.’

When Yuki was set down on the bed, he rushed up to Hajime, greeting him cheerfully.

 

“Sylvee!” Yuki greeted his trainer.

Hajime hugged him. “Hey there buddy. Did you have fun playing with Mochi and the others?”

 

Yuki nodded. “Veeon!”

 

“I’m glad,” Hajime replied. “Tomorrow we’re going somewhere nice, so we can’t stay up all night tonight.”

 

Yuki tilted his head to the side, confused, but then nodded. “Syl.” 

 

Yuki nuzzled Hajime’s cheek, then walked to the foot of the bed and curled up there. He was very disciplined when it came to bedtime, especially after many years of training and traveling with Hajime. He never complained or slacked, even on mornings when Hajime woke the team up to train before the sun had even risen.

 

Mochi was much less disciplined when it came to bedtime. In fact, he was much less disciplined overall. Mochi was hyperactive, demanding, and adorable to boot, making it incredibly hard not to spoil him. He detested Pokeballs and loved mischief. It was quite ironic, given how poised and graceful Mochi was on stage during competitions. 

 

But then again, Nagito was the type of person who could get into quite the bit of mischief himself. Maybe Pokemon really did mirror the personalities of their trainers.

 

Nagito got under the covers on his side of the bed and then reached up, prying Mochi from his perch. “You heard, Bossman. We’re going to settle down and go to bed tonight. No funny business. I don’t want to hear any running around and knocking things over at 3:00 AM, capisce?”

 

Mochi gave his best salute. “Chi-chi!”

 

Nagito nodded and ruffled the fur on Mochi’s head. “Good boy. Go on.”

 

Mochi joined Yuki at the foot of the bed, curling up with him.

 

“You run such a tight ship around here, Komaeda-san,” Hajime teased. “So strict! All work and no play will make Mochi a dull boy.”

 

“You’re an enabler,” Nagito grumbled.

 

“Mm, maybe~”

 

They laid down, Hajime snuggling up behind Nagito and wrapping his arms around his waist. Nagito took Hajime’s free hand in his own, tangling their fingers together. Hajime’s hands were always much warmer than his, which was nice, especially since Fall was beginning to turn to Winter. He squeezed Hajime’s hand, and Hajime squeezed back.

 

Hajime yawned, pressing his cheek into Nagito’s shoulder blade and closing his eyes. “G’night Nagito…love you.”

 

Nagito closed his eyes and smiled. “Good night, Hajime. Love you more.”

--------------

It was dark.

 

It wasn’t just any kind of dark.

 

It was so dark that it was as if nothing existed.

 

There were no outlines of shapes.

 

No shadows.

 

No hints of any light to be seen anywhere.

 

And yet Nagito was walking.

 

He didn’t know why he was walking.

 

He didn’t know where he was walking.

 

It was probably foolish to be walking like this, with no way of knowing if he would trip and fall, or walk into something.

 

But he kept walking regardless.

 

He felt he had to keep walking…or he might stop existing.

 

The darkness was that suffocating.

 

He needed to get away from it.

 

He needed to get away from here.

 

He needed to get somewhere else, anywhere else.

 

His senses were deprived of all sight, all sound, all smell, all feeling, and it was so terrifying and all-encompassing, he could only think that he had to be in Hell.

 

…that was it, right? That was where he was.

 

His pitiful life had finally come to an end, and now he had been banished to the void of…his own mind? Purgatory? Where exactly even was he?

 

Nagito felt like he should be panicking, but he was unnervingly calm. Maybe his body was in fight or flight mode. Maybe he was just dissociating to get himself through this. Maybe this would hit him emotionally later, like a yo-yo coming back up too hard and hitting its wielder in the face.

 

Or maybe this place was so empty that it had sucked everything out of him , as well.

 

Nagito kept walking. He couldn’t hear his footsteps. He couldn’t feel the ground beneath him.

 

Was he walking?

 

Wait…what was that?

 

There was a tiny glimmer.

 

Nagito willed himself towards it. He kept walking, and the glimmer grew larger and larger.

 

Suddenly, the glimmer exploded into a brilliant halo of light. Nagito fell backwards, pain shooting up his hands as they hit the ground.

 

Pain?

 

Pain!

 

He could feel something!

 

He could actually feel something!

 

Nagito gazed up at the bright light, his eyes squinting. He tried to make out what the source of the light was, but it was so bright that it was making his eyes tear.

 

“H…” Nagito croaked. His voice felt weak and raspy. “Hello…?”

 

And then, he heard a booming powerful voice in his head.

 

HELLO.

 

If Nagito wasn’t already on the ground, the voice surely would have knocked him to it. What he was hearing wasn’t a physical sound. It was something inside his own head, ringing and echoing around like the echoes of a choir in a cathedral. It made him dizzy, and yet, he couldn’t shake it away. He wheezed, trying to catch his breath.

 

The voice spoke again.

 

WELCOME TO MY REALM, LOCATED BEYOND BOTH TIME AND SPACE… IT IS WELL THAT THOU ART HERE.

 

“W-who are you?!” Nagito exclaimed. “Did you b-bring me here?!”

 

There was silence for a moment, and Nagito was afraid that the voice may have left him. He didn’t want to be alone in this terrifying darkness.

 

“Please!” Nagito pleaded. “Tell me who you are!”

 

…I AM THAT WHICH HUMANS CALL ARCEUS.

 

There was no way. 

 

It couldn’t be, could it? 

 

This had to be a dream.

 

“...A-arceus…?” Nagito asked. It came out more like a whimper.

 

KOMAEDA NAGITO.

 

“H-how do you-” Nagito started to speak, but the voice (Arceus’s voice?) paid him no mind.

 

SOON THOU SHALT FIND THYSELF IN A WORLD STRANGE TO THEE. A WORLD INHABITED BY WONDROUS CREATURES THAT HUMANS CALL ‘POKEMON.’

 

Nagito didn’t understand anything that was being said. Still, he felt dread forming in his stomach like a block of cement. 

 

Where was Hajime?

 

He was terrified.

 

He needed to find Hajime.

 

Hajime would keep him safe.

 

KOMAEDA NAGITO.

 

The voice crashed inside his head, making it feel as if it was going to split in two. He covered his ears with shaking hands, trying to will himself not to cry.

 

…SEEK OUT ALL POKEMON, AND THOU SHALT FIND ME ONCE MORE.

 

And then Nagito was falling.

--------------

Falling.

 

Falling.

 

Falling. 

 

He was falling.

 

Nagito was in free fall, tumbling head over heels, unable to scream due to the sheer terror he was feeling.

 

If he wasn’t dead already, then he wanted to die right now. He wanted this to be over.

 

Hajime…

 

He wanted to see Hajime.

 

He closed his eyes and prayed for the end to come quickly.

--------------

Nagito groaned.

 

His head was killing him. His everything was killing him.

 

Wait. I’m alive…?

 

He groaned and coughed up some salty disgusting water onto the ground beside him. Sea water…?

 

What the Hell…

 

If Nagito was in some sort of sick sensory deprivation dimension before, then he was in the exact opposite of that right now. He felt awful.

 

“Chi-chi chi!!”

 

Nagito wheezed. “M-mochi…?” He forced his eyes to open, hissing at how bright everything seemed in comparison to where he had been before. 

 

He was laying on his back on a dusty beach, looking up at a clear blue sky. He could hear the sound of water behind him. Mochi was standing over him, tears in his eyes.

 

“Ch-ch-ch-ch….chiii,” he cried, hugging Nagito.

 

Nagito hugged him back weakly, propping himself up on the elbow of one arm. “W-where are we…?”

 

“Veeon?!”

 

Nagito’s head shot up. He would recognize that voice anywhere.

 

He felt Yuki tackle him before he could fully process what was happening. He fell back again, grateful that he didn’t hit the sand too hard. “Yuki, yikes, give a guy a warning…” He wasn’t angry, though. If Yuki was here, that meant Hajime was here, too. “Yuki, where’s-”

 

“Oh my word!”

 

The question died in Nagito’s throat. He pulled himself up into a sitting position again, trying to see where the voice was coming from. His eyes fell on a young man in a lab coat running up a dirt road towards him. An Oshawott, Rowlet, and Cyndaquil were following the young man closely, who looked like he was about to have an asthma attack at any moment.

 

The man stopped when he reached Nagito and bent over, heaving and trying to catch his breath. He gulped down big breaths of air, gasping out, “D-does that Sylveon belong to you…? I-It was freaking out trying to get me to come down to the beach, n-now I know why. You look like something the Purrloin dragged in.” The man ran a hand through his messy brown hair, standing up fully once he had caught his breath. 

 

“N-no,” Nagito shook his head. “Yuki’s not mine, he belongs to my fiancé… Was he not…with him when you found him?”

 

The man in the lab coat looked confused. “The little guy just ran up to me and started yelling and waving around in a panic. There wasn’t anyone else.”

 

Nagito’s brows furrowed, and he looked back at Yuki. “Yuki…where’s Hajime…?”

 

Yuki looked down at the ground, not saying anything. His ears and ribbons were low.

 

Nagito swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat.

 

This was definitely a lucid dream.

 

Nagito didn’t get lucid dreams, but he had certainly read about them before. Realistic, vivid dreams where one is aware that they are sleeping. Dreams with the capability to be incredibly terrifying.

 

This had to be a lucid dream - that was the only thing that made sense.

 

He didn’t see Yuki in his normal dreams, and he certainly didn’t talk to the voice of Arceus either. And this situation didn’t make any logical sense, so it certainly couldn’t be real life.

 

After all, he was just in bed with Hajime! He remembered going to sleep with him not that long ago.

 

Yes. This had to be a really freaky, lucid dream.

 

Even if he was scared shitless right now, he would wake up in Hajime’s arms and everything would be alright.

 

He looked over at Yuki and Mochi.

 

Yuki’s eyes were full of tears about to overflow. Mochi tugged on one of his ribbons, trying to snap him out of it. Yuki was not used to being away from Hajime. He was Hajime’s first Pokemon, and they had been together since Hajime had been fifteen. He looked so lost and confused.

 

Dream or not, Nagito didn’t like to see Pokemon suffering. Especially not his or Hajime's Pokemon.

 

“Hey. Yuki, Mochi, it’s alright,” he smiled weakly. “We’ll figure everything out okay? Don’t let yourselves get sucked into despair just yet.”

 

Yuki looked up at Nagito, blinking away his tears. He sniffled, and then nodded. He lifted up a paw delicately and patted Mochi’s head, which seemed to break the tension for the little Minccino as well.

 

Nagito turned to the man standing over him. He was dressed in a button up shirt, vest, and dress pants, with that white lab coat of his over top of it all. His hair was an absolute mess - longer and messier than Hajime’s - and he had a shoulder bag that was bursting at the seams with all kinds of papers and notes. He didn’t seem like a threat.

 

“I’m…Komaeda,” Nagito started. “Komaeda Nagito. This Sylveon belongs to my fiancé…his name is Yuki. And this Minccino is mine…his name is Mochi.”

 

The man grinned, toothy and wide without reservation. “Nice to meet you. I’m Professor Naegi Makoto!” He bowed quickly, then thrust his hand out towards Nagito, still grinning. “You want to tell me how you ended up on the beach?”

 

Nagito cautiously took Professor Naegi’s hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. “I…I’m not entirely sure. I remember being somewhere very dark, and then…falling? I was falling for a very long time.”

 

“Huh?!” Professor Naegi practically yelled. “That was you ?!”

 

Nagito winced, his head aching at the Professor’s sudden loudness. “I don’t know what you mean…”

 

Professor Naegi frowned. “Kyoko and I saw something fall from the rift just about half an hour ago. We were going to come this way to investigate, and then suddenly this Sylveon came barreling towards me and making a huge fuss! I had to follow him and take him away from the village, because he was making the guards nervous.”

 

The more Naegi talked, the more Nagito’s head hurt. This was just all way too much for him to handle.

 

“What did you say this Pokemon was called again…?” Naegi asked, kneeling down in front of Mochi. “Such an adorable little thing…”

 

Mochi cowered behind Yuki, not knowing whether Naegi was to be trusted.

 

“Ah, Mochi is a Minccino. They’re native to Unova,” Nagito explained. “Which is where I was born.”

 

Sensing that he wasn’t going to coax Mochi out, Naegi stood back up again. “I’ve never heard of Unova. Interesting. I will have to add that to my list of places to survey, once our work is done here.”

 

Nagito nodded. He didn’t know why he was nodding. It just felt like the polite thing to do.

 

“Well, I’m glad you seem to be in one piece,” Naegi said. “Falling out of the sky isn’t something that most people can just walk away from. You must be tough as nails!”

 

Nagito cringed. “No, I’m quite weak actually…but thank you. Your kindness towards someone like me is much appreciated.”

 

Naegi looked confused, and was about to try and protest, when suddenly a commotion broke out.

Oshawott and Cyndaquil had begun squabbling with each other, and Rowlet made the mistake of trying to break the quarrel up. In the chaos, Rowlet was hit in the head with Oshawott’s shell. That was when it turned into a full out war. Rowlet unloaded Magical Leaf on Cyndaquil and Oshawott, sending them both running, with Rowlet chasing after them. Rowlet was not going to let things go without total and full surrender.

 

“Oh, no, no, no! Not again! Those three are always getting into fights with each other!” The Professor bowed quickly and politely, then turned on his heel and chased after the three Pokemon. “Wait you guys! Waiiiit!”

 

And with that, Nagito was alone on the beach again. He looked down at Mochi and Yuki, dumbfounded. “...Naegi-sensei seems to have quite bad luck, don’t you think? Should we…go after him?”

 

Yuki looked at Mochi, who tilted his head and shrugged.

 

Nagito sighed and scooped up Mochi, letting him take his place on his shoulder. “We’re going to go. He was kind enough to make sure I was alright. The least we can do is make sure he’s alright as well.”

 

Yuki nodded, following Nagito down the dirt path.

 

“And maybe we can find Hajime too,” Nagito added.

 

Yuki looked up at him with equal hope and despair.

 

This was only a dream.

 

They would all see Hajime soon enough.

 

But he would keep the hope alive for Yuki and Mochi in the meantime.

Chapter 3: Raw Talent

Summary:

Mochi and Yuki learn the power of teamwork. Nagito receives a strange phone call.

Notes:

First of all I just want to apologize deeply for my absence. The past year has been absolutely bananas mode for me. I moved my husband across state lines, planned a wedding, got married, went to Japan, was sick for like three months, had to go to the ER for kidney stones, left my job...literally anything you can imagine happened.

I have actually still been working on this story on and off for the past year, but I still was too nervous to post anything. I have lots of chapters outlined or started, and I'm now more determined then ever to keep working towards finishing this story. I hope you all can find it in your hearts to forgive me!

I am very passionate about this story and swear I have been working on it hard behind the scenes (I wrote like 25 pages in the past few days alone). I have FULL INTENT to finish this story and post chapters on a more regular basis.

With that being said, please enjoy!

 

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content warnings for this chapter: none

 

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Nagito doesn’t have to walk for long to find Professor Naegi. It only takes a few minutes to find the clearing where the frazzled professor ran off to.

 

“Guys, please !” Professor Naegi whined. “I’ll have Hanamura-san make you ten kilos of curry if you just cut it out!” He was absolutely distraught, hands tangled in his hair, being completely and totally ignored. Cyndaquil and Rowlet were at each other’s throats, and Oshawott was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Is everything alright…?” Nagito asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

Naegi nearly jumped out of his skin. “Heavens above! I-I didn’t realize you followed me.”

 

Nagito shrugged. “You…seemed like you needed some help,” he offered, lamely.

 

Naegi’s whole face turned pale. “No one can help me now. Kyoko’s going to kill me.” He looked over at Cyndaquil and Rowlet, startling when Rowlet tackled Cyndaquil into the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust. All of a sudden, his eyes widened in realization. “Oh no- Byakuya’s going to kill me!!”

 

Mochi snickered into its paw. Nagito resisted the urge to glare. For once in your life, would it kill you to behave?

 

At least Yuki had self-control.

 

“Can you ask them to return to their Pokeballs?” Nagito asked.

 

Naegi hung his head in shame. “They were strays Kyoko took in. They don’t have Pokeballs of their own,” He opened up his shoulder bag, and pulled out three wooden-looking Pokeballs. “Honestly I’ve never even thrown one of these…up until recently, it was so difficult to make them that the Commander only let people use them when absolutely necessary…”

 

Nagito stared at the Pokeballs wordlessly, trying to let the professor’s words sink in, but finding it difficult. For some reason, out of all the crazy things this lucid dream had created, the wooden Pokeballs and the inept Professor were the most outlandish yet.

 

Were his dreams trying to make him feel like less of a loser?

 

Was his subconscious really trying to flatter him by pointing out his mastery of such a basic skill?

 

Nagito looked over at the ongoing fight between Cyndaquil and Rowlet. He sighed. “...You just need them to break it up?”

 

“Ideally…” Naegi replied. “Wait - you think you can get them to calm down?!”

 

A breeze brushed by, and Nagito shivered. His clothes were still slightly damp, but he wasn’t too worried about catching a chill in his own dream. He rubbed at his arm, trying to get rid of the goosebumps. “I don’t know about calming down, but…I have good aim, at least.”

 

“Syl!” Yuki chirped, waving its ribbons at them both.

 

Nagito laughed weakly. “And apparently Yuki’s interested in helping too…? So that about quadruples our chances of success.”

 

Mochi jumped down to the ground, waving his arms around in annoyance. “Chi??”

 

Nagito pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, okay, everyone’s helping. It’ll be a team effort.”

 

The two Pokemon cheered. 

 

Nagito could only imagine what Hajime would say about his lack of discipline, were he here. At least they’re having fun, I guess.

 

Professor Naegi bowed forward so much that Nagito thought he may topple over. “Thank you so, so, so much. You’re really saving me here! I’ll be in your debt!”

 

Nagito gave him an awkward smile. “Don’t thank me yet…you can thank me if I actually manage to succeed.”

--------------

Nagito knelt down beside Mochi and Yuki, keeping his eyes on Rowlet and Cyndaquil. “We need to separate them. I don’t see Oshawott anywhere, and it won’t be safe to do a search with those two fighting. They’ll just end up getting angry with us and turning on us anyway.” He reached towards the Pokeballs on his belt, weighing their options. “Even though we don’t see Oshawott, we need to be wary that we could be outnumbered very quickly. Rowlet has the advantage of flight, which will make it more difficult to attack…we should go for Cyndaquil first. Rowlet might try to engage us directly then.”

 

Yuki stepped closer to Nagito, taking a protective stance. “Veeon.”

 

Nagito smiled. “Yup, you and I are of like minds. You can use Protect, so you’re staying with me.”

 

Mochi looked surprised. “C-chi?!”

 

“I’m not trying to get burnt to a crisp, Mochi.” Nagito grumbled. “I already fell out of the sky and into the ocean today.”

 

Mochi’s ear twitched, and then he saluted. He faced towards where Cyndaquil and Rowlet were still battling, about 50 feet away from them.

 

“Ready?” Nagito asked.

 

“Chi!”

 

“Syl!”

 

“Alright then, you’re up Mochi,” Nagito said. “Dig under Cyndaquil and knock it back. Separate it from Rowlet!”

 

Mochi dashed forward, a blur of gray barreling towards his targets. Rowlet had Cyndaquil pinned underneath it, and was readying a Peck attack. Mochi burrowed down into the ground.

 

“Yes! That’s it!” Nagito exclaimed.

 

Cyndaquil used Ember on Rowlet’s claws, and it howled in pain, but refused to let go. Yuki kept a wary eye on the two, waiting for any sign that it would spin out of control.

 

Mochi burst up underneath Cyndaquil and Rowlet. The Fire Mouse and Grass Quill Pokemon were flung apart, landing a few feet from each other, with Mochi in the middle. Nagito moved quickly, tossing one of Naegi’s Pokeballs at Cyndaquil. It knocked the Fire Mouse on the head, then engulfed it in a burst of light.

 

“Got him! Mochi, keep your eye on-”

 

Rowlet screeched and grabbed Mochi, by the shoulders, flying high up into the air. Mochi struggled against Rowlet’s claws, kicking and scratching.

 

“Shit!” Nagito’s fists clenched.

 

Yuki gritted his teeth. “Syl!” He looked back at Nagito, wanting to step in.

 

“One second, Yuki, I’m thinking ,” Nagito grumbled. He really couldn’t have Yuki run in there without hurting Mochi in the process. He unlatched the next Pokeball from his belt. “On my word, you switch with him, Yuki. When I say switch, take over and use Protect. Not a second before. You hear me?”

 

Yuki nodded. “Vee!”

 

“Mochi!” Nagito yelled out. “Adjust your weight and flip Rowlet! Then use Tail Slap!”

 

Mochi looked down at Nagito in horror. “C-chi…!”

 

“You won’t fall, I’ll catch you!” Nagito assured. “Do it!”

 

Mochi flailed fearfully.

 

“ Trust me , Mochi!”

Mochi shut his eyes and threw his weight forward. Rowlet was caught off guard and lost balance, tumbling forward and under the Minccino. Rowlet struggled to get wind under its wings again, but it was too late. Mochi slammed its tail into it as hard as it could, knocking the Grass Quill Pokemon away.

 

Nagito ran towards Mochi, arms out, heart racing. The little mouse fell into Nagito’s outstretched arms like a trembling pile of bricks.

 

“Yuki, switch!!”

 

Rowlet dove towards Nagito and Mochi with its Aerial Ace attack, but Yuki was faster. The knockback as Rowlet crashed into Yuki’s shield was almost electric.

 

“Moonblast!”

 

Yuki’s shield disappeared and he took the shot. Dust and debris exploded up into the air. Nagito coughed into the collar of his shirt, squinting.

 

“Yuki…? Is it down?” Nagito asked.

 

Yuki was still poised to attack again, unsure.

 

But there was no need.

 

The dust cleared to reveal Rowlet had been knocked out.

 

“We did it…” Nagito breathed.

 

Mochi tugged at the Pokeball in Nagito’s hand. “Chi-chi!”

 

Nagito couldn’t help but start laughing. “Right, right…” He threw the Pokeball in a light underhand toss, and Rowlet disappeared just like that.

 

Nagito sighed, picking up the Pokeballs that now contained Rowlet and Cyndaquil. “Two down…I really hope that Oshawott isn’t as much of a-”

 

A little head peeked out from behind a rock.

 

“-handful.”

 

Yuki and Mochi both sprung into action, rushing forward. They growled at Oshawott menacingly, tired of all the dramatics.

 

Oshawott’s lip quivered.

 

It began to sob loudly.

 

Yuki and Mochi looked back at Nagito, flustered. They looked like two children whose hands had been caught in a cookie jar.

 

Nagito couldn’t help himself. He bent over and laughed.

 

--------------

 

Naegi was bowing so deeply his shoulder bag was touching the ground. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I owe you one hundred - no - one thousand times over for this!”

 

Nagito scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “It’s not a big deal…”

 

“Are you kidding me?!” Naegi exclaimed. “It was amazing! There are members of Future Team that have been with us for years that don’t have half the raw talent you do. I think even the Commander would be impressed!”

 

Nagito continued to smile politely, trying not to let his discomfort at being praised show on his face. “That’s very kind-”

 

Naegi grabbed him by the shoulders suddenly, grinning from ear to ear. “You know, maybe that’s a great idea!”

 

Nagito felt the color leaving his face. “W-what’s a great idea…?”

 

“You should come join the Survey Corps! We need you!”

 

“I uh…I-I don’t know…” Nagito stammered. “I uh…” He struggled to find an excuse, but was coming up short. Considering he had fallen out of the sky just over an hour ago and didn’t really have any idea where he was, he didn’t really have any other commitments.

 

Naegi let go of his shoulders, adjusting his shoulder bag. “Sorry, sometimes I get a little too excited. You don’t have to if you don’t-”

 

Brrring. Brrring.

 

Naegi’s head tilted. “Uh, what’s that sound?”

 

Nagito reached into his back pocket, equally as confused. “My phone I think…” He pulled out his phone, which mostly looked the same, but had a white shell with gold accents now. “I didn’t…why does it look like this…”

 

The phone indicated that there was no cellular signal, yet it kept ringing away. The caller ID read Unknown Caller.

 

Nagito’s throat felt dry. He pressed the green button to answer and held the phone to his ear. 

 

The voice he heard nearly knocked him to the floor.

 

GO WITH HIM, KOMAEDA NAGITO.

 

Before he could reply, the call dropped.

Notes:

imagine god calling you on your godphone and ordering you around lol, couldn't be me

Chapter 4: One of a Kind

Summary:

Professor Naegi tries to use his influence to negotiate a spot for Nagito in the Survey Corps. As the sun sets on Jubilife Village, Nagito shares a meal with a kind stranger.

 

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content warnings for this chapter: none

 

---

 

Though the landscape had not changed much, Professor Naegi assured that they had almost reached their destination. Nagito’s legs ached as he pushed himself to keep walking.

 

“I don’t even know what to think about that all,” Naegi said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “You said its name was Arceus? I’ve never heard of such a Pokemon…”

 

“Legends say that Arceus created everything,” Nagito mumbled. “That He created every creature and every land…that He knows the name of every living thing in the universe, and the fears and dreams in every heart…”

 

Nagito turned his phone over in his hands with a frown. When he turned on the lock screen, a photo of his last date with Hajime appeared, just like always. His battery level was stuck at 100%, and the ‘No Signal’ icon still displayed mockingly in the upper right corner of the screen.

 

The date displayed on his lock screen would not change no matter how many times he looked at it.

 

September 29th, 120 years in the past.

 

Seeing that date made Nagito feel as if he was in freefall all over again. He let out a shaky exhale and locked his phone once more. “...An all powerful creature like Arceus…I’m not sure I can believe it.”

 

Naegi frowned. “What? Why not? You said He spoke to you.”

 

“The creature that spoke to me claimed to be Arceus, but I didn’t get a good look at it,” Nagito explained. “It wouldn’t make sense anyway. Why would Arceus bother sending me to another world, or dimension, or whatever this is?”

 

“Maybe He sent you for a reason,” Naegi mused. “Maybe there’s something important He needs you to do.”

 

Naegi’s impression of him was clearly warped. Nagito grimaced. “Somehow I doubt that.”

 

Their conversation faded as an old wooden gate with guard towers came into view. The gate was built in the traditional style of early Sinnoh settlers, with jade tiled roofs and bright banners displaying the village’s coat of arms. A guard flanked each side of the entryway, and low walls ensured that any visitor would need to speak to them before entering. Above the gate doors, a wooden sign with calligraphy read Jubilife Village.

 

The guard closest to Professor Naegi was all smiles, but her hand was on the Pokeballs latched to her belt. She was a few inches taller than Naegi, tanned, and well-built. She definitely looked the part of a guard.

 

“Naegi-sensei,” she greeted.

 

“Owari,” Naegi nodded.

 

“Captain Togami didn’t mention anyone coming through today besides you and Kirigiri-sensei,” the woman - Owari - stated.

 

Naegi stuffed his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight from one side to the other. “Uhhh, change in plans…?”

 

She snorted. “Does the Captain know about this change in plans?”

 

“Owari come on, it’s me,” Naegi huffed.

 

Owari peeked over Professor Naegi’s shoulder, scrutinizing Yuki. “...And that's the Sylveon that nearly made Tsumiki-san piss her pants today.”

 

Nagito shot a glare at Yuki. Yuki avoided eye contact, trying his best to look innocent. 

 

“You know she’s easily frightened,” Naegi grumbled.

 

“As are the majority of the other villagers, Professor.” Owari crossed her arms. “Togami and the Commander are at each other’s throats enough already. We have our hands quite full. You know that.”

 

Professor Naegi sighed. He kicked at the dirt with a frown. “I know, I know.”

 

Owari’s eyes flicked to Nagito. “Who’s this?”

 

Nagito lifted a hand to wave awkwardly.

 

“This is Komaeda Nagito,” Naegi explained. “He helped me with some…research…today. He’s very talented with catching and battling. The Sylveon is his.”

 

“My fiancé’s-” Nagito corrected.

 

“His fiancé’s,” Naegi echoed. “Regardless. He can keep it under control. There’s nothing to worry about at all. You have my word.”

 

Owari let out a loud exhale and pursed her lips. “It’s my neck on the line if things go wrong, you know.”

 

“I know. I’ll take full responsibility for Komaeda and his Pokemon while they’re within village walls,” Naegi assured.

 

Owari finally removed her hand from her belt, relaxing. “Alright. But you owe me. Tell that loverboy of yours I want extra rations on the next shipment.”

 

Naegi’s face turned beet red. “Anything else…?”

 

She grinned. “Nope, that’ll be all!” She stepped aside and gestured towards the open gate. “Welcome back, Professor!”

 

“Thank you, Owari-san. Enjoy the rest of your shift.”

 

Naegi led Nagito, Yuki, and Mochi through the gates, which connected to a large dirt road that split down the center of the village. Traditional minka buildings lined the road, and the street was littered with villagers talking, working, or sitting on their verandas and enjoying the sunset. Women milled around dressed in simple, patternless kimono, chatting with each other or tugging their children along by the hands. The men were a little more varied in their mode of dress. Some of them wore hakama with their kimono, whereas the working men had opted for shorter robes that they could more easily wear with trousers.

 

Spare for Yuki and Mochi, there was not a single Pokemon in sight. Nagito tried to keep his eyes on Naegi ahead of him. He could hear a few whispers and snickers, and even a child beginning to cry.

 

Naegi chattered away, ignoring it all. “This is Canala Avenue. There are mostly villager houses on this road. Future Team has been operating in Hisui for about a decade, but everything here is new construction from the past two years. The sustainability and longevity of Jubilife Village is critical to the Future Expedition Team mission, and the Commander has made this project his number one priority.” He looked back over his shoulder, smiling sheepishly. “For the time being, I would recommend you stay away from this road unless you are being escorted. Especially if you have your Pokemon out. The settlers who aren’t in the Survey Corps or Guard Corps don’t ever leave the village. They would probably think your Pokemon were wild Pokemon that snuck in and alert the guards.”

 

Nagito frowned. “Okay, understood.” He reached up to scratch Mochi’s ear, pulling him a little closer. With the way Naegi talks, maybe I should be carrying Yuki everywhere too…

 

They came to a wooden bridge at the end of Canala Avenue. A river cut through the village, separating the main living area from the northern third of the village. Shops and stalls lined the banks of the river, water wheels turning slowly with the current. Dead center across from the bridge was a massive brick building with smoke billowing from it.

 

“That building is the Future Expedition Team's Hisui headquarters,” Naegi said.

 

As they crossed the bridge and neared it, two women standing at the bottom of the staircase turned to look at them. The shorter of the two had a sleepy look on her face and a bob haircut. The taller one wore a white lab coat and gloves, and had long lavender hair that flowed down her back. Both of the women wore matching navy blue uniforms.

 

The taller woman crossed her arms and glowered at Professor Naegi. “Togami was about to send a squad after you if you didn’t show up soon.”

 

Naegi grinned goofily, clasping his hands together and swooning. “Aw, he’d abuse his power for me? He cares.”

 

The woman continued to give him the stink eye, tapping her foot in annoyance. She lifted her chin in Nagito’s direction stiffly. “Who’s this.”

 

“Oh, uh…” Naegi scratched the back of his head. “This is Komaeda Nagito. You actually already know him somewhat considering you saw him…fall out of the rift this afternoon.”

 

Her eyes widened, as did the eyes of the shorter woman who hadn't spoken yet. She grabbed Professor Naegi’s shoulder with a gloved hand, leaning in closer. “What do you mean fell out of the rift, Makoto. Start talking.”

 

Naegi laughed nervously, suddenly rambling at breakneck speed. “I don’t know anymore than you do, Kyoko! He said that he fell from the sky and I have no reason to not believe him, because that’s what we saw after all! He says he’s not from Hisui, not from here at all, and that he doesn’t know how he got here! What did you want me to do, leave him out there to die?!”

 

“I would prefer for you to clue me in before you saddle me with situations I’ll have to explain to my father,” she hissed.

 

“Who cares what he thinks? He’s never happy with me or Togami anyway!”

 

The sleepy woman sighed, cutting in. “Professors…?”

 

“You think he’s ever happy with me, Makoto? You are not unique in this situation.”

 

“Professors!”

 

They both turned to her, seemingly remembering just then that they were not alone.

 

“Maybe you should…discuss this at another time…” she mumbled, pressing her fingers together in a tent shape. “We have a guest…or guests, I suppose…”

 

All eyes were on Nagito, Yuki, and Mochi again.

 

The woman Naegi referred to as ‘Kyoko’ sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Right. Thank you, Nanami-san.” She turned to Nagito and bowed. “My name is Kirigiri Kyoko. I am the other Professor on assignment here in Hisui. I apologize if my partner has caused you any trouble today.”

 

“Hey-!” Naegi grumbled.

 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Nagito replied. “Please do not apologize. He was very kind to me. If anything, I should apologize for all the trouble I am causing you and your team.” He smiled sympathetically at Naegi, feeling somewhat bad.

 

Professor Kirigiri straightened and stood up fully again. “Yes, well…we are in tough times right now. This entire project is in jeopardy if we can’t produce results soon. Not to mention the local clans…” She reached up and tucked part of her hair that had been braided behind her ear. “Tensions are high, to say the least.”

 

“I see,” Nagito hummed.

 

Naegi opened up his shoulder bag, pulling out the three Pokeballs from Nagito’s encounter with Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott. “While you’re getting acquainted, you should thank him too, Kyoko.” He handed her the three Pokeballs. “Those strays got away from me, and I never would’ve been able to stop them from squabbling on my own. Komaeda-san battled them and won.”

 

She turned the Pokeballs in her hands, thinking to herself. “...is that true, Komaeda-san?”

 

Nagito rubbed at his arm. “...More or less.”

 

Kirigiri put the Pokeballs in her pocket. “Nanami-san, would you mind taking Komaeda-san to the Wallflower? I'm sure he's hungry, and I need to talk to Professor Naegi for a bit.”

 

Nanami yawned, rubbing at her eye. “Sure but…I spent all my money on revives…I don’t get another paycheck until next week.”

 

Kirigiri sighed. “Tell Hanamura that Captain Togami will take care of it. Order yourself something, too.” And then, she pointed at Naegi. “You. Office. Now.” Before he could argue, she was dragging him by the arm up the stairs and into the Future Expedition Team headquarters.

 

“Are they…going to be okay?” Nagito asked with a wince.

 

Nanami blinked. “Yeah…I think so…” She tapped her chin, lost in thought. “More important…do you think I should get dumplings or udon?”

--------------

“Hanamura-san looked like he wanted to stab me with his cutting knife just a minute ago,” Nagito said, fiddling with his chopsticks. Nanami-san was already digging into her udon, looking like she would faceplant it if she closed her eyes a second too long.

 

“Mm, prob’ly for the bes’,” she replied. “Woul’ you p’efer him flir’ing wit’ you?”

 

Nagito grimaced down at his bowl of rice. “Ew. Please tell me he wouldn’t actually do that.”

Nanami swallowed, smirking a little. “He doesn’t like outsiders, so…probably not? If you get into the Survey Corps, all bets are off, though. He’s an equal opportunity creep.”

 

Yuki choked on the tofu he had been eating. “Veeon?!” The Sylveon’s ribbons began to flail angrily, and Nagito chuckled.

 

“If he wants to be on the wrong end of Yuki’s Moonblast, then I guess that’s his choice. Yuki has to protect Hajime’s interest.”

 

Nanami pointed her chopsticks at Nagito, her smirk growing. “Maybe Naegi-sensei’s right. You’d be doing Future Expedition Team a world of good knocking that guy down a peg.”

 

“Kirigiri-sensei seemed very annoyed with him. I don’t know why he even wants me to join the Survey Corps. It’s clear I’m not wanted.” Nagito picked up a piece of his rolled egg, and held it out to Mochi, who was sitting on the bench beside him. The little Minccino happily accepted it with a satisfied purr.

 

Nanami set her chopsticks down, pressing her fingers together. “I don’t know if she was really mad at him so much as exasperated. Earlier today, she and Captain Togami looked like they had seen a ghost. I think they were really worried.” She looked over at Mochi, cautiously curious. “Do people in your world always let Pokemon eat at the table?”

 

Nagito blinked. “Oh, uh…maybe some people? I think it depends.” He lazily picked up another piece of rolled egg and held it out to Mochi. “Usually Hajime doesn’t let them, but I don’t see the harm in it. I’m a sucker for cute Pokemon; I can never say no to a sweet face.”

 

Nanami smiled softly. “Yeah, I guess he is pretty cute…” She picked back up her chopsticks, grabbing another clump of noodles. “Who’s Hajime? You’ve mentioned that name twice now.”

 

“Oh…” Nagito frowned. The light-hearted mood had almost made him forget for a moment the exact circumstances that had brought him here. “Hajime is my fiancé…I don’t really know where he is though…I thought maybe Yuki might know, because he’s Hajime’s partner Pokemon, but…” Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yuki’s shoulders crumple inward. “It’s fine,” Nagito smiled weakly. “I’m sure we’ll find him. Or maybe I’ll just wake up and this will all have been a bad dream!”

 

Nanami leaned back a bit, seeming to be thinking something over as she slurped her noodles. Finally, she asked: “If this is a dream, why can’t I fly…?”

 

Nagito squinted. “What? Why would you be the one flying? It’s my dream.”

 

“Mmm…doesn’t seem fair to me. Some dream.”

 

Is she…trying to make me feel better?

 

“Are you going to eat at some point?” Nanami asked, changing the topic. “Usually food tastes better while it’s still hot. Even dream food, I think…”

 

“I’m not very hungry…” He nudged a bit of rice back and forth in his bowl. Feeling put on the spot, he tried to eat some anyway. “Oh. This is actually really good…?” He found himself suddenly eating in earnest, as if he hadn’t eaten a real meal in days.

 

Nanami smiled softly, folding her arms on the table and laying her head down. “Of course. You’re eating at the best restaurant in all of Jubilife Village.”

 

“Are there other restaurants in Jubilife…?”

 

“No,” she giggled, stuffing her face into her sleeves. “That’s what makes it the best. One of a kind…”

 

Nagito wasn’t sure that her logic held up, but he found himself smiling anyway. He looked over at Yuki, who seemed to have cheered up as well. The Sylveon had finished all the tofu and settled down into a little loaf position. Nagito switched his chopsticks to his other hand and reached over to stroke Yuki’s head.

 

“You know, I feel like you and Hajime would get along really well if you ever met.”

 

Nanami-san peeked an eye open. “Hmm..? I’ll take that as a compliment.”

 

“Good, because it is one. He’s the best.”

 

“One of a kind…?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Hanamura came out to light the lamps hanging outside the Wallflower and it occurred to Nagito that the sun had finally gone down fully. The night sky above Jubilife was absolutely gorgeous, with no smog or light pollution to obscure the view. The outside seating arrangements suddenly made a lot more sense to him. Who could ever want to eat inside with views like this?

 

“It’s so quiet at night here…” Nagito said. “Nothing like home. It’s so peaceful.”

 

Nanami hummed in agreement. “Hisui has its moments. There are definitely days I miss city life back in Kanto…but…we’re doing something important here, I think…” She yawned and sat up to stretch, looking over her shoulder and back towards the Future Team headquarters building. Professors Naegi and Kirigiri had not shown any sign of returning yet. “Is there anything like Future Team in your world?”

 

“Hmm…I don’t think so…” Nagito replied. “There was the Future Foundation, but they were like…trying to destroy the universe I think??” He could feel a headache beginning to brew just remembering it. “And Hajime had to team up with Komaru and former Champion Ikusaba to defeat that freaky Towa girl. Just a total nightmare all around.”

 

“Is that a normal occurrence in your world…? People trying to destroy the universe, I mean.”

 

Nagito pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not typically. Hajime just…” He tried to think of how to explain. After a moment, he pointed to the side of his head with his pointer finger. “You know that little signal in your brain that tells you something is dangerous and to run away?”

 

Nanami nodded.

 

“His brain does the exact opposite. Don’t ask me how it hasn’t gotten him killed yet. The only explanation I could ever come up with is that he’s so stubborn, he just refuses to die.”

 

“That’s good,” Nanami said, so softly he almost missed it. “...That means you’ll definitely find him.”

 

Nagito’s eyes stung a bit. He blinked away the feeling and nodded sharply. “Y-yeah. Y-you’re right…” His throat felt tight, and he bit his bottom lip. “Thank you, Nanami-san.”

 

“Hmm…?” She tilted her head. “I didn’t do anything special.” Even as she said it, a knowing look was in her eyes.

 

“Maybe not,” Nagito said. “But I appreciate it anyway.”

--------------

Nanami, Mochi, and Yuki eventually all fell asleep at the table, leaving Nagito to his own devices. He scrolled idly through his photo gallery on his phone, which were mostly photos of Hajime or Mochi. Occasionally, a photo would appear of both him and Hajime, which made him smile.

 

Maybe I should show Nanami-san some of these…she doesn’t seem to mind if I ramble on and on about him… Komaeda peeked at her, watching her back rise and fall as she dozed. I kind of wish Nanami-san existed in my world…maybe we could’ve been friends…

 

He supposed he was friends with Fukawa, but their relationship had changed and morphed over time. When they were 15, they had both been research assistants for Nagito’s aunt, and it had been easy to fall into friendship. Now, as adults with real lives and real jobs, it seemed like they had backslid toward acquaintanceship.

 

Doesn’t help that I ended up becoming her boss, Nagito thought sourly. Great idea that was.

 

That was one of the many things his retirement was supposed to set him free from. If he was no longer a world-class coordinator, then he would no longer need a personal assistant to handle his affairs. In theory, the natural state of things would return.

 

In theory.

 

Nagito’s thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps nearing. He looked up to see Professor Naegi jogging over with a goofy grin on his face, Professor Kirigiri followed closely behind.

 

“Hey guys!! Komaeda!! Nanami!! I have good news!”

 

Mochi and Yuki stirred awake, and Nanami lifted her head from the table tiredly. “Mmm…? Can it wait till t’morrow?”

 

Naegi ignored her question, pumping his fist in the air. “It’s a yes! We convinced Togami and the Commander to let you do a trial run, Komaeda!”

 

“Y-you did?” Nagito asked, somewhat surprised. With how Kirigiri had acted earlier, he was almost certain the idea was dead on arrival.

 

Naegi nodded, giving two thumbs up. “Yep yep! Togami will brief you on your assignment tomorrow. But you’ll nail it! I know you will!”

 

Kirigiri set a hand on Naegi’s arm, smiling politely. “Lucky for you, we have a vacant house available that we were saving for new recruits. It’s fully furnished, so it should be plenty comfortable for you to stay overnight.” She paused for a moment, then frowned. “However, should you fail the trial tomorrow, you will not be allowed to stay in the village. You will need to leave immediately, as will your Pokemon. Those are the terms we were able to negotiate.”

 

Nagito fidgeted with his hands, processing her words. “Okay…thank you. I appreciate that.”

 

“I recommend that you get a good night's sleep, Komaeda-san,” Kirigiri advised. “You will need it. If your clothes are dirty, we can get you some different ones. I can have Nanami-san bring them to you in the morning.”

 

“Okay. Yeah that would probably be good. My shirt and pants feel pretty sticky, even after they dried. I probably smell like seaweed, now that I think about it…”

 

Mochi leaned forward and gave his shirt a sniff. His little nose wrinkled in disgust.

 

Naegi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You think Byakuya could lend him some clothes to sleep in…? They’re sort of close in height.”

 

Kirigiri’s eye twitched. “If you want to ask him, be my guest. I will not be the one to have that conversation.”

 

Nagito held his hands up diplomatically. “It’s okay really. I’ll be fine for the night. Clothes for tomorrow would be plenty. Really."

 

“Okay, if you’re sure,” Naegi relented. Then, he clapped his hands together. “Ready to see where you’ll be staying?”

 

Nagito had no idea how to answer, so he simply nodded.

Notes:

[moistcritikal voice] this is the eepiest cosiest chapter of all time

Chapter 5: Home (Without You)

Summary:

Professor Naegi shows Nagito where he’ll be sleeping for the night. Facing the possibility of an extended stay in Jubilife Village, Nagito spirals into a panic attack.

 

---

 

content warning: depiction of panic attack and dissociation, implied drowning

---

 

Nagito wondered if the house being directly next to the Future Team headquarters building was a coincidence, or if it had specifically been picked to keep a close eye on him.

 

“Here we are!” Professor Naegi announced.

 

The house they were standing in front of was smaller and simpler than the houses on Canala Avenue. It didn’t have a veranda, and seemed to be about half the size of the homes he had seen earlier that day. He supposed families living in Jubilife would need more space, whereas Future Team members wouldn’t, but it was still a bit disappointing to see.

 

“You have two units to your right. One is empty, and the other is Nanami-san’s,” Naegi explained. “To your left is an outhouse, but keep in mind it’s shared by these three units. So do try to be courteous to your neighbor.”

 

Nagito wrinkled his nose at the outhouse building, not fond of the idea at all. I really, really hope I wake up soon.

 

Naegi continued, not noticing his sour face. “There’s also spare firewood and tools stocked by the outhouse. It shouldn’t rain tonight, so there’s no need to bring the firewood in, but you would want to keep it inside if there’s a storm. Otherwise it’ll rot.”

 

“That would be if I manage to impress Captain Togami,” Nagito said, eyes still on the outhouse. “As in, if I’m not expelled from the village tomorrow.”

 

Naegi waved his hand in the air dismissively. “Pssh. Not gonna happen.” He slid the front door of the house open. “Come on, I’ll show you the inside!”

 

Yuki and Mochi ran into the house excitedly, and Nagito followed after. Mochi and Yuki immediately began investigating every nook and cranny, climbing on things and chirping at each other like a bunch of kids in a candy store. Nagito sighed tiredly. Sure, let’s add property damage to the list of things I’ve done to aggravate the higher ups of the Future Team, guys. Go crazy. Why not?

 

The inside was split into thirds, with the front third being the genkan. Along the right wall of the genkan, there was a large chest with a lock on it, and Nagito could see a matching key hung up on a hook on the wall. The sliding doors of traditional houses did not have locks that he could recall, so it was good to see that there was at least something that could be put under lock and key.

 

Naegi took his shoes off as he stepped up onto the raised floor of the living area, which was the middle section of the home. He stumbled over to one of the oil lanterns, cursing under his breath for a moment before it finally lit. “Ah, there we go! Now we can actually see around here. Though you don’t have to run ‘em if you prefer the whole moonlight shtick.”

 

In the center of the living area, there was a sunken hearth for a fire. A beam came down from the ceiling above the fire pit, which Nagito presumed could be used for cooking. Above the fire pit, additional beams had been set up to create extra storage space. Three pans in different sizes and some cooking utensils hung down from the beams. On the eastern and western sides of the fire pit, tatami mats were set down.

Nagito kicked off his shoes and stepped up as well. He shoved his hands into his pockets, pursing his lips together. Some shelves had been built directly into the western wall of the living area, and he could see a few bowls and cups and towels set on the shelf. Directly under the shelves was a large water jug, a long wooden spoon for scooping said water, and a traditional wooden table that Nagito presumed was to be used as a sink or food prep area. To the left of that table was a smaller side table with some notebooks and pens. He opened up one of the notebooks, flipping through it, but it appeared to be brand new and unused.

 

“This is all…” Nagito struggled to put his feelings into words. “... really different from the Jubilife I know.”

 

He turned to take in the entire room again. The Professor was crouched by a set of drawers in the back left corner of the living area, petting Yuki. Mochi was climbing one of the beams over the hearth like he owned the damned place. Naegi looked pleased as punch, until he saw Nagito’s face.

 

“Hey…are you okay?” he asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

 

Nagito’s mouth felt dry. “I’m…” His phone felt heavy in his pocket. His lungs felt full of water, even though he knew they weren’t. Arceus’s words echoed in his head.

 

Yuki glanced over at him, eyes concerned.

 

Nagito felt himself wobble, and he set a hand on the table behind him to settle himself. “I…I think I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”

 

Naegi nodded, standing up fully. He smiled sympathetically. “You’re right. I forgot in all the excitement that this is all probably a huge adjustment for you. If you don’t have any questions for now, I’ll be taking my leave.”

 

Nagito nodded absently, his stomach churning. “Yes, I think I’ll be alright for the night. Thank you.”

 

Naegi walked back towards the genkan, stepped down, and slid his shoes on. “Good night, Komaeda,” he said with a gentle wave.

 

“Good night, Naegi-sensei.”

 

The professor went to step out of the house, but stopped abruptly. He looked back at Nagito one more time, giving him that sympathetic smile again, and added: “Thank you for all your hard work today. See you tomorrow.” 

 

And then he was gone, the door sliding shut quietly.

 

Nagito tried to take a deep breath. His hands were shaking, even the one that was clutching the table.

 

Yuki padded over and tried to get Nagito’s attention. “Syl…?” He stood up on his back legs, leaning his front paws on Nagito’s calf.

 

“Y-Yuki, can you not right now…” Nagito mumbled, tangling his free hand in his hair. “I-I’m trying to…I-I’m trying to…”

 

What do I do if this isn’t a dream? It has to be right?

 

Nagito began to properly hyperventilate. “W-what are we going to d-do…w-why are we still here…w-what am I supposed to-”

 

Yuki bit at the chains hanging from Nagito’s belt loop, growling.

 

Nagito’s annoyance flared. “Yuki, what the Hell?! You’re supposed to be the well-behaved one!” He let go of the table and his hair, shooing the Sylveon away. “Stop that, I’m in the middle of having a-”

 

Yuki was sitting primly again, looking smug.

 

“-panic attack.” 

 

Nagito’s eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms. Yuki continued to stare back, unashamed. Finally, Nagito grumbled: “I’m torn between impressed and pissed. Did you learn to do that, or are you just way smarter than any Pokemon should be?”

 

“Syl!”

 

“...I don’t know if you know this, but I have no idea what you just said.”

 

Mochi snickered from his perch on the ceiling beam.

 

Nagito reached up and snatched him. “ You !!”

 

Mochi squealed, giggling and chirping and squirming in his hands.

 

“For once in your life can you not embarrass me in front of other people?!”

 

Mochi kept laughing, managing to break free and jump back onto Nagito’s shoulder again. Nagito glowered. The Minccino nuzzled his cheek and he begrudgingly petted him, not wanting to be too nice and let him think he was off the hook for his behavior just yet.

 

“No more goofing around. No more hijinks. We are going to bed , you hear me? I’m serious.”

 

Mochi stifled another laugh, but did not make any moves to start causing trouble again. Yuki padded towards the back third of the house, where the bedroom had been set up.

 

“Veeon…?”

 

Nagito followed, keeping a hand on Mochi so that the little brat didn’t start trying to race around the room again. “Yeah Yuki, it’s back here.” There were sliding doors that separated the living area from the bedroom, which were already slid open before they had even arrived. The floor was lined with tatami, and a futon was set up in the middle of the room. Cabinets and cupboards for clothing and personal items were built into the back wall, along with large sliding panel windows in the center. Underneath the windows, there were more cabinets, creating a windowsill area that Nagito imagined could be used to display knick knacks or collectables.

 

In the back right corner of the room, there was a full-length mirror and a hook on the wall. Beside the hook and mirror, there was a framed piece of calligraphy hung up as well. It appeared to be something official from the Future Expedition Team, but he wasn’t sure who had actually written it.

 

“Our Five Principles…” he read aloud, “Number one. Behave with courtesy towards others.” He rolled his eyes, and pinched Mochi’s cheek. “You should internalize this, Mochi. Might do you some good.” He went back to reading. “Number two. Superiors are owed your respect. Number three. Likes and dislikes are a luxury ill afforded. Number four. Those who are weaker must be helped. Number five. Difficulties must be faced head on.”

 

Nagito read it over again, then shrugged. “The third one’s a little weird, but I guess the rest is fine.”

 

Yuki poked the futon covers with his paw suspiciously, as if checking it for danger. When no danger presented itself, he settled at the bottom of the futon, sufficiently pleased with the results of his inspection.

 

“I’m putting you down now Mochi, but remember what I said,” Nagito warned. He lifted the Minccino off his shoulder and set him at the bottom of the bed with Yuki. “No hijinks.”

 

Mochi looked as if he were about to start running around again, but Yuki grabbed him with a ribbon and yanked him back down. The Minccino scrunched up his face, but finally relented and began to settle down.

 

Nagito walked over to the windowsill, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

 

Just put it down, Nagito. Don’t look at it.

 

He unlocked it.

 

The battery was 100%.

 

The date remained the same.

 

He still had no cell signal.

 

He locked the phone and placed it face down on the windowsill ledge, as if it were afflicted with some kind of curse. After setting it down, he stripped down to his boxers, folding up his shirt and pants and stacking them beside the phone.

 

“You know, it wouldn’t have killed Arceus to send me here with my jacket.” Nagito said. When it was cold, he tended to wear his favorite jacket everywhere. It was a hooded jacket that went down to around his knees, and according to Hajime, it complemented his eyes. “A truly loving God wouldn’t send me here in the middle of September in short sleeves . And then drop me in the ocean on top of it all.”

 

Nagito walked over to the sliding doors that separated the bedroom from the living area and pulled them closed, shaking his head in disbelief. “All powerful Arceus, sending me to colonial Hisui. I can’t think of anything more ridiculous, really.”

 

He settled down on the futon, getting under the covers and looking up at the ceiling. The minute he laid down, he realized how much his entire body hurt. His eyelids felt heavy, and it was easy to let them fall shut.

 

“Good night, Mochi…good night, Yuki…”

 

And then, just for good measure, he added. “Good night, Hajime. Love you lots.”

Notes:

Not sure if it will come up again in the future, but Hajime definitely trained Yuki to ground him and get him out of panic attacks when he was younger. We see this behavior in this chapter when Yuki successfully manages to stop Nagito's panic attack before it spirals more. So yeah, that's just some lore that I thought people might like confirmation of.

Highkey though, the entire second half of the chapter, I was just thinking about this meme: https://preview.redd.it/kdzjtl0p0jiz.png?auto=webp&s=0679341efda4a37c2943cb575ad135e9d0e5a2b8

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also shoutout to my husband for reading and listening to over 60 pages of scenes from this series in the past week or two. You're the GOAT <3

Behind-the-scenes look at our reading/listening sessions:

Me: So what do you think?
Him: I like Yuki :)
Me: Yeah he's great :)
Him: Also you're evil :(
Me: ...That's fair

Chapter 6: The Thing That Keeps Us Going

Summary:

Nagito dreams about a conversation he had with Professor Yukizome years ago. Nanami helps Nagito prepare for his first real day in Hisui. Captain Togami challenges Nagito to prove himself.

---

 

content warning: mention of a character's parents dying, dissociation, panic attack, unreality, thoughts of death, thoughts of drowning, thoughts of suffocation

 

---

“Are you sure this is really what you want to do, Nagito?” Professor Yukizome was looking at him with that sad smile. “This seems so…sudden. Does this have anything to do with what happened with that Ursarin-”

 

“ No ,” Nagito cut in, crossing his arms. “I told you it didn’t have anything to do with that, Auntie.”

 

She didn’t look like she believed him. He wanted her to believe him. He needed her to believe him. He didn’t want her to look at him with pity. Everyone else already looked at him with pity all the time; Professor Yukizome was supposed to be different.

 

Professor Yukizome looked down at Nagito’s pocket Pokedex, which had been placed on the table between them. She picked it up and opened it, scrolling through his notes with downcast eyes. “I just want to make sure you aren’t running away from things…” she said softly. “That you’re doing this because you want to, and not for…some other reason, you know?”

 

Nagito reached up and played with the end of one of his hoodie strings, not wanting to say something he’d regret. Not wanting to give in, and also not wanting to hurt her.

 

She folded up the Pokedex sadly, setting it back down. “You’re my best research assistant…but it would be a shame if I kept you here and stifled you.”

 

“You have Fukawa,” he muttered. He didn’t know why, but there was a bitter edge to his words. He liked Fukawa. There was really nothing to be bitter about.

 

But he was.

 

“...that’s true,” Professor Yukizome agreed plainly. “She’s progressed a lot since she started…”

 

Right. So you’ll be fine without me. I’m nothing special. There’s nothing special about me at all.

 

Professor Yukizome leaned forward, pressing the Pokedex into his hands. “You should keep this, Nagito. It’s yours. And it might come in handy…”

 

When she let her hands drop, he realized his own were shaking.

 

“I do have another question…does this have anything to do with that boy?”

“W-who…?”

 

He didn’t know why he asked. He already knew who she was talking about.

 

“That boy with the Eevee. Hinata Hajime?”

 

Nagito’s heart skipped a beat at his name, and he felt his face and ears heating up. He reached up and fidgeted with a chunk of his hair. It was too late to deny it; it was clear she already knew about his crush. Trying to brush her question off would just make him look suspicious.

 

“N-not entirely…” Nagito mumbled. “M-maybe a little but…t-that’s not the only reason…”

 

Professor Yukizome smiled sweetly, her eyes looking a little wet in the corners. “What happened to my little Nagito…I remember when you only came up to my knee, and now you’re growing up so quickly…” She stood up and came around the table, hugging him tightly. Nagito grumbled like the moody teenager he was, but hugged her back anyway.

 

When Professor Yukizome finally pulled away, she ruffled his hair. And then, she said something that Nagito somehow knew he would remember for a long time. “Love is a beautiful thing. It keeps us going when we think we can’t push on anymore. Hold onto that feeling as long as you can, okay?”

 

“Okay, Auntie.”

 

“And you’re calling me every other day.”

 

“Okay, Auntie.”

 

“And I want to see you for at least three holidays a year.”

 

“Okay, Auntie.”

 

“And if that Hinata kid so much as makes you cry, I’m coming to Sinnoh myself-”

 

Nagito laughed. “Okay, Auntie! I get it. I get it.”

 

“Good.”

--------------

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

 

“Komaeda-san? Are you awake? It’s me, Nanami.”

 

Nagito grumbled, rolling over and shoving his face in his pillow. “S’too early…”

 

Knock, knock, knock.

 

“Komaeda-san? Are you home?”

 

“H’jime can’t you answer the door…? M’tired…”

 

He reached over to his side, but his hand fell flat onto tatami. His blood ran cold.

 

No way. No fucking way.

 

He could hear Nanami slide the front door open slightly. “Is he even here…? Maybe he went without me…?”

 

Nagito shot up in bed, clutching at his chest. The sudden movement woke up Mochi and Yuki, who looked around in a panic, searching for danger.

 

I’m still here…

 

Nanami must have heard him moving in the bedroom, because he heard her step into the genkan. “Oh, Komaeda-san, you are here. Sorry if I woke you up.”

 

Nagito’s heart was racing. He was still clutching at his chest, panting and gasping for air. He didn’t know what was more mortifying: the thought that he was still in Hisui, or the thought that Nanami might see him having a panic attack. Mochi crawled into his lap and waved in his face, trying to get him to refocus, but all he could think of was the air being ripped from his lungs as he fell thousands of miles to the Earth’s surface. He choked, his eyes filling with tears.

 

This isn’t real. This can’t be real…

 

Yuki was pawing at Nagito’s arm. It felt dull and far away, like Nagito was barely in his body. Faintly in the background, he heard Nanami’s footsteps on the living room floor, and the sound of her stopping in front of the sliding panel doors.

 

“Are you okay…?” he heard her ask. She sounded underwater. Like he should be right now. He let out a sob, curling his arms around Mochi and pulling his knees to his chest.

 

Nagito heard a shift in Nanami’s weight, and then the sound of her sitting on the floor outside the doors. He continued to cry hot, angry tears into Mochi’s fur, coughing and sputtering and struggling to breathe through his increasingly running nose. Mochi trembled in his arms, hugging him back tightly, and Nagito vaguely remembered the last time he cried like this. It had been in a cold hospital with Professor Yukizome rubbing his back and soothing him. 

 

When his parents had passed away. When he knew he was never going to see them again.


The words from his dream, from his memory of Professor Yukizome, came back to him. He felt like he could suffocate on them.

 

“Love is a beautiful thing. It keeps us going when we think we can’t push on anymore. Hold onto that feeling as long as you can, okay?”

 

What if I never see him again? What if Hajime’s gone forever? How am I supposed to live without him?

 

He had barely been able to get through his anxiety before contests without Hajime there. How did anyone, let alone Arceus , expect him to live without the wonderful sunshine that was Hinata Hajime?

 

He turned his head to the side and looked at Yuki through his tears. The Sylveon was watching him with sad, unsure eyes. He kept an arm around Mochi, wrapping the other around Yuki tightly. He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that. It could’ve been a few minutes, or it could’ve been an hour. Eventually, he began to tire himself out, and the swirling in his ears and stomach began to slow down.

 

He heard Nanami shift where she was sitting, and he realized she had stayed the entire time. He wiped at his eyes, sucking up some of the snot that was threatening to run from his nose. “I-I’m sure you think I’m pathetic,” he rasped. He laughed sourly.

 

He heard Nanami’s breath catch, and then: “I don’t think that at all.”

 

Nagito rolled his eyes, anger flaring lowly in him. She had to be saying that just to make him feel better. “I’ve been here less than 24 hours, and here I am, crying like a baby,” he spat.

 

Nanami hummed, as if she were thinking over his statement. When he looked over, he could see her silhouette through the panel doors. She rocked slowly from side to side, as if she were a video game character acting out an idle animation. “I don’t think anyone can judge you for how you react, Komaeda-kun. To expect you to act normal…in a situation that’s so undeniably not normal…that would be cruel, I think…” He could hear the sounds of her moving, turning around so that she was facing the still-closed panel doors. “Maybe I’m wrong but…if Hajime was sitting here crying…I would think you would want me to tell him the same thing. That it’s okay to miss you. That it’s okay to worry about you.”

 

Nagito could feel the damned tears welling up again. She was right, and he hated it. He hated how logical it all was. He didn’t deserve her kindness, and yet he couldn’t deny it, because if he did, he would be arguing that Hajime wouldn’t deserve it either. He wanted to curl his knees closer to his body, feeling vulnerable, but couldn’t with Mochi in his lap. He rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand again, moping, “Saying things like that is so unfair, Nanami-san. How am I supposed to berate myself in good conscience?”

 

She giggled a little. “You’re not supposed to. That’s the point.”

 

Nagito sighed, uncurling from his position and letting Mochi and Yuki free. He sat cross-legged, drawing patterns lazily on the blanket of his futon. “...you called me Komaeda-kun.”

 

“Mmm…? Oh, I guess I did. Sorry if it bothered you.”

 

Nagito shook his head, even though he wasn’t sure she could see it. “No, it was…it was nice. You can call me that if you want to.”

 

“Ok, I will.”

 

Nagito looked around the room, wondering what time it was. He saw his phone on the windowsill ledge and briefly considered checking it, but decided against it. “Nanami-san…?”

 

“Hmm…?”

 

“What time is it right now?”

 

“Oh…? I came over at about eight, but it’s probably later now. My watch strap broke a couple of months ago, let me check my bag.” He heard her rifling around in her bag for a moment, then: “About quarter to nine. Captain Togami wanted to see you at nine-thirty, and I didn’t know if you were a heavy sleeper, so I came over early.”

 

“Hmm. I guess that makes sense.” Nagito stood up, looking at himself in the full-length mirror. He didn’t have any cuts, scrapes, or bruises after his fall, which was surprising. Under his eyes were dark gray bags, as if he hadn’t actually slept at all. “Ugh. I look like a wreck. I have massive bags under my eyes, which totally complements the red puffiness from crying.”

 

“I’m sure you look fine,” Nanami replied from behind the doors. “Do you want the uniform I brought? I can pass it through the doors.”

 

“I mean…you can come in if you want. I’m wearing underwear. Or - no, I guess that would be uncomfortable. Sorry, that was really weird of me to say. I just always have trouble tying everything without getting it wrinkled, so Hajime usually helps me, and-” He pinched the bridge of his nose, incredibly self-conscious. “Just forget I said anything...I’m sorry I’m so weird.”

 

One of the doors slid open, and Nanami poked her head in. “It’s not weird. We’re friends now, aren’t we?”

 

Nagito blinked, his train of self-deprecating thoughts stopping in their tracks. “O-oh. Uh. Yeah…right.”

 

Nanami walked over with the uniform, setting it on the windowsill ledge and separating out the individual pieces. There was a thick black undershirt, navy blue kimono top, navy blue trousers, a long thick red scarf, a red cap, white socks, a koshi-himo waist string, and a large yellow obi with a satchel attachment. “I also brought shoes, which I’m hoping are in your size. If not, I'll have to talk to Fujisaki-chan to see if they can get you some different ones. I left them in the genkan.”

 

Nagito nodded. “If they don’t fit I can just use my shoes from home for now.” He pulled on the socks, undershirt, and trousers, then slid his arms into the sleeves of the kimono top.

 

“Yeah, there’s no snow on the ground so you should be fine with whatever shoes for now,” Nanami agreed. She stepped in front of Nagito, neatly folding the left side over the other. “If you have trouble doing it yourself you could always use pins to make it easier. I have some at my house.” She tied the koshi-himo expertly, as if it were second nature at this point. “I guess you don’t wear clothes like this a lot in your world…?”

 

Nagito shook his head. “Only sometimes. Like for festivals, or to go to the shrine. And that was only after I moved. When I lived in Unova there were a lot of different types of people and different cultures, so it wasn’t as common.”

 

“I’ve never heard of Unova,” Nanami said. She grabbed the obi with the satchel attachment, carefully tying it so that the satchel would line up in the middle of Nagito’s back. “You’ll have to tell me more about it sometime. I kind of like your stories.” 

 

“Sure. I have photos that I could show you later, too.”

 

“Oh, that would be awesome.” She grabbed the red scarf from the windowsill and wrapped it around Nagito’s neck, a smile blooming on her face as the ensemble came together. “Just need one more thing!” She picked up the Survey Corp uniform hat and held it out to Nagito. “You should do the honors, I think.”

 

Nagito looked at himself in the mirror, almost unable to recognize himself, if not for the fact that his face was the same. “I really look like a member of the Survey Corps…” In the mirror, he could see Mochi playing with the end of his scarf excitedly, all smiles.

 

Yuki, on the other hand, looked torn.

 

Nagito looked at the hat in his hands. He was going to need both Mochi and Yuki today if he was going to get through the trial.

 

He lifted the hat up and pulled it down onto his head, fluffing his hair around it. When he had finished fixing his hair, he steeled his resolve, and turned around. “What do you think guys?”

 

“You look awesome! You totally look like that uniform was made for you, Komaeda-kun!”

 

“Chi chi!”

 

Yuki stared at him, not reacting. Nagito smiled at him as best as he could, walking over to his phone and picking it up. He reached back and opened his satchel, stashing his phone in there. “Can’t forget this.” He snapped the satchel shut, making sure it was closed securely. He wanted Yuki to see that they were bringing it. That he wasn’t forgetting about Hajime, not even for a second. He leaned down and picked up Mochi, setting him on his shoulder. “You’re going to be able to help me today, right Yuki? Like you did yesterday.”

 

Yuki’s ears lowered and the Sylveon frowned.

 

Nagito walked over, kneeling down and patting his head. “I know this is weird. Believe me, I just lost my shit over it. I’m still losing my shit over it, a little bit. But we need you. I need you. I can’t do this without you.”

 

Yuki’s ears lifted a bit, and he looked up. It was very rare that Nagito ever cursed. He only typically cursed when he was very emotional. He hoped that Yuki would understand that even if he was smiling, it didn’t mean everything was just okay.

 

“I don’t know if we’ll be here tomorrow. I don’t know what the Hell is going on any more than you do. But…can I count on you today?”

 

Yuki stared for another moment and then nodded. “Syl.”

 

Nagito stood back up, turning to Nanami. “Then I think we’re all ready to head over. Let’s…what did Naegi-sensei say again?”

 

“Nail it!” Nanami smirked.

 

Mochi chirped in agreement.

 

“Yeah,” Nagito nodded. “Let’s nail it.”

--------------

When they stepped outside, Nagito felt lucky that the shoes Nanami brought had fit him. It was colder today and windy, so much so that he was sure his canvas sneakers wouldn’t have kept the wind out. Nanami walked briskly to keep up with him (he was a lot taller than her), checking her watch. “Somehow we’re managing to arrive a few minutes early. I feel like that shouldn’t be possible.”

 

Nagito shrugged, walking up the stairs of the headquarters building with her. “Lucky break, I guess. Good for us, though. Kind of scared to see what this guy is really like.”

 

Nanami opened one of the massive wooden doors, gesturing for Nagito to go first. He walked in, Yuki and Nanami tailing closely behind, and found himself a bit impressed by the inside of the headquarters. The carpet was pristinely kept, the color of wine, and lavish curtains hung from all the windows in the hallway. Black and white photographs had been blown up and framed, commemorating accomplishments for the Future Expedition Team’s Hisui branch and its top members. Down both the left and right hallways there were massive staircases lined with carpet all the way up to the second floor. Directly in front of them, Nagito could see doors to an office, with a sign overhead that read: ‘Survey Corps, Hisui Division. Office of Captain Togami Byakuya.’

 

Nagito turned to Nanami nervously, lowering his voice. “Be honest…should I be worried? I mean this guy’s like, Professor Naegi’s husband, right? Naegi-sensei likes me. That’s got to give me a bit of an edge, don’t you think?”

 

Nanami covered her mouth, giggling. “Komaeda-kun, you should definitely not say that when we go in.”

 

Nagito felt the color leaving his face. Did he get it wrong? “Oh, I thought that they were- Naegi-sensei seemed to-”

 

Nanami patted his shoulder, stifling another giggle. “No you’re right, they are married. He just hates implications of special treatment.”

 

Nagito felt like an idiot. “Oh. Okay. Yeah I guess that makes sense.”

 

“He’s not that scary. He’s just…” Nanami tapped her chin, thinking. “Prickly. It’ll be fine. Don’t psyche yourself out over it.” She led him over to the office doors, knocked twice, and then peered in. “Captain Togami? I’m here with Komaeda, if you’re ready.”

 

“Hmm?” The sound of some papers shuffling. “Right, right, Komaeda. Come in, both of you.”

 

Nanami opened the door fully, and Nagito and Yuki followed her into the office. The office was fairly large, and seemed to connect via side doors to two other offices in the headquarters building. The office on the right appeared to be an infirmary. The one on the left looked like it might’ve been an extension of the Captain’s office, but Nagito couldn’t be sure without a further look.

 

In the center of the office was an ornate wooden desk, piled heavy with dozens and dozens of books and papers. Behind the desk, two giant Future Team flags stood proudly, as well as a map of Jubilife Village that was propped on an easel. An elegant yet intimidating man sat at the desk, his blue eyes narrowed behind his glasses. His uniform was pristine, and not a single blond hair was out of place on his head.

 

Nagito reached up to pet Mochi, hoping to calm his nerves without looking like an anxious idiot in front of the Captain. If petting Mochi also happened to stop the little mouse from running around and causing trouble, that was just an extra bonus. “It’s nice to meet you, Captain Togami.” Nagito said timidly. “Thank you for allowing myself and my Pokemon team to stay the night. I apologize for any trouble it may have caused you.”

 

Togami nodded, examining a piece of paper in his hand as he did. “Yes, well, I should have learned long ago to expect trouble to come running when I let Naegi go out on his own. You can hardly be blamed for his foolish behavior.”

 

Nagito had to try his damndest not to wince. This is the so-called loverboy Captain? He has a weird way of showing it for sure.

 

Togami set down the paper on his desk, which Nagito could now see had the words ‘Incident Report’ printed at the top. He wondered if the incident report was about him. It seemed likely that was the case, but he couldn’t read the handwriting from where he was.

 

Captain Togami stood up, walking around the desk to stand in front of it, arms behind his back. “Regardless of how you arrived here, the matter at hand is this: Professors Naegi and Kirigiri are requesting you to be onboarded as a member of the Survey Corps. It seems this is something they feel very strongly about.”

 

Nagito was surprised. “Kirigiri-sensei vouched for me?”

 

She hadn’t even spent more than a few minutes with him. What reason would she have to support him joining the Survey Corps? Was Professor Naegi really that convincing?

 

Togami glowered, suddenly looking very annoyed. “Yes, she did. She was so persuasive in fact, that the Commander insisted I allow this trial run to take place.”

 

“Oh,” Nagito replied, dumbly. He thought back to what Professors Naegi and Kirigiri had said last night, feeling dumbfounded. What they had described was different from what he was hearing now. The way Togami made it sound…had he ended up being the lone voice of dissent?

 

If that’s the case, this guy probably hates my guts…what rotten, horrible luck…

 

“Yes, oh ,” Togami echoed. He inhaled sharply, then continued. “If you really wish to join the Future Expedition Team’s Survey Corps, you will need to prove yourself capable of being an asset to this project. We do not have the resources to support someone who cannot follow through. Your assignment will be to locate and catch three Pokemon by sundown: Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx. All three can be found in the Obsidian Fieldlands. Nanami-san may take you to the beginning of the Fieldlands, and may bring you back, but she may not assist you further than that. I will provide you with 20 Pokeballs for the assignment. That should be more than enough to get the job done. Once you succeed…” He stopped, then smirked. “ If you succeed, you will report back here for further orders.”

 

“Captain Togami, isn’t this a little much?”

 

Nagito was surprised to hear Nanami speak up. Togami did not seem surprised nor impressed.

“You’re sending Komaeda-kun out into the field so soon, asking him to catch three Pokemon…didn’t he already do enough yesterday?” she frowned. “You said Kirigiri-sensei vouched for him-”

 

Togami held up a hand, cutting her off. “I’m well aware of what I said, Nanami-san. However, you are not the only member of the Future Expedition Team, nor are you the only resident of Jubilife Village. What does it say about us if we just allow anyone to join us, without any pre-conditions?”

 

Nagito remembered Nanami’s words in the hall earlier. “...it would look like there’s special treatment. People wouldn’t trust Future Team…which would in turn undermine the Commander’s vision.”

 

Togami’s eyes widened briefly, and then he caught himself. It seemed that he had not expected Nagito to be so accepting of his reasoning. “Well, Komaeda-san, I’m glad someone understands the gravity of this whole situation. Perhaps Naegi was right about you being clever after all.” He walked back behind the desk, opening a drawer and counting out 20 Pokeballs. “You needn’t worry Nanami-san. If the Professor’s story from yesterday was true, then this task should be plenty easy for Komaeda.” He walked back up to Komaeda, handing him the Pokeballs with a condescending smile. “...Unless you don’t think you can get lucky twice.”

 

Nagito could hear Yuki growling, and he could feel Mochi’s hand roughly clutching at his hair. He didn’t know what face Nanami-san was making, but he couldn’t imagine it was pleasant.

 

Even though Nagito understood the reason for setting up the trial, he disliked Togami’s attitude. Hajime had always said that he hated stuck up people. Nagito was sure that, given the opportunity, Hajime would’ve wanted to wipe the smug look right off Togami’s face.

 

Nagito took the Pokeballs and put them in his satchel, right next to his phone. He snapped the satchel closed, feeling possessed. Nagito flashed Togami a massive grin, taking pleasure in the way his eyebrow twitched. “Captain, when I’m done, I promise that the only one who’s going to be feeling lucky here is you .”

Notes:

Next chapter will be Nagito completing his trial run! I'm excited for it. Despite the heaviness of the first half, I'm really proud of this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it.

One quibble I have with PLA, as much as I *love* it, is that the plot often only scratches the surface layer of character's motivations. This is something that I wanted to fix when I wrote this story. In PLA, we are told that people don't trust outsiders, and that it would be basically unbelievable for an outsider to be accepted into the village. But then, out of no where, the characters pretty much accept you right away. It makes it seem like all that talk at the beginning was just...talk. In picking out the characters that I would use for this story, I wanted to create backstories and motivations that were believable for them as DR characters. I also wanted those motivations and backstories to deepen the lore of Hisui and make the story come alive a little bit more.

This lore is going to continue to develop as I bring more characters in, and I'm really excited for some of the scenes and things I have planned! I really want the stakes to feel high, and I really want people to feel like each character does their own things for their own reasons. The tension between Byakuya, Kyoko, Makoto, and Jin is just one single dynamic that will be covered, but it's a very good first look into just how complicated and difficult the Future Team's project has become. (Their own leaders can't even agree half the time)

Anyway, I'll sign off before I end up spoiling anything major! Until next time~~

Chapter 7: Trial Run

Summary:

Incensed by his conversation with Captain Togami, Nagito tackles the Obsidian Fieldlands. While there, he taps into skills both new and old...and even has a little bit of fun, too.

---

 

cw: brief implication of character having a death wish

---

 

“Komaeda-kun! Komaeda-kun, wait up, y-you don’t even know where you’re going…!”

 

 Nagito stalked over to the house he was staying at, stopping in front of the door so that Nanami could catch up. “I’m just going to get a notebook, Nanami-san.”

 

Nanami caught up to him and immediately folded in half, trying to catch her breath. “W-what…? What are you t-talking about…?”

 

“Well, I assume you can’t give me a map.”

 

Nanami took a few more heaving breaths, then finally seemed to settle down. She stood up fully again, both shock and relief clear on her face. “Oh…yeah I wouldn’t be able to…Y-you stormed off so quick that I thought…”

 

“That I was going to run recklessly into the Obsidian Fieldlands and get myself killed…?”

 

Nanami tugged at her scarf uncomfortably, looking away. “Yesterday, you joked that you thought this was a dream…” she mumbled, barely audible. “Today, you said that you didn’t even know if you’d be here tomorr-”

“I know what I said,” Nagito cut in. His words came out sharper than he wanted, and he immediately felt guilty. He clenched and unclenched his hands, then tried to school his expression into a softer one. “...I know what I said, Nanami-san. Your concern is…noted. And appreciated. You don’t need to worry. I’m going to be just fine, because I can’t prove that jackwad wrong if I don’t come back in one piece.”

 

Nanami fiddled with her scarf for another moment. Then finally, with a hint of amusement, she mumbled: “...jackwad…?”

 

“It’s something Hajime calls people sometimes.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Nagito slid the door open and entered the genkan. “Come inside, I have some questions for you before we leave.”

 

Nanami followed him, stopping in the genkan and sitting on the ledge of the raised living room’s floor. “I can’t tell you anything about the Fieldlands. We’d both get in trouble if anyone found out.”

 

Nagito kicked his shoes off and walked over to the table where he had found the notebooks and pens the night before. “No, I know that. But if I ask you questions that don’t pertain to the trial run, you could answer those, couldn’t you?”

 

Nanami hummed. “...that would be fine, I think…” Yuki padded over to Nanami, nudging at her leg. She reached down to pet his head. “...what questions did you have?”

 

“Professors Naegi and Kirigiri are trying to create an entire Pokedex, right?” Nagito picked up one of the notebooks and reached back to hold it near his satchel. This looks like it should fit…

 

“Mhmm,” Nanami affirmed. “Although it’s pretty slow going. One of our top ranked members broke his arm two weeks ago. He can’t even throw Pokeballs right now, so he’s basically out of commission, I think.”

 

“That’s a shame.”

 

Nagito flipped to the first page of the notebook and picked up one of the pens from the table. He scribbled a bit in the corner, pleased when the ink came out as expected. He tucked the pen over his ear and checked another pen, making sure that that one wrote as well.

 

“Okay. Both these pens work, so that’s good. Although with my luck, I wouldn’t be surprised if they stopped working the minute I entered the Fieldlands…” He tucked both the pens and the notebook into his satchel, then walked back towards the genkan. “Creating a Pokedex requires more than just catching Pokemon. I should know, my aunt was the lead Professor working on Unova’s. There’s way more to research than just notating what species are in a region. So they must have you guys collect other types of data and bring it back, right?”

Nanami nodded. “Our assignments vary, it really just depends. I think it’s something like…” She tapped her finger to her chin. “...the professors decide what tasks there are to be done, and then Captain Togami has free reign to send members out into the field as needed. I don’t think he really has much of a part in the research itself. He’s more about people management and follow-through.”

 

Nagito pulled his shoes on, thinking through what Nanami said. “Interesting…”

 

Nanami’s brows furrowed. “Why do you ask…?”

 

Nagito held out his hand and she grabbed it. He pulled her up to her feet. “I was just thinking, that's all. If I really wanted someone to fail, I would be pulling out all the stops. I would be asking them to act as if they were already in the Survey Corps. Think about it - I already caught three Pokemon. In theory, what’s three more?” Nagito shrugged. “Research, observation, notating, collecting samples…he doesn’t know if I have any of those skills. Why not test me on those? He could hit me with a laundry list of tasks and really make it difficult to succeed within the prescribed time frame, but he didn’t. If he doesn’t have as much experience with that side of things, it may not have come immediately to mind as another way to trap me.” They exited the house and started to walk towards the northern gates of Jubilife Village. “Of course it wouldn’t have worked anyway, because those are some of the few things I’m actually good at.”

 

“I can see why Professor Naegi said you’re really smart,” Nanami said. “You’re thinking about all these angles I probably wouldn’t have even thought about…My thought process was more…oh, he probably is hoping Komaeda-kun gets eaten by a bunch of Starly…or something like that.”

 

Nagito burst into laughter. “I mean yeah, he’s probably thinking that, too. I’m really not smart, I’m just an overthinker. I’m probably overanalyzing it.”

 

“Mm…that’s something smart people say to get out of compliments…I think…”

 

Nagito rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore her.

 

As they neared the north gate, Owari turned and waved, all smiles. “Well look at that! You don’t look half bad when you’re wearing normal clothes.”

 

Nagito stammered in protest. “My clothes were--! I literally fell from the–! Owari, do you have any concept of irony?”

 

Mochi and Nanami were giggling up a storm. Nagito wondered if this entire scenario was divine punishment for some sin he hadn’t yet repented.

 

“You know what, forget it,” he huffed. “That’s not why we’re here. We’re here because Captain Togami wants me to go with Nanami to the Obsidian Fieldlands. He told me I needed to tell you that before leaving the village.”

 

Owari’s eyebrows went up, but then she nodded. “Oh yeah, sure thing! Any idea when you’ll be back?”

 

“Before sundown, for sure.”

 

“Alright then, roger that! You both stay safe out there!”

 

They thanked her, and then they were off.

 

 

--------------

 

 

Making their way to the outskirts of the Obsidian Fieldlands took around half an hour. Nanami explained that out of all the regions Future Team was surveying, the Fieldlands were the closest to the village. Because of the proximity, the Fieldlands were the most documented and researched region in all of Hisui.

 

“We were also making a lot of progress with the Crimson Mirelands, I think…” Nanami said. “But the Commander moved a lot of people to the Guard Corps in the past few months…and Momota-san was really taking the lead on research in the Mirelands, so I don’t know if there will be much movement for a while…”

 

“Why’s that?”

 

“He’s the one who broke his arm. I think he might’ve gotten a concussion, too, because he’s been to the infirmary a lot. You’ll probably meet him eventually, I think…He’s really nice, and he knows a lot about survey work. You would probably like him.”

 

Nagito found himself wondering just how many Survey Corps members there were. If one guy breaking his arm slowed down an entire operation, he couldn’t imagine that there were many active members.

 

“Oh, we’re here.”

 

Nanami stopped, and Nagito looked around. Fieldlands Camp was a permanent camp set up at the top of a massive rocky hill, overlooking the lush green fields and meadows that stretched out in seemingly all directions. A bored-looking member of the Guard Corps was sitting on a rock, reading a book that certainly appeared to have seen better days. A fire pit was set up, but there was no fire currently lit, and two tents were also set up, but unused. A large Future Team banner flew proudly in the wind, proclaiming to all that the Future Team had claimed the spot as their own.

 

“I guess this is as far as you can go,” Nagito sighed. He looked out at the Fieldlands’ landscape, feeling uneasy.

 

Nanami frowned, her eyes downcast. “Sorry, Komaeda-kun. I wish I could come with you…” She looked up and tried to smile. It didn’t really meet her eyes. “I’ll be right here when you get back, though. I promise.”

 

Nagito nodded. “...thank you, Nanami-san. I’ll be going now.”

 

“See you later.”

 

“Yeah…see you later.”

 

Nagito began to make his way down the hill. Yuki followed him diligently, and Mochi (for once) was quiet and still. When they reached the halfway point of the hill’s downward slope, Nagito stopped and turned back to look towards Fieldlands Camp. From where he was now standing, he could only just see the top of the Future Team’s banner peeking out from the rocky terrain.

 

“I should start making that map,” Nagito said. “If the camp isn’t visible from here, it definitely won’t be visible from the bottom of the hill.”

 

He reached back towards his satchel and unlatched it.

 

Ping!

 

His heart nearly stopped.

 

“T-that’s…t-that’s my…”

 

Ping!

 

He took out his phone.

 

The battery was still 100%. The date read September 30th. There was no cellular signal.

 

And yet…

 

There were two notifications on his lock screen, right underneath the date and time.

 

 

            Application Installation Complete

            Arc Maps v1.0

 

            New Message – Unknown Number

            THOU SHALT NOT FAIL. I AM WITH THEE.

 

 

Nagito unlocked his phone and went to the home screen. Sure enough, an icon that looked like a map of historic Sinnoh had been placed there. Underneath it was the caption ‘Arc Maps v1.0’. He tapped on the icon, opening the app.

 

 

 

            Arc Maps: Obsidian Fieldlands Regional Map

            Nearest Future Team campsite: Fieldlands Camp (approx. 6 mins away)

            Current Location: Aspiration Hill

 

 

 

Nagito found the entire thing funny, in a cosmic way. An entire interactive map was right in the palm of his hands, complete with a little virtual pin showing the exact spot he was standing at that very moment. He even had the ability to get turn-by-turn directions to specific locations. He laughed, shaking his head. He wasn’t sure if he was angry, bewildered, or just exhausted at this point.

 

“A GPS. He could put an entire GPS on my phone, but He couldn’t send me my jacket.” Nagito threw his hands up. “Yeah sure. Fine. Makes about as much sense as anything else that’s happened!” He turned and started down the hill again. “C’mon Yuki, we’re burning daylight. Nanami-san’s waiting.”

 

 

 

 --------------

 

 

 

The dirt path Nagito and Yuki had been walking on gave way to rolling green fields at the base of the hill. The area was still somewhat rocky, and there were few trees amongst the greenery. According to Arc Maps, the Aspiration Hill general region stretched forward until it reached the banks of the Obsidian River, which cut the Fieldlands in four distinct pieces. On the other side of the river, further to the southeast, there was a forested area called Deertrack Path.

 

Nagito stopped and leaned against a large rock formation, giving Yuki a moment to rest. Yuki’s legs were much shorter than his, and he didn’t want to tire him out early on in the day. As much as Nagito loved Mochi, Yuki had much more experience in battle, and was likely their best chance at winning if they were attacked by a particularly strong Pokemon.

 

“You can sit if you’d like, Yuki. I’ll need a moment anyway.”

 

Yuki nodded, settling down at his feet.

 

Nagito checked the time on his phone. “Right now, it’s just after eleven…It’s September, so the sun will probably set in…mm…six hours? Around five. Maybe a little bit later, but not much. All in all, the Pokemon Captain Togami asked me to catch are likely low level out here in the wild. Shinx would probably pose the largest risk, with Bidoof posing the lowest.” His eyes scanned the area around him. “I do wonder what he was thinking. At least on this side of the river, there are wide open areas with minimal sight barriers. It would be hard to be ambushed by a large Pokemon here, unless you truly weren’t paying attention.”

 

Mochi rubbed his face again Nagito’s cheek, chirping in agreement.

 

Nagito continued to think aloud. “Bidoof gather in groups near water. Particularly rivers. We didn’t have them in Unova, but Komaru had one. They’re docile, overly trusting, and bothered by very little. You could probably pick one up and carry it right home, if you really wanted. Nature’s perfect target, in a way.”

 

After a few minutes, Yuki stood and stretched. “Syl.”

 

“Ready to go already? I guess you’re a lot more fit than Mochi. Probably all that endurance training Hajime put you through.” Nagito pointed with his thumb towards the riverbank. “Let’s go look for that Bidoof.”

 

Just as Nagito suspected, a group of seven Bidoof were stationed along the riverbank, gnawing on wood and rolling about in the water. The scene looked like it had come straight from the nature channel, only missing a proper Galarian gentleman to narrate it.

 

One of the smaller Bidoof spotted Yuki and began to walk over pleasantly to greet him. Yuki, taken aback, readied into a defensive stance. Nagito stifled a laugh with his hand.

 

“Yuki, down boy. It’s a Bidoof, for Heaven’s sake.”

 

Yuki’s ears lowered in embarrassment. “S-Syl…” He grimaced as the Bidoof batted at his ribbons. It seemed that the Plump Mouse Pokemon thought they were some kind of toy.

 

“It seems like this one’s chosen us,” Nagito grinned. “What do you think, Mochi?”

 

“Chi!” Mochi agreed, giggling.

 

Yuki looked exasperated. The Bidoof began to try and crawl up onto his back, and he was not seeing any humor in the situation. “Vee-on,” Yuki whined, stomping a foot on the ground.

 

“Oh, come on Yuki, he loves you! Look at his cute little face!”

 

Yuki refused, sticking his nose in the air.

 

Nagito kneeled down, reaching into his satchel and pulling out a Pokeball. “Alright, Mister Whiner. I’ll save you.” He flipped the tab on the Pokeball, and it popped open. In a flash, the Bidoof that had befriended Yuki so quickly was gone. Yuki let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Mm. This satchel kind of sucks,” Nagito mumbled. “If I just throw this Pokeball in here, I probably won’t be able to tell it apart from the others. I wonder if there’s an equivalent to Pokeball Seals in this world…Probably not. Makes me wish I had my belt. Then I would know what Pokeballs had Pokemon actually inside them.”

 

He felt along the edges of the satchel, his hands finding two compartments, one on each end, that were separate from the main inner pouch. Each side compartment was just the right size to fit a Pokeball. He opened the compartment on his left side and placed Bidoof’s Pokeball there. Once he was finished with that, he took out his notebook, pen, and phone. He checked the time on his phone’s lock screen, then began writing.

 

 

September 30th, 19XX – 11:21 AM

Pokemon Sighting in Southern Aspiration Hill Region

• Seven Bidoof on Obsidian River riverbank
• Mild, sunny weather, with few clouds
• Two of the Bidoof appear to be kits, all others appeared fully grown
• No dam present, but multiple nests of twigs, mud, and rocks have been built
• Bidoof spotted appeared to be unbothered by human/Pokemon presence
• One Bidoof in particular approached my partner Pokemon and began to try to play with it – this Bidoof has been captured and will be brought back to Future Team HQ

 

 

 

He read over his notes a few times, then nodded to himself and put away the notebook and pen. Nagito reached up and rubbed Mochi’s ears. “For a moment, I had something akin to déjà vu. We used to spend so much time taking notes about Pokemon sightings, back in the day.” Mochi leaned into the touch happily, but Yuki looked confused.

 

“Sylvee...?”

 

“It was before I met Hajime. When I was working with my aunt.” He stood, opening up Arc Maps again. “I’ll have to tell you about it sometime, when we’re not on a time crunch. You’d probably like the stories.” His nose wrinkled. “Most of them, at least.”

 

Nagito hummed, examining the Obsidian Fieldlands map. “I think we should probably go southwest. According to Arc Maps, there are more trees that way. If we go east, there’s barely any at all. We’re more likely to find Starly in places where they could actually nest. We may or may not find Shinx there, but either way, we’d be closer to finishing our assignment.”

 

He stashed his phone in his satchel again, then pointed ahead of them. “Southwest is this way. Let’s be cautious and move slowly. Starly are easily startled and gather in large flocks. Sometimes twenty or thirty at a time. If we’re not careful, a horde of them could be after us in no time. Yuki, you go first and give me a wave if you see anything ahead.”

 

Yuki nodded, leading the way southwest. The terrain was hillier to the west, with large boulders and rocks that Nagito could only assume had been carved away by time from the more mountainous areas of the Fieldlands. Yuki moved strategically: advancing to one of the rocks or cliffs, checking carefully around it, then advancing again. Nagito followed closely behind with Mochi, trying to lay low as best as he could.

 

 After about ten minutes, he found himself wondering if his strategy was misguided. Perhaps they would not be able to find any Starly this way at all. For all he knew, they could be going in the wrong direction.

 

A bit ahead of him, Yuki was hiding in a patch of tall grass that had sprouted between two large rock formations. Nagito watched the Sylveon patiently, waiting for him to advance again.

 

He didn’t.

 

Instead, he looked over his shoulder and beckoned Nagito forward with one of his ribbons.

 

Yes! Yuki, you did it!

 

Nagito moved forward slowly until he was crouched next to Yuki. About twenty-five feet away, a flock of Starly had gathered around an Oran Berry tree. It seemed that they had knocked the berries off of the tree and were now sharing them amongst the entire group.

 

“Wow, they’re so smart,” Nagito whispered. “Even humans struggle to work together like that sometimes…” He fidgeted with a chunk of his hair as he examined the scenario in front of him. “Two, four, seven, nine…I think there’s twelve there. The distance is shorter than it was when I caught Cyndaquil. I could definitely lob a Pokeball over there, it’s just a matter of how we get it back without losing an eye.”

 

Mochi snickered.

 

Yuki and Nagito both glared at him.

 

“Shh. If you scare them, I’ll feed you to them myse-” Nagito paused, then lightly dropped his fist into his hand. “That’s it.”

 

Mochi nearly fell off his shoulder. “C-chi??” he whispered back fearfully.

 

“Yeah absolutely, you’d make good bird food – of course we’re not going to do that, stupid,” Nagito hissed. “I meant after I catch one, you can scare the rest away so that they don’t attack us.”

 

Mochi heaved a sigh of relief. Nagito rolled his eyes, not even sure why the ball of fluff had entertained the idea to begin with. He unlatched his satchel and took out a Pokeball.

 

“Do not move until I give the signal, Mochi. When I say ‘now’, you’re going to replicate our strategy from yesterday. The one we used with Rowlet and Cyndaquil. Dig under the Starly and pop out to scare them away. Just be sure not to concuss yourself on that tree when you come up for air. Got it?”

 

Mochi hopped down into the grass and gave a salute.

 

“Good.”

 

Nagito watched the Starly in front of him, turning the Pokeball in his hand slowly as he looked for a potential target. The Starly closest to the front bent over to peck at a berry, and he took aim. The Pokeball hit the Pokemon square on the back, and the Starly disappeared. The other Starly in the group looked around, alarmed, but they were unsure what had occurred. When no apparent danger could be found, they returned to feasting on berries.

 

“…Now.”

 

Mochi dug into the ground and vanished from sight. A few seconds later, he burst out of the ground further away, right in the midst of the Starly gathering. The Starly that had not been captured screeched in fear and fled, terrified of the demon creature that had suddenly teleported into their vicinity.

 

Nagito jumped up with a cheer. “It worked!”

 

Mochi bounced from foot to foot, chirping with absolute delight.

 

Nagito rushed over to his partner Pokemon. Yuki was not far behind. “That was awesome, Mochi!” He scooped the little Minccino up in a hug, then allowed him to crawl back onto his shoulder. Once Mochi had settled, Nagito knelt down and picked up the Pokeball that now contained Starly. “Two down, one more to go.” He put the Pokeball in the left-over available side compartment of his satchel, then took out his notebook and pen.

 

 

September 30th, 19XX –

Pokemon Sighting in Southwest Aspiration Hill Region

• Approximately twelve Starly gathered under Oran Berry tree
• Mild, sunny weather, with few clouds
• Evidence seems to suggest that the group utilized teamwork to knock berries from the tree
• No physical evidence to suggest this area is a permanent nesting spot – likely just a temporary gathering due to the presence of the berries
• Group seemed briefly disturbed by capture of a member, but then returned to eating
• Partner Pokemon was used to disperse the remaining group and retrieve Pokeball of the captured Starly

 

 

“I should check the time too…” Nagito mumbled. He fumbled with his phone for a moment, then finally got the lock screen to appear. “It’s 12:15. We’ll go with that time.”

 

He wrote it in at the top of his notes, then put the notebook and pen away again. He also gathered the remaining uneaten berries, putting them carefully in his bag. “These might come in handy, so I’m taking them. Hopefully they won’t get squished. Really beginning to think that the Survey Corps needs a better system for carrying things.”

 

Nagito stood and started to opened Arc Maps, but suddenly there was a flash.

 

He winced and shielded his eyes. Dust billowed and the ground shook. Nagito and Mochi both coughed, trying to clear their lungs. “What the Hell-!”

 

Yuki was in front of them holding back a growling, electrified Shinx with Protect. The Sylveon glanced over his shoulder, relief washing over him when he saw both Mochi and Nagito were unharmed.

 

Mochi tugged on Nagito’s hair lightly, pointing at Shinx. “Chi! Chi-chi!”

 

“What? You want in? Yuki’s got him!”

 

“Veeon!” Yuki hissed, disagreeing.

 

“I don’t understand…why do you want to…?”

 

Nagito could see Yuki’s foot slide backwards, just ever so slightly. The Shinx pressed harder, unleashing more electricity. The only thing keeping it away from them was Yuki’s shield. Yuki gritted his teeth and yelled back to them both. “Syl! Syl!”

 

Is it the electricity? Is that why Yuki won’t let his shield down? He’s worried about me?

 

Nagito backed up a few steps, trying to steady his breathing. “Okay. If you two have a plan, then I trust you. On my cue, Mochi’s taking over.” He reached back to his satchel with trembling hands and took out a Pokeball. “Ready?”

 

Mochi nodded.

 

“Switch!”

 

Mochi shot forward, and Yuki let his shields down on the right, just enough to let the Minccino by. Mochi threw his weight forward, slamming his Tail Slap attack into Shinx with all his might. The wild Shinx was thrown back by the force and let out a painted yelp. It smashed into a rock a few feet away from Mochi, then fell unconscious.

           

Yuki kept his shield up, ribbons thrashing. Mochi poked the Shinx cautiously, looking for any signs of a comeback. When the Shinx did not move, Mochi nodded. Yuki’s body finally relaxed, and his shield dissipated.

 

Nagito’s heart was still racing. He walked over to the Shinx, examining it. “You guys didn’t kill it, did you? Please tell me it’s just unconscious.” He knelt down, afraid to touch it, but also concerned. Upon closer look, he could see that the Flash Pokemon was still breathing.

 

“Oh, thank Heavens.”

 

Nagito flipped the tab up on the Pokeball he was holding, and Shinx disappeared into it. Once the Pokeball was closed, he found himself looking back and forth between it and his two Partner Pokemon in awe. “You know,” he mumbled, somewhat breathless. “You two make a really good team.”

 

Yuki shook his head. He set one ribbon on Nagito’s arm, and another on Mochi’s head. “Vee.”

 

Nagito frowned, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. “N-no, I didn’t really do anything at all, I j-just…”

 

He looked at Mochi, trying to find a way to get out of the compliment. His very first partner was looking at him with the same determination that Yuki was.

 

“O-okay fine. We…m-make a really good team.”

 

At his admission, the two Pokemon let out cheers of absolute delight.

 

 

 

--------------

 

 

 

Nagito, Mochi, and Yuki made their way back to the center of the Aspiration Hill region, reaching the bottom of the hill by 1:00 PM. Yuki seemed ready to start heading up the hill, but Nagito found himself feeling a bit disappointed.

 

“After all that fanfare, we didn’t even go that far from camp,” he lamented. “We probably didn’t even see five percent of the Fieldlands.”

 

He crossed his arms, thinking aloud. “We’re pretty good on time, y’know. And I did say I’d make Captain Togami feel like he was the lucky one. Which, honestly I was just mouthing off, I didn’t really have any idea of how to follow through on that. I’m no Hajime, I’m not going to end up catching a Piloswine. But…people in Hisui seem a lot more easily impressed than people in Sinnoh.”

 

Yuki tilted his head. “Vee?” He didn’t seem to understand what Nagito was getting at.

 

Nagito smiled. “What do you say about walking over that way for a bit?” He pointed with his thumb east, towards an area Arc Maps described as Horseshoe Plains. “I think we can catch one more Pokemon.”

 

Mochi was practically vibrating from his perch, nodding so much that his ears nearly smacked Nagito in the face. “Chi chi chi!” The little mouse pointed in the same direction as his trainer, as if trying to emphasize his agreement.

 

Yuki sighed. “Veeon.” His tone gave the air of someone saying ‘well, I guess that’s fine.’

 

“Then it’s unanimous!” Nagito declared. “We’ll go to the Horseshoe Plains for a victory lap!”

 

 

--------------

 

 

 

That was how Mochi, Yuki, and Nagito found themselves laying in the tall grass of Horseshoe Plains, staring at what Nagito assured was the fattest Wurmple he had ever seen. The Worm Pokemon’s cheeks were stuffed full of leaves it had bitten off of flowers, and she continued to stuff more into her mouth even when it seemed unwise. Nagito was taking notes with rapt attention, whispering to himself as he did.

 

“Maybe she’s going to evolve soon…Wurmple evolves into Cascoon, right? Or was it Silcoon?”

 

Nagito looked over at Mochi. “Maybe it evolves into both. I don’t know. Do you remember which one it was?”

 

When he looked over, he realized Mochi was holding an Oran Berry that had a giant chunk missing. Mochi pursed his lips nervously and shook his head.

 

“Why are you eating right now…?”

 

Mochi, in a panic, shoved the entire thing in his mouth.

 

Nagito fumed. “There better still be more berries in my bag, Mochi.”

 

Mochi’s eyes glanced down to the bag, then back at Nagito. He smiled nervously.

 

Nagito reached back to his satchel, feeling what was inside. Phone…extra pen…Pokeballs…nope. Not a single berry. He took out a Pokeball, shaking his head. “I change my mind. I should’ve fed you to the Starly when I had the chance.”

 

Mochi hung his head dramatically, but Nagito doubted the Minccino was sorry at all. The little rat would probably steal an entire pallet of berries given the opportunity.

 

“I’ll have to put some kind of locking mechanism on my bag if you’re going to break into it while I’m not paying attention,” Nagito grumbled. “We’ll go get lunch after this, but don’t go into my bag without permission again or I’m leaving you with Nanami next time.”

 

Nagito tossed the Pokeball he was holding at Wurmple. It bounced off the Worm Pokemon’s back, popped open, and sucked the creature inside. The Pokeball plopped into the grass, shook once…and then settled with a click.

 

“Got her,” Nagito said, grinning. He picked up the Pokeball, feeling a bit of excitement from his extra catch. “Maybe Captain Togami will let us keep her. Then we could see what she evolves into.” He cleaned up his note-taking materials and put them away, then pondered what to do with Wurmple’s Pokeball. He had tucked Shinx’s underneath his obi temporarily when they had snuck up on Wurmple, but he worried that he would lose the Pokeballs if they walked too far.

 

Nagito thought it over for a moment, then decided that he would just hold the two Pokeballs not in his satchel for the time being. “When we get back, we have got to figure out a better system. Maybe I can wear my belt over my obi? That might look stupid, now that I think about it. Maybe Nanami-san will have an idea. C’mon, let’s go back.”

 

As they made their way back, he rambled aloud about the inconvenience of the Survey Corps’ satchel system, the baffling priorities of so-called Arceus, and of course, the most important thing - the absolute size of the Wurmple he had caught.

 

With the sun still high in the sky, Komaeda Nagito’s Survey Corps trial run was complete.

 

Notes:

I don't know why, but this chapter was a big challenge to write! Maybe because I knew exactly how I wanted it, and had very high standards set for myself. I had to do a lot of research and drafting before I could get writing, but I think everything came out satisfactory in the end. :)

Part of me wonders if my Autistic Nagito headcanon is bleeding into this fic a little, because he *totally* infodumps a bunch in this chapter. I didn't really intend to confirm him as Autistic in this story, but maybe I should just add the tag, because that's how I usually see him anyway. I'll think it over a bit more and add the tag later if needed.

As a side note, something interesting happened today, right before I finished the last scenes of this chapter. I went to the library to pick up an item, and then drove home - pretty standard short trip. But I was suddenly struck with the thought that I had drove the whole way there without even really overthinking it. It actually took me 8-9 years to get my license, because early on in my driving experience, I ended up having sensory overloads and panicking. Because of that, I subconsciously had created an association in my brain that I was doomed to be a bad driver, and therefore doomed to get in an accident.

It took a lot of exposure, routine-building, and some other personal work to finally get my license - and even then, I refused to drive anywhere but three very specific routes for like...a literal year! Even if there was road work or a traffic jam, I would just take the L and leave earlier so I could take the routes I was comfortable with. Lately, I have been driving places I have never been before, or places I have been to as a passenger, without even having panic attacks before then. And nothing goes wrong - my fear had been entirely in my head, based on a lack of trust in myself.

This entire thought process hit me as I was sitting in my car, parked and finished with my errand. Sitting there, I realized that Nagito's perception of himself is very similar. He degrades himself and says that he has no skills with battling or catching - but he actually does if he just stops getting in his own way. Calling on my own experience was not something I was intentionally doing, but it's interesting how sometimes your personal feelings and memories can bleed into a story! Anyway, I just thought I would share that because it was kind of a cool moment of insight. And if you're out there struggling with something that you feel like you can never be good at, maybe be kinder to yourself! I am living proof that you can make peace with (and even come to enjoy) the things that make you afraid.

That's all for now! Until next time~~

Chapter 8: Welcome to the Survey Corps

Summary:

Captain Togami is forced to relent, against his better judgment. Nanami realizes she and Nagito have more in common than she originally thought.

 

---

 

content warnings for this chapter: none

 

---

 

“Komaeda, you’re amazing! I knew you’d pass the trial run with flying colors!”

 

Professor Naegi was absolutely fawning over the four Pokemon that were standing before Nagito and Nanami. Kirigiri was holding Nagito’s notebook, her eyes scanning over with great interest.

 

“He even took notes,” she mumbled. “Akamatsu and Nanami are good note takers, but I’m hard-pressed to get anything substantial from Ouma or Momota unless I explicitly remind them before they leave.”

 

“And even then, Ouma mostly doodles and writes absolute nonsense!”

 

Captain Togami was sitting at his desk, arms crossed, looking very much the part of a sore loser. “If I need to speak to that brat again, just say so.”

 

“Oh c’mon, he’s a good kid,” Naegi pouted. He wrapped his arms around the Captain’s shoulders, doe-eyed. “If we don’t have battlers like him, we’ll never get more information about Alphas.”

 

“Speak lower, unless you want the Commander to steal another one of our members for that damned Guard Corps,” Togami glowered. Then, as if suddenly remembering they were not alone, he shrugged his shoulders up to knock Naegi’s arms off, face flushed. He adjusted his glasses, scowling. “And don’t hang off of me. You’re not above being disciplined either, Naegi.”

           

Naegi straightened, scratching the back of his head nervously. His cheeks were pink. “Sorry! I got a little over-excited. You didn’t believe me after all! And now you have proof of how great he is!”

 

“I never said that I didn’t believe you.”

 

“You literally said-”

 

Kirigiri closed Nagito’s notebook sharply, clearing her throat. “Perhaps we should return to the matter at hand.”

 

Naegi cheeks reddened more. Togami crossed his arms again with a scowl, but said nothing.

 

Kirigiri walked over to Nagito, still holding the notebook. “Do you mind if I keep this for the afternoon, Komaeda-san? I would like to copy down your notes into my own records. I’ll return it to you later today.”

 

Nagito nodded. “That’s fine. Take all the time you need. I took those notes for both you and Professor Naegi, after all.”

 

She smiled politely. “Very well. Thank you.” She knelt down, examining the Wurmple that Nagito had caught. She pet Wurmple’s head as she spoke. “This Wurmple you found is above the average estimated size for the species. Yet it’s not an Alpha either. A very unique find. You also commented on its size in your notes, so it seems you knew it was exceptional. I’m not sure where exactly you came from, but it seems clear to me you have a very discerning eye. That is a skill that cannot typically be taught.”

 

Nagito fidgeted with his hands awkwardly. She was complimenting him, but doing it in such a calm, analytical way that it made her words sound like pure fact. He struggled to think of a way to brush her off but failed. It was probably for the best, in the end. Kirigiri seemed like the person who could hold herself in a debate with no problem.

 

“I’m sure you will make a fine addition to the Survey Corps.” Kirigiri stood and smoothed her skirt. She walked around Togami’s desk, stopping at his left. She held out the notebook to him, appearing to silently encourage him to take a look at it. “Captain.” Her voice was polite and professional, with the air of someone turning the floor over to another. All business.

 

“Thank you, Professor,” he replied stiffly. He opened the notebook, scanning through its pages. After a few moments, he looked up at Nagito. “Komaeda.”

 

Nagito swallowed his nerves. “Yes, Captain.”

 

“You completed the task I assigned to you, and I am a man of my word. Congratulations.” He closed the notebook and handed it back to Kirigiri. “It seems we won’t have to leave you to die, after all.”

 

“Really?” Nanami exclaimed, a wide smile forming on her face. “You mean it?”

 

“Yes, really. There’s no need to be surprised. That was the agreement after all.” Togami shuffled the papers on his desk until he found a specific one. He took out a pen and began to write on it. “You may keep your uniform and continue to stay in the residence we have provided. I’ll have a member card made up for you, which should be ready tomorrow. Naegi or Kirigiri will need to get your picture before you leave.”

 

Nagito nodded. “Okay.”

 

“Future Team will provide you with a salary, paid once a month. New members are provided with their first wages early to help them get situated in the village, but all remaining wages will be paid using the regular schedule. I’ll make sure you get your first wages tomorrow with your member card. You’ll also be meeting the Commander tomorrow, so be sure you’re in uniform.”

 

The thought of waking up in Hisui tomorrow was inconceivable, but the way Togami said it made it sound absolutely inevitable. Nagito twisted his engagement ring on his finger, trying to push his anxiety down for the moment. “Okay.”

 

The captain’s eyes flicked up. “I will assign you tasks as needed. Whenever you are not actively on an assignment, you should ensure you visit Headquarters each morning to confirm if you are needed that day. Any Pokemon you catch while on assignment are yours. They may be taken into the field at your discretion. If you are not taking Pokemon into the field, we ask that you leave them in the village pastures. Professors Naegi and Kirigiri will take care of them while you are away.”

 

Nagito felt relieved. “Okay, that’s good. I was wondering if I needed to hand over the Pokeballs to you after the trial run.” He took out the Pokeballs for Wurmple, Starly, Shinx, and Bidoof and had the four Pokemon return.

 

“Not necessary,” Togami replied. He went back to writing on the document that he had plucked from the piles of papers. “The last thing you should bear in mind is that you are entering the Survey Corps with no rank. We refer to members without rank as No Star Members or Rank 0. You will move up in the ranks as you complete assignments. The same as everyone else.”

 

“That makes sense,” Nagito replied. I feel like that’s probably obvious. But I’m sure he feels the need to say it because of how much he hates special treatment.

 

“Do you have any questions for me before I dismiss you?”

 

“No, sir.”

 

“Good. There’s nothing worse than someone who asks a bunch of questions I already answered.” Togami finished off what he was writing, then took out ink and an inkan seal. The stamp came down with a resounding thunk. “Welcome to the Survey Corps, Komaeda.”

 

 

 

--------------

 

 

 

“Sooo…” Nanami drawled as they walked down the stairs out of the headquarters building. “How do you feel, Komaeda-kun? You’re officially Survey Corps Komaeda Nagito now.”

 

Nagito sighed. “I’m not really sure how to feel about it all. I was all fired up to prove Captain Togami wrong…now I just feel like I got excited to escape a funhouse, only to enter another room full of mirrors mocking me.”

 

“A what…?”

 

Nagito shook his head. “Nevermind. It’s not important.” When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked over at The Wallflower with a frown. “Ugh…I promised Mochi I’d figure out lunch plans after we finished the trial run, but it’s just now occurring to me that I don’t actually have any way to follow through on that. I don’t have any money, and I don’t think there’s any food back at the house either. I doubt Togami is willing to fit the bill again.”

 

“You could come back to my place,” Nanami suggested. “We could have lunch, and then I could take you around the village. I make a pretty okay curry…I think.”

 

At the sound of ‘curry,’ Mochi began chirping with delight. Nagito patted his ears, trying to get him to calm down. “I really couldn’t force you to cook for me…I’m sure you have other things you wish you were doing. You’ve already done too much for me, Nanami-san.”

           

Nanami hummed and took his hand anyway. She started to pull him down the road. “For someone who’s so smart, you sure hear whatever you want sometimes…” She huffed out a frustrated sigh. “Maybe I want you to come have lunch with me…”

 

“I-I cannot possibly fathom why,” Nagito grumbled. Even so, he followed her, letting her lead him down the road and to the row of houses where they both were staying.

 

“‘Cause you’re my friend. Right? You said earlier today we’re friends, I think…” she sounded a bit unsure of herself.

 

“Yes…I did say that…” he agreed. Nanami Chiaki was a very kind person, and she had been very helpful and understanding since his arrival. He couldn’t imagine anyone having a reason to dislike her. “Even so, sometimes friends get…tired of each other. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting time away from me.”

 

Nanami slid open the door to her house, taking off her shoes in the genkan. She stepped up into the living area, turning to look back at him. Her face was blank, and Nagito found himself wondering if he had annoyed her with his anxiety-laden whining. “…Komaeda-kun?”

 

“Y-yes, Nanami-san?”

 

She looked down at her hands, folding them and unfolding them. “…Do you like games?”

 

What? Nagito was confused by the sudden change of topic. Where did that come from? Do they even have games here? I can’t imagine there’s video games…maybe board games or card games…

 

His eyes fell on the chabudai in the living room. An old chess board was set on top of it.

 

“Like chess…?”

 

Nanami looked up and smiled shyly. She looked both excited and cautious at the same time, as if she had been afraid to hear his answer. “Yeah…or maybe Go…I have cards too. Even some decks from Galar, if you prefer using those.”

 

Nagito found himself entering the genkan and taking his shoes off. Yuki followed, and he slid the front door shut. “I’m terrible at chess. Hajime’s brother tried to teach me, and it was a total disaster.”

 

“That’s okay,” Nanami replied. “I don’t mind. It would be a nice break from playing with Ouma-san. He takes the game a little too seriously, I think…”

 

Nagito hummed thoughtfully, not really sure what to say, since he didn’t personally know this ‘Ouma.’ He had heard Kirigiri mentioned that name, too. “Is Ouma-san a part of the Survey Corps? Kirigiri-sensei mentioned him and…Momota-san? Yeah, I think that’s right. You talked about him too, when we were going to the Fieldlands.”

 

Nanami nodded. “There’s four of us, besides you, in the Survey Corps. We used to have a lot more members, but pretty much everyone who was high rank got transferred to the Guard Corps in the past two years. It started off because the Commander wanted to protect the village, but then we had some pretty nasty injuries, and the Commander decided that every camp out in the field needed a Guard Corps member stationed at all times. That whittled down our ranks pretty quickly.” She started to look around the kitchen, gathering ingredients and supplies for lunch. “So now it’s just us five. Or…four until Momota-san’s arm heals. The Captain’s pretty mad about it, I think. But at the end of the day, it’s the Commander’s decision.” Nanami pulled out some vegetables, examining them to make sure they were still fresh. “This is probably the last day these will be good, I think…do you have any foods you dislike?”

 

Nagito shook his head. “Not really. Except maybe overly sweet things. Usually desserts are the only thing that might fall into my ‘ick’ category.” Then, he added: “Mochi and Yuki don’t really like spicy foods, though. That’s probably worth mentioning.”

 

“Okay, good to know. I won’t make the curry spicy; I don’t have enough ingredients for that anyway.” She started to wash off the vegetables with bits of water from her water jug, setting each one aside to be cut when she was satisfied. “You can sit if you want.”

 

Nagito looked around for somewhere to sit, not really content with the idea of kneeling for a long period of time. He wasn’t sure how people managed to do it; he was certain his joints must have just been built differently, because he could not stand the sensation. Set around Nanami’s chabudai were some zabuton cushions, and Nagito sat down on one cross legged, not caring if he looked strange. If Nanami asked, he would simply chock it up to being from another dimension. It would be hard to judge him for something like that.

 

He gazed at the old chess board in the middle of the table. It had wooden game pieces, which had been carved and then painted in black and white. Some of the pieces had a few knicks or scratches on them, but overall, the entire set looked very well-maintained. He picked up the White Queen, turning it in his hands absently. A large diagonal scratch was on the body of the queen, right where Nagito imagined her metaphorical heart would be.

 

“…what rank are you?” Nagito asked, still examining the White Queen.

 

“Hmm?”

 

He heard Nanami’s movements stop.

 

“What rank are you?” he repeated. “Captain Togami said I’m starting at Rank 0. I’m just curious where you’re at.”

 

There was silence for a moment, and then the sound of vegetables being cut. “…I’m at Rank 2. Akamatsu-san is the same rank. But she’s probably much closer to Rank 3 than I am, I think…”

 

“How high to the ranks go?”

 

“There are eleven ranks, if you count No-Star. Rank 10 doesn’t really get called by its number. If someone were to be awarded that rank, they’d be called an All-Star member.”

 

“I see,” Nagito said. He set the White Queen down, leaning his arm on the table and propping his head up. “You say ‘if’, like it’s never happened before.”

 

“Well, it hasn’t. At least not for the Hisui Division. Some of the Guard Corps made it to Rank 7 before getting transferred, but that’s about as high as I think anyone’s gone. The higher your rank, the harder it is to get to the next one. So you either have to grind it out or be really naturally talented to keep progressing.”

 

Nagito drummed the fingers of his free hand on the table, letting Nanami’s explanations wash over him. Listening to her talk as she cooked reminded him of late afternoon conversations with Hajime. He wasn’t sure if that was comforting or not; the jury was still out.

 

He glanced over at Nanami, who had finished cutting vegetables and was now washing the rice. “What ranks are Ouma-san and Momota-san? Do you know?” He wasn’t really that invested in them personally, but he needed to know as much as he could about the Survey Corps and its members. If he really was going to be waking up here tomorrow, or (Arceus forbid) the next day, it would only behoove him to have as much information as possible.

 

And if I don’t wake up here tomorrow, then I can forget it all and it’s of no consequence, he told himself.

 

Nanami thought for a moment, tapping her chin. “Ouma-san is…Rank…he’s Rank 4, I think. Yeah, that has to be right, because Momota-san is Rank 6, and he’s two ranks below him. He’s really sore about it. They have some kind of rivalry going on, I think…”

 

“I guess he’s happy that Momota-san broke his arm, then. He might be able to catch up.”

 

“Mmm, I don’t know about that. He seemed pretty annoyed. Akamatsu said he said something like…” She scrunched her nose and then changed her voice to a lower one, imitating what Ouma had said. “‘We all know he’s not going to get All-Star before me, but isn’t it more fun to let him think he has a chance? Winning by default is so boring.’” She switched back to her normal voice and shrugged. “Something like that.”

 

Nagito shook his head slowly, sighing. “People with rivalries…I wonder if I’ll ever get it.” He reached over lazily to the chess board and picked up the Black Rook. The piece was absolutely perfect, without a single scratch on it, and had a slight shine to its coat of paint. “Izuru, Hajime’s brother, is sort of like that. He has always been perfect at everything he did without even trying. He complained about it endlessly, that it was so boring.”

 

He set down the Black Rook and picked up the White King. In contrast, the piece he was now holding looked as if it was on its last legs. A long, thin splinter in the wood creeped from the top of the King’s crown down towards the base. If someone were to take a hold of both sides, they could possibly crack it in half with a good pull. Nagito wondered if Nanami had tried to repair the piece at all. Maybe she was just going to replace it once it finally gave out.

 

He set the piece down carefully, next to the White Queen, where it belonged. “Then…one day Hajime beat him. And that changed everything. Izuru was so confused how on Earth Hajime bested him. He couldn’t comprehend it. Still can’t. Still trying to figure it out. You could probably call him a little obsessed…Hajime always takes it in stride, though. He doesn’t seem to let it bother him. He’s never one to turn down a challenge, even if it knows he’s guaranteed to beat the person in a battle. He doesn’t see himself as above anyone. He always says, ‘Well of course I’m going to battle them, Nagito! You don’t know who’s going to win until the end. Besides…’” Nagito reached into his satchel and pulled out his phone, gazing at it with sad eyes. “… ‘I always learn something new when I battle – win, lose, or draw.’ That’s…that’s just the kind of person he is.”

 

Nanami walked over to where he was sitting, kneeling down on one of the cushions across from him, on the other side of the chabudai. “That’s probably a good mindset to have, I think…” she said. “If you assume that you’re better than everyone else, then you’re probably doomed to be disappointed at some point…the odds of not a single person in the whole world knowing more than you are probably pretty low…”

 

Yuki padded over to Nanami, settling beside her in a little loaf. She reached over and pet his head.

 

“I have to wait for the rice to soak a bit. It should be ready in a few minutes, I think…”

 

Nagito set his phone down on the table. “Okay. Thank you, Nanami-san. Did you want to start playing now?”

 

“Nah…I’ll have to get up soon anyway…” Her eyelids began to droop a bit as she pet Yuki, and Nagito found himself wondering if she would fall asleep sitting up.

 

“Will you be okay, Nanami-san? You look sleepy.”

 

She giggled softly. “I’m fine…You can keep talking if you want…”

 

Nagito rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I wasn’t really saying anything important. We can talk about something else if you want.”

 

Nanami took off her hat and scarf, setting them on the floor beside her. “Hmm…You’re doing that thing again…”

 

“...what?” Nagito’s brows furrowed. “What thing?”

 

Nanami ignored his question entirely. She went back to petting Yuki, content to dodge him as she had earlier. “Mm…you said that you’d tell me some stories about where you’re from. And you said you had pictures?”

 

Nagito tried to push away his confusion to respond. “Y-yeah, I did say that, I guess.”

 

“Tell me something.”

 

Thank you, that’s really specific. How am I supposed to work with a request like that?

 

Nagito wasn’t even sure what she would find interesting. It was easy to tell stories when they came naturally to you. It was much harder to come up with random stories on the spot.

 

“What do you want to know about? …anything specific?”

 

Nanami seemed at a loss as well. “I’m not sure…there’s so many things I could probably ask…maybe, you could tell me how you know so much about Pokemon? Does everyone know a lot about Pokemon in your world? Is it common?”

 

“Oh, um,” Nagito paused, then shrugged. “I mean, there is a lot of knowledge about Pokemon out there in the world. People have been researching for a long time sharing that research with others. But I wouldn’t say everyone has the same level of knowledge. My aunt is one of the top professors in Unova, so she’s considered an expert. As a kid I was…sort of a bookworm and a homebody. I was terrible at making friends – still am, to be honest – but I always liked to ask Auntie questions about what she was researching.” He smiled, remembering those times. “Eventually, she started asking me if I wanted to take a more active role in research. So I was her assistant from…hmm, when was it? I think I started doing that around 13…I was definitely done sometime after I turned 16, because that’s when I left Unova.”

 

“Oh, so you didn’t actually come here from Unova, you came from somewhere else.”

 

“Yeah,” Nagito confirmed. “I met Hajime in Unova when I was 15, but he was only there for a little while. When he left to go back to his home region, I also…went there.” He coughed a little at the end of his sentence, his cheeks burning a bit.

 

“Oh, so you went with him,” Nanami said with a smile. “That’s cute.”

 

“That wasn’t the only reason I left Unova!”

 

“Of course not…” she giggled. He had a feeling she was not buying what he was selling. “It makes sense that you did so well in the trial run then, if you were working with a professor before. What you were asked to do probably felt familiar. It’s kind of sad that you had to move to be with him, though. I’m sure your aunt misses having you around.”

 

Nagito winced. “I mean…yeah she definitely misses me, but…I don’t think I would’ve been able to keep working with her anyway…when I started, I was okay with going out on field assignments, but later I got too scared and couldn’t anymore.”

 

Nanami looked confused now. “But…you were okay during today’s trial run…?”

 

“Well…that’s…”

 

I’m still not even sure if this world is real or a freaky dream!

 

Nagito swallowed, trying to think of an explanation. “…I-I had Yuki with me, so it wasn’t so bad. Hajime is an incredibly strong trainer, and I trust that he trained Yuki well. I wouldn’t have gotten hurt…probably.” He looked over at Yuki, who nodded. “See? Yuki agrees.”

 

“What if you hadn’t had Yuki with you?”

 

“Well, I…” Nagito frowned. He rubbed at his arm, wondering how he ended up getting grilled like this. “Mochi is trained very well, too, but we don’t battle like Yuki and Hajime did. I was a coordinator, so…wait, do you have coordinators here?”

 

Nanami shook her head.

 

“Okay so…” Nagito tried to think of a way to explain. “Coordinators are humans who train Pokemon to do…performances. Kind of like the circus, maybe? Except not totally. The performances are all different, so it’s a bit hard to explain. But it’s all exhibition, and it’s focused on being graceful, beautiful, artistic - things like that. The best coordinators and their Pokemon win awards, and we did win quite a few of those…” He reached up to pet Mochi, who was listening intently. “Mochi doesn’t really have any experience battling against other trainers’ Pokemon. He has some experience battling small or low-level wild Pokemon…and he did okay today. He did good, really. But I…I’d probably have hesitated if I was just by myself with Mochi. Because I’d be worried about him getting hurt. Maybe it would’ve been fine, I don’t know. I don’t want to make Mochi sound weak…if anything, I’m probably the weak one…”

 

Nanami stared at him, lost in thought. He almost thought she had fallen asleep with her eyes open, until he realized she was shaking a bit.

 

“Nanami-san? Are you okay?”

 

She reached up with a shaking hand, covering her mouth. “Yeah I…I think maybe I just…feel relieved…?”

 

“Relieved…?”

 

“Yeah, I…” She took a shaky breath in, then dropped the hand that had been covering her mouth. “…A few months ago, I was attacked by an Electric Pokemon in the Fieldlands, and I got temporarily paralyzed from the static. I probably only made it out okay because Momota-san was on assignment with me…ever since then, I’ve been nervous whenever I’m sent out by myself…I haven’t moved up in rank since that happened, and Akamatsu is set to pass me now, even though I’ve been here longer.” She brushed some hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Honestly, after how well you did in today’s trial run…I was thinking on the way back, maybe it’s time for me to call it quits…I thought… ‘oh, maybe Komaeda-kun is here to take your place. Maybe the universe is finally telling you it’s okay to admit defeat…’”

 

“I…” Nagito’s voice cracked a bit, betraying him.  “Nanami-san…I’m sorry that I made you feel that way…”

 

Nanami shook her head. “No, it’s okay…really…I don’t think I was really ever going to quit. It was just…a split-second thought…” She shifted in place, appearing to be thinking, then spoke again. “I honestly thought that…you seemed so confident today. I wouldn’t have thought any different if you hadn’t told me…”

 

Nagito shrugged, half-heartedly. “A little bit of acting, a little bit of trying to cope with my feelings…and a lot of spite towards the Captain.”

 

Nanami giggled. “You can’t forget the spite.”

 

“Of course not. It’s a part of any balanced trial run.”

 

Nanami stood and walked over to the rice to check on it. Nagito couldn’t be 100% sure, but he thought she seemed lighter, as if someone had removed a huge burden from her shoulders. “Of course…I should know that, I think. I’m your senpai, after all.”

 

Nagito hummed. “Should I be calling you Nanami-senpai then?”

 

She snorted, shaking her head. “No, no one really does that in the Survey Corps. Ouma-san would probably have a field day poking fun at you.”

 

“Just Nanami-san then.”

 

“Mm. Yeah that’s fine...looks like the rice is ready. I can start cooking it finally.” Nanami was quiet for a moment, just standing over the rice. Finally she spoke again. “And um…Komaeda-kun?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Thank you.”

 

He turned a bit to look at her. He could only see the back of her, so he couldn’t see her expression. He found himself thinking back to the previous night, when they had dinner together. He said the same words Nanami had, before he could even stop himself. “I didn’t do anything special.”

 

Nanami shook her head.

 

He half expected her to repeat what he had said before, but she didn’t.

 

Instead, she said: “No, you’re wrong.”

 

Though her voice was soft, her words were certain.

 

“You did something very special. You gave me hope.”

Notes:

I was planning to have like three additional scenes in this chapter, but Nanami and Nagito's conversation was really long! I decided to split Chapter 8 into two chapters to make it less of a slog.

I hope you enjoyed the little Tonaegiri crumbs and more information on the other Survey Corps members. One of my gripes about PLA is that we are told that there are other Survey Corps members - but we really don't get to meet them. That will not be the case in my universe! Nagito will get to meet all of the Survey Corps members that were discussed in this chapter in Chapter 9 and Chapter 11 (as long as I don't have to split chapters again due to the length).

These first chapters have probably felt slow at some parts, but that is my intent, as we're in the midst of both tutorial content and me setting up all the lore / context of the Survey Corps and Future Team. Everything is really important in these chapters, and I do mean *everything.* I think some of you will be surprised at some of the things that come up again later in the story!

Chapter 10 will be pretty much the end of the "tutorial" parts of PLA, and from there we are heading straight into the main storyline. As long as the outline I have set up doesn't change too much, we are currently about halfway through Act 1. Act 1 will take us just a bit past the Kleavor questline, with a few scenes after that. Act 2 is much more action-based, covering all the rest of the Noble Pokemon quests. There will be four acts in total, with Act 4 set to be the shortest of all acts (more of an epilogue and tying up loose ends).

There will also be three intermissions in between acts, which will give you some bonus scenes from other character's perspectives. I have already outlined those scenes and most of the dialogue (I was doing that this past weekend), so I'm pretty excited about that. I've been working super hard behind-the-scenes...hopefully it shows :)

A little preview of next chapter if you're interested: Nagito and Nanami play chess, Nagito gets a more in-depth tour of Jubilife, and a very important character (who has *not* been mentioned by name yet) will appear. NO SPOILERS- You'll just have to wait and see who it is!

Until then, see ya~~

Chapter 9: One of Us

Summary:

Nanami and Nagito spend some time playing chess. Later, an in-depth tour of Jubilife goes more than a little off the rails.

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content warnings for this chapter: none

 

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“No way, a haunted mansion? I thought those only existed in books…” Nanami moved her Knight to G5, directly parallel to Nagito’s Pawn. “Why would someone abandon a building like that and let Pokemon take it over…?”

 

“All fantastic questions,” Nagito huffed. He looked over the board, then moved his own Knight to E5. “All questions that probably could have been answered without us actually going in the wretched place. But that’s my Hajime for you.” He rolled his eyes, imitating Hajime’s voice as best he could. “Nagito, you’re being silly, tons of people go through these caves no problem…It’ll be fine if I climb the side of this cliff, it’s not even that high…I have to go into the criminal organization’s headquarters, they stole that little girl’s Pikachu after all!” Nagito looked at the board again, then crossed his arms. “Darn it. I think that last move was a mistake.”

 

Nanami pursed her lips and moved one of her Pawns from F4 to E5. She took Nagito’s Knight and he groaned loudly.

 

“I told you I was bad at this.”

 

“You’re not bad, I made a few mistakes too. You just…didn’t notice them when they happened.”

 

Nagito’s nose scrunched. “You’re definitely lying to make me feel better. This was a set-up. You lured me in, making me think you’re this sweet kind woman, when you were actually an evil scheming chess master just waiting to strike.”

 

Nanami couldn’t stop giggling, her dimples visible as she did. “Komaeda-kun, are you actually a sore loser…?”

 

“I have not lost yet!” He hissed, moving a Pawn from D7 to D5.

 

Nanami said nothing, just giggling more. Nagito glowered, swiping through the gallery of photos on his phone as she pondered her next move. He paused at a photo of Hajime posing with his team in a stadium, holding a shiny trophy.

 

“Oh, this is from the first time Hajime won Lily of the Valley Conference. He looks way younger here, even though it was only five years ago.”

 

Nanami moved her Queen from D1 to A4, then leaned over. “Oh?”

 

Nagito turned his phone towards her. “Yeah see? He always had a bit of a baby face before he transitioned medically.”

 

As soon as he finished his sentence, his breath caught.

 

I probably shouldn’t have said that. Does Nanami even know what that means?

 

Nanami examined the photo, not seeming to notice Nagito’s foot-in-mouth moment. “Oh, you’re right, he does look a lot younger than the other pictures you showed me when we were eating. You said this was five years ago?”

 

…Maybe she didn’t hear the last part? Nagito swallowed, nodding. “Yeah he was 22 then.”

 

She looked up at him, a strange look on her face. “…What did you say he did again?”

 

Nope. She definitely heard me.

 

Nagito looked over at Yuki and Mochi nervously. They were sleeping in a heap on a tatami mat by the hearth. Mochi was snoring obnoxiously. “He transitioned…when he was born everyone thought he was a girl, but he wasn’t. So he went to a doctor and got help with it. Where I’m from, well it’s not exactly common, but it’s not super rare either.”

 

That’s it, just play it off. What’s she going to do, judge you for falling from the sky? She’d have to be the worst human being to do that.

 

Nanami didn’t respond immediately, looking back at the photo with an intense gaze. Nagito glanced at her cautiously. He was surprised to see a look of awe had come over her face.

 

“That’s so cool…” she breathed. “Your world has doctors that can help you with that…?”

 

Nagito blinked, surprised. “You think it’s…cool?”

 

Nanami nodded. “Don’t you?” 

 

“I…” he was almost too stunned to speak. “Y-yeah. I do. Of course I do. I just…I sort of thought you’d feel weird about it.”

 

“Mm…” Nanami propped her head on her hand. “I think maybe…if there are people who care about things like that…then they’re the weird ones.” She shrugged. “…And also that they probably wouldn’t last a day in Future Team.”

 

Oh. Oh.

 

“I-I see. That makes sense,” Nagito scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “T-thank you. For saying that.”

 

Nanami smiled. “…Komaeda-kun?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“It’s your move.”

 

Nagito looked down at the board, face feeling hot. “R-right. Chess. Which I’m not bad at. Uh, what was your last move again?”

 

“I moved my Queen.”

 

“Right, right…” He bit at his thumbnail, thinking over his possible moves. After a few moments of silence, he set his hand on his Rook, which was still stationed at its starting spot. “Um…I think this should probably be fine.” He moved the Rook forward to C6, not really sure why he was doing it or what strategy he was even going for.

 

“Hm. Okay then,” Nanami said. She moved her Queen to take the Rook.

 

Nagito covered his face, embarrassed. “That was awful. Why did I do that? Why did you let me do that?”

 

“Mm…I thought maybe you had something planned. It seemed like an interesting move…You are in Check now, though.”

 

“Wait, what?!” Nagito looked at the board with wide eyes, only to see that Nanami’s Queen was, in fact, lined right up to take his King. “Already?!”

 

“You can still save it, I think…”

 

Nagito laid his head on the corner of the chabudai, whining. “I can’t believe I let you convince me to play this…”

 

Nanami giggled, reaching across the table and patting his still hat-covered head. “Do you wanna stop?”

 

Nagito made a displeased noise, exhaling grumpily. “No. We are not stopping.”

 

“That’s the spirit! Be strong, Komaeda-kun!”

 

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

           

 

Three minutes later, Nanami called Checkmate.

 

Nagito demanded a rematch.

           

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

 

 

He lost two more times before he finally decided to call it quits. By the end of it all, both him and Nanami had stitches in their sides from laughing so much.

 

 

 

 

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By the time they had finished up with lunch, games, and story sharing, the day had decidedly transitioned to late afternoon. Nagito woke Mochi and Yuki up while Nanami cleaned the dishes. In what seemed like no time at all, the four of them were ready for Nagito’s official tour of Jubilife.

 

Nanami slid open the front door, stepping out before Nagito and Yuki. “Did Naegi-sensei get to show you any of Floaro Main Street?”

 

He shook his head. “He really only showed me Canala Avenue, the Headquarters building, and…my house.” The last two words made his tongue feel thick and floppy, and he tried to shove the feeling down.

 

Nanami hummed, looking towards the northern gate. “Okay. We can start here then. Main Street goes from North Gate – there – all the way to the end of the road where the Training Grounds are – there.” She pointed to each of the landmarks, the first being the gate they had gone through to reach the Fieldlands, and the second being a large building on a hill, surrounded by a high fence. “We went through North Gate today, which is probably the gate you’ll become most acquainted with. All of the other regions of Hisui can be reached from there. The other gate that’s at the end of Canala Avenue will pop you out by the practice fields and pier. But since that whole area is pretty contained, it’s not a good jumping-off point for field assignments.”

 

“Okay,” Nagito nodded. “So North Gate is the place to go, if I need to go somewhere.”

 

“Yep,” Nanami confirmed. “This building next to my house is Shirogane-san’s place. She’s got a photography studio in there, but it’s only really used for special occasions. She was a part of the Survey Corps a few years ago, but they reassigned her after Canala Avenue opened up.” She slid open the front door and peeked in. “Shirogane-san? Are you home?”

 

After a few moments of silence, she slid the door shut again.

 

“I didn’t think so. She’s usually at the tailor shop during the day. We can go there next.”

 

Nanami led Nagito across the street to a quaint building with purple tiled roofing. The sliding doors to the building were wide open, and Nagito could see racks upon racks of traditional clothing. Kimono, hakama, monpe…every style and fabric type imaginable was on display in the shop. Along the leftmost wall, a display of hair accessories and hats had been set up. In the back right corner, there were shoes and sandals on display, all handmade. Large banners had been set up in front of the building, declaring the shop’s name to all who visited: Tailor Mirai.

 

A short person with strawberry blonde hair popped up from behind one of the displays, all smiles. “Good afternoon, Nanami-chan.” Their chipper demeanor faltered when their eyes fell on Nagito. In a sudden change of course, they began fidgeting with the end of their elegantly patterned kimono sleeve. They bit their bottom lip nervously, seeming to be thinking about what to say. “You’re the new recruit…?”

 

Nagito nodded and bowed quickly. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Komaeda Nagito.” He stood back up fully, rubbing at the back of his neck. “And…yes. Starting today, I suppose, I am officially a member of the Survey Corps.”

 

The shy shopkeeper came closer to them, then bowed as well. “N-nice to meet you. I’m Fujisaki Chihiro. I’m one of the tailors for Future Team’s Hisui Division.”

 

Oh, Nagito thought to himself as his brain made the connection. This is the ‘Fujisaki-chan’ that Nanami-san mentioned before.

 

Fujisaki stood up fully, then began to examine Nagito’s ensemble timidly. “Does everything fit you all right…? I can adjust it if needed. We didn’t have time to make anything new, so I altered a uniform from storage using the estimated measurements Togami-taichou gave me. It’s definitely not my best work…”

 

“N-no, actually it fits perfect,” Nagito insisted. “I really don’t need any alterations, so please don’t trouble yourself over someone like me. I appreciate you working to accommodate me on such short notice.”

 

Fujisaki turned a bit red, shrinking. “O-oh…of course…a-always happy to help…” They looked like they wanted to bury their face into their sleeves and hide away.

 

Nanami cut in, breaking some of the awkwardness between the two. “Since Komaeda-kun passed his trial run assignment today, I wanted to show him around the village and introduce him to some people. Is Shirogane-san here?”

 

Fujisaki tucked a piece of hair behind their ear, then looked over their shoulder towards the staircase that went to the second floor. “She’s upstairs. She’s obsessed with that new sewing machine they sent us last shipment. It keeps jamming though, so I don’t know if it’s worth all the energy…”

 

“Maybe Iruma-san could look at it?”

 

Fujisaki did not seem enthusiastic about the idea. “Um…I’d rather not ask her…she kind of scares me…”

 

“That’s fair, I think…” Nanami turned to Nagito and gestured to Fujisaki. “Fujisaki-chan and Shirogane-san don’t just handle requests from Future Team. They also make everyday clothing for villagers. When you’re not doing official Survey Corps work, you can wear whatever you want. I know you mentioned you don’t really have any clothing besides what you came with, but you could probably buy some once you get your wages…”

 

“Oh, yeah I guess so,” Nagito replied weakly. I wish the entire universe would stop implying I’m going to be in this situation long-term.

 

His sourness must have tainted his facial expression, because Fujisaki had an uncomfortable look again.

 

“Y-you aren’t obligated to order from us. It’s totally up to you,” they said.

 

Nanami glanced over at Nagito with nothing but understanding. He immediately felt like the worst human being alive.

 

“No, I…” he sighed. “I’m just a little overwhelmed right now. I didn’t mean to come off rude. I…I’ll come by soon. I could definitely use something to sleep in as it gets colder.”

 

Fujisaki glanced over at Nanami, and she smiled. Her smile seemed to help them relax again. It seemed like the tailor had a lot of trust in Nanami.

 

“We could take care of that for you, yeah. Whenever you have time.” They bowed again. “Thank you for introducing yourself. I do have to get back to work, but please let me know if there’s anything we can do for you.”

 

“You’re welcome. Thank you as well.”

 

Nanami waved as Fujisaki went back to the display they had been working at. “See you later, Fujisaki-chan!”

 

They gave a little wave back. “See ya, Nanami-chan.”

 

           

 

--------------

 

 

 

“You and Fujisaki-san seem like good friends,” Nagito stated, mostly thinking to himself.

 

“Mm…yeah I think so…” Nanami replied. “They’re really nice. And a really good listener. Kind of like you, I think…”

 

Nagito laughed half-heartedly. “You’ve known me for two days, Nanami-san.”

 

“A long two days.”

 

Nagito sighed. “You’ve got me there.”

 

As they walked down the street, Nanami pointed out a hairdresser’s salon and the local general store. The owners seemed busy with customers at the moment, so they continued on down the road without stopping.

 

“Next to the Wallflower, there’s the Craftworks building. Craftworks sells blueprints and recipes. If you don’t have time to make items yourself, you have the option to buy them pre-made. Iruma-san also makes furniture and some machinery, too, mostly at the Commander’s request.”

 

Nagito raised an eyebrow. “Is this the same Iruma-san that Fujisaki-san is scared of…?”

 

“Well…she can be…” Nanami scrunched her nose for a moment, then smiled politely. “A bit intense?”

 

“Nanami-san, this morning you told me the Captain was a ‘bit prickly’, and then he proceeded to be a massive jackwad,” Nagito droned. “Remember that? It was not even 8 hours ago.”

 

Nanami paused outside the doorway of the Craftworks building, cringing. “This won’t be like that…I think.”

 

Way to instill confidence, Nanami-san!

 

Against his better judgement, he followed Nanami into the workshop. As soon as he entered, he was graced with a cacophony of foul language and metal clanging. The source of the noise was a tall woman in the middle of the workshop, turned slightly away. She was banging a hot piece of iron with a hammer over a fire, her expression obscured by thick protective goggles. She was simultaneously intimidating and beautiful. Her curly blond hair was tied up into a bun and held up with a floral hairpiece, and her kimono was cherry blossom pink with delicate flower petals embroidered. At the same time, her goggles, thick protective gloves, and dark blue monpe her kimono was tucked into gave her the airs of a woman who would not hesitate to get her hands dirty if need be.

 

“Iruma-san!” Nanami hollered over the banging. “Iruma-san, good afternoon!”

 

Iruma startled and whirled around, her hammer held high. As soon as she saw Nanami, she relaxed. She set down her things and lifted up her goggles with one of her gloved hands. “Fuck, Nana, do you sneak up on everyone like that? Or just me? I could’ve taken your head off!”

 

Nanami seemed unconcerned. “Mmm…you wouldn’t do that, I think…”

 

“That fuckin’ mindset is going to be the exact thing that lands a cute chick like you right in the medbay again, dipshit.” She put her hands on her hips, giving Nanami a sour look, then turned her attention to Nagito. “And who the fuck are you? …Togami’s new toy? Doesn’t he have enough of those already?”

 

Nagito felt his face heating up. “W-what?! W-what’s that supposed to mean?!”

 

She snorted, looking him up and down. “Well you ain’t wearing that uniform because you’re my type, that’s for sure. I like ‘em a little more…” She gestured in a round motion to her chest. “…endowed than you. No offense, sweetie.”

 

Nagito wasn’t sure what was worse: the implication that he would ever sleep with such an arrogant jerk or the fact that this goddawful woman thought he cared for her opinion about his chest size. “I am not sleeping with Togami! I have a fiancé, for your information!”

 

Iruma examined her nails coolly. “Like that’s ever stopped people before.” She smirked, chuckling a bit to herself. “Certainly didn’t stop our Commander.”

 

“Are you always this unpleasant the minute you meet someone new?!” Nagito hissed through gritted teeth. His fists were clenched and his whole body was tense like a bow pulled taut.

 

She rolled her eyes, unmoved. “Oh chill out, beanpole. You ever hear of a fuckin’ joke?”

 

“I know what a joke is! I also know that jokes are supposed to actually be funny!”

 

Iruma groaned. “Fucking Hell, you are a killjoy. You’re more of a wet blanket than Piano Freak.”

 

Nagito was about to snap at her again, but Nanami cut in.

 

“Komaeda-kun’s nice.” The woman’s voice was soft and even, just like always. “He’s my friend. And we really need him.” She paused for a moment, making a tent with her fingers and thinking over her next words. “It would be nice if we could all get along, I think…”

 

Iruma crossed her arms again, obstinate.

 

Nanami glanced at Nagito. He glowered back.

 

Don’t look at me right now, you’re the one who told me this wasn’t going to be like the meeting with Togami.

 

She didn’t look concerned at all. It was confusing. Shouldn’t she be worried that he’d be upset with her?

 

Wait.

 

A small smirk played across Nanami’s lips.

 

Why does she have that look on her face…?

 

She looked back at Iruma. “Well, I guess if you and Komaeda-kun are intent on being enemies, there’s nothing I can do…” She mockingly kicked the ground with the front of her shoe. “What a bummer. And here I thought you’d want to know he completed his trial run faster than Ouma…but I guess I was wrong.”

 

Iruma perked up, seeming more interested now. She looked over at Nagito suspiciously. “This pathetic twink managed to beat that little cocktease?” And then, she addressed Nagito directly. “Hey, moptop. Is she telling the truth?”

Nagito felt like he was repeatedly being slapped with a pair of dirty underwear. Or lobotomized. Or both. He had no idea if Nanami was telling the truth. How would he know what Ouma’s time had been?

 

“What’s wrong, you go mute all of a sudden?”

 

You know what. Who cares if it’s true or not? Anything to put this woman in her place.

 

Nagito schooled his expression into a polite, manicured grin – the same one that he had used so many times for rowdy press conferences and annoying television interviews. He set a hand on his cheek, looking innocent. “I didn’t realize my trial run time was such a big deal. If anything, I was a little bit slow because I got distracted catching some extra Pokemon. Definitely not my best work. If I was really motivated, I could’ve done it in…mm two-thirds the amount of time? Maybe half…hard to say. But is that really abnormal? I’d say just about anyone from my home region could do the same. This Ouma of yours kind of sounds like a novice.”

 

The room fell silent. Iruma stared at him intensely, and Nagito wondered if he laid it on too thick. He didn’t like getting catty, but competition life had introduced him to a variety of eccentric and dramatic personalities over the years. In different circumstances, he was sure that Iruma would have been able to fit right in with his former rivals.

 

After another tense moment, Iruma burst into laughter, slapping her knee. Her eyes were actually tearing. “Oh fuck, if you say that shit when he’s around, he’s going to blow a gasket! I can’t wait to see that little cockroach’s face!” Her words sounded like they should be insulting, but she looked absolutely overjoyed. “I knew if Nana was hanging around you, you had to be cool. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise.” She walked closer, closing some of the gap between them, and stuck out her hand. “Iruma Miu. Famous for both my brains and bod in the Galar Division, now in piss ass Hisui questioning my life decisions every single day. But them’s the breaks, am I right?”

 

Nagito grimaced, taking her hand and shaking it. “Komaeda Nagito. I’m uh…not from around here, and I don’t really have any past experience with Future Team. Professors Naegi and Kirigiri just kind of, requested that I join so…here I am.”

 

Iruma grinned from ear to ear. “Listen, moptop. I don’t care where the Hell you’re from, as long as you let me watch when you kick Ouma’s ass. You make good on that, and Mama Miu will take good care of you, ya hear?”

 

“Uh. Yeah. Loud and clear. T-thanks,” he mumbled. I think this is actually worse than when she was mocking me. I think this might be the worst thing I’ve ever had to endure. Even talking to Arceus again would be preferable.

 

           

 

 

--------------

 

 

 

 

“That was absolutely awful.”

 

“Mm…it probably could’ve been worse,” Nanami hummed.

 

“How could it have gone worse?!” Nagito’s voice cracked in disbelief. He was trying not to cause a scene by hollering in the middle of Floaro Main Street, but Nanami was making it really, really difficult.

 

She fidgeted with a chunk of her hair, leading Nagito and Yuki further down Main Street. “The first time she met Ouma-san, she decked him. Broke his nose, actually.”

 

“It’s sad that I genuinely believe you. That should not be a believable story, and yet it is.” Nagito followed Nanami grumpily, hoping she wasn’t going to try and get him to interact with any more unpleasant Future Team members. He had just about had his fill of confrontation and weird implications for the day. “Did I actually beat Ouma’s time? Or did I just rope myself into a lie that will bite me in the ass later?”

 

“It wasn’t a lie,” Nanami replied. “Kanto has a tendency to…transfer people they don’t want to Hisui. Usually we’ll take all the help we can get, but I think the Commander and Ouma got off on the wrong foot. I don’t know the details of his trial assignment, but I think it was probably similar to yours. Maybe with a different time limit, though. Because when he came back it was dark, and he’s still here.”

 

“Great,” Nagito grumbled. “So they were even harder on me than the guy that both Kanto and Hisui didn’t want. Really feeling the love.”

 

Nanami glanced at him and smiled sympathetically. “You passed, though. Just like Ouma-san did. Whether they like it or not, you’re one of us now.”

 

Nagito sighed, reaching up and petting Mochi. It shouldn’t really matter whether Future Team’s acceptance of him was begrudging or not. What did he care? In a way, Nanami’s sentiment was actually wrong. He wasn’t one of them. And he would never be one of them. He was sure of it.

 

He would make sure of it.

 

           

 

 

--------------

 

 

 

 

To the right of the Craftworks building was a grouping of three more Survey Corps houses, similar to the homes he and Nanami were staying in. Nanami gestured to each house as she talked.

 

“This first one on the left is Momota-san’s. The middle one is Akamatsu’s, and the one on the end is Ouma’s. Akamatsu and Ouma got sent out on assignment right before you arrived, so I doubt they’re home right now.” She walked up to the front door of Momota’s house, setting her hand on it. “Momota-san might be here, though.”

 

She knocked twice, waiting a moment before calling for him.

 

“Momota-san? Are you home?”

 

She knocked again, but there was no reply.

 

“…Guess not.”

 

Nagito tilted his head. “Could he be asleep?”

 

Nanami shook her head in reply. “He’s probably just somewhere else. I think he’s been kind of bored since they took him out of the field. Nothing to worry about, probably…” She jerked her head towards the gates of the Training Grounds. “Want to keep going…? Theres only a few more things to see in the Village. We can probably knock them out before dinnertime, I think.”

 

“Sure,” Nagito agreed. “Might as well burn some more energy so Yuki and Mochi don’t have as much to use for the purpose of property damage.”

 

“Chi…?” Mochi made a noise of mock surprise, feigning innocence.

 

Nagito rolled his eyes, refusing to be baited. Instead, he took the lead and started heading up the hill.

 

The fenced in Grounds were rather simple, with a sturdy one-story building in the back, and a small battlefield created out of dirt and bamboo in the center of the hill’s plateau. The battlefield looked similar to the regulation ones used by the Pokemon League, albeit much smaller.

 

It…wasn’t empty.

 

The leftmost side of the battlefield was occupied by a tall man with spiky hair, grinning from ear to ear. His right arm was in a sling, causing the sleeve of his haori jacket to hang down loosely on the one side. An Umbreon stood in front of him at the ready.

 

“Aw, c’mon Buizel! You can’t throw in the towel on me so soon!”

 

The frustrated exclamation came from Owari, who was stationed on the other end of the field. Her Buizel was face down in the dirt, looking rather worse for the wear.

 

“Oh,” Nanami said. “I guess we found Momota.”

 

Momota looked up, then began waving excitedly with his good arm. “Nanami-san! Man, you totally missed it! If you had been here a couple minutes earlier, you would’ve been able to see the new attack Nova learned.” He turned to Owari quickly. “Got any Revives? We can totally run it back!”

 

Owari huffed, crossing her arms. “You really think you’ll get lucky enough to win a second time? I was just going easy on you because I would’ve felt bad for creaming the only guy on Future Team with a broken arm right now.”

 

“Well now you gotta battle me again! ‘Cause I’m not going to be satisfied with a win knowing you went easy on me. A win is only worth it both people and Pokemon give it their all.” Momota turned back towards Nanami, looking for a show of support. “Nanami agrees with me, right? And uh-”

 

Momota’s eyes flickered to Nagito.

 

Nagito braced himself. Arceus, if you are really out there, I am begging you. Let this interaction be normal.

 

Momota’s mouth dropped open. “You’re that new guy!”

 

“Yep,” Nagito replied stiffly.

 

Almost immediately, Momota Kaito was in his personal space, his good hand clutching the shoulder Mochi wasn’t perched on. His eyes were wild and excited, and his grin had only grown on his face.

 

Yuki growled protectively. In better circumstances, Nagito would find it cute, or even amusing. But right now he just found it tiring. He really didn’t want any more confrontation. Cautiously, he made an underhand gesture with his free hand that told the Sylveon ‘wait.’

Momota didn’t seem to notice or care about Yuki’s reaction. He was too busy staring at Nagito with stars in his eyes. “Is it true you came from-” He hushed his volume, whispering the rest of his question. “-another planet?”

 

Nagito brows furrowed. “What? No. Where did you get an idea like that…?”

 

Momota’s excitement wilted briefly, but his fire reignited just as quick. “I…may have eavesdropped on Naegi and Kirigiri-sensei this morning.” He frowned and leaned in to examine Nagito closer. “They said you came from another world. Last I checked, I don’t think the Professors would have any reason to lie to each other about that.”

 

Nagito pulled back marginally, unable to stop himself from cringing. “Well…yeah, but that doesn’t mean I’m some kind of alien. I’m just as human as you and Nanami-san. I’m from Earth, just like you.” He frowned, then amended his statement. “Well, some version of Earth. I’m not really sure if it’s another universe’s earth or another dimension or…something else entirely.”

 

Momota stared at Nagito for a few tense moments, turning the words over in his head. Finally, he groaned and let go of Nagito’s shoulder, looking genuinely sad. Nagito looked back and forth between Nanami and Owari, but they simply shrugged.

 

The man sighed. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed…I was really hoping that space-time rift had brought a little piece of outer space to us.” He set a hand on his chin, stroking his goatee thoughtfully. “Still…the confirmation that there may be other universes or worlds out there…that we may be able to communicate with those worlds or have an effect on them…it’s fascinating.”

 

Nagito shifted in place, rubbing awkwardly at his arm. “I guess so…?”

 

For some reason, Momota laughed. He wasn’t exactly sure what was so funny. It didn’t seem like the laughter was coming from condescension.

 

Momota set a hand on his hip, grinning. “What a lukewarm response! If you want to make it in Future Team, you’re going to need to put all you’ve got into everything you do. I’ll show you!” He pounded his fist into his chest and snapped to attention. “I’m Momota Kaito, Future Team’s one and only Luminary of the Stars! I came to Hisui in hopes of learning more about our galaxy and how Pokemon interact with time and space. I may not look strong in my current state, but I am actually Survey Corps Rank 6. I believe that giving your all is the only way your dreams can become reality! That’s why, even now, I will never give up on my friends!” Momota’s energetic speech was concluded with a sharp bow. “I am looking forward to working with you. If there’s ever anything you need, you can count on me.”

 

As Momota stood, Nagito found himself feeling a bit awed. Though the self-proclaimed ‘Luminary of the Stars’ was definitely more boisterous, the confidence he displayed in the face of the unknown was reminiscent of Hajime’s own. Nagito didn’t have any hard evidence to suggest that Momota Kaito would be a reliable ally; he had only just met him. He could only go off of his intuition. His gut feeling.

 

Momota Kaito’s grin was electric, but his eyes were gentle. They looked kind.

 

Nagito twisted his engagement ring on his finger, smiling a bit to himself. “I’m…Komaeda Nagito. I suddenly appeared in this world yesterday, and I’m not quite sure how. This is my partner Pokemon, Mochi…” he reached up and petted Mochi’s ears, then continued. “And the Sylveon is Yuki. Yuki is my fiancé’s partner Pokemon. We don’t know where my fiancé is, but…I hope we can figure that out soon. Starting today, I am a Rank 0 Survey Corps Member for Future Team’s Hisui Division. I hope that I can be of assistance to your team and…and hopefully find out how to get home and be with my fiancé again. I’m not sure…how long I will be in this world…or how long I will be working with your team…but…” Nagito bowed slightly, holding on to Mochi so that he wouldn’t fall from his perch. “Thank you for the kind welcome. I know that some people are unhappy about my presence in the village, but I hope that we can all get along.”

 

When he stood up, Momota’s grin was somehow even bigger.

 

Nagito felt the blood leaving his face. “D-did I…did I say something wrong?”

 

“Well, it wasn’t Luminary of the Stars level, but overall…?” Momota smacked his shoulder playfully. “Definitely worthy of being his sidekick.”

 

When Nanami and Mochi started giggling, Nagito just shook his head with an exasperated smile.

 

           

 

 

--------------

 

 

 

 

After bidding farewell to Momota and Owari, Nanami lead Nagito and Yuki across a wooden bridge to a second hill that was just south of the Training Grounds. The southern hill was covered in rich farmland and orchards, and Nagito could see two middle-aged villager men toiling away.

 

“Keep your Pokemon close, Komaeda-kun,” Nanami said. She beckoned him to follow her down a flight of stone stairs back to the heart of the village. “Let’s not linger.”

 

“Roger that.” He kept a hand on Mochi and his eyes on Yuki. Yuki, for what it was worth, looked almost as elegant as a Pokemon walking onto a Contest Stage. His head was held high, nose primly in the air, and his eyes were clear and focused on the path ahead. He did not bother to spare the villagers even a glance.

 

Back on the lower level of Jubilife, they walked the streets that lined the village’s perimeter. There were multiple buildings that were only partially built. Future Team members with simple yellow-green uniforms hauled stone and hammered at wooden beams with gusto, seeming to recognize that they were losing daylight by the moment. They chattered away as they worked, sharing theories about what they’d be having for dinner that night and other local gossip. A college-aged girl wheeling a barrow of roof tiles snickered about a Survey Corps member trying to flirt with some merchant. Her much shorter friend and fellow worker was resting on top of a stack of wood, giggling as she drank from her canteen.

 

“There’s a lot of work going on right now in the village,” Nanami explained. “The Future Team members in the green uniforms are from the Construction Corps, which is a pretty big corps within the Hisui Division. They’ve got so many projects going on that I’m not really sure about all the details…I know they finished building an onsen in the past few months. I think they’re working on a school too…there’s a lot more children now, after all…”

 

Nagito was relieved to hear about the onsen. He was used to taking a hot bath or shower every single day. He couldn’t imagine going a long period of time without any idea when he’d be able to bathe again. “That makes sense. The Commander wants this village to be successful after all. If people like living here and want to stay, that would be a pretty strong indicator of overall success…”

 

“Mm…maybe…” Nanami looked like she was going to say more, but she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her lips pursed into a tight frown. Nagito’s brows furrowed.

 

“Nanami-san? What’s wrong?” He searched her expression for an indicator of why she had stopped. “Nanami-san…? Hello?”

 

Nanami’s hand shot forward, and she grabbed his sleeve sharply. “We should go back around the other way.”

 

“What…? Why?” Nagito followed Nanami’s gaze over towards the Pokemon Pastures that Captain Togami had mentioned earlier that day. A member of the Guard Corps standing within the fenced area was having their ear talked off by an eccentric merchant woman dressed in all black and white. Her rosy, blonde hair was sectioned into two pigtails under her hat – a hairstyle that seemed incredibly out of place for the time and place they were all currently in.

 

“Shhh,” Nanami hissed. “We need to go.” She turned on her heel and tugged on Nagito’s sleeve hard, suddenly demonstrating much more strength than any person Nanami’s size should reasonably have. Nagito stumbled but caught himself.

 

After everything that had happened the past two days, his patience finally broke.

 

“Nanami-san, you can’t just yank me wherever you want to go! What’s gotten into you!”

 

“Komaeda-kun...”

 

Nagito dug his feet into the dirt, refusing to let her pull him back down the way they had came. He didn’t care if he caused a scene at this point. He was exhausted and irritated and tired of people acting weird just because of his audacity to exist in their presence. He tugged his arm back towards himself, forcing her to let go. As she wilted, he couldn’t help but feel guilt rising in his chest. He shoved it down as hard as he could and trained his face into a calm, cold glare. “I can walk perfectly fine on my own.”

 

“You mean you’re not even going to introduce yourself to little ol’ me? What a bummer! And here I thought things were finally getting a little interesting in this lame ass crap-heap you call a town…”

 

As Nagito turned, Nanami pushed in front of him, holding her arm out as a barrier. The merchant woman with the pigtails towered over her, a crooked grin splayed across her features.

 

Nanami’s was stiff and cold when she spoke. “What do you want, Enoshima.”

 

The woman – Enoshima? – rocked back and forth on the balls of her toes as she examined Nagito and his Pokemon. He felt uncomfortable under her gaze; her cold steel irises practically burned him. “Now that’s not very nice, Nana-chan.” Her words dripped with poison as she dragged out every syllable of the nickname. “It’s not fair for you to keep the man of the hour all to yourself. He could be my number one customer, but you’re determined to hog his attention. Do you have some kind of crush on him or something…?” She gasped, then clapped her hands together. “Oh Arceus, do you need an officiant?! I can’t say I understand why anyone would have eyes for a sleepy lay-about like you, but I’ve always wanted to play the part of a sexy pastor!”

 

Nanami glared. The expression looked so out of place on her face, but incredibly genuine. “Komaeda-kun doesn’t need anything from you. And neither do I.”

 

Enoshima clutched at her chest, swooning. “Komaeda-kun? Aww, you really do have a little crush on him! That’s sooo sweet…” She ruffled Nanami’s hair, receiving only an angry swat of the hand in response. “I get it, you must feel threatened being in the presence of such a beautiful woman. You’re afraid I’ll steal him away. Which, I mean, I totally could.” She rolled her eyes with a snort. “But where’s the fun in all that? Too played out, too overdone. Nope! As disgusting as your droopy eyed romance is, I’ll support you! Which means you don’t have to worry about your boyfriend patronizing the Monomono Stall when we’re in town. Isn’t that nice of me~?”

 

Nanami opened her mouth to respond, but Enoshima cut her off.

 

“No need to thank me~! I am as humble as I am generous. Your speechlessness alone shows how grateful you are.” She chuckled to herself, as if there were something funny only she could truly appreciate. Then, rather coolly, she turned her attention to Nagito. “If you want to get home, you’ll need all the help you can get, Komaeda-kun. It might be good to keep that in mind when you’re writing off potential allies.”

 

Nagito’s stomach churned. It wasn’t as if he had been hiding his origin, but Enoshima knowing that he wasn’t from this world…unsettled him. His mouth felt dry, and it took a moment for him to find his voice. “I have enough help, thank you.”

 

Enoshima smiled far too sweetly at him, not looking discouraged in the slightest. It was as if she had already known what he was going to say, far in advance. “Suit yourself. Everyone calls on the Monomono Guild eventually~” She checked her nails, then yawned dramatically. “Well! If you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta go before I’m truly bored to tears. I’d say it’s been fun but-” She stuck her tongue out playfully, pitching her voice down. “‘That would obviously be a lie, dummy!’” She burst into another fit of giggles, holding her stomach. “Pretty good impression of that little dweeb, eh? I should’ve went into acting. Maybe in my next life~”

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Nagito could see Nanami’s fist clench.

 

Enoshima turned to head back towards the Pastures, and Nagito foolishly thought that was the end of it all. He was about to ask Nanami if she was okay, but was interrupted by Enoshima whirling around and cupping her hands around her mouth to holler.

 

“Don’t let those Future Team dweebs convince you they actually give a shit, Komaeda. When you decide you actually want to go back to that pathetic life of yours, you know who to call!” She made a little telephone shape with her hand and held it up near her head. “And that’s Enoshima Junko. Don’t you forget it for a day!”

 

Nagito had heard enough. He grabbed Nanami’s sleeve, just as she had did with his own, and proceeded to pull her down the street in the opposite direction.

Notes:

I can finally breathe a sigh of relief! This was a long chapter with a lot of different dynamics and characters in play. It took me a bit longer than I expected to get everything exactly how I wanted. I ended up getting sidetracked doing a ton of job interviews and getting all the way to the final round (and then getting rejected for the jobs), which really put a damper on my spirits for a bit. BUUUUT I powered through and here we are!

A little behind-the-scenes trivia for you: the Chess game played by Chiaki and Nagito is based off of an actual Chess match I played with my husband and recorded video of. Yes, he beat me in 7 minutes. Yes, he really claimed that he made mistakes but that I just "didn't notice them." No, I am *NOT* a sore loser :P

Interesting to note: I don't particularly like Miu as a character, but I felt that she fit in the story, so I was determined to do her character justice. I actually ended up becoming a little more endeared to her after writing! I hope the Miu stans appreciate my rendition of her [prayer hands emoji]

AND FINALLY --- the thing I have been waiting for and planning for since LITERALLY 2022 --- EVERYONE'S FAVORITE/LEAST FAVORITE BIOTCH ARRIVED!!! Were you expecting Junko to be the mystery character in this chapter? I felt like it was probably one of the more obvious reveals, but maybe not! It certainly won't be the only surprise of Act 1. Though my other planned surprises are admittedly somehow even more evil. >:)

That's all for today though! See ya soon~~

Chapter 10: The Past Is Like A Dream

Summary:

Nagito struggles to reconcile Nanami’s kindness with his surroundings and his own self-image. In his dreams, he is brought back to a moment in time that is simultaneously Hisui’s future and Sinnoh’s past.

Notes:

This chapter's title is a reference to the English translated title of 前尘如梦 by Tang Lelin feat. Luo Tianyi. The Youtuber shiwarabbit did a transliteration of the song back in 2013, and I've loved the song basically ever since. I highly recommend going and listening to the song if you're interested!

---

 

cw: dissociation, unreality, negative self-esteem & self-talk, mild ableist language, brief knife mention

---

Nagito stared at the slivers of moonlight cast on his ceiling with resignation and contempt. The last time he had checked his phone, the time was 2:38 AM. He refused to look again.

 

It was just his luck that he couldn’t find sleep in his own dream.

 

 

 

 

“If this is a dream, why can’t I fly…?”

 

 

 

 

The memory of Nanami’s soft, sleepy voice was not the comfort it should have been. It bubbled up so innocently from his subconscious that it felt bafflingly cruel. Alone, tucked into his futon, he couldn’t help by feel that Nanami Chiaki was a ghost that had beset herself upon him. That her words were a prophecy that he could not – that he would not be able to escape.

 

He didn’t want to believe it.

 

He couldn’t possibly believe it.

 

How could he?

 

 

 

           

“He knows the name of every living thing in the universe, and the fears and dreams in every heart…”

 

 

 

 

In a shocked stupor, he had mumbled those very words to Professor Naegi. He had spent many an afternoon pouring over old books in the Canalave Library, back when Hajime was still working his way through the Gyms of the Sinnoh League.

 

 

 

He had been so interested in the religious beliefs of Sinnoh at the time. But that’s all that they were: religious beliefs. It didn’t mean that there was any substance to them. Books and word alone did not constitute hard evidence.

 

 

 

 

“KOMAEDA NAGITO.”

 

 

 

 

A wave of nausea threatened to set in. Nagito covered his mouth and exhaled slowly. His eyes burned, threatening to water.

 

Entertaining this nonsense is completely delusional. He chided himself. In a dream, any person or Pokemon could know your name, because you know your name. You’re acting like a total nutjob.

 

When he woke up, he needed to text his therapist. Taking off from sessions to do a massive inter-regional farewell season had clearly been unwise. Why else would his brain be cooking up convoluted lucid nightmares like this? He clearly was mentally imbalanced.

 

 

 

 

“I don’t think anyone can judge you for how you react, Komaeda-kun.”

 

 

 

 

The memory came back to him like the sharp blade of a knife.

 

He rolled onto his side and curled into a ball, shudders rolling over him. He squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could, as if he could block out his intrusive thoughts with that alone.

 

He hated how the memories of Nanami’s kind words made him want to rush out into the street and knock on her door. He hated that he wanted to break down and apologize again for getting angry with her during the village tour. She had assured him that it was okay, that no harm was done. But this was a dream, created by Nagito’s subconscious. Nanami didn’t forgive him because he was truly deserving of it. She did it because he wanted her to. She only believed he was a good person because of his own selfishness.

 

People like Nanami didn’t care about people like Nagito. Not in real life. He was borderline neurotic with a penchant for going on long unprompted rants about his interests, and had not a shred of real, genuine self-esteem to speak for. He was the kind of person people really only felt pity for, right before they got along back to their own lives.

 

He had gotten lucky with Hajime; that was all there was to it. Nagito often wondered what the man was thinking, but he had long given up on losing arguments with him over it. Hajime was determined to stay with him, sense be damned. Who was he to tell the Champion of Sinnoh who he could and couldn’t be with?

 

Nagito exhaustedly reached out towards the place on the tatami mat where his phone was laying. When he found it, he let his hand rest there, feeling a bit closer to his partner. He rubbed his thumb along the edges of the phone’s casing, wishing it were Hajime’s hand instead. He tried to imagine the feeling of Hajime’s body against his, warm and solid. The sound of Mochi’s snoring in the background almost made the façade believable.

 

I really am with Hajime. Nagito told himself on repeat. I’m going to wake up soon.

 

Slowly but surely, the intrusive memories quieted, and Nagito was finally able to rest.

 

 

 

 

--------------

 

 

 

 

He couldn’t help but stare.

 

A cutesy Teddiursa was standing over a fallen piece of honeycomb, rifling around and digging the sweet snack out of its ridges. The Combees of the nearby hives had likely written it off the minute it hit the ground, meaning it was up for grabs by the hungry Little Bear Pokemon. It would’ve been an adorable sight regardless, but what had really caught Nagito’s eye was the color of the Teddiursa’s pelt. Typically, Teddiursa were tan colored, with fur like a freshly brewed latte. 

 

This particular Teddiursa was an elegant mint green.

 

Mochi’s paws dug into Nagito’s hair a bit more, and Nagito reached up to give his partner Pokemon a gentle pet. Don’t you dare jump that Teddiursa, Mochi. He silently commanded. I don’t care how hungry you are, you stay right there.

 

Mochi, thankfully, did not move.

 

Nagito reached for the camera around his neck slowly, lining up the shot. 1…2…3…

 

“PSST!”

 

The Teddiursa looked up in shock, looking right into the lens.

 

Click.

 

And the Little Bear ran away.

 

Nagito navigated to the photo in the camera’s storage, grinning when he saw it. “That came out perfect. Professor Yukizome will be so surprised. What luck!” Nagito gave Mochi a pat again. “Alright, go get your treat.”

 

Mochi cheered, jumping down and barreling towards the honeycomb. “Chi-chi!”

 

Nagito stood up and followed, opening up his shoulder bag as he did. “I wish I had brought wet wipes. You’re going to get all sticky.” Nagito pulled out some gloves and a sandwich bag, scooping up a sample of the honeycomb to take with him. He sealed the bag, then uncapped a marker and wrote on it:

 

 

 

Combee honeycomb sample. 

Nuvema Town Forest, East Side. 

July XX 20XX.

 

 

 

He capped the marker when he was done and stashed the sample in his bag. “Finish up quickly, I’m hungry too. I want to get back to the Lab within the hour.”

 

Mochi, with honey dripping down his cheeks and chin, did not seem in any kind of hurry.

 

Nagito checked his phone idly, seeing multiple texts from the other research assistant, Fukawa-san. She had been riding the Battle Subway for the past few weeks and observing the battles there, collecting data about the distinct types of moves Pokemon could use in battle. She had been the better choice to go on that assignment, given that she actually held herself well in battle if challenged.

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:35 PM

I think I’m in love

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:39 PM

Komaeda

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:40 PM

Komaeda answer me

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:41 PM

You better hope you’re doing something important

Nagito sighed, typing out a reply half-heartedly.

You - 12:43 PM

Fukawa-san, I don’t think you know what love is

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:44 PM

Shut it, neither do you

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:45 PM

He’s gorgeous

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:45 PM

He’s a prince

Nagito snickered.

 

 

           

You - 12:45 PM

Is he actually a prince? Your luck would rival mine then

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:46 PM

Look at him

 

           

 

The next text message was a blurry picture of a tall boy with messy, long black hair in battle. He looked incredibly bored, unimpressed even, as his Scolipede slammed a Swoobat into the metal floors of the subway car. Nagito raised an eyebrow at the clear dents in the floor made by the force of the tackle.

 

 

 

You - 12:48 PM

The more I look at this picture, the more I realize it’s a good thing I didn’t go on that trip

 

You - 12:48 PM

I don’t know how the subway cars haven’t fallen apart yet

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:49 PM

DID YOU EVEN LOOK AT THE GUY

 

You - 12:50 PM

Fukawa-san, I don’t know how to say this politely

 

You - 12:50 PM

That guy looks like a serial killer

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:51 PM

You’re dramatic

 

You - 12:51 PM

I’m dramatic? He’s wearing a full suit in like 90 degree weather

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:52 PM

I like a boy that knows how to dress 🥺

 

You - 12:52 PM

His hair is practically touching the floor. He’s probably dustier than a Dustox

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:53 PM

I CAN FIX HIM!!!!

 

You - 12:53 PM

LOL

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:53 PM

I’m going to kick your ass when I see you again

 

You - 12:53 PM

At least mine isn’t hidden by hair that looks like it’s straight out of The Ring

 

Fukawa Toko - 12:54 PM

I’M KICKING YOUR ASS RIGHT NOW, I’LL BE THERE IN AN HOUR

 

Nagito rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone. Fukawa-san could be a very interesting person when she wanted to be. She had the capability to be simultaneously the shyest and most shameless person at the same time. He had never been great at making friends, but she was one person who he really felt had earned that title.

 

Nagito looked down at Mochi with an eyebrow raised. “Are you quite done yet? You look a mess.”

 

Mochi looked up, then looked down at his paws. He started licking them to remove the leftover honey, but only succeeded in smearing it more.

 

Nagito sighed. “There’s a stream just a bit away. Let’s go over there and wash you off.”

 

Mochi followed him through the forest to the small freshwater stream that they had passed earlier. Nagito knelt down with a cloth and dipped it into the water, getting it just damp enough to clean off Mochi without getting him entirely soaked. He wiped the Pokemon’s face first, then his paws, then rang the cloth out over the stream.

 

“If you can’t eat neat next time, I’ll have to make you wait until we get back to the Lab,” Nagito chided.

 

Mochi made a serious face and nodded, saluting his trainer. “Chi-chi!”

 

Nagito snorted. “You will forget that promise in about five minutes. I’m certain.” He bagged the damp cloth in another sandwich bag, and Mochi jumped back up onto his shoulder. “Okay, let’s turn back around and head-”

 

He turned and his blood ran cold. An incredibly angry Ursaring was towering over him. Hiding behind its mother’s leg, the mint green Teddiursa peeked out.

 

“-home,” Nagito rasped. 

 

The minute he got the word out, he started running as fast as he could. The Ursaring roared, thundering after him with a vengeance.

 

Nagito wheezed, trying to keep up his pace. “This is not happening right now! This is not happening right now! I have the worst luck in the world! Mochi, why didn’t you say something?!”

 

“Chi chi chi!” Mochi argued back, clinging for dear life to Nagito’s hair and shirt.

 

“I don’t know if you know this, but I have absolutely no clue what you’re sayin- WOAH”

 

Nagito’s foot caught in a stray tree root peeking out from the forest floor. In a matter of seconds, the two of them and all the research equipment was in a heap on the ground. 

 

Nagito hissed, clutching his ankle. “Oww…that really hurts.” He was covered in dirt and had scrapes on his hands and wrists. Mochi rushed up to him, looking unharmed. The little runt must have jumped off of his shoulder and landed on his feet.

 

Mochi tugged at his arm worriedly. “Chi-chi chi!”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know. We gotta go…” Nagito tried to push himself up from the ground, but yelped in pain and fell right back down. “Shit…” he mumbled, letting out a rare curse. “I-I don’t know if I can-”

The Ursaring had spotted them again from the distance. Nagito’s heart dropped.

 

“Mochi…” Nagito mumbled, in warning. “You gotta get in your Pokeball right now.”

 

Mochi looked at him in surprise, then shook his head rapidly.

 

“Mochi, I’m not kidding, this is serious. You can’t fight that. I can’t- We don’t fight things like that, we don’t fight at all-” Nagito said shakily, panicking. 

 

Mochi shook his head again stubbornly. “Chi.”

 

“I…” Nagito didn’t know what to do. He searched his brain for an idea, packing up the research supplies that had tumbled out of his bag as he did. The Ursaring slowly made its way over, seeming to be satisfied that its prey had been rendered immobile.

 

They had maybe a minute at most.

 

“H-Heal Pulse,” Nagito said suddenly. “Then we’ll run again. Go on.”

 

Mochi blinked in surprise and then nodded, focusing Heal Pulse on Nagito’s ankle. Nagito felt some of the pain subside, and he tried to steady his trembling hands. It was going to be okay. It was going to be okay. It had to be.

 

Nagito forced himself to his feet again, wobbly as his strength came back. “O-okay, Mochi,” he finally said. “T-that’s enough…”

 

Mochi readied to jump up, but it was already too late. The two of them were like shivering leaves as the Hibernator Pokemon let out a deafening roar. Mochi looked at Nagito fearfully, then at the Ursaring. 

 

The Ursaring opened its mouth, readying a Hyper Beam. 

 

Nagito shut his eyes, willing it to be over already.

 

“Yuki, Protect!”

 

The ground shook and an explosion sounded. Nagito was shocked when he opened his eyes again.

 

A trainer boy was standing in front of him, one arm held out protectively. In front of Mochi, an Eevee was standing proudly behind a translucent shield. The shield came down, and before Nagito could even process what was happening, the trainer boy spoke again.

 

“Take Down!”

 

The Eevee nodded and ran at the Ursaring with all its might, slamming into it so hard that Nagito could’ve sworn he saw sparks fly. The massive beast fell backward, looking dazed.

 

“Now’s our chance! Get back, Yuki!”

 

The Eevee - Yuki - jumped back and its trainer threw a Pokeball at the Ursaring. The ball knocked it on the stomach, and in a flash it was gone. The ball fell to the ground with a rattle, then settled with a loud click.

 

The trainer boy let out a sigh of relief. “All’s well that ends well I guess.” He turned and grinned at Nagito. “You okay? That was really close.”

 

Nagito clutched at his pounding chest. He felt like he could faint.

 

“Hey…” the boy said, quieter. “Everything alright…?”

 

Nagito opened and closed his mouth, struggling to find words. The boy’s eyes were green like his, but darker and warmer in tone. His skin was tanned and freckled from what was clearly lots of time in the sun. His brown hair was spiky and had a massive cowlick in it, as if he had been sleeping outside for weeks. This boy was a trainer, a real trainer. More than Nagito could ever be.

 

“Hello…?” The boy frowned, waving a hand in his face. “Anyone home?”

 

Nagito looked away, fixating on the boy’s shoelaces. “...H-hi,” he mumbled awkwardly. “I’m…t-that was embarrassing. If I died right now from sheer humiliation, I don’t think I would complain.”

 

There was silence for a moment, and then the trainer boy spoke again. “Well, don’t do that. That would uh…look pretty bad for me, don’t you think?” He laughed a bit, trying to lighten the mood.

 

Nagito nodded dumbly. Mochi looked back and forth between the two humans with suspicion.

 

The boy that had saved their lives suddenly looked like he forgot something, and bowed politely. “I’m Hinata Hajime, by the way.”

 

“I’m…Komaeda Nagito…”

 

Hinata’s eyes widened, as if he had just heard the best news all day. “Komaeda- you’re Professor Yukizome’s assistant!”

 

Nagito rubbed at his arm shyly. “One of them.”

 

Hinata looked back at his Eevee. “You hear that, Yuki? He can take us where we need to go! We can finally deliver that package we’ve been holding on to all this time.”

 

The Eevee cheered happily.

 

“How lucky…” Nagito said, a little breathless.

 

 

 

--------------

 

 

 

 

Nagito awoke to the sound and smell of Nanami cooking eggs in his kitchen. His body felt heavy and sluggish as he sat up. A scan of the room told him that Mochi was not there; likely stalking the kitchen for food. Yuki, on the other hand, was still at the foot of the futon. The Sylveon looked just as awful as he felt.

 

“Yuki.”

 

His voice sounded flat and monotone. It almost sounded like someone else had spoken entirely. Yuki walked up towards the top of the futon, his ears low.

 

Nagito set a hand on the Intertwining Pokemon’s head. Even as he tried to comfort him, he felt disconnected from the action. After a few moments passed, he spoke again.

 

“I have to meet with the Commander today. Please bear with helping me a little bit longer.”

 

He did not wait for a response. Instead, he got up and started putting on his trousers and uniform undershirt. There was no point in discussing things. At this point, it had become abundantly clear that they didn’t have a choice.

Notes:

Hello! I did not expect to be posting Chapter 10 so soon but I ended up having to break it into two parts after all ^^"

This chapter is pretty short but the next chapter (which was supposed to be part of Chapter 10) has literally like, more scenes than Chapter 9 did. So it totally had to be split up to kind of, make things flow a little better.

Some notes about this chapter's dream sequence that might be interesting:
- I wrote the dream scene with Ursaring the same week I wrote Chapter 3. I've been sitting on it for a while!
- The dream sequence with Ursaring is in fact what Professor Yukizome was referring to in Chapter 6 - when she was asking Nagito about why he was leaving Unova.
- There is a small Kamukura appearance in the Ursaring dream sequence. He is the guy that was on the Battle Subway that Fukawa was highkey obsessed with. Both he and Hajime were in Unova for a brief period at the same time.
- Minccino's cannot use Heal Pulse, but I'm choosing to ignore this for plot purposes.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed your angst with a side of Hajime memory! Next chapter will be the second half of Chapter 10 and will be more light-hearted I swear [dabs sweat from forehead with cloth]. See you on the flip side~~

Chapter 11: Benefit vs. Risk

Summary:

Against all odds, Commander Kirigiri seems to be more reasonable than previously expected. At least until Nagito gets his next assignment.

---

 

cw: dissociation

 

---

 

 

“If you pin…right here…it will probably be easier to tie your obi on your own…” Nanami demonstrated exactly where to pin it, careful not to prick Nagito’s stomach in the process. “The key is to take your time and use your mirror to check in between each step.”

 

Nagito watched her every movement in silence. He felt more like a mannequin than a person. Every single touch from Nanami was muffled. It was as if his entire body had fallen slightly asleep.

 

Even through the fog and haze, Nanami’s voice still cut through clearly. It was a tether to the here and now that Nagito couldn’t bear to sever. As long as the woman was here, it would be impossible for him to retreat into himself fully.

 

Nanami took his obi and satchel in her hands. “Arms up, Komaeda-kun.”

 

Nagito felt slow as he tried to connect the words to their meaning. Nanami waited patiently, no frustration evident on her face. He tried to twitch his hand first, testing that his nerves still fired as they should. When he had confirmed success, he lifted both arms up so that Nanami could tie the obi for him.

 

“Thank you…just another moment…” She murmured. “There we go. You can put your arms down now.”

 

He dropped his arms stiffly. Nanami smiled sympathetically at him and wrapped the red Survey Corps scarf around his neck gently. Finally, she scooped up his hat by the wide bill and held it out. Nagito took it and examined it with tired eyes.

 

I’m doing this. He thought sourly. Again.

 

He glanced at the mirror over Nanami’s shoulder. His pale complexion was even paler than normal, and his eyes had dark grey bags under them. His hair was an unwashed mess. But not a single one of those things held a candle to how much the damned uniform disgusted him. He wanted to shred it to pieces.

 

He felt Nanami’s hand touch his – the one he was holding his hat with. He tore his eyes away from the mirror to look down at her.

 

Nanami bit her lip, looking conflicted. “I can tell Captain Togami you aren’t feeling well, if you want.”

 

The proposition was certainly tempting, but wouldn’t resolve anything. Nagito genuinely doubted that having the entire day free to himself would do anything other than send him further into the depths of dissociation. He sighed and shook his head. “I’ll be okay.” He pulled on his hat without another look at the wretched mirror.

 

Nanami shifted her weight, twisting a chunk of hair in her fingers nervously. “Are you sure, Komaeda-kun…? You don’t look well… And you barely ate any breakfast…”

 

Nagito walked out to the living area and scooped up his phone from the wooden countertop in the kitchen. “I didn’t sleep well,” he admitted. He checked the time on his phone begrudgingly, then stashed the device in his satchel. “I’ll get over it.”

 

Yuki and Nanami followed into the living area cautiously, as if one wrong move could set off a bomb at any moment. Even Mochi had picked up on the tense air. The little mouse quietly climbed onto the kitchen side table, but didn’t make any attempts to jump onto his trainer’s shoulder.

 

Nagito huffed in annoyance.

 

“What, you choose now to wait for permission? Get up here.”

 

Mochi glanced at Nanami for a moment, then did as he was told. As soon as he was settled, Nagito walked towards the stairs and sat down to put his shoes on.

 

“You coming, Yuki?” He didn’t look back, focused entirely on his shoes. There was a brief silence, then the sound of tiny footsteps. The footsteps grew closer, until finally Yuki was standing by his side.

 

“Veeon.”

 

“Thanks, bud.”

 

With his shoes on fully, Nagito stood in the genkan and turned back towards the living area. Nanami was now standing in front of the hearth, fidgeting with her scarf apprehensively. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.

 

Nagito tried to fix his face into his best approximation of a smile. “Thank you for breakfast, Nanami-san. And for helping with my uniform again. I know I’ve been absolutely awful company today, and that I’m probably doing a piss awful job of showing it but…I appreciate it. Really.”

 

Nanami let go of her scarf and came closer. She picked a speck of dust off of Nagito’s free shoulder, then smoothed out the front of his uniform. “You’re doing that thing again, Komaeda-kun. I wonder…do you listen when I talk…?”

 

“I really have no idea what you mean.”

 

She giggled softly. “Mm…I know you don’t. S’okay…you’ll get it one day, probably.” She sat down on the stairs and put her shoes on. “I have some business with Professor Kirigiri, but I’ll wait for you after I’m done. Sound good?”

 

After spending the better part of two days together already, and after how cold he had been all morning, Nagito wasn’t entirely sure why Nanami still wanted to be around him. As part of his dream, she should have fallen prey to his negative internal monologue at this point. It should have tainted her perspective of him. His emotional state always influenced his dreams eventually.

 

But…it hadn’t.

 

Instead, she was still right there. Still the same Nanami. Still determined to be his friend.

 

Nagito swallowed, his throat feeling incredibly dry.

 

“Y-yeah. That would be great.”

 

Believing in Nanami was a terrifying thought. Because Nanami Chiaki could only exist in a universe where Arceus did, too.

 

The air was thick with a reality he couldn’t accept yet.

Instead, all he could do was reach out for his tether to the present…

“L-let’s go.”

 

…and pull her to her feet.

 

 

 

--------------

 

 

 

 

What Nagito was holding looked more like a passport booklet than an ID. The front and back covers were made of a thick navy blue material etched with gold lettering. Inside the booklet, two cardstock cards had been printed and slid under protective metal corners. The top card bore Nagito’s photo from the day before, his full name, and the date that he joined Future Team. The bottom card had a series of stamps along the top edge: the personal seals of Commander Kirigiri and Captain Togami, the official stamp of the Hisui Division, and a stamp of the Survey Corps crest. The remaining space was blank, which seemed intentional. After all, he seriously doubted that someone as fastidious as Togami would provide him with incomplete documents.

 

The captain’s mood hadn’t improved since their last encounter. As he spoke, he paced sourly. The visual was reminiscent of a Liepard sizing up its prey. “Just because we don’t use these as much as the other branches doesn’t mean you can go and lose them willy-nilly. Keep your member card and division card with you at all times.”

 

Nagito nodded, putting the booklet in his satchel. “Yes, Captain.”

 

“And don’t go blowing that money I gave you. You’re not getting paid at the end of the week like the others. You won’t be paid again until next month.”

 

“Understood.”

“And you have Pokeballs now, for Hisui’s sake. You can put your Pokemon away.”

 

Nagito grimaced. He felt one of Mochi’s hands tighten its grip on his hair.

 

Togami raised an eyebrow, his gaze flicking back and forth between the human and his Pokemon. “Is there a problem, Komaeda?”

 

Nagito twisted his engagement ring on his finger. He spoke carefully, every word feeling thick and heavy. “I just…I don’t have the ability to do that, Captain.”

 

The captain’s gaze hardened. “You can’t control your Pokemon…?” he hissed, all venom. “You expect me to believe that? After your little show yesterday?”

 

I don’t even want to be here-

 

Your husband is the one who asked me to join-

 

I’m helping you-

 

Yuki isn’t even my Pokemon-

 

Nagito’s anger fizzled out with the last thought. Exhaustion racked what felt like his entire soul. There was too much going on in his head, and he didn’t have the energy to voice any of it. Instead, he fumbled with his satchel and pulled out an unused Pokeball.

 

“…I don’t expect you to believe anything, Captain.”

 

He wondered if his voice had always sounded so raspy and worn, or if it was just his imagination. He flipped the tab on the Pokeball and held it up to Mochi.

 

“C-chi?!”

 

The device snapped open, and the red light tried to engulf the Chinchilla Pokemon. Not a second later the light dispersed.

 

Mochi still stood in place on his trainer’s shoulder, looking somewhat perturbed.

 

Nagito sighed. He returned the Pokeball to his satchel and latched it. “…You can’t ‘catch’ a Pokemon that has already been captured. If I knew where Mochi and Yuki’s Pokeballs were, they’d be on my person.”

 

The Captain crossed his arms and glowered. The fingers of one of his hands tapped against his arm once, twice, three times. Finally, he let out a stiff huff and kicked at Nagito’s shoes.

 

“…Stand up straight. Lest you embarrass me further.”

 

Nagito stiffened. “H-huh…?”

 

What on Earth is with this guy? Is he really just going to drop the subject and start picking on me for something else entirely?!

 

“You wanted to be in the Survey Corps, act like it.” Togami kicked at his feet again, still glaring. “Feet together, shoulders back. My team doesn’t slouch and neither do you. If you don’t want the Commander to walk all over you like the pathetic outsider you are, you need to learn to stand at attention. I may not give a damn what you do, but Kirigiri will.”

 

The Captain wasn’t really kicking his shoes that hard; it barely hurt through the thick material. Even so, Nagito begrudgingly pulled his feet together and stood a little taller. He wasn’t about to give this arrogant prick any more reasons to demean him.

 

Togami scrutinized him, examining his stance. With a scowl he reached forward and took hold of the shoulder that Mochi had perched on. “You’re hopeless. You’re compensating for this damned rat. If you insist on keeping him there, you’re going to need to make it look effortless.” He set another hand on Nagito’s sternum and pushed forward, adjusting him like a porcelain doll.

 

The adjustment made the muscles in Nagito’s shoulder burn, but he wasn’t about to admit that out loud. He would rather be dumped into the Hisuian ocean again before he let Togami Byakuya think he was right about something.

 

“That will have to be good enough.” The Captain let go of Nagito and crossed his arms again. He didn’t seem even the slightest bit satisfied. “At ease, Komaeda.”

 

That’s all?

 

It seemed too easy.

 

And Captain Togami was still standing.

 

He had a feeling the Captain would have sat down if he was truly done.

 

“…Am I dismissed?” Nagito asked.

 

The way Togami rolled his eyes made it very clear he was not.

 

“When the Commander says ‘at ease’—” Togami spoke slowly, as if he were talking to something lower than pond scum. He kicked at one of Nagito’s shoes again, this time at the inside of it. “—you will adjust your stance so that your feet are shoulder’s width apart. The Guard Corps crosses their arms in front of them. We are not the Guard Corps. We cross our arms behind our backs.”

 

Nagito widened his stance and tucked his arms behind his back, right above his satchel. As soon as he did, he could understand why it was called ‘at ease.’ It was much easier to hold the stance and keep good posture. Even with Mochi on his shoulder.

 

Togami looked him up and down, then walked back around his desk to sit. “That’s enough, Komaeda. You’re dismissed.”

 

“O-oh. Really?”

 

Just like that? Did he get bored of me or something?

 

The Captain began to sift through a stack of papers, not looking up. “Yes, really. I don’t have all day to babysit you.”

 

Nagito relaxed his stance, glancing down at Yuki. The Sylveon looked just as bewildered as he felt. “Okay, sir. Then, um…I’ll be going to meet the Commander then.”

 

Togami waved a hand dismissively. “Third floor. Center office, top of the staircase.”

 

“R-right. T-thanks. C’mon, Yuki.”

 

Nagito pulled open one of the office’s massive wooden doors, letting Yuki exit first. He didn’t see Nanami in the halls at all.

 

She’s probably still in her meeting with the Professor. I’ll meet up with her after, I guess.

 

The door had almost closed behind him when he heard Captain Togami clear his throat.

 

“Komaeda.”

 

Nagito scrambled to stop the door from shutting. “Y-yes…?”

 

The captain’s eyes were cast down towards a tattered map of Hisui, pensive. He was cradling a beat up notebook in one hand and a fountain pen in the other. All signs of irritation were absent. “Don’t stand at attention in my office again. Looks foolish.”

 

 

 

--------------

 

 

 

 

The Commander’s office had no windows, and very few decorations. The only indications of the room’s occupant were two small picture frames on the desk and a large shelf stacked with notebooks and manila file folders. Kirigiri Jin was young in appearance, but aged in expression. He had very few wrinkles, and no gray hairs, but his eyes gave the impression of a man who had seen multiple dozen lifetimes.

 

“Komaeda Nagito. My son-in-law has not stopped talking about you since your arrival.”

 

Nagito felt his cheeks heating up under the Commander’s gaze. He inhaled stiffly, trying to hold his posture steady. It was unclear whether the Commander meant Naegi or Togami. “Hopefully good things, Sir.”

 

The Commander’s lips pressed into a thin smile. “He’s complimentary of most he meets.” He sighed, then folded his hands together on top of his desk. “You put us in between a rock and a hard place, Komaeda…You’re smart. I suspect you already know that.”

 

“Yes, sir,” he nodded. “I gathered.”

 

“I’m allowing you to remain in Jubilife because, as things currently stand, the benefit outweighs the risk,” Commander Kirigiri said slowly, as if he was choosing his words carefully. “If that were to change, then I would not hesitate to do what needed to be done to protect my family.”

 

The sentiment probably should have offended Nagito more, but it didn’t. Commander Kirigiri was being brutally honest, but at the same time seemed fair. The man’s disposition seemed in sharp contrast to the stories Nagito had heard in the past few days. He definitely didn’t seem as strict or commandeering as others had described.

 

“I understand, sir,” Nagito replied. “I don’t intend to cause any trouble. I just want to go home. If I can help Future Team while working towards that, then I will gladly do so.”

 

Commander Kirigiri gazed at him for a moment, then nodded. “…Good.” He stood and walked around to the front of his desk. “At ease.”

 

Nagito changed stances almost too quickly, feeling a bit silly. No amount of coaching from Togami was going to make him look like less of a nervous wreck.

 

The Commander crossed his arms. “Well, at least you’re more disciplined than Akihiko’s kid. Maybe, if we’re lucky, you’ll rub off on him.”

 

Nagito could feel the confusion coloring his expression. …who?

 

Commander Kirigiri didn’t elaborate. Instead, he reached inside his haori jacket and pulled out a small booklet. “Typically, new recruits shadow for one month. Given your performance over the past two days, it’s clear that won’t be necessary. You’ll have one week with Nanami. I had my daughter write a list of suggested tasks to be worked, but you may use the time however you wish. I advise that you use it wisely.”

 

Nagito looked down at the booklet with icy dread.

 

A week? A week to learn how to be a part of the Survey Corps?

 

At least he would be working with Nanami-san this time, but still…

 

I thought I was done being hazed!

 

As the alarm bells continued to ring in his mind, he reached forward and took the booklet. He tucked it behind his back, returning his hands to his at ease stance. “…Okay. Thank you, sir.”

 

Commander Kirigiri nodded. “Report to Captain Togami when your shadowing is complete. After that…we’ll go from there. Do you have any questions?”

 

“No, sir.”

 

“Good.” The Commander cleared his throat. “Dismissed.”

 

Nagito didn’t have to be told twice.

Notes:

Annnnnd I had to cut the chapter in half again... OTL

I really meant to put the shadowing week in Chapter 11, but it was just going to be so, soooo long with all the scenes smushed together! This will be better, I think. [nod nod] ANYWAY, sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out ^^" My health took a nosedive again and I had a ton of specialist appointments. I promise it's not an excuse! I literally got hearing aids since I last posted. It's a whole thing.

I don't have much to say about this chapter except that I really like Togami and Nagito's interactions here. Togami is just out here being a bitch and a bully for literally no reason, and it's kind of hilarious. Bro is so butthurt that his partners like the talented trainer that fell out of the sky and he does NOT know how to deal. Hopefully one day he'll be able to pull the stick from his ass - but today is not that day!

Up next: Nanami and Nagito finally go back into the field annnnnd I'm not going to promise anything else in case I have to cut the chapter in half again! You'll just have to wait and see~~