Another part of an old story. Someone requested that I reupload this.

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“Ah, now this is more like it!”

Oliver rested on a hammock between two thin palm trees. Its soft cloth bindings struggled to hold together, and though Jackson expertly tied the ends of the bed to the foliage, the weight of the charizard beant the flimsy trunks until his bulbous ass had nearly touched the ground. He could hear the bark moan and break as he lay, swinging in the warm sea breeze, unconcerned with their wellbeing. His globular arms rested around the back of his head, his biceps taut with muscle, yet thick with fat. His curling feet sank into the soothing sand, while the rest of his bloated torso was enveloped by the fabrics of the makeshift bed. The only thing that appeared into view was his belly, which was getting quite tanned from the sun above. Luckily, he didn’t need to worry about sunburns being a fire type.

Jackson eyed the horizons of the blue sea. Being an experienced navigator, he knew exactly which way was north, south, and everything in between at all times, but Oliver hardly understood it all. The unenthusiastic charizard yawned heartily and itched the climax of his paunch as he watched the oranguru trail around the beach rather frantically. Oliver didn’t care for how serious Jackson was. Sure, they were humans before, but why did that matter? Curious, Oliver eyed the white and purple-furred ape with a smile. “We’ve been traveling for quite some time now. Are you sure you know where this place is?”

Jackson pouted and kicked sand into the ocean. “There was a time and place where I could spot a seagull from miles away, but my eyes seem to have gone awry.” He placed his hands on his forehead, and his temples turned a pleasant lavender. His pupils dilated, and he glanced around with a smile. “Ah, there we go!” The great ape straightened his back and looked towards the sunrise. “We are about a day’s worth of walking. If we follow the edges of Glowsand beach and pass through Humblewood, we’ll be there by nightfall.”

Oliver stretched and relaxed eagerly into the hammock. “I wouldn’t mind staying here for a couple days myself.”

Jackson smirked and shook his head comically. “If you wish, sir. We are on no time limit. I told the others that I will send them a telepathic message upon our arrival at Fort Submoria. They, like me, are eager to sort out this mess.”

“Who are these ‘others’”?

“They are the two others that were on the boat before we, er - transformed.”

Oliver scratched his chin. “Didn’t you say there were five?”

“Yes. One is still missing. We are unable to identify who or what they are. They may even be dead, all things considered, but there are clues that they are still with us in this world.”

Oliver gulped and his amber eyes grew. What had he meant by that? “Hey, Jackson, what are we going to find in Humblewood? I’m curious to see what else is out there. After all my time adventuring, I thought I saw it all, but you have proved me wrong.”

“Rest easy, little pup, for there will be no dungeons or puzzles in Humblewood. There rests a small group of nomads. They are a tribal sort, sporting clothes of whatever they can find in their disorderly path, and a cornucopia of different cultures and beliefs. They say their ruler is divine. If I had no ambitions and less of an ache in my back, I’d swing along with them! Alas, I have grown old and would like to settle one day.”

Oliver eyed the oranguru with a smirk. He couldn’t imagine the aspiring ape wearing a shoddy skirt made of vines and hides. He seemed to be adventurous, but whether that was a good thing or not was debatable to Oliver so far. “I doubt that you’ll ever settle down until you are in the grave.” Oliver said, the flame on his tail ignited more than usual.

Jackson puffed out his white-fured chest and pouted. “The same goes right back to you! Ever since we left, you’ve had more fire in your heart than I have ever seen in a charizard. I can tell that you’ve seen a lot of wear and tear in your time, but are eager to get back into the fray. It seems that our little group on that boat was destined to be together - we all have that fire in our hearts as well.” The oranguru slumped his back down with age. “I have seen many pokemon since we have transformed, and I have questioned myself if I have ever wanted to go back to being a human.”

Oliver twisted his stubby leg around to stand up, which centered his weight directly in the middle of the hammock. Finally, there was a snap. He came crashing down along with one of the trees, cleaving the trunk in two. Thankfully, his fall was cushioned by his ample rear, and he was so close to the ground that he hardly felt it. Hidden underneath all of the blubber, muscle began to pull Oliver to his feet effortlessly. Jackson rushed to help him up, but before he could even get halfway over to assist him, Oliver had already steadied himself to his feet and brushed off any sand that may have glued to his orange hide.

Jackson waved his hands in the air and the cloth making the binding of the hammock began to untangle itself and neatly enter a sack he fashioned around his thigh. “Obviously, it was the tree’s fault for being so flimsy.”

“Sure, pops. Let’s go!” Oliver said with a smile.

Day turned into night as the two made their way into the thick of the woods. It was unlike any forest that Oliver had ever been in. The tree branches seemed to tap rhythmically together like tiny drums as they passed. There was not a single leaf on the ground, nore any twigs or flowers. A series of dirt pathways led them through the most overgrown parts of the forest, as if these woods were well-traveled, but there were no signs of life. The canopies of the trees blocked out any light left from the moon, but the flame on the tip of Oliver’s tail thankfully lit their way. Every once in a while, there was a torch sconce at the end of a fork in the road. Jackson would take a look in both directions and decide where to go rather hastily. Oliver could only wonder if they were lost.

Oliver stopped abruptly as they passed by the same tree with a set of three red flags hanging from its limbs for the fifth time. He crossed his arms and stomped his foot. “Alright, pops, where are we going?! If we don’t set up camp in the next five minutes, I’m going to start burning our way through this forest.”

Jackson looked visibly disgruntled, his face shadowed with a torn grimace. “I - I don’t know, sir! We keep going straight through, but somehow we circle around. This must be some sort of trick at play.”

As he said it, there was a shuffle from the nearby trees. Whatever it was, it was gone before they had the time to look over to see them. There was a snap from above, and a massive tree limb began falling. Jackson’s eyes grew purple, and he lifted his hands in the air. The lavender energy began to bubble around the falling branch, and he swifty threw it to the side. Oliver looked over to his partner and nodded his head in approval. As he did so, he felt something tap against his stomach. He looked down and saw another small chunk of bone tap his gut and pile on the ground. He looked towards where they were coming from and saw a cubone with a makeshift slingshot aimed towards him hidden poorly in some bushes. They loaded up another fragment of bone and shot it again. Oliver didn’t even flinch as the bone collided with his thick hide and fell to his feet.

“Hey!” Oliver exclaimed, raising his hand in protest. “We’re not here to harm you! We are just passing through!”

Several seconds passed by where they were in a standoff. Finally, someone answered from the treetops. “How can we tell?!”

Oliver’s eyes widened and he looked over to Jackson for an answer. The oranguru cleared his throat and said, “I am Jackson, and I am a servant to Charizard, devourer of the meteor, and your savior!”

“What?!” Oliver said, but couldn’t usher another word. An invisible hand slapped the back of his head, and he took that as a sign that the ape wanted him to shut up.

“Which one?”

Jackson gritted his teeth and spat, “Which one?! THE one!”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are a lot of admired Charizards out there! They aren’t exactly rare, per say.”

Oliver suddenly felt a lot less special, and Jackson spat on the ground. The tension began to trickle down as a group of four revealed themselves from the shadows. There was the cubone, of course, with the slingshot and a small backpack of shattered bone. Their bone helmet was decorated with thumbprints and smudges from the juice of smashed red berries. Two tall pangoros stepped aside from a wide tree trunk. They were nearly identical, except one had a happy face drawn on their white-fured belly, and the other had a frowny face. The one with the happy face seemed to have been in pure bliss, with an absentminded gaze and a massive potbelly that he fidgeted with constantly. The other had a much more serious glare, and gritted their teeth. They seemed to have been fed irregularly, but had muscle on top of muscle. From above, a chatot fluttered into view and perched on a nearby tree. They were very fidgety, and could not hold the same stance for more than a few seconds. Eyeing the two eagerly, the chatot gave a beautiful, but short series of chirps, and said, “Charizard, the one who defeated the green dragon in the clouds, right?”

Oliver bit his lip and cocked his head. “More like I asked them for help, but yes. Wha - er - who are you?”

Chatot danced and sang. “Oh! I am sorry that these buffoons know nothing of the outside world. I am Chatot! You’ve never seen me before?! I do like to travel, I suppose. From the Wigglytuff guild to here, I do enjoy a good vacation.”

Jackson cleared his throat and said, “Ah, Chatot! I’ve heard many tales about you. We are looking for the champion of your guild. They should be just through this forest. Do you think you can lead us through? We seem to be lost.”

Chatot’s head turned nearly horizontal. “My champion? I assume that you’re meeting at Fort Submoria, correct? Well, I have been informed that the fort has been taken by a group of bandits.”

Oliver gritted his fangs and smoke billowed out of his nose. “What did you just say?!”

Chatot rolled their eyes and spat, “Let me finish! Fort Submoria has been taken by bandits, but the champion you are talking about is here, in Humblewood. She is in the longhouse, I presume.”

Jackson clapped his hands together. “We want to meet her immediately. She is crucial to our success.”

“Well then, I should introduce you to Happy and Sad. They are the muscle around here, and will lead us through this forest. Then there is little Cubone, who was supposed to stay back at home. Ow!” Cubone shot a fragment of bone at Chatot and giggled. Oliver chuckled as well, but quickly stood at attention when he saw the glare that he was receiving from Jackson. Chatot cleared their throat and straightened out their feathers. “Hmmph! You’ll be lucky if I don’t tell Fury when we get back. Alright, tubby, let’s see how fast those stubby legs can move.”

The fat pangoro took a deep breath and nodded his head. His tongue fell out of his mouth uselessly and he drooled constantly. Sad patted Happy’s shoulder and began to lead him into the forest. Oliver and Jackson followed closely behind. “Is Chatot always so scary?” Oliver whispered to Cubone. The pokemon laughed, and tensed up as Chatot landed firmly on his shoulder. The trees were so thick and plentiful that it was possible to lose each other within seconds. Thankfully, Oliver rounded them together with the light from his tail. Sound seemed to be amplified twofold because it was so silent. A snap of a twig, or the russell of leaves were the only things that Oliver could hear. There were no barks, chirps, or growls. It seemed there was no life at all until he could hear rhythmic drumming in the distance.

The trees began to grow less and less dense as they grew closer to the camp. Oliver smiled as he saw an astounding performance in the distance. A dozen or so fire dancers held long staffs that spit out flame, much like his own flamethrower. They stood in sand, presumably taken from the beach and piled into a pit nearby several longhouses made of timber, vines and mud. The sound of drums sent shivers down their spines. Chatot exclaimed, “Follow me into the elder’s station. They would love to meet you.”

The motley crew made their way through the tribal village, with stares from its citizens being commonplace. It would have been awkward to Oliver if he had not been used to it by now. He was quite the recognizable sort. If Sad had not been there to keep away prying eyes, it looked as if several of the tribe would have come up to greet him, but Chatot insisted that they were on serious business, and did not have the time to chit chat.

The roads were muddy, and Oliver’s legs were getting quite dirty, but it cooled his scales and rested the joints of his ankles. The cool air, lack of sun, and the natural smell made him particularly sleepy, and he had to fight to stay awake. Jackson, on the other hand, looked serious, and his feet did not sink through the mud. Like walking on water, he used his abilities to stay above ground, and avoid mucking up his fur.

They arrived at a temple made into the mouth of a hill. Hardened rock shaped into the head of what Jackson described as a Goodra made the entrance. “They are a dragon type coated with slime, but do not mistake it for a poison type! Underneath all of that slime is a thick layer of lard. Much like Snorlax, attacks slide off of its hide like butter. They can be anywhere between 300-400 pounds, so watch out.”

Oliver gulped and asked, “What are you suggesting? Should we not feel comfortable here?”

Jackson nodded his head and that’s when Oliver realized that they were not actually talking to each other. He has set up a mind-link so they can converse with their minds. Oliver shook his head, a bit perturbed that the psychic could enter his mind so freely. “Something odd is at play here. That pangoro shouldn’t act that way. Something is keeping his mind dull.”

The charizard bit his lip and entered the cavern restlessly. He was itching for a fight, but he was sure that Jackson wanted him to keep his nerves, at least for now. The walls were lit with everlasting torches that were coated in what looked like purple goo. It was hot, so hot that it made even Oliver sweat. There was hardly any airflow, and it was terribly stuffy. The others stayed several feet away from Oliver because he was giving off so much heat that it was uncomfortable. He noted that Happy and Sad were staying behind, blocking their exit, and continued onwards.

The cave opened up after a minute of walking into a dome. The ceilings rose several hundred feet above, and were adorned with vines and hides smothered with the purple goo. Along the walls was a bed of goo, so gigantic that it could be used as a pool for a party of ten. Oliver had half the mind of jumping in, but the lit torches from before made him think otherwise. Next to the pool sat a massive buffet of all sorts of berries, apples, and even some meat. Oliver groaned as his stomach growled sickishly, and he held it with a hopeful glance towards Chatot.

“No eating the lord’s food!” Chatot said. They flew over onto his shoulder and pecked his cheek.

The room went silent as a deep, rumbling voice erupted from the center of the room, where there was once a beautiful throne but now sat a gargantuan pile of goo.

“And why is that?”

Oliver had to arch his head up just to see the head of this behemoth of a creature. At first, he thought that it was a mound of goo. Resting there was the fattest, most grotesque creature he had ever seen. Their legs could no longer be seen underneath all of the goo and blubber dripping off of them. Their stomach alone could house a family comfortably, and their arms were as wide as Oliver was long. Their face was so fat that they could not fully move their neck to look down at them. It made them look horribly snobby as they glanced down at them with their nose in the air. They were a mountain of pure lard, holding no muscle, and smothered in goo.

Chatot cleared their throat and their voice shook. “Uh - I suppose one bite or two wouldn’t hurt.”

Oliver smirked and bowed. “Thank you, uh, Goodra? I’ve traveled these lands for a long time and have never seen something like you.”

The pile of revolting mess boomed with laughter, spitting a thick layer of warm goo on all of them. Oliver whipped some off of his arm and played with it with his fingers. It had weight behind it, and was oddly ticklish; comforting, even. “I like you, Charizard. I have heard tales of your battles. Well, eventually you’ll want to settle down. Eventually, you’ll want to bathe in your accomplishments. Soon… you’ll wonder why you were even an adventurer in the first place. Fulfilled as you are, you should be treated like a king. More than a king - a god, like me. Take all you like. You’re looking a bit skinny around those corners.”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders and made his way over to the trays and trays of food. Jackson peered at him hesitantly, thinking to stop him, but shook his head. He gulped, and peered up at the goodra. “Lord Goodra, we’ve come to see our friend.”

The sludge-dragon’s resplendent green eyes peered down towards Jackson, his gaze serious, yet inebriated by moonshine. His breathing calmed, and he shuffled in his sitting position to get comfy. It was difficult to tell apart his appendages, but Jackson assumed that he had lifted his arm and placed it on his belly. To be so carefree, and so uncivil! It was nauseating to Jackson, especially when he had met Goodra just months before. He was a fine leader, expecting nothing more from his subordinates than a few simple tasks and a glass of tea. What had happened between then and now was up in the air. What mattered was that they found the champion, and fast.

“You are familiar, ape.” Goodra grumbled, patting his bulbous belly with a smile. It shook and splattered everywhere, and the crew had to shield their eyes to avoid the mess. “Yes, your friend is here. They told me all about your friend over there, and how they can gigantamax. Well, I would love to know how. Why don’t we talk about it with a feast? A little food won’t hurt anything. Hehe…”

Jackson eyed the goo surrounding his footing, and watched it slither towards Oliver and the buffett of food. The puddles wrapped around the food and dragged it back towards Goodra, who ate it all in one bite. The meat in particular was the first thing the dragon consumed, but the fruits and vegetables were not forgotten about either. There was no shortage of moans, slurps, and burps from the “divine” goodra either. Jackson gulped as he watched Oliver from afar, happily eating directly out of the platters.

“Oliver has quite the appetite, doesn’t he? It seems to be an effect of those who have not gigantamaxed in a long, long time.” Goodra grumbled between bites. He threw the refuse on the floor, which piled up in large stacks at his side.

“I suppose so, but that may be because of his past.” Jackson gulped, trying to avoid saying that they were human. “Er - what happened to you Goodra? I have to ask.”

Goodra turned their head. “Whatever do you mean?”

“You’ve… grown. You’re divine now. This tribe, it seems different now.”

The dragon curled into itself as if avoiding the question. Goodra returned with a smirk that stretched from ear to ear. “That’s what happens when people like you. They don’t care how you treat them. They don’t care if you play favorites.” As he said this, Oliver moaned in delight. The good had surrounded him and started to knead and play with his belly as he ate. Sad watched from a distance, showing some signs of disgust, but stood near his brother, who looked happier than ever to be within the dragon’s domain. Goodra settled back, and Jackson could barely see the dragon’s head over his massive belly. “So, I eventually took the role of a god, for who is to stop me? This tribe is happy, and I’m happy. Sad is never happy though. Happy is.”

Sad grumbled, and his brother began to lean on his back. Jackson gulped and watched the dragon eat, and eat, and eat. “So where is Lisa?”

Oliver had no place in the conversation. It did not matter to him whether or not they found Lisa, or learned about his past. This was some of the best food he had ever had, and while it was odd that he was covered in goo, and it played with his body like malleable dough, he found himself craving more and more as he ate. He never had meat before. It was unheard of! He wasn’t sure what creature had met their fate in his gullet, but it tasted divine, and he wanted more.

Goodra swallowed an entire keg of wine and let out a room-shaking burp. Again, he patted his belly, paying no mind to manners or the goo he threw everywhere. “Lisa is here. I said that already. Now, I haven’t seen you eat a single thing! Are you not hungry?”

Jackson eyed the food that was carried directly in front of him. Like a table, the goo carried it directly into view, nearly shoving it into his face. It was impossible not to look at food; the entire room was covered in it. He had half the mind to grab an apple or two, but it seemed excessive, especially after they had eaten on the beach. He didn’t have the appetite after watching the dragon gorge himself either.Goodra shrugged and continued devouring anything in sight.

Jackson exclaimed, “Can I talk to her?”

There was silence for a few seconds, and the goodra kept slapping his belly. It was then that Jackson, through all of the waves of goo, saw a glimmer within the depths of Goodra’s transparent, yet murky gut. Looking closer, it was the tip of a crown - an empoleon’s crown. Beating on the lining of his stomach, Lisa struggled within his system. Jackson’s eyes grew worrisome, and he turned to find Oliver still enjoying himself. “Hey, Jacky!” He spat, mouth wrapped around an overstuffed burrito in his maw. “You should try some of this stuff! MMPH! It’s so good!”

Goodra snorted and said, “I want to know how to gigantamax first. You will tell me, correct?”

Jackson bit his lip. He wasn’t entirely sure how it worked either. He glanced at some of the goo and started to levitate it together. “Yes. Gigantamaxing is a rare practice indeed.” The ape said between gritted teeth. “The body becomes massive, though temporary.”

Goodra’s eyes grew wide and for the first time, he nearly got off of his feet. He quickly slumped back down, however, and asked, “But does it have to be temporary?! Why not forever?!”

“Oh hoho! Could you imagine the ecosystem if individuals could become that large forever?” Jackson smirked, “It is hard to sustain such life without sustainable land and food. It wouldn’t leave room for others.”

“I don’t care about others anymore. I care about me!” Goodra snarled, his entire body shaking with anger… and fat.

“Gigantamaxing seems right up your alley then. Why don’t you ask Oliver - over there!”

As he finished saying it, he led the trail of goo he had created onto the flame of the charizard’s tail. There, the line of goo burst into flame, and the entire room began to glow. Goodra burst into fire, and screamed in shock. Oliver continued eating, paying little to no mind of the fire that he created, nor the pleas of those around him. The goo appeared to be frightened, and began to shrivel up and panic. Layers upon layers of goo splitting apart, Goodra’s body began to crumble. He clenched his fist in anger, and pain as Lisa began to tunnel through the goo. As soon as she was free, she shot a jetstream of water behind her and rocketed herself towards Jackson and Oliver.

“We should leave.” Lisa said, gasping for breath.

“Tell that to tubby.”

Oliver raised his brow with a mouthful of ramen and cried as they took his arm and carried him away. “I wasn’t finished with that!”

Happy and Sad waited at the door. Happy looked to be at least somewhat concerned, but Sad stood aside. “Thank you.” he grumbled as the five gathered together.

Chatot flew on Lisa’s shoulder and pecked her head. “I was wondering where you went! You idiot! Pea-brained!”

“We are going to collapse this cave.” Lisa said to Sad. “Grab your brother and Cubone and come with us!”

The seven rushed through the hallways, goo latching onto them uselessly until they saw the fireshow from outside. Oliver fell to the floor as soon as his feet touched the grass, and groaned. He hadn’t ran like that in a long time! Jackson turned tail and lifted his hands in the air as soon as everyone was out. The goodra head-opening caved in, trapping the once-divine inside. “It’s over.” Sad grunted, scratching the back of Happy’s head.