At least the weather is nice here. He's on a path in a forest, with light streaming down through the trees. Ahead of him, the path winds through a patch of tall grass; behind him it goes around a corner.

...That's concerning. This looks? Like Earth grass? The sky is definitely an Earth sky, but Nereus is still in his Ideal Form - a glance confirms Ink's still in her Ideal Form and Ink's Ideal Form is 'far too many black wings and eyes beneath them attached to an abstract concept of a humanoid' which is very not Earthen, Nereus at least could pass for a very pretty someone cosplaying as a magical girl. Last time he checked, Earth's Rules don't allow Ideal Forms.

He climbs to his feet, sees Ink doing the same. "Um? Hello?" he calls, his power clicking on. He'll be very understandable to anyone who can perceive him taking actions.

A bow shimmers into being in her lightly clawed hand. Nereus might understand this to communicate: 'I am alarmed and do not appreciate it.'

The human-sized weird owl that leaps at them out of the undergrowth is also alarmed and also doesn't appreciate it! It communicates this by pecking Ink vigorously.

... Seriously.

Maybe they are in some weird branch of the Dreamlands.

She uses small forcefields to keep it from hitting her, and then jumps back, draws her bow as if wielding an arrow - and one made of force appears. She fires in a single smooth motion.

That wouldn't be deadly even to a frail human, but it should knock the owl back at least a few steps.

"Ink." To the owl: "Sorry about that!" Animals vary in how well they can interpret him, but most Dreamlands creatures are pretty smart, so...

The not-quite-owl is noticeably both stronger and tougher than one would expect, either for an owl or for a human. It says "Noc!" and tries to whack Ink with a wing. It seems to be having fun.

To Ink - "I think it's playing? I can tell it to cut it out if you want me to."

She narrows her many eyes.

To Nereus this'll communicate that she's fine.

She thwacks the wing with her bow - which holds up under the abuse - and channels dark lightning into her hand. A thrust, and it stabs at the owl - and despite the form the electricity still wouldn't be deadly to most humans, but is significantly more than the force-arrow. A human would be dazed, possibly unconscious.

She's holding back dramatically - but she doesn't want to actually kill the thing, which 'vaporizing the surrounding landscape' might, and this sort of play-fighting is a good way to stretch herself, and to get an idea of what kind of power the locals think is acceptable. 

The bird is dazed but not unconscious, and manages to rake its talons across one of her wings.

Ouch. One for Nereus to heal, maybe, except for how he kind of sucks at that.

She drops her wing away from the talon, spins, and fires another force arrow (with a bit of a crackle of lightning) at the owl.

It seems to have had enough fun, because when this hits it lets out a disgruntled "Noctowl!" and flaps away looking exhausted.

" - Oh, hey, which way to people like me?" Nereus calls after the owl.

It gestures with its head in a southerly direction.

"Thanks!"

Then to Ink: "Wanna head over? I'll race ya."

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, then jumps, flitting into the air high enough to get a decent view. What can she see from up here?

The road (lightly forested).

The sunrise (extremely pretty).

A town (small and cute).

Useful. Also, while the horizon behaves in some places in the Dreamlands, she's increasingly sure this is more of an Earth-analogue. Could there be some little bubble between Earth and the Dreamlands that they just haven't heard of?

She lands, nods to Nereus, and drops back into her human shape. It's a bit easier to talk like this, though with Nereus here she can at least just let him talk...

Well, setting out towards the town it is.

Their little trail quickly widens into a proper if somewhat winding road, and eventually lets out at the town. Along the way they hear rustling noises in the tall grass, but there are no more ambushes.

The town has houses, and a couple shops, and one red-roofed building that looks pretty important. The signage isn't in any Earth language but the people going about their business look human. Some of them have companions, bizzare animals ranging from small enough to sit on a shoulder to large enough to ride.

Making his power work on writing is always a bit annoying but usually he can pick up the meanings of stuff meant for general audiences.

Still, they'll head to the red roofed building. What's inside?

The signage says that the town they're in is Mahogany Town, and what the streets are named, and that the red-roofed building is a Pokémon Center. Inside it is a computer terminal, and a counter where a smiling pink-haired woman attends a piece of gleaming machinery.

Person who maybe works here! In a place that looks vaguely like it'd receive new people!

"Hi!" he calls, bouncing up. "I'm really new here and kind of lost?"

"New to Mahogany Town, or to the Johto region? Either way I can get you a map! Do you have a Pokétech?"

Some quick raised eyebrows at Ink establishes she'd rather they not blab about the universe-hopping until necessary, so he says, "New to Johto! And don't have a Pokétech, unfortunately."

"Well, welcome! If you don't have a Pokétech it'll have to be paper. Here you go!" She hands over a map. "Was that all, or do you also need your Pokémon healed?"