Darkness….
There was nothing but darkness. I couldn't see a thing. My eyelids were too heavy to open. I felt nothing but a cool, damp breeze. In the distance, a faint dripping could be heard like water splashing onto a cave floor. I couldn't move a muscle, like I was paralyzed.
As I lay there, motionless, I tried to remember how I came to be in this state. My mind was blank. I must have hurt my head or something. No memory of how I got hurt or anything came to my mind. All that I knew was my name and what species I was. I am human, or at least that was what I remember.
I laid there in the damp cave for what I felt was hours before a soft voice rang in my ears. "Are you alright? Hello?"
When I didn't respond the voice rang out again, this time more urgent. "Wake up!" Maybe it was worried about my safety. The worry was what pulled me into consciousness.
My eyes flickered open but still couldn't see my surroundings. My vision was blocked by a Pokémon. It was leaning over me. I could tell in appearance that it was short, but taller than I knew it should be. It had black hair like maw coming from the top of its head, like a ponytail. The rest was yellow with black hands and feet. The eyes were a fire red. My mind quickly recognized it as a Mawile.
The Mawile seem to relax quickly when my eyes opened. It sat back a little, giving me the ability to take in my surroundings. My guess had been right when I thought I was in a cavern. The only light in the room came from a large hole in the ceiling above me. That must have been how I got there.
"Well at least you aren't dead. Thought you might have…" She said as she gave me room to sit up. She looked my way, all worry gone. "What's your name, young riolu? I am Melody."
Surprise entered me as she spoke to me. Not the question but what she called me. I knew that I wasn't a riolu. I was a human. I shook my head as I corrected her. "I am called Jackson but I am not a riolu. I am a human being."
She laughed. The mawile actually laughed, as if I had made a joke. If I hadn't been so upset that she didn't believe me, I would have noticed how nice her laugh sounded. I wrinkled my nose as she pointed at a small pool of water and responded. "You look like a normal riolu to me. If you don't believe me, have a look for yourself."
I crawled over to the small pool. My hazel eyes opened wide as I gazed into the muddy liquid. I saw a snout poking out of my face. My blue paws reached up shakily to my ears and then what looked to be false blue ears on the side of my head. I looked exactly like a riolu. I looked back at her, asking. "How…how is this possible? I am human. Humans can't become Pokémon."
Melody stood up and dusted herself up as if nothing was going on. "Well it seems like we aren't going to figure this out in a musty cavern."
She didn't seem to believe me at all. She turned and began to walk away, without telling me to follow along. I quickly got up and rushed after the female mawile, even though she didn't tell me to follow her. Without her I wouldn't be able to get out on my own. Something about her posture told me that her worry was only when she thought I was dead, now she seemed like she didn't want anything to do with me. She probably thought I was crazy.
The whole time we walked through the maze of caverns, not a word passed between us. Melody was in her own world and I was trying to figure out how I became a Pokémon and how I got here. Maybe I have a concussion and this was a delusion. Or this was a dream and I really am in a coma somewhere. Whatever the answer, I knew I was stuck there for now.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and their characters. I only own my OCs.