a woman about Kyeo's age, with pink hair, tan skin,

and a purple blob thing on her shoulder,

Frank, out of his police uniform and in casual clothes,

and a man with whom he's holding hands.

That's sure a thing that's happening. Kyeo finds pizza with a recognizable vegetable on top even though he doesn't recognize the pizza itself (it's broccoli), and takes a normal number of slices and imitates how other people are eating it.

Frank smiles at Kyeo and gives him a thumbs up. Perhaps he's getting a good grade in eating pizza.

(If Kyeo doesn't recognize the thumbs up as a gesture of approval, Kellim sends him a mental image of the nearest equivalent that he does.)

"Whoa! You're the guy who came out of a PORTAL!"

"Yes, I am."

"Cool! Sorry I Combusken'd out and ran away from you, I was startled."

"...whatted out?"

Kellim sends a mental picture of a Combusken.

"Oh, it's a Pokemon. I don't even know why people use it to mean 'cowardly'; it's freaking badass."

"Huh. I suppose there are probably idioms at home that are similarly hard to explain."

Ivan nods.

"Anyway, I'm quite all right, no harm done."

The kid smiles.

"I'm Ivan! What's your name?"

"I'm Kyeo, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too! Do you have any Pokemon?"

"I only just got here. My world doesn't have them. It has non-magical animals but I don't have any of those either."

"Wow, a world with no Pokemon! I suppose if there are worlds with Pokemon and no humans, there must be the inverse as well. I'm Kylie, by the way."

(She has a different accent from the Unovans Kyeo has met so far.)

He can barely tell. The subtitles appear in the same font. "Pleased to meet you. I didn't know there were worlds with Pokémon and no humans, actually."

"Yeah, there are! And worlds with no motile macroscopic life at all. The Pokemon in other worlds can get really weird, too, there's species we don't have here. I'd love to explore one someday."

"Is that feasible? Controllable portals? I was under the impression it would be thoroughly impossible to send me home..."

"Well, that's why it's 'someday' and not 'here's my five-year plan to make it happen'! I have hope it'll become available in my lifetime."