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

Chapter 71: Long Live the King

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Chapter 71: Long Live the King

"Aether signal tracking successful. We have arrived at the designated coordinates."
The group was once again settled down in the main square of Sunrise City in front of the fountain. Ruggie easily brushed off the trip and let go of Ortho.
"Hm? That was it? That wasn't so bad. You're a way better driver than the old mini-bus driver!"
"That fountain..." Jack noted. "Looks like we're back in the Sunset Savanna capital, like in Ruggie's dream."
"I mean, that makes perfect sense for Leona." (Y/N) pointed out as Ruggie nodded.
"Duh, we're both from here. Though obviously from VERY different parts of town, shyeheehee."
"You seem to be handling your first dream jump okay, Ruggie." Silver complimented, getting a look from the hyena.
"C'mon, Silver. Who do you take me for? I AM in the Spelldrive Club's starting lineup, you know. I can take a little spinning and swaying. If anything, that wasn't enough! Shyeheehee."
"There's a reason Ruggie's backfield prowess earned him the nickname "Discswiper."" Jack explained, smirking. "He's the best in the game at tricky flight maneuvers. Never underestimate his aerial chops!"
Grim crossed his arms. "Why're you braggin' about it, Jack...?"
"Hey, Azul! You exceeded the bounds of propriety back there." Sebek complained as he was still trying to pry the second year off him. "Your grip was so strong, I half feared you'd pull my arm out of its socket!"
"With all these extra people, there weren't many places I could hold on. Would you prefer I cling to (Y/N) or fall off and get separated from the rest of the group?!" Azul then let out a queasy groan. "That sudden movement made me dizzy. I feel sick..."
"Easy, Azul!" (Y/N) interjected, rubbing his back as Ortho performed a medical scan.
"Azul, are you okay? I'm picking up slight disturbances in your aetheric structure."
"I think the spelldrive game and the tropical climate depleted his hit points more than battling the darkness did." Idia pointed out.
"Then we should get some cold drinks and take a little time to recuperate." Ortho suggested. "Maybe you should also have Milotic out to assist you, Azul."
"Good point."
Ruggie rolled his eyes as the octomer released the water type. "Oh dear, Octavinelle students are so soft. Well, nothin' for it. I'm the only guy here familiar with the area, so I'll grab some bottles of water or tea from one of the shops nearby."
"I can help you carry everything, Ruggie." Jack volunteered as (Y/N) stood up.
"I'll go too."
"Ooh, some extra sets of hands means we could get cheaper cups from a drink stand instead... Hm?" Ruggie paused as the trio headed into a marketplace that was pretty much deserted. "Wait. This is supposed to be the busiest and most crowded part of the capital, but..."
Jack glanced around. "It does seem like there's less foot traffic and fewer cars here than what we saw in your dream."
"A market like this should be a central hub of the city." (Y/N) said.
"It usually is. There's no stalls at all... And every place that sells drinks has its shutters drawn. We should ask around and see what's up." Ruggie then spotted a lone figure. "Excuse me, ma'am? Could I ask you something?"
"Yes?" She turned and went pale at the sight of the boy. "...Eep, a hyena!"
That caused a chain reaction with the few people who were around.
"What? A hyena?!"
"There's no food left here! Please, just go away!"
They all scattered like mice, slamming their doors shut and leaving poor Ruggie with his ears pinned back. Jack looked at him with concern.
"Ruggie..."
"Hold on! I haven't done anything wrong... Well, technically I have, but still. I definitely didn't do anything that would freak people out like that!"
"What concerns me isn't that they recognized you as an individual, but as a hyena." (Y/N) pointed out, rubbing her chin. "I don't like this."
They quickly scuttled back and relayed what had happened to the rest of the group.
"The humans aren't the only oddity here." Sebek agreed. "As Jack says, the city is clearly more desolate than it was in Ruggie's dream. My liege should be giving everyone happy dreams. Why is this place so deserted?"
"I was noticing that too—and that's not the only thing I'm concerned about. I'm gonna look into some things." Idia said. "Ortho, you handle things here."
"Roger that. Okay, let's start by heading to the royal palace. Leona Kingscholar is the second prince of the Sunset Savanna, so it's very likely that's where we'll find him."
Silver nodded. "Agreed. Azul, can you walk?"
"Yes, I'm good." He assured, patting his companion Pokemon's head. "I'm feeling much better thanks to Milotic."
"We're going to be walking through the city. It might be a good idea for us to change to our school uniforms."
(Y/N) sent Silver a look. "Something tells me it won't make much of a difference."