Poke, poke, poke. Lucien’s brow furrowed. Was this thing alive at all or maybe some kind of gelatinous plant? It certainly didn’t have the touch-consistency of a Ditto, so he knew he was wrong there but…

Can you please stop that. Lucien jolted upright looking around. Golden eyes flashed here and there searching out the person attached to that voice only to slowly look down again at the pink thing. As the blob turned around, Lucien stared in vague confusion. He knew Ditto could talk. All Pokemon were theorized to be able to talk under some specific conditions or something, but…. But this thing isn’t a Ditto so.

“Uh….” Lucien shook his head trying to quickly get his bearings. “Sorry bro, didn’t know you were a… uh… I thought you were ah….. uh….” Lucien tilted his head to one side slowly. “A Ditto? ‘F ya know what that is.”

Lucien stared at the blob writhing before him. He no longer heard that voice and vaguely wondered if he had imagined it. Again, his eyes flickered around searching out a different person. That was, at least, until the blob started scribbling on the ground. Luckily for everyone involved, Lucien could in fact read this language. “Oh—“ Grab it? Heh. “Kay.” Leaning forward again, Lucien hesitated before reaching a hand down to touch the creature again.

Bleh. The consistency was really really really gross wasn’t it?

“ACK?!” Lucien’s hand pulled back, but the creature was already attached wrapping tighter by the second. He fidgeted a few more seconds until the voice reverberated in his head. Freezing, Lucien blinked a couple of times and looked down at his arm again. “O-oh…” Twisting his hand around as he looked it over, he smiled a bit and raised a slow eyebrow. “Weiiiiiird…” So focused was he on the hand was he that Lucien completely missed the first question.

Oh uh. Why was he poking him?? Uh?? Huh. “Uh…ah… dude I have…like no idea what you are…” Lucien answered turning his arm and hand around again. “Ya jus’ reminded me of a Ditt-er…Pokemon ‘f ya know what that is even.” There was no one so far that he had met aside from his usual companions that knew what Pokemon were. It was… disheartening. “What are you even?”

An Aigan?? Lucien had never heard of an Aigan, but the creature saw fit to explain what he was without prompting. “So like a…uh….” Lucien’s brows furrowed as he tried to come up with a parallel. The best he could come up with was “A Shellder??” By biting the tail of its Slowpoke friend, it could become a Slowbro. Much rarer, if it had a King’s rock and bit on the head, it would be a Slowking. But… er… even that didn’t really parallel exactly.

Aksjdlaksjd. “Hey hey easy— what’re ya doin’,” Lucien frowned as the creature climbed further up his arm. It didn’t know what a Ditto was, so he wasn’t too interested to keep having it be this close…. As the name was spoken, however, Lucien did pause. What a weird name.

WAIT WHAT—

“Hey uh… bond? Bro like… uh… er… ya mean like …” Lucien slowly flexed his now clawed hand. “Yer kinda like a second skin er somethin’?” That was definitely not like a Shellder but very very similar to something he had only ever seen one of: the Ultra Beast Nihilego. The hairs on Lucien’s arms stood on end. “Ya c’n reverse it ‘n stuff right??” And not cause him to be crazy.

Oof, ok good. Lucien let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. The thought of letting this creature into his lungs for any reason, however, had his lips immediately sealing. “Mmmmmmm.” Yeah, not n— Wait that’s kinda hot. A sharp, weird, but genuine laugh suddenly broke from Lucien. He couldn’t help but laugh at himself right then. “Maybe ‘f ya ask nicely I might letcha.” Did he just wink? Lucien did.

The creature was already spreading by then, however, sort of wrapping itself around him in a weird glow-y fashion. Lucien’s eyes dropped to both of his hands now. Huh… Blinking hard a moment, Lucien drew up some power before staring at the creature. His normally mellow sea green colored aura had taken on a rather deep purple hue around it, not exactly integrating with it but being coated by it. If he looked at it hard enough, he could even see where the separation was. This thing’s aura was weird, but so was everything else in this world’s.

There was clear enough hesitation, but the promise of keeping free will did make the entire thing more enticing. 100% potential?? That was… interesting. He could only imagine or envision Aura Masters in such a role, but there were none here. He guessed he meant spells and skills of that nature, the capacity to run faster, draw up energy quicker, and the rest? Names that don’t make sense…

Wait— “Dude ya can read all my thoughts or??” That was a little embarrassing, and Lucien was chuckling a bit at that. “Dang I… uh… sure I guess ‘f yaw anna go for a ride…” he agreed kind of after the fact.

Almost every muscle in Lucien’s body tensed as Aeron began to fuse. He tried to relax, but the entire experience was strange, unnerving, and just a little exhilarating. A rush, sort of, a feeling he knew well. Swaying a little after the integration had finished, Lucien glanced over this new form. He looked… kinda like a lizard centaur now, if that was a thing, heh. Scaly centaur? Liztaur?

The question, however, had him blinking. Oh— He guessed that made sense. Telepathy through like touch or whatever, yeh? That too also reminded him of a very specific feeling of sorts from back home. A weird, warm laugh came and went from Lucien. Man this world was so weird but so similar to home.

“Ey, ya said we’d be stronger too yeh?” He could feel it already. He didn’t need an answer. The exhilarating desire to run was already circulating through him. Turning around in a slow circle, he suddenly remembered again why he was there. Mea… “Oh, dude have ya seen like ah…” Lucien’s brows furrowed as he tried to think of how to describe Alamea. Oh wait Doing his best to form a metal image of the tiny Lurantis, Lucien thought it as ‘loudly’ as he could. “Have ya seen her by chance???”