From Trainer to Beast Tamer Pokémon Trainer! Reader x Twisted Wonderland

Chapter 65: Usurper Sultan

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Chapter 65: Usurper Sultan

The group landed in a new, but familiar looking dream.
"Ortho, headcount please." Idia asked.
The android nodded. "One, two, three... Everyone's made the jump. Is anyone feeling queasy?"
Kalim, who had been holding onto (Y/N) for safety, beamed and hopped, looking ecstatic. "THAT! FELT! GREAT! What WAS that?! We went fwish like when I take off on my magic carpet! Your signature spell's amazing, Silver!"
The pale haired boy said nothing as he was busy propping up a clearly dizzy Vil. Ortho scanned the actor.
"Wait! I'm detecting some imbalances in Vil's aetheric structure. You look pale. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine with flight magic, and last I checked, I'm not terribly prone to motion sickness...But I'm feeling rather... Rgh..."
Seeing Vil go green, (Y/N) rushed in, helping Silver pull him somewhere more agreeable. "Okay! Let's settle you into the nice shade over here, Vil."
"Thank you both." Vil said as they helped him down. "Dear me... I can't stand slowing others down."
"Don't worry about that." Kalim assured him. "Just relax and stay there until you feel better, okay?"
Sebek was, unfortunately, as emotionally tone deaf as ever. "It would be a poor use of time for all of us to wait around until Vil recovers, however. Perhaps we should split up?"
Silver shot him a look. "I have some reservations about acting separately while we're in a dream."
"The server's spell structure is presently stable, for what it's worth." Idia reassured them. "As long as you don't do anything that draws GM aggro, it should be safe to split up. And you've all got Styx engineers monitoring your aether signals at all times."
"In that case, Silver and I can stay with Vil." Ortho offered, making Sebek nod.
"Very well. The rest of us will seek the dreamer."
"Considering how other dreams have gone, the dreamer shouldn't be too far from where we landed." Silver explained to (Y/N) specifically. "I'm sure Jamil's somewhere close by. We'll catch up as soon as Vil's feeling better. Just don't get ahead of yourselves and do anything reckless."
"Hmph, your concern is unwarranted." Sebek retorted. "(Y/N), myself, and Grim are veteran dream-jumpers at this point. If anything arises, we'll return immediately."
"Idia, let me know if anything happens." Ortho asked.
"Kk. I'll stay in spectator mode."
"If we're searching the city, our school uniforms would likely be our safest choice."
"You'll drop from heatstroke!" (Y/N) reminded, though Sebek ignored her, running into a bazaar.
"I must say, though... It's very hot in Jamil's dream as well. There are so many vendors, and they're absolutely thronged with people."
"Oh, I recognize all these stalls." Kalim beamed. "This is Camel Bazaar in Silk City!"
"Thought I recognized it." (Y/N) said as Idia jumped in.
"Silk City... Oh, that's Jamil's hometown, right? I remember reading that in his dossier."
"Yeah, Jamil and I were born and raised here. Camel Bazaar is a market that sells fresh foods."
"Mraaah!" grim trilled. "I smell spices and meat cookin' all over the place! And the sweet scent of fruit!"
"That's shawarma." Kalim explained. "They serve the meat wrapped in pita bread with vegetables. It's super good!"
Even Sebek seemed taken by the stalls. "All the fruits at these stalls look bright and colorful. I hardly recognize most of them."
"Ooh, I know! We should get Vil some of the coconut juice they're selling there. It's cool and refreshing. That should help Vil feel better."
Grim was hopping about. "Fruit juice! That sounds delicious!"
"Hmm. I won't knock the boost that food gives to mental recovery, but remember, this is still just a simulation." Idia reminded them. "Plus, uh, I haven't coded any currency items for you, so you might wanna hold off for now..."
"Idia speaks soundly." Sebek agreed. "We haven't found Jamil yet either. We should remain cautious."
"Aww, c'mon!" Grim complained. "I want cold juice, and I want it NOW!"
(Y/N) grabbed him by the scruff. "Behave."
Kalim motioned for her to calm down, walking to a stall. "It's cool, it's cool! I got this. Excuse me, Mister! I'd like ten coconut juices!"
"T... TEN?!" Sebek shouted. "Are you sure about this?"
"Wait, we don't have money!" (Y/N) said too late as the vendor returned.
"Here's your coconut juice!"
Ten beautiful carved coconuts were laid out before them, making Sebek reel back.
"Whoa! It's a heap of whole coconuts..."
Kalim handed one to him. "They're cut open at the top. I love these things. Try a sip! It's really good and refreshing."
Grim snatched it. "Aww, yeah! My throat was gettin' dry. Bottoms up!"
"Well, if you insist..." Sebek said hesitantly as (Y/N) began rummaging through her bag in the background.
He and Grim took generous gulps and sighed in satisfaction.
"Glad you like it! Now let's get these back to Vil before they get warm."
The vendor stopped Kalim. "Excuse me, sir! You need to pay."
Kalim tilted his head. "Pay? Sorry, I don't have any cash on me."
"What? You've already drunk it. You need to pay for what you've received!"
"Huh? You can just bill my house like usual."
"Your house? Like usual? What the heck are you talking about?"
"Huh? You haven't forgotten who I am, have you? Take a look at my face. It's me! Kalim Al-Asim!"
"Al-Asim, huh? If that's true, that's even less reason to put anything on a tab. You think you can dine and dash at MY stall? You've got some nerve, kiddo!"
Sebek glared at him. "Hey! Why is this happening, after all your confident claims?! We're supposed to be avoiding causing any scenes that could get us noticed by the darkness...!"
"You stay where you are, thieves! I'm reporting you to the police!"
"Found one!" (Y/N) shouted, pulling a small orb from her bag and tossing it to the vendor. "Will this cover it, sir?"
Baffling enough, she had tossed him a small pearl. The vendor studied it for a bit before nodding.
"Carry on, ma'am. Though..." He shot the boys a dirty look. "I suggest you find some better company."
"I'll keep that in mind. Let's get a move on, guys."
They scuttled off, Kalim nudging (Y/N)'s shoulder. "Man, you really saved us back there, (Y/N)!"
"Do just have pearls on you at all times?" Idia asked as the girl shrugged.
"They're all over my home region. Honestly, I find them randomly in my stuff all the time."
Ignoring that, Kalim pursed his lips. "This is strange. Nobody in Silk City has ever told me to pay for something before."
"Geez, this goes beyond being ultra-rich." Idia sighed. "They treat you like a king here..."
(Y/N) gripped her nose. "Kalim, you and I are going to talk about reasonable expectations when this is all over."
He just kept going. "I've known the guy at that drink stall for ages, too. What's happened to him?"
Just then, Silver reappeared. "Kalim, this may not look any different from reality, but remember that it's still a dream."
"Came to check up on us?" (Y/N) joked as the pale haired boy rubbed his head bashfully.
"I thought you might need some assistance. Anyways, Kalim, things can be completely different here from how they are in reality."
"Oh, right." Kalim said. "The way things were in my dream was nothing like reality either. I guess Jamil's dream is twisted in some way like mine was, huh? But why would people in town not know who I am in Jamil's dream?"
"I can guess a few reasons." (Y/N) muttered to herself as Silver glanced around.
"Vil's feeling a lot better. Let's meet back up and look for places where Jamil might be."
"We can start by checking my place." Kalim suggested. "Jamil's place is on our grounds."