The bog was lit by the milky light of morning, softening its normally sinister atmosphere. The humid air was rank with the odor of swamp gas and rotting vegetation. Cattails and reeds poked out of the mud and the gnarled mangrove trees were wrapped with vines.
Dion bobbed his head, his face twisted in its usual ecstatic grin. No one would ever think of searching this place! He glided toward the dungeon's entrance. As Dion was a Carnivine, he felt right at home in this habitat most Pokémon would consider inhospitable. I bet no one's been here for centuries. This place has gotta be laden with treasure! Everyone at the academy will think twice before calling me useless when I return with a swollen bag of loot!
Dion was a fairly new student at the renowned Arcanine's Academy, a haven for young Pokémon looking to become treasure hunters. Due to a slump in recruits, the Carnivine hadn't yet been sorted into a hunting team. As Arcanine insisted it wasn't safe for students to explore dungeons alone, Dion had been restricted to performing small chores for the school. Dion, who was clumsy and somewhat dimwitted, habitually slipped up and made mistakes. The rest of the academy found him to be a source of entertainment, and some students went as far as to say he would never get anywhere as a hunter.
Dion tried to ignore all the jeers and remarks his fellow students threw at him, but as time rolled on, he found it harder and harder to remain thick-skinned. Though he wouldn't admit it, his classmates' comments were starting to get to him. He often found himself questioning whether or not he would make it as a hunter. Even though Arcanine advised against going hunting alone, Dion couldn't wait any longer. He was ready to test his mettle now.
So this place is the Foreboding Bog, eh? Funny, it doesn't look scary or anything. Dion caught sight of a rickety wooden walkway and hovered over to investigate. He cautiously pressed his palm against it and was met with a sharp, stinging sensation. Splinters! Dion inspected his leafy fingers, which were embedded with tiny shards of wood. He fretfully brushed the splinters away with his other hand. Geez, this thing doesn't look very safe. Good thing I don't have to walk on it.
Dion whistled cheerily as he floated along the walkway. He looked from side to side, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of treasure. As he lacked experience as a hunter, his expectations didn't quite meet the realities most students discovered. The Carnivine was convinced he would just happen upon some sort of precious artifact sticking out like a sore thumb.
Dion wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. The temperature had spiked since he had entered the Foreboding Bog. While Carnivine often made their homes in similar climates, Dion had become accustomed to cooler temperatures. He pressed forward, not letting the heat tamper with his determination.
The Carnivine soon came across what appeared to be the end of the walkway. The last few boards had broken off and were resting in the motionless water. Dion frowned. This can't be the end of the dungeon! I bet someone was just trying to deter hunters from the treasure. It's gotta be somewhere out there in the depths of the swamp… somewhere unapproachable to most Pokémon. A clever trick, but it won't work on me! My Levitate ability seriously comes in handy sometimes. He was smiling.
Dion drifted over the stretch of bog. He flew past a forest of dark ferns and came to a stop when he caught a glimpse of bright green out of the corner of his eye. Oh? What could this be? He approached it slowly, savoring the moment. Maybe it's a giant peridot. I'll be rich! The Carnivine swept aside a wall of leafy branches, only for him to reel back in horror at what he found.
The still body of a Scyther was lying belly-down in a small pool of muck, its midsection hidden beneath the water. Its head was resting on a pile of damp stones, and its face was stuck in an uncomfortable grimace. One of its scimitar-shaped arms was over the rocks, and the other one had disappeared under the water. Its legs were sprawled out strangely. The Scyther's long abdomen denoted that it was a female. A muddy piece of purple cloth was sticking out of the water a few inches away.
Dion shielded his eyes, but his curiosity compelled him to peek between his fingers. Oh gosh! I didn't expect to find anyone out here, especially not in a position like this. She's not dead, is she? What do I do? Panicking, the Carnivine slithered up a nearby tree and anchored himself onto one of the branches. He reached out and prodded at the Scyther's face. "Please wake up."
The Scyther raised her head, a yawn slipping from her jaws. She opened her eyes delicately, as if she were waking from a pleasant dream.
Dion beamed. "Oh, good, you're alive!"
The Scyther knit her brows. "What?" She examined her surroundings, her eyes widening with a combination of fear and surprise. "What in the world is going on here? Who said that?" She spoke in a soft, relatively low-pitched voice—the opposite of Dion's usual tone.
"Look up!" the Carnivine exclaimed, waving his arms.
Not bothering to second guess Dion's order, the Scyther lifted her gaze and was met with the sight of his gaping mouth. "Oh god!" she gasped, startled. "Wait a second. You're a Carnivine, aren't you?"
"Yeah, last time I checked." Dion was confused. Why was she acting like she had never seen anything like him before?
The Scyther smiled. "Ha, that's pretty cool."
"You, uh, need some help getting up? Here, grab on." Dion reached for her, realizing a second too late that she didn't have hands.
"Thanks, I appreciate it." She paused when she raised her arm, gawking at the sight of the blade-like appendage. "Oh m-my..." the Scyther breathed, her face lighting up. "This is incredible!"
"Huh?" Dion pulled his arm back apprehensively. "Are you okay?"
"I'm better than okay," she laughed, "I'm a Scyther!" She hooked her scythes into the mud and pulled herself to her feet. The Scyther twisted her head around and studied herself.
"Yes. Yes, you are." Dion shook his head in disbelief. What's her problem? I guess she must have hit her head on those rocks. I should get her some help. "You wanna come with me to Origin Plaza?"
"Sure, whatever that is." The Scyther, who had begun to slash at the nearby ferns, didn't appear to be paying attention.
"You've never heard of Origin Plaza?" Dion sputtered. Origin Plaza was a bustling town not far from Arcanine's Academy, and its economy thrived on meeting the wants and needs of the local treasure hunters. Its cheery slogan, "Where all adventures begin!" was well known throughout the land. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She couldn't even remember what Pokémon she was.
The Scyther sank her blades into the tree Dion was hanging from. "Obviously. You know, this is sort of weird. I've never been good at lucid dreaming."
"Wait… what?" Dion tipped his head to the side, baffled.
The Scyther gave a hasty shrug, unhooking her claws from the bark. "Of course you don't know what I'm talking about. I'm not going to waste my time explaining it to you, either. I'd like to get the best out of this dream before it's over… which should be soon. Really soon."
Dion scratched the back of his neck. "I… really don't think you're dreaming."
"Don't be silly," the Scyther giggled. "There's no way this could be real. It's impossible."
"I don't get it. What are you talking about?"
"Forget it. Let's just go to that Origin Plaza place." She took an awkward step forward, nearly tripping and landing face-first in the mud. The way she moved, taking lumbering gaits as she forcefully swung her hips, made it seem like she had forgotten how to walk.
Clamping his jaws shut, Dion detached himself from the tree and assumed his stationary floating position half a foot above the ground. "Can you at least tell me your name? I'm Dion."
The Scyther froze in her tracks, digging her forearms into the earth for support. "My name?" She narrowed her eyes. "What the… I can't remember!" she yelled.
Dion nodded in silent understanding. Yup. She hit her head all right. "Is there anything you remember about yourself?"
The Scyther pressed a blade against her chin. She stood there for what felt like an eternity, lost in her broken thoughts. "Now that I think of it, there's a lot I can't remember. It's all personal stuff. My name, my family, my friends… all gone. It must be part of this crazy dream. That wouldn't make sense, though. I'm the one who's in control!"
"I still say this isn't a dream. If all your memories about yourself are gone, couldn't you have just forgotten that you're a Scyther? I dunno, but I'm pretty sure I'm not a figment of your imagination." He ran his fingers across his face, making sure he was a real Pokémon.
"I'd normally be open to ideas like that, but it's just not possible. If that were true, why do I still have some memories about who I was before? You can't tell me I just pulled them out of nowhere."
Dion couldn't think of any reasonable explanations, so he decided to ask, "If you're not a Scyther, what are you supposed to be?"
"A human," she said nonchalantly.
"A human?" Dion echoed. "But humans aren't real, are they? I thought they were make-believe." The young Carnivine had heard plenty of stories about humans—strange, bipedal creatures that supposedly trapped Pokémon in spherical objects and forced them to battle.
"Touché." The Scyther heaved a sigh. "None of this makes any sense." She glanced at her scythes in what appeared to be disappointment. "Well, I guess this is it. I'm beginning to doubt I'll ever wake up from this dream."
Dion twiddled his thumbs, unsure of how to respond to the Scyther's predicament. He was positive she had merely gotten her memories mixed up, but he didn't want to argue with her. Something in her voice had changed and it was clear that she was deeply upset. "What are you going to do now?" Dion asked at last.
"I don't know." The Scyther turned her back to him.
"All right, then." Dion was disappointed by her sudden aloofness. "Maybe Headmaster Arcanine will know what to do. Want me to show you the way to the academy?"
"I guess," she muttered.
"Well, let's go." Dion flew forward and turned his head to make sure the other Pokémon was following. He slowed his pace when he realized she was having a hard time keeping up. It's weird. I thought Scyther were supposed to be blazingly fast… so fast you can barely see them. I guess she's not used to being a Scyther, even if what she's saying isn't true. She's also not using her wings at all. I wonder if she knows she can do that. He didn't bother reminding her. In spite of the circumstances, he couldn't help but feel accomplished about being faster than a Scyther.
"Since you don't know your name, is there anything in particular you'd like to be called?"
The Scyther didn't reply for a moment. "… Eileen. I just thought of that right now. Is that my name? No, that can't be right… whatever, just call me Eileen."
"All righty. Eileen it is." Dion wondered what he would name himself if he were given the choice, only to be interrupted by a yowl. He whipped around, only to find that Eileen had fallen into a deep patch of swampy water. Submerged up to her neck, the Scyther flailed wildly as she coughed up a mouthful of water she had inhaled. Dion remembered he had only managed to get so far because of his Levitate ability—the depths of the Foreboding Bog were inaccessible to Pokémon without means of flight. Eileen boasted a pair of functioning wings, of course, but she was still oblivious to their presence.
"Gah," Dion spat unthinkingly. "How deep is it? Can you swim?"
Eileen was struggling to stay afloat. "Not like this!" she snarled as her head went under. Seconds later, her muzzle emerged and she spewed out another jet of green water. Dion watched helplessly, chewing on his fingertips. She may be a crazy amnesiac, but I can't just let her drown! The Carnivine waited for Eileen to surface. To his despair, the Scyther's leaf-green snout didn't bob up from the water. The only sign of her was a steady stream of tiny bubbles.
What do I do? What do I do? Dion hovered above the chasm, panicking. He came to a halt when a smidge of an idea popped into his head. That's it! I could use Vine Whip! I really hope this works. Trying to calm down, he let out a pair of vine-like tendrils from the base of his neck. He shakily guided them into the murky water and searched for something to grab onto. Dion let out a sigh of relief when one of his vines wrapped around something slender—he assumed it was Eileen's arm, but it felt too light. He yanked it out, only to find that it was a waterlogged branch.
Tossing the stick aside in dismay, Dion dipped his vines into the pool again. How did I mess that up? He fished around in a hurry until he finally found what couldn't have been anything other than the drowning Pokémon. Binding his vines around her upper arms, he tugged with all his might. Dion managed to pull her to the surface, but he knew he wouldn't be able to lift her into the air. The Scyther was probably at least twice his weight.
Eileen gasped and sputtered when her head burst out of the water. She panted and wheezed. "Ugh," she uttered between coughs.
"Are you all right?"
"No, not really," Eileen growled. She gagged and stuck her tongue out, trying to get the foul taste out of her mouth.
"You'll be fine," Dion said. The Scyther's lack of gratitude frustrated him—he had just saved her life, and he hadn't gotten even a simple "thank you". Your messed up memory doesn't excuse you from being rude!
Eileen treaded water, agitated, as Dion held her up. Since he couldn't raise her up, his only option was to drag her onto land. I've gotta find that boardwalk, he decided. The wooden walkway trailed straight out of the dungeon, so if he brought her there, she wouldn't have to worry about falling into any more aquatic pitfalls. The Carnivine pulled her along behind him as he tried to remember which direction it was in.
I can't imagine what it'd be like to be a Scyther, Dion thought. Although its forearms made impressive weapons, they were of little practical use—the Mantis Pokémon completely lacked the ability to grasp or hold onto things, and its blades were a constant safety hazard to those around it. They should at least be able to use Vine Whip or something.
Eileen didn't appear to be concerned about how Dion was uncertainly lugging her through the bog. Her slanted eyes were glazed with weariness—the product of her frenzied fight to keep herself from drowning.
When Dion spotted the walkway, he rushed to guide the Scyther over to it. Eileen was startled by his sudden change of pace. "What's going on?" she asked in a small voice.
"I found a place where you'll be safe," said Dion. He brought her a step too close to the boardwalk, knocking her into the wood.
The Scyher shot him a dirty look.
"Oops," he apologized nervously. There was something awfully intimidating about Eileen's appearance—her pointed fangs and venomous glare; the way her wicked sickles could slice him up in a moment's notice. It didn't help that she was of both the Bug and Flying types: two of the Carnivine's weaknesses. Even though he knew the Scyther had no reason to hurt him—and even if she did, she probably wouldn't know how—he felt a little uncomfortable around her. "Will you be able to get yourself out of the water?"
Eileen gave the walkway in front of her a meek look. "I'll try." She dug her forearms into the edge of the boardwalk, leaving deep incisions in the wood. Shifting her weight onto her upper body, she kicked as she struggled to get herself onto the platform. Noticing that she was having trouble, Dion exerted himself as he attempted to pull her up. As both of the Pokémon had little strength, the Scyther stayed in the water.
"Why don't you try using your wings?" Dion suggested, annoyed.
"My wings?" Eileen repeated, glancing over her shoulder. "Oh, wow. I forgot Scyther could fly." Dion detected a hint of joy in her voice. While Scyther had two sets of wings, they were incapable of flying at high elevations or for long distances. He was sure they would give her enough of a boost, though.
Dion drew his vines back as Eileen gave her wings a test. Droplets of water were sent flying as her wings vibrated and a loud droning noise filled the air. Seemingly spooked by the whole thing, the Scyther stilled her wings. "Gah, that's so weird!" she exclaimed. "That wasn't what I was expecting at all."
Dion tried to imagine what it would be like to have wings. While Levitate granted him the ability to hover a few inches above the ground, it was completely different from being able to fly. Dion had never thought about why members of his species were able to do this—he guessed it made up for how they didn't have legs or any other suitable means of locomotion.
Baring her teeth, Eileen started up her wings again. She tore her scythes out of the wood as her body gained height. She angled herself so that she flew forward, and she dropped onto the walkway with a thud once she began to drift over it. "Ow," she hissed, shakily rising to her feet. "God, I'm so heavy."
Dion glided up to her. "Well, at least you're out of harm's way."
"You think so?" Eileen muttered, biting her lip. Balancing on one leg, she picked up one of her feet and looked at the bottom of it. A large chip of wood was wedged in her sole. Scowling, she reached for it with one of her blades as if she planned on removing it, only to realize that she no longer had hands. The Scyther then lost her balance and nearly toppled onto her side.
Dion chuckled to himself. I never thought I'd find anyone as clumsy as me, he thought. But she has a reason to be clumsy… I think. I'm still not sure I believe her. I can't wait to see what Arcanine has to say about her. A frown formed on his face. Until then, it hadn't occurred to him that Arcanine would be upset with him for venturing into a dungeon alone. Ol' Arcanine is nice; he probably won't mind. Besides, I'm not by myself. I know Eileen isn't a student, but… I wonder if I could get her to become a hunter.
He looked over at the Scyther, who was unsuccessfully attempting to use her forearms as tweezers. He thought about asking her, but he already knew she would say no. She had bigger things to worry about than joining a hunting team. He doubted she would be a good partner, anyway; she barely knew anything about being a Pokémon—but then again, he was pretty inexperienced himself. It would be nice to learn together… to not have someone laugh and mock me whenever I mess up. She's sort of quiet and impolite, but at least she isn't mean. He sighed, trying to get his mind off the subject. It's a bummer that I didn't end up finding any treasure. But I did certainly find something… something much more interesting than a gem or jewel, to say the least.