APPLEZ

Leif was a freelance worker. He hadn't been allowed into the guild because he was too weak. Or he at least assumed he would be. Due to this he took jobs from the locals of Grassveil town for some time, many of which... involved finding one item: Apples. Always apples. It was getting annoying for him, but it was a living. Still, since the flood of apples they have never tasted quite as good to Leif. And the worst part was he only knew teleport and ice punch, this made missions painfully difficult. This meant when teleporting he could control moment, at least in a small range. The larger the scale the harder to control, so Leif avoided teleporting long distances.

"Apples, apples, oh where could you be..." Mused Leif, as he walked through Pecha Forest. "This must be the ten gazzilionth time I've had to go though pecha forest looking for apples. Why can't pokemon ask for other things? Berries? No. Seeds? No. Apples. Yes, apples. Why me? Because I'm the only sucker here who will go and get apples." These explorations for apples were often long and tedious, for that Leif had developed a nasty habit of talking to himself. This meant every nearby pokemon knew where he was and the think which irked him the worst. At times this proved a better defense than moves, literally annoying pokemon into fleeing before they foind the source of nuisance.

Dex was a free wanderer, taking in the sights and admiring everything. When he had gotten to this forest filled with trees, things he had only ever heard about because of a life spent in a cave, he nearly died from joy. They were better than he could have ever possibly imagined. So tall, so green... They were beautiful. Trees, trees, trees. They were there as far as the eye could see.

And while he was wandering, mouth agape, he saw the biggest, most beautiful tree of all in the middle of Pecha Forest. It was covered in shiny, red fruit. Dex grinned wide and used string shot on one of the branches. He slowly drifted up the tree and latched onto the trunk in an attempt to hug it.

Leif, running around the forest neurotically, couldn't find any apples. Or berries for that matter. What was happening? Was a pokemon taking them? Leif continued to search for what seemed like hours before stopping under the shade of a large tree. He took a brief moment to breathe before he casually cursed the heavens "WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME!" Despite he couldn't see him though the leaves, Leif was looking directly at Dex while he said that. He laid down in the dirt and made a mud angel out of pure disappointment.

Dex, startled by the sudden shout towards the heavens, jumped, causing the tree branch he was on to shake. An apple hanging on that branch shook gently before falling off and landing right on Leif's head.

Dex ran, jumping to another branch, and hid in the leaves. He tried to peer at the stranger beneath the tree, wondering if the yeller might be dangerous and/or extra huggable.

Unwitting of the falling apples, as his eyes were closed, a large, plump, shiny apple was so kind as to reveal itself, as well as casually bruise the Abra. "OWW!" Exclaimed Leif, "W-what was that? A-an apple? Wow, what is that doing here? This must be my lucky day!" Shouting a bit too hard he felt the pain in his nose as it began to bleed, "Aww, or maybe not... spoke too soon that's for sure." Leif grabbed the apple, "one day's work and I haven't even got half my quota. Five apples in one day? Do they even have any idea how hard that is?

It was hard to see the other Pokemon through all the leaves, so Dex scurried up a few branches, hoping a higher vantage point would help. Unbeknownst to him, two more apples shook loose and fell from the tree. One was falling right over Leif's head, and the other was falling over his foot.

One of the apples hit the head of Leif, rolling over his eye and hurting, as Leif said, "THAT HURT LIKE A... well, an apple falling from a very tall tree" The other one bunted off his foot, hit the tree, and rebounded in his other eye, "MOTHER OF ARCEUS DAMN IT ALL!" Leif ice punched the tree, showering him with berried and covering him in a colorful paste of now worthless berries. "Three apples is not worth this pain Palkia! Do you hear me! HAVE MERCY!" Casually shouted Leif towards the branches and, coincidentally, Dax.

Dex held onto a tree branch tightly as it shook from the force of the ice punch. He closed his eyes until the shaking stopped. He heard the stranger shout something. It sounded like he was shouting... at him?

He looked down. The other Pokemon was covered in bruises. Dex frowned. Poor guy... He looked like he needed a hug. Dex jumped down a branch and started scurrying down the tree. Little did he know that the very last intact apple, who had stubbornly clung on through all the chaos, finally came loose. It fell in a swinging downward arch, smacking Leif in the neck.

Dex was blissfully unaware of this. He finished climbing down and started to approach the stranger tentatively, nervously.

The last apple, which hit Leif in the ear and neck, gave him a loud buzzing sound, restricting his hearing. He was also unfortunate enough to take a blast seed to the head with the last jump of Dex, blowing the berry sauce everywhere, on Dex, on the trees, on the apples, and blasting Leif into the ground. "Mercy... mercy..." whimpered Leif, battered and bruised. The first thing his eyes laid eyes on was an apple. In his delusion he laid blame on the apple, rather than Dex, which would casually scar him for a long period of time, being the remainder of his natural born life. "APPLE! IT WAS YOU! CURSE YOU, CURSE YOUR CHILDREN, AND CURSE YOUR FAMILY!" He ice punched the one apple he was yelling at, leaving four apples in tact which could be of any use. Oh wait, there goes another, and another. Two apples of which could be used.

Dex cringed a bit as berry juice was blown all over him. He stayed still for a moment, then opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, staring at what he could only assume was a Pikachu in front of him.

"Are you okay?" He inched forward a little. "What are you doing?"

"I... am okay... These apples... however, THEY WILL SUFFER THE FIST OF FATE!" With another mighty blow an apple was made into applesauce, now over the faces of the two pokemon there. One good remaining apple, this job was becoming counter productive. Calming down, Leif cleaned off his face. "For the record, one, I can read minds of pokemon, lucky for you you are a quiet thinker... though I did hear a pikachu in there and I will let you know I am an Abra not a pikachu." Leif grabbed the last apple. "You're last sonny!" He put the apple in front of this mysterious visitor, "if you would so kindly do the honors."

Dex blinked uncomprehendingly at the "Pikachu." "You're a very good-looking Pikachu," he said, sounding sincere and a bit concerned about what appeared to him someone who was very in denial. Before Leif could respond, he had already moved on. "I guess that looks like it might be fun!" He used String Shot on the apple, wrapping it up like a cocoon. He beamed up at Leif, his eyes shining and hopeful for the new Pokemon's approval. "Ever so thoughtful of you to let me join this fun you're having. I am called Dex. If it pleases you, what is it that you are called, my dear Pikachu?"

"I'm not a... You know what, screw it, I'm a magic pikachu and you're tripping balls." Leif looked at the apple, pondering for a moment, "Hmm... I was skeptical at first, but I think this is a good look for the apple. It represents that at the core of all silk is a demonic apple. I approve." He looked back up at Dex, "You can call this magic pikachu Leif, if you so please." Leif picked the apple in silk up again, "I think I'm starting to like you... you crazy little Joltik." He shrugged, "I'm not sure what 'fun' you are referring to, I'm doing work, but sure, you can join if you want."

"Magic Pikachu?" Obviously, Dex believed this without question. Who was he to doubt a MAGIC Pikachu? "You can do magic? That's amazing!" In his excitement, he hugged Leif. "It is such a great pleasure to meet you, Leif, oh great magical Pikachu! I am ever so honored you have chosen me to join with you in your fun work!"

The absolute adoration in his eyes could not be faked. He truly believed what he was saying, and every word carried heart-felt sincerity.

"Uhh, yeah, sure... But the only 'magic' I can show you right now is how to punch things with ice and, uhh, teleport." Felix shrugged, being terrible at social skills he didn't understand the sincerity of the Joltik, and with such he failed to elaborate that he was indeed not a pikachu at all. "So, uhh, those apples, do you know why they were assaulting me?" Leif said this in the utmost serious of voices... because he genuinely meant it, he thought the apples were plotting. Maybe he was a tad insane, just a little.