The child found himself in a new place, and it was dark.

A body struggled for life. Its ears listened to a steady roar. A force began to push – up… up… not so fast. Would it all be over before the first breath? Hind legs kicked sleepily in the deep.

A slender arm wrapped grabbed the quilava by the scruff of his neck. It wrenched him out of the lake, soaking wet and gasping for air. The savior gasped at the writhing body in front of her.

"He must have slipped in," she cooed. "Oh, poor child."

"I'd say so!" A voice cried. It belonged to whatever helped push up the quilava. "I saw it myself. No way he slipped. He fell in, and plummeted straight to the bottom like a rock."

"From where?" She asked. "There is no where to fall from."

"From the sky! Bits of cloud left him as he sank!"

She tittered. "Enough of that sort of talk."

The quilava felt his rescuer pick him up. His eyes opened, two little slits – a fish was busy swearing on his life that he saw the creature fall; a slender, human-like figure took the child up into her arms... The quilava saw, but chose not to before long. What wild sights… it had to be a nightmare…

Then came a long stretch of time filled by emptiness. By the time he was conscious again, the quilava felt the warmth of a fireplace at his back. The humanoid from earlier presented a cup to him.

"Drink," she insisted. "It will relieve your cough."

The drink bumped into his muzzle – his mouth, it began so far away from his face! The quilava dove away, clumsily knocking the drink out of the cup. The creature asked what was wrong.

"...Everything?" the child replied. Speaking just confirmed it: he really did have a snout, now. "It's all wrong."

"Perhaps you did fall?" She wondered out loud.

"I can't remember. Everything is wrong!" He repeated harshly. It was like having a nasty fever. Yet it wasn't painful, only different and startling.

The creature and her cup withdrew. "Then you have to try hardest to remember when the memory-loss is at its earliest," she explained. "I will ask you questions. Do your best to stay calm and answer them."

She asked: "your mother and your father are in danger. You can save one, but not the other. Who do you choose?"

The quilava remained silent. The question scared him. Then, for the sake of his memory, he tried to recall something, anything he could use to solve this dilemma. Other memories, he sensed how they laid just out of reach. His parents, however… nothing. They didn't exist.

After a minute or so of silence, the humanoid sighed. "Usually, this question provokes one to recall their family. Yet you seem unable to do so… an orphan, then? We will worry later." Next question: "Remember your best friend in the whole wide world!" She said, trying to stay chipper. "They encounter a serious problem. Do you solve it for them, recommend a solution… offer comfort?"

How was he supposed to care about such things?! Besides, any memories of friends were absent, much like those of his parents.

No parents. No friends. Yet somehow he was more alone than ever. The quilava buried his head under his paws and wailed. He tried hard to ignore the pads on the bottom of his paws. "I am a parentless, friendless, ugly monster! I must have been very bad!"

"No, no, child!" she pleaded. "Having no recollection of such things doesn't imply that you are unworthy of them. You are such a strapping young quilava, and I can sense your gentle heart. Your mark is clean."

The questions, surprisingly, helped knock loose one important thing.

"...I was bad. I used to be a h… human." Memories of his old shape came rushing back to him. Tussled hair, dirty face, a wide grin and the taste of an apple he stole. Those details seeped into him like toxins. "I stole things until a… one of you, caught me.I remember now -my punishment is to stop Annihilation! Then I can stop being such a nasty creature!"

His caretaker let out a small whimper. "Oh, my poor, innocent child!" She cried, taking his new body up in a tight hug. He let out little yelps as he struggled. "What torture you've endured, to be convinced of such a tale. I can only hope your abuser fell alongside you, and suffered a pit of rocks instead of a lake." A note of menace crept into her voice. A profound sort of chill went down his spine. "You must never say you're a human! You must never tell others what you just told me here!"

"Why not?!" He barked. "It's the only way to-"

She squeezed him tighter. "Whoever told you such things has tampered with your memories. They wish for others to believe your purpose as much as you believe it yourself. Then this abuser will profit off the resulting delusions. I've seen it all before."

"Get off of me!" He screamed. "I have to stop Annihilation and go home!"

"You cannot! You will never be able to stop it, no matter how hard you try."

"Let go, let go, let-"

"Child!" she wrenched the quilava's head toward her own. Her strange eyes became pained and silenced the child. "Please. The Annihilation you want to stop… happened centuries ago."

… Centuries ago.

It was the truth, the quilava knew it. The news shot through his heart and he fell, reduced to staring at the ceiling of the cabin. He listened to the crackles of the fireplace, his infernal ears twisting towards the noise.

He was trapped. The one chance he had, a lie.

The quilava didn't declare his intent to starve – not to Grace, his savior, nor to himself. But he wallowed silently in emptiness while his body twitched by the fire. Grace tried many times to help him, to no avail.

His body twitched impatiently. Don't you want to use me? It asked gleefully. We can sniff things.

No. The nameless quilava wanted to leave this nightmare as quickly as he came.

Your nose is dry. It's a sign of unhealthiness. You ought to eat and drink soon...

The child inside the creature ignored the plea to move.

Several hours blended together into one long, agonizing experience. His stomach grumbled loudly. His nose was very dry.

Then, sometime after the sun passed overhead, a paw started to prod the quilava.

"Is he dead?!" Its owner asked. This voice belonged to someone other than Grace. It was husky yet high, and incredibly playful. The newcomer had a dusty scent, the sign of a well-traveled creature. Under this scent was the stench of burning rubber – yet it was… pleasant? "Because he looks dead. Dang it! If only a genius strider such as me caught on to this scheme. If whoever did this really wants to stop Annihilation, I'd be glad to send them back there using my secret attack!"

"Do you hear that?" Grace said. "A growlithe your age has come to visit. Isn't he a curious one? He, nor you, seem like monsters to me."

"Monsters, huh?" The 'growlithe' said curiously. "Monsters and pokémon have nothing in common. Well... there's no denying that a mangy purrugly is a real horror-show!" The quilava wondered if, when these creatures slept, if they had nightmares about themselves. "I'm a friend of Grace's. If she wants me to be your friend for a few days, I guess I can take a break from roaming the Territory."

"I don't need any favors," the quilava spat suddenly. "I just want to stay here." Grace gasped; she was merely relieved to hear him speak.

The growlithe leaped into sight. He was stocky and durable, a body that fitted his voice. He had white tufts of wildly-grown fur. These patches were surrounded by a bright, groomed orange coat. As much as the quilava wanted to feel disgusted, it occurred to him that they weren't a meeting of monsters, but of pokémon. They too existed in the world he came from. From what he could remember, that made him a strange sort of animal. An animal, yet they all spoke to each other. An animal...

"Whoa!" The growlithe barked. "You look super embarrassed."

The quilava whispered something.

"Eh?" The dog leaned in close to listen. Once he heard, he tilted his head. "You are… naked? Like, you feel 'naked' without your memories?"

"I used to wear clothes as a human," he whispered in reply. "I have nothing on. I'm a strange pokémon, t-this is scary."

"You're twenty kinds of weird!" The growlithe accused. "You have a thick coat of fur. Stop acting like a weirdo and come eat. Aren't you the least bit curious about the pokémon life?"

"Don't encourage his delusions," Grace chastised under her breath. "Once he eats, I will break them." Grace possessed a sort of destined name – as foreign as it all was, the quilava sensed the gentleness of her gait. Though the way she used that word, break… his claim to humanity angered her.

Maybe… just waiting to either be sucked up into a portal or die… it hurt too much and the quilava couldn't resist the optimism in his heart. That voice bugging him, the one he assumed came from his new body, was really the part of him interested in this change. Perhaps some villain did brainwash him! And he had a home outside the cabin! Parents! Friends!

"Suppose what you like about who you are," the growlithe said, as if reading the quilava's thoughts. "You're a pokémon through and through. It's not all bad, I promise."

Rising boldly to his feet, the quilava tried to leave the fireplace. His stout haunches made it hard to walk, and he tripped.

The growlithe laughed. "Uh, Arceus gave you four legs for a reason."

To spite him, the child persisted in his two-legged efforts till he reached a table. Grace joyfully laid out some fruits. He bent down and ate, the juices leaking onto his snout. After licking some blueberry juice from his nose, the quilava let his tongue roll out to its full length.

"Mm tong is hue-guh!" The quilava cried, going cross-eyed to inspect it. "Oh no, whai's et so beg… yeow!"

"Uh-uh," Grace said, pinching his nose. He packed his tongue back in (somehow), stung by the precise pinch. "You must be polite when eating. Sticking your tongue out is unsightly." Even so, she seemed happy.

The growlithe sneaked in from his blind-spot. When the child turned back to snarf down the rest of his meal, the fiery pokémon surprised him, his own tongue lolling around.

"Moine's bigguh!" He announced. The quilava yowled and fell over, twisting. His forearms instinctively caught him and the child scrabbled for cover on all fours. The dog barked with laughter. The laughs wilted once Grace got a firm grip on his nose. "Oof, oof, sorry! G-Grace, mercy, this is not an end fit for a death-seeker!"

She let go on the spot, affronted by the title.

The quilava gaped as well. Death-seeker. Genius strider. What did these titles mean in this new world?

Grace answered the remark with fury. "Child, you must quit this death-seeking nonsense! Must you pretend as both a 'genius strider' and a 'death-seeker?!' You are liable to run across a pokémon willing to oblige to the latter..." it was easy to see how worn-out this argument was.

Unbelievably, the growlithe jibbed that criticism. "A death-seeker is one who awaits his equal! None who do evil are sure of their ways. When a would-be villain comes to strike me down, I stare them square in the eye. If there is but a hint of doubt in their intent to kill... I strike them down!" He unsheathed his claws and slashed the air. "The moment I meet and succumb to true evil is the moment I gladly accept the embrace of death." He pointed his nose to the air, trembling with passion. "S-so cool!"

Grace swung open the door to her cabin. "I need a breath of fresh air," she lied. "Please, ch-child… eat your meal. Your new friend will keep you company."

She flew from the room, leaving the quilava and growlithe together. They stared at one another, caught in an awkward hang. Not knowing how to break the ice, the quilava ate his meal while his 'new friend' cooled off.

That proved to be too difficult. So the child turned from his meal and, feeling nervous, spoke.

"I didn't expect that sort of speech from a pokémon, Doggy," he said, chewing on some grapes.

The growlithe twisted around. "Eh? D-Did… did you just call me Doggy?"

It took a second to catch the little blunder. "Sorry!" He cried. "I am so confused, and it slipped out! But..." a memory! A memory of an only friend, though hazy, broke through the fog in his head!" "I met a mongrel dog once. I called him Doggy, and I'd share bread with him every day..."

"Own a dog… that was all the rage in Pathen a year ago. Then everyone sorta decided it was deranged. Maybe it's different for humans..."

"So, you do believe me. I thought you were trying to make me feel better."

"Sure. Why not? I've been to Native Lake – there's no place to fall from. You see, uh… Grace can be a little passionate. She's a type who sets out to make friends, so that means losing a lot of those friends to silly reasons."

Pokémon are dangerous – that caution rung true. He pressed the pad of his paw against his fangs. He wrenched away, two red beads forming on his paw. "This place must be dangerous. All the more reason… I want to go home. I'm not meant to be some creature who walks on all fours and bites things. Please. Striding means you take long steps, so you must move around a lot, right? Take me to the exit."

"Why didn't you say so earlier? Just take a left at – no, pal. That's too tall an order," the growlithe muttered, turning away, "even for the likes of me."

"Please, please!" The child sobbed. "I am so disgusted with m-myself. How could a human ever live as a pokémon?"

A bunch of grapes splattered against the ground as the growlithe bounded forward into the table, a snarl revealing his sharp teeth. "Hey!" He shouted. "You compare me to a mongrel dog, call me nasty, and then expect help from me? As far as I'm concerned in all of this, you can screw off all the way to the Outside..." having successfully startled the ex-human out of his sobbing, the pokémon grinned… "or, you can suck it up and let me introduce your new world. More importantly, I can help you understand your new body – by now, I bet your legs are begging for a stretch."

Still stunned, he curled up near the wall. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Outside. Something about the word spelled certain doom for a small thing like him. "If there's no other choice, I want your help. I n-need it."

"Goh-hoh-hoh, what troubled pokémon doesn't?!" The growlithe guffawed, lighting up the cabin with his laughter. "From now on, you may call me Doggy."

"Wait a minute," the quilava said. "That's the name of my old dog. Why-"

"He was your one friend back then, right?. And I'm your one friend now. It's poetic… it's so cool!" Nothing was really cool about the name Doggy. In fact, the choice reeked of pity; the growlithe likely wanted to fill that impossible gap – the years of memory that were gone the moment the quilava fell into Native Lake.

"As a tireless roamer, I had no name before this... honest!" Doggy added in reply to a dubious look. "Because of this, I think it's only fair I get to name you."

The quilava was very worried. To receive a name from such an uppity creature… would his name end up violent, like deathclaw or badgerslit? "O-okay. Choose something modest, if you can." He blurted out the last part on the same breath.

Doggy pointed at him dramatically. "Your name is… Upright! Because you seem adamant on walking on two legs. Like a bozo. But you do you, and that's-"

"So cool?' Upright answered.

A strange name. Upright.

Who was he to complain?

Steps from a familiar gait prickled Upright's ears. He'd have thought it impossible, to determine someone by their walk. Yet he knew that Grace was returning from her walk.

Doggy scrambled to clean up the grapes. "Leave things to me," he said. "Grace will have gone crazy over your situation. Whatever the outcome of her tests, I'm taking you to the boundary of the Territory afterwards. Trust me when I say it's an eye-opening experience."

"I've returned!" Grace called breathlessly, throwing open the door. "Child, pardon my rudeness but I must know… whether or not you used to be human, the odds notwithstanding."

Was Doggy psychic? Or did he know Grace that well? Confused about what these tests might involve, Upright raised a shaky paw. "U-Um, first of all, I decided on the name Upright." Grace mused over the name. She seemed to like it overall. "What will these tests include?"

"Nothing bad ch… Upright. All pokémon have a motherscent, a remnant smell of mother that marks one's heritage. By your age, it's too hard to detect by nose alone. So I will use my energy to draw out the scent into the cabin."

"My mom has a smell? Do I have a special smell, too?" Upright asked anxiously.

"Duh! Everyone has a scent," Doggy told him. He received a cold glare from Grace. "Pardon me. Sweet, handsome, strapping, little blessing of Arceus… duh, you bozo- wait, yeow!" Another nose-pinch for the troublemaker.

The quilava hung his head, hiding a shy grin. "I-I'm… sorry if I smell bad. I was in a lake with fish, a-and, you know."

Grace giggled, however forced, as she prepared this 'energy' requisite of the scan. Forces in the cabin acted within the shadows, drawing tiny buzzes from Upright's coat. "No, child. While you have a wet-animal smell, your identity mark is connected to your spirit. Since you've no clue of your past, your mark is that of lavender – for mammalian newborns. Reptilian newborns smell like chile oil."

"Great. I smell like a baby." Upright sighed, but saw his own humor as a welcome change – a few hours ago, he thought his life completely over. "I think I sensed Doggy's-"

"How demeaning!" Grace cried. "Why would speak down to your friend?"

The growlithe intervened before Upright got a pinch right on the snout. "It was my choice. I find it endearing! And it bespeaks my overwhelming humility! Goh-hoh-hoh!"

"Children," Grace concluded with a bemused sigh.

"A-anyway," Doggy said, "I bet you did. Like burnt rubber. It isn't be unpleasant, because my spirit is mostly good."

Upright found that very nice, though the fact Doggy bothered to mention he was mostly good snagged him. He ignored it, trying to test his nose on Grace. His eyes widened. "Grace," he said excitedly, "your mark is like wet grass. But it smells so good, so right!"

Doggy nodded. "Grace is the nicest pokémon in all the territory. The rumor I've heard – but don't try to get her to admit it," he recommended, "is that she has never, ever acted outside the best interest of the Territory. This gardevoir always has the best intentions in mind, which is why she earns this death-s… pokémon's seal of approval. Also… that was a little flirty, Upright. Do you pretend to be a human to woo- okay, okay." He backed away from the gardevoir. "I'll quit it. I mean, you're obviously flustered-"

"You may learn more later," Grace said to Upright, after leaving Doggy pleading on the ground. "Right now, I am ready to extract your motherscent. A villain placed a block on your memories, but your spirit is unalienable, no matter how much others try… it is for you to decide how it will regrow, and how it will change. Ready?"

"You would know if I am." Upright panted nervously. His tongue hung out. A pressure – better called a presence, made it hard to breathe.

A concussive blast knocked the air out of him. Upright released all his air in a single gasp, as if his soul was being sucked away. It sucked beyond what he had in his lungs, until Upright wheezed breathlessly into the orderly cabin.

A new sensation entered the room: Upright's motherscent. How would he describe it? There were two distinct smells: a sort of neutral smog… and the chilling wind of a storm, yet not one of snow nor rain.

Before the quilava had the chance, Grace clutched him.

"Two marks. One motherscent of a human mother, as I've heard it described, and another for the pokémon who reformed you. Y-you're… you're really… oh! You must not ever leave this place!"

Upright wished the opposite had proved true. To know for sure that his very existence was tampered with: it was not a comforting idea. A pokémon with the power to reform existence itself, had made a mistake and placed him after the catastrophe it ordered him to prevent. What cruelty. What bad luck. He was a tool to this mysterious pokémon, a badly-treated one at that. But Grace treated him like the child trapped under all that abuse. And Doggy bothered to name him. The child knew right away that whatever life he had ahead of him, it would be meaningless if he strayed from either pokémon.

Those two buoys began to float apart. Doggy shook his head vigorously, likely to clear out the motherscents swirling about in his head. "Okay – whoa, whoa, whoa! You're legit. Like, you're out of this world."

"I thought you believed me!" Upright accused. He tried to pull out of Grace's grasp, to no avail.

"It was easier to believe you when I thought you were delusional!" Doggy retorted. In a crazy way, that almost made sense. "B-But! You have a lot to learn, then. A lot to see and feel. Grace, you couldn't restrain any pokémon, let alone one who hasn't stretched his legs yet.

She shook her head and stood up. "No. I will not release a helpless human to his doom. Humans are notoriously soft. He will see our world and balk at its strangeness, its toughness. Others will find his secret and exploit it, till the benefit of doing so hinges on his life."

"Grr… I can't believe I'm arguing against Grace, of all pokémon!" Doggy refused to back down. "Even now, you think this is best? It isn't. Maybe humans are notoriously soft. But Upright survived the transformation. That makes him… er, surprisingly tough! And if you deny him a chance to see the Territory and Pathen, it would be a disservice to that strength."

Grace looked about ready to cry. She cared so much. "What would you have from me?!"

"Let me take him to the boundary," Doggy answered. "Then, a visit to Pathen. A taste of option B."

"Never," she hissed. "I hardly approve of you going near the former, and I forbid the latter. That city is without hope."

It happened: Grace's wonderful identity mark faltered ever so slightly. She lied about this city, Pathen – said it was hopeless, while she still hoped.

It helped Upright reach a choice about his life. "I demand to go!" He growled. "I have fangs and, uh, claws. At least, I think I- ah." He had claws. Once he felt them slide out, their presence became unforgettable. Veritable spikes, stored within his padded paws. "Please. Let me go for a visit. Odds are, I'll be freaked out." Any more hidden pokémon features, and he'd flip.

"...Children!" Grace cried. This time, it was not in good humor. "You may have your foolish 'tour' - tomorrow at the earliest, you may bring Upright straight to the boundary. Then you will return here before visiting Pathen. Also, you shall keep him away from that place the whole time."

Doggy grinned. "Thanks, Grace. You ought to get what rest you can," he said, turning to Upright. "Tomorrow, we're going straight wild!"

Upright nodded and curled up by the fire. It was hardly evening, but a sudden tiredness took over him. Trepidation for tomorrow gave him troubled dreams.

~~~I~~~

Who was… Upright?

A pokémon. Images of creatures appeared before him. The fish who saved him, Grace, Doggy. Upright walked amongst them – their eyes followed his every move. In particular, he was a quilava. A badger-like creature with a slender body. His back trapped in a bothersome heat.

Where was he?

A cabin in someplace called the Territory. Some of the noises ignored for more pressing details, such as the noise of birds outside, led him to believe he was in the wild. Yet a city of pokémon existed, Pathen. A towering place of carnal presence loomed before him.

How was he?

In a good place, though one of little hope for him. Doggy promised to help with the transition. Such a duty would be responsible for either beginning or ending Upright's new life. The growlithe, radiating pride, trotted into the city of Pathen. It swallowed him whole into its imposing gates.

…Why was he?

No dream could answer that, or so he thought; Behind Upright, a human child cowered. It shook, its eyes begging the quilava to stay.

"Don't go that way," it said. The human boy had stolen his voice, yet spoke beyond his knowledge. "If you go that way, you will never be safe again. You will be tested by tooth and claw. You will encounter wounds that would kill your old body."

Laws of blood… "I have to," Upright said with some difficulty. "If for nothing, then because Doggy stood up to Grace. I could tell it hurt him to disagree with a friend. Sorry."

The child nodded shyly. "I thought so. You enter this world through a desire to make friends, and he is the first root to tie you here. I wish to impart your last few instincts now – pokémon here abide by the laws of blood, and you must do the same." The dream started to fade.

"Wait!" Upright called. "Tell me: what are these laws of blood?" Any rules to live by would help immensely. "Are you the one who changed me? How could you mess up that badly?!"

His voice chuckled at him. "Wouldn't you like to ask your friend instead?"

Slap.

"Wake up, you loon!" Doggy shouted. "Daylight's wasting, and you're in here mumbling… whoa."

Upright rose, his face stinging from the wake-up call. His body went from groggy to fully awake in record time. All his tiredness seeped out in a large yawn. "I had a weird dream. Is everything okay?"

Doggy paced around the small cabin. "Your eyes. I can't remember what they looked like. Yet I know they've changed overnight!"

"Don't tell me," Upright muttered. "You can see my 'identity mark' in my eyes?"

"And your walk, and your voice, and how you look. An identity mark resides in everything you are whereas smell is just the easiest way to tell. Your mark changed a bit… but the effect is huge!"

Whether or not a change happened, Upright wanted to get the dream off his chest. "In my dream, something-" his human body, but it was best to omit that part – "mentioned the laws of blood. What are they?"

The entrance of a merry gardevoir interrupted Doggy before he got out an answer. Grace, in better spirits than yesterday, took on the burden instead. "There is nothing to fear, child. The laws of blood are inserted into every pokémon at birth. They dictate the obligation to defend oneself. And add some fascinations I… should let you learn on your own. Most importantly, your choices will dictate your identity mark from here on – soon enough, that lavender scent will change. It seems the pokémon who transformed you… waited to see your reaction before imparting the final piece."

Grace seemed more comfortable with the subject. "In other words," Upright asked, "I only had a foot in the door yesterday? Now I'm really a pokémon?" He didn't feel a difference.

"Not yet, pal!" Doggy exclaimed. "It's time to show you to the boundary."

The gardevoir kept an admonishment in check with a swift shake of her head. "Okay. Please, take the supplies I set out. The journey from this cabin to the boundary will take several days, and Upright is in no condition to be hunting live game."

"Yeah, yeah." Doggy stuck up his nose. Still, he went over to the table and picked up a leather satchel. Its make was surprisingly consistent, the leather tanned to an attractive smoothness. "I know a week's journey is a lot to take in, Upright. If you want more time to rest, speak up."

"N-No, thank you. I want to get started right away," Upright said. He made his way to the door. A first glimpse of this world waited.

Doggy walked past him and pushed the door open. A vibrant glade greeted them. It was bereft of trails, and a sweet wind rushed through the trees. This breeze crept its fingers inside, whistling past Upright's fur. It left a wonderful coolness in its wake.

Upright walked outside, taking in the other sensations the forest offered. The noises of animals filled the space outside the cabin – he could tell, because they lacked an identity mark. The leaves underneath his padded paws crinkled. He… he could even feel the earth move ever so slightly as Doggy leaped to his side. The sun pushing through the trees made it all so dreamlike, or perhaps as though Upright leaped into a painting of a forest, with new pigments deciding the colors of the world.

"You look impressed!" Doggy said. "I get to see you experience things for the first time. So cool!"

"I… yeah," Upright said, unable to explain it. All the small details his body picked up formed a new perspective. This forest was any forest back in his world. Yet he saw things differently as a pokémon. "So cool."

"Okay, so we should get set now. Follow me – no straying, got it?"

"Yeah." Upright walked behind Doggy, following his every step like a blundering kit.

"Be safe!" Grace called to them. "And stay away from villages!"

A gap of wonder filled the time between that warning and Doggy pressing a paw against him. Upright snapped out of his trance and looked at the growlithe.

"Are we there?" Upright asked. "At the boundary."

The growlithe chuckled. "Yup. We've been walking for a few days. You are a very focused walker." Doggy ran over to a gap in the ground. There was no telling its deepness from where Upright stood. "Here's the deal, nice and quick: Grace says it will take a long time because she thinks we'll mosey along and ogle every tree. Take detours, enjoy nature, yadda yadda. Nope. After this leap... we're sprinting the rest of the way and getting there by tonight!"

"What?" Upright cried. "A week's journey in one day? I can't run that fast."

"Well, I hope you know your way back," Doggy said, grinning.

"This is crazy. This is downright insane - I'll get left behind in minutes!"

Doggy shook his head, tossing about his tufts of white fur. "No, it's Upright insane. I won't leave you behind as long as you try to follow me. Oh, and the craziest thing is – this crack ahead of me leads into a huge abyss. Like, super duper huge! Try to jump it on two legs and you're done for, goh-hoh-hoh!" Doggy looped around and sprinted toward the gap. He leaped, clearing it with ease. Then he was running off into the woods, alone!

This growlithe had gone mad! Still…

A headfirst, all-or-nothing approach sounded nice. Upright knew that Doggy wouldn't lead him straight into danger. If they did things his way, it left no time for doubting or fearing. Those where two greatest impediments, Upright felt.

The quilava backed up for a running start. He planted his forearms on the ground. Certain muscles in his body rejoiced, poising for a burst of speed. It all felt so natural.

Upright never understood the meaning of 'an explosion of speed.' Yet when he lunged forward, it became clear: the wind, calm before, screamed in his ears. The forest became a blur as he flew over the ground.

Then his haunches coiled up into thick cords of muscle. Another explosion of strength sent him flying over the crack.

His eyes caught a glimpse of Doggy past a few trees. The growlithe turned tail, fleeing deeper into the forest. Once Upright landed, he refused to stop. His sprint… it was beyond fast!

A fallen log blocked his path up ahead. Without even considering the danger, his posterior scrunched up into a crouch. He flew over the hazard without losing a step. When shrubs jutted out in front of him, he adopted a serpentine pattern, hopping around them in a seamless flow.

Eventually, all Upright heard was his own panting. Gigantic breaths of fresh forest air pushed their way in and out of his lungs. His own heartbeat, wet and natural, thrummed in his head. Thumpa. Thumpa. Thumpa. Exhilaration took over him. No. A thrill. The thrill of pursuing another pokémon. Every step mattered. Every loud crunch renewed the path. The smell of burnt rubber filled his nose.

The two ran on. And on. And on. And on… for hours he lost himself to the chase.

After a time, Upright reached something he hadn't considered: a limit. Exhausted, he tumbled onto the forest floor. The quilava's body steamed, chugging along like a well-built machine. That large tongue rolled out – tired as he was, it was too much effort to hold it in. Did he lose Doggy? Did it matter? Scents told all there was to know.

There was no hitches in his body, no ailments, no unhealthiness, nothing that could stop him; Upright's eyes widened with wonder. A breath passed through his mouth, and a bit of exertion left with it. His ears and nose kept alert for potential stalkers.

In a mere half-hour, Upright was up and running.

On… and on… and on. Upright followed Doggy's trail. The forest led way into open plains. New smells. New noises. His sharp eyes saw Doggy running in the distance, an orange speck painted onto a sea of green grass.

A rest came soon after. A bit longer, fifty minutes. Full recovery came in time.

On… and on…

When he laid down to rest a third time, a sea breeze reached Upright. He perked up, tired yet curious. The sun beat down mercilessly.

"I can't believe it," Doggy called to him. The growlithe seemed ready to collapse as well. "You're slow, but you didn't trip or falter a single time! And your resting times are well-paced. Your internal compass and clock are impeccable."

"T...Tha..." Upright laid down, breathing hard.

"Are humans not used to running that much?"

"I d-don't… think… recover so fast..."

"Ah. That's your body changing to a special kind of respiration. The more you use it, though, the less it helps. Some pokémon are tough – they can recover from two hours of running in a minute. Even the second time. At the third time bottoming out, for anyone, the resting time becomes astronomical. Which is why you will often pace yourself before then. You'll be out of commission for tonight – me, too! Aiyee, my chest is on fire!"

"Feels good," Upright panted.

"You're damn right! Imagine: yesterday, you were all upset about being a pokémon. Now you sprinted six hours in total and reached the boundary."

"Boundary. To the Territory," Upright said.

Doggy nodded. "When you're ready to see, let me know."

The sea breeze below was thick and inviting. Upright staggered onto two legs and worked his way up the steep hill where Doggy waited. The growlithe moaned, probably expecting the run to get rid of Upright's two-legged habit.

A barrier of deep-blue water cleaved one end of the valley from another. Cleaved, truly, for the precipice they stood on seemed jagged and cut. From their vantage, Upright saw for miles and miles. Did the rolling green hills ever stop?

The growlithe spoke the name of the land beyond the water, and it answered that question. "The Valley that Never Ends. Yo, I heard you wanted to stop Annihilation?"

The one lead to obtaining his humanity. The quilava forgot it somewhere in the middle of his run. "I'm late," he said.

"Sheesh, that's for sure," Doggy replied, chuckling to himself. "Story is, the Scar Sea formed because of Annihilation. The ocean leaked into the crater left by a meteorite. Or, in other stories, a giant legendary created the scar. In others, the ground split apart, ready to become a sea." He scratched his head, unsure of which to support. "Anyway. From this angle, Scar Sea blocks us from the Valley that Never Ends."

"And that's Outside?" Upright asked. He recalled the danger emanate in the idea of Outside, the one he caught onto merely by listening to Doggy mention the name.

"Quick learner, eh?" Doggy said. "Yeah, that's Outside, and it's also terrifying. No one survives out there alone for longer than a couple hours – special groups are sent out to explore."

For a place as dangerous as the Outside, exploration seemed like a gigantic folly. "Why?" Upright asked.

"Inside the Territory, we have homes: villages, a city, packs to run with if the other two don't interest you. But we don't have what our ancestors did before Annihilation. Technology and all that." Doggy pointed with his paw to a bluff. "You see that teeniest hole in the bluff over there? That's Cutter's Alley, a magic place. Once, pokémon discovered a relic that led to a great invention. When you charge it and flip a switch, it emits a powerful light. One can see the clouds at nighttime! Pokémon in Pathen made more and called it a-"

Upright smiled and joined in. "A skylight!"

Doggy was taken aback. "No. A nightlight."

"A nightlight gives off a gentle light while you sleep," Upright argued. "A skylight shows a group where to gather. I, uh, think so."

It took a good moment for the growlithe to realize that he was speaking to a once-human. When he did, the idea stole the air from his chest. "Wow. You're authority number one on this stuff. What else do you know?!" Doggy pounced on him, tail wagging. It made the quilava uncomfortable to tackle so close to the cliff's edge.

"N-Not much!" Upright cried. "I can't remember on my own. If you have no idea it exists, neither will I."

Having his hopes blunted, Doggy went from inquisitive to playful. "Tell me what you know, human," he demanded, his voice taking on a drone. "I shall probe you for all information on skylights as master ordered. GOH. HOH. HOH. I am possessed."

Upright scrambled out of the tight hold. "Never! You will live in the dark forever – literally!" He cried, playing along. Playtime with a friend. He never quite felt it before. Even so Doggy went easy on him, it was fun. They wrestled until the sun started to come down, casting a scarlet shade over the sea.

Winded from their ridiculous sprint, the already-lazy match fizzled off into stray pawing. Upright grew bored and watched over the valley. "I surrender," he said. "I can't feel my feet."

"That's my neuro-poisons eating away your nerves – say, Upright, what is that?!"

Across the distance. Upright saw it too and gasped: a herd of antelope sprinted into the scene, dashing for Cutter's Alley. This herd of animals brayed – the noises reached the two pokémon, though silent… and drowned out by the roaring of the green dragon following them. This dragon was humungous. Larger than life. Upright reacted on instinct: ears pinned, all fours, steps in the other direction. No sea would protect him.

A few of the antelopes dove into the small cave. The rest scattered as the dragon blocked the entrance to the cave. Its head snapped out, eating an entire antelope in a single bite!

"So cool!" Doggy barked at the pokémon. They were quiet yelps, the rest of the excitement conveyed in Doggy's vibrant eyes. In the slightest of ways, the growlithe's identity mark changed. Sheer sight of this pokémon altered their perspectives, their spirits.

In moments the herd was slaughtered. The dragon coiled, pleased with the meal. It let out a prideful roar.

"I didn't plan that," the growlithe said.

"...Obviously," Upright breathed. It was too much. A spell fell over the quilava. The Outside drove fear into him through that display of feasting. Yet a rush similar to his sprint took over. He wanted more of the mystery, the wonder, the thrill.

"See that's why the Outisde is dangerous! One step in the wrong direction and you're stuck running with the antelope- pal?!"

"Hey!" Upright called to the dragon. To shout across the sea, however narrow the gap, was a long shot. But maybe…

Its giant head turned to the pair. "What?!" It roared back. The voice was so loud!

"I want to know all about you!"

Just then, Doggy sprung into action. He tackled his friend. Not a playful sort of tackle – the one that knocks the wind out of a creature. They tumbled down the hill, striking against rocks and tough mounds of packed dirt. When they reached the bottom, Doggy pressed a paw onto Upright's throat.

"Hello?" The dragon called. Anyone around could hear its awe-inspiring voice. "Where are you, child? You bear an odd mark."

Silence. Upright's claws slid out on instinct; the quilava himself already surrendered, too eager for air to squirm.

"Very funny! I shall remember your mark, strangely-born." It sounded like the dragon flew away. Neither could know for sure without checking.

"You… are bonkers." Doggy whimpered and loosened his hold. "Are your wits intact? Don't you know what would happen if you chatted face-to-face with that monstrosity?"

"I don't know what took over me!" Upright shot back, on the verge of tears. "I… I… I am so curious. I want to meet that dragon. Badly."

"Just like a newborn. It makes sense for you to not understand the danger." Doggy sighed. "Sheesh, I overreacted again. I'm sorry to have handled you poorly. Even a genius strider missteps from time to time..."

Upright disagreed. "I almost brought it over here. We'd be with those antelope if it wasn't for you."

This earned a smile from the downtrodden growlithe. "And don't you forget it," he said.

"Can we set up camp?"

"Of course. We can eat, too. Though no fruit can compare to all those antelope."

"Oh!" Upright said, scrunching up a little. Something else occurred to him. "D-Doggy, uh… well, it's been awhile, and what with all this excitement..."

The growlithe tilted his head, curious. "What's eating you?" The quilava whispered something. "Oh boy. The whispering again..."

Doggy leaned in to listen to Upright's humble question. He bolted back, shocked.

"Er, okay? Now just to make sure," Doggy said. "When you say, do your business..."

~~~I~~~

What, when, how, where – most importantly, why, Upright thought, watching the stars pass over him. The bright studs in the sky crawled from one end to the other as the night passed. Doggy is trying so hard to answer everything, yet I keep asking for more. Will I ever be ready for this sort of world?

The growlithe was fast asleep. In fact, his friend is what drove Upright to lying awake under the stars; Doggy was a heavy sleeper, and a louder snorer. It was as if the choking snores matched his swaggering confidence. Something in Doggy's dream made him smile and paw curiously at a tall stalk of grass.

Hmm. Perhaps that's a good thing. Or, at least, an okay thing. Doggy himself seemed confused by that dragon. But he thought it was – what is that one phrase he uses a lot? 'So cool…' odds are that no one pokémon has all the answers, so I shouldn't be expected to either. Maybe to fit in, then, it just takes a bit of curiosity. The moment I stop learning is the moment I return to my own whats, whens, hows… no thanks! Being curious about the dragon feels much better. That settles it! I have to keep on learning about this world, no matter what!

Doggy woke up. He sniffled, drawing in the smells around them. "Yo, Upright. You awake?"

"Yeah," Upright replied. "Is there trouble?"

The growlithe took a moment to answer. "No, nothing like that. Your identity mark settled. Incensed lavender." He licked his chops. "Very sweet. It's making me hungry all over again." Watching Doggy lazily smack his lips helped Upright realize that Doggy was half-asleep – the thought of seeing the quilava's mark change had made him sleep with one eye open.

"Incensed lavender?" Upright asked. "But lavender is still for babies."

"You're a fire-type, so your identity relates easiest to fire, and it makes sense you would start out with a mammalian, fire-type mark – even the death-seeker before you smelt like that as a whelp! But a hint to the unique you lies in the subtleties. Hard to tell in the dark… but your fangs are longer. I bet your claws are too."

Upright checked with his tongue. They were! By almost one and a half centimeters, estimating. When he unsheathed his claws, they were curved – likely to tear out more with a single swipe. "Gah!" The quilava cried. "My body was turning into a killing machine overnight!"

Doggy laughed heartily. "Your fur is all ragged, like you traveled a long distance… guess you traveled a worlds-worth, in a way. Also, your nose has widened out in order to pick up a larger range of scents – good for keeping situational awareness! The sight of that dragon gave you such a thirst for adventure, you reacted by becoming travel-ready... maybe? Keep that passion up, you might grow tusks! That sort of thing can happen to pokémon who have a ruffian presence like yours… I think."

Hooked claws, vicious tusks and long fangs – if these were the requirements for travel, Upright considered his chances slim. Another thing that bothered him was that pokémon could change overnight, and the one in front of Upright looked confused about why.

"N-No thanks on the tusks! And how could you not know more?" Upright asked. "This is insane. It's sort of a big deal."

"Sometimes, I look at a peculiar tree and my body changes a bit," Doggy admitted neutrally. "Or I talk to a stranger who has a quirk I find myself mimicking days later. A few weeks ago, even, I saw a strong pokémon walking through the forest near Grace's cabin. It looked at me once, and I grew wider legs in a couple days!"

"Wider legs," the quilava couldn't resist repeating. It seemed so random compared to his own transformation.

"For using my secret attack! I won't reveal all, but wider legs means faster jumping from side to side. For a growlithe like me, at least. Goh-hoh-hoh, you are in for it, human! Grace and I are tame compared to some pokémon!"

"Rather than think of it, I choose sleep," Upright declared. He threw himself back onto the ground. "Seems like awake or not, though... my life here is full of confusion." And he wouldn't have it another way.

They situated themselves on the dry dirty underneath. "Welcome to Pokéarth, pal," the growlithe mumbled, already resuming his snore.

Upright laid back. Just as he did, the dragon flew away. The night sky blazoned its green scales, making into a green comet. It waited all that time for him.

The sight of it filled the child with an adventurous spirit.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The New Adventure