Percival's Grand Entrance
A Clover Guild Story
By Corviknight-anon
I wake up to the sound of strange birds and animals, and grass and soft ground at my back rather than my thin cot and two pillows. I look around groggily, and see not the closed walls of my bed, but instead a forest. Trees as far as I can see from my position flat on my back, and what seems to be a small pond. I try to get up, and what I believe to be my blanket silently clangs and scrapes against itself. Confused, I try to reach behind myself to take it off, only to hear the ruffle of feathers join this cacophony of unfamiliar sound as I realize I cannot feel my hands open and close. My body tries to jump to its feet in shock, but I can barely register how short my legs feel before I hit the ground with a loud metal sound.
I lay there in shock for a second, and then I try to push myself up only to discover my arms have been replaced with black wings. I can hardly fathom this, and even my shadow is not my own. A massive dark splotch larger than my own looms around a foreign print in the dirt looms, as if a big fat Italian man with a spiny bowler hat was floating between me and the sun. I try to get to my legs, only to feel my knees bend backward as I finally get on my feet. It seemed my body had time to recalibrate as I lay face first on the ground. Again I move my arms, only to hear feathers brush against each other as massive wings move in the place of my primate limbs. The pond, I realize, is reflective.
Nervous to see what all has changed with me, I slowly walk over to the water, noting that it feels natural not to move my arms, or wings rather, as I walk. I stare at the unfamiliar image in my reflection, that of a metallic bird whom I judge to be my size until I remember I've hunched over to see into the water. I cannot believe my eyes. Am I not a human? I spread my arms out, and my reflection spreads its wings. I flail my arms about and the monster unsteadily flaps its wings, disturbing the reflection. I honestly do not know what I expected, but the water settles down again only for this corvid visage to appear again. I lack the ability to process this. I stare at the water until something breaks me out of it. I can see a familiar fish under the water.
Red, with yellow and white fins, and large whiskers, I recognize a Magikarp swimming around. Instantly the gears begin to turn, and I realize what it is I see. No longer am I a human. I am Pokémon! The ghastly revelation leads me to cry out, scaring the fish away. I can do naught but stand there and process this. How did this happen? Why did this happen? What the hell is going on?
"Metalhead!" An angry and high pitched voice calls out behind me. I turn around to see a Tinkaton. Fuck. My earlier cry of surprise must've drawn it here. Thankfully, I can understand what it just said, so I can hopefully diffuse the situation.
"I don't really understand music genres, sorry." I say to it, wondering whether stats or Pokédex entries hold more weight in this situation. Sure, I could probably win in any other situation, but I don't know the first thing about being a Pokémon! I will not win if I try to tackle this thing into submission.
"Shut up, Clanker!" It tells me. "We don't welcome your kind here!"
"I apologize for intruding, may you point me to the nearest town? I..." I contemplate telling it the truth, and whether it'll believe me or not. "... got lost, as shameful as it is to admit, and don't know where I'm going."
"You should go back the way you came, steel wing." She says in a familiar tone.
"Are... Are these racial slurs?" I can barely stifle a laugh. "Awfully big talk for a fruity looking fair-" I am immediately hit by her giant hammer and caw out in pain, suddenly remembering why I wanted to do things peacefully. My mind stumbles over what the hell I should do to defend myself, and I attempt to stance myself up, accidentally using Swagger. The Tinkaton seems to be absolutely furious now, and hits itself by accident in a blind fury! Taking this chance, I grab it with my talons and dunk it in the pond. This isn't exactly a Pokémon move, but I have been put in a self-defense situation. It thrashes about and I struggle to hold it down with one talon, so I grab it with the other and grate it against the edge of the pond. Its struggling starts to ease up, and I respond in kind, letting go and getting out of the water. It drags itself back onto land with the expression of someone about to enact righteous vengeance, only for it to show fear as it realizes I hold its prized hammer in my talons. I don't know how to fly, and I don't know if I could pick this up. Regardless, I spread my wings as if I do, and glare at my foe. "Surrender, or you'll never see your beloved weapon ever again."
"Damn... low-down, dirty, no good BIRD!" It crys with the most racist possible innotation I've ever heard. Before I could continue to speak, it flung a glob of mud it picked up from the pond directly at my face. I caw as my sight is obstructed, and begin to flail my wings about. I can feel my self lift off the ground, and realize just how heavy the hammer is as it somewhat anchors me down. By the time I shake the mud off my eyes, I realize I have lifted myself above the trees. So, I can fly! I look all around but can't make heads or tails of where the hell I am. I awkwardly try to descend a bit, looking the Tinkaton in the eyes.
"Where's the nearest town?" I ask it.
"Ain't no town for your kind!"
"Answer me or else you'll never see this hunk of metal ever again." This elicits a growl from it.
"Head thatta way." It finally says, pointing. I hadn't realized how sharp my eyesight was now. As a human I needed glasses but never wore any, so this was a welcome change. I begin to fly off, dropping the hammer after a few seconds so make sure I'm not struck by rocks launched at me. I eventually find a path, and begin to fly over it, and then soon find myself in town. It's full of Pokémon. Figures, I think to myself, it seems this is a world of Pokémon. I only now realize how hungry and tired I am, and soon land.
It's been a week since I first came to this world. I've been learning more on how to fly, and have taken to it quite well. I've even landed some odd jobs, moving Pokémon and parcel on wing. My mail travels have lead me to a myriad of different towns, and everywhere I go I must ask them: "Do you know of any humans?" They always ask what I'm talking about, and some ask why I seek them out. I figured it might just be best to lie, and I tell them that I am on a quest to find them. It doesn't take long for me to find a lead, however.
"Capim Town" they call it, rumor has it that mentions of humans have come from there. After breakfast, I decided I'd seek this place out, and began to fly. I'd stop at all signs I'd see, check maps I'd spent what I thought to be imaginary currency on to try and find it, a few towns and nights later, I finally found it. The sign stood tall and proud, and without having to get too low I could read the text on the faded wood clearly. Aligning myself with where it pointed, I took flight once more and found myself at the small settlement, little more than a village. Ducking into the Blue Claw Inn, I loudly announced my intentions. "Is this the town where the rumor of humans originated?" I asked.
"Are you the black knight hunting them down?" I was taken aback by this question. Was... Was that me? I looked down at myself. They probably meant me.
"Rumor travels fast, but I'd say 'hunt' is the wrong word." I try to clarify. "I have a vested interest in them."
"Yer after the Clover guild, then? They're in thee building ova' thatta' way." A large crab told me. I nodded, and left the inn while taking care not to smash my face through the doorframe. Once I was out, I took flight again.
My mind was racing. I hadn't thought that my silly cover-up story would become a rumor, and especially not in this way. It might be difficult to join them if they believe I'm after them in that way. I landed at their doorstep, only to realize that in my deep thought, I failed to notice they were having a picnic that I just interrupted. Pokémon, some of them not even coming up past my backwards facing knees, looked at me in confusion and shock. I had to convince them that I was also formerly human in one fell swoop. If they had heard of the "Black Knight" hunting them down, they'd be wary of me. I put my wing up to my throat and cleared it.
"So, I heard a lot of Pokémon, formerly human, congregate here. It reminds me of a particular... shop, you see..." I could feel myself smile, but didn't stop to think about how it'd look on my beak. "Does Sneed's Feed and Seed, Formerly Chuck's, ring a bell?"