#so gonna sort the final icons and crop them before i go to bed

[nebula-drcams]

" I think I'd very much like to go and just sleep for a whole day now. Again. "

[aleinnilatibae]

Trouble in Álfheima, ch 1

Okay so this is my extremely ambitious LazyTown/Benedikt Búálfur crossover fic that I am REALLY excited about, I don´t even have a summary yet but I wanted to put the first part up here for you guys to read bc...i just finished this rewrite and have no self control. I will put it up on AO3 very soon, hope you like it! @greykolla you were certainly a huge inspiration for starting this, and I especially hope you like it <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The carpet was brown this time.

Brown, and close-cropped to the ground like a buzz cut.  

Stephanie preferred longer carpet, sinking her fingers into the long strands and pushing them around like wind over a  grassy plain.

But, if there was one thing she had learned in her four years of life so far, it was to make the best of changes, so she ran her hands over the new carpet in circles until her fingertips tingled pleasantly.

Taking a look around, the walls were bare, and most likely going to stay that way for the few months they would live there, to make the packing up easier later.

Wait.

Where was Daddy?

She whirled her head around, back and forth, looking in every corner of the one-room apartment, but he was nowhere to be found.  Where was he? Daddy was supposed to be WITH her for the WHOLE DAY on the first day of moving in, where did he go?

Suddenly, the door busted open and Daddy came in from the outside, carrying a gigantic box. Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, he was just unpacking more of their stuff! He set the box down by the windowsill and opened it up, pulling potted plant after potted plant out of it.

He looked up to see that Stephanie was looking at him, and he grinned at her. “Hey, my little Pixie,” he said, “Are you ready to ROCK?!”

“Yeeeaaaah!” she said in response, pumping her fist in the air.

“Good, because we got a biiiiig day ahead of us,” he said, spreading his arms out as wide as he could, and pointed out the window.

Out the window, in the night sky, were a million multicolored stars, and Stephanie’s vision zoomed into them, stars whizzing past her vision, and the mundane sounds of the apartment faded as she heard a voice calling her name, people yelling, people screaming, an evil LAUGH-

She awoke with a start and sat up abruptly in bed, heart pounding.

She took stock of the situation.

No brown carpet, no bare walls, only pink furniture and pink bedcovers.

Right.  She was NOT in an apartment with her dad.

She was in her own room, in LazyTown, and she was ten years old, not four.

Plus, her dad never owned a big box of potted plants, that was silly.

Even so, the transition really disoriented her.  The dream was so…real, right down to the feeling of the carpet under her fingertips, and it’s not every morning that you age six years just by waking up.

Plus…for just a split second, before she was fully awake, she thought she would see her dad when she opened her eyes.

But no.

He was still travelling the world with his job, and she was still in LazyTown without him.

Stephanie sighed, and stood up, trying to shake off the soul-crushing disappointment. Her life before Lazytown involved a lot of packing up her life into the same suitcase or two, moving from daycare to daycare and public school to public school, after school program to after school program, chaos littering the way…she definitely didn’t miss that part.

But she DID really miss her Daddy.

She got dressed, and slipped out the door. Maybe playing with her friends could make her feel better.

-

She had slept in a little bit late, the rest of the kids were already up and playing when she walked out the door—Trixie and Stingy playing a one-on-one game of basketball, Ziggy sitting on the bench eating candy, and Pixel was…doing some sort of test, both he and Sportacus tapping at their wrist computers.

Intrigued, Stephanie walked up to them.

“Did you get the route?” Sportacus was asking.

“Yep! Locked and loaded!” Pixel said excitedly.

Sportacus put down his goggles, and prepared himself to run.

“On your mark, get set, go!” Pixel yelled, pressing the button on his computer.

Sportacus shot off down the path, jumping and flipping as he went.

“Watcha up to, Pixel?” Stephanie asked.

“Oh, hi Stephanie! I’ve come up with an automatic flip counter!” Pixel said excitedly, “I’m testing its limits on Sportacus right now! Look, it attaches to the software that Sportacus already has, and it can count flips, jump ropes, and anything else numerical that has to do with exercise! That way, we never have to worry about losing count ever again!”

By the time he was done with that sentence, Sportacus was already racing back, doing his last few final flips before he landed, hands on hips, right where he started.

“What number did you get?” he asked, slightly out of breath.

Pixel pressed a few buttons, and gasped. “SEVENTY-FOUR?!”

“Yes!” Sportacus said, fist pumping, “That is what I counted too!”

“You did SEVENTY-FOUR flips just now?!” asked Stephanie, jaw hanging open.

“And Pixel counted them accurately!” Sportacus said, gesturing to the beaming boy, “That is a fantastic invention, you should feel very proud of the work that you have done!”

“Th-thanks, Sportacus,” Pixel said, looking up at him with wide eyes, “I’m gonna go put it in the computer right now! You know what they say about technology, it can always be improved!”

Sportacus chuckled as Pixel ran off, looking fondly after him.

That look suddenly reminded her of her dream, and she deflated again.

“What’s the matter, Stephanie? You look a little down,” asked Sportacus, a note of concern in his voice.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she assured.

“Stephanie, you know you can ALWAYS talk to me, right?” he said, nudging her with his elbow.

She DID know that. And what harm would it be to talk about it? She had come out here in the first place to try to make herself feel better about it, and here Sportacus was, offering to do just that.

Stephanie fiddled with her bracelet. “Sportacus…you aren’t from around here, right?”

Sportacus chuckled.

“Yes, I suppose you could say that. What was your first clue?” he asked, exaggerating his accent for comedic effect.

She giggled, but sobered quickly as she continued her previous line of thought.

“Sportacus…I love it here in Lazytown,” she began, “It’s the only place that I have ever lived in for two years in a row, and it’s the first place that I have ever felt at home.”

“It is a great place,” Sportacus agreed, nodding.

“But…my dad and I, we never settled down in one place for very long. No place ever felt like home, but having HIM always did,” she said, tears coming unbidden to her eyes, “And I know he sent me here because-because his job made it…made it really hard for him to take care of me, and I could be h-happier,” she swallowed hard.

Sportacus put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Go on.”

“What…what do you, um, do when you’re homesick for f-family?” she asked, on the verge of tears.

Sportacus tugged her in for an embrace as the tears spilled over, patting her comfortingly on the back as she sobbed into his chest.

“It is…sad, when you must go somewhere without the family that raised you,” Sportacus said carefully as she continued to hold onto him, “But, if you keep your heart open, I swear that you can find home, and family, anywhere. Then, wherever you go? You will NEVER be alone.”

Stephanie pulled back from him, lip still wobbly.

“Let me put it this way,” Sportacus said, “Is there anyone here in LazyTown that makes you feel welcome, and safe? Is there anyone that you would do anything to help, and that you could count on their help in return?”

Stephanie sniffed. Everyone in this town, in one way or another, was exactly how Sportacus described. Her uncle who always took care of her, Bessie who answered her every social question no matter how stupid it sounded, her friends who always made her feel included in LazyTown since the first day of that fateful summer, even Robbie Rotten, he made sure that none of their days were ever boring.

And here was Sportacus, helping her right now.

“Thanks Sportacus,” she said, wiping her eyes, “Sorry for crying.”

“Oh, no no no NO, Stephanie, it is very important to your health that you express your emotions!” Sportacus encouraged, clasping her hand in both of his, “And, I understand completely. I have not seen my family in many, many years.”

Stephanie was taken aback. “Really?”

Sportacus nodded. “Being without them? Makes me feel very sad, at times. But when I do feel sad, I think about all of the family that I have here, in LazyTown,” he smiled. “And I count myself lucky that I have so MANY family members, in different parts of the world.”

“I guess…I guess we are the lucky ones, having such a big family all over the place,” Stephanie grinned.

“Yeah,” Sportacus said, and they high fived.

“Remember, Stephanie, I, your uncle, and even Bessie are all here if you ever need to talk to somebody. That is what family is for!” he ruffled her hair.

“Yeah, I know that,” Stephanie said, flattening her hair back out.

Suddenly, Sportacus’ crystal went off.

“Someone’s in TROUBLE!” Sportacus gasped, stepping away from Stephanie.

“I will see you later, Stephanie,” he said, and did his signature move. “Be good!” he called, and he raced off, flipping as he went.

Stephanie waved after him as he went, glad she came outside today.

She DID feel better.

“Hey, Stephanie,” said Pixel, walking back over, “Check it out.”

He pointed to his wrist computer’s screen, where a little icon version of Sportacus was rushing across a digitized map of LazyTown, picking up speed as his airship did in real life.

“Nyoooom,” Pixel said, giggling.

AS Sportacus’ airship continued north, Stephanie was struck with a horrible thought.

“Oh no, he’s heading towards the ocean! I hope it’s not Uncle Milford and Bessie on their beach vacation!”

Pixel shrugged. “Even if it was them, we know that Sportacus will take care of it, in a snap!”

It didn’t stop Stephanie from worrying, however, as Sportacus headed towards where she knew the ocean to be.

“Look, his ship is turning! See, it’s not them,” Pixel said, pointing out at the airship making a left turn.

Stephanie exhaled.  Of course, Sportacus sometimes went to OTHER towns, saving people that they didn’t even know.

“Sportacus has probably saved somebody from EVERY single town in the country,” Stephanie mused aloud.

“But we are his FAVORITE town!” exclaimed Ziggy, “That’s why he keeps coming back to us!”

“You know what, Ziggy? I think you are right,” said Stephanie, smiling, as she watched the airship turn to a tiny speck in the distance.

-

Morning turned to afternoon, and afternoon turned to night, and night turned again to morning…and Sportacus was still not back.

That particular morning, Trixie and Stephanie were playing a little one-on-one basketball, while Ziggy, Pixel, and Stingy drew with chalk on the blacktop.

“I can’t believe that Sportacus is STILL gone,” said Trixie, dribbling the basketball and passing it to Stephanie.

“I know,” Stephanie said, looking up at the sky, “That emergency must have been somewhere pretty far away.”

While she was looking, a tiny moving speck caught her eye.

A BLUE speck.

“Hey, is that Sportacus?” she asked, squinting up at it.

Her question got the interest of the boys as well, and they all crowded around to look up at it.

“No, it’s a paper airplane!” Trixie said, as the speck continued to glide downward.

Sure enough, a paper airplane soared through the air above them.

A BLUE paper airplane.

Stephanie dropped the basketball on the ground.

“FOLLOW THAT PLANE!” she yelled, pointing out at it, and they all raced after it.

As it dipped lower and lower, it seemed to move faster and faster.  Stephanie ran after it with all of her might, and she was catching up!

“It’s…too…high!” Stephanie panted, as they ran underneath it.

“You gotta…JUMP, Pinkie!” Trixie gasped, holding her side.

Stephanie steeled herself, and prepared to jump as high as she had ever jumped in her entire LIFE-

When a butterfly net swung itself up, caught the paper airplane, and swung back down to the ground.

Stephanie skidded to a stop, seeing a smug Stingy holding the pole of the net.

“Stingy,” Stephanie said, breathing hard, “Why…do YOU have…Robbie’s butterfly net?”

“Oh! It’s not MYYYY fault that he leaves it just…LAYING AROUND for anyone to find!!” he protested in a huff. “All that matters is…we got the letter!”

The kids celebrated with a HOORAY!

Stephanie carefully unfolded the paper airplane, and they peered at the contents inside.

“Ugh, why does Sportacus always have the WORST handwriting?!” Stingy complained. “I don’t even know if those are WORDS!”

“Don’t worry, I can read it,” Stephanie said, waving a hand at him and squinting at the near-illegible scribblings that seemed to be even WORSE than usual.

“This letter is for Robbie Rotten!” Stephanie said in surprise.

“What does it say?” Trixie asked.

“’Robbie,’” Stephanie read aloud, “’I have reason to believe…that there is something very dangerous going on in….alf…heima?’”

“Alf-what?” chorused the other four kids.

“I don’t know, look, the A has a little accent,” She said, showing the weird word “Álfheima“ to the others.

“Ohh, go on, go on, what does the rest say??” asked Stingy, still clutching the butterfly net’s pole with a death grip.

“’If this message reaches you, then that means that…’” Stephanie gasped, heart sinking into her stomach, “’I am in danger as well!’”

A collective gasp came from her audience.

“How could SPORTACUS be in danger, huh?? Is-is that even ALLOWED??” asked Ziggy, genuine worry in his voice.

“Wait, guys, there’s more-'Please, don’t tell the kids. I don’t want them to worry.  -Sportacus,’” Stephanie finished, heavy finality in her voice.

“Well, it’s too late for THAT,” Stingy remarked bitterly.

“What…what should we do?” asked Ziggy.

Stephanie put the message on the bench and thought back to what Sportacus had said yesterday.

Is there anyone that you would do anything to help, and that you could count on their help in return?

“We have to go save him,” Stephanie said decisively.

“What?”

“We can’t just…HAVE this information, and then do nothing with it!” she said, voice cracking from emotion, “Sportacus ALWAYS helps us, Sportacus always SAVES us from dangerous situations, and now HE needs help! HE needs to be saved! Sportacus is our FAMILY, and we can’t just leave our family in danger!” Stephanie declared.

“Yeah!” the other kids chorused.

Stephanie felt a fire coursing through her veins.  

“Now lets go save Sportacus!” she threw her fist up in the air.

The kids all cheered their agreement.

“Pixel!” Stephanie exclaimed as a through struck her, “can you find out where Sportacus is, right now, with your computer?”

“Yeah!” he said, pressing a few buttons, “Just have to find Sportacus’ last known coordinates…”

They all gathered around him with bated breath as he tracked Sportacus’ movement over the last day.

“Got it! His last known location was…” he watched as the display zoomed in on the map, “here! In the middle of Iceland!”

“ICE-land?”

“Wow, that WAS far away,” Trixie said under her breath.

“Great!” Stephanie said, “Pixel, lock onto those coordinates and find us a route!”

“On it!”

If Sportacus was in another COUNTRY, Stephanie reasoned, they would have to find something that would get them there FAST…

She whirled around and looked at Trixie next.

“Trixie! Go get…the rocket!”

“Yes ma’am!” she saluted, and ran off.

“Ziggy! Take that candy out of your mouth!” Stephanie ordered, “It’s time for business!”

“Right!” he exclaimed, furrowing his brow and tossing the taffy over his shoulder.

“Stingy! Go get our rocket suits!”

He balked for a moment at being told what to do.

“Fiiine, if it will save SPORTACUS,” he said, grumbling. “But what are YOU going to do?”

“Me? I’m gonna…prepare for the WORST,” she said, narrowing her eyes, and dashing over to the nearest apple tree.

There was untold danger waiting for them in this mysterious place called Álfheima.

They were gonna need a LOT of sportscandy.

[aloepoke]

Chapter 4 - Monster in the Woods

Aloe squeezed herself through the door to her hotel suite. It was true that she had gone to heal her party of two, but that wasn't the only reason she had headed back to the Pokemon Center. Not wasting time, she dumped her bag on her bed and yanked her poncho off. She found herself drenched in sweat from the her chest downwards. Even her hoodie was soaked.

“Oh my goodness... I thought I was going to pass out in there...” Aloe bemoaned as she yanked repeatedly at her baggy shirt to cool down. “I am never entering a greenhouse dressed like this again...”

Aloe grabbed herself an overpriced bottle of water from the complimentary hotel fridge and tore the cap off. She took a long drink of the precious chilled liquid inside to replace her lost fluids. Throwing the empty bottle away, Aloe hurried towards the en-suite bathroom with a towel in one hand and a bottle of moisturiser in the other. Yanking off her clothes and sorting it in to a disorderly pile on the floor, she sat down at the shower.

A common problem for Aloe was that she found herself feeling too warm due to her extra chest weight. It was easy to call the cold, northern areas of Sinnoh home; but any warmer climates would become unbearable to her. This amplified by her preference to dress in thick layered clothings in an attempt to draw less attention to herself.

Aloe rinsed off the excess sweat and then dried herself thoroughly with a towel, then finished off by covering herself in a layer of moisturiser. Keeping dry but soft skin was important for avoiding rashes. Plus, the act of applying moisturiser to herself was enjoyable in its own way. The gentle smell of the herbal mixture tickled her nose, giving her a feeling brimming with satisfaction and cleanliness.

Feeling cooled off, she dried and brushed her hair before attempting to get dressed. The task of heaving her massive bosom in to the confines of her harness-like bras was difficult, but Aloe was an expert. Putting on clean clothes, Aloe hoped that wearing her poncho again would prevent Nita from noticing that she'd changed clothes in the first place.

Gearing up to head back out, Aloe remembered that she had something important to do. Taking out the Pokeballs of her two Pokemon, she released them in front of her. She knelt down to them as best as she could and was met with joyful chirps.

“Hey you two... I'm super proud of you for battling in that Gym” Aloe spoke to them both, praising them for their performance earlier. “Melopii... you did fantastic tearing up the whole gym with your ice attack!” She placed her hand on her Clefairy and stroked its tuft of swirly hair, getting a twitchy eared response.

“And you... Tabun. I know you're not meant to fight, but you've done a really great job these last few days... I can't thank you enough.” Aloe turned towards the Audino and gave her a pet on the head as well. Tabun purred, flicking her poofy tail around with contentedness. Not that she particularly liked the idea of any more battling.

They had only been gone for a day and they'd already ran in to so much action and adventure. Aloe kept praising her Pokemon a few minutes longer before she finally decided to head back out.

Meeting back up with Nita, Aloe found her friend talking to herself. After a brief exchange, the two continued on their task for the day. Following a scenic path that curved around the outskirts of Eterna's forest north of the city. It didn't take long for them to find what they were looking for. An old fashioned looking farm, complete with a big red barn that looked like it came right out of a story book.

A group of various farm Mareep and Flaaffy were taking refuge from the cold weather by hiding inside the red barn. Standing guard diligently outside was proud and warm looking Growlithe. It was like an idyllic scene right out of a storybook that Aloe couldn't help but be humbled by.

The same Growlithe spotted Aloe and Nita walking along, and immediately started barking at them both. Nita was about to open the gate, but hesitated.

“...Oi, that yappy bugger looks vicious... I know we're here t'help someone, but I'm not riskin' being bit by some Growlithe.” Nita complained, looking towards Aloe, who shrugged. Before Nita could complain about anything else, the owner of the farm came rushing out carrying a gun. He was old but grizzled, and sported an impressive beard. He looked around and spotted the two girls at the front gate, still being barked at by his trusty friend.

“Ay!” He called out, “Quit barking, Chief.” The Growlithe immediately complied and scurried over to the old man who was now walking over to the gate. “Aren't you two a colourful looking pair...” the farmer spoke, Aloe's extreme roundness contrasted humorously with Nita's skinny frame, “How can I help you two young ladies? Or are you just here to bother Chief?”

“A-Ah no... we were just--” Aloe didn't want to seem like they were up to no good but she was also nervous in the presence of a weapon.

“I'm fooling you, he barks at his own shadow, bless his heart. But as I asked before, what brings you up this way?” He continued with a cheeky grin as he leaned on the fence, placing down his firearm.

“Well... we're travellers passing through here on behalf of the Eterna City's Gym... there's apparently a problem?” Nita started to explain.

“Travellers huh...what, did the Gym send you? I wanted the Gym Leader- not some kids...” the farmer complained without much regard to his guests, placing his face in to his hands and sighing.

“...Oi-oi! We still might be able to help! What's the problem?” Nita was still confident in their skill. Aloe chose to remain quiet and let the talkative Nita deal with everything.

The old man looked up at them both and rolled his eyes, accepting that something is better than nothing, “Alright then, come this way...” he said as he began to walk along the fence, following it around the corner of his land. Both girls weren't far behind.

They approached a crop field that had been attacked, and then a large hole in the fence. Nita let out an impressed whistle, “I see what yer problem is...” She mentioned while eyeing up the hole and trail of destruction behind it.

“Aye, something broke in. Its been eating my crops and leaving. Can't let it keep doing this or I'll be in trouble.” He explained as the two girls stepped inside using the impromptu hole.

“So... what d'ya 'spose did this?” Nita asked the big question.

“Snorlax.”

“Snorlax?!” Both girls exclaimed at the same time.

Nita shook her head, “A Snorlax is... that's well above our pay-grade mate... you're gonna want a Pokemon Ranger for that!”

“A Pokemon Ranger... that could take days for one to come out. I don't think I have that time.” The farmer responded. If it was a Snorlax, his crops had a three days at most.

“...He has a point, Nita...” Aloe finally spoke up, she looked towards her chirpy friend who was now regretting their decision to come out here.

“Yeah but... I'm not sure how we're meant to deal with a Snorlax.” Nita replied, still not happy with the idea.

“We could try and catch it but... I'm not sure if we're legally allowed to do that...” Aloe suggested a potential plan. Nita shook her head.

“I'm not sure... I'm not gonna like this, but we'll at least check it out... if we can find where the blighter likes to take its naps... well...” Nita tried to think of something they could do, she rubbed her chin.

“It's better than doing nothing at all...!” Aloe answered with an added touch of enthusiasm.

“Look... the worst that can happen is you annoy it. The only time you want to worry about an annoyed Snorlax is if you're between it and its meal.” The farmer spoke as he lightly kicked a broken chunk of fence away from the hole. With a lead and a trail to follow, the girls set off tracking down a Snorlax.

The act of tracking a Snorlax through a forested area was very easy. A trail of trampled bushes, broken trees, and flattened grass were indications that a huge lummox of a Pokemon had been on this path. Aloe typically would have struggled to move through the narrow clusters of trees, but fortunately a path had already been cleared for her. Nita took the lead while Aloe followed behind, who still struggled to keep up with the energy and spry movement of Nita.

“Come on, luv... the thing's going to wake up at the rate you're going!” Nita urged Aloe to keep up, but Aloe was finding it tricky to navigate herself over collapsed trees and entwining plant life, “Look... if that big Pokemon can waddle through here, surely your wide-self shouldn't struggle.”

Aloe looked up and rolled her eyes, “In case you didn't notice... I'm not exactly built for walking like this...” she huffed as she leaned her arm against a tree. The act of walking was a hit or a miss for Aloe. Straight and flat paths were no problem at all, but moving over uneven terrain would tired Aloe out faster and cause her to feel imbalanced.

“Come on, just a bit further, pet. I'll treat you to an ice-cream once we're done!” Nita tried to give some words of encouragement.

Aloe groaned and pushed forwards, starting to move a bit more like a bothered zombie. Who knew being a Pokemon trainer would be such tough work.

As they continued down the trail, they finally came to a clearing in the forest where a plump and proud Snorlax was comatosed with an iconic snore. The creature had likely finished filling itself with food recently and was now sun bathing comfortably. A sight so relaxing it was hard to not want to join in.

Despite her earlier protests, Nita was quick to start inspecting the Pokemon by placing her hand on its plump belly and giving it a slight wobble.

“H-Hey... shouldn't we be careful? This thing is pretty huge and... well...” Aloe protested to Nita's actions.

“It's asleep, Aloe. Not even a fog horn could wake one of these buggers up while they're asleep.” She said, hoisting herself up on to the Pokemon's belly and lying down on it, “Always wanted to do this, I have.”

Aloe wasn't convinced this was safe, she clutched on to Melopii's Pokeball. If it did get angry and attack, the Clefairy's Ice Beam might slow it down. She took a few steps closer to observe the sleeping Pokemon, “So why do you think they're illegal to own..?” Aloe asked, feeling a touch curious about the whole situation.

“Ehhh... I'm no expert, but I don't think they're quite illegal – more you need a permit to own one. It's more illegal to breed them. Can get hit with a hefty fine if you're caught with an unlicensed Munchlax.” Nita answered with the best of her knowledge.

Aloe looked the Pokemon up and down, then walked around to its head to inspect its gaping maw. The chasm it called a mouth looked like it could swallow anything hole. “Must be because of how much they eat... maybe there was a problem with novice trainers getting Munchlaxes and then setting them free once they evolve- I don't think it'd be easy to meet their requirements..!”

“Actually yeah, I think you're right. Good guess my girl!” Nita said, sliding off of the Snorlax's stomach and landing back on her feet, “Maybe you were a Snorlax in a past life. It'd explain those world-class knockers and appetite of yours!”

Aloe frowned and give Nita a light knock to the head in response, “That's mean!”

“I'm just ribbing ya!” Nita said, giving Aloe a sharp poke back, aiming for her bouncy protrusions. Before Aloe could respond, Nita brought them back on track, “So what do you propose we do about your buddy here?”

“I don't think we can beat it... not that would do any good... we could always report back to-” Aloe began to suggest something else before getting cut off by Nita.

“We should catch it! Bring it back to the Gym with us!” Nita suggested, clasping the bottom of her fist. Her face was bright enough that Aloe could almost visualize a comedic light bulb above her head.

“...We can't- no, even if we did, what would we do with it? We can't feed a Snorlax...” Aloe tried to find some sense in the idea.

“Don't gotta! Just hand it over to Gardenia and she'll have to figure it out! Look... if things get sticky, I've got some snacks in my bag I'll toss out to distract it while we leg it!”

“I don't know...”

“Come on Aloe, let's just give it a try. It'd be somethin' to talk about when you get back home.”

Aloe let out her longest sigh yet. “Alright... fine...” she huffed out, she couldn't believe they were going to do this. “What exactly do you want to do?”

Nita opened her bag and reached deep in to it. She yanked out several Ultra Balls and held them out for Aloe, “Me and me 'Puff are gonna wail on it until it wakes up, then she's gonna put it straight back to sleep. When I say so, you need to be ready to toss the ball.”

“Why do I have to throw it?” Aloe said, inspecting the yellow and black patterned Pokeballs.

“Easier I guess. Plus you need some practice.” Nita answered, giving a thumbs up. She took out her only Pokemon's ball and released it with a ray of warm light. Materializing in front of them was her Jigglypuff. “Alright 'Puff. See that biggun there? You need to beat it up until it wakes up, then we need to put it back to sleep. Think you can do that?”

The Jigglypuff nodded instinctively, it wasn't uncommon for Pokemon and their Trainers to be on the same wavelength. Aloe took a few steps back from the Snorlax and finally released Melopii from her ball. The Clefairy looked around and shared a friendly wave with Nita's Jigglypuff, all before it spotted the sleeping Snorlax. She looked back towards Aloe.

“We're going to catch that... Nita and her Jigglypuff are going to weaken it, but I'm going to have you offer backup in case things go wrong.” Aloe explained while kneeling down as best she could in order to see Melopii over her protruding chest. With everyone ready and understanding the plan, there was nothing left to do but go through with it.

Nita hesitated, but then she pointed towards the Snorlax, “Alrighty 'Puff, hit it with a few Double Slaps to butter it up, then finish with a solid Wake-Up Slap to the cheek!”

The Jigglypuff nodded with a high pitched battle-shrill and leaped towards the Snorlax. She unleashed a barrage of 1-2 slaps all over the Pokemon. It grunted in its sleep, the damage seemed to be bothering it. Jigglypuff landed near the Snorlax's head and recoiled backwards momentarily before putting all her effort in to a solid slap straight to the Snorlax's face. Despite the size difference, the Jigglypuff practically slapped the Snorlax up in to the air and on to its feet. The damage it dealt was immense. Looking around, it spotted the the assaulter and didn't wait to respond with a stomping roar.

“Good initiation, 'Puff! Now send it back to sleep!” Nita commanded more, putting great amounts of energy in to her movements.

The Jigglypuff inhaled before it started to sing calming melody. Hearing it made everyone feel drowsy. She aimed the brunt of her attack at the Snorlax, who was now fighting off the temptation of sleep. However, it shook its head and roared again unperturbed. It lurched forward and flattened Jigglypuff with a body slam.

Aloe and her Clefairy both recoiled as the Jigglypuff was flattened, however Nita remained calm. “Okay, I'm gonna need your Melopii to get the Snorlax to move.” Nita asked.

Aloe nodded, “Alright... Melopii, use your Ice Beam on he Snorlax.” The Clefairy started waggling her fingers, and then pointed them both towards the Snorlax. A chilling beam of blue energy was blasted out towards the large Pokemon. Despite this, it didn't seem to bother it in the slightest; the frost that formed in its fur quickly melted away. The Snorlax didn't seem any worse for wear. Aloe shook her head, “Okay, try Metronome then.”

Melopii nodded and returned to wiggling her fingers in the air methodically, storing up her magical energy. When she completed the ritual, a magical pair of ethereal hands materialized in front of the Clefairy. She sent them forwards towards the Snorlax to which they managed to pick up the behemoth. After spinning it up in to the air a few times, the hands released the Snorlax so that it'd slam head first in to the ground. It seemed to do a massive amount of damage.

“Bloody hell! Talk about luck! That musta been a Storm Throw!” Nita called out as her flattened Jigglypuff inflated itself now that it was free. Despite taking two massive hits, the Snorlax was still moving – a testament to its sheer power. “Alright, now I'm feeling lucky! 'Puff, try using your Sing move again!” The Jigglypuff filled up with more air and then let out an even louder Sing attack. The Snorlax pulled itself back to its feet; only for it to fall over again completely asleep. “Great! Now Double-Slap it a few more times. Aloe, get ready with the ball.”

Aloe was ready. She gripped the Ultra Ball in her hand and watched as Nita's Jigglypuff unleashed another volley of aggressive slaps against the sleeping behemoth. Waiting for the right moment, Aloe pulled her arm back and flung it forward, releasing the Ultra Ball from her grasp. Albeit a bit off target, the ball collided with the sleeping Pokemon and absorbed its bulk inside. The ball shook around.

Shake. Shake. Shake...

The Pokeball split open and a great beam of light filled the clearing as the Snorlax was released. Fortunately it was still asleep.

“Bloody... okay, I have an idea. We're gonna use up all our luck for this!” Nita said, “'Puff, use your Wake-Up Slap again, then Aloe, blast it with another Ice Beam when it's riled up!”

Aloe waited, her Clefairy knew what to do. She didn't question Nita at this point and only acted. Once the Jigglypuff punched consciousness back in to the Snorlax, Aloe pointed towards it, “Now!” She called out. The Clefairy wiggled its fingers and hopped up in to the air, she released a freezing beam from her finger tips that struck the Snorlax. It didn't seem to have any effect, but Aloe cheered Melopii on. The Snorlax would gradually slow down enough that the Ice Beam started to entrap it in a thick layer of ice. Before it had a chance to react, the Snorlax was frozen completely solid.

“Right! Ball it!” Nita shouted as she hopped up and down on the spot. Aloe pulled her arm back and threw one of the other Ultra Balls at the frozen giant. It collided with it, and absorbed the entire frozen mass inside.

Shake. Shake. Shake...

Ding! The ball remained shut.

Aloe couldn't believe it at first. Time felt as if it was stood still; as if there was going to be that one extra inevitable shake before the ball split open once more... yet there it was. Aloe locked her gaze with Nita for a moment, who didn't wait to cheer out in victory, “Wa-hoo! We absolutely did it!”

It took a moment, but it finally sunk in for Aloe. “W-Wow... we actually caught it..!” she confirmed it to herself. Nita rushed over and threw herself at Aloe, trying to hug her front on. Although, she ended up more embracing Aloe's front padding rather than anything else. Either way... Aloe didn't mind, it was just a hug. She patted Nita since she couldn't really reach to hug her back. Once Nita released her embrace, Aloe walked over and picked up the Pokeball containing the Snorlax; as well as the broken remains of the other Ultra Ball. Melopii followed behind to inspect their catch. Aloe smiled at her Clefairy, “You did good!”

“Sooo, what'cha gonna call it huh?” Nita spoke up from behind Aloe, leaning around her to take a look at the Pokeball.

“Uhm... nothing?”

“Nothing... that's a funny name- are you trying to tell me you aren't gonna keep it?”

“No... why would I? I can't feed it, I probably can't train it, I don't have a permit...” Aloe started listing various reasons.

“Mmh... alright bab, fair points. Shame though, a big ol' blighter like a Snorlax would'a been good on your team...” Nita felt a bit disappointed, but she agreed after a tiny bit of persuasion.

“At the very least we could give it to Gardenia... maybe she'll give us a reward?”

“I'd bloody hope we were gettin' a reward! Snorlax or not.” Huffed Nita.

“Right... a reward... let's go back to the farm and let the farmer know his crops are safe.” Aloe suggested in the meantime. Nita couldn't disagree, so they headed back to the farm with their Pokemon.

Arriving back at the farm, all it took was an annoyed Growlithe to summon the farmer to their location. He sauntered over this time without his firearm. “Good to see you young ladies back. Find anything out there?”

“You were right, it was a Snorlax; but it'll no longer be an issue for ya!” Nita once again did all the talking, leaving Aloe to look around the farm.

“Of course I was right, I aint never wrong. But how'd deal with it?” The farmer asked, they seemed no worse for wear after a potentially tough fight.

“We caught it with a bit of team work!”

“Caught it? Now that's impressive...” The farmer seemed glad, “I 'spose I owe you a thanks. You have no idea how much you've helped me.”

“No problem! My sidekick and I would be glad to help anyone!” Nita gave a thumbs up and a toothy grin. Aloe looked over at her and shook her head in dismissal.

“Nah, I mean it. Them folks down in the city didn't think it was important, and even if they did they'd have just got a Ranger to come do it – that'd have taken far too long.” The farmer began to explain, “So... I figure I should pay you two back.”

Nita tried to be humble before Aloe could, “Ah- no. It's okay!” But Aloe didn't seem to notice. She nodded along with Nita's statement.

“I insist. I've got this old vardo wagon, about 8 years old but in good condition. Get something to pull it and you're set- granted you're going anywhere.” The farmer explained, “You do some work on the inside, you treat it with respect... it'll take you for miles and miles. I used to use it to make deliveries all over Sinnoh as well as camping.”

Aloe perked up at the idea of a wagon, but she still had to take things slowly, “...It sounds nice but- wont you need it for your farm's business?”

“Me? Nah. I'm upgradin' big style! Got me one of them big pick-up trucks with 5 seats and everythin'! It's right out back in my garage, I could show you.” The farmer practically bragged.

“It's alright but... we don't really need a wagon y'see, we can just walk--” Nita started to dismiss the offer, but then felt a sharp jab in her back. She turned around to see an worryingly serious looking Aloe. She swallowed, and turned back, “W-What I meant to say is we could walk, and we d-don't need it... but a wagon would be nice for a rainy day.”

“That it would! Me and my family used to believe in the old ways quite a lot, but that new truck has some mean air conditioning. Trust me though, this thing will do you well for more than a few rainy days... come on, I'll show you.” The farmer was quick to unlatch the gate and welcome the girls on to his property.

They followed behind him briefly until they had made their way around the main barn. Behind it stood the 10 foot tall carriage. It wasn't ornate like the fancy ones you might see on television, but it still had a nice aesthetic to it. It combined an old timey wooden structure with several modern qualities such as a steel frame, brakes, and some form of water tank with pipes underneath. It definitely had some wear from use, but nothing that would put them off from accepting it.

“B-Bloody hell...” Nita said in a bit of awe, she didn't initially realize what a vardo wagon was, “I thought you meant somethin' like those things you'd pull along when you were a kid but... this makes sense now.”

“Nope! This thing's made for living. It's reliable, sturdy...” the farmer said while banging on the frame of the wagon, “It'll take you for miles without needing any fuel. Would you ladies like to see inside?”

Aloe didn't hesitate to nod. She loved the look of it, it seemed cosy just from the outside. The farmer opened up the two part door and revealed the interior. Aloe climbed up the small steps at the front stuck her head in to inspect the inside. It was a bit snug, but it was definitely made for travel. At the back was a bunk bed; the bottom half being more like an enclosed cabin an the top being open with a window on the wall. Along the right side was a small kotatsu-like table with a padded floor, then a small kitchen area. To the left, an enclosed electric heater, an open space, and then a small seat. Everywhere that there was empty space there was some form of shelf, cupboard, or other storage. All of it combined with the faint smell of wood to create a homely and strangely nostalgic interior. Aloe was already planning in her head how she'd redecorate – a few pillows here, some blankets there, curtains hanging up on the roof, some lighting along the edges...

“Oi!” Aloe felt a quick jab at her big rear, “You gonna stand there gawkin' and blockin' the entrance or are you gonna let me see, pet?” Nita pestered, also interested.

“Right, sorry...” Aloe apologized as she stepped down. Nita wasted no time climbing inside completely to take it all in. “It's all very nice, are you sure you want to give this away?”

“Well... I was planning on selling it. Might have made a fair bit of money too, but I reckon catching that Snorlax has saved me a good chunk of produce. Plus it'd break my heart for some rich folk to come along and just leave it to rot in their garden or something like that. Giving it to you two means it'll get some use – your friend mentioned you were travellers.” The farmer began to explain, as if he already had this speech prepared and practised beforehand.

Aloe quietly nodded along while Nita made a variety of excited noises in the background, “It'll definitely help a lot... but how do we move it?”

“Good question! Around the front there's a driver seat. You'll need something to pull it along. For me, I've used two Rapidash in the past; or a particularly big Tauros. Really, you just need a hardy and strong Pokemon who doesn't mind pulling.”

Aloe thought of their Snorlax. It'd definitely not have any problems pulling the wagon around, but she wasn't going to keep it for very long, “I see... I-- we don't really have a Pokemon suitable for the job, but I'm certain we could figure something out.” She walked to the front of the vardo to see how it was meant to be driven. It had a basic looking driver's seat with an overhanging waterproof canopy. Attached to it was reins intended to be placed on whatever was going to pull the vardo.

The farmer followed Aloe around, “Ah right... I should tell you how this works. This bit here can clip off and be replaced...” he started to explain the basic instructions for getting a Pokemon hooked up, as well as how to use the brakes. Once he got to the end, he changed the subject quickly, “By the way... I've been dying to know...” Aloe felt a looming dread coming over the back of her mind, “Aren't you hot under all those layers of clothes?” The farmer asked.

As intended, her disguise worked. Or really, the thick padding of her winter poncho had tricked the farmer in to thinking she was just wearing lots of layers, “A-Ah no..! I've got uh-... poor blood circulation. It's quite chilly these parts of Sinnoh, isn't it?” She answered.

“Aye right you are missy, I s'pose it does get quite cold this time of year. When you're inside, the heater should do a good job at keeping you warm. Although- don't open it while on the go. That's a fire hazard.” The farmer explained. Aloe nodded attentively to his advice. Eventually they had both gone through the entire tour of the vardo and been instructed on its operation. All there was to do was hand over the paperwork and the keys.

Nita was the one who accepted the paper while Aloe sat down on the small overhanging step at the door of the vardo, “Huh... didn't think this thing was registered...” Nita said as she looked over the papers quickly, “Still a problem guv, we 'aven't got any Pokemon to pull this – at least not yet we don't... how we gonna get it down to the city?”

The farmer rubbed his bushy beard, “Well... I guess I could get it pulled down to the city for you... but from there, you're on your own. Deal?” He offered them a bit of help. Nita nodded accepted, and then the farmer left to fetch a Rapidash.

Once they were left alone, Nita sat down beside Aloe on the step, “Not a bad earnin' if you ask me... I had my doubts at first but this thing seems ace.” She started making conversation.

“...Yeah, it'll definitely help us get to Canalave city, and anywhere in-between.” Aloe answered as she inspected some of the wood at the door.

“Right.” Nita agreed. There was a short moment of silence before she spoke up again, “So uh... why 'aven't you gone inside then?” Nita asked, looking over towards Aloe with suspicion.

“...It's uh, no reason I guess.” Aloe gave her answer. It was not enough to please Nita.

“No reason? I find that hard to believe.” Nita said. She crossed her arms and stood up, “Come on, up you come. Go take a look inside.” Nita offered a hand to Aloe.

“I-It's fine really!” She protested as she was pulled to her feet anyway, not an easy task for Nita.

“Nah! There's something buggin' me, go take a look. Is there a weird smell or something?”

Aloe sighed. She opened the door and poked her head in, and gave a sniff, “...No it smells fine.”

Nita rolled her eyes, “Right. You asked for this.” She warned as she placed her hands on Aloe's back and gave her a shove. Aloe fell forwards and then bounced backwards, causing her to fall on top of Nita and knocking them both to the floor. Aloe rolled off Nita as they both groaned in pain.

“T-Thanks for that...” Aloe said sarcastically, shooting an annoyed glance at Nita.

“...Oooohhhh... I get it now...” Nita responded, brushing herself down. She stood up, and this time offered her hand to Aloe for her to grab instead. Being pulled to her feet, Aloe also gave herself a quick brush with her hands. Nita looked at Aloe's shape and silhouette, then at the door. There was definitely going to be an issue with fitting her unique companion inside. “So... what now?”

“I'm not sure. I could maybe squeeze in but...” Aloe sighed deeply, once again feeling embarrassed by her body.

“Hey, hey! Don't sweat it, we can figure something out, alright luv?” Nita said placing a hand on Aloe's shoulder, she didn't like to see people down. “Could you not just... squeeze yourself in?”

Shaking her head, Aloe answered, “I don't like squeezing in to things... it makes me feel uncomfortable.”

“How about just turning as you go through the door?” Suggested Nita.

Aloe looked at the door, and then felt a bit silly. That might actually work. Without saying anything else, she climbed on to the step and turned on the spot as she went inside. She turned meekly towards Nita, “It's uh... definitely cosy...”

“Haha, just a little! I'm gonna sit up front and get a look at how this thing runs. You take 5, alright?” Nita said. Aloe nodded, and Nita closed the door. Now that she was alone, Aloe became more acquainted with the space around her. It felt a little claustrophobic even. It was definitely large, but the space was still a bit tight for someone like her. It might be a bit awkward living in the vardo with another person.

Aloe sighed, she sat down at the kotatsu and let it take the weight off her chest. At least there was a private place for her to take off her winter poncho without having to worry about prying eyes. She wasn't going to do that right now. She'd wait until they were back at the city.

It felt like a long few minutes before there was any significant sign of life outside. Aloe heard the muffled voices of the farmer and Nita talking. After some distinct clopping noises, the vardo was pulled forward with a sudden jolt as the wheels started to turn.

The ride was bumpy. Aloe could feel her whole being shaking, her breasts felt particularly vulnerable to the movement. It made her uncomfortable. She turned away and shuffled backwards to let her breasts slide off the table to instead rest down on her lap instead. This alleviated her from some of the wobbling sensation. She let out a weary sigh. While the whole vardo felt nice, it was definitely wasn't something made for her. She almost felt stuck.

Aloe shook her head, trying to rid the negativity from the back of her mind, “Positive feelings, Aloe... think happy; feel happy.”

Finally, the vardo came to a stop. Peering out the window, Aloe could see the Pokemon Center. Holding her arms outwards, she stretched while making a tired groan. She felt completely out of energy already, and it wasn't even lunch time. After counting to five, Aloe pulled herself to her feet – the only thing on her mind was food.