Spotted! Trainer

[collectyourfriends]

There's a familiar voice echoing through the gardens--almost. After all, Frisk's voice hasn't been loud in a long while.

 "Papyrus! Papyrus? Papyrus!" What were those others called again--? "Dogs? Dogs? Papyrus! Where--are you?" 

The first visible difference one might notice is a massive dog-thing walking alongside them, ears flicking. Anyone who can tear their eyes away from him will notice that this Frisk is wearing a bandanna on their head, a pair of goggles and a bland-looking necklace hanging around their throat, a bag hoisted over their shoulder, and a black ball clutched tightly in their hand.

It's a Dusk Ball, and Papyrus was supposed to be inside of it. But he's not. It's empty. They hadn't seen him get out. Where is he?

Where are they? The sight of the sky goes against everything he'd told them, that Toriel had told them. If just walking back towards the Ruins to Snowdin ("IT'S A GOOD PLACE FOR 'TRAINING'!" Papyrus said) would somehow get them out--that doesn't make any sense. None of this does.

...Finding Papyrus is the most important thing right now. So they can ask him questions. Or to make sure he isn't in trouble with Sans, or that Captain he'd been going on about.

Their Manectric partner is the only reason they aren't completely panicking--and then he freezes and turns his head with a growl. They stop too, heart hammering, peering to see what he's looking at. "Sparks...?"

Or rather, who. Seems there's someone nearby. 

"Hello?"

Comments

[exuviiated]

Aaron fights back a smile. "It's just a display. See? He wants you too look at him. They're kind of vain."

He could say the same about a few of the other birds, but bar the parrots, none else are gaudy enough to catch attention.

(is 'culture clash' the right word for this misunderstanding)

[collectyourfriends]

"No--I mean--I mean--animals? But there aren't animals. They're almost extinct."

Long pause.

"...where I'm from, I guess."

And now they're quiet again, looking troubled.

[exuviiated]

"This world is... different." It's a lame explanation, but the best he can offer. "Sorry I can't say more than that. What's your world like, if animals are extinct? Are these--" things dies in his throat and he gestures at the Manectric. "Creatures the new animals?"

[collectyourfriends]

"...Pokémon. Yeah. They're...a lot stronger than animals. So those don't have a chance to live 'cept in human...things." Sanctuaries, they mean, but those are incredibly rare, and Frisk's never seen one.

[exuviiated]

"Well, Spark," he says (and hopes he got the name right) "seems very vibrant. What can he do?"

Apart from be large enough to vaguely unsettle Aaron, make him unduly concerned. "Your world used to have animals, though?"

[collectyourfriends]

The lack of second 's' is missed entirely for the questions Aaron asks. What can he do. "...well, he's an Electric type. So he can zap stuff." Frisk looks incredibly uncomfortable explaining that. It's the equivalent of telling someone cats meow--probably outright insulting to any but the youngest of kids.

Sparks tosses his head and mane, a trail of his namesake flickering through the air. A few of the nearest birds startle--and he makes a sound very much unlike a dog would. Dogs can't laugh.

"Yeah." They read about it when they were in Roxanne's school. "'Population boom' of Pokémon centuries ago." Not that anyone was sure why. Which is a little odd, but Pokémon are more interesting, they guess.

[exuviiated]

Great. A lightning dog. Aaron keeps himself from looking too horrified and staring, wide-eyed, at Sparks, and instead fixes his eyes on the rousted birds.

"Population boom. Makes sense, if they're hardier. Darwin and all that."

He doesn't mind the explanation, Frisk! He quite welcomes it, too.

[collectyourfriends]

And...more sort-of-laughter, more sparks, at least until Frisk waves their hand at him. He deigns to sit on the floor and watch the discussion.

"Yeah. Good for Pokémon, bad for...living stuff that's not plants." They point at the birds. "Never saw stuff like those. Ever."

[exuviiated]

"...yeah. I bet. Are they all like Sparks?" He then turns his gaze to the canopy, the birds flitting about happily up there out of reach of teeth or shocks.

"Ah, the birds are pretty lively. There are a lot of them. There's a few birdwatching books in the library, if you want to brush up on what you already know."

[collectyourfriends]

"All Manectric. Not...not all...Pokémon." They glance at the door. "Can show you more later. Have most of my team here." They pat their bag.

Frisk isn't thinking of leaving quite yet, too entranced by the birds.

"And...yes. Gonna want to do that." They wave their journal through the air absently.

[exuviiated]

"Oh. Are the rest of your team tiny?" He has to keep himself from trying to touch the bag, because he is definitely not that type of touchy-feely nosy person.

"Hey, look over there. There's a couple babies."

Not quite colorful yet, either!

[collectyourfriends]

"He's the biggest." So, maybe??? They are not being very helpful right now, sorry Aaron.

They do follow his direction, and they quietly start heading towards them for a closer look, waving absently at Sparks to stay back. They're careful enough none of the birds seem particularly upset, or maybe they're all used to visitors by now.

[exuviiated]

"Okay. Thanks?" He hangs back with Sparks for a few seconds before trotting up to stand next to Frisk, who keeps moving-- Aaron eventually gives up and strikes a happy medium. The peacock is strutting happily with his newfound audience, ruffling his fan. Up in the trees, some lorikeets fight over a flower.

"Hey, are there any other kinds of Pokemon, or are they all... lightning. Type?"

[collectyourfriends]

Thy're not paying that much attention to him, enraptured by all the birds fluttering and going about their day.

"Uh, no," Frisk says absently. "Lots of types. Electric, flying, normal, psychic..." They pull a pokéball from the bag and pass it over. "Hush is a Kirlia. He's psychic type." Gotta work out how to use that thing on your own, dude.

[exuviiated]

And figure it out it does, after a few anxious seconds of fiddling with the white-and-red sphere, it looses a glowing blob. He steps back, surprised, looks at Frisk, as if they can explain it-- and the blob solidifies into Kirlia.
"Is that--?"