Acero! Come on! Daddy is waiting for us!

. . . . .

Come on Acero! You can do it! Just a bit more!

. . . .

Acero . . . thank you. You always have my back, don't you?

. . .

R-run . . get away . . . Acero I said run! Now!

. .

Acero's eyes suddenly opened in a startle, breathing hard in labor. His frame lifted up from the wicker cot with a soft groan and a bit of resistance. Instinctively, his paw reached up to grope at the remains of the spike at the base of his chest. The flat metal piece on his body felt hot as phantom pains fired through it. With his jaws clenched into each other and muzzle expelling out hot exhales, the Lucario swung his padded feet over off the cot to rest them on the floor. The plant fibers that were used to weave the pattern below him had mingles of lavender sprigs, the scent was kicked up in the air with the added pressure. In the past, it was some comfort to him but the smell had no longer an easing effect; rather it just reminded him that this was not his home and he did not belong here.

He hung his head forward with a sigh, resting his muzzle within his paws and closing his eyes again. It had been a full lunar cycle since he woke from his stasis but the night terrors seemed impossible to fully shake off. Even with the aid from a few of the locals, he was still at the mercy of his partial fugue state and stuck trying to piece what he could remember to a past he could not. His ears twitched lightly as he could hear the light drizzle of rain beginning on the roof of the small hut. The new sound grew constant and helped drone out his panting and soft shudders. The light rumble of thunder helped more.

The small poketown of Oakcrest in the eastern lands welcomed the rain as a sign that the dry season was over. The crops would certainly now flourish and the local water types could take a break from all of the extra work. Established a little over a century ago, Oakcrest derived its success as a town from the rich topsoil it used to grow fields of berries and herbs for trade to other local communities of pokemon. Occasionally, pokemon from the ancient cities of humanity would make the trip to collect some of the berries grown here. As a whole, the town had thrived off a reputation of a peaceful one that is welcoming of all types, even those who suffer stasis from the fugue states. Acero was one of those pokemon.

While it was not uncommon to find these "PC" devices, the programs that were used to store and transfer were always found corrupted and even pokemon with an affinity for this old technology had a hard time accessing them. Furthermore, not all stasis pokemon are safe in this dead technology. Some have long since expired, others have gone mad from being left alone to their own thoughts and the "lucky" ones survive in a sort of hibernation.

When Acero was freed, there was no violent outburst or confusion as per the normal reaction of a stasis pokemon. Instead, those who had broken him free watched as he stared blankly into the distance with tear running down his face. Oakcrest wasn't too far from the city's ruins so it was decided he could be dropped off there until he recovered from the initial shock. There, Acero was watched over by a few of the elders and daycare workers in his initial weeks. While he had never posed a problem, he kept to himself most of the time and only ventured outside to find food or speak with a few of the locals about recent news. There was a sense of sadness that follows him and his appearance would suggest he was no stranger to battles. A few pokemon in the community choose to give him space while others actively attempt to court a sort of friendship with him.

Acero, now up and coming to grip with his reality once more, stood at the threshold of the front doorway. With his nose sticking outside, he took a deep breath from the fresh air that came with the rain. From where he stood he could see a neighbor, an Audino many knew simply as Doc, chasing a group of youngsters from the playground back into an adjacent large hut. The daycare was constructed from the same material as Acero's hut, mainly woven grass with either a bamboo or wooden frame for support. A few Budew saplings would make things extra difficult as they seemed more inclined to dance and splash about in the new forming puddles. Two Lotad sprouts joined in on the shower, collection the water that fell into their lily pads.

The Lucario couldn't help but let out a small smirk, returning to the interior of the small building. Within, the only furnishing available to him was the small cot and a low wooden table set at the center. In one of the corners of the room, a bucket of fresh water was set aside near a bag of fruit. Local artisans had taken their hands to aiding the newcomer and giving him the basics to live on until he could work himself. It was a nice gesture considering how cold Acero had been. Still, this room seemed so alien to him. A lingering distain and homesickness would come over him on occasion. The fugue state had not only crippled his full memories but also had made him begin to question if the personality he had was actually his own or just a default state of mind. Sometimes he would even wonder if his existence was even genuine.

Lacking a grip on his past and self-identity frustrated him but there was something that kept him afloat. Folded neatly on the table was a piece of his past that was tangible to his paws and proof of his existence. The strip of crimson cloth had been sewn and stitched up several times but was still strong. It was his link to the past in the present and was proof to him that once long ago he had a partner. A human partner. Kneeling in front of the table he scooped the scarf up in his paws and examined it. The scars and repairs made to this article of clothing each had a story behind it but was locked within his own mind. The fabric felt soft and warm on his pads as he clenched the garment a few times and tried to relax. Closing his eyes, Acero brought the cloth up to his muzzle slowly and buried his nose within it. The black appendages on his head rose up unintentionally as he could still read her cherry aura. It was fuzzy but there was no denying it was still there. A deep red mingled with patterns of bright pink, laced with the scent of allspice and orange peels. It was an unmistakable aura to Acero and one that brought great joy to his heart. Phantasms flickered past his mind too quick to pinpoint but were still comforting in their brief visit.

The grip that Acero had on the scarf loosened. It was a nice feeling but it would fade quickly. The realization that he was alone now met him again, like an addict coming down from an initial high. Slowly looking down to his paws he watched the scarf fall back on the table where it laid before. Thick smudged stains of red and black now covered his pads and sickness crept over him. Ears twitched as he stumbled back, a high pitched cry echoing in his lobes. It was all too much as his labored breaths came violently back while his stomach flipped forward and forced bile to bubble up his throat.

The shifting of reality around him came to a halt and his body relaxed slowly. The cue of a visitor snapped him back. Turning his head around to the doorway he could see a small shadow peeking in from the entry frame. The shadow's ears were weighed down from the water, most of the weight in the light tan fleece. The Buneary's chocolate colored pelt was peppered with rainwater and flecks of mud. It looked as if she had been running through the rain this afternoon. Leaving a light trail of paw prints in the softened soil, the rabbit pokemon walked slowly into the hut with its paws gripping onto a small wicker basket.

"Cocoa . . . the weather is just going to get worse . . you shouldn't be here."

Acero's voice was low and gravelly in tone, carrying a dull and tired tone to it. The Buneary didn't seem to startle, instead smiling and approaching him with a hop in her step.

"Alice wanted me to bring you some more berries. She thought you would be running low."

Acero grumbled a bit, turning his head to the stock of fruit and berries in the corner. Cocoa didn't comment on the excess of food but only would add to the pantry. His appetite was pretty nonexistent at this point. The lack of nutrition in the past month had eaten away at his muscle tone and he was now a shadow of his former self.

"I have plenty."

Cocoa sat the basket down and turned around with a warm smile. Acero looked away, peering out one of the porthole windows. When he was brought to Oakcrest, Cocoa and her sister were the first to donate to the stasis pokemon.

"I can see that. You should really eat though. You are going to make my sister and I feel bad", the juvenile squeaked out, her paws attempting to swat a few traces of mud away from her fur. The Lucario watched silently as she did so, not minding the dirt collecting on the floor.

"Shaming does nothing to me little one. Besides, your sister is still on her travels so she will not notice."

"She will if you don't eat every bit before she gets back."

Acero ignored her comment and reached his paw outside from the porthole to feel the cold water falling from the sky. The Buneary fidgeted a bit with the basket handle as she stood there in silence. He noticed this, gazing back at her with a confused arch of his brow.

"What?"

"Oh n-nothin! I just wanted to see how you were holding up is all . . we don't see you in the community much. Do you just sit in here all day?"

She was blunt in her statement. It was more likely that her sibling asked to keep an eye on him in her absence. Suppose they thought he would just wander off without anyone watching. The idea did cross his mind a few times.

"I have taken to wandering the community once in a while. You have to understand it is all odd to me though. I can see reminisce of humanity's design in the structure of this town. It is strange to feel a familiarity with a place like this when I have never been here before."

Cocoa listened quietly, the water from her ears pattering on the floor still.

"I don't plan on staying here forever though so there is no sense for me to settle roots down."

"You don't have to leave Acero. You can stay here, start over and help with the harvests as well as make friends with us! I can be your friend!"

The Buneary spoke with a hurried and worried tone. She was a sweet girl, naïve in her statement but sweet none the less. It was an option to him but that would not answer his questions. There were many unanswered questions and he would be damned if he was going to let them lay in his mind, eating away at his heart and body. The best place to begin his search was where he was found in the first place.

Acero turned to smile at Cocoa with a mock sign of defeat.

"That might be a good idea child. Why don't we split a berry or two on that and wait until this storm passes over?"

She seemed pleased about this, hopping over to the basket to recover a few of her favorites. Acero however had already made up his mind on the subject. If he was going to do so, he would need his strength and this town would supply him with it. One more week is all he would need and then . . .