Beach, Grass Continent
"Urrgh..." A small bipedal blue-scaled dragon can be seen groaning as he slowly gets up from the sandy ground.
"Where in the world am I?" the dragon mutters before looking around. He sees a beach with a beautiful sunset. Whoa... I've never seen a sunset this vibrant." The dragon looks around, and he notices that there's no trash buried under the beach. Another strange thing is that there's no visible building nearby, only cliffs.
"...okay, I think I'm no longer in Odaiba." The dragon mutters in disbelief before he looks at his hand, consisting of 5 fingers and covered in blue scales. The dragon blinks once, twice, and thrice before he frantically rushes towards the water and takes a look at his reflection. He sees quite a large blue-scaled dragon head with a yellow V-mark on his forehead, a short horn on his nose, crimson ruby eyes, and a pair of blue appendages resembling ears staring back at him.
"H-huh!?!" The dragon frantically holds his face, and the reflection mimics not only his actions but also his frantic expression full of disbelief. "I-I turn to Veemon!??! What the hell!?!"
Before he could process more, he noticed bubbles start floating in the air as the dragon, dubbed Veemon, looked in confusion. He then turns to the source, and his eyes comically turn into a pair of white circles. Near the rock formation, he sees a group of familiar-looking crabs with red and cream shells, three pairs of limbs, with one pair consisting of tiny red claws, shooting bubbles to the sky.
Everything happens too fast for the poor Veemon as he collapses into the sand butt-first. He then grimaces before getting up and notices he has accidentally sat on his tail. He holds the tail, staring with a blank expression before he starts breaking down, chuckling humorlessly while trembling. He slowly sits down before curling up, hugging his knee.
He didn't understand any of this bizarre situation. He was supposed to be enjoying his vacation after graduating, travelling around Japan, and buying all the things he loved along with his family. He was visiting Odaiba, curious about the place used as the setting for Digimon Adventure, specifically the Digidestined's hometown. He even bought a bunch of Digimon Plush despite his family's exasperation. The last thing he remembers is playing Pokémon Mystery Dungeon after once again being disappointed by Pokémon Day's repetitive announcement, and he goes to sleep.
"I don't know anymore..." Veemon mutters as he slowly looks at the sunset. He had to admit, the sky is beautiful.
"Are you okay?" Veemon is startled before turning to his left and seeing a Pokémon staring back at him, specifically a green-scaled frog with a pair of ruby eyes and a giant bulb on its back. Veemon recognizes the Pokémon in front of him as none other than Bulbasaur, and based on the voice, he assumes it's a guy.
"I-I'm fine," Veemon calms himself down, stopping himself from acting shocked by the talking Pokémon. He shouldn't be shocked, given how many plots regarding talking Pokémon have been written on fanfic websites.
"You sure?" Bulbasaur asks as he tilts his head, giving the Digimon a concerned look. "You seem distressed."
"I...." Veemon frantically tries to think of an excuse, wondering how to explain. "W-well, I somehow got myself lost, had no idea where I was, and I am worried that I won't be able to see my parents....." Veemon let out a sigh. "I am unsure what I should do..."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Bulbasaur says in a sympathetic tone. "I...Could I help? I mean, maybe asking around the townsfolk if there's a missing child."
"Child? I'm 22." Veemon can't help but comment, making Bulbasaur look at him with wide eyes.
"22?! You're older than me!?" Bulbasaur exclaims in disbelief, frantically looking at him. "I thought you were at least 17, the same age as me!"
"Please don't need to point it out, I'm a late bloomer." Veemon can't help but grimace at how easy it is to lie to Bulbasaur. Sure, he had lied to others, but it's never easy for him. "Also, I doubt you'll find my parents in town."
"Why so?" Bulbasaur asks in confusion. Before Veemon could give the little guy a disbelief look, Bulbasaur continues. "I mean, sure, Bagon is rarely seen near the Treasure Town, and it does explain why you look so young since you're a Dragon-Type, but there's a chance that-!"
"Hold on," Veemon says, stopping Bulbasaur. "...what did you just call me?"
"Um, Bagon? At least, I think you are..." Bulbasaur says, looking slightly unsure.
"...no offense, but in what way do I look like a Bagon?" Veemon asks incredulously as he is also processing the Bulbasaur mentioning Treasure Town.
"W-well, you are a Dragon, blue scales, bipedal, and you have a neck..." Bulbasaur mutters the last part.
"...I'm not a Bagon," Veemon explains. "I'm a Veemon, a Free-Attribute Digimon." Veemon pauses before wondering why he would bother to explain.
"Veemon? Free-Attribute? Digimon?" Bulbasaur asks in utter confusion. "What are you talking about? Do you mean Pokémon?"
"...great," Veemon says, feeling slightly frustrated before looking at Bulbasaur, already prepared with what he should say. "I think I'm no longer in Digital World."
"Di...gital world?" Bulbasaur asks in confusion. Before Veemon could explain more, both heard a shout from a distance, and a pair of purple blurs passed both Mons. Veemon manages to glimpse Koffing and Zubat passing by before he and Bulbasaur feel sand entering their eyes, causing them to rub their eyes violently.
"Okay, what is going on!?" Bulbasaur exclaims as he uses his vines to wipe the sand off her eyes.
"Two strange-looking creatures passed by us, a giant purple gas ball and a purple-furred flying creature with a pair of tails," Veemon explains as he looks in the direction where the duo had headed. He can't help but wonder why they remind him of something.
"Thorn!" Both of them turn and see a pair of Pokémon rushing towards them, a yellow-furred mouse with red cheeks and a lightning-shaped tail, and a blue/cream-furred echidna with a pair of very squinty eyes that remind him of one of his relatives. Veemon recognizes the duo as Pikachu and Cyndaquil, respectively, and based on Pikachu's tail, it's a guy. But he's unsure of Cyndaquil's gender.
"Thorn, have you seen a Koffing and a Zubat!?!! They had stolen Sabo's Relic Fragment!" The Pikachu exclaims before looking at Veemon, causing the Pikachu to snarl and grab him by the shoulder as electricity sparks from his cheeks. "Hey, you got 5 seconds to tell me where your accomplices went!?"
"Let go of me!" Veemon instinctively pushes Pikachu aside, knocking him down. Before the Pikachu retaliates, the Bulbasaur, which Veemon learns that his name is Thorn, summons his vines to stop Pikachu.
"Calm down, Tesla!" Thorn exclaims. "It's not him! I just met him near the beach and talked with him! Besides, the duo you're looking for just rushed past us!"
"Where!?" Tesla exclaims in anger, forgetting that he just threatened to hurt an innocent Mon.
"They went that way, jerk," Veemon says rudely while pointing at the cave next to them. Tesla looks at him in annoyance as he gets up.
"You wanna pick up a fight, huh?!" Tesla exclaims as Veemon looks at him incredulously before narrowing his eyes.
"T-Tesla!" The Cyndaquil finally breaks from its silence and squeaks at Tesla. "P-please, don't fight him...he didn't do anything wrong, also you just threatened him."
"S-Sabo!" Tesla says as he looks at the Cyndaquil, Sabo. "H-He's looking suspicious! I mean, what kind of Bagon looks like that?!"
"Hey! Rude much!?" Veemon exclaims. "Besides, I'm no Bagon! I'm a Veemon!"
"....see, his name is even weird!" Veemon feels his vein pop on his forehead before Thorn smacks the back of Tesla's head, causing him to crash into the ground face-first.
"Enough! Didn't you say those thieves stole Sabo's Ruin Fragment!?" Thorn exclaims as Tesla groans and gets up, letting out a huff before walking away.
"What's with that dickhead's problem!?" Veemon asks in utter disbelief. "I get that I'm a stranger, but that was beyond rude!"
"S-sorry about Tesla," Sabo mutters apologetically. "H-he's fiercely protective of me, so when someone hurts and steals from me, he gets emotional."
"Yeah, that doesn't exactly excuse his jerkass attitude," Veemon says in annoyance.
"S-sorry..." Sabo apologizes as Thorn sighs.
"Yeah, sorry about my friend over there. I had to deal with that side of him as well when I first met him," Thorn says before pausing. "Oh, Arceus, how rude of me. I never get to introduce myself, I'm Thorn."
"To be fair, a lot of things have happened," Veemon says. "I'm Victor, by the way."
"....I thought it's Veemon," Thorn blinks.
"Veemon is what I am, Victor is my name," Victor says with a sweatdrop.
"Ah..." Thorn mutters before remembering. "Oh, crap! We let Tesla enter a Mystery Dungeon on his own!"
"Oh, no..." Sabo mutters in worry as Thorn looks at Victor.
"Look, I know I have no rights, but could you help us?" Thorn asks in desperation, catching Victor off guard. "I-I would like to ask a proper rescue team or exploration team to do it, but Tesla is Sabo's brother and my close friend, not to mention he's extremely reckless, so he's in more danger, and we can't wait for any teams to rescue him and catch the thief, I-!"
"Okay, okay, I think you made it very clear how urgent it is," Victor cuts Thorn off. "Fine, I'm in."
"For real?!" Thorn asks with a hopeful tone.
"Yeah, besides..." Victor says while looking sad. "I don't exactly have any place to go."
"Oh...right..." Thorn looks apologetic. "W-well, after this, you could stay at my place, as a thanks."
"You sure?" Victor asks. He is grateful, but he feels like he's taking advantage of him. If his parents see him doing this, he would get beaten to death, Chinese-descendant style.
"Yeah," Thorn says with a smile, making Victor feel even more guilty. Victor takes a deep breath before sighing.
"Okay, let's not waste any more time..." Victor says as they both nod in agreement before they all walk into the dungeon. Then, Victor remembered one particular detail.
'Ah....I have zero idea how to use Veemon's attack. I'm fucking screwed.'
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Meanwhile
Beach Cave, B5F
"Hehehe, that was super easy." The bat, Zubat, says while cackling with glee, looking at the fragment held by the floating bag, Koffing.
"I know he's a wimp, but to think it was that easy," Koffing says while laughing.
"Do you think he'll enter the cave to get it back?" Zubat asks as Koffing scoffs.
"I doubt it, with how wimpy he is, he's probably leaving the Pikachu to do it for him," Koffing says as Zubat laughs.
"Haha, that's not surprising. A coward like him probably left the mouse alone to do the heavy work." Zubat mock before they hear a loud electricity crackling from the other side.
"You bastard had a nerve!" A familiar voice can be heard as Tesla walks out from the dark. He looks completely messy, with some wounds and bruises on his body, electricity crackling from his cheeks. "Not only did you have to steal my brother's treasure, but you had to insult him like that!"
"Ooo, the rat seems tougher than he looks," Zubat whistles.
"Well, the dungeon's filled with weaklings, so it's not that impressive," Koffing mutters, remembering how easily the dungeon Pokémon falls with just a Tackle from him.
"Give my brother's treasure back, you scums!" Tesla snarls before rushing towards both Pokémon. Before he could reach both of them, they were hit by a combination of Poison Gas and Poison Sting, which managed to poison Tesla and stop him on the track. Koffing follows up with a Tackle that sends the Pikachu several feet.
"Heh! Do you think both of us are small fries? Think again!" Zubat says while cackling.
"Now, let's see how long you will last," Koffing laughs haughtily as Tesla grits his teeth, flinching from the poison.
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Back with Victor and Pokemons
Beach Cave, B2F
"Take it easy..." Victor mutters as he looks at a blue slug, Shellos glaring at him with annoyance before shooting a blast of water, which Victor recognizes as a Water Gun, at him. Victor is barely able to dodge the blast as his shoulder is scratched by the attack, causing him to grimace before he rushes towards the Shellos. Shellos then unleashes bubbles around it, and Victor avoids them by rushing to the other side. Since the bubbles move so slowly, it was an easy dodge for Victor.
Victor takes the chance as he delivers a proper punch on Shellos, knocking it a few feet as the Shellos hiss in pain. Victor frowns a bit, noticing how the punch seems like a normal punch instead of an Attack. He wonders what is missing from that attack before moving away from another Water Gun. Victor grimaces as he looks to see that Thorn seems a bit busy with his opponents, along with Sabo, causing Victor to grit his teeth in annoyance.
After realizing how he is unable to fight properly with his new body, he starts to panic while wondering how he will be able to help in the upcoming fight against Zubat and Koffing, before calming himself down and remembering that the dungeon doesn't have one floor, so he could use the chance to learn under pressure. He also remembers how he's basically at the start of the PMD: Explorer's plot and realizes that he had messed up the entire plot, but he pushes the thought aside and focuses on his current situation, learning Veemon's Attack. However, it is much easier said than done, as he could only do normal punches for the entire first floor.
'Damn it, what exactly is missing!? My punch did a very normal damage, and the feeling of something missing keeps nagging in my mind! Come on, Victor. What did I miss from the attack!?' Victor thought before the Shellos slaps him with a ball of mud, causing him to yelp as the Shellos follows up with a water gun, sending him rolling. Victor can't help but feel frustrated at the fact that he can't perform a measly Digimon Attack, getting up as he wipes off the mud from his face.
"Okay, you damn slug," Victor growls, slamming his fist into his palm. "You pissed me off." Shellos didn't know why, but it felt like it had made a mistake. As Victor clenches his fist, a yellow spark comes out of his fist before it coats his entire fist, and Victor rushes towards the slug Pokémon. It attempts to halt him with another water gun, but Victor had had enough of that attack and punches through the attack before it hits Shellos.
"Vee-Punch!" Victor roars before sending Shellos crashing into the wall, causing a loud explosion. The dungeon Pokemons pause as they are all distracted by the weird-looking Pokémon beating one of their kin. Thorn and Soba take the chance to attack using their respective moves, defeating the group of Pokemons and revealing a path to the stairs. Both Pokémon immediately rush towards Victor, who got light bruises but looks fine.
'Damn it, all that for a Vee-Punch...' Victor thought in frustration as he clenched his fist, realizing how defenseless he is if not for learning Vee-Punch instinctively. He is even unsure if he could perform it again.
"Victor, you're okay?" Thorn asks in concern.
"...I'm fine," Victor mutters. "Just....annoyed that I have to relearn how to fight...."
"You...have to relearn how to use your move?" Sabo asks in surprise, unable to believe what he had heard. "W-why?"
"....I-I don't know, I somehow forgot everything after I woke up..." Victor voices out his frustration.
"Did...did you get amnesia?" Thorn asks in concern.
"...I'm not so sure..." Victor replies in frustration as the Pokémon look at each other in concern. "Come on, we got to go save...who was it, Tesla?"
"A-ah, yes," Sabo says. "But...are you sure you're okay?"
"...we got maybe a few floors, I could use it to relearn everything," Victor says. "You guys should focus more on saving Tesla and taking the fragment back."
"No, we've got to go together." Thorn insists. "Mystery Dungeon is very unpredictable; we can't split up as we like, or something bad might happen."
"But, don't we waste too much time if you guys stay with me?" Victor asks in concern.
"It's either that, or we're all in more danger," Thorn says as Victor sighs.
"Sorry for being a deadweight." Victor apologizes.
"Don't be," Sabo says. "Neither of us is a good fighter, except for Tesla, but he tends to be reckless."
"Yeah, I mean, we take a long time to take care of the horde of Pokemons before you unintentionally distract them," Thorn says as he pats Victor's back.
"...again, sorry." Victor apologizes again.
"Like Sabo said, don't be," Thorn says as they both walk down the stairs together, as more Dungeon Pokemons await them.
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Later
Beach Cave, B5F
"Gah!" Tesla is sent rolling through the ground as he feels the poison attacking his inner organs, feeling like a bunch of needles piercing his blood vessels. Tesla grits his teeth and shakily gets up. Koffing and Zubat didn't look any better. Despite how much weakened Tesla is, he still put up one hell of a fight. Koffing's entire body is full of burnt marks and even some dents on its round body, while some of Zubat's fur is burnt to a crisp, and one of its teeth is chipped.
"Damn, to think you still pull that kind of fight despite being poisoned." Zubat hiss in anger.
"Just give up already! No one likes a twerp who doesn't know how to give up!" Koffing hisses as well.
"I-I won't....not until you give back...my brother's treasure," Tesla says as both Pokémon look at him in annoyance before smirking as they pull out an Oran Berry each and eat it in front of Tesla, much to the Pikachu's frustration and disbelief.
"Ah, that hits the spot..." Zubat says in a mocking tone before looking at Tesla with a gleeful expression. "Now, where are we-!?"
Before any of them could do anything, a pair of vines rushed towards them. Both Koffing and Zubat take a step back before the vine hits the ground and sand explodes from the ground, creating a makeshift smokescreen barrier between the thieves and Tesla.
Meanwhile, Victor takes the chance to drag the poisoned rat away from there. Victor had honestly planned to fight them instead, but after going through the rest of the dungeon floor, Victor could easily say that he and the other Pokemons aren't ready to fight at all. Victor had seen how Thorn and Sabo fight, which honestly disappointed Victor at how weak they are, including himself.
Sure, they're young, but given their goals, which he learns wanting to be an Explorer like the canon Partner Pokémon, it's kinda disappointing as they didn't train to prepare for it. Not that he did any better since he agreed to help them without hesitation. So, he decided that he should make a plan to escape.
Victor then notices a loud hiss before instinctively pulling himself and Tesla away from the incoming Poison Stings. Due to how slow he is, some of them manage to stab Victor's legs, but thankfully, he didn't get poisoned as Victor turns to look at Zubat and Koffing, looking at him in anger before it turns into bewilderment.
"Umm, is that a Bagon?" Zubat asks unsurely.
"I never saw a Bagon that weird," Koffing mutters.
"Why would a Bagon be here in the first place?" Zubat turns to face Koffing; his face displays his confusion.
"How would I know!?" Koffing asks, unable to understand why Zubat is even facing him. Victor didn't hesitate to take the chance to get Tesla out of there and gave him to Thorn before the Bulbasaur forcefully fed Tesla a Pecha berry he picked in the dungeon, curing him from poison. As they take a sigh of relief, a cloud of poison gas and a bunch of poison needles lunge towards them. Thorn immediately activates Protect to shield himself and his allies.
"Thank Arceus, I didn't waste the TM..." Thorn mutters as the barrier dissipates. They tense when seeing Koffing and Zubat hovering in the air while looking at them menacingly.
"Oh, you 4 aren't going anywhere," Koffing says as Sabo unleashes an Ember towards them, which they move away from. Thorn unleashes a horde of Razor Leaf towards them, but they can dodge the attack effortlessly. Victor can't help but be surprised by how competent they are, but remembering that he's basically in real life instead of the pixels inside a game.
He's not ready, nor are they ready. Victor grips his fist in frustration, feeling completely useless and helpless.
"Hehe, you're not gonna hit us with those attacks." Zubat taunts.
"I think we should end this dumb fight," Koffing exclaims before he rushes towards them at high speed while spinning, three blue energy circles around him. Hector immediately summons Protect, but it was of no use as Koffing crashed onto them and sent all of them flying. Victor can't help but cough in pain, struggling to get up.
Koffing's Gyro Ball crashes into them like a sledgehammer, and he feels like some of his ribs are broken. He looks around and sees that everyone seems to have fallen unconscious, causing Victor to curse his luck. They didn't find a single Oran berry in the dungeon, and neither of them was able to heal. Victor shakily gets up, breathing heavily as he wonders how he will be able to beat him.
He can't perform a proper move consciously, his strength is lackluster, his reflexes are shitty, and he has no idea what he's doing at all. He hates his situation; he hates how he is ripped away from his world to an unknown world.
'Fuck this shit....' Victor thought as Koffing floated gleefully while Zubat flies besides it. 'Why am I even here? Why am I even a Digimon? Is this some sort of troll from Arceus itself? Or another ROB in this plane of existence? Are they having fun seeing me acting like an idiot...?' Time seems to slow down as Koffing performs another Gyro Ball and descends towards him.
'....this is unbelievable...losing to the first boss? I can hear the entire community laughing my asses off....if my situation is a dumb fanfic...the readers would roast me for being pathetic....' Victor thought, feeling pissed at everything that happens as a golden spark coming out of his right hand before it takes the shape of a long blade. 'No way.... no way am I going to suffer that kind of humiliation....I don't care if it sounds like a dumbass, I just want to beat that smug tumor's non-existing ass!'
Time starts to move normally as Koffing crashes into them and creates a cloud of dust. Zubat can't help but smirk at this, before suddenly, a blue flash comes out of the smoke, and Koffing was sent crashing into the ceiling. Zubat looks at his partner in disbelief before noticing that Koffing is knocked down. The smoke clears and reveals that Victor is relatively unharm, but his hand is wielding a weapon, specifically a sword. Victor looks at the blade in utter disbelief before he remembers one particular game where Digimons wield weapons.
The sword is quite long for Digimon, but in human standard, it's short. It has a blue blade with a white hilt guard like a rapier. Victor can't help but be confused, wondering why out of all the moves he possesses, summoning a sword is one of them since he's not in the Digimon World game universe, but decides to push his thought aside as Zubat rushes towards him with a loud hiss. Victor didn't hesitate to swing the sword right on Zubat's head and slam him into the ground with insane strength as the Rune Fragment fell out of the tiny bat. Victor didn't hesitate to catch it as the sword, then turns into energy and was reabsorbed into the back of his hand, specifically the weird symbol on it.
Before Victor could say anything, he felt his body become heavy and collapse. Before he falls unconscious, he feels his entire body being dragged with a violent force as darkness takes over his vision.
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Beach
"-tor! Victor!" Victor feels light reentering his vision as he sees Thorn trying to shake him awake.
"W-what is it...?" Victor mutters as he slowly gets up before he is taken aback by Thorn pulling him into a hug with his vines, followed by Sabo hugging him.
"Oh, thank Arceus you're okay!" Thorn exclaims before looking guilty. "I-I'm sorry for dragging you into this..."
"N-no need to apologize," Victor exclaims, waving it off. "I-I was being an idiot for even agreeing in the first place, despite knowing the risk." In truth, he forgot. But it is still his fault for agreeing.
"I..." Thorn wanted to say more, but Tesla merely grunted.
"Don't apologize anymore. If he said he's at fault, then let him take the blame." Tesla mutters.
"Show him some gratitude, damn it! He saved you from those crooks!" Thorn exclaims, unable to believe his friend would treat Victor like that.
"What's the point if we all ended up getting kicked out of the dungeon?" Tesla grumbles. "Those crooks are still there, and Sabo's treasure is still with them!" As he said that, Victor feels something under his tail as he pulls it out and reveals it to be the Relic Fragment.
"You mean this?" Victor asks, surprising everyone. Sabo smiles brightly before holding it.
"Y-yes! Thank you!" Sabo exclaims as he hugs Victor. Victor awkwardly pats his back, wondering if hugging like this is normal for Pokémon in this world before noticing Tesla glaring at Victor in envy, confusing Victor even more.
"N-not that we're ungrateful, but how?" Thorn asks.
'Plot armor,' Victor deadpanned to himself before replying to Thorn. "Well, they get cocky at the last minute, so I...take the advantage and catch them off guard..."
"....that doesn't explain anything," Thorn says in a deadpan manner.
"I relearned the move that gives me an edge," Victor sighs as Thorn nods in understanding.
"Wait, what's this about relearning his move?" Tesla looks at Victor in confusion.
"...I forgot how to fight," Victor grumbles as Tesla looks baffled by the explanation.
"We think he might have some sort of amnesia," Sabo says.
"That's not how amnesia works!" Tesla exclaims.
"What if it's caused by a powerful Psychic Pokémon?" Thorn suggested, which made Tesla pause.
".... it's still too fishy," Tesla mutters while crossing his arms, while Sabo looks at Victor.
"Even so, thanks. And sorry for dragging you into this," Sabo says as Victor waves it off.
"Don't worry about it..." Victor mutters before looking at the Rune Fragment. "So... what's so important about it?"
"It's a Relic Fragment, at least that's what I named it," Sabo says as he shows it to Victor. "It's my precious treasure. I came across it one day due to its strange inscription forming a pattern. I always love legends and lore; hearing past tales excites me! Hidden troves full of treasures and strange relics, uncharted territories veiled in darkness, and new lands just waiting to be discovered! Such places must be filled with gold and treasures! That's what I always dream of, it's all exciting for me! And I believe this fragment might lead me to a legendary place that no one has ever discovered yet!"
Victor can't help but smile at Sabo's excitement, reminding him of his childhood, when his dream was to be an explorer (After watching Indiana Jones) and go around the world to seek treasures. As he grows up, he gives up on his dream after seeing nothing to be discovered.
"I plan to join the Exploration Team, and I will try to join the guild as an apprentice. But..." Sabo mutters, rubbing the fragment. "I got cold feet. I ran away out of fear....it didn't help that I was useless in the dungeon. I...don't think I should join..."
'Fuck...the damage that I caused is bad...' Victor curses to himself, looking at Sabo with a guilty expression. He needs to do something about it, something that might convince him not to give up.
"...Sabo, I think you shouldn't give up that dream," Victor says, getting Sabo's attention. "I...understand that you're scared...but, are you satisfied?"
"H-huh?" Sabo asks in puzzlement.
"Are you satisfied...just like that? Without even taking a first step forward, you turn away from the path that leads to your dream... so many things you could discover, so many lessons you could learn...even friends you might find in that journey..are you just gonna give all that up...because you're scared?" Victor asks as Sabo flinches.
"B-but...what if I can't....what if I can't achieve that dream?" Sabo asks timidly.
"But what if you can?" Victor asks back. "You won't know until you try. Besides, don't you have Thorn and Tesla having your back?"
"Y-yeah!" They both nod in unison as Sabo glances at them before looking at Victor once again.
"...o-okay..." Sabo nods with a determined look. "I-I'll try, for real!"
"That's the spirit," Victor says with a wide smile.
"V-Victor..." Sabo begins, looking shy. "W-will you....form an exploration team with us?"
"E-eh?" Victor was surprised by the offer. He honestly didn't think he would ask about it since the mess was caused by his intervention.
"I-I heard from Thorn that you got here without knowing how and have nowhere else to go..." Sabo says shyly. "I-I thought that maybe we could find any clues about it..."
"...sure," Victor decided to just accept the offer. Like Sabo said, he had nowhere else to go. Sabo becomes excited before he starts to cheer, much to Thorn's amusement and Tesla's annoyance.
"Anyways, when did Thorn tell you about my situation?" Victor can't help but be curious.
"You were unconscious for quite a long time, even when we had already regained ours." Thorn points out, as Victor simply nods. As Sabo continues to discuss possible new places they might discover, Victor starts to think about how the world might change. First, the true protagonist from the future, where is he now? What happened to him? Is he safe? Is he with Grovyle? What's going to happen in the future? Then, he starts to wonder why in the world he was here.
So many questions, but there are no answers.
To Be Continued