Your AU idea of slapping ingo into the PMD world as a full-on human man is SO fucking funny to me what a delight. What is it like for him when he first gets there?
THANK YOU!! It's genuinely one of my favorite AU premises I have, just based on what a fun spin it is on the usual formula. I've definitely said this before but my favorite trope is trope subversion. PMD AUs are very popular spin offs (for good reason) and this felt like a really funny way to drop Ingo into a situation he's absolutely not prepared for in the slightest.
SO!!
What's it like for him. Really open question, I'll try to answer it as thoroughly as I can. (Still clawing my way out of burnout, thank you for bearing with me!)
When Ingo first lands, without his memory and no inkling of where he is, it's initially more confusing and worrying than anything else. He tries to wander back to society to try and get some help, and well. He gets more than he bargained for.
(Long reply below!)
They find him on the outskirts of Treasure Town. He's so, so confused. There are pokemon running storefronts and occupying buildings, and none of it feels right. But he doesn't have much time to dwell on what that could mean before he's spotted.
Humans are a weird case. Pokemon generally seem to know what they are, at least in concept, but none you meet have ever actually seen one before. They're creatures of myth, almost. So I think there would be some confusion at first over What Is That Weird Pokemon, but I think- almost like a cryptid sighting, someone is going to know more than everyone else. And as soon as the first cry of Is that a HUMAN!? goes out, it quickly devolves into an uproar of chaos.
After hijinks and a not-insignificant amount of panic ensues, mainly on the side of Ingo, he's detained by Officer Magnezone temporarily. I think he also possibly ends up getting knocked out. Not off to a great start!
Magnezone turns to the Guild for help with what to do next, as they have some slightly more detailed knowledge about Humans, if only a little bit. Chatot had studied about humans in his earlier years exploring, finding artifacts and such- So Chatot is actually the only pokemon in town who knows how to understand human speech. (I thought it would be fun for the pokemon known for learning and repeating language to be more knowledgeable on this subject.) And Ingo can't understand any of the pokemon language either, so it puts them at a standstill without Chatot.
Magnezone (and other townsfolk) are wary of what Ingo can do, since they don't have a grasp of what he's capable of. He's essentially put on community service/parole as a way of keeping him in check until he's able to establish himself and earn their trust.
Chatot has never heard the human language spoken aloud by a real human, so it takes a bit of trial and error for him to figure out how to communicate with Ingo. There's a lot of early tension between Ingo and all the other pokemon in treasure town, and it puts him in a very stressful environment for a very long time.
The first conversations they share where they're able to really trade information, largely through Chatot repeating words back at him for emphasis or clarification, are very enlightening but not without miscommunication. Ingo learns more about how the guild works, why he's being held captive (detained, but, in his mind he's being held prisoner) and where he is. Chatot learns about how Ingo got here, or rather, how he doesn't know how he got here (suspicious), and is able to relay from Magnezone that he's being kept under watch until they know more about him. He's a mysterious figure after all! And how would the human not know where he came from? It's awfully dubious, they think.
As Chatot communicates more, he learns one way or another about the pokeballs Ingo still has on his person. Capture devices made specifically to trap pokemon, to store and contain them. This is, for reasons I hope are obvious, extremely alarming to Chatot and Magnezone.
As short-term plans are changed into long-term plans, they work out a deal. Ingo can stay at the guild, where they'll keep an eye on him, and in return Ingo will help them complete missions. His ability to (in their eyes) kidnap pokemon needs to be heavily monitored until they believe he can be trusted with that kind of ability. However, in the meantime, it would be a very useful tool for bringing in outlaws. And, Wigglytuff wants to take a chance on him.
Broadly, this is how things play out for a while. A tense truce between Ingo and the pokemon of Treasure Town, while he helps capture outlaws for the guild while on parole from Officer Magnezone. They try to keep his capture devices under wraps, but Treasure Town loves gossip and there is absolutely no way they're going to be able to keep the pokemon at the guild from knowing about it for very long.
Everywhere he goes, Ingo is met with suspicion. A lot of the things I've stated up to this point are from the perspective of the pokemon. Ingo is... Not doing well, under this intense pressure.
He's lost. He's alone. He's being held prisoner for an undetermined period of time. There are hostile pokemon all around him, at least in his own mind. No one here trusts him in the slightest. He, in essence, has to prove his usefulness, be of worth, in order to earn room and board.
At very least they seem able to be reasoned with, but he feels as though he's on thin ice and can hear the cracks forming below his feet. Something is going to snap, and when it does, it's going to be him plunged into the inky waters below.
So, he does his best. He does what he can. He makes himself useful, tries to be helpful. He shares any information Chatot asks of him freely, though he's cautious to avoid saying something that might turn their ire against him again. He's a professional pokemon trainer, even if he doesn't remember it. He has the skill to back up his word, though, in some cases that's more worrying to the pokemon around him than it is comforting. He rarely finds peace when he needs it most.
Every day he pours his effort into capturing outlaws and exploring these dangerous mystery dungeons. He tries to make himself trustworthy, but some days, it feels like one step forward and two steps back. The pokemon at the guild whisper to themselves when he's nearby. The citizens of treasure town only just started selling their wares to him without Magnezone hovering over his shoulder. He feels, trapped, and alone, and on some days, afraid.
He has to face dungeons alone, at least at first. As soon as they know he's capable of handling himself, Chatot assigns him solo missions each day. But, unlike them, he doesn't heal as quickly as they do. He doesn't have the power to back himself up, and he doesn't have a partner to warp him out if he faints. His one saving grace is that he's crafty, skilled at assessing which threats can be faced and which need to be avoided. AND. He has one killer throwing arm. He's a deadshot with pokeballs, yes, but gravelerocks are about the same size and weight. You put a rare fossil in his hands, and it's like a pokemon move toolkit all its own. He almost never misses his throws, and it helps give him staying power. He can manage himself, if only scraping by sometimes. He can outsmart pokemon when he can't out maneuver them, outrun them when he can't out smart them, and in a worst case scenario, he has the sense and stamina to warp himself away if he gets in a bind.
At least, that's what it's like for a while. He's afraid, and alone, but he's trying his best. The pokemon of Treasure Town are wary of him- His tools, his skills. But he starts to prove himself a very valuable ally, too.
And slowly, that trust will build. It will take time, effort, and so much trial and error. But he won't be alone forever, and as soon as someone gives him that first olive branch of trust, everything is going to change.
(,,,And this is where I would post the writing I did of Bidoof giving him that olive branch if I hadn't already been writing for way too long.)
Thank you for the ask! I'm so sorry it took so long to answer, I've been in such a rut... If you want that short snippet with Bidoof let me know! I'm sure I have more random snippets from conversations I could post somehow... There's a lot I love about this AU and getting it out of my head has been the hardest part. Have a great day and enjoy reading!
