Inferno Divider!

“Inferno . . . divider!” 

With his blade cloaked in Seithr, he beheaded a Nevermore with a single uppercut. The grumpy reaper landed on the street outside of his apartment, placing his blade back on his back. 

“Is that a fucking cat?” 

“Oh no, not again.”

“I’ve literally only been here for a couple of days and I’m starting to think I’m the only normal one around here. Me.” She is not pleased with this revelation.

“This damn place is the only time I haven’t been dodging attempts on my life. I don’t know if I should be happy or paranoid. Knowing my luck, the universe is just luring me into a sense of false security. Just like it always does . . . “ 

Arrival

My name is Dokuro Homika. I’m an indie rocker, and for the last seven years I’ve been the Gym Leader of Virbank City. I think you know the story by now. Everything seems fine, and just when the new trainers start coming in on the Gym Challenge, some chucklefucks come out of the woodworks with some grand master plan of evil. And sure, maybe the Plasma Gang wasn’t that bad the first time around, but the fact they came back two years later far, far more willing to take lives? Yeah, I was pretty damn well occupied keeping my city safe. At least the years following that were a fair bit more peaceful. Not counting various other threats like those strange wormholes dotting the sky or the rise of those Macro Cosmo assholes. Honestly not sure what’s worse, having to shove my dagger into a strangely hot bug woman or finding out that some dickweed thought triggering the apocalypse would help with an energy crisis a thousand years in the future. I swear, people these days…

Okay, so flash forward a couple months after those Galar shenanigans. 

I’m in my room at the back of The Dive, practicing some new killer songs- Liar, she was just laying on her bed eating pizza. She wasn’t even doing anything remotely musical, her Scolipede-themed bass just lying at the foot of the bed. Frankly, the only thing close to musical she was doing was listening to the occasional song that came up in her RotoYou playlist. -When the weirdest thing happened. And I gotta say, since that Plasma Gang incident a few years back, weird things have happened to me pretty damn often. But this. This was really fucking weird. As she reached for another slice of pizza, a technicolor burst flashed on her ceiling, flaring from purple to pink to blue, settling on a light cyan. Thinking nothing of it, she attempted to bite into the slice of pepperoni, only for the pizza to glitch the fuck out and shatter in her hand. Grief at the loss of her late lunch flashed in eyes for a moment, for the shock to be overwhelmed by surprise.

The swirling vortex ripped her off her bed with such force she almost couldn’t right herself in the air, and only barely managed to snag the strap of her bass before being sucked right in.

That damn thing threw me through a fuckin’ drug trip tunnel and ping-ponged me against a bunch of buildings before tossing me in front of a harbor. It looked a lot like Virbank City, but… it wasn’t. I knew everyone in my city, and not a single face on the people milling about looked familiar. Not to mention, there wasn’t a single Pokemon in sight. 

“What… what is this place?”

“Geez, dunno if I should mad or glad that I didn’t end up here in such a dramatic fashion.” 

Leaning against a nearby wall was a man with hair as white as hers, though his eyes were two different colors and his expression only conveyed annoyance at the fact that he realized he was likely going to have to babysit a brat. At least, she looked like a brat. So in his mind, she was a brat.

“To answer yer question, you’re in Vasteria City. A place that a bunch o’ different people have been dragged to, regardless of what world they originated from. You’re currently in the Main District. I’m honestly surprised you didn’t die from all that crazy ricocheting you were doing.”

She should also be glad that she didn’t collide head first with the fountain. Likely because as the only adult in the area, he’d have to pay for the damages and he’d take that frustration out on her through the form of assigning menial tasks. 

He’d dealt with Platinum enough to know how brats like her worked.

“Nah, it’s the name I gave myself. People called me a demon, hellspawn, mother-killer…” He shook his head just slightly. “So I gave myself a name that they’d be too scared to use. Better than insults, fer sure.”

Ragna had been called the Grim Reaper? “Great Transgressor was my title, an’ I wear it with pride.” Vicious grinned. He had no reason to attack Ragna, and there wasn’t a reason for him to attack Vicious. So the two of them were perplexed at this, it seemed.

He couldn’t help himself and laughed as well. “Yeah! It’s funny, usually people would try killin’ me themselves or send Enforcers after me to kill me. Never worked, but man– this is somethin’ else!”

He managed to stop his laughing in time to comment on what the other had said. “Great Transgressor, huh? Not the worst name I guess. But yeah, I know what you mean. I’d usually have an entire army gunning for me right about now. Not counting my insane brother who has a hate-boner for me, long story there.”

“All in all, where I came from, everyone and their uncle hated me. I had maybe one or two friends, but I kept them at arm’s length to protect them. So maybe showing up in Vasteria was a blessing. A chance to start anew.”

Sacrificed his life? So, unlike himself, this guy couldn’t regenerate. That was probably really hellish. Vicious couldn’t even begin to understand how he’d still come to be if he’d sacrificed his life. But that was something he wouldn’t bring up. Seemed like it pained the man to think of it.

“Life finds a way to throw ya back into the fighting fray. If you do end up in it, I won’t be too far behind.” Violence was his thing, after all. He didn’t really have anything else. At least, not in this city.

“Vicious.” He responded in kind. The motion he made was foreign to him, but he held out a hand to the other. He’d seen Misella do this multiple times while they were in towns to find work and get money for food. “Think Misella always said ‘pleased to make yer acquaintance’. So that.”

He just hoped Ragna wouldn’t stab him in the back.

Ragna outwardly scoffed. “Vicious, huh? Wouldn’t doubt if that’s the name people gave you. They always called me The Grim Reaper. So I just kind of embraced it.”

Ragna was equally perplexed though. No one ever said it was nice to meet him. In fact, this was about the time they tried to kill him. Unless they were Celica, that girl was too pure for her own good. He missed her.

Still, making enemies this early would be stupid. Jubei would chide him for that.

“Yeah, Celica would have said the same thing,” he said as he shook the man’s hand.

And then he actually laughed. 

“Seems like I’m the only one in our housing that decorated their house to their fancy.” Oh well, everyone had their own preferences for that kind of stuff. Then again, it was a given, considering they just landed here a couple of days ago. That and she herself had access to Quantum Manipulation, so she could just pull stuff out of the Quantum Sea.

“Oh my name? I’m Estelle Prudentia, though if that’s too long, you can just call me either Prude or Tia.” A shrug, as she walked after him and decided to pull out a cuple of large glasses from a Quantum Portal too.

“Say, you bought any tupperware yet? If not, consider these glasses we’ll be using a secondary gift from me too~”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You want to be called . . . prude? Can’t say that’s one I’ve heard before, but whatever floats your boat, lady.” 

He was beginning to suspect that this Vasteria place was just as zany and stupid as the world he left behind. He wasn’t sure if that was a bad or a good thing.

Vasteria City is totally gonna be the new hip thing.

“You too?”

That was different. Getting up off the couch, Vicious walked over to the door and opened it. Stepping outside, the man then looked towards the direction he’d heard the voice coming from earlier when he was in the apartment.

“You’re wanted where yer from, too?” It was very odd to think about. Two wanted criminals in the same apartment building. Vicious’ gaze softened a little, and he looked away.

“Guess I can understand where yer comin’ from. Just doesn’t feel right not fightin’ all the time fer my life.”

Ragna cocked an eyebrow. Two wanted criminals, huh? Talk about a small world.

“I ain’t saying I’m blaming you. Fighting is all I know. It’s just that I’m tired. I sacrificed my life before I ended up here. I thought I finally earned peace, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.” 

He didn’t see a reason to hide his past. New world, new worries. The people of his past wouldn’t be here. So for now, he’d focus on the future. 

“Oh I get that often.” Estelle spoke with an understanding kind of voice. “It’s the whole higher dimensional being thing, right? I tried multiple times to turn it down, but I don’t know how to.” A shrug in other words, as she handed over the pizza and beer.

“Or maybe it’s the rabbit kinda get-up? Some people really seem to hate rabbits for whatever reason.” Ahh, she was being scatterbrained again. “Apologies for rambling, but it’s nice to meet you mister Ragna. May I come in for a quick chat? Or would you like to come to my place and eat some more stuff alongside the pizza?”

Okay, so she was a bit of an airhead. He could work with that. Lord knows he hung around Taokaka enough to get a grasp on these kinds of people. Though he had to resist the urge to grimace when she brought up her rabbit-like appearance. That really was too close to home. He’d ignore it for now. 

He looked behind him at the lonely looking apartment and let out a sigh.

“Sure, come in. There isn’t much though. I’m not one for fancy decorations.” 

“Though before you do, maybe try introducing yourself first? That’s the polite thing to do.” 

“…I was about to say the same thing, mister.” Zero locks eyes with Ragna, stopping in his tracks to head to the marketplace, noticing how… beautiful those eyes are, but… that white hair… Was the crimson lad that old…? If his memory bank served right, humans have grey / white hair when they reach an certain age…. 

Shaking off their strange feeling, keeping the eye contract so steady, without making a sudden move, “Did you meet some crazies, prior before arriving here…?” A shiver sends down his back ; memories flashing. As long as it’s not Sage Harpuia, or any of those guardians, it… should be peaceful. 

He noted the way the stranger looked at him. It was a look of fascination and one that Ragna decided to shrug off. It was nothing compared to Nu, so he could tolerate it for now. 

“Understatement of the century, kid. Before I woke up here, I had to sacrifice my damn existence facing off against a guy who wanted to rewrite reality. Thought I finally had peace and then whamo, here I am. New world, new adventure.”

He let out a sigh.

Just like she had done with the other neighbours, Estelle had decided to surprise her other neighbour with some pizza and beer. Hence why she had gone ahead and bought it, for once in a legit manner and now stood in-front of Ragna’s door.

As she was about to knock on it, the white-haired mal had yanked it open, making her flinch in response and take a step back in surprise. “U–Uh, hello?”

Taking a moment to compose herself, she was smiling once more. “Hello! I’m a new neighbour of yours and I bring pizza and beer with me!”

Upon seeing her expression and hearing her words, he visible relaxed and let out a sigh. “Sorry about that,” he said as he rubbed the back of his head. “Your entire essence just screamed trouble and I was being paranoid due to past experiences.” 

“I’ll gladly accept the offerings. Name’s Ragna by the way.” 

Really, he was to his wit’s end.

This place was just too goddamn peaceful and it made him sick. Where was the bloodshed? Where was the chaos?! If anything, this felt like a sick joke. Flopping on the couch, with nothing better to do, Vicious heard the person who called out to him.

Yeah, life was unfair. He knew that too well.

“And? The hell do you propose I do about it? I’ve already got like, seven tickets for disturbin’ the peace!”

He may have tried to cause chaos earlier and ended up with several tickets that he begrudgingly paid off, but seriously! This place was more boring than that stick-up-his-ass knight who decided to chase him and Misella halfway across the continent.

Ragna already had a headache. This guy’s very existence was grating. He reminded him of Kagura, except worse. 

“Look, buddy. Some of us are tired of constant fighting. I’m just happy not to be a wanted criminal here.” 

He had a bad feeling. That kind of bad feeling he only got when that stupid rabbit was around. That kind of feeling that only came when he knew he was near someone of a higher existence. Someone who stood above normal man. And it irked him to no end.

He yanked open the front door to his apartment, feeling their presence directly behind it.