Nathan "Neo" Winterfield (As a Ninetales)
Avalon Apostles
Avalon Research Labs, Maris, Aluna
ARPers: N/A

I was kind of limited in how I could communicate to these guys, especially considering I could barely write with only paws and no opposable thumbs. So I just wrote "keyboard please" and just as I thought, pressing buttons for letters was a whole lot easier than trying to draw them.

I tried to explain everything by typing it all out on a screen. The mission, the encounter with the other Ninetales and her Gardevoir friend, the 1,000 year curse thing and how that was supposed to be her revenge on me, and all that jazz. Real lovely stuff.

"So how does one go about undoing a Ninetales curse?" one of the researchers asked. "Is there a way?"

I shrugged. Appease the cursing Ninetales? Save their life? I didn't know, but my best guess was this an IOU kind of thing and I needed some kind of tribute offering like a "hey, you'd be screwed without me so change me back" kind of thing. Otherwise I better get used to fur, paws, and a whole lot of tails for a good, long time.

"Things haven't been going well in the meantime," the head researcher told me. "A Mamoswine is laying down havoc in Erana and it's been a real struggle to keep it under control. It's already killed multiple people, caused millions in damage, and the debate to pacify it by tranquilization or euthanizing it is causing its own problems."

Sheesh. And to think I could have ended up right in the middle of that.

"Perhaps... Operative Winterfield can possibly communicate with the Mamoswine?" one of the researchers asked. "He's the best connection between humans and Pokémon now that's he's... well, experienced both sides."

"Might be the only possible choice we have left," one of the others agreed. "He is the only negotiator capable of both human and Pokémon communication. Not to mention he could potentially translate what the Mamoswine is saying."

Well, this was definitely going to be different for a change. But if it saved lives and ended things peacefully, it was worth a shot. Maybe that cursing Ninetales would learn about it and see I wasn't such a bad guy after all and undo the curse! Maybe. Or everyone would see this as a big success and feel I should definitely stay this way. Oh boy.

I nodded, giving them a quick sign that I could roll with this plan even though there was this fun fact that it might just get me stuck this way.

"Then we should have Winterfield deployed to the strike zone and equipped with a keyboard input device," the researcher confirmed. "Winterfield, you're going to need to try and tell the Mamoswine to stand down. Find out what it wants and what humans can provide in exchange for having it cease its assault on Erana. We will be waiting and watching what you type in. Hopefully it's something we can easily fulfill without any need for lethal force."

Weird how I've gone from pacifying Pokémon by shooting them with tranquilizer darts to now chatting with them and seeing if we can become friends that way instead.

"If we're going to do this, then we need to hurry," one of the female researchers said urgently. "Get Winterfield ready for deployment, although how do we explain this to the others that we have a negotiator Pokémon capable of translating what the Mamoswine is saying?"

"We really don't have the time to explain that to the whole strikeforce, especially when they have their hands full," one of the others said. "That can wait, but this cannot."

Wow. Mass confusion. High chance of death. Heavy collateral damage. Hulking Mamoswine wrecking everything. What were we waiting for!?