Unbroken Disguise

“This place is a lot bigger than I thought it’d be.” N smiled as Mimikyu looked around Nimbasa in awe. Giant buildings, bigger stadiums, a ferris wheel large enough to be seen even from the entrance to the city. It seemed to stretch on for as far as the eye could see, and N imagined that was even more true for someone whose eyes were only a few inches off the ground. Though it wasn’t all buildings and shining metal, plenty of people and Pokemon could be seen from where they were. A flock of Pidove flying through the air, a few Ducklett swimming around in the water features, and of course all of the various Pokemon accompanying their human partners. That last part put a damper on his good mood.

“Hey N…” Mimikyu started.

“Yes?”

“What are the odds that some kid tries ta catch me as soon as they lay eyes on me? A Pokemon they’ve never seen b’fore, walztin’ around the big city…” Mimikyu seemed apprehensive, even if his body language was hard to read underneath the cloth.

N understood that fear all too well. “I won’t allow any harm to come to you, Mimikyu.”

“Harm? I’m not talkin’ about harm, I’m talkin’ about some snot nosed brat not knowin’ any better. I think I could communicate pretty clearly that I ain’t interested in going along with ‘em, but it’d be a real pain havin’ to watch some kid cry over it.” The cloth seemed to shuffle over Mimikyu’s body. “Would ya mind… this is kinda humiliatin’, but I think it might be best if I got a lift from ya. On yer shoulder or hat or somethin’. Make it real clear that you and I are together, even if I’m not technically yers.”

“I wouldn’t mind at all. If that’s what you feel comfortable with, then go right ahead.” N knelt down and laid his hand out, trying to make it easier for his new friend to climb up. But when Mimikyu stepped on his hand, he had to suppress a shiver. Something about this felt wrong. His instincts screamed out at him, warning him to pull his hand back, to run as fast as he could. When Mimikyu started climbing up his arm, the barrier of his shirt dampened the feeling considerably, but it was still there. It was a struggle not to panic. He had never felt something like this before. It scared him… but the idea of showing his new friend just how touching him felt scared him even more. When the ghost settled on top of his hat, the thicker material did a lot to help. He could barely feel it anymore. But it was still there in a miniscule amount, a sense of unease creeping throughout his body.

“Ya alright? I can’t weigh that much, can I?”

It seemed he needed to get a grip on himself. “I’m fine, thank you. It’s just been a while since a Pokemon rode on my head like this.” N stood back up, careful not to jostle Mimikyu around.

The pair began their walk through the city, and as Mimikyu had suspected, many stopped to stare, both people and Pokemon alike. Not as many as there could have been, thanks to the fact that Mimikyu’s disguise was a more familiar Pokemon. Though even then, Pikachu weren’t native to Unova either. Small children pointed, an old man did a double take, a young trainer held up their pokedex, only to be disappointed that Mimikyu’s data wasn't registered.

N tried to ignore them as best he could. “So other than finding a spot to purchase a sewing kit, is there anywhere else you’d like to visit while we’re in Nimbasa?” He had plenty of time to kill. It’s not like there was a whole lot for him to do back home at the moment.

“Hmmm…” the fairy thought for a moment, “If I were lookin’ to browse the web, how would I go about that? Ya got a Rotom phone or somethin’? Maybe there’s computers at a public library?”

“A Rotom phone? I thought Rotom was the name of some Pokemon but perhaps I was mistaken…” Though the odder part of this was the fact that a Pokemon was requesting access to the internet. “The phone I have does not have internet capabilities. There was talk of me receiving a C-Gear when they get released, but for now I suppose the easiest option would be the Pokemon center.” He wasn’t particularly fond of being in a hub for trainers, but Nurse Joys were a polite and thoughtful bunch, always eager to help him in caring for injured Pokemon he came across in his journeys.

“Let’s add that ta the list of stops then. I’ve gotta few things I need ta look up.”

“You know how to use the internet? I’ll admit, I’m a bit surprised.” N probed for information.

“I think you’ll find that I’m full of surprises. Though I might need ya ta assist me dependin’ on the writin’ system ya use in Unova.”

“Why would the writing system matter?” Was he implying that he was able to read certain languages? He had heard of some Psychic lines being able to handle it, but they were extremely intelligent.

“Why wouldn’t it matter? Ya think I’ve gone through the trouble of learnin’ every script there is in the world? I don’t have time for that. I can handle Unown just fine, and maybe one or two more… ah well, guess we’ll see when we get there, won’t we?”

Potentially three different scripts, one of which was almost exclusively seen in ancient ruins? N was starting to regret having agreed to not discuss Mimikyu’s past.

It was then that someone worked up the courage to speak to them instead of just gawking from the sidelines.

“Um, excuse me mister!” N was surprised to see that it was a preschooler of all people. A tiny girl in a school uniform, bright yellow hat atop her head, and a Solosis floating at her side. “What kind of Pokemon is that? It’s super cute, but I’ve never seen one before!”

“Cute? That’s an odd description for an eldritch horror wearin’ a ratty cloth.”

N wasn’t sure what an “eldritch” horror was, so he ignored the comment. “This is my friend Mimikyu. They don’t normally live around here.”

“A Mimikyu…” The little girl looked at the Pokemon atop his head in awe. “Let’s battle! I bet Mimikyu would look super cute in a battle!” She struck a pose, seemingly ready to have her Solosis duke it out right there in the middle of the street.

“A battle? A preschooler’s Solosis can’t be too strong, an’ I do have the type advantage…” Mimikyu muttered from beneath the cloth, “But I think I’ll have ta refuse. Sorry little girl, maybe some other time.”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. Mimikyu doesn’t want to fight.” N couldn’t stand trainers, but he knew better than to be rude to a little girl.

“I can speak for myself ya-” Mimikyu cut himself off. “Oh. Right…”

“Really? Aww…” The child wasn’t able to pester them further however, as what seemed to be the girl’s mother called out for her. “I have to go. Bye mister! Bye Mimikyu!”

The girl ran off and they were able to continue down the street.

“This kinda sucks. I thought I had accepted the fact that people wouldn’t understand me, but then talkin’ to ya made me sorta forget about that…” It was odd, the way Mimikyu talked about it. As if he was used to humans being able to understand him in the past. It wasn’t impossible, obviously, since N was able to do it, but he was well aware of just how rare his ‘skill’ was. “Maybe I should look into ways ta communicate with other people. A Rotom phone is probably outta the question… somethin’ I can write on maybe? A notebook or a whiteboard… but I s’pose that depends on whether I know the right script or not.”

“It’s something to look into. We can probably find some way for you to communicate with the huge number of shops in Nimbasa…” The city was far too large to have nothing at all being offered. “Though I do wonder…” N considered what he knew of the Pokemon on his head, “How exactly do you plan to write? Do you have arms hidden under there?”

His question was answered not with words, but with what he could only assume was a limb. Black as night, appearing to be comprised of solidified shadows rather than flesh, the only feature was a set of three… claws? Fingers? It was hard to tell exactly. N watched as the shadowy arm grew in size, stretching out to be in front of his face, until it had to be as big as Mimikyu’s disguise itself. There was no way that whole thing had fit under the cloth, but where had it come from? Was it similar in mechanics to moves like minimize? Or maybe it had more to do with its shadowy, ghostly nature, pulled straight out of the aether and given form as Mimikyu pleased. Mimikyu waved to him, but it didn’t feel like the friendly greeting it should have been. It felt like he was about to be pulled from the mortal world and subjected to unspeakable horrors. Was this what Mimikyu had meant by ‘eldritch’? He could understand why being called cute had amused the Pokemon.

But N was better than that. He wasn’t like all of those awful people who treated Pokemon so poorly. So he clamped down on his fear once more, managing to get the words out. “I see. Holding a writing utensil might prove difficult with that shape, but it would be doable.”

The shadowy appendage disappeared from his sight, and the ominous pressure he had felt was lifted from his shoulders. In comparison to that, the feeling he got from touching Mimikyu felt like nothing at all. “That’s what I was thinkin’.” His companion replied. “Bein’ able to clearly get yer thoughts across is an important skill ta have. Who knows when-” Mimikyu gasped. “What is that?”

It was an understandable reaction. The building was quite impressive, even among the rest of the architecture in Nimbasa City. “That would be the Gear Station. It’s the main hub for the Battle Subway, which runs underneath much of the region.”

“That’s the Gear Station? I didn’ think it would be so big, with the important bits bein’ underground an’ all…”

“You’re familiar with it? That’s a bit surprising.” The Battle Subway was a very trainer centric subject matter, even if it was a subway system. To his knowledge it wasn’t talked about much in other regions, and would be practically unheard of to a Pokemon who hadn’t been on a trainer’s team at some point. This certainly cemented some ideas about what Mimikyu had been up to before they met.

“I wouldn’ say that I’m familiar with it or anythin’, but I know a thing or two. You battle your way through train cars in hopes of facin’ off against Ingo and… Emmet was it?”

“You remember Ingo’s name but not Emmet’s?”

“Ingo’s name is a lot weirder, makes it easier to recall.” It would seem the mind of a Mimikyu worked in strange ways. “There’s a Gym somewhere around here too, ain’t there? Electric type leader named Elsa or somethin’? Nah, that ain’t right… Elesa! That was it.”

“How do you know the names of the Subway Masters but struggle with the Gym Leader?”

“I dunno, must’ve read somethin’ about them recently? I’m normally pretty trash with names, a lot better with faces. I would recognize her for sure, and that’s the part that matters, ain’t it? Actually…” Mimikyu paused for a moment in thought as N passed by the Gear Station. “Do ya mind if we hunt her down b’fore we leave Nimbasa? I wanna see her in action an’ she might be able to help me out with somethin’...”

“How do you think a Gym Leader” N struggled to keep the bitterness out of his voice, “would be able to help you?”

“Well she’s a supermodel, right? So she’s gotta know stuff about fashion and clothes and whatnot. I figure she could give me some tips on keepin’ my disguise in tip-top shape. Plus she has some connections I might be able ta make use of.”

“...I suppose we could make a stop by her gym.” If nothing else he could use it as an opportunity to scope her out, judge her abilities. “But that’s for later. We’re here.”

A sizable building with large glass window panes making up most of the walls. Orange roofing, automatic doors, and the signature white pokeball emblem. The pair entered the Pokemon Center, walking right up to the desk where a smiling Nurse Joy awaited.

“Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Center. We restore your tired Pokemon to full health. How can I help you?” the nurse asked with a smile.

“I was hoping to get a room for the night and access to your computers.”

“Of course!” She pulled out a form and a pen, setting them in front of N. “I’ll just need you to sign here, here, and here. Here is your room key,” she pulled it off a hook beneath the counter and handed it to him, “and the computers are open to the public, right over there.” N quickly filled out the form, returning it to her. “Thank you very much, and have a good day!”

N quickly got out of the way so that he didn’t hold anyone else up, walking over to the computers. Three of them next to each other, small dividers between them, but open to the rest of the room so there wasn’t really much privacy. He took a seat at the one in the corner, pulling up the browser as Mimikyu jumped off of his head and onto the desk. “Well, can you read the characters on the keyboard?”

Mimikyu inspected the keys before breathing a sigh of relief. “Yes. You don’t know how worried I was that I was gonna have ta learn a new script. Had ‘nough trouble with the last one…” The Pokemon positioned himself between N and the keyboard, two of the shadowy arms creeping out from beneath the cloth as he began to type away. “You can go an’ get settled into the room or whatever, I’ll probably be here a while.”

N knew when to take a hint. “Alright then. If anyone gives you trouble, Nurse Joy is always eager to help. I’ll come check on you in say… 30 minutes?”

“Works for me. Seeya in a bit.”

N wasn’t sure why Mimikyu would be so curious about some place called the Shamouti Islands, but he supposed it wasn’t any of his business.

N was a nice guy, but it was obvious he had questions that Mimikyu wasn’t about to answer. The Pokemon felt a bit bad about sending him away, but seeing what the ghost was searching for was only going to make the mystery surrounding him even worse.

Let’s see here… ugh, trying to type with six fingers is awful. Guess I’m back to peck and type and how slow that can be... “Shamouti Islands” should give me decent results, right? That looks like a wiki page, that’s a vacation site, the history of Shamouti… there! News reports about strange weather phenomena in the region causing havoc… but I don’t know how the calendar system works here so I’m not sure how long ago this was. At least I’ve confirmed that it’s something that has happened.

N still has a problem with trainers so it’s before that point… Sinnoh maybe? That would work out in my favor, having the object of my desire come straight to me. What comes up for “Alamos Town”… wiki, come see the Space-Time Towers, top 10 things to do in Alamos… nothing of note though… further back then. What would be the halfway point then? I can work from there but I can’t remember the order… Deoxys maybe? I don’t remember the name of that city though. I suppose I can just look up “Deoxys”... and nothing. Though maybe they’re keeping that on the low down? Aliens are kind of a big deal I guess. What about “Rayquaza”? Historical accounts, ancient legends, spotted above Larousse City! That definitely looks like the place. Why does this look like some blog though? Did this event get censored too? I guess if all of his accomplishments get covered up it would explain why nobody is familiar with him when they meet.

Wait, what am I doing? If he’s competed in the league there has to be a record of him, right? Maybe I can check where his last official match was. Where are you Ash Ketchum…