((Author's Note: Just a bit of notice, because my parents even go the names wrong, the main characters names are pronounced like this: Ri, like Rye—the crop—or like in Ryu, and Lira (Lie- Rah) or… Lyra… I liked the spelling better, ok?!Anyway, so both are pronounced with a capital 'I.' I made a mistake: It's been years now and I still like the way their names look with 'is' instead of 'ys.' I'm keeping them. :P))
I…I remember…
Brief moments of light, the wind ripping at me in all directions, the sound of thunder clapping, and… And a voice? Suddenly a hand wraps around my wrist. "Are you okay?... No! Don't let go! Just a little longer… Come on! Hang on!"
"I-I can't hold on!" My hand slips free and all I know is that I'm falling. My screams echo around me as I plummet into darkness.
And the last thing I hear is a voice yelling my name…
Waking up is always a weird experience: Everything's dark around you, and a part of you wants nothing more than to slip into that abyss while something else tugs at your mind all the while—pulling you from consciousness. For me, maybe that starts with the feeling of chilly water tickling against my bare feet. Or maybe it's the distinct taste of salt and dirt in my mouth. I guess neither is a good way to wake up though, and what's worse is that I can't shake those senses away as my mind catches up to me.
Where am I…? Twitching my fingers, digging them into the ground, I feel the damp graininess of sand beneath me. A beach? I wonder, but… how? I don't remember a falling asleep by the shore, but the rise and fall of the waves echoing in my ears only confirms what I can't understand.
When did I fall asleep? I can't seem to remember that either. Maybe I just wore myself out. I give a half-hearted attempt to push myself up from the ground, but to no avail as a bolt of pain shoots through my skull. Scratch that: Maybe I hit my head and conked myself out. If it was that bad though, then I can't stay here: I need to get help and tend to my injuries. I need to—n-need to…
My consciousness starts fading just as quickly as it came, and despite another attempt to pick myself up it's just no use: I'm too tired and so thirsty. All I can afford to do is lick parched lips and plop back on the sand on my stomach. I don't want to get up, and my body seems to agree with me as my headache subsides. The way I feel, I'd be content if I were to drift off to sea or die right here in the warmth of the sun…
But that doesn't happen. After sometime, something thin pokes me in the arm, and I manage to croak out a tired groan. "Hey… Hey, are you alright?" I feel my body being flipped over and cradled in someone's lap. It's not the same voice as before, but I open my mouth to reply nonetheless; however, nothing more than a dry wisp of air escapes when I do. There's the faint sound of a cap being twisted. Something's gently put to my lips, and as soon as one drop of fresh water touches my tongue I feel my body reacting immediately—desperately needing the drink.
Water! Good, clean, water!
As I gulp it down, lifting one, shaky hand to tentatively take hold of the container myself, this stranger now made savior sighs in relief, "You're awake!"
Hmm? They sound like a young boy. Well no, maybe not young, but definitely around my age so…about sixteen then? More importantly, I can't help but feel strangely comforted by their voice. Who are they? I guess it doesn't really matter, except I need to thank them for helping me. For the first time since I awoke, I open my eyes and look up, only… I'm not looking into the face of a young man like I thought I'd be, but that of a Riolu.
His fur is a light shade of blue and a medium grey—just a touch too long for him to be called a short-hair. He's also lither than one would think a Fighting-type should be: Still fairly built, but obviously better suited for speed than brute strength. Also, tied around his neck with a cord of rope, is a stone with a pretty, elegantly carved pattern on it. Eyes that possess the warm, orange glow of firelight shine down at me with concern. Ok… So he's here, but he can't be alone? Where's his trainer?
And then, instead of vocalizing with the gruff yips I'd have imagined, the Riolu speaks up with the voice of the trainer I believed to have been nearby. "You weren't moving! For a minute there, I was worried that you might be dead!" he says with a relieved smile.
It takes a moment for the situation to settle in. I stare at him, and he stares right back… And then I scream as best as my hoarse voice will allow—completely in shock—and dive out of his arms to scramble back on the sand, "You… you talked!"
A few brief seconds of silence pass and he blinks at me with his own look of surprise. "Yeah…" the Riolu replies, "Your point?" The next look he gives me is one that questions my sanity, but considering the fact I'm hearing Pokémon actually talk I'd say he has a good reason to.
"I…I must be dreaming," I murmur, as my frantic mind tries to rationalize everything, "You can't talk! Pokémon can't talk!"
"Hmm… Maybe you hit your head on a rock or something. Are you feeling ok?" he nears me, lifting a hand to check my head, but I still scoot back and try to avoid him. "Oh come on! I'm not going to hurt you!"
Ignoring him, I move over closer to the shoreline and, without warning, dunk my head into the incoming waves. If this is a dream, I need to wake up! I need to wake up right now, and everything will be back to normal! No strange beaches! No strange Pokemon who can talk like people do! Just me, back at home and wherever I'm supposed to be!
"Are you insane?!" he cries in alarm, grabbing me and pulling me back.
I stare horrified at the water and its betrayal. By all reasoning, that should've worked: Cold water always works to wake people up, right? Then my eyes roam to my reflection in the crystal sea… and I cry out yet again.
For some reason the face peering back at me doesn't resemble my own in any way… Instead, I'm a Riolu too…
All that separates me from this odd Pokémon is that my feminine features stand out: my waist curves in, there's a clear indication of my breasts beneath the layer of fur, and—which should be unique for the species—a mane of blue hair drapes down to my rib cage, nearly hiding my now floppy ears. I let out a soft whimper and pull my knees up to my chest as I sit on the sand.
This…this can't be happening…
"I'm supposed to be human!" I shout, as if I could command my reflection to turn into the form I rightfully know belongs to me instead of this one. What's going on… Why am I like this?
Someone, please wake me from this dream…
There's a moment of silence, and then snickering, and then full out laughter as the other Riolu collapses beside me, hugging himself in an effort to contain his mirth. I glare at him before smacking him in annoyance, "I mean it! And I can prove it! My name is Lira and—" I pause, searching through my memory, but nothing turns up. The only things that do cross my mind are my name, my age, and what I'm supposed to be.
"I don't remember…" My shoulders slump in defeat, numb from the weight of it all. But… how can I not remember? It's my life. Oh Arceus, what's happened to me, I—I want to go home! I may not know where it is, but I want to go back right now to whatever life I had before this!
Where am I? Who am I? Why am I here?
"…You're kidding right?" the Riolu asks. I shake my head, my eyes pleading for him to believe me. I need someone to or else I don't know what I'll do. How am I going to make it out of this mess if I don't even know anyone I can turn to? "And you don't remember?"
"No…"
"Then how to you know you're a human?" He's dubious for a minute longer, but then his gaze falls down to my arm. "Wait a minute, what's that on your wrist?"
Following his eyes, I notice for the first time that I do have something odd on my wrist, but I can't tell what it is either. It's obviously not a bracelet because of the tech, but it looks like one and is painted a s vivid array of color: Red, Yellow, White, and two shades of violet. "I don't really know… A watch maybe?" I don't really care about the thing on my arm as much as I do over what happens to me now. I can't stay like this forever.
The Riolu takes a closer look, than backs away almost just as quickly with a note of fear touching his face, "Hey! That's a Styler!"
"Styler?" I blink at him myopically.
"Humans use it to temporarily capture Pokémon—but only these humans called Rangers have them and they usually do it to try to help save others." He looks up at me, his eyes widening with dawning realization that gives me a sense of hope. "You…you really were a human, weren't you? But how did you end up as a Pokémon?"
"You tell me," I shrug, "I'm just as confused as you." But I'm a little relieved now that he believes me now. As upset as I am over what's happened, I guess I know that I probably wouldn't have been the same without some hard proof.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you at first," he stands, offering a hand—paw…or whatever—out to me. "Look, let's start over. It's nice to meet you, Lira. People typically just call me Ri."
At least in this strange, odd place, it seems I've made a friend. I'm going to need one if I can't find anyone who knows who I am—and I don't even know if anyone will, looking as I do now. "Hello, Ri." I take his hand and give him a fond smile.
He returns the kind expression, helping me up on my feet. He really is a nice guy too, to be so friendly to me after my less-than-pleasant first impression. Somehow, even without knowing him, I don't believe that he'd be the type of person to just leave me alone like this either. I… It's weird, but I trust him. I don't know how I can trust somebody I just met so readily, but I do. In fact, I can't help but feel close to him—as if he were an old friend instead of a new one.
All of a sudden he's shoved to the ground from behind and I'm taken down with him. The rope necklace snaps off of him in the process and flies about a meter away in the sand where we lay. Looking back, I see two new Pokémon—a Koffing and a Zubat—and scowl.
"Hey, what was that for, you jerks?!" I yell at them, getting the two of us onto our feet. Who are they? I've certainly never seen them, so they shouldn't be picking a fight with me. As for Ri, it's hard for me to imagine him making any enemies.
"Well, excuse us!" the Zubat says in a superior tone, "It's not our fault your little friend can't keep himself standing."
"I didn't fall: You pushed me!" Ri shouts back. He's had some history with them: That much I can tell. There's a look in his eyes of mingling anger, weariness, and… fear? They're just bullies, I think, and my mouth curls into a deeper frown.
"So, what of it, kid?"
"Hey, Zubat, look at this." The Koffing looms over Ri's fallen necklace and picks it up with a hand formed of a thick smog. He then turns to Ri and asks him with a sneer, "This yours?"
"Hey! Give that back!" Although a look of terror and outrage clearly shows on his face, the latter makes no aggressive move toward the Poison-type. Instead, his feet remain planted in place—as if he can't move.
"Go ahead," Zubat tells him, flying towards us until he's only a few centimeters from my companion's face, "Try and take it!" But Ri still doesn't move—he only glares hatefully at the pair. On instinct, I wrap my arms around my fellow Riolu's own and shift my body forward like a shield. Nevertheless, the Zubat doesn't pay me any heed, as if I don't even exist.
"Ha! You've always been such a coward!" he spits at Ri, then looks to the other Pokemon he came with. "Come on, Koffing, let's get out of here!"
Maybe I don't know who they are, but I already can't stand them. In fact, I'm so infuriated that as they turn their backs to head into a nearby cave, I step forward and pick up a nearby rock—tossing it with all my might at them and successfully hitting the Zubat in the back of the head. "He told you to give it back, you jerks! So hand it over!" I won't stand for being a bystander in all of this any more than I'll stand for being ignored, not after Ri coming to my rescue.
Not a second later, I'm tossed back by a large burst of wind and slammed into a few boulders as Zubat uses Air Slash. I cry out in pain as my back smacks against the rocks before I slump to the sand, hearing Ri's scream of worry beneath the bullies' laughter even as they head out of sight. Physically though, I'm fine. They didn't break anything and I can walk off the sore feeling. My pride though… That doesn't heal so easily, and I seethe with anger.
"…I've had that forever; it means everything to me," Ri says sadly, sitting down upon the sand as defeated as a person can be. I wonder if he's ever tried fighting for himself only to end up just like I did. How many times have they come and harassed him now?
Well, that changes starting today, I snarl and push myself up off the ground. For however long I'm like this, I'm not going to stand for seeing Ri get pushed around by those guys! I walk over to him and order, "Then come on."
"What?" he voices in shock.
"I said come on! We're getting that thing back from those two idiots!" I start walking into the cave to follow their trail.
"…You'd really help me? Against those guys?" I turn to see Ri still standing there and nod, determined. It takes a moment for his shy smile to return, but then he says with newfound zeal, "Ok, then let's go! It's time we taught them a lesson they won't forget!"