Sneaking through the bushes that led to the clearing full of Goomy I peered out and was shocked at what I saw.

Nothing.

No delightful little gooey boys. “Kkukuk?” Mimikyu whispered right into my ear, a spine tingling sound. But to me it was cute.

“They were here last time… They probably just went home.” I stood up brushing out my hat from some of the leaves I had moved through, before thinking better of it and grabbing leaves from the bushes and piling them into my hat.

“Kukuk?”

“Goomy eat leaves. So I figure I can give them a treat. They seemed to like these bushes last time I saw them.” I explained and Mimikyu nodded his costume head up and down in understanding. Then to my surprise, his claw reached out and grabbed a few leaves and dumped them into the hat as well.

He wanted to help!

I smiled happily and when my hat was full I made sure to reach up and nudge him into my cheek for a bit of skinship. “Thanks Mimikyu.”

“K-K-Kukuku!” He seemed to stutter and I giggled at his awkward flailing.

The creak snap of his costume was ignored, when we got home, I’d find him some supplies to get rid of that. It was kinda loud.

Then I walked through the forest. Pokemon all around, but they left me alone. No packs of Poochyena this time.

But as I drew close to the cave that the Goomy had come from I heard it.

The sounds of battle.

“Hold on!” I grunted as I raced forward, uncaring that some of the leaves were left behind. I came out of the trees and stilled.

There in front of the little was a Goomy, dirty and tattered and using every ounce of his strength.

Because in front of him was an Ekans.

It was a minor thought, but I remember that one of the animals that would eat slugs back on earth were snakes…

“Mimikyu! Shadow Claw!” I called out without hesitation. Mimikyu leapt from my shoulder with a cry.

“KuKukukKukUku!” It roared and its claw came out in a blaze of darkness, but unlike last time I had seen him leap in the air, claws outstretched. This time it was an attack.

The blow struck the Ekans that had instantly turned its head towards me at my yell. Giving me enough time to notice that the Ekans was uninjured despite the single Goomy desperately trying to hold it back from entering their little cave.

I ignored that though. Instead rushing straight for the injured pokemon.

Baseball sliding I quickly grabbed my belt. But before I could throw out Chansey I was surprised.

“G-Goo!” The Goomy responded to my presence with a tackle attack. Slamming into my stomach and knocking the breath out of me even if it didn’t hurt more than that. Arms came forward and instead of pulling out Chansey, I simply hugged the poor pokemon to me. Mostly so he couldn’t hurt himself anymore.

“It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you. I promise. I’m here to help.”

“G-Goo!” It gave out a muffled grunt, but it was tired and hurt and couldn’t possibly resist my secret move.

Let’s Snuggle Forever wasn’t just a Mimikyu Z move!

“KuKukkku.” I looked up to see the Ekans in full retreat sliding through a bush and Mimikyu hurrying over.

“Can you go into my bag?” I asked him, and he tilted his costume head and nodded. “Second inside pocket on the right, the one with the zipper. That’s it. The potion? It’s a spray bottle. Purplish liquid.” And he pulled it free. My smile of thanks almost had my poor Mimikyu melt into a puddle.

“That’s the one! Here, can you spray it on him. Perfect just like that.” I said guiding Mimikyu who sprayed the potion over the Goomy that was actually pretty hard to hold, but I was succeeding mostly by being a lot healthier than the poor little guy.

Finally I loosened up and Goomy was revealed to be in much better condition than he had been before.

He looked up at me with his tiny little eyes and glared. At least I think it was a glare, it was mostly just cute.

“Feeling okay?”

“Goo!” He retaliated by smacking into my face with a tackle.

Between his gooey form, and his own tiredness it didn’t hurt too bad, but did send me crashing onto my back as he sort of blooped off me and landed on the ground.

“That was a little mean, but I get it.” I muttered, rising up and rubbing at my now slimed face.

A little gross, but I’d deal.

“Are you okay?”

“Goo!” He demanded and woogled his way to stand between me and the cave entrance. There he glared.

This Goomy.

He or she, I realized I wasn’t sure. But they were perfect. So fierce! A fierce little slime dragon! Wanted to hug them tight, and feed them leaves and berries and praise their bravery!

Instead I took a deep breath and slowly got up and moved a few steps away. Carefully disengaging.

“Okay. We aren’t here to hurt you. See? We are moving away from the cave. Not gonna hurt you or your friends. See look?” I pointed at my hat that had a bunch of leaves surrounding it despite my abandoning it. “I brought you some food, because I wanted to meet with you.”

“Goo!” They… I think roared would be the best description, but it was so cute I couldn’t think of it as fearsome.

“Okay. See I’ll listen. I’m not gonna hurt you.” I whispered calmly, moving further back even leaving my hat on the ground still covered in leaves as I backed away slowly.

The clearing was quiet for a little while Mimikyu, climbed back up onto my shoulder. I gently pet him in thanks, but never took my eyes off the bravest Goomy who was focused on me.

Then far enough, I slowly sat down, legs crossed and waited.

“Goo!”

“Nope.” I answered back calmly. “I’m not leaving, but I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk.”

“Gooooo.” The little slime ball growled cutely and then to my surprise behind the little goo ball, another one poked its head out.

“Goom?”

“Goo! Goomy!” The brave one turned and called back to the others, and they listened, sliding back into the shadows of their little cave.

The Goomy spun back to me, but I hadn’t moved. Calmly I reached into my backpack and I noticed the poor thing twitch, but instead of what they must have expected, I pulled out a Pecha berry and took a nibble. Peeling a section off I offered it to Mimikyu where it quickly vanished beneath his costume.

“Want some?” I offered and Goomy just glared and I nodded. Too soon still.

So I just settled in.

Today was the day after all. This hadn’t gone how I wanted, but I could figure it out. First I just needed to get the Goomy to calm down.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

So I nibbled on the berry and just waited.

Slowly, even the fiercest of Goomy grew tired of watching me calmly eat. He bravely moved over to me, his little face glaring and came up short puffing himself up again, but I didn’t react, run away or attack. Just gave it a bit of time for him to deflate.

“You want some?” I offered and they sort of wiggled and blew itself back up, making them look big.

“Goom!”

“Yeah! You’re very brave and strong!” I agreed and that only made it puff up a little larger before it sort of deflated.

“Want some water?” I offered and Goomy perked up at that but then shook itself as if fighting back its own wants.

“Goom.” It denied with a cute little wiggle shake.

“Well okay, but I’m going to get my water out.” I mentioned casually, as I reached into my bag and slowly brought out the canteen. It was still glaring as I stuffed the Pecha berry into my mouth to hold it, and uncapped the canteen then casually upended it gently on top of their head. “Oops.” I said very fakely. As I pulled the berry free from my mouth.

Pretty much instantly despite being a grumpy little goomy it preened under the water, its coloring changed as it grew damp.

I hadn’t even realized the poor guy was a little gray. “Goom.” He said after I cut off the flow of water, and then he did a cute little shake, but none of the water really escaped him. Despite rolling down his body it was all very quickly absorbed.

Then before anything else could be said. A tiny bit of the Pecha berry was poked right into his little mouth area.

He did a wobble. Then sort of took in the flavor before perking up.

“Goo!” He exclaimed and I grinned and offered him the rest. My palm was gobbled up as he grabbed it then backed off to happily chew the treat.

Haha! Success!

I went to put my chin in my hands before wincing at the slime on my palm touching my chin. A moment of wiping my hand clean on my pants, and a bit of rubbing my chin into the opposite shoulder from Mimikyu who was still quietly watching all of this happen.

“Do you like Pecha berries?”I asked and Goomy, probably without even realizing it nodded happily as he chewed the berry. How cute!

Then he realized who he had been responding to, and did a cute little ‘jump’ back as he glared at me.

While still eating the berry.

I of course had the perfect solution for this.

I pulled out… Another Pecha berry! Well a small chunk of one. The berries were pretty big actually.

“Goo?” He gasped tiny eyes never leaving the berry as I waved it around.

“I suppose I could give you another one…” I offered and he hesitated looking at me with suspicion. But then I just broke into a smile cause he was too cute to hold out on and I placed it down in front of him.

Then I grabbed another berry and gave it to Mimikyu. He was being so amazing not causing any trouble or anything and I really appreciated his presence.

Also shoulder pokemon!

“Thanks Mimikyu.” I said aloud, just so he could know how much I appreciated him.

“K-Kkuuuu!” He said sounding shy, but it was cute.

Goomy was a little startled but calmed down as he was still chowing down on the berry.

“So want to share some berries with your friends?” I asked and Goomy stilled as he seemed to realize he had eaten the whole thing.

“Goo! Goomy Goo!” He said while doing another little leap back as he had come closer to get the berry. I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant but I just shrugged.

“How about I just give you some berries? It doesn’t have to be me giving them one directly.” I reached into my bag and pulled out a handful of different berry types. And offered them, but there was a problem.

Goomy had no hands. He looked from berries to me, then to his friends that were not hiding as well as they should. Peering out more and more to see what was going on.

“I’m not going to hurt you or your friends. I think Goomy are great.” I explained and I waited. Then slowly. The protective instinct of the Goomy was overcome. Slowly. He woogled back, but not to run or anything but telling me to follow with a movement of his head.

I didn’t cheer because that might startle him. So I rose up and even stopped to gather up my hat and a bunch of the leaves.

Then I followed him towards the cave entrance. He planted himself right at the entrance looking brave and strong as I approached and even puffed up as I started getting too close.

So I settled on the spot close enough and placed my hat on the ground, and started parceling out the meal.

A leaf with a berry bit on top set out close to the bravest Goomy who watched over me with a firm will… Only allowing some minor distraction from the berries.

But soon more Goomy were woogling out of the cave and giving happy cries of delight once they bit into the berry.

Well after a bit of scared inching closer and closer.

Poor Goomies were scared of me.

I would just have to shower them with love and affection!

I even reached back into my bag for my Canteen, and started pouring a bit of water on each of the Goomy in range. Perking them all up each time.

Soon even the bravest Goomy had fallen prey to my wiles and was snacking on a delicious berry.

I sat there. Surrounded by slimes. Queen of the Slimes!

Queen of everything!

—--

“Gooooo!” The noise escaping the little Goomy I was playing with was the best thing ever.

Eventually as I fed and watered the Goomies they had relented and started actually relaxing. Mimikyu had even taken to relaxing, as he was currently hiding under my hat and cute little noises kept creeping out that were his little snores.

I mean, sure it kinda sounded like screams of the damn echoing from far away, but he was just snoring so that was cute!

But more importantly. I had a Goomy in my hands.

Pushing both hands up against the Goomies cheeks I then lifted watching his body stretch out earning me a happy little noise as they slowly stretched back out until they were touching the floor, and then I just let go, and their whole body floomped back together to the sound of giggles.

They liked it!

With the assurance they liked me playing with them, I picked it back up and started moving it from hand to hand, letting it basically fall into the lower hand, before switching it up and letting it slide to the other.

The absolute delightful giggling laugh filled the clearing telling me I had found the perfect game for Goomy.

And for me it reminded me of all those slime toys I had seen when I was a kid in my last life. What was it called again… Gac? Gak? Something like that.

Only this was a living creature and it responded and giggled as you played with it.

Awesome.

“Goom!” The brave Goomy called out a warning and all the Goomies started rushing into the cave. The one in my hands struggled against me, and I quickly placed it down so it could run as well. I looked to where Goomy was looking and locked eyes with something I wasn’t expecting. The one forest creature I didn’t expect.

Human.

He wore similar enough clothes to the Kitakami residents I had talked with. So I casually brushed off the slime from my hands and rose up. I felt myself falling into a glare though, because around his neck? There was a very familiar Ekans…

With the snake around him, and his general scowl he didn’t look very kind. It was hard to tell his exact age. The teenager was probably sixteen? Maybe twenty? He was covered in mud and other stuff. Coating some of his skin making it hard to really figure him out.

And then he got really close and I instantly stepped back and coughed.

Repel! The boy was coated in Repel, and I knew why Pokemon avoided it, it stunk. Like distilled Muk yet not as toxic.

“Outsider.”

“Hi.” I gasped out as I plugged my nose and leaned away. The boy scoffed at my actions.

“I don’t know why you are playing with such filthy creatures, but move aside. I’ve been tracking this nest for days.” He demanded and I blinked.

“Are you talking about the Goomy?” I asked, watching as the boys brown eyebrows cinched down into a glare.

“What else would I be talking about besides those little plague monsters.” He asked but shook his head. “I heard from the elders you are on some strange Journey. It seems stupid for you to be running around this forest alone, so I’ll warn you now. Powerful Pokemon roam the forests. You should leave before you get attacked and killed.” He offered not entirely unkindly.

I cocked my head and just nodded slowly. “Yeah I know. The powerful pokemon are why I’m here. I’m actually trying to make friends with the Goomy, but you scared them off.”

“F-Friends? Those things carry the worst of diseases and plagues! You should kill them whenever you see them! It’s the only way to keep the crops from dying!”

I had a lot of doubts about what this guy just said, but arguing with someone as a ten year old was kind of an uphill battle. But it was obvious this guy was serious.

“I’m not from around Kitakami, so I don’t really know your history and things. But Goomy are pretty nice. They aren’t exactly aggressive. I’m su-”

“What does that have to do with anything? If they aren’t poisoning the water, they are eating the crops! Devouring the leaves right off the trees until they die!”

I blinked and felt my eyes narrow because Goomy weren’t really good climbers. Everything I’ve seen from them showed they tended to eat leaves near the base of things like bushes not really climbing up trees.

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Move aside. It’s time to kill this nest an-”

This time it was me who cut him off. I moved to stand directly in front of the nest and glared with all my might.

“You’ll have to go through me if you even hope to lay a finger on them.” I threatened, and like clockwork it was decided, he reached for his belt pulling a Pokeball from it and then I was about to do the same, but I already had a pokemon out Mimikyu had stopped his snoring and I could tell my hat where it was sitting on the floor was focused on the threat.

The teenager seeing my hesitation must have thought he had won.

“Go! Snorunt!” He called out and I blinked at the Ice Type as it materialized.

That… Snorunt weren’t exactly known for being powerful…

“Powdered Snow! Show this Outsider the power of Kitakami!”

Before I could even call out an order… Well my hat moved from where it had been laying on the ground. In a quick zig zag Mimikyu raced towards the Snorunt, which yelped, shifting the attack and blasting my hat.

Which was instantly pelted by snow and then even started freezing up, but that caused the hat to go flying and then it revealed Mimikyu unharmed underneath.

Heh. Mimikyu used Disguise… On top of it’s Disguise!

“M-M-Monster!” The teenager yelped, and then did something I really didn’t expect. He threw something that made a rattling noise. It distracted Mimikyu for a moment as he stopped to figure out what was going on, and then the teenager returned his Pokemon and raced towards me. I yelped but instead of attacking he grabbed me, lifting me entirely off my feet, throwing me over his shoulder and tried to run.

“Let go!” I yelped as I kicked him, making him drop me, and then I fell into a ninja roll and ended up back on my feet.

“Fine! Die then!” He yelped and then just took off…

Like really fast.

I turned back to Mimikyu who was half way away from where the object thrown by the teenager had landed and me.

Aww. He had raced to come save me.

“Thanks Mimikyu!” I called out arms open.

“K-KKUKU! KUKUU!” He cried out and smashed into me, as I giggled as his Shadow Claw wrapped around me.

“Such a good boy! Thank you for protecting me!”

My shirt got a little wet, from the crying. But that was okay. Instead I walked over to the object that was thrown…

It kinda looked like a stick figure man?

It was a bunch of weird pieces of wood wrapped together as well. I bent down and picked it up, and I noticed it made a cracking noise that was very very familiar…

“Ah! It’s what you use to make the neck of your costume stand up! That’s why it crackles!” I called out and Mimikyu gave a little nod of his costume at my words in fact making the noise.

A moment later he pointed at it with his claw, which was easy enough for me to understand. I handed it over, watching as it disappeared underneath his costume and I could hear the crackling noise erupt out.

“That’s… So weird… Why did he throw that? Just as a distraction? Was he just… Walking around with one in his pocket?” I wondered, staring out towards where the teenager had disappeared… “At least the Repel isn’t stinking up the whole place anymore.” I decided and instead headed towards the cave entrance.

There the bravest Goomy was holding the entrance. Shaking and shivering, but not from fear.

It was cold. The Powdered Snow had landed all over the clearing and Dragons were weak to Ice.

“Are you cold?” I asked, and got… Well if it had teeth I think they would be chattering.

“Arcanine! You’re up! Sorry girl. I just need a heater again.” I called out as Arcanine materialized, and Arcanine slumped as she looked around for a battle. She sent me a look of puppy dog eyes, but I just smiled and pointed towards Goomy.

The Goomy who was now stock still as he stared up and up at the very large pokemon in his clearing.

Then Arcanine sighed and burst into flame. The chill of the snow vanished and very swiftly the snow along with it. In fact as the snow cleared and became water. Goomy relaxed and even wandered over to a small puddle and took a drink.

“Goo! Goomy Goo!” He called out to Arcanine to my surprise and she barked, then lowered her nose and started sniffing. After a few moments she gave Goomy a big lick that stretched out his whole body.

Then to my amusement Arcanine gave a look even on a dog I could recognize.

Oh shit I fucked up. Was pretty universal.

She started jawing, licking wildly but I could see the very amusing problem.

There was slime in her mouth. And it was a bit sticky.

I giggled because it was absolutely hilarious. Once I was able to look at her and not start laughing I called her over and spent a minute with my hand in her mouth wiping slime away.