MAN! [short stories]

Alien Worlds

Nimbasa City glowed with artificial lights in the evening sunlight, creating a spectacle that somewhat uncannily resembled the tall rocky cliffs of Pandora with how the buildings stretched into the sky, illuminated along their sides as if covered in a thousand bioluminescent specks. The settlement, despite being a rookery for Skypeople and their Pokemon, was also perfect for the mountain banshee species - the tall buildings were cliffs to roost on, the plentiful greenery were homes away from home, and family nested within the area.

A lone female sat upon a hillside, observing the bustling city life in the near distance with a vaguely vacant stare. Her wings, folded up at her sides, drooped as she exhaled through her spiracles in a heavy sigh. The sounds of cars honking in the distance, distorted by the time they reached the ikran's senses, sounded far too similar to the warning calls of banshees - it took some getting used to, that much was certain.
Though that was not why the banshee was here.
In truth, she was happy to get used to these bizarre new cultures and places - the Skyperson life was one she took an immense interest in, especially seeing as her Uncle Emmet (a Skyperson himself) was so proud of it. He even named her after the city that glistened past the hill: Nimbasa. Ever since she was old enough to talk Nimbasa had all but demanded her Uncle teach her the ways of his species, filling her little ikran mind with hopes and dreams that no other banshee would share. One of those hopes, after hearing tales from Uncle Emmet, was to learn from Ingo - Emmet's twin nestmate. Nimbasa was amazed to hear that Emmet had an identical twin and even more amazed when she finally met the Man. Unfortunately the poor bipedal creature seemed most confused by the banshees. It was rare that she ever got to be in the same place with Ingo, let alone ask him questions. His face was almost always expressionless - a very uncanny quirk of his - which led to Nimbasa being unable to read him like she could Emmet. Skypeople were incredibly expressive creatures with an array of facial muscles that allowed them to speak with only their face movements - Ingo didn't seem to share this behaviour. It was unnerving. Not only could Nimbasa not apply ikran body language to him, she also couldn't apply Emmet the Man body language to him. He was an enigma.

"Nim! There you are!"

Nimbasa turned her head slightly, a quiet trill escaping her jaw as she found herself looking at Uncle Emmet himself. He seemed slightly out of breath with his face all red and his mouth hanging open - he wasn't even wearing his trademark hat. Nim felt a sliver of guilt - had she worried him with her absence to such a degree that Emmet rushed out to find her?
"Uncle Emmet," Nimbasa chirruped, blinking her eyes in a banshee smile as Emmet darted up to stand by her chest, "I hope I didn't make you worry."
Emmet let out a breathy laugh as he slumped against the banshee's side, wiping sweat off his brow with the back of his wingless arm. "It's okay! I found you. I am Emmet."

For a few moments, Uncle Emmet sat catching his breath by Nimbasa's side and watched as life continued on in the city below. A few Ride Charizards flew across the city, their bright tail-flames contrasting greatly against the cool blue-white of the skyscraper lights. Nimbasa was almost hypnotised by the way their flames glowed in her secondary eyes - the white-hot fire shining bright in the near-infrared sight - but her focus was stolen by a soft sigh from the Skyperson nestled against her.
"How come you're out here?" Emmet asked quietly, peering up at the far larger creature with a worried gaze.
Nimbasa whined slightly before sighing once again. "I... just wanted space to think."
"About what?"
"... Ingo."
Emmet paused, his face contorting into a somewhat nervous expression. Nimbasa peeled her gaze from her tiny Uncle and refocused on the horizon to keep her nerves steady as anxiety grew within her.
"Uncle Emmet," she began with a cautious tone, "why does Ingo hate us?"
That seemed to startle Emmet. He flinched against the banshee's side, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly as if struggling to find words to say. In the end, he simply chose to sigh and lean back against Nimbasa.
"He doesn't hate you. He's just... hard to read sometimes," Emmet explained, peering up at Nim once more, "he may be home again but he's still verrrry lost. We all are, Nim."
Nimbasa cast a glance down at her Uncle, her avian eyes scanning his features before she turned to face the city again. When she did not reply, Uncle Emmet continued.
"From one alien world to another... it's verrry overwhelming. Even for your Uncle Emmet," he chuckled lightly, "you should have seen me when I first met your dad! I was verrrry nervous. I screamed a lot. Waayyy less calm than Ingo. Just... give him time! He'll come around."
Nimbasa let out a satisfied purr as Emmet reached up with his hand, an outstretched finger gently rubbing the side of her jaw.
The city below seemed to glow a little brighter as the sun slowly set, the distant car noises just as loud as they were before. Nimbasa took in a deep breath, listening to the echoing honks of the traffic - as she did so, they began to sound far less like banshee warning cries.